No matter how hard we try to save our car from the aggressive manifestations of the surrounding world, even the most careful motorist eventually loses its original appearance.
But everything is not so bad! You can upgrade your car to its original shine even with your own strength. But before you start restoring the vehicle, you will have to do some shopping. Without quality chemicals, it will not be possible to make an old car into a new one, and if it is prepared for sale, all the expenses will be repaid several times over.
Remove corrosion
Almost every car has chips, in which corrosion has already begun to develop. To remove it, you will need a rust converter – for example, Lavr with zinc particles or 1 Kudo.
The product is applied to the corrosion spot, and after the rust is converted into a liquid substance, the dirt is washed off, the spot is degreased and painted over with a brush using the appropriate paint color.
Note: Sometimes the development of rust affects the lower parts of the doors so badly that just apply the product and touch up paint is no longer possible – the result will be horrible. To prevent corrosion from finally penetrating the metal, you need to convert it, rinse, degrease and treat it with anti-gravine black – it will look much more attractive.
To make the strip more even, over the border of the corrosion you need to glue a painter’s tape.
Removing the flecks
Another important job on the body is to clean it of metal flecks, of which, believe me, there are a huge number on your car.
They may not be visible to the naked eye, but in general can greatly spoil the appearance of the car. The car more often gets such splinters when braking, when the red-hot particles of brake dust get into the body.
The strong chemical agent Detail Iron will help to cope with the situation. The car should be washed with a special shampoo beforehand. Then apply the product to the body and wait a few minutes. The inclusions will soon begin to dissolve and flow out of their places. You only need to wipe the body with a damp cloth.
You can also use this product to give your wheel rims a refreshed look. Simply spray the spray on the wheels, wait for the foreign objects to dissolve, and wipe with a rag. After this treatment, the appearance of the car changes dramatically – it becomes smoother by removing the rustiness.
Bodywork Polishing
After all the work with the bodywork, you can proceed to polishing the paintwork. But you should not be afraid of the word, because polishing will be manual, so you should not immediately take up the machine.
Without experience, you can easily burn the body, which is not so easy and cheap to fix. Use Liqui Moly Lack Granz Crème hand polish – it’s designed just for beginners.
With it it is difficult to ruin the paintwork, because for application you will need a special soft pad of foam rubber, and the product itself is not as abrasive as its professional competitors. Do not forget to wash the car body thoroughly from all contaminants before applying it. It is recommended to perform the procedure indoors.
The product gives the bodywork the shine of a new car, removes minor scratches and is easy to apply by hand. It may not cope with more severe damage, but it is an excellent solution for touch-ups.
Refreshing your tires
Very seriously, for good or bad, the condition of the tires affects the appearance of the car and the condition of the tires. When they become gray, cracked and flabby, the car itself starts to look discreet and cheap.
You should take care of your tires periodically throughout their lifespan. In addition to proper storage, they need to be treated with special products, such as Meguiar’s G75 Endurance Tire Gel.
At first glance, this is not the cheapest way to give rubber products a refreshed black look. But, according to the manufacturer, regular treatment of the tires preserves the elasticity of rubber, fills microcracks, its service life is much longer, and they themselves become more presentable. As practice and reviews show, this is indeed true.
By the way, you can use the same means to give a new look to your outdated rubber mats.
Cleaning the seats and carpeting
Moving on to the interior of the car. Here, the horrible state of the seats, which over several years turn into a real accumulation of dirt, spoils the picture greatly.
Leraton textile cleaner will help you to overcome this stubborn dirt. The product cleans both the seats and the carpet, returning the textile products to their original appearance. Be sure to vacuum the cabin before application.
To clean, just apply the cleaner to the cloth, let it soak in for a bit, then wipe with a soft, damp cloth until the result is achieved. After the procedure, leave the car with the windows open until the interior is completely dry.
The result will be clean seat upholstery, as after professional dry cleaning, but the cost of such a handwash is many times lower.
Renewing plastics
The condition of plastic often becomes apparent if you treat your car carelessly. Scratches and abrasions can sometimes play a cruel trick when selling your car, and you will get a pretty penny for a car with worn out plastic.
For restoration of plastic parts use a popular product on the Russian market – Polish & Restore Anti Skratch E plastic restorer from Lavr.
Before applying it is recommended to clean it with an ordinary glass cleaner, after that using a sponge rub it all over the surface of the torpedo and door cards. After 3-5 minutes you should polish the plastic with a microfiber. The result is a smooth, soft-touch plastic with no scratches or scuffs.
Cleaning the headliner
The last and very important detail that many drivers tend to forget is the car’s headliner. And it sometimes turns from white to black!
To do this, you need to use a dry Kerry spray for cleaning the headliner. The product is spread evenly with a special brush that comes with the kit, over the whole surface of the ceiling, then wait 3 minutes and remove in one direction, first with a wet soft cloth and then with a dry microfiber. The effect – as after chemical cleaning, only 10 times cheaper!