A fresh start is always a good thing. Particularly in the case of cars, giving everything a bit of a spruce up can make your car feel more inviting, relaxing and generally just more pleasant to drive and be around.
But what can you do to freshen up your vehicle? We’ve got some of the key areas to explore.
Tidying up
What better place to start than with a good tidy up? Particularly after the Christmas period, it’s easy for your car to get stacked up with wrappers, receipts and general detritus. So clean out everything you don’t need while also tidying away coats, jackets and umbrellas that you might not require.
This can also help boost your car’s efficiency by reducing the amount of weight in your car. The little things add up!
Clean major surfaces
While we’re inside, it’s a good idea to give everything a good vacuum and to clean the major surfaces in the car. It’s best to use a dedicated car cleaner in this area, too, as they’re specially designed for the surfaces you’ll find inside a vehicle. Some domestic cleaners - like kitchen sprays - might be a little too harsh and could cause damage.
You could also use a small paintbrush to get some of the dust that accumulates in the air vents if you wanted to take things to another level.
Check fluid levels
While we’re here, why not check out your car’s fluid levels? You could start with your screen wash as it’s particularly important during the winter time when grit and grime accumulate on the car’s windscreen.
You should check the car’s oil levels, too, and you can do this easily by removing the dipstick, cleaning it off and then returning it to the engine. Take it out once more and you’ll be able to read on the dipstick’s gauge how much oil is left. You can then top it up with the correct oil, re-reading each time.
Make sure tyres are properly inflated
Under-inflated tyres are really bad for fuel consumption, so making sure that they’re inflated to the right pressures is paramount. You’ll be able to find the right pressures for your car in the vehicle handbook, behind the fuel filler door or inside the door shuts themselves.
Simply find these out, then inflate the tyres to the right pressure. You’ll know that they’re rolling as efficiently as possible that way.
Check over the windscreen
Winter is a tricky time for windscreens. Gritters are core to this problem, as they often fling grit right at windscreen level. This can result in a chip from time to time which, when left alone, can easily worsen into a crack.
So check your windscreen out. If there are any chips, then these can be repaired by injecting them with a special resin which then hardens. It can be much more cost-effective than having to replace the entire windscreen, too.
