Regular maintenance of a car or motorcycle helps to preserve its value and is also essential for a safe driving experience. We introduce you to the most important steps and products.
1. Basic maintenance and care of car and motorcycle
cleaning and maintenance of the car increase driving pleasure and maintain resale value of the car. But also for the driving safety carrying out various maintenance steps is important. We tell you what you should pay attention to in car care.
Our range not only includes numerous products for car care, but also many products for motorcyclists and their equipment. For example, you will find cleaning products especially for your motorcycle helmet.
1.1 the standard cleaning
You can use individual steps of the standard cleaning regularly as required. As the car is exposed to road salt and increased dirt during the winter months, among other things, you should in spring the complete procedure schedule.
Some helpful car care products:
- Cockpit care
- Upholstery cleaner
- Rim cleaner
- Glass cleaner
- Car shampoo
- Bucket
- Microfiber cloths / washing glove / washing sponges
- chamois leather
- washing brush
How to proceed:
Avoid working with polish, wax and co. In the blazing sun. Otherwise the components of the agents evaporate too quickly on the heated paint and the products can no longer develop their full effect. The ideal place is a shady one, not too cool.
Polish, wax, sealant – especially if you are new to car care, the multitude of products and terms can be confusing.
Below we explain some of the names:
- paint polish: the polish usually contains abrasive particles that remove a thin layer of paint. This is how small scratches and irregularities are levelled and etching caused by bird droppings, insects or other things is removed. Weathered paint looks more colorful and gets a new shine. This also generates the also included sealants. Products with different amounts of abrasive particles are available: for new cars a small amount is sufficient, heavily damaged paints require a high amount of abrasive particles in the polish.
- Abrasive pasteUnlike polish, abrasive pastes do not contain sealants, but only abrasives. If the paste is used, you should seal the paint afterwards.
- WaxWax is used to apply a layer of wax to the paint to protect it from damage caused by the environment. It rests on the paint surface and is not durable, so it should be refinished regularly.
- Sealing: the protection provided by a sealant is more long-lasting than that of wax, so it needs to be refreshed less often. their main task is also to protect the paint from scratches and damage caused by insect corpses, droppings or the like. In addition, new dirt adheres more poorly to a sealant than to the paint itself.
1.2 further maintenance and care
Beside the standard cleaning in the spring, you should also check the level of
- Engine oil
- Coolant
- brake fluid, and
- Windscreen wiper water
Checking and replacing the agent if necessary. In regular intervals, it is also advisable to carry out the clean and disinfect the air conditioning system. prevent germs from being blown into the interior through the air conditioning system. The wiper blades should be replaced as soon as they begin to smear and musty air from the vehicle ventilation system indicates that the cabin air filter needs to be replaced.
The spread of rust you should take countermeasures: rust removers, cavity sealants or contact sprays are suitable for this purpose. The latter belong to the creep oils, displace moisture and are also suitable for loosening, lubricating and reducing squeaking noises of joints.
Brake systems should also be cleaned regularly: use brake cleaner to remove dust, dirt, oil and grease, thus preventing operating noise.
the following preventive measures are also suitable for preventing damage to the paintwork and technology:
- marten protection
for example ultrasonic devices, scent sprays, grids
for example, to protect the loading edge in the trunk or against door damage caused by bumping against the garage wall
2. The reconditioning
Depending on the condition of the car, a reconditioning goes beyond standard cleaning and extended maintenance and is used if your car has is in great need of care or you want to increase the value before resale. Cleaning and extensive care and maintenance are a good preparation, but the following products may be used also in case of extensive repairs help .
Polishing sander
If the entire vehicle is to be polished or if several passes are necessary, a polishing sander makes the work much easier. It is available in different sizes, with battery or mains operation and with different polishing discs.
car paints, car paint hardener, thinner
Whether you want to remove significant scratches or give the body a new coat of paint, paints and varnishes are available for painting or spraying in a wide range of colors. In our assortment you will also find suitable car paint hardener and thinner.
silicone and tar remover
These two cleaners can also be used to remove stubborn dirt: silicone cleaner is suitable for removing stubborn stains caused by wax or grease, among other things. If the car is to be painted, the remover can also be used to remove polish residues containing silicone. Tar remover specializes in tar and oil stains, thus cleaning paint and chrome.
- How to care for the leather seats in my car?
leather is a robust as well as noble material for car seats, however, it should be maintained regularly in order not to dry out and become brittle. Brush the seats first. Afterwards, you can use special cleaners to remove any dirt that may be present. Dose the product sparingly to avoid stains. A leather care product is the final step. you should not use lotions for the body and use a special product instead. It is essential to allow the seats to dry thoroughly after treatment to prevent the formation of unsightly edges.
When washing by hand, there is always a certain risk that fine scratches will remain in the paintwork. One way to minimize this danger is to use the right equipment and a gentle washing method. So you should clean the vehicle only with a soft cloth or special washing glove. To prevent dirt that has already been washed off from getting caught in the washing utensils, the two-bucket method is a good idea: one container is filled with the water-shampoo solution, the other has clear water ready for use. Rinsing of the wiper blade is done in clear water, while new cleaning water is absorbed from the container of solution. An inserted grit guard in the bucket for washing the utensils enables the dirt particles to be wiped off and prevents them from being stirred up by movement in the water. In addition, you should never apply pressure to the paint, but only allow the weight of the washing glove or microfiber cloth to have an effect.
Polish and sanding paste are used to work on the paint to remove visible damage such as scratches, weathering or etching. They both contain abrasive particles that remove a thin layer of car paint. polish also contains sealants that give the paint shine and protection. After treatment with abrasive paste or polish, the paint should also be treated with a sealant or wax. The two products protect it from re-damage due to environmental factors and prevent dirt from settling in. They differ in their durability: while wax should be regularly touched up, the protection provided by a sealant without after-treatment lasts comparatively longer.