Welcome to our tips page. First things first this is not a Porsche Parade level concourse so don’t be intimidated. We want you to participate and have fun. Below are some basic tips for preparing you car for any car show.
Interior:
Always clean your interior first and then close up the car to avoid contamination. Your first step should be to remove the floor mats and give the vehicle a good vacuum. If you have pet hair which can be hard to remove you can use a lint brush or tape wrapped around your hand to pick up the hair. Clean your floor mats and ensure that they are clean. Avoid using products such as Amoral as you want a nice clean surface not shinny or greasy. Your next step should be to wipe down the interior of your vehicle, dash, door cards, cup holders etc and ensure a nice clean appearance. Don’t forget your door sills as well as the edges of the doors. Your seats if leather can be wiped down with a gentle leather cleaner/conditioner. (don’t forget to clean between the seat folds as they tend to hold a lot of lint, crumbs etc.) Your final stage is to clean all interior glass. Once you are happy with your interior close up the vehicle and move on to the outside.
Exterior
Start by giving the outside a good wash. I recommend a two bucket method, one for the paint and a second for the wheels. I start by filling my buckets with warm water and a good car soap. I usually start with the wheel and wheel wells first. Make sure your rims, inner barrels, calipers and wheel wells are clean. While we are not touching any cars if we can see dirt it is a deduction. Once you are happy with wheels and tires move on to the body of the car. I usually hose the care down first to remove any loose dirt, then with a soft wash mitt I will clean the paint surfaces ensuring to rinse the wash mitt regularly and use lots of soapy water. When you are happy with the paint rinse the car thoroughly with fresh water. You will want to either blow dry or use a soft chamois to remove the water. At this stage to get a good shine on your paint you may wish to clay bar the paint. This is an easy process and garners great results. If you are unsure how to do this step please feel free to contact me and I will be more than willing to assist. Some people like to use a good wax on the car and this is the stage you will apply this. Once your happy with the car your last step is to clean the windows.
On the day of the concurs you will want to bring along some detailing spray, glass cleaner and some macrofibre cloths. Once the car is staged you will have the opportunity to clean any bugs that you may have gotten on the drive to the event. You may also want to do a light dusting and clean the exterior glass.
Again this is a fun event and we will be providing each entrant with your score sheets following judging. This is a great way to see where you may have had deficiencies and how to improve for the next event or show. It is about presenting your vehicle in its best light and having some fun .If you have questions please feel free to reach out and as I said earlier I am more than happy to assist in any way I can.
Dale Milne