Why Your Vehicle Can Benefit From Spring Cleaning
Spring is upon us, and with the new life and growth comes inspiration to deep clean and re-sort many aspects of our lives. Out with the old, in with the new. A new fresh feel is often just what we need to kickstart the spring season, especially if you are considering taking a road trip soon. Here is a list of spring cleaning ideas for your car to give it some love and feel good about your ride.
Washing your car
The chances are that you encountered a fair amount of rain and wind this winter. The underside of your vehicle can become pitted and eventually get rust from salt build-up on treated roads, or even being near the ocean. It is essential to wash the underside of your vehicle to keep it from rotting the exhaust system, muffler, and the frame. You will want to be especially careful if you launch or load a boat near the saltwater. Salt can destroy your car in a hurry, rusting out the undercarriage and wheels in just a matter of a few years.
When you wash your car, use your clean mit on the roof, glass, hood, and doors first. This way, the fresh mit will avoid collecting debris from the fenders, quarter panels and bumpers where heavy dirt and grime tend to collect. By saving these panels until last, you will preserve the paint on your car by avoiding scratching.
Clean the interior
It is time to pull out all the trash that has collected in the cup holders, door pockets, and in the No-mans-land under the seats. Once you have pulled all the trash out of the nooks and crannies, give your car a good vacuum. If you take the time to spot treat your carpets if you have the time, it is best to steam clean your carpets and floor mats to get the stains out, and pressure wash the rigid floor mats if you have them you will be so glad! Next, take a spray bottle and microfiber cloth to the dash and interior. A small bristle paintbrush is often nice to use to get deep in the tiny corners of your dash and console. Take the time to use the correct cleaner for each surface, especially if you have leather trim.
Replace wiper blades
After the winter season is behind us, it is helpful to put a fresh set of wiper blades on your car. What a difference it makes to have fresh rubber clearing off those raindrops. It is recommended to replace your wipers every six months. Take the time to scrub your windshield, removing the small tar and bug spots that can tear up your blades. If you have a razor blade, gently scrape along the windshield with the blad flat to scrape off any tar or debris that is cemented onto the glass. These lumps and bumps can chew up your new blades. If you have some steel wool, that works wonders cleaning your windshield as well.
Inspect your tires
After a season of driving through potholes and intense weather, your tires could have uneven tread wear. This can cause reduced stopping power when you hit the brake pedal. If you are not sure about your tread, take a penny and place it within your tread, if you can see Lincolns head then you are due to replace your tires. It is important to rotate your tires every 5,000 miles or so to keep tire wear even.
Test your air conditioner
Before the heat turns up, you want to make sure that your AC is working at its fullest capacity. The best way to do this is by starting your car, turning on the AC to the max, and timing how long it takes to cool the cabin to a comfortable temperature. If it takes a long time or does not adequately cool your interior, you will want to make your vehicle into a shop for AC service. This is also a good time to prevent allergies by replacing your cabin filter.
Now is the perfect time to make sure your car’s air conditioning system is ready for the warmer weather. That is why you should take advantage of our Spring A/C Blast promotion! Pals Ocala Auto Repair is offering FREE Air Conditioning Evacuation & Recharge during the second quarter of 2020, April – June. This special promo includes a free A/C Evacuation and Recharge when you schedule an appointment for preventive maintenance service. To take advantage of this offer, schedule an appointment at Pals Ocala Auto Repair between the months of April - June.
Check and change your fluids
To extend the life of your car, it is vital to replace your engine oil and other fluids on a regular maintenance schedule. You can check your owner's manual for your specific vehicle’s service recommendations, or ask your auto repair shop for the recommended frequency. By keeping to a regular schedule, you will find that the life of your vehicle is extended, and you will encounter fewer issues with your engine in the long run. This is because, over time, oil gets thicker. Newer cars are built with tighter tolerances because they are designed more efficiently; this means that with dirty oil, your engine is unable to properly lubricate or cool properly without clean oil.
Be sure to check all of your fluids in your car by topping off all your fluids; you will be sure to have plenty of steering fluid, wiper fluid, and other fluids in your reservoirs to protect and increase safety.
Spring is the time to think about the kids in our community; we invite you to support St. Judes Children's Hospital with us. For best service, schedule an appointment at Pals Ocala Auto Repair. We are conveniently located at 2821 SW College Road, Ocala, FL, 34474.
We look forward to taking great care of you and your vehicle soon and hope to see you out on the field!