Car Care Tips
Keep Your Toyota Well-Groomed All Year Long!
One of the great things about your Toyota is the quality of the exterior finish, interior, detail component, and rubber materials used in the manufacture of your vehicle.
These materials are designed to stand up to years and years of driving in all kinds of weather conditions. Of course, there are a number of steps you can take-and Toyota products you can use-to further prolong the appearance and integrity of your vehicle.
Click the links below for tips on caring for your Toyota and the links above for the various Toyota Car Care Products available from Don Joseph Toyota..
Car Care Tips
- Winter preparation
- Washing your vehicle
- Removing tar and bug stains
- Cleaning the paint
- Wheel and Tire Cleaning
Winter Preparation
Help ensure your Toyota runs great this winter by preparing in advance with these maintenance tips:
Check your antifreeze and coolant. Antifreeze protects the cooling system against freezing and helps keep your Toyota starting right up, even on extremely cold days. Check your owner's manual for antifreeze and coolant service intervals.
Maintain your tires. As the temperature fluctuates, so does the pressure in your tires. Perform regular air-pressure checks and adjustments to help minimize tire wear, and increase your gas mileage. Also, for your driving safety, make sure your tires are in good condition and do not have excess or uneven wear.
Inspect your battery. Connections to your battery should be free of grime or corrosion. Winter conditions can also drain battery life quickly. If your car is slow to start on cold mornings, it's probably time to replace your battery.
Replace your wiper blades if necessary to maintain maximum visibility, and keep your washer fluid reservoir full with non-freezing washer fluid.
Washing your vehicle
Routinely washing your Toyota is the best thing that you can do to maintain your vehicle's original shine and finish.
Here are a few tips to keep your Toyota looking new:
Use a quality car wash soap. NEVER USE DISH DETERGENT to wash your car - it can strip off wax and damage the finish. Car-wash-specific soaps are specially formulated to dissolve dirt without compromising your vehicle's finish.
Wash in the shade. This helps keep your car cool while you work, reducing the possibility of water spots.
Rinse the vehicle first, then wash from the top down and rinse often.
Use a clean 100% terrycloth towel for washing and drying.
Toyota Liquid Car Wash is the best product for keeping your Toyota clean.
Removing tar and bug stains
Before you wash your vehicle, quickly inspect for tar and bug stains. Removing these contaminates helps maintain your Toyota's pristine finish.
Use care when selecting a cleaning product. Many solvents commonly used to remove road grime, tar, asphalt, and bug residues can seriously damage your vehicle. Avoid gasoline, alcohol, acetone, or other solvents not specifically designed to protect your vehicle's finish.
Removing tar and bug stains will also remove the wax from your vehicle's surface. So after washing, reapply wax as needed.
Toyota Bug & Tar Remover is a highly effective combination of solvents and safe for all Toyota paint finishes.
Cleaning the paint
This is not the same as "washing" your car. A car wash gets rid of loose dirt, road grime and bird droppings, but some contaminates get so bonded to the surface of your vehicle that a slight abrasive is needed. Cleaning the paint also helps remove oxidation, smoothes the surface and restores the surface shine.
Toyota Cleaner & Polish is the smart choice to protect your Toyota against the elements.
Wheel and Tire Cleaning
Cleaning the wheels and tires regularly is just as important as washing the exterior of your Toyota. And not just for appearance sake, but for protection too. Brake dust can pit and damage the surface of the rims if left to sit for an extended period of time.
When you wash your vehicle, clean the wheels first. Make sure that you do not use any of the rags, sponges, brushes, or even the bucket that you used on your wheels to clean any other part of the vehicle. Brake dust and other contaminates can scratch your vehicle's finish.
Toyota Wheel Cleaner Is safe and effective for chrome and alloy wheels, as well as plastic and rubber components.
Also, don't forget to put the finishing touch on your tires with Spray-n-go Toyota Tire Shine.
