Say goodbye to winter weather! You may be ready for spring, but is your car? Here’s what you need to do to get your vehicle ready for the warmer conditions:

Wash it. Don’t cheap out here, go for the full wash. Any salt left on your vehicle at any time during the year will corrode it. Top to bottom, underneath, in the wheel wells, on the roof- the entire vehicle.

Check for chips. Road salt and rocks can get kicked up from the road and chip your paint. Chips in your paint can lead to rust developing. Getting chips fixed as soon as they happen can save you a bigger bill later.

Wax it. If you don’t feel like waxing your vehicle yourself, have a professional do it. Sealing your vehicle will not only keep it looking fresh but also keep it in good repair leading to a higher resale value down the road.

Want to wash and wax at home? Consider using Lexol Total Care Car & Truck Wash. For only $12.99 you get 64 oz of additive that renews your clear coat and helps get ride of bugs and tar. Plus, it eliminates the need for a separate wax job.

Test the seals. Do your windows go up and down without leaking air? Does your door shut tightly? What about the trunk, moonroof? Road salt doesn’t just corrode metal, it also corrodes plastic and rubber, especially when combined with the dry air. Check your seals to see if the rubber has cracks in it and if it does, consider replacing it.

Give it a good vacuuming. All those little pebbles, cumbs, grains of sand, and pollen can add up making your vehicle not only dirty but also unappealing to be seen in. Usually a professional car wash will do this when you get your car washed but you may have to go around the nooks and crannies with your at-home vacuum cleaner. Also be sure to stick that nozzle in the vents, especially near your windshield to grab every last bit.

Invest in some product. You should spend at least as much time choosing your car’s cleaner as you do your shampoo and body wash. Keeping your beauty beautiful all year round requires conditioning. We recommend the Lexol line of interior cleaners because of their ease and because they don’t leave any streaks behind. They have convenient kits for leather cleaning and restoration as well as Vinylex protectant that will leave your seats, consoles, and dashboard clean but not reflective.

Turn on the air conditioning. Before you need it, make sure your air conditioning works. You’ll be thanking us later when the first hot stretch comes.

Talk to an expert. If you’re close to the time for your oil to be changed, schedule an appointment and when you go, make sure you ask them to check all your belts and fluid levels (which they should do already) to make sure mechanically everything is ready to go. Want an idea of what repairs you need to budget for in the coming months? Don’t be afraid to ask about the wear on your bakes and tires too.

Change your windshield wipers. Whether it’s time to switch from winter weather blades to thinner blades or just to another set of thin blades, the change of seasons is the ideal reminder to change the batteries in your smoke detecters and put on new wiper blades.

Maintain. Now that your vehicle’s all set for spring and summer, you need to make sure you maintain all the work you’ve done and that doesn’t just mean getting a car wash between rainstorms. We love keeping a flat pack of Lexol Vinylex Protectant Quick Wipes in the glove compartment as the convenient way to wipe away what we kindly refer to as “pollen season” or as “windows down season.”