mldavis2
1000 Posts Club!
There were some good comments in another thread, but I thought I'd add my 2-cents worth on trying to maintain showroom condition.
The interior pretty well takes care of itself. I never try to eat a Big Mac with one hand while driving or anything else that can find its way down between the seats to die there. My trade-ins have been known to display a few Skittles, however. There are some decent leather protectants that don't leave residue on your clothes that I use when I think about it. Keep the seats vacuumed and clean so the grit doesn't wear the surface.
But it's the exterior that is a real problem because you can't leave the car in the garage. So I play the percentages.
1) Always park in a deserted area of the parking lot if possible. Get used to the wife's complaints. My problem is that someone always parks out beside me, probably because they want a better look at my car. So you have to use additional statistical protection.
2) Always try to find an end space on the end of a row. You can usually crowd the space away from the adjacent car and remove yourself from the door width of that mud-caked Hummer that will find its way beside you.
3) If you can't find wide parking spaces, try to park next to other newer cars or cars that the owners have kept new-looking. They don't want to chip their doors, either. Avoid old junkers or exceptionally dirty grocery haulers.
4) Play the percentages. If you must park between two cars, you have a slightly higher chance of having only the driver and no passenger so space yourself accordingly. The downside is that many passengers don't care as much as the driver if the door hits your car.
5) In the past, I used to always try to parallel park. No longer with the Stinger because of all the radar sensors and such in the bumpers...unless you can find an exceptionally wide space where other cars are less likely to need extra room to get in/out.
6) Keep the exterior clean and waxed. Accumulated road dirt and grime seems to cause deterioration of the clear coating. I don't know why, but it does. Accumulated insects on the front will etch the paint very quickly so keep that waxed and clean it off very frequently before the chemical reactions have a chance to take place.
7) I use a good quality silicone wax. My past favorite was Black Magic but that has been discontinued in my area, so I'm likely to use Turtle Wax ICE unless I find a better one. It is very difficult to find an objective review of car waxes online. I think it's more important to use something rather than splitting hairs over which one.
The interior pretty well takes care of itself. I never try to eat a Big Mac with one hand while driving or anything else that can find its way down between the seats to die there. My trade-ins have been known to display a few Skittles, however. There are some decent leather protectants that don't leave residue on your clothes that I use when I think about it. Keep the seats vacuumed and clean so the grit doesn't wear the surface.
But it's the exterior that is a real problem because you can't leave the car in the garage. So I play the percentages.
1) Always park in a deserted area of the parking lot if possible. Get used to the wife's complaints. My problem is that someone always parks out beside me, probably because they want a better look at my car. So you have to use additional statistical protection.
2) Always try to find an end space on the end of a row. You can usually crowd the space away from the adjacent car and remove yourself from the door width of that mud-caked Hummer that will find its way beside you.
3) If you can't find wide parking spaces, try to park next to other newer cars or cars that the owners have kept new-looking. They don't want to chip their doors, either. Avoid old junkers or exceptionally dirty grocery haulers.
4) Play the percentages. If you must park between two cars, you have a slightly higher chance of having only the driver and no passenger so space yourself accordingly. The downside is that many passengers don't care as much as the driver if the door hits your car.
5) In the past, I used to always try to parallel park. No longer with the Stinger because of all the radar sensors and such in the bumpers...unless you can find an exceptionally wide space where other cars are less likely to need extra room to get in/out.
6) Keep the exterior clean and waxed. Accumulated road dirt and grime seems to cause deterioration of the clear coating. I don't know why, but it does. Accumulated insects on the front will etch the paint very quickly so keep that waxed and clean it off very frequently before the chemical reactions have a chance to take place.
7) I use a good quality silicone wax. My past favorite was Black Magic but that has been discontinued in my area, so I'm likely to use Turtle Wax ICE unless I find a better one. It is very difficult to find an objective review of car waxes online. I think it's more important to use something rather than splitting hairs over which one.
