Treating your car to a spa day seems like a ridiculous notion until you think about the benefits a spa day has on your human body...

A day spent indulging yourself, enjoying warm soapy bubbles, a relaxing massage, with perhaps a little manipulation to make sure your joints and bones are nicely aligned and working well… It all adds up to a better, fresher, rejuvenated you. So why not treat your car to something similar? Regularly looking after your car will help in better performance on the road, no delays or unexpected breakdowns will be seen. Unforeseen vehicle halts will be avoided especially if you are driving in busy cities like London or nearby.

Hot Soapy Shower

Give your car a thorough wash, using warm soapy water and a soft sponge. While going through a car wash does the job, it doesn’t get every single scrap of dirt off the underside of the vehicle or inside the wheel wells. Take the opportunity, while you are sponging the dirt and grime off your car to inspect all those parts that you wouldn’t normally see up close. Look for signs of damage, rust beginning to get a foothold and even tiny chips in windows and windscreens that might, in future, feather into a more serious crack. Giving your car the once-over in this way can help you to keep your car in great condition and make sure that you pick up and repair minor damage before it can become major. Finish the sudsy wash with a thorough rinse and dry, before using a sturdy dirt repellent wax to make sure your car stays clean and shiny for longer.

Balance Your Chakras!

Well, wheels, not chakras in the case of your car, but both have the same effect: of keeping things smooth and level, whether it is your psyche or your vehicle! Wheel balancing makes sure that all the wheels (and therefore tyres) are carrying the weight of the car evenly. Unbalanced wheels can make a driver feel very uncomfortable, tilting the vehicle to one side or another, and even making you feel as though the car is about to topple over. Wheel balancing is best done by a professional, and takes mere seconds these days, thanks to computerized systems that can perform the calculations in a split-second. 

Align Your Energies

Tyres, energies, there’s not all that much difference between a meditative yoga class and having your tyres aligned. Just as getting your stresses and strains under control, tyre alignment ensures that all your tyres are pulling in the same direction, working to pull the car in the right direction rather than fighting against each other by pulling away or pushing in towards each other. Tyre alignment makes sure that your tyres are minutely adjusted on the axle so that they are perfectly parallel to one another, and certain to give you a good ride.If your tyres need replacing – as they will eventually, no matter how painstaking your care – one place to buy tyres from is DAT Tyres. They offer professional tyre fitting to ensure your ride is always smooth and comfortable.

Don’t Overdo Your Exercises

Just as newbies to gyms can sometimes burn out because they work out too hard from the first, instead of building up slowly over time, so too can your car ‘burn out’ from rough treatment. Keep to the speed limit, avoid rough or unpaved roads, and try not to accelerate or brake too suddenly. All of these can help you to keep your car in great condition, just as the right kind of gentle exercises make sure your knees and back build up strength without causing any harm!

Weightlifting: Know Your Limits

While it can be tempting to stack on the big weights and draw admiring eyes, carrying too much weight without building up the muscles first will do you harm. Your car is unlikely to get stronger over time, but it can stay in tip-top shape for longer if you make sure that it doesn’t carry more weight than it has to. While the occasional heavily burdened trip – to the tip, for example – is perfectly fine, as long as it is within the manufacturer’s recommended weight limit; this should not be the default. Decluttering your car regularly, taking out anything that does not need to be in there, is an excellent way to not only pamper your car, but also make sure it stays in excellent condition for longer.

You will have noticed that many of these pampering tips involve your tyres. This is because they are the most replaced large car parts (consumables like spark plugs and filters notwithstanding) and can represent a large proportion of your car ownership expenses.