Tips and Tricks for Maintaining Your Luxury Car
You’ve dreamed of owning a luxury car since you were a kid. Maybe you’ve always wanted an Audi, a Porsche, or a Lamborghini—and now that day has come. Now that you’ve bought your dream car, it can be difficult to figure out how to properly care for it. Although luxury cars typically require a little more maintenance than an average car, that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult to keep them operating well. Here are a few things you can do to maintain your luxury car so it will run well for a long time.
Use High Quality Fuel
Higher quality fuel contains higher levels of octane. This higher level of octane does not catalyze explosions in the engine as quickly as regular gas. This higher level of octane functions well in higher quality engines because high quality engines do not need high rates of explosions in the engine to function efficiently.
Not only is it important to choose premium-grade gasoline, but you also should consider the gas station that you go to. Not all gas stations are created equal. Certain gas stations like Chevron and Conoco have higher quality gas than others.
Clean It Regularly
Keeping your car clean and shiny is more than owner’s pride and making it look good; rather, it’s about keeping it in good condition. Cleaning your luxury car is essential to ensure that the paint job is protected. Cleaning the interior helps you keep leather and wood interiors in pristine condition.
As you consider the best ways to upkeep your car’s exterior, it’s important to thoughtfully choose your method of washing. Cleaning your car by taking it through a car wash can be a bad option because car washes may not be able to clean it fully.
Even more important, many conventional car washes use harsh chemicals and even abrasive mechanized tools to clean your car. These chemicals and tools could potentially damage your paint.
Instead, carefully research appropriate cleaning chemicals to use for your particular car’s finish. Then wash it by hand. Doing this allows you to clean the surface gently. After washing it, miniscule dust particles will likely still remain. These can eventually cause chipping. In order to remove them, consider using a clay bar that can remove those excess contaminants.
Keep a Regular Schedule
Keeping up with maintenance will prevent larger auto repairs in the long run. The first place to start when determining your luxury car’s maintenance schedule is the owner’s manual. The owner’s manual will often provide a detailed template for the schedule that you should follow. As the builders of your car, they are the experts. Using this template is often your best bet for optimal car maintenance.
When it comes to basic aspects of car maintenance like oil changes, it’s important to perform them more often than less. Depending on the type of car you drive, you could consider changing your oil every couple thousand miles. For example, it is usually recommended that you change a Mercedes Benz’s oil about every 6,000 miles.
Take Care of Interior Leather
Taking care of a luxury car’s interior often requires a more comprehensive approach to cleaning. When it comes to routine cleaning of leather seats, you’ll want to be cautious in how you clean them. Be careful not to use vacuum brushes or heads that are too bristly or that may scratch. Instead use a soft vacuum brush or simply vacuum cautiously.
After vacuuming your leather seats each week, you’ll also want to wipe them down with a microfiber cloth and a leather cleaner. This will ensure that you get the tiny particles that your vacuum may have missed. Additionally, this extra step will give the leather a little conditioner.
In addition to weekly maintenance, it’s also important to perform more particular details on a scheduled basis. When you perform these details, be sure to condition your leather to ensure that it doesn’t crack. This process usually involves cleaning your leather like you would in a weekly cleaning. After this, rub a quality leather conditioner into the surface of the leather with a microfiber towel. This will help it feel supple and soft.
Clean Your Trim
After you’ve cleaned your leather, don’t forget to clean your trim as well. Cleaning the trim can be a step that people forget but it actually is important to give it proper attention. Your trim is often made of high-quality wood or other material and needs to be dusted often to maintain its sheen.
You can use a dust wipe to clean it, but it is often best to use a microfiber towel with spray-on cleaner. Microfiber towels are extremely soft and won’t cause any scratches. After you’ve dusted and cleaned your trim, wipe it off one more time with a dry microfiber towel to get any remaining particles.
Care for Your Clutch
Your vehicle’s clutch is one of the things that makes your car the luxury vehicle that it is. As such, it is so important that you carefully maintain it. One of the first and most basic aspects of clutch maintenance is to use it gently. If you are gentle with your clutch, you can ultimately extend its life by up to 20,000 miles.
Be sure to pay attention to sudden drops or increases in speed that weren’t due to you. Those changes in speed could indicate that your clutch needs repair. In addition to paying attention to tell-tale signs when you drive, you should also consider having your mechanic look over the clutch during routine visits. Clutch replacement can ultimately be very expensive so taking preventative measures is the optimal strategy.
Luxury cars are symbols of wealth and refinement. They are powerful vehicles that provide drivers with an exhilarating experience driving down long stretches. In order to keep your car functioning at the high level that it was meant to function at, you’ll need to spend a little extra time maintaining it. Incorporating some of these suggestions into your luxury car’s routine maintenance can help you ensure that your car stays operating at its premium. Be sure to also carefully research the owner’s manual and consult with expert mechanics for additional tips for your specific car.
We can help you to maintain your car so it runs smoothly for a long time to come. Schedule a service with us today!