The ultimate spring check for your car

Winter is over, the snow has melted and temperatures are rising again. It is advisable not only to clean your apartment in spring, but also to take some time for your car. Above all, the salt and dirt residues on the bodywork have to be removed. But washing alone is not enough. Learn here what you need to know about the spring check for your car.

The following general steps should be taken after winter:

• Intensive car wash with underbody protection
• Car care outside
• Tire change with brake check
• Check the interior and clean the car interior
• Engine and trunk Check

What exactly belongs to the respective step and why it is necessary is described in more detail below.

The right car wash is what counts

Road salt is usually already applied to the roads when the first snowfall even announces itself. This is then thrown up when driving over and remains stuck to the body and underbody. The more road salt is needed in the winter months, the more salt and dirt remains on the car.

In general, the salts are no longer very harmful for the paint and the underbody. However, they still attack aluminium parts and increase the risk of rust formation in areas in need of repair. Also in the dirt remains there are sometimes rolling chippings or small stones, which can cause scratches in the paint. Once the paint has been removed, the salts additionally promote the formation of rust.

For this reason, it makes sense to thoroughly remove salt and dirt residues from the vehicle several times in winter, at the latest during the spring check. Extensive and intensive car washing is recommended for this purpose. It is best to remove stubborn dirt in advance with a high-pressure cleaner or steam cleaner so that the dirt particles in the car wash do not scratch like emery paper on the paint. Above all an underbody wash and subsequent new underbody sealing or newer underfloor protection should be taken into account. The rims must also be cleaned. A special rim cleaner makes work even easier and removes even stubborn dirt.

Car care of the body and the outer areas

Once the vehicle has been cleaned of dirt, it shows how the paint has survived the winter. Smaller scratches can be easily repaired with appropriate paint sticks. Also for smaller dents there is already the suitable dents tool. If the damages are however larger, it is advisable to visit in a workshop and/or a car preparation company. Even if no dents are to be seen, it is worthwhile itself to maintain the lacquer with appropriate lacquer cleaners and lacquer polish or to protect even with protective foils against stone impacts .

In addition to the paint, the windscreens and windscreen wipers must also be inspected. Especially the windscreen wipers are subject to heavy wear in winter. The windscreens are usually not completely scratched, so that the windscreen wipers often scrape over ice. For this purpose, the rubber lips are attacked by the highly spun road salt. The windscreen wipers are also used more frequently in winter than in summer. This means that they are subject to greater wear and tear during this period.

A change of windscreen wiper is usually unavoidable after winter. In addition to the wipers, it is also worth filling up the washing water with summer windscreen cleaner, which contains special insect remover. It is not absolutely necessary to completely remove the remaining antifreeze cleaner before refilling with the summer cleaner.

When changing the windscreen wipers, the windscreen can also be checked directly for stone chips. If larger impacts are to be seen, a car glass service or a workshop should be consulted, as the cracks can quickly become larger.

Tyre change - what to consider?

Many people do the spring check on the car at the same time as changing the tyres. When changing the tyres, the winter tyres must be cleaned first. A special tyre care product is also suitable. This maintains the rubber compound, protects and lets the tyres shine again in rich black. The tyres should also be checked for the following points:

• Check for damage and dispose of tyres if necessary
• Measure tread depth: There should be at least 4mm of tread left on the winter tyres
• Increase air pressure on complete wheels: By at least 0.5 bar above the manufacturer's specifications, as they lose air during storage
.
• check tire age: average 6-8 years is the lifetime of the tires

When changing, it is important to mark the tyres, on which axle and which side the tyres were mounted, e.g. "HL" for rear left, etc. Since winter tyres should be stored cool, dark and dry, so-called tyre bags are recommended. These additionally protect the tyres from oils, solvents or other substances in a cellar.

Before the summer tyres are mounted, it is advisable to carry out a few intermediate steps in advance:

1. Testing the brakes
2. Cleaning the brake system, greasing the guide surfaces on the brake calliper and the back plate of the brake linings with a brake block paste
3. Replace brake linings or even brake discs if necessary brake discs
4. Then check the status of the brake fluid
5. Testing the shock absorbers and springs for damage and wear
6. Clean wheel bearing surfaces
7. If only one tyre change does not result in a complete wheel change, the tyres must first be balanced after fitting onto the rims. Only then can the summer tyres be fitted. Otherwise the tyres may run out of shape and therefore wear out faster.

For the finishing touches, there are also new wheel caps, so that you can really shine with your vehicle and always leave a good impression.

A good interior cleaning should not be missing

The car shines from the outside, but the dirt is still inside? Of course that's not possible. Extensive interior cleaning of your car is also a good idea for a spring check. At a minimum, the car should be vacuumed once and any moisture removed. Many change in the course also directly the floor mats. The rubber mats, which are well suitable for the winter, give way to the velour mats / textile mats. These simply look more attractive and the strain on the floor mats is not as high in the summer months as in winter.

Ebenso it is recommended to clean the inner panes with appropriate cleaning cloths. Due to the repeated fogging of the panes in winter, streaks often form on the pane from wiping away. If the sun comes now more frequently out, it can happen that one sees by the many Schlieren on the disk nothing more. The danger of accidents increases thereby clearly. Therefore one should consider also the inside windows with the spring check of the car. Also a dashboard care is worthwhile in the course of the interior cleaning of the car, so that the plastic elements are protected from too strong solar radiation.

An air-conditioning system check is also very important. A special disinfection spray or foam cleaner is sprayed or filled into the evaporator of the air-conditioning system. If you want to do it right, you should have the air-conditioning system completely checked in your trusted workshop. Only in this way are you best prepared for the temperature rises to come.

Last but not least, spring is the time for hay fever for many allergy sufferers. For the humans concerned it is therefore advisable, the interior filter on a special Pollen filter with anti-allergic effect to change.

In order to complete the interior cleaning of the car as part of the spring check, the windows could also be fitted with the correct sun protection. Also once again lubricate the hinges and maintain the door rubbers and already the car is almost ready for the summer.

Do not forget engine and trunk

As the penultimate official act of the Spring Check, it is worth taking another final look under the hood and check the levels of the liquids. These include:

• Coolant
• Oil
• Brake fluid
• Screen cleaner

Even so, it is advisable to replace the air filter. If the engine compartment is very dirty, an engine wash should be carried out by the workshop. At the very end, take another look in the trunk. Winter items such as snow chains, ice scrapers, windscreen covers, antifreeze etc. no longer need to be carried in the boot. This way you create more space for swimwear, luggage, etc. Is the first-aid kit and the puncture tyre kit still up to date? Is the ski rack or the roof box still on the roof and no longer needed? Then it's best to dismantle it directly and save fuel.

A spring check for the car is worth

Who takes itself the time to accomplish a spring check for the car, can let its vehicle shine with the steps mentioned above fast in new gloss. Regularly accomplished, thereby the life expectancy of your vehicle increases. Car wash, interior cleaning and some car care let your vehicle look like new, so that it makes again fun to drive with the car by the area. The sun laughs, the temperatures become warmer, there it is worthwhile itself to become active. Quickly attach the bikes to the bicycle carrier and off you go! We wish you a lot of fun! If you have any further questions about the spring check of your car, you can always contact our customer service.