Road trip season is fast approaching with warmer temps, longer days of sun and blue skies on the horizon. As the season begins to shift back towards the spring and summer, you may be noticing the toll winter has taken on your car. Salt stains thick on the carpet floors, winters scum of salt and sand on the underbody and likely a lot of dog hair from your four-legged best friend going though shedding season.

Here's some of our top tips for getting your car refreshed and ready for sunset cruises, as well as some tips to reduce natures impact on your car.

Wash Your Car 

Possibly the most straightforward, but easily neglected. Start your season off right with a proper carwash and interior clean out. Pull out all those jackets and coffee mugs that accumulated over the course of the winter - we don't judge. When you pull in to wash your car, be sure to use a proper full method to remove all the salt and sand residue left by winter.

• Pre-soak: helps to lift any really embedded and stuck on grime that's eating away at your vehicle
• Wash your wheels first: they tend to hold a lot of grime you'll throw back on your paint if you wait until the end.
• Wash top to bottom: using soap and a hot pressure washer if possible. Typically we recommend avoiding use of a wash brush - particularly at public car washes as they hold a LOT of dirt, small rocks and grime and can significantly scratch your paint.
• Get down there: Be sure to thoroughly rinse your vehicles undercarriage to ensure you're removing any salt and sand that may be holding on. Check areas like linkage points and frame/unibody rails.

After washing, use a high quality microfiber towel to pull away water and help reduce visible water blotches/streaks.

Oil Undercoat

Now that your car is freshly cleaned and the winter mess is washed off, take your vehicle into a reputable undercoating center to keep it protected. Most people coat their vehicles in the fall right before winter, but many neglect a spring undercoating. While pre-winter is certainly important, the pre-summer undercoat protects anything that may be exposed to wear in all those areas you've just washed of, potentially leaving bare metal exposed. Your pre-summer undercoat will penetrate the metal and give your vehicle the lasting protection it needs and significantly increase the life expectancy of your truck or SUV.

When looking for a reputable undercoating center, we typically trust Krown Rust Control. The important part is a trustworthy center that will remove and reinstall plugs and ensure oil coverage is correct and adequate enough to properly protect your vehicle.

Getting Salt Stains Out Of Your Carpets

Salt stains are a pesky and unavoidable frustration in the winter time. They tend to clump up and can significantly damage your interior.

To Remove you'll need;

• A wet/dry shop vacuum
• A bucket of hot water (be mindful, not so hot as to burn yourself)
• a durable coarse bristle brush with a scrub handle
• gloves and safety glasses recommended

While wearing your appropriate PPE, set your wet/dry shop vacuum to "wet" - however your particular vacuum may need to be prepped (see owners manual to ensure you don't ruin your vacuum.)

Dip your brush in the bucket of hot/warm water and use the brush to scrub the salt stains. The warm water will break down the heavy salt accumulation.

As you're going, be sure to use your shop vacuum to suck and remove any water/salt that you've lifted.

Continue this process until your floors are clear of any salt residue. After, leave your windows open for as long as possible - a few hours at least, to allow your car to fully air out and moisture to evaporate away without being trapped in your sealed car.

Service Your Vehicle

Winter exposes your vehicle to a wide range of changing temps and added stress. Booking a service is the number one way to maintain and keep your vehicle working hard for you.

Some ways winter can impact your vehicle;

• Drastic changes in engine temperatures can degrade your oil
• Extreme heating and cooling cycles are hard on your brakes
• Your wipers have been working overtime on ice and grime which can decrease their effectiveness
• Sand, salt and grime can get into your engines air filter, allowing micro particles to enter your engine. This can lessen its effectiveness against the dust and pollen in the air come spring.

Ways you can help your car;

• Change your engine air filter
• Change your cabin air filter so its ready to protect you from dust, pollen and potential low air quality of the summer
• Replace your wipers
• Get your brakes inspected by a certified professional to ensure they'll be there for you when you need them most
• Change your engine's oil to ensure oil quality is at its best and to remove any potential contaminants