Judge a Car By it's Cover

We have all heard not to judge to a book by its cover, but what about judging a car by its cover? You know those cars you see with the words “WASH ME” finger painted through the dirt on the back window? I think we can all agree that when a car has those two words engraved on the back windshield, it is safe to judge that car by its cover.

I am almost positive the inside of that vehicle could also use a good makeover. Have I been the victim of walking up to my car in a parking lot and seeing those two little words etched on my car…maybe. I fear to fully disclose the truth in case my husband reads this. With springtime here, I think it is time we all add our vehicles to our spring cleaning list. Even if your car does not have a layer of filth covering it, every vehicle could benefit from either a good vacuum job or a glove box clean out.

Growing up, my dad had a serious obsession about always having the cars washed, waxed and looking perfect. I grew up in snow country, so this meant a lot of car washing during those long winter months. I have distinct memories of him coming home from working a 12 hour outdoor shift in the freezing cold of winter and before even coming in to change his clothes or warm up he was out in the driveway washing dirt and salt off of the cars. He always had the oil changed and tires rotated right on target which tells you why his current vehicle is running in great condition at 120,000 miles.

As we begin to spring clean our homes, closets, and flower beds, let’s add car to the list. After all, we all know that a clean, well maintained vehicle ups your resale value. Here are some spring cleaning tips:

1 - Handwash your car. This gives you the opportunity to look over every square inch of your vehicle and notice any nicks or cuts in the paint that need to be attended to before they get worse.

2 – De-junk the interior. The first item of business should be to simply remove everything that shouldn’t be there. Coats, papers, wrappers, etc. Remove anything that does not belong there.

3 - Vacuum and dust the interior. Once you get all the dust bunnies out the way, wipe down surfaces with a microfiber cloth. If you are feeling really adventurous, use a Q-tip for the tight spots.

4 – Clean the windows. This seems simple, but I bet you will be surprised what you find on your cloth once you clean these.

5 – Give it a simple tune-up. Make sure your vehicle is ready for hot weather by bringing your vehicle in for a tune-up to make sure everything is working properly.

As always, I love to hear from my readers. Email me at kori@getdodge.com