The basic procedure for car body care is washing it, preferably with plenty of water supplied under pressure from a hose. A sufficiently powerful stream easily softens and knocks off dried dirt and, importantly, prevents damage to the paintwork when individual grains of sand and other abrasive particles rub against it. Do not forget to wash the wheel arches and supporting elements of the car bottom with a stream. Oddly enough, the best time to wash the suspension elements and the bottom of the car is wet rainy weather, when most of the accumulated mud deposits are washed off automatically while driving. Try not to miss the opportunity and, taking advantage of the occasion, carry out an external inspection of the components located under the car.
The anti-corrosion coating of the underbody of the vehicle should be checked from time to time. The underbody of the vehicle, including the engine compartment, should be steam cleaned beforehand, as this is particularly effective in removing multilayer oil deposits, sticky sludge and dense dirt. If steam cleaning is not possible, the surfaces of the components to be cleaned should be treated with a brush using one of the many solvents currently available.
Note. The latter method should not be used on vehicles with wax-based underbody anti-corrosion coatings. Such vehicles should be inspected annually before the winter season, after the mud and oil deposits have been thoroughly soaked in the high humidity conditions typical of the autumn season. Damaged anti-corrosion coatings should be repaired without delay. Ideally, the vehicle should be given a complete anti-corrosion treatment once a year, with the protective compound being blown into the cavities of door panels, sills, box sections of load-bearing body elements and other accessible cavities.
The latter does not apply to panels and sections that have undergone full anti-corrosion treatment and are sealed at the factory.
[Text obtained from the website: SkodaBook]
After completely washing away dirt from the paintwork, wipe the body panel surfaces with a soft chamois, restoring the original shine to the polish. Treating surfaces with a wax-containing polish provides additional protection for the paintwork from atmospheric influences and allows you to restore locally lost polish. Remember that dulling of the paintwork is most often associated with a neglectful attitude to regular car washing. Metallic paintwork requires special care with the use of special polishes that do not contain abrasives. Try to regularly check the patency of the drainage and ventilation holes in the body panels. Do not forget to wipe the glass from time to time, removing the road film from their surface using special cleaning compounds. Never use wax-containing polishes or products for rubbing chrome trim elements to treat glass.
Do not use detergents, caustic soda, or petroleum-based cleaners when cleaning vinyl panels. A warm solution of soap and water is excellent for this purpose. Stubborn dirt can be easily removed with a soft brush (with soap). Clean vinyl panels with the same frequency as washing the car body. After cleaning, the panels can be treated with one of the high-quality protective compounds for rubber and plastic. The same products are suitable for treating tires, sealing strips of body panels, vacuum hoses and other rubber and plastic components.