As the long, cold winter starts to dissipate into longer days with warmer temperatures, it’s time to give your Land Rover the spring clean it deserves. Whether you put the all-terrain capabilities of the Range Rover Vogue well and truly to the test, or tend to stick to the roads in your Evoque Convertible, there are lots of reasons for giving your car a good spruce up. You might be looking to sell or part exchange it for a different Land Rover such as the all-new Range Rover Velar, or you just feel like your ride deserves some TLC. Follow our spring cleaning checklist and see your pride and joy return to its former glory.
TICKLE THE UNDERBELLY
The usual rule of cleaning is that you go from top to bottom, but we advise tackling what might be the worst bit first when it comes to your spring clean. Your Land Rover might’ve picked up lashings of mud from the fields over winter, when it was too cold to hose down after driving. Or there might be lots of salt clinging to your car, kicked up from the deicing trucks that patrol the UK’s wintery roads. Get your hosepipe out and give your car’s undercarriage the dousing it deserves.
WAX ON, WAX OFF
Next up, it’s time to tackle the rest of your car’s exterior. If your Land Rover’s covered in mud, it’s important to protect the paint finish. Use a pressure washer with a car soap mixture to get rid of as much of the grit and grime as possible. Then, use two buckets with grit guards in the bottom to wash and rinse your car. Fill one with warm water and the other with water and soap, then use a woolen wash mitt to wipe your car down - this will help to avoid scratches. Get your pressure washer or hose back out for a rinse, then blot off any remaining water with a microfibre cloth before finishing the bodywork off with a wax and polish to bring back that showroom gleam.
POLISH YOUR BOOTS
Giving your tyres a good once over is a great way to freshen up the whole look of your car - especially when they’re as big as a Land Rover’s. Regular car wash cleaners won’t have the same effect of a specialist tyre and wheel cleaner, which you can use to get your rubber back to black and your alloys all sparkly and new.
TAKE IT INSIDE
Once the outside of your car’s taken care of, it’s time to sort out the interior. First, fling open all the doors and boot to let lots of nice fresh air in. Then grab a rubbish bag and get rid of all unwanted clutter that’s been left in your car, such as old parking receipts and empty drinks bottles. Next, beat the dirt and dust out of your floor mats, or attack them with a stiff-bristled brush. Then use a handheld vacuum cleaner on the rest of the floor and to zap up any crumbs from your upholstery, and get rid of any unwanted marks by using a good stain remover. Finally, pay some attention to your dashboard by removing any scuffs and freshening it up. You can use specialist polishes for this, but a regular wet wipe will do the trick too.
I’M JUST CLEANING WINDOWS
Use a standard window cleaning solution to spruce up the inside of your glass. It can get dirtier than you realise, and you may find that your view outside has suddenly been upgraded to full HD. To help with this even more, replace your windscreen wiper blades, especially if there’s any streaking or squeaking when your wipers are on.
If you want to take care of any little scratches and scrapes as part of your spring clean, drop in and see us at your local Inchcape Land Rover and we’ll be happy to help you.