So you own a classic car? Terrific! What kind? We’d love to hear about it.
Are you wondering what you can do to maintain your vehicle?
We’re classic car enthusiasts with a particular passion for muscle cars. Whenever we meet an owner of any kind of classic car who’s looking for maintenance advice, we always give them the same four tips:
1. Take Your Classic Car in for Regular Maintenance
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it’s still important to go for a regular checkup for your own health, right? Well, the same is true for a classic car. Your old friend needs even more love and care than a regular car, and even if you’re very knowledgeable about your vehicle, the eyes of a professional will absolutely help to increase the longevity of your car.
If you’re capable of performing maintenance on your own car, that’s definitely an asset, but you should still have it checked by a qualified mechanic. You never know what you might miss, and even the smallest detail could cause big problems if overlooked.
2. Give Your Car a Detailed Cleaning
Another regular part of your car maintenance routine should be detailed cleaning. By cleaning your car so thoroughly, you can really get to know all of the nooks and crannies of the vehicle. If you don’t stay on top of your car’s cleaning schedule, what started off as just a small coat of dust could turn into a big problem. That dirt and grime can lead to rust, chipping, and the wearing out of your car’s parts.
It’s important to not just wash your car, but also rinse and dry it. You need to make sure that there’s no residue remaining on the vehicle, because this can also cause the parts to wear out. Then dry your car to prevent water from breeding bacteria or causing the car to rust, and add a coat of wax for both a great shine and protection.
3. Keep That Beauty Covered!
Even if you have a garage, keeping your car covered can be a good idea to protect your vehicle from the dust in the air. If your car is outdoors, you certainly want to keep the rain off of it. Exposure to water is never a good thing, and can obviously lead to a lot of rust and corrosion.
The sun and other elements can be damaging as well: the sun will cause your car to heat up and the heat can cause all sorts of damage to various car parts.
Then there’s the wind. All it takes is one big gust of wind to blow a sharp pebble or two at your car and you could have scratches that can lead to bigger problems. Luckily, all of these problems can be easily solved simply by covering your vehicle.
4. Hit the Road!
Not only is taking your car out fun, but it’s also important to keep your car’s engine in good working order. If you leave your car “on display” or “protected” for too long without driving it, you can actually run into problems with corrosion and rust. Your car is meant to be driven. Take her out on the road, and enjoy!