Detailing 101: Detailing Trim

MILES Auto Spa

As the weather finally begins to warm up and winter’s grip allows for the Sunday drives to get a little bit longer, owners must get their cars cleaned up and ready to show off on Main Street. If you are going to show your car off, a clean body looks good but dirty trim can hurt the overall appearance of your car. So today, we’ll look at how you can clean and detail your car’s trim. If you are more worried about showing your car and don’t have the time to detail it yourself, you can see the experts at MILES Auto Spa.

Many cars have trim parts of made of plastic, rubber, anodized aluminum, or even painted metal. When cleaning trim parts, it is important to know which material is on your car in order to know what to use to clean those parts. On smooth black plastic, any vinyl or rubber dressing can be used, with ultraviolet protection to prevent sun fading the trim. For heavily-faded trim, dye systems can be used to restore the full color to your car’s trim.

Other important trim pieces include the rubber seals and moldings around windows, doors, lights, hood, trunk, and bumpers are designed to protect the car from water, wind, and dirt. If these seals aren’t properly maintained, they can dry out and crack or tear. While there are some vinyl and rubber dressings that can protect the seals from cracking, some car manufacturers recommend using talcum powder on doors and hoods to provide lubrication. Other seals should be cleaned twice a year with a brush and soapy water.

If you are unable to clean and detail your car’s trim yourself, you can have it cleaned as part of a car wash or as an a la carte service at either MILES location, MILES Auto Spa on Market Exchange Court or MILES Express on Mallory Station Road.