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Driving your car through an automated car wash for a quick suds-up is a quick way to knock the dirt off the outside of your car, but a drive through wash doesn't do a very thorough job.  If you want that new car look and feel for your car, set aside about an hour and follow Alignment Center's step-by-step deep cleaning guide.

Before you get started you need to get some supplied together.  Here is what you need:

 

• Automotive soap - Use a brand name wash that is made for cars.  Don't use dish detergent.  It will strip off wax and leave your paint exposed to the elements.
• Automotive wax and wax applicator. 
• A car sponge
• Two terrycloth bath towels (buy cheap new ones at the dollar store)
• Aerosol glass cleaner - in a can, not a squirt bottle
• A chamois cloth - to dry your car off, the synthetic ones work better and cost less
• A soft, long bristled brush
• Wheel cleaner and tire dressing (foaming leave-on tire dressings are best)
• A bucket and a hose
• Newspaper or lint free paper towels
• Touch-up paint (optional)

 

Now that you have what you need, let's go to work. Choose a cloudy day or work at daybreak or dusk.  It's much harder to do the job right on a hot day or in direct sunlight.

1.  Fill the bucket with soap and water. 

2.  Dump the terrycloth towel in the bucket.  Now open your doors, hood, trunk and gas door.  Wring out the towel and wipe down door jambs, and the trunk, hood and gas door openings.  Rinse and wring often and replace the soapy water when it gets too filthy.

3.  Rinse the soap out of the towel and give the jambs and openings a final wipe down.  Shut the vehicle up and drape the wet towel over the front of the hood and the grill area.  Leave it there to soften up hard to remove bugs and other road grime.

4.  Wet down the car and soap up the horizontal surface using the sponge and clean soap and water.  Work in small sections and rinse as you finish each section. Start at the top and work down to the trunk.  Remove the towel from the hood and clean the hood, grill and around the periphery of the car. 

5.  Using wheel cleaner and the soft brush, get your wheels clean.  Make sure to follow the directions on the wheel cleaner, which is acidic and can damage wheels if not used properly.  Hose down the wheels as you finish each.

6.   When the vehicle is clean, dry it off with the chamois, wringing out often.

7.   Wash windows with the aerosol cleaner and lint free towels or newsprint. 

8.   Before waxing, inspect the car and find any paint chips.  This is where rust gets in, so it is recommended you touch-up any scratch that is down to the metal.

9.   When the touch-up is complete, apply a coat of wax with the applicator and buff with the dry terry towel.

10.  To finish up, spray the tires with foaming leave-on tire dressing and allow to work.

 

All that's left is a quick clean-up of your supplies and a sparkling clean car in your driveway.  Now that your car is clean on the outside, keep it running great on the inside by scheduling a mechanical check-up with Alignment Center.  We'll be happy to help you keep your vehicle running as good as it looks.