The Royal Touch Top Ten

We asked our detail experts to share the crown jewels of their car care tips. Follow these top ten as a guide to keeping your vehicle maintained year round and for years to come.

1. Brake it up! Dust from your brake pads not only looks bad, but is also harmful to the wheels. If left to cake on, the brake dust will actually corrode the clear coat over time and eat into the aluminum alloy wheel surface leaving large pits for which there is no practical fix. Airborne brake dust is also quite the health hazard. A chemical brake cleaner is the best and only solution for removal.
   
2. If your windshield gets blurrier after you turn on your wipers during a rainstorm, it usually means that your wiper blades are dirty. To make them as good as new, dampen a cloth or rag with white vinegar and run it down the full length of each blade once or twice.
   
3. Leather has a tendency to retain dust and even leather that looks clean may have a heavy soil buildup. Allowing these bits of dirt and grime to accumulate will cause your vehicles leather to lose its luster over time. Wipe the driver’s seat with a clean soft terry towel and if there is any discoloration, you’re in need of leather cleaning.
   
4. Spots and scuff marks can sometimes be removed with a pencil eraser, especially on lighter leather.
   
5. Freshen up! To rid of stale odors from the ventilation ducts, try spraying odor eliminator (we recommend Ozium) into the system’s air intake, usually located at the base of the windshield. Then run the air conditioner full blast for at least 10 minutes.
   
6. Always have a kitchen-sized trash bag on hand in the car. You can keep it in the trunk or in the pocket on the back of your seats. It is great for keeping fast-food bags, cups, trash, even occasional wet clothes or muddy shoes from doing harm.
   
7. No Tide, Windex or Palmolive! – Never use common cleaners or detergents on your vehicle. The strong solvents in most cleaning products will break down and damage paint, vinyl, leather, and rubber. Laundry detergent especially, is highly alkaline, and like all household soaps will leave a film residue which will dull the shine.
   
8. To prevent damage from environmental effects, including salt, bird droppings, rail dust, and acid rain, we suggest waxing your car at a minimum of four times per year. Need an easy way to remember? New season = new wax
   
9. Keep a towel under your seat to quickly clean up spills on fabric upholstery. Instead of rubbing the spill, try pressing down with the towel to soak it up.
   
10. To help restore a license plate that is beginning to rust, spray it with WD-40 and wipe with a clean rag. This will remove light surface rust and will also help prevent more rust from forming.