Owners with classic cars in daily use would need to take additional care to protect their vehicles from the elements as they may even be left in an open bay at work or on the drive at home. The summer sun’s ultra-violet light attacks paint work; in winter the additional road salt, spray from gritting trucks and regular rain storms rot and corrode the metal work.

We all know firsthand that the cost of motoring can be expensive; however, with a bit of preventive maintenance you can keep your classic car in mint condition. There are a variety of things you should do before you store your car for any amount of time. Classic cars that sit inactive can start to deteriorate if not properly prepared before being put into storage.

Whether you own a classic car, classic pickup van or even a used minibus from decades gone by, you should always give the vehicle a good detailing before it goes in storage. The car must be squeaky clean from bumper to bumper. Wash off all of the road grime and salt from the undercarriage as well as all the exposed body parts.

One important thing to do is to make sure every inch of the car is completely dry before wrapping the covers around it and putting the vehicle into winter storage. If you are going to use a cover make sure it is a high quality blanket made from soft fibers. You need to store your classic car out of direct sunlight and in a dust free area if possible

If you plan on storing your classic car for a short time only, drain the entire cooling system and then refill it with pure antifreeze. When planning to store your car for an extended length of time drain the entire system and leave the cap off of the radiator so that the air can circulate around the cooling system. Also change the brake fluid, oil and the oil filter before the vehicle goes into storage

During the washing process make sure you look for any scratches or chips in the paint finish. It pays to touch up any spots, chips or scratches with a paint pen or have a specialist do the work for you before you put your classic car in storage as this will help you stop metal corrosion. Remember to use primer first, as primer helps the new paint to stick and can be used to build up the base so that your paint is level. You will have to order the paint from the manufacturers to match your vehicles paint colour. If you are looking for a more professional touch, have a look at purchasing SMART for your car, it is a form of additional car insurance which is an absolute must for long term car owners. SMART stands for Small Accident Repair Technology

The Tyres You will also want to do something with the tyres because the rubber will actually perish if they are left inflated with the vehicles full weight on them. You can either remove the wheels completely or put the car on axel stands and let the air out of the tyres at the same time. This will put less strain on the suspension system and also deter theft at the same time.

Car Batteries Never put a car into storage with the battery connected. Always remove the battery, clean off the battery terminals and think about how you will maintain your battery while the car is not in use. If your battery has had a leak – and many older unsealed batteries had this problem – a great way to clean the battery terminals would be by using a bicarbonate of soda and water solution. For a short term storage option, often the case in harsh weather climates, placing your car’s battery on trickle charge is a great idea. For car owners who either drive very infrequently or have classic cars that can stand unused for many months at a time, flat batteries are a thing these owners know only too well. There is nothing more frustrating than a dead battery and on top of that is the high cost of replacement car batteries too.

Keeping the Battery Charged Up The short term solution is to keep the battery topped up with a trickle charger. A trickle charger charges a car battery at approximately the same rate as it is discharging, so if the car you’re storing is used once a month for example this is a great option. The downfall of a trickle charger is that it continues to charge a battery no matter whether the battery is fully charged or not, so it needs to be connected and disconnected periodically or it will eventually boil your battery and permanently damage it. For a long term solution, think about using a float charger. A float charger can be left connected indefinitely without potential harm to the battery. With modern classics a float charger will help the owner ensure that immobilisers or car alarm systems won’t run it down while the car sits under covers for months at a time. There is a huge choice of car chargers on the market in both the UK and America so buying the right one won’t be difficult. Always place the charging battery in an open space where air is free to circulate. Constricting the airflow around a car battery is dangerous and could cause a fire!

Final Prep You will want to replace all filters with new ones and remove the sparkplugs. By removing the spark plugs you help prevent moisture being trapped in the cylinder head potentially causing corrosion. Petrol has high water content and this causes the corrosion. You will want to grease over all areas, including points, door locks, door boot hinges and the like. At least once a month you should turn the engine over using a spanner. This can be done from the flywheel bolt. This keeps the pistons, valves and tappets moving freely preventing them from seizing in the engine when left standing for long periods of time

When you have your classic car which you use regularly, you need to be diligent about your vehicle’s maintenance. Keep the interior and exterior trim polished which not only keeps it clean but also prevents the polished areas from cracking. The harsh rays of the sun will fade and crack the trim if it is not kept clean and polished and the metals in the exterior trim fade and crack in UV light too

When cleaning your classic car you should use a microfiber or cotton cloth that is designed for use on classic cars or expensive paintwork of other luxury cars. Cotton cloth, because it’s made from real cotton, is softer than cheap cloth (normally made from nylon and polyester) which can leave scratches. Microfiber cloth is manufactured with fibres between 100 and 1000 times finer than traditionally made cloths. Microfiber cloth works so well because unlike when using cheaper traditional cloths, with a microfiber cloth you really don’t need to use abrasive detergents. The fibres are so closely woven that they are able to pick up far more dust particles than traditional cloth would be able to, reducing the need for the chemicals needed to loosen and remove the same amount of dust as a traditional cleaning cloth would.

Microfiber cloth should be used on surfaces with very little water, use just enough to loosen the most stubborn dirt particles. A quick gentle wash with cotton cloth using a quality car wash detergent first, followed by a fine mist of water and a microfiber wipe should leave you with a great result. You want to use the correct car wash and not an abrasive detergent like dish washing liquid. Strange as it sounds, many car owners do just that and the result is not much better than washing your vehicle with petrol. The paint will fade straight away and continue to fade, loosing that shine forever. It is advisable to have any small dents, cracks or chips repaired as soon as you notice them. This will help prevent rust and metal corrosion. If possible avoid the cheaper car shampoos and go for high polymer premier products that are freely available on the market. You almost always get what you pay for in the automotive industry.

Polish your vehicle in the shade rather than direct sunlight. Sunlight bakes the wax onto your paintwork rather than helping you clean it. Polishing in direct sunlight leaves you with a streaky unprofessional finish. Use a high quality polish to wax your car. If the paint is oxidized you will want to remove it first with a high quality polish or rubbing compound designed for this purpose. Rubbing compounds have tiny particles in the polish which gently scrubs off the oxidized layers of paint, leaving behind a fresh, bright layer, ready for polish. Ask an expert about rubbing compounds before you buy. This information will make your job easier as using the wrong compound will damage your paint work.

You should pull a dust cover over your vehicle at night. Make sure the dust cover is made from soft material to prevent scratching the paint surface. The reason for the paint scratching is actually tiny dust particles being rubbed against your car’s paintwork, so the softer it’s material the better. If you go out for a drive, take a few minutes to remove any bird, bat or seagull droppings immediately. You will also want to remove tar, dead bugs, leaves, sap and any other debris on your return. Tree sap can leave terrible marks on a car’s paint work, so parking under a roof is preferable where possible. You can use a quality remover product for this purpose that does not have a high acidic content.

After every journey you should wash and dry the car properly; any water will encourage rust. Remove mud, dust, and petrol spills as soon as possible. Driving in Europe especially causes cars to rust underneath when the roads are treated with salt which prevents ice from forming. Make sure to wash the underside of your car if you have driven in these conditions. If you get in your car with wet shoes dry the carpets when you get home, that moisture can cause metal and carpet rot. If your car smells damp take immediate action. Don’t forget to check the boot, sills, in corners, under the bonnet and around rubber seals after every wash that all is dry.

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Looking to enhance the exterior of your ride? There are lots of options to consider; automotive lighting upgrade, custom grilles, custom wheels, body styling kits, deflectors, front hood bras, chrome trim accessories. Either one of these or combination will help enhance the front, sides and rear of your vehicle. For example, chrome trim accessories with add luxury looks to your door handles, pillars, mirrors and taillight. On the other hand, a custom aftermarket grille will help differentiate your car from the pack. One of the best ways to directly give your vehicle that definitive touch to really capture the perfect image of distinction that every Malibu driver wants to represent is by adding a set of aftermarket custom wheels. Adding custom wheels changes the look of your ride, but selecting the best rims for your Malibu can be a challenge

There are also interior accessories to make the inside of your Malibu feel more like your home or apartment. Other fashionable accessories include LED interior lights, custom floor mats, drink holders, steering wheel covers, seat savers, interior UV sunshades, dash covers and wood dash accent trims just to name a few. There are other well-designed Chevy Malibu accessories out there for you. There are GPS navigation units, enhanced antennas for better reception, in-seat DVD players, or rear-view backup cameras.

If you like the performance status of your engine, it’s all good. But if you crave for additional horsepower, then rev it up a notch or two with air filters, air intake systems, upgrade brakes and brake pads, performance exhaust systems, spark plugs, oil filters, power programmers, boost controllers, performance chips and upgrade suspension systems. Malibu Performance Parts add horsepower to your car and allows you to gain high performance from point by point.

In this article I will cover the top autos to purchase when not buying new. I buy and sell used vehicles so selecting the right auto is key for me and my business. I have my preferred list which I will share with you.

When purchasing I ignore certain things that may make a few of you upset. I do not look at the country where the car was manufactured. I live in the United States and love living here but unfortunately I cannot just pick American made vehicles. Sure we have some great autos in the USA but at this moment in time, my top choice is made in Japan.

Toyota Camry:

This is my best used car, my top choice. It is very dependable, fuel efficient and has a comfortable interior. It is readily available because it has been the best selling new auto in the United States for nine of the last 10 years. it handles great and gives you ample storage in the trunk. The Camry looks like a higher end vehicle with the heart of a work horse. You can rest assured on the dependability of the vehicle and also on it’s resale value. The Toyota Camry gives you a mid-sized vehicle with the fuel efficiency of a more compact one.

Honda Civic:

In today’s world fuel efficiency is something that has to be considered. The Honda Civic provides plenty of efficiency as a compact vehicle. The Civic was redesigned in 2001, reintroduced in it;s hybrid mode in 2003 and then redesigned again in 2006. Great improvements were made with each redesign of the vehicle. The exterior looks sharper and the handling has improved dramatically from the 1990’s models.

Honda Accord:

Another Honda! The Accord is another great mid-sized vehicle to consider. It is not as fuel efficient as the Camry but it has a more sporty feel when driving for those who prefer a faster more agile vehicle. Improvements were made to this model in 2003, making it a smoother ride, less noisy and as stated above more agile. This car is know for its reliability and dependability.

Nissan Altima:

The Japanese theme continues. Fourth place was a toss up between the Altima and Corolla. I prefer mid-sized vehicles but if you prefer compact sedans then you may want to go with a Corolla. I absolutely love the Nissan Altima. When it was first introduced it was a compact car which now has evolved into a mid-sized sedan. You can get this car in a 4 or 5 cylinder model with a 2.5 or 3.5 engine. You can count on this cars reliability; my previous Altima had 140,000 miles and drove like new. The inside is comfortable and spacious especially when purchasing models 2003 or higher.

Toyota Corolla:

Same as other compact cars, the Corolla provides fuel efficiency and a smooth ride. This is another dependable vehicle with high demand in the used car market. A safe choice if you want a good car, good value and good resale.

It is important for me to select reliable cars with great resale value. I purchase and sell vehicles and these 5 choices will give you the best bang for your dollar in my opinion.

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Car modification nowadays becomes even more popular to be done by many other people. The main goal of the car modification is absolutely to make the unique and distinctive car to be compared to any other car with the same brand and type of manufacturer. The other goal is to upgrade the performance as well as appearance of the car, to be the one that can support the activity of the owner of the car.

There are so many things that people can do to modify their car, whether it is to make the unique car or to upgrade the performance and appearance of the car, which can involve the interior and exterior part of the car. Yet, there is one thing that people should really consider in the car modification. It is the compatibility of the parts that they are going to use to replace the old one, whether it is the engine, body, or the interior parts.

This is important since people will be able to get the best performance and appearance of the car with the compatible parts, if it is possible to be the one that is originally produced by the same manufacturer of the car. These parts are the one that is most suitable since it is indeed made to be the parts of the car.

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People that want to have unique design of their car should be aware that the design of the car that they purchase from the manufacturer will be in uniform. In order to be able to fulfill their need of having a car that is different in performance and appearance with any other cars with the same type, people sometimes have to modify the car. There are so many things that they can do with their car to reach their goal of having unique car.

The part of the car that can be made into the unique one can be various; people can do the modification in the interior and exterior part of their car. They should not think that it is the exterior part only that can be modified to make the unique appearance. Yet, the interior part should also be touched up to be the one with the suitable design of the exterior part.

All of the harmony between the interior and exterior part of the car will make the car to be the unique and different one with any other cars. Moreover, it will be more satisfying if people can suit the design of the car, whether it is the interior or the exterior, to be the ones that are suitable with the taste and style of the owner.

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