Picked up a great blog post from our detailing products supplier about spring detailing:

"Yes, it’s about that time. Salt stains and swirl marks beware – spring is on its way. It’s amazing what a cool 50 degree February day in Chicago will have you thinking, but a clean car is just one. In preparation for the warmer months, the time has come to bust the car out of the garage, scrub her down, and get her ready to shine. Spring detailing is the perfect opportunity to rid your car of the winter blues and give it some much needed TLC before summer. To capitalize off of the nicer weather, here are some spring detailing tips and essentials for your car.

Wax

Detailers will preach, but it’s the truth; you need to wax your car seasonally. Waxing seasonally keeps your paint protected since 3-4 months is the typical life of a carnauba wax application. Waxing is the first and easiest step in keeping your car clean, and providing it with the proper car care techniques along the way. With about twice the endurance as a standard carnauba car wax is carnauba’s older brother, paint sealant. Using a polymer paint sealant in spring will provide you with 6-9 months of protection, which should last you through the summer. Want more shine than a paint sealant? Not to worry… carnauba car wax can always be applied on top of a paint sealant for a deeper shine and layered protection.

Shampoo

If you have seasons where you live then you know what winter can do to your car. It’s a shame, but salt literally tears apart your interior from the door panels to the carpets. Come spring, it’s important to get rid of this completely. The danger of salt is that it dehydrates plastic, fiber, and virtually any surface inside and out of your car… contributing the deterioration of these finishes. By shampooing floor mats, carpets, and effected leather, you’re stopping salt in its tracks and freshening the look of your entire car. There’s no better time than the turn of a season to get this done, as spring usually marks the end of snow, road salt, and slush.

Seal Your Wheels

A major piece in post winter detailing focuses on wheels. Salt contributes to the corrosion of metals and alloys that commonly make up the rims of your car, potentially etching and damaging them to the point of repair. By detailing your wheels and following it up with a wheel protectant, you not only will have spotless wheels, but they’ll have the protection to stay that way for an extended period of time. A wheel protectant will protect against brake dust etching, corrosion, and even hot tar encountered on the road. One factor to keep in mind is to find a wheel protectant with a high melting point to ensure the longevity and endurance of the product.

Condition

Whether it be your car’s leather or its tires, conditioning is an important detailing step that cannot be overlooked, especially come spring. With similar reasoning to why you should shampoo, conditioning rehydrates and replenishes your car’s surfaces with the nutrients they need to stay healthy. You can usually tell by the appearance of plastic trim, rubber, leather, and more if it needs conditioning or not because it will look faded, dry, or cracked. The most common car care products that you’ll need are a good plastic conditioner, tire conditioner, and leather conditioner. Often it is thought that a simple clean will do the trick, but unfortunately this is not the case. Conditioning helps to restore the various surfaces of your car, lengthening their individual lifespans as well as your vehicle’s.

For detailers around the country, spring brings rejoice. We can finally pull the old XK out from under the covers and make sure it’s ready to show off, or we can take the daily driver and make sure there’s nothing to remind us of the winter season.. either way it’s time for spring detailing and Dr. Beasley’s wishes you the best of luck!"

They've got a lot of good information for the at home detailer out there.. and they've got a lot more on their auto detailing blog.

 

Does anyone else have any spring detailing tips/essentials to share with the Jaguar community? I'd love to see them, and I'm sure that speaks for all detailers.

 

Thanks for your thread , I edited your signature because commercial links aren't allowed , if you like to advertise such products please contact our Admin
Thanks