Celebrate Car Care Month with ipd - Rear Wheel Drive Models

Clean Car = Happy Car

When my Volvos are clean and detailed they always run better. There’s no scientific reason behind it and logic does not dictate this outcome. Being a Volvo lover however, does in fact preclude me from the bounds of logic so it all works out in the end right? Right?

No matter your thoughts on my sanity, the fact remains that giving your car a good bath and shine does do good for your Volvo. The fact is that all that time spent picking pine needles out of trim pieces and waxing the roof of your brick will help preserve it and fight off all kinds of issues ranging from annoying (like faded paint), to catastrophic (like rust). Everyone has a different formula for the perfect wash but in essence, they’re all working towards the same end. So where to start? Let’s break it down into 2 basic procedures.

CleaningThe first step is cutting through the filth and build up that’s accumulated to get back to the Volvo underneath. Time, the elements and road debris will create an amazing amount of “stuff” that clings to your car to hitch a ride. A normal wash will get most of it off, but a lot will remain. A good test is to run your hand across the paint of the car next time you go through the car wash. Does it feel smooth? Like glass? Chances are you’ll feel a surprising amount of imperfections and roughness. Giving the car a going over with the clay bar is the fix for this. A clay bar system like the Meguiars kit, grabs and safely removes all the stuck on debris with ease. Until I tried it I really didn’t understand how much of a difference this step makes towards a stellar finish. But let me tell you, it does!

After hitting the car with the clay bar you’re ready to give the newly crud free body of the car a real wash. Use an appropriate, specifically formulated soap for this and avoid the urge to use dish washing soap! Auto Magic Wash & Wax Concentrate works fantastically well for this. Use a good wash brush or soft sponge to wash the car, paying attention to the details. Lift the wipers, get into the cracks and do a panel at a time to avoid letting the soap dry on the paint. Once the exterior is washed it’s a good idea to spend some time on the wheels. Over time brake dust accumulates and can corrode the wheel finish. A good wheel cleaner like P21S and a proper wheel brush (we like the OXO spoke brush we carry) can help you break through the build up and get back to the finish like it was from the factory.

Next, open up all the doors and take a good look at the door jambs. Most of us don’t pay too much attention to this part of our car when we’re giving it a regular washing but it’s details like clean door jambs that separate the nice old Volvos from the “whoa” nice Volvos.

Once you’ve cleaned all the door jambs (and don’t forget the rear door on wagons!) move onto the interior. Get out the shop vac and really get those carpets clean. Move the seats to their full rear position to get the full front pan clean and then move them to their full forward position to really get the rear pans clean. Work on any stains or extra grimy spots with something like our Lifter stain remover. A really nice finish to the carpets once they are clean is to give them a spray with Febreeze or a similar product to help kill/neutralize some of the wet or moldy smells that may have appeared in your carpets over time.

Next it’s time to work on the dash, door panels, etc. There are lots of products out there that work for this. We like the Auto Magic Magic Dressing and also the Stoner Trim Shine. This applies to all the plastic/vinyl surfaces in the car. A good glass cleaner like Invisible Glass or more conveniently, glass cleaner wipes, works great on the interior glass to get rid of smudges, fingerprints, or dog nose prints! If you’ve got leather seats, use a good leather cleaner and conditioner like the Lexol products we offer.

Sealing/ProtectingAt this point we’ve got a nice, clean and fresh car that we want to finish up and protect. This is where we use a good bit of elbow grease (or power tools) to really make the car shine. Depending on the condition of the paint/finish your next step may vary. If the paint is really faded and worn it’s best to start with a restorative product like the Auto Magic BC1 and BC2 cleaner and finisher. These can help bring the color back to the paint and break through the oxidation that forms over the years.

Using an orbital buffer here can save you some time and give great results if used properly and with care. If you decide to use an electric buffer like this be sure to follow the instructions for use provided with it to avoid damage to your paint.

While doing this, consider removing the exterior trim or at least masking it off to keep the wax off of it as it will mark the surface of plastic trim pieces. Doing this will allow you to get better and easier coverage of the paint. Additionally, the paint around all the trim can really see some abuse since crud, leaves and pine needles collect there. With the trim removed you can remedy the damage previously done. If you do remove the trim, try our Bone tool to remove it. It really does work and it won’t chip or scratch the paint like a screwdriver or spackle knife can. RestorationThis step is up to your discretion but will be more icing on the cake of completeness and wow factor for your Swede. Now that your car is clean, the paint is shiny and the wheels are sparkling it’s time to tackle those little details. If you removed the trim pieces in the previous step (or even if you didn’t) you can refinish them easily in a couple of different ways. Most all of these cars came with black trim that fades horribly over time. There are a variety of different products out there that work to refinish these pieces, but the 2 I really like are Forever Black and SEM Bumper Paint. Of the 2 Forever Black is more forgiving and an easier application. For the ease of application, the results really are great. For a more permanent and longer lasting solution, SEM bumper paint is the answer. The paint finish is a perfect match to the original semi flat black color of the parts when they were new and it lays down and dries with ease. For either option make sure you mask off any areas you don’t want affected for those pieces that are still on the car.

Another area of concern on these cars as they age is yellowing of the plastic lenses. The headlights especially on these cars will turn yellow over time and the amount of light that gets through them and actually onto the road is drastically reduced. Not to mention they look horrible! To refinish them and bring back the clear sparkle try out either the Meguairs headlight polish products we offer or the headlamp restorer kit we offer as well.Now go out and show off your freshly refinished ride! Notice how much better it runs now? Told ya so…