Shiny Inside & Out: Tips to Keep Your Car Squeaky Clean in The Monsoons

We’re smack dab in the middle of the monsoon season, and several parts of India are experiencing heavy rainfall. You’ve probably taken various precautions to protect your home and yourself from the rain. But what about your car? Incessant rains or the generally damp weather may cause some long-term damage to your vehicles, premature ageing or interior damage. Most people feel that covering their cars is enough to protect them from the rain. However, ensuring your car is clean is far more critical. So, here are some tips to keep your car clean and in good condition during the monsoon:

Interiors: Paying importance to the interiors is essential, even if you don’t use your car frequently during the monsoon. Come monsoon season, and car interiors can potentially give out a musty smell due to mould growth or mildew. Since you rarely roll down the windows while driving in the rain, your car interiors could end up creating an ideal condition for moisture to build and allowing mould to thrive. How can you prevent this?

Keep The Floors Dry

Every time you step into your car, dirt, mud and water from your shoes settle on the car floor. This can damage the carpet flooring, leave a foul smell and create space for germs and bacteria to grow. And while vacuuming the carpet can be quite a task, replacing it entirely is expensive. Instead, you can place fabric or rubber mats in your car; they are slip-proof, easy to clean and come in a variety of sizes. You can buy such mats, custom-made for your Ford, from any authorized Ford dealership.

Clean & Condition the Seats

When you get into your car with wet or damp clothes, it could create high moisture levels inside the cabin. This, in turn, could result in mould growth, causing skin irritation, and germ build-up on account of low air circulation due to closed windows. All of these can eventually make you sick. Therefore, it is vital to keep your car seats dry. But just wiping them down may not enough during the rains. After you have scrubbed the seats clean of any loose dirt particles, use a multi-purpose cleaner spray or foam product to get rid of any tough stains. Finally, let them dry for a few hours. Should the interiors and seats of your car get too wet, please book a Ford Doorstep Service to avail our quick dry, foam cleaning services at your doorstep.

Service the AC

The car AC can regulate the moisture level inside the car and keep it dry even when the windows are closed. This can prevent the growth of mould and mildew and curb foul smell. Therefore, it is essential that your car air conditioner is working properly. Fortunately, the Dial-A-Ford service lets you schedule doorstep car service so that you can ensure your AC is in proper working condition. The Ford service team will service your car, at your doorstep. If your Ford requires any major repairs, our team will pick up your car from your house, service it and then bring it right back. Your car won’t just be properly serviced but duly sanitized to ensure your complete safety.

Exteriors: Since it is the car exterior that is most exposed to the monsoon elements, it is crucial to clean the outside as well.

Focus on Bonnet & Boot

Regardless of the make and model of your car, the underside of its bonnet and the boot are fertile grounds for dirt, grime and mould. If left unchecked, accumulated debris could end up clogging the draining holes and cause water retention and rusting. You can keep the space clean by using a damp cloth to scrub the bonnet. However, ensure you do not spill water over the engine. The door jambs are also susceptible to rust due to moisture exposure. And if cleaning with water alone does not get the job done, use an all-purpose cleaner spray and scrub the door jambs thoroughly with a brush until they are sparkling clean.

Underbody Care

The underbody of the car may be out of sight, but it certainly should not be out of your mind when it comes to monsoon car care. It is the part underneath the car and contains the tailpipe, driveshaft, air outlet pipe and other components. Mud and debris that gets kicked up by the tyres when the vehicle is in motion tend to settle on the underbody, which can cause severe corrosion and rust formation since it also contains water. Thoroughly cleaning it with a mixture of used engine oil and diesel can keep the suspension trouble-free.

You can use this mixture on the suspension and other parts but, avoid using it on the brakes and engine as these are high friction parts. The most effective way of ensuring the underbody of your Ford car is cleaned is by giving opting for the Dial-A-Ford service. For foolproof protection, experts recommend installing mudguards. This will prevent mud from splashing on the underbody and make cleaning it more manageable.

Ditch the Cover

This may sound counterintuitive, but if your car is parked in the open, then leaving it uncovered is advisable. Though a car cover can protect your vehicle from dust and rain, rain-soaked plastic or tarpaulin covers may stick to the car paint upon drying. This means you run the risk peeling off the paint while removing the cover. However, parking your car indoors or under a shelter is a better option.

Preserving the Paint

The best way to protect the car exterior paint is by coating it with car wax. Car wax is a cost-effective substitute for ceramic paint protection treatments and can keep your car looking almost new for years together. Besides, it deflects moisture from the surface of your vehicle and prevents rain droplets from coming into direct contact with car paint. So, a coat of wax can be pretty effective to protect your car from heavy rain.

While you may not be using your car as often as you would otherwise, due to the current situation, you must check on it and attend to any issues well in time. Cars often need a little extra attention and care during the monsoon. So, follow the above tips to ensure you have a trouble-free experience.