The Easiest 5-Step Car Grooming Guide

Are you looking to give your car a makeover? Want to make it look as if it’s brand new? Well, look no further! This is the ultimate car grooming guide that will have your car looking brand new. 

Keep reading and follow these five simple steps if you want your car looking fresh. 

Materials needed: 

• Two buckets 
• Wash mitts 
• Microfiber cloths 
• Wheel brush
• Wheel cleaner
• Clay bar 
• Car polish
• Car wax
• Tyre dressing

Step #1: Wash 

Making sure both your interior and exterior are clean is the first step in grooming your car. As long as you know what you’re doing, this step shouldn’t be too difficult.

You can start with the interior of the car. If you’d like to read more on deep cleaning the inside of your car, you can click here! Once you’ve done the interior, it’s time to start on the exterior. Fill one bucket with a mix of water and car shampoo and the second with water.

Start with your wheels and tyres. 

You can use the wheel brush and car shampoo to get any excess dirt off of your wheels. However, if your wheels happen to be caked in brake dust, using a wheel cleaner can help dissolve it. 

Now it’s time to hose down your car. Thoroughly rinse down your car to get the large chunks of dirt off. Then, starting from top to bottom, use your wash mitts to thoroughly scrub your car. Remember to rinse your wash mitts if they start getting dirty. If you have multiple wash mitts, you can also replace them as they get dirty. 

Finally, dry your car! Once you’ve washed off all the dirt, make sure to give your car one last hose down before drying it. Use your drying towel to wipe down your car from top to bottom. As you dry your car, keep an eye out to see if there are still any dirt spots. If you come across any, you can take your wash mitts to try to get it off. 

Step #2: Clay 

This step is to help get rid of any embedded contaminants on your car. By doing this, you prep the paint for any polishing or waxing you’ll be doing later. 

You can easily go online and buy a good clay bar to get rid of any contaminants. All you have to do is roll the clay bar into a ball, and then flatten it so that it fits nicely in your palm. You have to keep the car’s surface wet to use the clay bar. 

Usually, the clay bar will come with a lubricating formula you can use with the clay bar, but if not, using a sponge with soapy water to wet your car before using the clay bar should work. Move the clay bar back and forth with medium pressure. Make sure that the surface stays wet as the clay bar cannot be used dry. 

Continuously check the clay bar frequently for any hard particles that it may have picked up from your car and remove them. Be sure to occasionally knead and reform the bar so that the entire clay bar is evenly used. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the contaminants, rinse your car and wipe it down with a microfiber cloth.

However, if you feel that your car doesn’t have any embedded contaminants, feel free to skip this step. 

Step #3: Polish 

Polishing is a good step to take if your car is covered in fine scratches or the paint has been badly oxidized, meaning that it might look more dull. If you use a good car polish, you’ll be able to add some shine back to your car, while also taking care of any fine scratches or swirl marks. 

Use small amounts of the car polish and work in small sections, going from top to bottom. The polish usually comes with a microfiber applicator pad, so you use that to apply it. Remember, do NOT let the polish set on the paintwork as it will be hard to remove. 

Everytime you apply the car polish, be sure you wipe it down with a clean microfibre cloth before moving on. 

Step #4: Wax 

No car grooming would be complete without waxing your car. Apply a small amount of the wax to the applicator pad, which is usually supplied with the wax, and work in small sections. 

The car’s paint can only absorb and bond with a finite amount of wax, so using more won’t guarantee you better results. 

Step #5: Tyre shine

Finally it’s time to add some shine to your tyres! Depending on your preference, you can either choose tyre dressing that has a matte or shiny finish. Use the dressing to darken your tyres and really make them shine. Darkening your tyres will help make your paintwork pop. 

Now, you can admire your handiwork! Grooming your car can be a tough task, but the reward of seeing your car look brand new is worth it. 

Luckily, if you’re planning on buying a car with CARRO, you don’t have to worry about cleaning your car. All our cars are checked against a 150-point inspection check, and are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before drop off. At CARRO, quality is assured. 

Browse our list of vehicles here and buy with CARRO today!