First wax and wash of the year

I entered into a discussion recently over at StationWagonForums.com about the benefits of small amounts of detailing. The idea was that on a car that is somewhat less than completely restored, cleaning up several key points on the car can allow it to still be striking.

My Pontiac needs a fair amount of paint and trim work. In beginning that work, I’ve sanded and primed one door as well as a couple of other patches on the car. In most folks eye’s the car clearly looks like a beater and it’s not the sort of thing that would catch anyone’s eye.

With the Buick tucked away in the garage, I’ve been been driving the Pontiac a fair amount lately so I opted to do some cleanup both to improve the appearance and get a good coat of wax on it to protect the paint and body from the coming winter.

Before I got too carried away I sat down to clean the wheels as the dingy whitewalls were bothering me. I sprayed the sidewalls with some Releasall engine degreaser and cleaned them with a toothbrush. I was astonished just how brightly the whitewalls shone afterwards. I haven’t gotten better results from any other cleaner. Some Orange Blast wheel cleaner and a toothbrush worked the same magic on the wire wheels.

Now, bear in mind, I’ve washed the car and cleaned the wheels and nothing else. In the last week I’ve had 5 people tell me just how beautiful my car is. This car is really in no nicer condition than it was before, in fact it’s actually kind of rough when you get close to it. Same car, no changes, just clean wheels and suddenly the same car is an eye catcher. Never underestimate the benefits of the little details.