According to research from Webuyanycar, we spend four years of our lives behind the wheel, so we think it’s worth spending such a huge stretch of time in a clean and well-ordered motor – not one that’ll put our mood (or even safety) at risk. With this in mind, here are some tips on how you can give your car some TLC – from your driveway, in a way that won’t break the bank.
Give it a thorough spring clean
Start out by grabbing your hoover and leather or fabric cleaner, and giving the car’s interior a good clean and clear-out. Make sure to check all the nooks and crannies and give all the surfaces a good wipe-down so they are sparkling and free of dust.
Once the inside is looking beautiful, time to tackle the exterior. This is important to do. According to research from Comparethemarket reported by Auto Trader, 2 million UK motorists have never washed their car – despite risking a £1,000 fine if the dirt restricts the driver’s view or number plate. Get hold of a hose and thoroughly blast away mud and dust from the exterior, then use a sponge and soapy water to give the car a sparkling wash.
Once that’s complete, wax the bodywork. You can either apply proper car wax or get specialist wax wet wipes that do the same job but require less elbow grease.
Check if your car needs any maintenance
Especially after winter, it’s important to take a little look at your car’s engine, body, and wheels to make sure they’re all looking in fine working order. For the engine, this means consulting your dashboard, then topping up or replacing fluids and oils like engine oil, transmission fluid, and brake fluid.
Next, check if you need to replace your tyres. If they fail the 20p test, then you should get a new set installed stat. If you want to do that yourself, the process isn’t too difficult, however, you’ll need to get a set of axle stands to secure the load of your car after you have used a hydraulic jack to raise it up.
Refurbish the exterior
While we’re starting to enter professional territory now, there are a few things you can do to repair any cosmetic flaws on the exterior of your car. Matching and touching up the paintwork is relatively simple if there are any tiny marks in less obvious areas of the body.
If there are any serious gaps in the paintwork, then it might be a good idea to go to a professional, and the same goes for reupholstering – if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s a task best left to the experts, as a poor DIY job will really show.
Have you recently given your car a much-needed dose of DIY TLC?
*Collaborative post
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