One of the most special feelings in the world is driving out of the showroom in a sparkling new car. The carpets are spotless, the paintwork is immaculate and who could forget that new car smell?
But, if we’re being honest, that feeling doesn’t last long. Within a few weeks, there are bird droppings dotted along the roof, crumbs underneath your seat, and dirt and leaves embedded into the carpet.
So how can you avoid this happening and prolong the novelty of a new car long into the car’s life? We’re here to tell you how in our comprehensive guide to keeping your car looking and feeling new.
Tips for keeping your car looking new
As important as the exterior of your car is, the interior is where you will spend most of your time. This not only means that it’s the part that you’ll be looking at the most, but it’s also the place that is most likely to get cluttered with rubbish and dirt, so extra care must be taken to keep it looking and feeling new.
Clean the dashboard
The dashboard is often overlooked when it comes to cleaning the interior of your car. Although stains and spills are unlikely, unsightly dust will settle on the dash leading to a car that feels decrepit. Simoniz have options for gloss or matt dashboards to meet your needs, with both offering exceptional cleaning capabilities.
Avoid eating in the car
The saying goes prevention is better than cure, and that’s true of food crumbs in your car. Rather than spending time and effort vacuuming up bits of fast food and crisps, you could avoid eating in the car at all. We’d advise that if you must eat in your car, clean up crumbs and waste as quickly as possible to avoid crumbs becoming embedded and bad odours lingering.
Use high-quality air fresheners
The smell of your car is just as important as the look of it when it comes to maintaining that new car feel. Cheap options are available for as little as £1, but we’d recommend spending just a tad more to get one that can leave your car smelling fragrant for significantly longer than cheaper ones.
Use seat covers
Particularly if you’ve got fabric seats, as stains can be difficult to remove once embedded. This can be avoided by using seat covers that act as a layer of protection between your upholstery and any damage that may come its way. Using seat covers on leather seats can also avoid excess wear and tear, such as rips or scratches, if they’re fitted correctly.
Clean your shoes
Dirty shoes lead to dirty carpets, and dirty carpets must be cleaned. To avoid embedded dirt in your car’s carpets, try to make sure that your shoes are free of dirt, mud or sand before you enter the car.
Use car mats
As an extra precaution for your carpets, you should purchase well-fitting car mats. Universal car mats are cheap and readily available, but custom mats or mats that are made for your vehicle model will offer better coverage and fit to guard your car’s carpets against dirt and crumbs.
Keep passengers respectful
You can keep your car’s interior as clean and tidy as you’d like, but if passengers are throwing rubbish, leaving crumbs or even smoking or vaping in your car then your hard work won’t count for very much. Ensure your passengers know the rules to follow to avoid any unexpected messes in your car.
Tips for keeping your car exterior feeling new
Even though the interior is what you’ll be looking at the most, the exterior is what you’ll see in reflections and as you turn around before heading into the house, so it’s important that you feel great driving a car that looks sparkly and new. Here are our tips to keep your car looking new from the outside.
Regular cleaning schedule
When a car is sat in a showroom, it is spotless – free of dirt, grime and grease. If you want your car to maintain that showroom finish, you should have a regular cleaning schedule that will leave your car spotless.
Spotless alloy wheels
Dirty alloy wheels can undo the hard work put into ensuring that the bodywork is sparkling. Using a high-quality alloy wheel cleaner like Simoniz Ultracare Alloy Wheel Cleaner will easily remove dirt, brake dust and oil that builds up and makes alloy wheels look unsightly. Using a wheel brush alongside the cleaner may also provide even better results.
Getting scratches fixed
Small scratches and scrapes are inevitable in today’s world. Whether it’s a bump in a car park or a stone chip, these types of bumps are difficult to fully prevent. When they occur, you should get them fixed as soon as possible by a reputable professional who will leave the scratch looking as good as new. For smaller scratches and swirls, use Simoniz’s Scratch and Swirl Remover to restore paint back to life.
Frequent waxing
Waxing is a great way to ensure that your car looks sparkly, but it will also add a temporary layer of protection to your paint to keep it shiny. Depending on the type of wax that you use, you may have to apply it only a couple of times a year, all the way up to every few weeks.
Removing debris from vents
Leaves, twigs and other dirt can build up in vents over time and they are not easily removed with water or soap. Before each wash, take some time to remove larger debris from vents to make sure that you’re not leaving areas unwashed because they are covered in leaves.
Driving Tips for Keeping Your Car Feeling New
You can make the task of cleaning your car a smaller one by altering your driving style with cleanliness in mind. Small changes can make quite a big difference when it comes to the monthly clean, so here are our tips on changes you can make.
Watch where you park
Bird droppings and tree sap are the enemy of sparkling paintwork. Not only do they look unsightly but if left for long enough, they will slowly eat away at the paintwork of your car.
By avoiding parking in spots prone to bird droppings and tree sap (such as directly underneath trees), or by attempting to park indoors, you can prevent sticky and harmful substances from affecting your paintwork. If you’re unlucky enough to find your car covered in tree sap or bird droppings, Simoniz can lend a hand with our range of exterior cleaning products.
Drive carefully
A common cause of unsightly scuffs and scrapes is driving without due care. Driving carefully and within the speed limit reduces the potential for paintwork or alloy damage, especially when manoeuvring and parking.
Drive with your car’s mechanical health in mind
As well as the health of your car’s appearance, you should drive with consideration for the mechanics of your car. Components such as the brakes and clutch wear down relatively quickly and can lead to an old-feeling car to drive. Avoid things such as harsh braking and riding the clutch to prolong your car’s mechanical lifespan.
Looking after the appearance of your car is a large task for anybody, but you can break it into chunks and adopt certain practices to make these jobs more palatable. After following the tips laid out in this guide, you should be able to stay on top of this important job.
As well as having a sense of pride that your car still looks and feels new, you can also gain peace of mind that you are preserving the car’s resale value when it comes time for an upgrade. For more tips and advice, check out our blog.