Temperatures can soar during those summer months, during this time it’s important to prep your vehicle to be ready for the heat. Here are five quick and easy tips for protecting your vehicle during hot weather months.

Keep Fluids Topped Off

Its especially important, during heatwaves, to check your fluids since they help cool down the engine. This includes: Brake Fluid, Motor Oil, Transmission Fluid, Power Steering Fluid. These all assist with pulling heat away from engine components, if their low your cars going to have to work harder, thus putting more strain and wear on your vehicle.

Have you changed your engine coolant lately, check your owner’s manual to check for proper maintenance schedule on getting your engine coolant drained and replaced. Otherwise, be sure keep it filled to the correct level.

Avoid Direct Sunlight

When looking for a parking spot, aim for something in the shade or a parking area thats underground or shielded from direct sunlight.

Its also advisable, but use your best judgement, to leave your windows cracked an inch or so. You are able to by tinted visors that can hide and make it less visible your windows are down for security purpose.

Use A Sun Shade

Basic and simple or novelty to show some personality, sun shades are great to keep in the car for those times you can’t avoid but to park in the sun. They not only keep the interior of your car cooler, BUT they also help prevent UV damage from the sun on your car’s interior. Over time an unprotected interior or dash, will become discolored, dried out and cracked.

Check Your Battery

Hot days aren’t your car’s battery best friend. So before summer weather hits, its important to have your battery tested to ensure it’s in peak condition. Battery fluid can evaporate quickly when the weather is hot, so keeping an eye on the battery terminals and wiping away any corrosion that’s built up can save you a headache down the road.

Tire, Hose and Belt Maintenance

Underinflated tires can be a problem on hot days when the pavement is heated up can potentially lead to a blowout. Hot weather also add extra stress on hoses and drive belts increasing chances of failure, so inspect them often to ensure they’re in good condition with no visible signs of cracking or other damage.

Keep Your Vehicle Clean and Protected

Bonus tip.

Use or be sure your car detailer is using a UV product on your dash for protection and that will minimize glare (no oil/silicone based products). Seat covers can be useful for keeping your car seats cool. If you have leather seats, keep them well-conditioned during hot weather to prevent cracking and damage.

Sunlight and hot temperatures can fade/degrade your vehicle’s exterior shine and gloss. Getting your car waxed/sealed is way to protect your car from the sun’s damaging UV rays.

For more information on exterior protection service see a detailed description of our Gloss Wash & Wax or contact us today.

This is probably the number one question we get asked after every completing a detail. “How do I maintain my car now and keep it looking like this longer?” Here is the advice we give to each client, regardless of car or truck they drive:

Its easier to maintain a clean car then it is a dirty one. So now that we’ve hit the “reset” button with this detail. If you want this look to last longer, adopt a car care schedule. Just like mowing the grass, you’ve got to keep up with it and not let it get out of hand.

Weekly washes and maintenance cleanings will be key moving forward. With a few option available to you depending on how your drive and store your car. If you are out getting it dirty or parking outside in the rain, heat and under trees. A traditional two bucket wash is going to treat you well. Done early in the morning OR late in the evening, best to avoid/minimize the amount of time your car will be wet in direct sunlight. Meaning mid-day when the sun is at its highest is a no-no. It can be done with care but you’ll need to be washing panels and drying as you go. The other option that is available to you is a “rinse-less wash” with a product like, ONR, but you should only use this option if your car is only slightly dirty or your risk scratching the paint.

Not to forget the interior, wipe up and clean spills and accidents when they happen. Do your best not to let anything dwell on your seats or carpet. After your wash, a quick vacuum of the seats and floor, followed by a wipe down of your hard surfaces is really going to add miles and time to how long your car stays looking new and fresh.

Naturally we discuss chemicals and equipment needed to keep up the maintenance, but its not for everyone and if that sounds too overwhelming or you just don’t have the time. Gloss Boss also offers maintenance services. Want to set up a schedule to keep your car looking top shelf quality? Ask us for details.

Most car washes aim for quantity over quality. Typically at these car washes, you’ll see products used to create a high gloss, on your dash, or on your tires. To make it look “Nice” when you drive out. Majority of these products are silicone based products which produce a high shine, but offer very little for protection. Lets take for example your dashboard, with one of these silicone products freshly applied, its looking fresh its looking shiny. BUT its oily to the touch, seems to be somewhat of a dust magnet. Not only that but overtime as you drive your car, your windshield is getting hazy harder to see out of, this is caused by those silicone products “outgassing” or evaporating on to your windshield. Now lets talk about the exterior, again quantity over quality, machine wash produce swirl marks on your car’s paint, WHICH dull the shine and dull the overall look of your car.

Now lets compare to detailing. Its in the name detailing is a detailed oriented service, you’re going to get a deeper clean, that lasts longer. Your detailer is going to use top quality products, they’re going to go in with their detail brushes, blow out and vacuum all the cracks and crevices. They’re going to use the correct products to protect and maintain your car’s look both inside and outside. Knobs, Cracks, crevices all the small…details…paid attention with a detailing service.

Maybe you’re saying you don’t really care about how your car looks, a machine car wash is good enough for you, that’s fine. However with a detail, your detailer is going to be applying protectant to the outside of your car. In the form of either wax or sealants. Which helps deter dirt and water from sticking to your car which means less of your time driving through the car wash.

Of course you are paying more for the service however, the difference in quality between a car wash and detailing are far apart. With a detailing service the shine of your car is lasting far longer, the paint is staying cleaner, your door jams are clean, your seats and all the areas around them are going to be better vacuumed. Your windows are going to be clearer and easier to see through. Hard surfaces are going to have a protectant applied to them. The durability and quality is there even with basic services of a detail because of the tier products used and the effort put into detailing.

A good detailing service is going to do one of two things. Hit the “Reset” button on your car restoring it back to the best condition possible OR if your car is new, it maintains and preserves that new car look. While a car wash, while it does clean your car there are consequences of doing that that build up overtime. Either way its best to be mindful of what we are spending our hard earned money on, be it car wash or detail service. Obviously as a mobile detailing company we are biased to detailing but with so many benefits its hard not to be.