Over any period, a vehicle engine will become layered with dirt, dust and grease. This is due to normal daily use. A technique used to remove these nasty elements is to steam clean your engine. Not only will this improve the life of the engine but it will lessen the risk of a fire starting in the engine. Also, anyone coming to look at your vehicle for sale will, no doubt, want to peek under the hood to see the condition of the engine. Even if they know nothing about car engines, they want to see how things look and the better they look, the better it is for you because they’ll know the car was cared for.

The job of cleaning an engine can take about one hour to complete. Really anyone can steam their engine but there are some safety measures you must be aware of.

Check the Manual

Be sure to first read your vehicle maintenance manual for any specific instructions that you must follow regarding engine cleaning. Before you take out the steam cleaner to clean, you want to gather some items together that you will need. The better you prepare for any kind of job like this, the easier it will be.

Since there is the chance that pieces of debris and dirt can fly out while steaming, you will need some clothing to protect your clothes, eyes and a pair gloves in which you can comfortably work in. If there are deposits on the battery terminals, you should also keep a bucket of water with some baking soda nearby to clean it using an old rag.

Dirty Water

You must have a place to get rid of the dirty water as it is illegal to simply dump waste water (which has been treated) inside a sewer gutter. You must determine a method to clean the engine so you can easily dispose of the dirty water and properly dispose of it. It would be a good idea to first check with your water provider to find out where it can safely be disposed of.

Degreasing Will Help

To clean up the accumulation of grime and grease in the engine, consider using a degreaser which is citrus or water based. A degreaser which originates from petroleum can be rough on vinyl and rubber pieces inside the engine. Depending on the overall condition of the engine, you should consider if you will use this type of substance. However, it also depends on the type of steam cleaning machine you are using since some are effective on their own as far as removing additional grime and grease.

Some steam cleaners are made to be used inside the home so they might not be as powerful, therefore it may need some type of engine cleansing product to be useful. However, you must read the instructions carefully on the product which you choose and ensure that you do not spill any of the cleanser on any car parts, vehicle circuits, cable junctions, fuse box or sensors in the engine.

Cover Up All Electronics

The most important thing is to cover up all electronics. Try to cover those particular parts to prevent any accidental spill and prevent them from becoming wet which can cause damage. What works great to cover these parts is aluminum foil as you can mold it to get a perfect fit and it does not ruin your view. Plastic and tape works well, too.

You should disconnect the battery – that’s important so we’re putting this note here in bold.

Again you should read your vehicle manual to be sure that you are familiar with any sensitive information.

Start Steam Cleaning

When you are ready to begin steaming, be certain that the engine is cool. If you used the vehicle, be sure to wait at least two hours for it to cool down.

Begin cleaning by using a medium sized brush to loosen dirt and debris (such as grime or dried leaves). Begin using the steamer to clean under the insulation area of the hood, than gradually working your way to the general area of the hood. Spread the engine degreaser product (citrus or water based) to melt any grease and grime off of the engine areas. In some instances in which the engine is very dirty, you wish to apply and second or third layer of this non-petroleum degreaser.

Use the equipment on the steamer to rinse and clean off the dirt and grease. When you are finished steam cleaning, start the vehicle and let it run for a few minutes to be sure it is operating correctly.

Detailing and Finishing Up

Once everything has dried up, it’s good to get out a bottle of Armor All and shine up some of the hoses and plastic parts in the engine compartment. Doing this will make things shine even more.

Touch things up so that you don’t have water spots everywhere. Make it look nice. You don’t have to go crazy and super detailed but your aim is to get the engine bay looking good and look like it was well cared for.

Professional Engine Steam Cleaning Tools

If you will be doing this process a lot or if you own a business where you will be cleaning up cars, there are tools and products that will help you do your job even more efficiently. There are even waterless steam cleaners that don’t require you to cover up electronics.

Conclusion

Even if you’re not getting your car ready to sell, it’s a good idea to get the engine compartment steam cleaned once a year or two. As you can see, you can do it yourself and this makes for a good project on a Saturday afternoon in the late spring or else in the summer. If you live in an area with harsh winters, go ahead and do it every spring for sure. If you think this is too much work, then there are places in your area that will do engine cleaning or steam cleaning. Check with car washes or else car detailers in your area.

One thing that you might consider doing is making the interior look brand new along with making your car’s headlights not look foggy. There’s one product on the market that claims to do a good job with these things and it’s called Wipe New. I’ve used it and here’s my review.

Using Wipe New

This stuff is pretty powerful. They suggest wearing latex or rubber gloves and I suggest you do, too. You don’t want it on your hands because it’s difficult to get off. You’re going to throw away the gloves when you’re done, too. I’m no chemist, but I imagine Wipe New works a bit like acetone (nail polish remover) and might sort of slightly melt or dissolve plastic. Again, I’m no chemist and I do not suggest using acetone instead.

They give you some small sponges to use. On the second use, I just cut a cheap household sponge in two and that worked well.

Use just a bit at a time. You need to get the sponge wet but don’t soak it. As you work it on plastic, you’ll know if you are using enough or not. You’ll want to do it on a nice day (not too hot, not too cool out) and in a well ventilated area (there’s a smell but it’s not horrible). You can use it on your dashboard and really anything that’s plastic. Don’t get it on your car’s paint – so go slow around those areas.

On the exterior of your car, you can use it really on anything that’s plastic. Places like door trip are good and the black plastic area where the windshield wipers are is another good place. Also think about areas around the door mirrors, too.

Clear Up Foggy Headlights

Years ago now, car manufacturers came up with these plastic headlights. They’re nice because you just replace the bulb instead of the whole headlight assembly (I remember changing the whole headlamp on my mom’s Cavalier back in the 80s). Those old headlights, though, were made of glass so they didn’t fog up. The newer, plastic ones that you see out there appear to fog up but that’s just really wind and dust and sand and rocks hitting them and marking them up. They appear to look fogged out but in reality, they’re just worn.

A few years back, before Wipe New came out, I tried these headlight restoration kits and got limited results. I also had my headlights de-fogged at the local, full service car wash a few times and that lasted maybe 6 months and I’d have to get it done again. With that system, they using a solution and some sand paper and then finishing it off with some wax and a buffer. With Wipe New, you avoid all that and the results are better.

How to Use It

Just take some Wipe New and carefully apply it to your plastic headlights. Again, be careful around the corners so that you don’t get any on your car’s paint. Use a good amount of it. Once you’re done, you’ll just let it dry for several hours. Don’t try to wipe it dry or wax it or anything – just let it sit… then you’re done and the results are pretty amazing.

The Before and After

I got my BMW recently and it’s a 2009, so the headlights look pretty good still but my friend, Heather, was asking me if I’d help her with cleaning her car’s headlights. She wanted to borrow a drill with a cord since that’s what the directions on her headlight restoration kit called for. I looked and I still had enough Wipe New left over, so I headed over to her place with the drill and the Wipe New and some sponges.

She had some gloves, so we each did a headlight and the results were great. She wanted this done because her lights were getting so foggy that her lights seemed dim at night. Doing this definitely brightened things up.

I did take some before and after pictures of the headlights on her Camry and you can clearly (no pun intended) see the difference. Using Wipe New really cleared them up and the car looks better. Not only that, she’s going to get more light showing through her headlights, making night time driving safer for her and her daughter. Here are those pictures:

Left Headlight – Before and After Wipe New

Right Headlight – Before and After Wipe New

Final Review

I’d give Wipe New a 4.5 out of 5 stars for sure. It’s easy to use, does the job and works really well without a lot of effort. The only downside is the smell and that you have to let it dry a while but that’s a small price to pay for the results you get.

If you’re looking to clear up your foggy headlights, then the $20 (or so) investment into Wipe New is a no brainer. Local car washes and car detailers will charge $40 or more for clearing up your car’s headlights and it doesn’t last as long or look as good as Wipe New.

This is the type of product to use on your car once a year for sure – if you plan to sell it or not. If you are planning on selling your car, then again, it’s a no brainer. The $20 investment will pay off big time. Just make sure you do it a few days before you plan to sell the car and give the car time to air out so that the chemical smell isn’t there as you’re trying to show your car to a potential buyer. They might wonder what that is.

Conclusion

I hope you found this review article beneficial. I used Wipe New on my Acura and then now on Heather’s Camry with great results. I used the product myself and I believe I objectively wrote up this review because there have been plenty of products I’ve tried that haven’t worked out well.

If you liked this article, then please bookmark it and share it with others. If you have comments on using Wipe New or your own review of this product, then please leave your comments below.

How to Clean Your Car’s Engine

Engine Compartment Cleaning

If you’re considering selling your vehicle, it’s nice to get it detail cleaned. You can do it yourself or pay to have it done (up to you). Either way, make sure you get the engine compartment cleaned and you’ll get more money for your car. Anyone coming to look at your car and buy it will want to take a look under the hood to see what shape it’s in. If it’s clean and all the fluids are up to correct levels, then that’ll be an indication that the car was taken care of.

In this article, I’ll go over some tips and things to know about cleaning your car’s engine compartment.

Briefly… My Car

I’ve had my current car since October but haven’t had a chance to clean under the hood yet. I live in Wisconsin, so it gets cool at the end of October and that lasts through April usually. This year, we’ve had a lot of rain so there hasn’t been much of a chance to do it myself. I’ve been taking my car to the good local car wash often enough (not as often as my black Acura I had – this car is silver, which is nice because it shows less dirt… I love that) and I had it detailed once but I haven’t had a chance to do it myself yet – and I like to do it, actually.

Finally, today, I got the chance to clean under the hood. A guy there saw me taking pictures under the hood and asked if I was selling the car. I told him I was doing this for my blog. I think he was disappointed. When people see others taking care of their car, that makes them more attracted to the car. Doing this work at a local self-serve car wash may actually attract some buyers – it did for me and I wasn’t even selling it!

For me, the car really doesn’t feel like mine until I’ve had a chance to clean it really good – so I’m glad I finally got that chance today.

The Before Picture

Ok, here’s the before picture:

It’s a little dirty but not too bad at all. It’s a 2009 and I got it from the dealer back in October, so it was clean back then. It has been one winter, though and it’s due for a cleaning. Everyone should clean under the hood of their car at least once a year. I like to do it in the spring and then in the fall so that it’s clean going into winter.

Some Tips for Cleaning Your Car’s Engine

1. The Car Should be Cooled Down

First, do it when the car has had a chance to cool down. You don’t want to be digging around there when it’s been running and everything’s hot or you’ll burn your hands. Give it at least a half hour to cool down. Lift the hood to help it cool faster.

2. Consider Wearing Gloves

When a mechanic works under the hood of a car, they wear gloves. They do this to protect their hands. You’ll be doing the same thing. Working under the hood is not the same as cleaning the outside of the car where everything is smooth. In the engine compartment, there are a lot of rough edges. In fact, I remembered this tip or thought of it after getting a small cut on my hand within the first few minutes. I didn’t have gloves with me, so I made sure to wrap the towel I was using around my hand more to protect it.

3. Start with a Damp Cloth

I like to start with a damp towel or cloth – it’s usually the one I used to dry off the car after I just washed the outside. Start with the area around the hood and the underside of the hood itself. Dirt leads to rust, so get all the dirt off that you can. I then tackle the other parts that seem dirty.

4. Armor All is Your Friend

Next, use some Armor All (protectant) on a cloth. I like to either spray it on a cloth and then apply it or use the Armor All Wipes. Spraying Armor All liberally everywhere under the hood isn’t such a great idea because it’ll spray in more places than you can clean and you’ll be left with white spots in places you can’t get to. It’s not like spraying it on the inside of a door where you’ll be sure to wipe it all off. You have to be a bit more careful.

5. More to Do

I’ve never seen this before but in my car, there was a filter that was full of debris. It’s a filter, apparently, for all the rain and junk that falls from your windshield and drains down. Since it’s pretty safe to say that BMWs are over-engineered, they felt it was necessary to include a filter to catch some of this debris so that it didn’t go further into the vehicle. It was easy enough to lift out the filter and dump it out, so I did that.

Your car may have something different to catch debris. If not, check in the area where the windshield meets the engine bay and clean out all that you can. Maybe use a wet vac if you have one to really get in there.

After

Here’s the after picture after I did my work:

I’m pretty happy with the results. It needed it – especially getting the leaves and junk out of the area by the windshield.

How to Properly Degrease the Engine Compartment

OK, I’ve had a number of cars that weren’t quite as clean as my 2009 BMW. The cars were older and more dirt and grease had accumulated under the hood and it was enough where just using a cloth and some elbow grease wasn’t going to cut it. In that case, you either need to do some degreasing or steam cleaning.

Know What to Cover

Not everything under your hood is meant to get wet. You can’t just get a hose or sprayer and start spraying. You’ll most likely get water into the distributor or something and then your car won’t start.

Here are the things to cover up:

• All sensors
• Distributor
• Alternator
• Spark plugs
• Battery
• Electrical connections
• Air intake

Use plastic bags with rubber bands or tape to completely seal them up.

Warm the Engine

For this part, it actually helps to have a warm engine. This will help loosen things up. Run the car for a bit or take a short ride somewhere.

Quick Spraydown

Before applying degreaser, give the engine compartment a little spray down to get things wet. Don’t use high force or a lot of pressure. Just get things a little wet so that the degreaser can use that water.

Apply Citrus Degreaser

You can find citrus engine degreaser about anywhere – try Wal-Mart or a local auto parts store. You can get a spray bottle or even a gallon or so of it, depending on how dirty things are. You just don’t want to be in the middle of this project and then have to go get more, so make sure you get enough.

Spray the underside of the hood. Get all the areas that you can. Spray it on liberally.

Next, spray the engine area. Again, use quite a bit of it.

After spraying it, you’ll want to give it some time to work – enough where it soaks in but not so much that it dries up. During this time, you can help it work by using a brush (tire/wheel brush or something – even a scrubbie sponge) and working on whatever areas you can. If it starts to dry up, then spray more degreaser on. Do the underside of the hood and parts in the engine – everywhere you can reach.

Next, hose down all areas to remove the degreaser. Give it a very good rinse. Don’t use high pressure as you may force water into places it should not be. Let the degreaser do the work.

Let it Dry

You can let the car air cool for a while now. Take the plastic bags off. Leave the hood up. Let it dry for hours. Use a towel to clean areas that you had covered up. In the video I have below, the guy used a leaf blower to help dry out the engine compartment – that’ll probably look a little strange but it’s actually a pretty good idea.

Now you can go about using Armor All to make all the hoses and plastic parts look great. Armor All also helps keep the hoses in good shape so that they don’t dry out and crack – so yet another reason why doing this once a year is a good idea.

Using WD40

Another way to clean your engine compartment is to use WD-40. What WD-40 does is displace water and helps to prevent corrosion. It does help to get things cleaner. Spray it on, then use a brush to clean it and then wipe off the area with a microfiber towel. WD-40 works very well and professionals use it to clean under the hood.

Steam Cleaning the Engine Compartment

When I had my Acura, I found a guy that did some cheap body work and paint touch-ups. He had a buddy that did engine steam cleaning. It was $100 but I thought what the heck. WOW, did it look good when he was done. The car looked brand new. I was impressed! Here’s a picture:

The nice thing about steam cleaning an engine is that it goes deep and clean everything really well. You get a good clean that just can’t be done with a rag in your hand.

If you have the equipment and know how to do this well, I bet you could start a side business steam cleaning engines. Like I said, I thought it was worth $100. Maybe it takes an hour – that’s good money.

Here’s a guy steam cleaning an engine – he didn’t cover any parts up, so do not do it exactly like he did:

Conclusion

Yes, cleaning under the hood of the car can make a huge difference. This can help a lot if you’re planning on selling the car. Heck, someone could flip vehicles really easily by buying cars that people haven’t detailed, clean them up good and then sell them for a thousand or two more. It makes that much of a difference. So why give someone else that chance? Clean your engine compartment yourself or hire a professional to and pocket the extra money you’ll get selling your car.

If I missed anything, please leave it in the comments below. Don’t forget to tell others about what is on this page and share this article.

It Just Takes 5 Minutes – Do It Yourself!

When you get a car from a local car dealer (usually when you get a used car), the dealer puts their sticker on the trunk or somewhere to help promote their dealership and tell others where you got your great car. The good thing is that you don’t need to have this dealership sticker on your car or truck and it’s actually really easy to remove – it’ll take maybe 5 minutes or so!

Above, I’m showing the before and after pictures when I did it on my car. It really only took about 5 minutes and I was completely done. I wish I would have done this earlier. I guess I thought the decal would still show through somehow or that the paint maybe faded and I still would have seen the logo on the car since the paint under it had been protected more but no – there’s absolutely no indication that the dealership sticker was ever there!

What You Need

To remove the dealer sticker, here’s what you’ll need:

• A hair dryer
• A credit card or squeegee
• Goo Gone
• A rag or cloth

How to Do It

First make sure the area is clean.

Next, plug in the hair dryer and you’re going to warm the sticker up. Turn it on high and go over the sticker area for 30 seconds to a minute.

Next, get your credit card out (or even use your finger nails) and peel away the dealer decal. It should be nice and warm now and come off pretty easily. Keep working at it until you get the major parts of it removed (as much of it as you can).

Once it’s gone, there will be some sticky residue. What I like to use is Goo Gone. This stuff works really well and it something good to have around the house to remove sticker residue from price tags or whatever – so it’s worth just having a bottle of this stuff around the house. Spray the area, let it sit a few seconds and then wipe it.

If there is still some residue, then spray it again and wipe. It should all come off.

You’re done!

Unless the sticker has been on there a really long time, it should have come cleanly off and you shouldn’t be able to tell it was even there.

Removing these stickers is easy. Really anyone can do it, so there’s no reason to pay an auto detailer money to do it. You’re also increasing the value of your car because it looks cleaner to a buyer who comes to look at it. That’s your goal – to have as clean of a car as you can and one that looks as close to new as possible. This will help the buyer visualize them self in it, driving it and owning it.

How-to Video

Sometimes seeing something done helps you understand how to do it better. It makes more sense than reading some instructions – most of us are more visual learners anyway.

Below, you will find a video showing you how to remove dealer stickers from your car – just follow what he does and, along with the instructions here, you’ll have that decal removed in no time!

Remove Stickers from Glass

You may also have some stickers on the glass of your car (like the windshield) that you might want removed. Doing it is easy, too. You might as well do this task at the same time and get the car totally clean. This can include parking stickers, state park stickers or even residue from your state’s toll road unit that you stick onto your windshield.

What You Need

• A razor scraper
• Window cleaner
• Paper towels

How to Do It

You’ll first spray down the sticker and area with a good amount of window cleaner. I like to soak the area pretty well.

Next, use your razor scraper to remove the sticker. Start at an edge and slowly scrape. You may need to apply more window cleaner a few times but it should all come off. When you scrape the glass, you’re not damaging it – the glass can take it.

Use paper towels to clean up and you’re done! If there’s still a little residue, then either keep scraping or else try some of the Goo Gone and that should clean it all up for sure.

Conclusion – Removing Stickers

There’s really no need to have these stickers on your car. They just clutter it up. By removing them, you clean up the appearance of your car and make it look nicer. This, of course, applies to a car you’re trying to sell and the next one you pick up from a dealer or a used car lot.

I hope this article helped you. If it did, let us know and leave a comment. If we forgot something or if you have a tip that will help others, please leave that below. Don’t forget to share this article with others!

Spending just 2 hours cleaning your car could easily ad hundreds of dollars of value when selling it. If you got an extra $400 because your car looked great and you only spent 2 hours cleaning it, that’s like working for $200 an hour. So why not?

What Does Detailing a Car Mean?

First, let’s just quickly discuss what we’re doing. When you detail a car, you’re cleaning beyond what’s normally done at a car wash. Think about it… you’re out there driving on the road, which is dirty and small specs of dirt come off the road and onto your car all the time. There’s also dust and rain that play a part. Instead of just getting the main parts clean, you’re going after the parts that usually get a light cleaning or get skipped over with a normal car wash. You’re going into more detail.

When you detail clean a car, you’re goal is to get it looking its best – the best that you can – and as close to new as you can. You may choose to go beyond what you can do and have a local body shop do some touch up work to the body of the vehicle. That’s up to you and we’re not going into that here – I’ll mainly talk about what to detail and how to do it so that you get every area that’s important, which should be time well invested.

How to Get Ready

First, you have to dedicate the time. Make sure you are able to spend maybe 2-3 hours on a good cleaning. Before you get started on the detail work, here are some things to have ready or things to do before you start detailing your car:

1. Get it clean. This means take it to a car wash first – one that will do a good job and most of them use environmentally friendly ways of reusing their water. You have the option to clean it yourself, of course.
2. Get some rags and dry cloths – ones you can throw away or dedicate to washing the car. Old t-shirts are good.
3. Get a vacuum cleaner that has thin attachments that let you get into tough places.
4. Get some cleaning supplies – you’ll need:
   1. Soap – get car shampoo, not dish soap.
   2. A bucket.
   3. A sponge.
   4. A brush – the kind with a wood handle.
   5. Armor All Protectant (spray)
   6. Tire wax – the kind that foams up.
   7. Chrome cleaner for the wheels if they need it.
   8. A scrubbie sponge – the green ones that are a bit abrasive.
   9. A brush or upholstery brush
   10. Window cleaner and paper towels.
5. Carpet and upholstery cleaner – there’s one called “Tuff Stuff Multi-Purpose Foam Cleaner” that works excellent. Make sure you get some of this.

Wash the Car

You got a normal car wash first because what you’re doing is detailing your car – not just a normal washing. You’re going beyond what a local car wash place will normally do.

Find a Place to Start Detailing

Get all your stuff together and set yourself up in a good place to work. For most people, this is their garage or driveway. If you live in an apartment or condo or some place where you can’t clean your car there, then go to one of the self-serve car washes in the area. You can clean your car there and then pull to the side somewhere and start your detailing.

Made in the Shade

If possible, work out of the sunlight, in the shade. This is especially important when you’re waxing the car or truck. Also, it’ll keep you cooler while you’re working. Of course, it can’t be too cold while you’re doing this either. If you’re washing your vehicle yourself, then you always want to do that in the shade so that you don’t get water spots.

Get Help

One good tip is get someone to help you. They can do one thing while you do another. Have the radio on and be sure to get them something to drink and maybe share a pizza when you’re all done!

Get Started Doing Your Detailing

Since working on the carpets (getting stains out) is going to take the longest to dry, you’re going to do everything else first and save that for last.

Detail Vacuum

Before everything gets wet from cleaning with a sponge, do your detail vacuuming. Get under the seats and everywhere you can. Watch for loose change and don’t forget to keep it. Pull back seats if you can and get all those crumbs out. Doing this will help the car smell better, too. Vacuum out the trunk.

Try different attachments with your vacuum cleaner so that you do the best with your time that you can getting under the seats and working on cloth areas.

Door Areas

Get your bucket full of warm water with soap in it and get a sponge and a dry towel. You’re going to go around to each door and clean out all the corner areas really good. Go into where the hinges are and carefully clean in there. Clean the rubber and everything that you can. Leave the door hinges greased up so that they open and close easily.

Hood and Trunk

Next, go into the hood and trunk and do the same. Clean everything.

Under the hood, you can clean most parts. Don’t get anything electrical wet. I like to use some Armor All on the hoses and anything plastic. Cleaning under the hood will make it look like the car was well cared for when you sell it. Do a good job on it and you’ll see some amazing results.

Tackle the Tires and Wheels

When a vehicle has nice looking tires and wheels, it makes a huge, huge difference! Here are two pictures showing the before and after when I did some detailing of my brother’s 1999 Nissan Pathfinder (which I got looking super sharp!)

Start with some clean water and soap in the bucket and get the green scrubbie sponge out. Get into all the corners of the wheels and clean those babies! It might take some elbow grease (muscle).

Next, get the chrome cleaner out if you have chrome wheels and spray it on. Let it sit 2 minutes and then spray a bit more on and then towel them dry with maybe a light scrub first.

If your car has wheel covers instead of alloy wheels, you have some options. First, you could just go buy some new wheel covers – that will pay for itself for sure. Second, you can clean and then carefully spray paint (black) the steel wheels to make them look better even though they are behind the wheel covers. Use some tape and tape off the tires so that you don’t get spray paint on the tires – you don’t want that.

Next, use the tire foam wax on all 4 tires. Spray it on and then I wipe if off. Make sure you spray it evenly and go to the edge of the tire.

Now your wheels and tires should look awesome!

Armor All the Inside

Get the Armor All protectant out and clean all the plastic. Use a clean rag. I like to spray it on the rag, outside the car and then use the rag to put it on the part I’m shining up. This makes sure you’re not getting it on places you don’t want it. They also make some Armor All wipes, which are good, too.

Where you don’t want to use Armor All is on the pedals, steering wheel (the wheel itself – the steering column is ok… you just don’t want a steering wheel that’s slippery) or windows.

Armour All the Outside

Your car may have some areas that you can shine up with Armor All. Don’t get it on the painted areas of the car, of course, but maybe things like mud flaps or trim or mirrors.

There’s this stuff called “Wipe New” which you can order that works really well. You have to be careful when using it but it does wonders. It works great and is more permanent than Armor All.

Clean the Windows

Use some window cleaner and clean both sides of the windows. Don’t leave streaks.

I think cleaning the windows good is huge! This is what people are looking through when they are test driving the car. A dirty windshield can make the whole car seem dirty.

If you’re in a warm climate or it’s summer out and you’re one of those people that don’t crack their windows when the car sits outside, the chemicals from the seats or dirt or whatever you have sitting in your car is going to get into the air and then create a film on the windows. It might take washing the windows 2-3 times to get all of that off.

Carpet Cleaning

Now that most of the inside work is done, you can tackle the carpets. Cleaning the carpets gets out stains and will help the car smell cleaner and fresher. You can have a car wash place do a steam cleaning if you like or you can do that yourself, too. At least get some baking soda based carpet cleaner and use it on the inside.

If you have stains on light colored carpet, don’t worry – you can get them out. This Tuff Stuff that I mentioned basically performs miracles. What you do is spray it on an area until it foams up. Let it sit for at least 2 minutes – maybe wait up until 4-5. Then, get your wood handled brush or upholstery brush and scrub the area. You might scrub for 30 seconds or so but the stain will usually come out or get much better. If there’s still some stain there, then do this whole process 1-2 more times and that should take care of it.

Once you’ve taken care of all the spots on the carpet and if you’ve followed all the steps here so far, you might start thinking that your car looks awesome and you might not even want to sell it now. Thinking that is normal.

You’ll want the car to air out, so have it somewhere that has a breeze and leave the windows and sunroof open so that it can dry. It might take 1-2 hours.

Detail Waxing

The last step (and probably only thing left to do) is wax your car. Doing this will really make it shine and give your car the “wow” factor when someone sees it.

You’ll first use rubbing compound on tough areas. This is explained in the video below. If you have a car that’s red, then you might need to first use rubbing compound on the whole car to get rid of the dead layer of paint. This is mainly a problem with red cars.

Get some Turtle Wax or similar kind and get to it. You’ll do a small area at a time. Put some on, let it dry and then wipe it off with a clean towel. Borrow or buy a car buffer if you want.

Here’s a good video on how to wax a car. Watch this before you even start this process:

Some Cheats / Extra Stuff

What I explained here is if you want to do all this work yourself. You could, of course, hire someone to do this for you and still come out ahead. You will need to leave your car with them for several hours. Find a local car wash or search for an auto detailer in your areas. Sometimes Groupon will have some deals.

Use Febreeze in your car. You don’t want some air freshener that’s too strong or it’ll seem like you’re covering something up. Get a neutral type of air fresher or upholstery spray and put it on.

Getting new car mats makes a pretty big difference. Spending $30 on some is worth it if your car needs new ones.

Visit a local junkyard and try to find some replacement interior parts. You might spend $5-10 on a bunch of things and you can easily fix some stuff. This will pay for itself, too. There are also websites that sell OEM replacement parts, so check those out, too.

Conclusion

Hopefully, as I kind of mentioned already, you’re now looking at your car in a new way. It should look so good that you want to keep it maybe. Your main goal with a good cleaning and detailing is to go for that “wow” factor. You also want to make feel good emotionally about the car. If it looks clean and cared for, you’ll fetch a better price for sure. People are trying to imagine themselves in the car when they are looking it over. Try to give them a good of a feeling about that as you can.

My Work

Here are some pictures of the work I did on my brother’s Nissan Pathfinder – a before and after picture. The interior actually took a lot of work and was an ever bigger transformation but I don’t have pictures of that.

If there’s something else you think I missed, leave some comments for us below. And don’t forget to share this article with your friends!

Basically they are a high amp battery attached to two heavy duty jumper cables. The same principles apply as when you need to jump start your car, but the advantage is that you do not need another vehicle.

You can keep your jump starter plugged in at home to ensure that it stays fully charged, or in your trunk for emergencies.

Jump starters come in all shapes and sizes, but a general rule is the bigger your car, the bigger your jump starter needs to be. You don’t want to be stuck out in nasty weather with a jump starter that doesn’t have the juice to boost your car.

The power of each jump starter is measured in amps. This number will vary but for a V8 car you should be looking for at least 500 amps.

Some of the jump starters on the market come with built in lights. These are handy when you’re stuck with a dead battery at night and allow you to easily see what you’re doing as you hook up the power source (we also recommend always having a flashlight in your car).

We’ve come up with the Top 3 jump starters on the market for you to check out. By no means are these the ONLY good jump starters out there, but they are the most reliable and easy to use.

You can check out a full list of what Amazon.com has to offer here.

Clore Automotive JNC660 1700 Peak amp 12-Volt Jump Starter

• 1700 Peak Amps
• 425 Cranking Amps
• Clore PROFORMER battery technology
• 46″ #4 AWG welding cable leads
• Industrial-grade clamps
• Built-in charger
• Automatic charging
• Voltmeter provides charge status of onboard battery
• 12VDC outlet to power accessories
• 1 year limited warranty

Automatic charging eliminates the need to unplug or replug. Plus it ensures that you’ll never be stuck with an uncharged jump starter.

Cartips.com Rating: 9.8/10
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Jump-N-Carry JNC300XL 900 Peak Amp Ultraportable 12-Volt Jump Starter

• 900 Peak Amps
• 225 Cranking Amps
• 27″ #4 AWG welding cable leads
• Full-size clamps to penetrate battery corrosion
• LED battery status indicator
• High intensity work light
• Grip-Lock clamp storage
• DC outlet to power 12 Volt accessories
• Includes wall charger and Male-Male 12V extension cord
• 1 year limited warranty

A smaller profile and the built in light are a definite plus. Not as much juice as the JNC660 so it may not jump cars in more extreme situations. If you have a V8 vehicle I’d recommend the JNC660.

Cartips.com Rating: 9.6/10
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Schumacher XP400 Instant Portable Power Source

• On/Off switch activates the jump starting mode
• Built-in charger for automatic charging of internal battery
• Battery status LEDs tells when battery is charged or needs to be charged
• Sure-Grip clamps fit both top and side-mount batteries
• A maintenance-free, sealed lead acid battery allow for storage in any position

Low cost and small size make for a perfect jump starter for small cars. If you live in a cold location or have a medium to full sized car I would recommend something with more power. If you have a smaller 4 cylinder vehicle this is a perfect emergency solution.

Cartips.com Rating: 8.7/10
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Had an experience with a jump starter? Let us know in the comments below.

You couldn’t possibly stay home the whole of winter and not go to work although in the coldest of days, you just want to spend your time lazing about in bed. For these times that you must and have to go out, you can winterize your car to ensure that you’re on the road safe, you ensure that you’re keeping your car in a good condition and you keep yourself away from expensive repair costs.

Regardless of the type of vehicle you drive, you’ll have a few tips to use when you’re driving in cold winter days. You can find these tips and recommendations on your vehicles manual. Keep this manual in your car and if you have time, read thoroughly on it. Take note of things like fuel consumption, maintenance and how to keep your car in tune even in the coldest of temperature. The more you know about winter car maintenance, the better you and your family will be when you’re riding out in winter.

Here are some tips for ensuring your car is in perfect running order in winter:

1. When you go out for routine maintenance, put a little extra effort for your battery and charging system in the winter season. Make sure they’re working efficiently. You see in the wintertime, the cranking power your battery gives out is greatly reduced. You’re going to have problems with starting your car if you don’t check on this in routine maintenance in winter. Make sure you bring a portable power pack or quality jumper cables in the trunk of your car when you’re driving in the cold.
2. Other parts to check into are your heater and your defrosters. Make sure they’re in good operating condition. Also, check your wiper blades.If they’re brittle or worn, replace them. If they’re smeary, replace them. It will be hard for you to see if your wipers don’t work well.
3. Winter driving will be easier for you if you check your filters, hoses and coolant. Filters for gas, air and oil have to be in good condition and your coolant level as well as your hermostat has to be fully functional so you can guarantee proper engine warmup. After every two years, your coolant has to be changed. Don’t forget your coolant tank pressure cap or your radiator cap. Hoses with leaks on it or feel soft need to be replaced.
4. One of the important things to remember before driving out in winter is lubrication. Use something like a multiviscosity oil like Mobil 1 0W30 or the 5W30. This will help you with engine startup. When temperature goes below zero, you need to have lubrication like fully synthetic oils to protect your engine. A tip to note is that when you use low viscosity oil, you have more speed with startup and you also reduce wear and tear on your car engine parts when the oil flows quickly in startup.
5. With regard to the condition of your tires, tread and pressure matter when you’re driving in cold weather. Check your tires for wear. Just like in normal temperatures, your tire air pressure has to be exact, anything over or under the recommended pressure is undesirable. You’ll be wearing your tire out more and using up more fuel if your tires are low in pressure. Overinflation and you reduce traction for your tires which can be very dangerous for you when you’re driving on icy roads. Tread matters so if you live in a place where there’s heavy snowfall, think about getting snow tires.
6. Vehicle warmup is another way to ensure the upkeep of your car in winter. When you start your car, run it idly for a few seconds. This will ensure that lubrication has already gone through the engine and this provides you with protection. Again, it’s only for a few seconds. If you keep your car running idly for a long time, you’re will be wasting fuel and it will do nothing for your car. After a few idle moments, drive extra slowly.
7. This next tip for winter car maintenance relates to number six. You have to drive slowly. Keep yourself within bounds of speed limits and if possible drive a notch or two slower than that. Drive a distance away from other cars. Pace yourself while your drive so you don’t need to make sudden stops. Remember, you’ll have mostly icy or wet road conditions to deal with and your car will have the tendency to slip before stopping entirely.
8. If you live in a place where snow comes in spades, have a few tools with you when you drive like de-icers, window ice scrapers, and a small shovel. Keep these tools in your trunk. You’ll use the de-icers for your locks just in case and if you have to dig out of snow, you can do it with ease using your shovel. It’s also good for your car if you keep a bag of sand in the trunk. This will provide you with traction if you have a rear wheel drive vehicle. Sprinkle the sand on the snow or ice if you need traction. Pack a blanket along in your car. That’s just in case you get stuck in a snow storm.
9. Drive in the snow fully equipped and this means, your rear window defroster has to be in good working order. Keep your window washer reservoir full. In your attempt to see clearly in inclement weather, these two thing will guarantee that. Don’t forget to check your fuel levels before you set out. You don’t want to get stranded in heavy snowfall.
10. Lastly, clean your car out of ice and snow and we mean your whole car.

You can rest easy if you’ve just bought yourself a car today. The cars in the market now are those that don’t need to be serviced all the time to keep them in go od working condition. What used to be a monthly exercise can now be done a few times in the year. In addition to that, you’re given a long factory warranty so if you ever have problems with your car, you can get these problems fixed and solved at no extra cost.

Sure car maintenance is easier with new cars but that doesn’t mean you can forgo car maintenance entirely. Here are just some of the things you need to remember with regard to new car maintenance.

There are three key tasks when you’ve purchased a new car and you want to maintain its upkeep.

1. Wash your car regularly. Since it’s a new car, you’ll be excited to wash your car and the recommended times for you to wash your car is every week. When you wash it, make sure you clean the body well and hose the undercarriage and fender wells with water. A lot of road salt and dirt will be gathering there and if you want a clean car, you have to get into those tight spaces too. You then wax your new car’s finish if you notice water beads gathering on your car after a wash or after the rain a size larger than a quarter.
2. Check engine oil. This task has to be performed regularly. Monthly is a good amount of time to check your new car’s engine oil. But if you notice that you have engine oil leaks, you have to check more often because you also need to add more oil. Park your car on level ground when you’re checking for oil level with a dipstick. Don’t over replenish your engine oil and if leaks are established, find the leaks and get them fixed.
3. Check tire pressure. When you have a new car, one of the things that can put a damper on the smoothness and quality of your ride is the tire air pressure. You have to make sure you check this monthly. If you’re going on a road trip, check the tire pressure before your trip. Use a tire pressure gauge to ensure that you have the right pressure. You’ll have details on the amount of tire pressure your car needs on the manual or on the tire’s sidewall. Make sure that your spare tire also has the right tire pressure.

After checking for these three things in new car maintenance, you then have to check the other parts as well. When you’re getting your oil changed, make sure that you also get your air filter, exhaust system, brakes, radiator, battery, fluids and constant velocity joint boots checked. With regard to the air filter, you just have to hold a light up to it and if you don’t see any light shining through the filter, it needs to be replaced. You’ll also have service interval instructions to follow when you have a new car.

The exhaust system should be checked for rusted parts and loose parts. Since your car is new, it’s highly unlikely you’ll have rust under your car, but it’s better safe than sorry. While your car is on the ramps, the exhaust system can be checked thoroughly. You also have to listen for any changes with the sound of your exhaust when you’re driving. Brakes need to be checked for worn out brake pads and also for scored drums or rotors. You have to check the condition of your brakes every six months.

In the case of the radiator, you can prevent your new car from ever overheating if you just clean off debris on it and wash the outside with detergent solution. The battery cables and terminals have to be attached securely. Look out for signs of corrosion. With your car, you don’t have to worry about transmission but if you get a new car with unsealed automatic transmission, you have to check your fluids like transmission, power steering, brake fluid and top them off. For the constant velocity joint boots or CV boots, check for any leaks, cuts or cracks.

When you check all these parts of your new car regularly, you can ensure yourself of a smooth and comfy ride every time. When two years has passed, you then have to set off with maintenance relating to your car’s cooling system, your drive belts and hoses, your timing belt and your automatic transmission fluid. For the cooling system, make sure you drain and flush it two years from the time you bought your car. You have to do this after every two years.

For drive belts and hoses, check for wear and tear. If you have a noisy belt, you need to adjust it. For the timing belt, this has to be changed based on the manufacturer’s replacement interval.

If you don’t check on this, you have to replace your whole engine if the belt breaks. As for the automatic transmission fluid, you might have bought a car that doesn’t need this fluid to be changed. If you bought a different model, you might have to replace filter and fluid after every 36,000 miles or 100,000 miles.

It’s easy to lengthen the life of your car and keep it running as good as the day you bought it from the car dealer if you do new car maintenance.

If you do your own maintenance and auto repairs, purchase your Ford, BMW, Chevy and Nissan parts at discount prices.

With so many things to look out for and so many ways to take care of your car, the question now is where do you start and what do you do at certain points in time. With a car maintenance schedule, you’ll make sure that every part of your car is looked after and you’ll know exactly which part to have checked up at specific times.

1. The first thing you have to check off the list of car maintenance is car wash. This is the simplest and also the cheapest car job you can do in the way of maintenance. You can do it yourself on your free days or you can go to a car wash center. You’ll only be paying somewhere $5 to $10 per washing.
2. The next items to take care of with car maintenance happen every week or every time to you go to the gas station to refuel. Check your car fluid levels and fluids cover for oil, coolant, wiper fluid and power steering fluid. If they need to be replaced, go ahead and replace them. This will help with your goal of increasing the life of your car and it also helps preserve your car engine’s character. Don’t forget to use quality branded engine oil. One that’s synthetic oil treated and has additives will help control the friction in your engine. Again, check car fluid levels when you go for a gas fill up. You should also check car fluid levels before you go on a long trip. It will cost you somewhere between $50 and $120 to get an oil change.
3. You also have to check your tire condition, pressure and alignment while you’re at the gas station for a fill up. When your tires are properly inflated, it will help you with regard to fuel economy, it improves it. Alignment helps improve gas mileage for your car and this will only cost you about $60.
4. When your car mileage hits 3,000, or after three months, it’s time to change engine oil and filter. With air and fuel filters, you’re keeping things in check so that no harm is caused to your car engine. This will cost about $10 to $15 for air filters. You have to check hoses for any bulging or leaking and you also have to check the wiper blades.For the tires, tread depth has to be looked into too. Battery terminals as well as the cables should be checked for corrosion. While the battery is the most important part of a car, it can be the most ignored part. If you take care of the battery, paying about $50 to $120 for its care, you’ll have a longer battery life.
5. After six months have passed or every time you rake up 7,500 more miles on your mileage, it’s time for you to get a check up on your service battery, the rotation and balance of your tires and the wear of your brake pad. Again, car for your battery will increase its life and it will only cost you $50 to $120 to look into the condition of your batteries. Your brake pad can be at the mercy of your foot and it needs to be replaced every six months.You ensure a smoother ride when you have your tires checked for rotation and balance and this will cost you $60 and for the suspension work on your car as it relates to alignment, it will be worth $60 to $100. If the suspension system needs to be replaced you need to shell out $1000 to $2000 or more if you drive a luxury car.
6. Every year or every 15,000 miles, car maintenance consists of flushing and filling transmission fluid and changing the transmission filter. You also have to replace the air and fuel filters at this time. PCV and breather elements need to be replaced as well as the carbon canister filter. Again, in maintaining the integrity of your car’s filters will amount to $10 to $15 for the air filters and fuel filter change will be worth about $25.This is also the time to lubricate the parking brake, locks, hinges and doors of your car. Go ahead and check your car’s lignment as well as the CV joint boots of your car.
7. After two years or with every 30,000 miles listed on your mileage counter, your radiator coolant must be flushed and replaced. Brake fluid should also be flushed and refilled. The parts of your car like the distributor cap, wires, rotor, spark plugs, differential/transfer case fluid and the cabin air filter have to be replaced as well. Finally, for the two year car maintenance, you have to inspect the exhaust system of your car.The small parts will be fairly priced and inspection can also be done for you by your mechanic for a small amount.
8. When four years have passed or with every 60,000 miles added to your mileage counter, the power steering fluid of your car has to be flushed and refilled. The timing belt or chain also has to be replaced. If your car has a long warranty, you can get the parts you need replaced for a discount and you can get labor charges on your car waived.

It takes a little bit of effort to making sure your car is in top condition. With the little things you do, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of money from having to get your car repaired or having to buy a new car because you’ll be lengthening your car’s life using the car maintenance schedule. Little attentions here and there go a long way.

There are a few solutions to the problem of mold inside your car however that are pretty easy, and can clean up the mold pretty quickly.

The first thing to remember, is that bleach is a bad idea. Bleach doesn’t work well on porous surfaces, and thus will not work on your car upholstery. Also, you run the risk of damaging the colour in your car’s interior.

One of my favorite home remedies for mold on the inside of your car is white vinegar. Specifically distilled white vinegar because it’s stronger and you will need less of it.

How to remove mold in your car seats with white vinegar:

1. Take your distilled white vinegar and put it in a clean spray bottle… make sure your spray bottle is VERY clean.
2. Open up your car to let it ventilate for at least 5 minutes. You don’t want to work inside a car that is filled with mold spores.
3. You’re probably going to want to find a paper mask (like a 3M mask) to protect your lungs during the removal of the mold. This of course depends on how much mold is in the car, but it’s always better to be safe.
4. Spray the white distilled vinegar on the mold, and about 1 foot around the mold (the spores can be growing before they’re visible).
5. Make sure the area is completely saturated. This will obviously make your car smell of vinegar, but it will go away once we remove the mold and let the car air out.
6. Let the vinegar sit on the mold – DON’T WIPE IT OFF – for at least 10 minutes. This will kill the mold.
7. After the vinegar has sat on the mold for some time, you can wipe off the residue left by the mold.
8. Use a mold testing kit to make sure there are no more airborne spores in your car. If there are, it may be damaging to your health to continue to use the car.

1. If the mold test kit still shows there is significant mold in the car, consider getting the car professionally cleaned or your upholstery replaced.

The white vinegar will clean up vinyl or leather car interiors much better than cloth, but it will still work on cloth.

Removing mold from automotive carpet is a bit more difficult, but you can still use vinegar to kill it. Also, Borax is a natural mold killer that you can use to clean carpets and hard surfaces of your vehicles interior.

I would suggest using a wet vac both before and after the vinegar to ensure that you pick up any mold spores from inside the carpet. Once you’ve used the wet vac to pick up any left over vinegar and mold, be sure to properly clean the vacuum to ensure you do not spread the mold that you’ve picked up. If your vacuum has a bag, dispose of the bag right away.

There are a number of carpet cleaning services available in every town as well that would be able to help you clean the mold from your carpets. They can cost a bit more, but it’s worth it if you need to save your mouldy carpets.

Have you ever had any problems with mold in a car? Let us know in the comments below.