Caring for you wheels: How to give your car a proper wash

Interior

It is always advisable to begin with the interior of the car and work your way to the exteriors. Given that much of the inside is plastic, we decided to use the MOTOMAX Protectant spray which has been designed to clean such surfaces.

It comes in an easy to use plastic spray can. The cleaning liquid can be sprayed directly on the surface or into a cleaning cloth and then applied. We began with the passenger side of the dashboard and then moved onto the driver’s side after which we tackled the centre section. 

Words of caution: Do not spray the cleaning liquid onto to control surfaces like the steering wheel, gear lever, stalks or AC buttons. These are places you come into to contact with on a regular basis and do not want them to be slippery under your grasp.       

We found that while the spray has a good scent and works in providing a basic cleaning for the plastics. It is however, not all that effective as compared to some of its rivals, but for its price (Rs 75 for 100ml) it does a decent job of providing clean surfaces. 

After cleaning the plastics, we did the floor mats and the floor itself. A car vacuum cleaner is best suited to such a job but if you don’t have one then there is no better deal than the good old broom and a dust pan.  

Once you are done with main plastics, floor, sills and windows,  move on to the frame of the doors. We discovered that they are one of the most ignored places in the car as they lie in a point of transition and for the most are overlooked. Wipe as much is accessible with a damp cloth and use dusting brush for those hard to reach spots.        

Exterior

To wash the outside of the car, we used three buckets of water and I say this point right in the beginning of this section to emphasise that the washing process does not need to involve copious amounts of water.

Grab hold of a large cleaning cloth and move from the front to the back of the car liberally wiping down all the surfaces (ensure that the cloth is dripping wet as it will spread more water). If done meticulously, it will ensure that the entire car gets a wipe over. At this point of time, open up the boot and clean the water channels above the storage space.

Move to the front and clean the engine bay but take care to avoid the battery and fuses. Also if you have been running the car before washing it, wait for the engine to cool down before touching any of the metal components.  At the end of the first round of water application rinse the bucket to ensure that no sediments are left in the bottom as these will damage the paint.

In the second bucket of water, pour around 10ml of shampoo and mix to create suds and foam. These were the instructions given with the MOTO MAX shampoo and it may vary from shampoo to shampoo (read the instructions!). 

Once there is enough lather, begin applying it to the body of the car. Begin on any side and work your way to the back of the car and then to where you started from. Apply the soapy water in a circular manner working your way down from the top.

Once you have completed the soaping process, rinse the bucket and fill it up once again. Using a third cloth, work your way from where you began the soaping process and move around the car removing soap from the body. This needs to be done quickly and you should ensure that the soap does not dry up.

By this point, your car should be showing signs of reflective glory giving you an idea of what it will look like when the work is completed. 

Polishing

This is the final step towards making your car all shiny and new looking. The MOTOMAX cream polish that we had got came with its own sponge applicator but if you’re left without one, then you can use a clean dry cloth. Dampen the metal surface and apply the polish in a circular manner.

Ensure that the coating is even across the body to make sure that the eventual shine on the car too remains even. Work in the same manner during the washing process but do not apply the polish on plastics like the bumpers or the logos. For these you can use the interior plastic cleaner once again.

One the polish has been applied let it dry and this will be visible once the car has a dull white coating which is powdery in nature. Ideally the drying period is in the region of 15-20 minutes but this can be even lesser if you are washing the car outside and the sun is quite intense.

The final step involves wiping off the polish using the microfibre cloth. First wipe the polish and buff in a circular manner to achieve the shine that you want (or dream of).

Once again move from the left of the car and work your way back to the point where you started from. The entire cleaning process should take you anywhere between 60 minutes to 90 minutes and will leave you drooling in glory at the results. 

Verdict

We were decently impressed with results both on the car and the scooter. There are other products in the market that will give you our final result at the washing stage itself but you have to consider the fact that the entire package costs Rs 475. Each of these products lasts for around 6-8 cleaning sessions depending on the size of the vehicle.

We should also mention that a microfiber cloth is priced anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 800 depending on the brand. However, while that is a high price to pay, the fact is that they will last you anywhere between 3-4 months if maintained properly.

It seems like a steal deal when you take into consideration the fact that at any car spa an equivalent job will cost you anywhere between Rs 600-Rs 900 per session. However, what you will need to invest majorly is time and effort to get the job done properly and as the saying goes- the fruit of labour is the sweetest one in the garden.  

Photos: Pratheek Kunder