You love it when people turn their heads after your sparkling ride. It just feels so good. So, let’s talk about detailing your ride.

We’re here to give you 19 sweet detailing tips that will make your car or truck so awesome, people’s jaws will drop.

When you’re washing your ride…

If you love your ride, you should be washing it weekly. It really is important for removing dirt and other contaminants to keep your paint looking fresh and to protect your vehicle’s wax.

Just be mindful of what you clean it with. Soap and water is okay… but if you don’t want to be wasting your cleaning effort, go with Sonax Car Shampoo. It’s the prefect product for a deep clean, without being too harsh to cause any damage to your vehicle’s paint and wax coats. And for a true clean always use the right cleaning tool. We recommend Sonax Microfibre Car Wash Sponge for the best results.

Tip #1: Don’t wash your vehicle in direct sunlight.

Tip #2: Don’t wash your vehicle if it’s hot on the surface. Wait for it to cool down first.

Tip #3: Constantly rinse out sponges to ensure no dirt or debris will scratch into the paint.

When you’re drying your vehicle…

You should be drying out your vehicle directly after washing. And you should start with the windows. Use a microfibre drying towel to do this. They are cushiony enough to hide away any remaining dirt and debris that would otherwise smear or scratch your paint. A good option would be Sonax Microfibre Think Drying Cloth.

Tip #4: Don’t remove leftover dirt with your drying towel or you could scratch your paint.

Tip #5: Don’t use squeegees for anything other than glass to avoid dragging out dirt.

Tip #6: After you’re done, wash your drying towels with hot water and rinse them with cold water. Don’t use any fabric softener in the process because it contains chemicals that would be harmful to your vehicle’s wax next time around.

When you’re waxing your vehicle…

Please, please, please… don’t wax your vehicle if you haven’t cleaned it first! For the best results, prep the surface before waxing with a specialty cleaner, like WeatherTech TechCare wax prep clay gel cleaner. This will remove oxidation, salts, airborne pollutants, and stains

Tip #7: Use a clean microfibre cloth, cotton towel, or foam wax pad to apply any waxing product.

Tip #8: When using a liquid wax or polish, apply it to your applicator instead of directly onto the vehicle’s surface (unless you’re using a spray).

Tip #9: Wax and polish your vehicle in sections.

Tip #10: Mind your pressure and use a soft hand when waxing. Allow the product to dry to a haze before rubbing it off.

When you’re trimming you’re vehicle…

Don’t overlook the trim. It needs to maintained just like the rest of your vehicle, to improve its appearance and longevity. So whether you have plastic, rubber, metal, or chrome trim, the proper treatment will keep it looking like new.

Tip #11: Clean your trim weekly along with your regular vehicle maintenance.

Tip #12: Use the proper polish for your transparent plastics, including headlights and single lenses.

Tip #13: Don’t forget to spend some on cleaning your chrome pipes and bumpers.

When you’re caring for your wheels and tires…

Just like with the rest of your car, routine maintenance of the wheels and tires is necessary for a longer lifespan and better appearance. A good cleaning can be done with a bucket of soapy water, or if you prefer better results, try washing your painted or coated aluminum wheels with a specialised product.

And, finally… remove road debris and thoroughly clean out your tires from dirt. To help make this job easier use a firm bristle brush. This will save you time, effort, and will give better results. If you want to go one step father, consider applying long-term protectant on your tires, like WeatherTech’s TechCare tire gloss action kit.

Tip #14: Always keep a hose close to hand when applying cleaners to sensitive coated wheels so you can was out the chemicals within minutes.

Tip #15: Do a spot test in a low visibility area to figure out if your wheels are uncoated aluminium (if you’re not sure).

Tip #16: If you have uncoated wheels don’t let your polish dry out before removing.

Tip #17: Avoid using tire protectants that need to diluted as they might contain distilled petrochemicals which are damaging to your tire’s integrity.

Tip #18: Start your cleaning routine with the wheels and the tires because they are the dirtiest. By doing this, you will avoid getting dirty water splashes on any surface you’ve already cleaned.

Have any more cool tips to share with us? Drop us a line in the comments below!