Is Your Car Ready for Summer? Car Wash and Car Maintenance for Hot Weather Driving
When big seasonal changes are approaching, smart drivers get their cars ready. Mechanics will tell you, if your car has an unseen weakness a drastic weather change, summer or winter, may turn the weakness into a failure that could leave you stranded. As the weather heats up, do summer maintenance on your vehicle, including protecting the finish to keep your vehicle looking good.
Exterior Preparation
Car Wash
Start with a car wash in a cool, shady place. Various Web sites tell you to use a car wash product, not dish soap. But some experts in the field of auto painting say they prefer to car wash with a mild dish soap, using one capful of soap to a gallon of warm water. The soap, they say, is not as important as rinsing quickly after scrubbing a section in order to prevent spotting during the car wash.
If you live in a beach area, your car wash procedure should include the underside of the hood, since a build-up of salt there can damage parts of your engine, so be sure to clean under there too. You may want to throw a piece of plastic over the cool engine to keep the salt from washing down.
Dry
Using a chamois and broad strokes, quickly remove most of the water, then wring out the chamois and do a more thorough drying job. If you’re not used to using a chamois, this is a car wash habit you should pick up. A chamois is a soft piece of leather that is lint-free. The fibers of the chamois trap grime particles inside rather than rubbing the grime into your car’s finish. It can absorb up to 500 times its weight in water. When it gets full, wring it out and keep going. Because it is lint-free, a chamois is great for drying windows too. After the car wash is complete, rinse the chamois in warm soapy water, stretch it gently, and hang it to dry (not in sunlight). If the chamois is stiff when you’re ready for the next car wash, a little bit of moisture should loosen it up.
Polish and Wax
Once the car wash is complete, use a damp terry cloth to apply a good polish if you want to bring out the shine and preserve the paint. (Avoid using rubbing compounds, which tend to be too harsh.) Remove polish with a dry terry cloth, shaking frequently. Work on small areas at a time, using a circular motion. Use a soft toothbrush for cleaning around lettering and trim. Two polishes have gotten especially good reviews: Nu Finish, and Finish 2001. Both claim to deliver a shine that lasts for 12 months. Based on reviews, that seems to be true. Users say both do a good job for the money. However… there is a lot more elbow grease required than advertisement suggests. Polishing is not simply a wipe on, wipe off procedure.
The same is true for waxing if you choose to apply a good wax after the polish. As for the product to use, some car finish experts rely on Turtle Wax.
White Walls and White Lettering
If you have white wall tires or raised lettering, the car wash isn’t complete till they are restored to bright white. A Brillo pad and some elbow grease may be all the maintenance need for these, but if not, try Westley’s Bleach White. It’s been around for decades but you can still find it in the car wash or car maintenance section of department stores.
Interior
Brush or dust debris from the dashboard and other interior vinyl surfaces. To give your interior vinyl a helping hand against summer heat, spray some vinyl-protectant like Armor All on a clean rag and wipe down. Air dry.
After the car wash, polish, and wax, here are some maintenance tasks to focus on:
Wipers
Windshield and wipers: Check windshield washer fluid level and ensure that your wiper blades are intact after a long rainy winter. If you’re about to take a long drive, remember that a bug-spattered windshield causes eye-fatigue.
Lights
Do all of your lights work? Clean the lenses once in a while, but don’t clean them with a dry rag or you may scratch them.
Brakes
If you haven’t had your brakes checked in 12 months or 15,000 miles, it’s time. If the car pulls to one side or the brakes feel spongy or just different than usual, or if you feel pulsations, hear grabbing noises, or notice that it takes longer to stop, don’t hit the road till you’ve had them looked at. Also check your hydraulic system for leaks, and your brake fluid level to see if it has changed.
Tires
Take a good look at your tires, checking for uneven or excessive wear, and for bulges, tread separation, and breaks in the sidewalls. Driving on hot roads can be very demanding on your tires, so make sure they are up to the task. After a winter of potholes, you may need to have your wheels aligned. A good indication of alignment or suspension problems is when your car pulls to one side while driving or braking.
Keep an eye on your tire pressure so you get better mileage and wear. Don’t rely on the maximum tire pressure listed on the sidewall. Instead check the recommended pressure in the maintenance manual or on the driver’s doorpost. Rotate your tires after 5,000 for even wear. And while you are checking, make sure your spare is usable, and ensure that you have tire-changing equipment.
Now that the car is looking great and the tires and brakes are in good shape, don’t go far until you’ve done a thorough check under the hood. Anything that is weak in moderate weather may very well fail when weather gets drastic.
Here is a list of under-the-hood car maintenance tasks for summer driving:
Belts
Your belts operate various engine components, like the alternator, air conditioning, water pump, and power steering pump. Before a belt breaks on the road and one of these components quits working, check them for cracks, glazing, frayed edges, uneven wear, and dry rot. If your car has a timing belt, check your manual for replacement time and maintenance recommendations. If you wait till it breaks, the process of breaking can cause tremendous damage to your engine.
Battery
Make sure the connections between battery cables and terminals are tight and corrosion-free. If your battery caps are removable, checking the fluid level should be a part of monthly car maintenance. Be sure to wear protective gloves and eyeglasses while checking your battery.
Air Conditioning
Check your vents for good flow before a long trip. If it is barely working, hot weather may do it in. Your air conditioning system needs to be checked periodically for proper functioning. Nobody needs to remind you how miserable hot weather trips can be without air conditioning, so avoid a breakdown with regular AC maintenance.
Cooling System
Check for leaks and keep the proper level of antifreeze. Have drive belts inspected and adjusted, and watch for cold steam air from your air-conditioning vents. This could indicate low refrigerant levels. For good maintenace, flush your cooling system every 24,000 miles (or the recommended mileage in your owner’s manual). If you add coolant, be sure to check the ground below your car afterwards for drips. Dogs and cats like to lap up the sweet-tasting fluid, but it can be deadly.
Transmission
Before a long trip, especially if you are going to tow something, have a technician look at your transmission. Uneven shifting or slippage needs attention. Check your maintenance manual for the recommended time to have your transmission fluid changed. Changing it gets rid of the contaminants and sludge deposits that have built up and cleans out the metal shavings that wear away your engine. It also adds fresh fluid and conditioners that keep seals and o-rings in good condition.
Oil
Of course you keep your oil changed, every 3 months or 3,000 miles (newer cars may have longer intervals, check your manual for maintenance recommendations).
