Classic car wash if done right can save a good amount of money that you spend on auto body repair and maintenance. Classic cars being older than regular cars, require extra care to preserve their glamour and age.
They become most vulnerable during a wash. Hence, the majority of classic car enthusiasts prefer to wash these cars themselves instead of relying on a machine wash. A machine wash can sometimes prove to be a bit more harsh than usual and may destroy the car’s shine in the process.
Thus, a regular hand wash is optimum for classic car maintenance.
5 Things To Consider While Washing Your Classic Car Using DIY methods:
1. Sunlight
The root of all your car paint problems is sunlight. Washing a car in direct sunlight increases the evaporation rate. This will lead to intensive corrosion and fading of the car paint.
And if you have original paint on your classic car by any chance, then you do not want to take any risk. So, always wash your car in the shade or at night.
2. Using regular dishwashing soap/liquid
Regular dishwashing soap contains a high concentration of chemicals. These chemicals are not suitable for a classic car wash. Hence, upon use, they produce scratches and swirls.
Along with creating scratches and swirls, regular dishwashing soaps give a dull effect to the car paint. They also create unusual circular spots that often degrade the look and feel of the vehicle.
Hence, these should be avoided at all costs. Otherwise, you’ll need an auto body repair in Holland to get rid of the damage done on using such soaps.
3. Using strong chemicals
Similar to dishwashing soaps, strong chemicals carry the same risk. And on top of that, their strong chemical properties can also expose the metal surface of the car by completely removing the car paint. Although these harsh chemicals remove the stain and dirt easily, they do much more damage to the car than the naked eye can perceive.
They also weaken the car paint concentration and produce a fading effect after a certain period of time.
Also, if there are scratches and you want to get rid of them with these chemicals, then you should think again. To remove scratches from car paint, specific methods are used and using chemicals like these will do more harm than good.
4. Using one bucket
This is more of a standard practice than a tip or trick. Using a single bucket creates a high chance of scratching the surface with dirt accumulated in the bucket.
So it is recommended to use the 2 bucket method. One for rinsing and another for cleaning. This will help you avoid dirt from getting accumulated in the bucket and you’ll save your classic car from potential damage.
5. Drip dry
Drip dry creates an imperfect drying state. So if left in sunlight, the varying chemical compositions of the minerals can leave fragmented spots.
Thus, a soft microfiber towel that is specifically designed for car cleaning should be used to dry the car off. Otherwise, small spots can get created with irregular spacing that can make the entire car washing process a big failure.
Also, in the process of getting rid of them, a more concentrated effort will be required and that can harm the paint too.
About the Creator
Lary Cook
Writing for fun, trying to get through this Pandemic. Loves to talk about Cars, Auto repair.
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