Summer Exterior Car Preparation and Cleaning

When big seasonal changes are approaching, smart drivers get their cars ready. Mechanics will tell you, if your car has an unseen weakness a drastic weather change, summer or winter, may turn the weakness into a failure that could leave you stranded. As the weather heats up, do summer maintenance on your vehicle, including protecting the finish to keep your vehicle looking good.
Exterior Preparation
Car Wash
Start with a car wash in a cool, shady place. Various Web sites tell you to use a car wash product, not dish soap. But some experts in the field of auto painting say they prefer to car wash with a mild dish soap, using one capful of soap to a gallon of warm water. The soap, they say, is not as important as rinsing quickly after scrubbing a section in order to prevent spotting during the car wash.
If you live in a beach area, your car wash procedure should include the underside of the hood, since a build-up of salt there can damage parts of your engine, so be sure to clean under there too. You may want to throw a piece of plastic over the cool engine to keep the salt from washing down.
Dry Using a chamois and broad strokes, quickly remove most of the water, then wring out the chamois and do a more thorough drying job. If you're not used to using a chamois, this is a car wash habit you should pick up. A chamois is a soft piece of leather that is lint-free. The fibers of the chamois trap grime particles inside rather than rubbing the grime into your car's finish. It can absorb up to 500 times its weight in water. When it gets full, wring it out and keep going. Because it is lint-free, a chamois is great for drying windows too. After the car wash is complete, rinse the chamois in warm soapy water, stretch it gently, and hang it to dry (not in sunlight). If the chamois is stiff when you're ready for the next car wash, a little bit of moisture should loosen it up.
Polish and Wax Once the car wash is complete, use a damp terry cloth to apply a good polish if you want to bring out the shine and preserve the paint. (Avoid using rubbing compounds, which tend to be too harsh.) Remove polish with a dry terry cloth, shaking frequently. Work on small areas at a time, using a circular motion. Use a soft toothbrush for cleaning around lettering and trim. Two polishes have gotten especially good reviews: Nu Finish, and Finish 2001. Both claim to deliver a shine that lasts for 12 months. Based on reviews, that seems to be true. Users say both do a good job for the money. However... there is a lot more elbow grease required than advertisement suggests. Polishing is not simply a wipe on, wipe off procedure.
The same is true for waxing if you choose to apply a good wax after the polish. As for the product to use, some car finish experts rely on Turtle Wax.
White Walls and White Lettering If you have white wall tires or raised lettering, the car wash isn't complete till they are restored to bright white. A Brillo pad and some elbow grease may be all the maintenance need for these, but if not, try Westley's Bleach White. It's been around for decades but you can still find it in the car wash or car maintenance section of department stores.
Interior Brush or dust debris from the dashboard and other interior vinyl surfaces. To give your interior vinyl a helping hand against summer heat, spray some vinyl-protectant like Armor All on a clean rag and wipe down. Air dry.