Automotive Academy

When you first purchase a car you are eventually going to want to sell it on at some point, so it is important that from day one of the purchase you start to maintain it so when you come to sell the car on, or complete a part-ex deal, you can get the highest resale value in the future.

While your engine is new and still shiny and beautiful, you should have it sealed to keep it that way. An engine sealer can help to keep under the bonnet looking clean and shiny and this should not cost very much but it looks incredible! And the effects of it lasts. 

The manufacturer of your vehicle probably recommends you to change the oil in your car every 6,000 miles, but to be on the safe side, I recommend every 3,000 miles. Also, keep the records using an envelope and put it in your glove box for all of your oil change receipts. On the outside of the envelope list the date of each oil change, records of any manual work on the vehicle will always be an attractive feature to possible buyers. 

Regular ‘tune ups’ and maintenance at the dealership always reflects well when you show a possible buyer the history of your vehicle, go at the recommended increments and always replace tires and repair breaks regularly. Once again, get a separate envelope for tune ups and maintenance and keep your receipts in 

Keep the inside and outside of your car clean, cleanliness is far easier to maintain than it is to clean something that has years of build up. Use the appropriate leather, vinyl and wheel cleaners for best results.

And always ensure you repair any damage promptly and correctly straight away, as if left they will just get worse and become harder and more expensive to fix. Keep your receipts for your repairs at home with your insurance paperwork.

One of the most annoying things about owning a car is coming out of the shops to your parked car, to find it has a scratch… small but noticeable, on the vehicle side panel. It wasn’t there yesterday or a week ago, but today it is prominent. How frustrating! If this is a small scratch, it is simple to fix and here’s how!

First you need to look closely at the scratch. If it is minor and only scratches the paint surface of the car, but not destroyed the paint or gone further than the top coating, it can be fixed it. You will need a thin lined sharpie marker that is the same color as your car. Black marker for a black car, blue marker for a blue car etc.

Wash the panel the scratch is on to make sure it is completely rid of any dirt or grim. Wipe it dry with a paper towel. Make sure there is no dirt on the area around the scratch or in the scratch itself or this process won’t work. Take the sharpie marker and fill in the scratch very carefully. This needs to be an exact line, spread evenly where the paint is lacking. 

You then need to carefully apply wax the area of the scratch, place the wax on the surface, but before moving or polishing, allow the wax to set for 15 minutes. After the time allotted is finished, polish the panel as directed on the package directions.

Once you are done polishing, you will notice the scratch has disappeared or considerably lightened. The wax builds up in the scratch and allows the surface to smooth out. This is can be repeated if necessary and will last for up to a year before fading.

We are often facing the question of what is the best way to achieve maximum results to detail a car. To start your detail job, you want to make sure your car is not in direct sunlight and that the surfaces on the outside aren’t hot, de-tailing a car in hot weather will just create bad results.

Vehicle surface evaluation is one of the most important aspects of a successful detail job. This evaluation will allow us to prepare ourselves with the correct products and steps, things like light scratches, swirl marks and other paint imperfections can be evaluated at this time, from here we will have a plan of what products are needed and in what order.

Begin with a pre-wash by rinsing all the loose debris from the top of the car working downwards. You want to make sure to get all of the loose grime off of the surface so you don’t have to use your wash mitt. Using this process we can avoid causing swirl marks, at least to a certain point.

Do not use the same wash water or tools on the paint as you did your wheels. Prepare your wash materials and get started doing the wheels, tires and wheel wells one by one. Don’t do all of them at once, you don’t want any of these cleaners to dry. Use the detail brush first to get to the backside of my wheels and get all that brake dust out of there. When you are done with each wheel, rinse the wheel and make sure the entire cleaner is off the wheel.

After the tires and wheels have been done and before wetting the paint, you will want to prepare your wash bucket and tools for the paint in this step you will use a Car Shampoo that is highly lubricated formula with unique foaming quality and quick rinse characteristics.

The use of the wrong shampoo that doesn’t remove the grime and dirt combine with a low quality sponge/applicator will eventually leave swirl marks in your paint surface something that all of us try to avoid.

When you are done rinsing the car of all the soap, you need to dry your car. Make sure if you see a spot of dirt you missed, or loose debris on the car, don’t touch it with your drying towel, re-wash the area and then dry. A great tool is the chamois and we can go as far as using leaf blowers to completely remove all the water from all the tight spaces and trim.

The next step will be a tutorial guiding you how to complete your de-tailing process by waxing your car, come back tomorrow for the next tutorial! 

Car cleaning products can be made at home, much less expensive than the store bought cleaners and they are better for the environment too. Here are some home made recipes that will take care of all of your car care needs.  

CAR WASH SOLUTION: Add a couple drops of liquid castile soup which can be found in health food stores to a bucket of water and wash with a sponge or soft cloth.

WINDOW CLEANER: Fill a clean spray bottle with full strength white vinegar and spray onto windows, then allow it to sit for a few minutes, then, wipe dry with a piece of newspaper.

CHROME CLEANER: Mix together equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Then, spray it on your wheels; and work it in with a sponge or cleaning rag. Note: Vinegar should not be used on aluminum alloys.

CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY STAIN REMOVER: Mix white vinegar and baking soda together to form a paste. Then, work the paste into any carpet and upholstery stains with an old toothbrush or something similar. Allow the paste to dry. Then, vacuum up the baking soda, and the stains should be gone. Note: Some stains may need to be treated more than once.

INTERIOR CLEANER: Mix together equal parts white vinegar and water. Then, spray it on any vinyl, plastic, wood, or leather surfaces in your car that need cleaning. Allow it to soak in. Then, wipe dry with a clean rag. Note: As with any leather cleaner, you should test on a small area before applying to the entire surface.

WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID: Mix half white vinegar with half water and fill your windshield washer fluid reservoir. The acetic acid in the vinegar dissolves grime, bugs, and sap. It also helps keep windows frost free in the winter.