• Protecting and Sealing your Car's Paint and Clear Coat
• Keeping your Windshield and Headlights Clean
• Cleaning, Protecting and Sealing Your Wheels and Tires
• Brightening your auto paint

Preparing your Auto Exterior for Spring Car Care Maintenance:

Lane: Early spring is one of the most important times of year for you to detail your car. Winter is very hard on your car with extreme temperature changes, rain, sleet, snow, sand, salt and other chemicals that are used on our roads. You need to clean your car thoroughly and then seal and protect it from all of those damaging elements.

Kim: Ok, I don't want to spend a lot of time on my car, however I want the maximum protection and I want my car to look show room new. What's the minimum that I must do to get my car ready for spring?

Lane: The minimum effort you need in preparing your car for spring and the products I recommend,which will provide the ultimate protection for the hot summer days to come, are as follows:

Protecting Your Car's Paint / Clear Coat Finish for Spring:

1. Washing your car before waxing and polishing is the first step. It is important to use a Car Wash Soap before waxing to ensure that you clean and remove all remaining dirt residue. Wash & Shine Car Wash Soap is self-drying, which will save you time, especially in the summer months. Using professional car wash mitts, in conjunction with Wash & Shine Car Wash Soap, will ensure clear coat protection and reduce minor surface scratches that may occur. We have a new selection of microfiber wash mitts. To speed up the drying process and ensure a streak-free finish, the California Water Blade is the detailing tool of choice. All detailers keep microfiber towels on hand to wipe dry remaining drips from small crevices.
2. Waxing and Polishing your car. Polishing your clear coat will be the first line of defense and will minimize paint defects. Using a professional finishing car wax is important because it lays the foundation in the waxing process. I prefer Gold Edition Best Car Wax because it is easy to apply, giving you superior shine and protection.
3. The final step is to seal the car wax with Paint Sealant. The Paint Sealant stays above the wax layer and will be the first barrier for protection from the sun and other environment fallout. Super Seal Paint Sealant Sealer Wax is easy to apply and is a heavy duty sealant with extra protection.

Kim: Can I skip a step and use a combination wax and sealant product?

Lane: Yes, if your paint is in good shape with little to no paint defects, you can skip the car polish step and go right into waxing and sealing your paint. You need the layers of protection that you will gain by following these individual steps: Super Seal Paint Sealant will give you anywhere from 3 to 6 months of protection, depending on the conditions. Once the weather has eaten through the Super Seal, the Gold Edition Best Car Wax will give your paint another two months of protection. Taking the time to detail your exterior properly will ensure that your car is protected from the summer heat that can cause paint oxidation.

Kim: Is there anything that I can do to improve visibility through my windows and headlights? I have a tough time with rain and night time vision.

Lane: Yes, it is a good idea to polish your car's windshield, windows and headlights.

Using a strong glass cleaner to keep your Windshield Clean and Dry will ensure clarity and prep your glass for the polishing phase.

1. Clean your auto glass. I recommend that you use a professional grade cleaner like Concentrated Auto Glass Cleaner providing you with a spotless glass surface to polish.
2. Polish your Auto Glass with Touch Up Shine Auto Detail Spray. Touch Up Shine is a unique free flowing auto detail polish that will add an invisible layer of polish to your glass, causing water to bead up.
3. Your headlights can be difficult to clean depending on the layer of grime that has formed on your plastic lenses. The Headlights Lens Cleaner and Restoration Kit will cost less than replacing headlights which could cost hundreds of dollars. This headlight cleaner kit comes with instructions and you will find a how-to video on our website.

Kim: Is there anything else?

Lane: You're almost done. Don't forget about your wheels and tires.

Kim: Do I need to clean my wheels every time I wash my car?

Lane: Yes, the fact that your brakes get hot and release dust and other contaminants on your wheels can cause pitting overtime. If you do not clean them on a regular basis, your wheels will lose their integrity and cause them to deteriorate.

Clean, seal and protect your wheels and tires for summer months ahead:

1. Clean your tires by using Tire Cleaner. Using a heavy duty tire cleaner will remove dirt, grime and oil from your tires. Black & White Tire Cleaner has a concentrated formula that will speed up tire cleaning and pull dirt from the pores of your tire rubber.
2. Shine and protect your tires using Tire Gloss. Tire gloss is not just for cosmetic purposes. Much like wax and sealant on your paint, a good Tire Gloss will seal and protect your tires against dirt and moisture. The summer heat can cause microscopic cracks in your tires. Moisture gets into those cracks and will cause further cracking, known as dry rot. You must seal your tires to prevent further damage to ensure driving safety. My favorite tire gloss for an easy to apply, high gloss finish is Super Blue Tire Shine, our best seller.
3. Clean the oil, dirt and grime from your wheels using Wheel Cleaner. Lane’s® offers Professional Grade Safe Wheel Chrome Wheel Cleaner and New Aluminum Wheel Cleaner.
4. Polish and seal your wheels. Your wheels are corroded by the dirt, rocks and chemicals that they pick up from the road. The chemicals used to combat snow and ice can be especially damaging to your wheels. Even if you have factory stock wheels, you need to protect them throughout the year with Aluminum & Chrome Wheel Polish which can be applied by hand or more effectively with our Wheel Polishing Kit.

Kim: This is a lot of stuff to do, are you sure this is the minimum to keep my car in show room condition?

Lane: Your car requires the maximum protection from environmental fallout especially in harsh weather conditions which includes summer and winter months.

If you want to go beyond the minimum, I would recommend using Rubbing Compound on your paint after washing your car. Oxidation causes your paint to fade and discolor in the summer sun. Super Cut Rubbing Compound will remove that oxidized paint and brighten your paint finish.