​Many of us live busy lives and often don’t have time for tasks like cleaning our car.  Cleaning your car is an important aspect of car maintenance that many don’t realize the benefits of keeping up with. 

A clean car is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it can also increase the resale value of your car. While some clean their cars themselves, others pay a professional car wash to do the work for them. 

Ideally, you should get your car cleaned on a weekly basis.  However, many car owners clean their cars only when it is dirty.  How frequently you drive your car also matters. 
 
As a general principle, the more miles that you drive, the more frequently you will need to clean the car. 

The climate and air temperature are also important considerations.  Snow, salt and grit from the roads can quickly erode and damage your paint work, and high temperatures can cause erosion to be accelerated, as chemicals in contaminants become more active in hot temperatures. 

WHY YOU SHOULD CLEAN YOUR CAR MORE OFTEN

Preserve Your Car's Paint Job
Dirt and dust particles wear out your car's paint job over time.  It leaves your vehicle looking dull and lackluster as a result.  Regular cleaning will preserve your car's paint job and remove debris that would otherwise damage your vehicle's exterior.

A professional car wash will make your car shinier and protect its paint finish from the sun and sand.  Your vehicle should be waxed every three months, and your car's exterior buffed once a year.

To protect your car's finish, washing the exterior alone — no matter how frequent— will not keep your paint job from fading. 

Prevent Expensive Repairs
It is crucial to regularly maintain your car to preserve it, and more importantly, extend the life of it.  Damages to a car’s exterior could be a simple repair, but they can lead to irreversible damage that will need a complete replacement, which could be extremely expensive.

If your car is constantly dirty, this will cause parts to rust and corrode, leading to a lower resale value when it comes to selling your car.  A properly cleaned and maintained vehicle in the interior and exterior will help hold the vehicle’s value and give you a reliable car. 

Increase Driving Safety
Many accidents are caused every year because of a dirty window, windshield, or side mirror — reducing visibility.  A dirty interior of your vehicle can also have debris and dirt that can cause distraction while driving.  Clutter can block your sight or even the path from your foot to the gas/brake pedals, and it can be catastrophic.

Avoid Health Issues
The interior of your car needs to be kept clean to eliminate harmful bacteria that can build up over time.  An unclean, closed-up vehicle is an ideal environment for bacteria to thrive.  This is also a reason to avoid operating a vehicle with a mask, if possible, as it will generally just cause the driver to be trapped breathing their own bacteria.

Dust and dirt create poor air quality inside of your car, making it more common to catch a cold, develop possible allergies, or even create an unpleasant smell.  Keep the parts of your car you touch the most such as your steering wheel, dashboard, door handles, seatbelts, and the gear shift clean.  Cleaning will keep germs and bacteria from lingering in your vehicle. 
 
A clean vehicle will contribute to the fuel economy, safety, performance, and resale value of your vehicle.  De-clutter, dust, sanitize, and vacuum your car, and schedule routine car washes.

Routine preventative maintenance and auto repairs will also keep your vehicle at its peak performance.  A clean car will protect you from harmful bacteria. 

​To most people, cleaning your car is not a priority, but you will be shocked once you realize how damaging a dirty car could be.  Schedule car cleaning and sanitizing at least once a week to keep your vehicle healthy and safe.

That's right!  We've now been in business serving the Citrus Heights community for 25 years!  

To celebrate, we plan to offer special discounts and promotions each month throughout the year!  Stay tuned....we may even have something EXTRA special to cap off the year!

Check out website out often to see what is available and come celebrate with us!  Your car or truck will appreciate it too!  

We were recently honored by the Best of Citrus Heights as the best Car Wash and Detailing in Citrus Heights!  So, if you are in Citrus Heights or nearby like Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Roseville, Orangevale or any of the other great Sacramento area communities, make the short drive over to see us.  Your vehicle will THANK YOU!!

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1. Make sure your tires have plenty of tread. Snow or not, if you live in an area where temperatures regularly fall below 45 degrees, the roads can get pretty slippery, especially at night.  Good tread or even tires designed for Winter driving will give you better traction while turning or stopping on cold pavement.
2. Check tire pressure weekly.  Driving on underinflated tires can cause them to wear down prematurely and lose traction on icy or slippery surfaces. Your tires lose a pound of pressure with every 10-degree drop in temperature.
3. Keep your fuel tank half full.  During winter weather, it's a good idea to keep at least half a tank of fuel in your car in the event of an emergency or if you get stuck on the road or in the snow and need to wait for rescue.  For longer road trips, plan stops for gas in advance.
4. Add a protective layer.  A coat of polymer wax can create a barrier against road salt, grime, snow, sleet and more. Couple that with high-pressure car washes after winter storms to rinse away buildup in hard-to-reach areas such as wheels, wheel wells and underbody.
5. Protect your windshield wipers. If you plan to travel to snow country and park outdoors, leave the wipers in the raised position to prevent them from freezing to the windshield. Never use your wiper blades to remove ice, snow or frost from the windshield; use an ice scraper instead.

Come by today and get your car or truck professionally cleaned!  A clean vehicle puts a smile on YOUR face!

If you are like many drivers, there is a good chance that you spend a lot of your time behind the wheel of your car on a day to day basis.  During your busy routine, it is natural for the interior of your car to get dirty and cluttered. 

With Bauer's professional cleaning, we can assist you to restore the inside of your car to a like-new condition.  By taking the time to set up car detailing for your vehicle, you will be able to get your car cleaner than you would be able to on your own at home.  To highlight the advantages of car detailing, you can visit a couple of our previous blog posts, but for now let’s explore the benefits of keeping your car’s interior clean:

Stop Excess Wear and Tear
When you neglect to clean the inside of your car, your vehicle’s interior surfaces could start to develop excess wear and tear. Dirt, dust, and spilled substances can all wear away at your vehicle’s upholstery and other interior surfaces like your carpets.  In order to keep your car’s interior in great shape for as long as possible, you will want to clean it regularly.

Stay Away From Health Issues
Every time you step into the interior of your vehicle, you will enter a closed environment.  Unless you have a convertible, of course!  If your vehicle is collects a lot of dust and dirt, these particles could create hazardous air quality in the inside of your vehicle.

Keeping the interior of your car clean will help you avoid allergies and other problems that can be the result of poor indoor air quality.  A clean vehicle can also reduce stress.  So, as a results,  a clean car interior can promote your mental health as well.
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Make Driving Safer
If your car’s windshield, windows, and/or side mirrors are littered in grime or debris, they could affect your ability to see clearly your surroundings as you drive. Cleaning the exterior of these surfaces is important for visibility, obviously, but you will also want to make sure that you clean the interior of your windshield and other glass as well. After a professional car detailing appointment, your vehicle’s windshield and windows will be crystal clear, and so will your vision!

Give us a call today and let's arrange a detail for you!  You can do both inside and out, and we'll set up exactly what works best for you!

How often do you go to the car wash?  What are some good reasons to go? 

For some, it’s a ritual they make a priority every week in order to keep their car looking its best. For others, it’s something they only do when they notice caked on dirt that has turned their car a completely different color.

No matter which crowd you’re in, it’s important to know why washing your car regularly is actually a great idea.  Five of the biggest advantages, in particular, are listed below and worth considering.

1. Avoiding Damage of Your Vehicle's Surface
Mud, dirt, rain, and even salt sprinkled on icy roads (Mountain roads typically in this part of the country) can attach themselves to the surface of your car as you drive. While you might not notice these at first, over time, the minerals that are in them can cause damage to your paint job.

For this reason, it’s important to take time to have your car washed on a regular basis.  This will blast away those impurities in seconds.  Even something like rain should be considered as damaging to your car, as it can negatively impact your paint job if it’s not properly washed away within a few days.  Pollutants in the air find their way to your vehicle's surface, with rainfall.

2. Improving the Condition of Your Vehicle
When you take your car in to get washed, soap and water will brush the impurities away from the surface of your car to help prevent the deterioration of your paint and even the different parts of your car, like wheels, headlights, trim, etc.  In time, this can improve the condition of your car and its overall longevity.  This is especially true if you have your engine washed, because removing debris and dirt from this area can help keep your engine healthier in the long-run.

3. Improving Safety
When you go for a drive, your windows, mirrors, and even tires should be clear of debris. By going to the car wash on a regular basis, you’ll never have to worry about these areas being too dirty to drive with, or having your vision compromised, especially at night.  You’ll have confidence knowing your windshield, rear window, side mirrors, and tires are clean and safe for your next trip.

4. Improving the Value of Your Vehicle
Are you planning on selling your vehicle or even trading it in?  Even if you’re going to do this months or years in the future, it’s important to do what you can to keep your car looking great now.

Regular car washes are a big part of this, as they can help prevent rust, scratches, dull paint, and other issues that take away from the look of your car, and raise the money you get for it when it's time to upgrade your ride.  That especially holds true if you plan to sell it to a private party but it also affects dealers who may take it in trade as well.

5. A Clean Look - I mean who doesn't want to be looking good?
Do you want to avoid having dirt on your hands when you shut your trunk?  Washing your car on a regular basis can help avoid issues like this.  This one small task can help improve the look of your paint and your entire car overall.  Plus, it just makes YOU feel better!

When Should You Wash?
A weekly or even bi-weekly car wash is a small investment that can pay off with all of the benefits above.  What’s better is the fact that regular washes may even save you money by helping to minimize or even avoid damage completely. 

With just a little bit of effort, you might be surprised by how great your car looks and how much pride you have in it when it’s kept sparkling clean.

Don't forget the wax!  Wax really does protect your paint, and it's WAY cheaper than having to repaint later (if you are one of those that tends to keep your cars for a long time) or trying to sell to upgrade as well. 

Check out all of the available services we offer here at Bauer's!  Feel free to give us a call or stop by with any questions too, we're happy to help!

​There is certainly no shortage of car washes here in the Sacramento, and more specifically the Citrus Heights area!

Lately it seems a new one is opening around almost every corner.  Most of the newer ones are geared toward "self serve" type facilities.  While these are good for those of us who want to maintain a clean vehicle, they may not provide some of the advantages of a full service wash or detail. 

Perhaps we should take advantage of all the new options!  More frequent car washing can help preserve and protect our vehicles and help maintain their value.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, motor vehicle corrosion is a billion-dollar problem in the United States.  It's no wonder.  Road salt (if you travel into the mountains or snow country out of State), tree sap, mud, pollution, sun, and even dead bugs and bird poop all contribute to a year-round assault on your vehicle here in Northern California, potentially leading to serious damage and/or premature aging.

Safety can also be an issue.  Grime across your windshield and windows restricts visibility in all directions, and even a light coating of dust or pollen can impair your ability to see clearly, especially at night or when driving into the sun’s glare.

That’s why we here at Bauer's Full Service Car Wash encourage you to visit us regularly.  Washing your car removes dirt, residues and pollutants that degrade your paint finish and corrode the underlying metal.  It’s like anti-aging cosmetics for your automobile!

When you are all done, finish up with a good waxing to give your vehicle extra protection and shine!

It’s obvious that the better a car looks, the more it’s worth.  The point of this article is to teach you how to detail your car properly (or have Bauer's do it!) so you can keep it looking good. 

1. Pull the tags off your microfiber towels
Microfiber towels are used when cleaning about every surface on a car.  This means scratches almost everywhere on your car if you don’t follow this rule.
One thing people often overlook is the tags on these towels.  They are abrasive.  Simply yank them off as soon as you buy the towel.  The towel won’t fall apart.

2. Use automotive detergent
Using dish soap is not only insufficient, it’s also terrible on your paint.  It’s strong stuff.  It strips the surface of all its wax.  That will leave your paint exposed to the sun’s damaging rays.

3. Rinse off as much gunk as possible before scrubbing
Debris left on a car’s painted surface will act as an abrasive while scrubbing.  Be liberal in your rinsing process.  Get off as much dirt, road tar, and bugs as possible with just water.  It’s advisable to rinse wheel wells and the front bumper first.  Move onto the rinsing the rest of the car.  Go back to the wheel wells and front bumper later.  The first rinse will turn the dirt into mud.  The second rinse should rinse most of the mud away.

4. Use straight motions
I often see people washing their cars in a circular motion.  It feels natural to make circles.  I used to do it until about 3 years ago.  However, scrubbing in circles causes swirls.  Scrub back and forth in straight lines.  If straight scratches occur, they’re at least far easier to remove than swirls.

5. Avoid silicon-based cleaners
These are dangerous because their use can lead to the material you’ve been cleaning to dry out, crack, break, and just look terrible.

6. Wax your paint, windows, wheels, headlights, and taillights
Yep, automotive wax isn’t just for your paint!  About every 6 months, wax the entire car – and I do mean ENTIRE car.  Waxing your paint keeps it protected.  Waxing your windows makes them shine as well as bead off water.  That’s especially useful for side windows that don’t have wipers.  The water will just slide right off – with nothing left to obstruct your visibility.
Waxing your wheels makes them easier to clean.  The reason why most wheels look dingy is because of baked on brake dust.  Wax will create a barrier between the dust and the surface of the wheel.  During the next wash job, the dust will easily wash away.
You know how most car headlamps are yellowed and dingy looking?  It’s because the protective surface has been worn away.  Bug guts, UV rays, and bits of road debris have slowly destroyed the protective surface.  Wax will keep that from happening.  It’ll protect the surface from alien contaminants.  It only takes about 3 minutes to massage in and buff out wax.  This is a lot cheaper than having to purchase one of those headlight restore kits in the future – those things require a lot of elbow grease.

7. Vacuum creases in seats
Crumbs and other nonsense tend to settle in the crease (or stitching points) in the seat.  With debris trapped in there, it serves as an abrasive to the seating material.  If you look closely at leather seats especially, you’ll notice they look tired and cracked around the stitches – this is why.  Don’t just wipe down seats, vacuum them properly.

8. Remove bird poop immediately
Bird poop is highly corrosive.  Remove it right away to keep it from eating through you wax and into your paint.  Use a wet microfiber towel to wipe it off.  DO NOT use a paper towel – it’s far too abrasive.

9. Wash after rains
Despite what many believe, your car isn’t actually cleaner after a rain.  Especially in cities, rain contains pollutants we’ve sent up to the clouds.  That nasty stuff then rains down on your car.  After the rain passes, wash your car with clean soap and water.

10. Shake out floor mats regularly
​Just like cleaning your seats, this action is also meant to remove abrasives.  Floor mats get covered in small rocks.  Your feet then smash these small rocks into the pile of the floor mat carpeting.  This makes the floor mats wear out prematurely.  Every once-in-awhile, shake out your floor mats.  It only takes about a minute to do the entire car and it’ll keep the interior feeling new!  Clean floor mats really do make a big difference.

We hope you enjoy the tips!  And we do these things for you when you visit us here at Bauer's Full Service Car Wash.  Come see us soon!

​Usually when we talk about the wax, sealant, polish subject for your vehicle - this is one of the most misunderstood subjects for car enthusiasts and owners.

You have no doubt heard many definitions being thrown around - waxes, sealants, glazes, paints, compounds using various means of hand or machines - rotary classified orbital dual action (machine polishers and buffers), and so on.

It can be confusing, because of the number of products available on the market today - they seem to each use their own definition (non-standard) which really confuses the typical consumer if you do not know what you are looking for.

Let's see if we can simplify this for you.

First off, we'll start by focusing on using only hand processes and why you should use them.  By doing so, what is the effect on the paint of your car and how does it help your vehicle?

First let's go over a couple of terms: what is the difference between them.

Wax and Sealant - When you see this, it usually indicates a coating layer on top of your paint to protect and beautify it.  The word "wax" is used to this day as before it was really pure "candle wax" used for protection.  "Sealant", used similarly to wax, is usually used to classify "synthetic waxes".

Polish - When you see the word "polish",  it basically means that the product is usually abrasive in nature.  It is used to scrape a few layers of paint you want to smooth out or clean or even remove scratches. Abrasiveness may be in the form of a "mechanical" (the product has some grit to it) or "chemistry" (it chemically reacts with the surface) - but the end effect is the essentially the same.

Cleaner wax / sealant - you may or may not understand this one - but when you see the word "clean" - the product is basically sitting in between wax and polish.   It will typically have a small level of abrasiveness to clean and protect at the same time.  Think of it as a mix of Polish and  Wax together.

Coating - This is a new category in protection.  It has become popular today because it seems many folks like to do it when they have a new car.  So what is it really ?? You could think of it as a chemical reaction with the surface, basically trying to create the same function - only supposed to last longer - as wax.  It creates a slippery surface on your paint helping to protect the paint and not allow dirt and grime to stick to the surface.

Some FAQs:

• Do you need Wax? - yes if you want to protect your car and make it beautiful.
• When do I use wax? - each time after you wash your car, depending on how hard you your paint surface is working.  Is it in the sun a lot?  Do you live where you get a lot of dust and grime settling on your vehicle?  If so, you want to use it a bit more frequently than if you drive seldom and garage your car.  The quality of the product you use also matters.  For example, a good hand wax will last much longer than a spray applied going through a mechanical wash. 
• How long does it last?  Well, it doesn't last forever.  At some point in time, you will need to re-coat or re-wax.  A good way to tell is to use your fingers to feel the paint and wax.  If a towel slips off or the surface is still effectively beading water, you're probably fine for now.
• What if I do not use Wax? - eventually your car will quickly fade to the point where it will not be shiny, your clear coat can become damaged and then paint can fade and peel.  
• Which one is best to use? - there is no exact answer, and depends on how serious you are, how much you want to spend and how much time you want to spend.  But regardless of your choice, you definitely SHOULD choose to protect the paint on your vehicle.  After all, it's one of your largest "investments", right?  

It's hard to beat a professional hand wax job!

You get what you pay for, right? Well, that isn't always true, but here at Bauer's we strive to give you the very best care for what you pay.  There is always an optimal level in terms of value for money.

The beautiful shine often comes from the paint surface preparation, before wax is applied to it.

This is another topic for another time - "swirl-free", "orange peel", "wet sanding" comes into play.

But ultimately if your car is cleaned properly and the surface prepared, then a good quality wax and a skilled technician will produce some amazing results.

Do you need a machine for waxing?  – you can buy a orbital machine to ease the job, and a machine can help for stubborn spots.  But as we stated above, a great hand wax produces a great result.

How to make the wax last longer? – What is of the utmost importance is the cleaning process. Without proper cleaning, the wax you put on basically sticks to the dirt instead of the paint.  This also bring us to "claying" whereby you remove contaminant from the surface.  Unlike polish, it won’t correct the surface but only has minimal abrasiveness.  It is similar to the effect of “cleaner wax”, but does a great job at smoothing the surface.

Do you need to polish? – Yes, occasionally, because when you drive, you induce scratches no matter how careful you are. When you wash, it is the same.  Eventually you will need to polish your car for it to look its best.  For hard spots like stains, bugs and so forth – use a good cleaner wax.  A tar remover is also handy to do some heavy cleaning or for light scratch removal.

Do you need a machine? – For minor scratches or routine maintenance or cleaning of stains – no. Basically, a machine is required to accelerate the overall process. You can do the same by hand, it just takes longer.  If you have the time, its hard to match the detail hand waxing can do.  However for serious correction like removing swirls or heavy scratches – a machine is a must. 

In summary, here is the correct sequence:

1.   Do a correct wash, clean properly and frequently – feel the paint.  Is it smooth? 
2.  If not, then probably you need to clay it.  If you don’t have a clay, then you should use a good cleaner wax after drying.
3.  After wash, dry the car properly (minimize water marks).
4. If you want to polish, this is time for you to clean the contaminants, correct the scratches and so forth using hand or machine.
5. After all the correction, it is time to wax, coat, seal. Take note though, one of the most common mistakes people make is to use too much product during waxing.  This creates a difficult buffing process, especially by hand. Use moderately and you can save some muscle! You don’t need a machine if performed properly.
6.  Buff off everything from the surface.  Feel the paint, it should be buttery smooth. 

Of course, here at Bauer's we offer a variety of different options, including a hand wax which produces an amazing look and superior protection for your vehicle.  Ask us anything, we are here to help!  

Give us a CALL today and let's get your vehicle on the schedule!

Happy New Year to one and all from Bauer's Full Service Car Wash!  

Of course we know that January is typically the time when folks make resolutions for themselves, but what about your vehicle?  Why not start the new year with a clean and polished  vehicle and use the rest of the year to maintain her?  Be good to your vehicle and she'll be good to you!

We are here at your service at Bauer's.  We'll do the heavy lifting and get your baby all spiffed up.

There are LOTS of options to choose from, depending what your car or truck needs.  You may decide that the outside is in pretty good shape, but the interior needs a deep cleaning.  Or visa versa.  Or maybe the whole vehicle needs to be shaped up from top to bottom.  

Whatever the case, we are here to help!  Our staff are experts at accomplishing these tasks, and we are ready to schedule your "makeover".  

​Give us a call today and let's get you, er, your CAR, cleaned up!