“Southwest Auto Houston” The majority of people who own cars spend a lot of time in them, whether it’s for commuting to work, taking the kids to soccer practice, or simply carrying groceries. Although I’m not a huge supporter of keeping up with the Jones’s, many of us are aware of the desire to buy a new, shiny car even if maintaining an older car can often be far more cost-effective (especially if it is paid off).
1. Prepare and Clean Your Car
Make it a practice to unload your car of trash each time you get out. A thorough deep cleaning is fantastic, so you can splurge (either financially or with your own time and effort) on decent interior detailing once a year, but a
You can keep your glove box organized without spending a lot of money by utilizing Plastic containers (all the car manuals in one bag, tools in another, car repair and maintenance paperwork in another, phone chargers and iPod cords in yet another, etc.).
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Regarding the outside, giving your car a good wash every few weeks will make you feel better about it even if you don’t wax it to a flawless shine. Wheels don’t typically get particularly clean in the vehicle wash, so if you’re inclined, you can always use a toilet brush to clean them every few weeks.
2. Switch out your floor mats.
In an automobile, floor mats are frequently the first items to become damaged. Congratulations if your automobile still retains the original floor mats and the location doesn’t count as a Superfund cleanup site! If and when you decide to sell or trade-in your car, you should probably remove them and store them for later.
3. Purchase some seat covers.
Purchase some seat coverings in straightforward, discreet colors to shield your seats from further damage or to hide seats that are already too worn out.
4. Inside-and-outside window cleaning
To increase visibility and the aesthetics of your automobile, clean the interior and outside of your windows .
Have you got kids? Most likely, the interior of the back windows of your car is filthy (I know mine are). After removing stickers and other goo with a cleaner like Goo Gone, clean the windows with your preferred window cleaner and a microfiber cloth. As a windshield cleaner, some car owners swear by a newspaper (rather than towels or paper towels) and slightly soapy water.
5. Conduct routine maintenance, such as oil changes
Okay, so this might not directly affect the beauty of your car, but maintaining your car’s functionality is much more crucial than ensuring that it looks beautiful (and fewer things will drive into the arms of a car salesman faster than a roadside breakdown with your older vehicle). Basic maintenance for older vehicles can occasionally nearly seem like it isn’t worth it. Though it is! An older vehicle can continue to run for years after its anticipated end of life with routine oil changes, filter replacements, and belt inspections.
6. Frequently have the seats and carpets shampooed
Do like I do and spend $100 every six months to have your seats and carpets vacuumed and shampooed, or look for social coupons and deals with nearby retail shops. You might need to do this more frequently if you let food and drink inside your car. A clean inside can make a car feel almost brand new.
7. Improve Your Vehicle’s Speakers
Older cars typically have pretty bad factory default sound systems, but you can improve the sound without spending a fortune. Sometimes all it takes to significantly improve your car’s sound is to simply swap out the stock speakers. Of course, it will cost you significantly more to replace that 8-track player with a system that allows you to plug in your iPod. However, if listening to music throughout your commute helps you to relax, it can be worth it to invest a little more money to receive the music you like.
8. Change Damaged Body Parts
You can always hunt for replacement body parts online or through your neighborhood scrap yards if you are unable to quickly fix a severe scratch or remove a dent. On that passenger-side door, you might just come across an incredible deal.
9. Retouch exterior painting
More than any other service, a fresh coat of paint may significantly improve the way your automobile looks overall. At the low end, a paint job at a place like Macao will cost you at least $600, but the quality of the automobile paint they use isn’t always the best. You should be able to have an excellent exterior paint job for your car’s outside for a couple of thousand dollars. Southwest Auto houston
10. Purchase new tires
The funny thing about wheels on vehicles is that you wouldn’t think they could have such a significant impact on how they look, but they do. Cheap wheels are a standard feature on older, less expensive vehicles, and with time, wheels do become worn out. Once your car reaches 125C d miles, your wheels usually look fairly awful due to missing hubcaps and collisions with cement curbs.
Only consider purchasing new high-performance wheels if you truly love your car and intend to use it for a long time because they can cost between $400 and $1500 (plus the price of tires) (and want it to drive a bit better).
How do you maintain the appearance and performance of an ancient car? Please add your car-care suggestions in the comments!