Stop the Signs of Aging

There’s nothing like a new car. It smells nice. It drives smooth. And you don’t worry if it will crank right up when you turn that key in the ignition. If it weren’t for the fact that an older car is much less expensive to drive, we’d all want to drive only new cars all the time. 

However, the savings realized from sticking with an older vehicle instead of buying new every couple years keeps many drivers with their familiar vehicles for longer. To save money, many drivers prefer to buy only used cars in the first place. Used car prices have increased significantly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and are not showing signs of returning to pre-pandemic levels. Thus more drivers are keeping their cars for longer.

No one wants to drive a beat-up old clunker, so as we retain our vehicles for longer periods of time, we’re all looking for ways to keep them going reliably and looking great too. Is it possible to make your used car look like a showroom model and to keep it that way? Absolutely. Guarding against the signs of an aging vehicle is a lot like guarding against the signs of aging in your skin! If you want to keep your car looking new instead of looking like it was home to an entire French-fry devouring team of 5-year-olds, here’s how:

• Prevention is key. The first and most important step in keeping a vehicle looking and feeling like new is preventing the signs of aging in the first place. Wash regularly. Maintain the maintenance schedule. Change the oil on time and follow the manufacturers recommendations for long-term maintenance. Use after-market accessories like cargo mats, rubber floor mats and seat covers to prevent wear and tear on your interior. Prevention, not cutting corners on maintenance and quickly repairing things that break or wear out will help you keep driving your older vehicle for as long as possible.

• Keep out of the sun if you can. Intense sun exposure leads to the most obvious signs of aging. It’s true for your skin, and it’s true for your car. Whenever possible, park under shelter to keep your paint job and interior surfaces looking their best. Over time and without protection from the sun, a vehicle’s clear coat is the first thing to go. Once that clear coat begins to fail, it’s only a matter of time before the paint color itself begins to fade. If you park in the sun, use a sun shield to guard the interior surfaces from fading as well.

• Maintain a sparkling clean interior. In addition to the mental health benefits of driving a clean vehicle, keeping it clean also helps maintain the interior surfaces over the long term. You will feel better driving a clean car, and you’ll be able to see and keep up with where your interior needs some extra attention. Clean up spills as they happen. Use our interior towels and spray cleaner to wipe down all the hard surfaces like cupholders, the console and your dashboard. Apply cleaner to the towel so you can control how much cleaner goes on the surfaces you are targeting. Vacuum upholstery and carpeting relentlessly to remove food crumbs and dust from crevices. When possible, avoid eating in the vehicle in the first place.

• Wax your vehicle! We like to compare automotive wax to sunscreen. Regularly apply wax will help maintain the clear coat and protect your paint job. Clear coat is the layer of paint that protects the color itself against corrosion and break down caused by contaminants in the air, precipitation, road salt and sand, bird droppings, sap and intense UV rays. Preserve the clear coat, and the layers of paint beneath will withstand the signs of aging for longer. At Snap Clean, choose the Gold or Platinum washes to take advantage of our hot wax Luminaura product that delivers the results of a clay bar to your car wash experience.

• Chemistry matters. While applying a high-quality wax to your car on a regular basis will help maintain the paint job, this is just one part of the process. Logically, you can’t just run out to your dirty car, smear some wax on it and expect it to look great. You need to wax a CLEAN vehicle, and that cleaning process must include high-quality, professional cleaning products. The prep steps you take before apply those final finishing touches matter. Contrary to popular myth, it's NOT good for your car to use dish soap for the wash. Use automotive-specific products, and don't skip your weekly car wash.

At Snap Clean, we are all about the chemistry of the car wash to give our customers an incredible clean and to help them maintain their vehicles year after year.  We work hard to maintain our soft-touch brushes and we stay updated on the latest great products in the car wash industry. Our upgraded chemicals offer optimal performance and a result you will love, and our monthly pass options make it easy to clean your car regularly. See you soon at Snap Clean!