What’s in your garage?

People who love their cars, love buying stuff for their cars.  Whether you’re a serious “car guy/gal” or you just like to spend the occasional warm Saturday afternoon pampering your car, you probably have car care products everywhere.

But expert detailers say that the secret to a beautiful car that retains its value and is road safe can be acquired with just 5 must-have products.

1. A professional-quality exterior shampoo
2. A scratch remover
3. Interior and Exterior Conditioner
4. Headlight Care
5. A top quality wax

Never use dish soap on your car as it can strip away protective coatings and speed up corrosion.  Always use a good quality car shampoo/conditioner and two buckets – one for soap and one with clean water for rinsing. We recommend Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner.  Simply sponge one side of the car with shampoo, working downwards from the roof, rinsing as you go. Make sure you thoroughly dry the exterior to avoid water marks. Use a water blade to remove most of the water, followed by a synthetic chamois leather for best results.”

Engineered by German surface technology experts, QUIXX High Performance Paint Scratch Remover (MSRP $19.99) is the easiest and most effective way to remove scratches from the painted surfaces of your car, according to automotive professionals, consumer testing organizations and automotive/consumer press worldwide.  The product is a simple two-step repair system that works easily to permanently remove scratches from a car’s painted surfaces.  In the first step, a patented compound works with the painted material surrounding the scratch to permanently remove the scratch from the surface. The second step restores the finish to its original shine.

Faded plastics instantly age a car, negatively affecting its value.  In recent years, more car manufacturers have used recycled plastics for bumpers, running strips, wing mirror housings and other elements.  The sun’s UV light acts faster on these plastics, eventually turning them a chalky white.  Using a specialized product like Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care works wonders to clean and beautify interior and exterior plastics, trim and often-forgotten, but all-important, rubber seals.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, “An average of 9 out of every 10 cars on the road today has dirty or yellowed headlights that greatly reduce vision and need to be replaced, repaired and/or cleaned.”  Additionally, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the most common complaint from drivers is headlight glare, some of which is caused by having dirty or foggy headlights.  Automobile headlight lenses damaged by harsh weather, abrasives and debris become so opaque that they can reduce lighting effectiveness to half that of headlights in good condition. Stay safe and increase your car’s visibility with QUIXX Headlight Restoration Kit (MSRP $19.99), a complete all-in-one-box solution that includes everything necessary to achieve professional results, allowing you to repair your vehicle’s plastic lens surfaces at a fraction of the cost of replacing them. The integrated UV-Protection significantly reduces fogging and yellowing.  It also helps prevent scratches and will add a protective layer to the lens.

Expert detailers agree that the best thing you can do to preserve the look and value of your car is to wax it twice a year.  We recommend a high quality wax such as Autoglym’s High Definition Wax.