All geographical areas experience some sort of harsh weather. Whether it is Alaska with temperatures dropping into the negative double digits or Texas with their unexpected ice storms.  Your car needs special care during the winter months. Winter car care should include:

• Basic Tune up: lets face it, if it does not start, the rest is just fluff. Make sure you have a certified car mechanic (one that you know and trust) evaluate the hoses, belts, spark plugs and wires. Change if needed.  Maintain oil changes as recommended by your car manual.
• Antifreeze: Add antifreeze that will protect your lines from freezing.
• Tire tread: Be sure your tires are in good shape, with adequate tread.  Remember traction, traction, traction. Most state laws consider tread to be legally worn out at 2/32″ of remaining tread.  Easy way to judge this is to take a penny (with Lincoln facing upside down)  and stick it in many different areas of the treads and if Lincoln’s head is always covered, then you are okay.
• Brakes: Have that certified mechanic that you know and trust check your brakepads and shoes.  You can forget traction, if you can’t stop.
• Windshield wipers and fluids: Visibility in the wintertime is often compromised.  Defrost/scrape all your windows completely before driving. Your blades should be changed if they leave streak marks and/or don’t clear window thoroughly.  Follow your owners manual for correct size.  Although more expensive, the heavy all-season blades are a good bet.  Use windshield fluids that are effective in subzero temperatures.
• Fuel de-icers: If temperatures in your area can fall to sub-zero, it is smart to use a fuel de-icer, to prevent the fuel line and /or carburetor from freezing. Keep the fuel take above 1/2 full to further prevent freezing
• Exterior TLC: Prior to the elements beating up your car, give it a thorough washing and 1-2 coats of a good quality polish/wax.  This will give your car a fighting chance against the road salt and debris from sanders.  Repeat the wash and wax after a storms, to remove accumulated salt and sand. Don’t forget the tires, they would love a coat or two of protection also.

Adequately maintaining your car, will add years of life to your car.  Please remember to drive safely, keep your eyes on the road and expect the unexpected.  Have a safe winter!

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1. It’s very very very important to wash your car PROPERLY beforehand. This cannot be stressed enough. Washing before will prevent scratching the paint. Follow these instructions on How to Properly Wash Your Car. A few important points in case you’re too lazy to read those instructions…wash in the shade, only use a car shampoo without wax in it (absolutely no dish washing liquid or regular soaps!), and use a sheepskin mitt.
2. Once you’ve washed your car and dried it with the absorber, keep the car in the cool shaded area. Now you can start waxing using your car wax. Regardless of what wax you use, start by dampening the wax applicator and apply the wax to it.
3. Take the wax applicator and apply the wax on it to the car. Start by spreading the wax in a small area. Then start buffing it using the same sponge. Small circular motions work great, and do this until the wax starts drying a little bit. You should only do one part of the car at a time. For example, the hood.
4. Once it’s dry, remove it using a soft microfiber towel. In a circular motion, start removing the wax in the same motions/way you applied it. By doing the same type of motion, you prevent streaking.
5. Repeat this process to all parts of your car paint surface (make sure to not get it on glass, lights, emblems, wheels, and rubber parts).

You can find a lot of great car wax, applicators, and microfiber towels in our Store. If you have any questions or would like to share tips with others, feel free to post below.

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You’ll need a few things. First off you’ll need a bucket to pour water in, a hose with running water, a wash mitten or rag, car shampoo, and a chamoise to dry off the surface later.

• Plastic bucket - You can most likely find an empty bucket around the house. BUT, don’t just use any bucket because using a dirty bucket can lead to scratching your car if you accidentally get soil particles onto the car surface. Get a new plastic bucket just for washing your car from the dollar store, or somewhere cheap like Walmart.
• Hose (running water) - Hopefully you have one. Make sure to check your town/city runoff regulations. Some places require strict cleanup when you wash a car, for example, they do that in certain parts of California.
• Wash Mitt - Absolutely, definitely use sheepskin. This is highly recommended because it is the softest quality material that will not scratch your paint surface. Don’t get fake sheepskin. Would you rather buy something cheap, scratch your car, and have to deal with the hassle later? Pay more for the real thing. It’s well worth it in the long-run.
• Car Shampoo - Don’t use laundry detergent, dish washing detergent or regular soap. These will damage your paint surface. Car shampoo ingredients are safe for your paint surface. A good car shampoo costs less than $30 for a 6-month supply. Check some out in our Store, or get some TurboWax Car Shampoo (rated highly by detailing experts).
• Absorber - Forget about traditional leather chamois. These are hard to use, get ruined pretty quick, and can potentially damage your paint surface if you’re inexperienced. Get The Absorber. Guaranteed to be the best car care purchase in your life. You will be amazed at how well this dries your car. It’s only $11, and it will likely outlast the life of your car! (Most people keep their absorber for 5+ years)

Okay, so here is a quick step-by-step of how to wash your car:

1. Before you start make sure to park your car out of direct sunlight because that could create residue that’s hard to remove. This is especially true if you live in an area that has calcium in the water.
2. Loosen and wash off some of the dirt from the car using the hose.
3. Make sure the bucket is clean and pour 1/2oz of shampoo into it. Know how many gallons the bucket holds. For each gallon you need to use 1/2oz of car shampoo. When the shampoo is in the bucket, put your finger on the water running from the hose to pressurize it and point it into the bucket to make the shampoo form suds.
4. When the bucket is filled with suds, turn off the hose water and take your mitt (make sure it is absolutely clean) and dunk it in the bucket to get it wet. Get some suds on it, and then apply to some area of the car. The front hood is a good place to start. Use large circular hand motion and press somewhat firmly on the surface to rub off any dirt or particles that may be stuck. Do NOT rub rigorously. You don’t want to scratch your vehicle. Make sure you cover every part of the car. This should take about 15 minutes. Don’t take too long or the soap will dry and form residue that will require further washing.
5. Once you’re done washing, drop the wash mitt into the bucket. Do NOT drop it on the ground! That will get particles in it that will scratch your paint the next time you use it. Next, start the hose again and rinse all the soap off the surface. Make sure all the soap is gone, and then get your absorber.
6. Use the hose to wet the absorber towel a bit and then wring it out dry. Then place it flat and wide on a section of the car surface. For example, start with the hood. Lay it out flat as possible on the hood surface. Then hold the 2 front corners and gently tug it towards you while keeping it as flat on the surface as possible. It will feel stuck, but that’s the whole point. Tug harder if you have to, but be gentle. It will absorb all the water in seconds. Repeat this for all other surface sections. Using this you can dry your car in less than 10-15 minutes. When you’re done, make sure to wring it dry and roll it back into the container. If the absorber gets dirty, you can wash it in a laundry machine. Just follow the instructions on the container.

There you have it, your car should be nice and clean. Enjoy driving around in your shiny car and showing it off, and when it gets dirty again, you know what to do

If you have any questions about washing your car or would like to share tips with others, feel free to post below.

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Overall, not cleaning the inside of your car is sort of like not taking care of yourself. Let’s face it, you car can say a lot about you. If you only clean the outside, it’s like going on a date and putting on nice clothes, but not brushing your teeth. If you really want your car interior to last, you have to clean it regularly.

Here are some tips on Interior Car Care:

• How to Clean Your Car Carpet and Upholstery
• How to Clean Your Car Leather
• How to Clean Your Car Plastics
• How to Clean Your Car Glass Windows (Inside)

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The best type of product to use is a plastic polish and a spray protectant. Don’t use the same product for soft and hard plastics, or for matte-finish (no gloss) vinyl. Make sure you apply the appropriate product to the appropriate material. Each one has ingredients that is specifically designed to keep that material looking new, and may actually damage other materials if wrongfully applied. As with the Leather Care tips, apply the product to the towel and not to the surface, to keep from splattering on the windshield or door glass.

If you have questions about cleaning your car plastics, or if you would like to share some tips, feel free to post below.

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You’ll need a good vacuum. You could use one of the handy portable vacuums, but they’re not that strong. The better idea is to remove your car carpets from the car and use a regular vacuum with the attachments. Take them all out and shake the dust and sand particles loose from mats by flapping them around lightly. Then put them on the ground and vacuum them using a light bristly brush end piece on the vacuum. You don’t want to use anything too rigorous or tough on the surface.

Before putting the carpets back in the car, vacuum inside the car, under where the carpets were. You’ll be surprised how much dirt and soil gets stuck under and in between these parts of the car. The only exception to vacuuming is the headliner, which is a bit tricky to clean and you’re better off lightly brushing it rather than vacuuming.

If there are any stains or marks on your upholstery, it’s best to vacuum and remove the soil and dirt particles first before removing the stains. It’s kind of like the way you wash a car before you wax it. Same thing here, you need to prepare the carpet before removing stains.

Use a good upholstery cleaner, which will typically come in a spray form. Spray it on the carpet fibers and rub that area briskly with a towel. If needed, you can use a brush to take out tougher stains. If something just doesn’t come out, don’t keep rubbing. That can do more harm than good. Instead, repeat the spray and rub process a few times. When rubbing, using a circular motion that covers a large area. This will keep one area of the carpet looking cleaner than others, which can happen if you focus to closely on just one spot.

Overall, if you clean your carpet 1x per week you’ll have an idea of the current condition and you’ll notice stains when they happen. Try to clean bad stains as quickly as possible to minimize permanent damage. The best trick is to either get black carpets or get carpet covers for your car carpet. In other words, get some old carpet and cut it to fit on top of your actual car carpet. This way you original car carpet/mats never get touched, but they stay in place.

One thing that works great as a cover is PVC foam mat material, which for about $20 you can cover every part of your car even the trunk. There are some more expensive foam mat coverings as well (that look nicer), as shown in the picture above. You can find lots of these on eBay (flex tool link).

If you have any questions about cleaning the carpet/upholstery or would like to share some of your own tips, please feel free to post below.

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To clean your leather surface you’ll need products such as Turbo Wax LVR or other ones that you can find in the leather care section of our Store. To apply, you’ll need a clean cotton towel or sponge, such as the quality TurboWax applicators. The best way to apply is to put a quarter-size amount of the leather cleaner onto the sponge/applicator or towel and lightly rub it into the leather and wipe clean. The reason you shouldn’t apply directly to the leather surface is because most cleaners will drip quickly and may get stuck into crevices. Another reason you shouldn’t just apply the cleaner to the leather directly is because it may splatter and getting it on plastics can fade them, so to be more concise, it’s really best to apply to the sponge or towel.

If you haven’t cleaned your leather in a while, you may notice that it’s a lot dirtier than you thought. If that’s the case, make a note of which parts you cleaned, and repeat the process lightly several times to make sure you cover everything. Do NOT rub the leather skin rigorously.

Also, make sure that you use the right type of cleaner for either “smooth” or “rough” surfaces, because it does make a difference. As mentioned in the other tips, the best way to keep any part of your car the most clean is through protection. Just as you protect your skin from harmful UV rays by wearing the right lotion, leather is a delicate material that also needs protection from UV rays as well as dust and harmful particles that can damage its surface texture. You protect the leather by conditioning it. There are many leather cleaners that also have a conditioner formula included, so you can get one these if you don’t feel like conditioning the leather separately.

If you have any questions about leather care, or if you’d like to share some tips, feel free to post below.

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Cleaning the interior car glass is pretty easy, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Most people assume that they can clean it just like they would clean windows or mirrors in their home, using paper towels. However, wadded-up newspaper, believe it or not, is an excellent way to wipe glass clean without residue. Lint-free microfiber towels also work well as long as they are clean.

As with the other Interior Car Care tips, it’s best to typically spray the towel or newspaper rather than the window, to keep the cleaner from reaching other parts of the car that may be damaged possibly by some of the ingredients. If you have tinted windows, ONLY use soft microfiber towels to lightly wipe the windows clean. Anything else may scratch your tint.

If you have any questions or would like to share tips about cleaning interior glass, please feel free to post below.

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Wash your vehicle: 1x per week
Apply pre-wax cleaner/polish: 2x per year
Apply sealer/glaze: 1x per every 2-3 months
Wax your vehicle: 1x per every 2-3 months
Clean wheels: 2x per month
Clean tires: 1x per month
Clean glass: 1x per week
Vacuum interior: 1x per week
Condition leather: 1x per month

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