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Expert Tips on Spring Cleaning for Your Car

4 April 2000

Automotive Expert From Murray's Discount Auto Stores Provides Tips on Spring Cleaning for Your Car

    BELLEVILLE, Mich., April 3 Winter's ravages have made an
impact on your vehicle.  Mike Lange, Training Manager at Murray's Discount
Auto Stores, suggests a thorough spring cleaning for your car.
    "Your vehicle is almost like a member of the family, so you want to give
it a complete spring cleaning after the winter to keep it running better, but
you also need to be careful.  The winter season is cause for many a problem
for the car, and the smart motorist should take care of them as soon as
possible to avoid a big repair job."  Lange suggests these quick tips and
specialty items to get your car back into prime condition:

    --  Wash off road salt, dirt and other airborne contaminants that
accumulate on the finish and damage the paint with a concentrated automotive
car-wash; then, prior to waxing, remove hardened contaminants with a clear
coat safe paint cleaner to smooth the finish;

    --  If winter's corrosion has gotten one step ahead of you, treat any
budding rust spots with sand paper and sandable primer topped off with a fresh
coat of paint, and further halt the rust's progression with a metal
protectant/sealant;

    --  Wax your car with carnauba wax, nature's best protectant, which
combined with today's polymers, provides the best possible defense against the
elements and keeps contaminants from getting into the surface paint;

    --  Clean your wheels with an all-wheel cleaner (appropriate for any kind
of wheel surface), to get rid of calcified brake dust, which left unattended,
will damage and discolor your wheels; treat the tires (and your vinyl dash)
with silicon-based protectant for a long-lasting shine;

    --  Windshield Vision -- Clean windshield with professional strength
automotive windshield cleaner to remove road film and wax build-up received
from car washes during the winter months, then apply a windshield treatment
that will cause rain to bead and roll off, reduce fogging and increase
visibility;

    --  Wiper Blades -- Winter elements can make wiper blade rubber become
rigid, causing splitting and cracking; squeaking, streaking and chattering are
signs that they may need replacing;

    --  Automobile carpet and upholstery cleaners will remove built up dirt
and salt deposits and enhance the freshness of the interior.