New Year, New Car: 7 Ways to Make Your Vehicle Feel Brand New

A fresh year gives you the urge to make everything new. One of the ways you can chase that feeling is to make your vehicle seem like it’s brand new. There are some easy ways you can make your car match your renewed attitude. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Deep clean carpet and upholstery

Dirty, grimy carpet and upholstery makes your car look (and feel) old and worn. You can use a carpet-cleaning machine to refresh your vehicle’s interior. The machine will spray the carpet with a solution of cleaner and water and then sucks the dirt out of the carpet and upholstery fibers. If you don’t want to invest in purchasing a carpet cleaner – though, it’ll pay for itself after a few uses – you can always rent one.

2. Get rid of old, peeling bumper stickers

Yes, your bumper stickers probably hold some memories of a meaningful part of life, but scraping off the remnants of stickers won’t take away those memories. If the stickers you used were high-quality, they should easily pull off if you can get under a corner.

In other situations, you might have a gummy residue left behind. All you have to do is use a good degreaser, like Goof Off or Goo Gone, and it’ll be taken care of in no time.

3. Pay attention to the nooks and crannies

Your usual once-over won’t give your car the new look you’re going for. Getting into all the trim lines and recesses is essential. You can do this by wrapping a cloth around a worn-out screwdriver that doesn’t have any sharp edges. Spray an all-purpose cleaner on the cloth and move it in and along all those little nooks. Keep moving the cloth on the screwdriver to clean sections, so you always have a fresh surface.

4. Brush and vacuum the carpets

Vacuuming doesn’t get up as much of the crumbly junk that you think it does. At least not all by itself. You have to give it a little help. Professional detailers use a stiff brush to scrub the carpet while they’re vacuuming. As you scrub, you’ll notice the dirt dislodge so that you can suck it right up.

5. Get a tune-up

The way your car runs has a big impact on how “new” it feels. Make an appointment to take your vehicle into your trusted mechanic for a tune-up. The best-looking car won’t be too awesome if it doesn’t run well.

6. Fix the chips

Chipped paint is a big bummer and it takes away from the appearance of your vehicle. If you have some small chips, touch-up paint will do the trick and have your car looking as good as new. Unfortunately, a spot that’s already rusted will require a more complicated remedy.

7. Give interior vinyl and plastic a good scrub

Use a cleaner that’s specially formulated for your vehicle’s vinyl and plastic surfaces and get to work with a microfiber cloth. You’ll be amazed at the difference when you’re done.

Let Conrad’s help

A new year is a great time to give your vehicle a fresh, new makeover.

Give Conrad’s a call and let an expert auto technician make sure your vehicle is running like new.

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