Comprehensive Guide To Cleaning Your Luxury Car
If you have a luxury car, odds are you treat it like such. You probably meticulously check the oil and tire pressure, and you might even check the suspension and frame every once in a while. Interestingly, even if many people check their luxury car in this meticulous nature, many will still wash their car like it is a normal car. Simply put, a luxury car needs to be washed like it is a luxury car. Any other standard of cleaning can eventually bring down the overall value of the car. Furthermore, if you are not careful with the tools and cleaning solutions that you use, you run a major risk of ruining the car’s value. In this guide, we will be covering
- Basic inspection procedures
- The basics of cleaning your car
- The best steps to cleaning your car
- The proper cleaning materials to use
- The proper tools to use
Here is our comprehensive guide to cleaning your luxury car!
Basic Inspection
Before you embark on this automotive cleanup adventure, it is extremely important to fully assess your luxury vehicle. Doing a basic inspection will highlight any problem areas that you can address throughout the cleaning process. This will also give you some time to look over your car and survey any new damage that might have recently occurred. Some of the most important things to pay attention to include:
- Look at the exterior and assess if there has been any new damage since the last cleaning.
- Is there any peeling paint that you might need to be careful around?
- Are there any components on the car (interior and exterior) that might need to be replaced?
- Is there rust present on the frame or underside of the car?
- How do your headlights look? Are the plastic coverings fogged up or have moisture on the inside?
- Are there any strange scratches, swirl marks, or other types of imperfections on the surface of the car? For this, it helps to view the car in direct light.
- What is the condition of the wheel wells and splash guards? Check how loose they are against the frame.
Asking these questions will help you affirm whether it is time to bring in your luxury car for preventative maintenance.
The Basics of Car Cleaning
When it comes to car cleaning, there definitely are some steps that you need to take to make sure that you are efficiently and thoroughly cleaning your luxury vehicle. Some of the best rules to follow include:
- Choose a shady spot to clean your car.
- Try not to clean your car during a windy day. The wind can blow dust and dirt onto your wet car and dry on the paint.
- Ensure that you have proper drainage around the vehicle.
The Suggested Steps To Clean Your Car
When cleaning your car, one of the best ways to keep track of your progress is to start and completely finish whole areas at a time. This will help you stay organized and provide guidance for how far along you are through the process. Here is what we suggest doing:
Clear Out the Cabin First
Clearing out the cabin and cleaning the surfaces is the first step we suggest taking. Often, the interior takes the most effort to clean, especially if you have a car that employs many different materials. Such things as soft plastics, felts, leathers, and even Alcantara need extra special attention to ensure that the material is properly cleaned and maintained. After you clear out the car and pay attention to the different materials, vacuum out your floors and floor mats, and move on to the next step!
Wash and Rinse Exterior, Underside, and Wheel Wells
Now that you have finished the cabin, you can work on the exterior. With a power washer and soap attachment, this part should be a breeze. Just ensure that you are indeed using the proper soap. Also, ensure that you are not standing too close to the car with the pressure washer. The high pressure can strip off the paint extremely easily. You should also keep in mind that it will make your life a lot easier to start washing from the top of the car. This will waste less water, as the soapy water will move down the entire body of the car and give you complete coverage.
After you have gotten your car completely covered in soap, it is now time to wash the car off. Like with the soaping technique, starting the rinse at the top of the car and traveling down to the ground will ensure that you get all the soap off the car and will result in wasting a lot less water. If you have a water deionizer, now is the time to use it! De-ionized water does not leave streaks or watermarks, meaning you can air-dry your car instead of having to wipe down the whole thing!
What Are the Proper Cleaning Solutions You Should Use?
Using the proper automotive soap is absolutely necessary for protecting the exterior of your car. When you use soaps such as dish soaps and hand soaps, the chemicals present within the soap can easily strip the paint off the exterior.
What Are the Proper Tools That Are Required for the Job?
When car washing is concerned, there are many tools that can make the job a lot easier and faster. While you may not absolutely need these tools to do a great job, they certainly help step up your game and provide that extra level of cleanliness for your car. Some of the most important tools for the job include
- Buckets for water
- A clean water supply
- Premium microfiber cloth (ensure that it is microfiber, as other materials can scratch interior plastics and fabrics)
- Vacuum cleaner (preferably with attachments)
- Power washer
- Dual-action polisher
- De-ionizer (not mandatory, but if you use one of these, you won't have to hand-dry your car)
- Automotive soap
- Leather conditioner
- Car polish
- Car wax
- Tire black
We hope that you have enjoyed this comprehensive guide to cleaning your luxury car! If you are considering selling your Porsche, Ferrari, or any other luxury car, reach out to Nahas Motorcars! We make the luxury car selling experience seem like a breeze by providing great offers and amazing customer service!
