How to keep your car like a Bawaji

Ever wondered why Parsis’ cars look like they were just driven out of a showroom? Obviously, they love their automobiles, but, it isn’t just passion; they are a part of their lives. Here are the top ten ways that Bawaji’s use to shower some TLC on their cars and keep that new-car magic going forever!

1. Shampoo your car at least once a week. Use a sponge and a good quality shampoo from a reputed car care product manufacturer. You could also use a hair shampoo. This is an expensive but effective way to clean your car. As the detergents in hair shampoo are mild they do not damage the car’s paint. Use a pressure water hose to remove all the accumulated dust and dirt.

2. A good polish is key. Use a Carnauba wax. Its hard coating will ensure that the wax lasts longer and protects better. Stick to reputed brands like Autoglym, Armor All, Soft 99, Formula1, etc. Wax your car about once a month. Before waxing though, make sure you wash and wipe the car dry. Apply the wax in a circular motion using a sponge away from direct sunlight. Use a buffing wheel if you have access to a powerpoint. It makes a world of a difference in the finish. Once a fortnight use a zip-wax whilst washing your car. Its simple, just add a packet to a bucket of water and wash.

3. Use plastic polishes to keep black/grey plastics on your car’s bodywork like your front grille, body mouldings, mud-flaps etc. Dull plastics easily give out the age of your car.

4. Use muslin cloths, toothpicks and ear-buds to clean panel gaps, like areas between lights and bumpers, window channels and wheel bolts. Use a toothbrush to clean gaps between panels and carpet.

5. Internally Clean. The best way to clean your interiors is to keep them clean in the 1st place. As the old saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure.’ Use the air-conditioner on dusty roads and traffic to keep the interiors clean. Use a plastic polish to on your dashboard and plastic panels to prevent them from fading. Vacuum clean the carpets and fabric seats. Home sofa upholstery cleaners work well on velour seats or leather care sprays from a reputed manufacturer to keep your interiors sparkling like new.

6. Sparkling power plant. Clean your engine with a damp cloth and soap water. Use a mild water hose or put water gently from a bottle to clean. No high pressure water here. Water in electronics and spark plugs is bad news. Use a vacuum cleaner or pressured air to dry after cleaning. Plastic polishes must be applied on the engine cover, air box and other plastic parts. Anti-grease sprays can do wonders to take grime of the engine. Use a toothbrush to clean such areas clean.

7. Replace cracked plastic parts, broken switches, puffed-up sun visors and door stoppers. Fix broken light lenses, bent or missing wheel caps and body rattle immediately. Avoid parcel trays with speakers fixed on them. Also avoid fixing gadgets on your dashboard. Screws and two-way tapes leave ugly scars and fittings tend to rattle annoyingly over time.

8. Precautionary measures. Avoid driving through puddles, wet and dusty roads. Ok, ok, at least try to find an alternative route. Avoid “tradin’ paint” with 2 wheelers, 3 wheelers, trucks and busses. Play the waiting game. Aftermarket touch up jobs tend to fade and do not necessarily retain gloss like factory paint jobs. Try your best to keep original factory paint intact, just like Bawajis’ do.

9. Keep the rims gleaming. Clean the rims with soap and use pressure water to remove grime and dirt. Use a clothes washing brush to scrub your tyres thoroughly. Brake dust can make your car look ugly even when it is spotlessly clean. Use a pressured water hose to wash the wheel wells as well. Aged alloy wheels look ughh… Alloy wheel polishes can make them look new and prevent them from pitting further.

10. Most importantly, use a tyre polish to finish off and give your car a wet and shiny look. Extreme shine tyre polishes are more expensive to buy but last better in our conditions. Caution: Do not apply on tyre tread as it can cause loss of grip, also refrain from using a tyre polish too often as an overdose can reduce tyre life.