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Nurturing Your Motor

For many of us, our cars are our most prized possessions. It takes great financial investment to get hold of the car we've always wanted, whether it's an old classic or a brand new performance car, and this includes everything from classic car insurance and, of course, performance car insurance to upgrades and general maintenance. We would look after them day and night if we could but, unfortunately, some of us are lucky to get a few hours a week to nurture them to perfection.

When we do get to spend some quality time with our motors, though, there is nothing more satisfying than a nice, bright showroom shine that we could floss our teeth in. There is an increasing number of ways to keep your motor in pristine condition these days, so you need to be mindful of what you use on your own because not every finish on every car is exactly the same.

Maintaining the paintwork is of the utmost importance, which means that there is a multitude of available polishes, waxes, creams and, indeed, clothes and sponges that you can buy to do just that. The paintwork on your motor should be smooth to the touch when you run your finger across it, but it is difficult to maintain this to a good standard at all times. It'll need a good hearty clean before you go anywhere near the wax to remove any surface contaminants.

Once you've let it dry, it's time to let the waxing begin. Try to avoid doing it in direct sunlight and, as standard, spread the wax evenly across the whole surface before polishing and buffing it. You will need to be careful about what kind of wax, polish and cloth you use because the hardness of the paint is different on practically every car.

It's all very well focusing on the car's exterior to make it turn some heads on the street, but you shouldn't neglect the maintenance of the interior either - even the parts that nobody but you will see. A clean engine, for example, can potentially add value to your motor, so it pays to keep an eye on this if you think you might sell it anytime in the future.

Keeping an engine clean is not as difficult as it might seem. There are specialist degreasers to, well, degrease the whole compartment, which is best to do when the engine is slightly warmed up. Just let it run for a minute or so before you start cleaning. When you've brushed off all the dirt and degreased it, you can go at it with the hose. Water is very unlikely to damage the engine, but you will still need to be relatively careful around the electrical parts in new models.