Month: April 2018

Posted on

10 Practical Ways to Keep Your Car Interior Clean

clean car interior

Car owners do not spend enough time, effort, and money for their car’s interior as much as they spend on the exterior. If you are one of them, by all means, pay attention to your interior too! An unclean car interior can be unsightly and can be a breeding ground for germs and viruses. Besides, maintaining the cleanliness of your interior can help in adding years to its usage. Here are simple ways to keep your car interior clean:

1. Have a Designated Trash Can

Make it convenient for everyone to throw their trash like candy wrappers, tissue, bottles, and coffee cups. This may be as simple as a plastic bag hanged from the back of a passenger seat. Not only will you maintain the cleanliness inside your car, but also lessen in littering the environment!

2. Clean Surfaces

Our hands tend to leave grime on the surfaces of the interior then accumulates dust on it. Make it a habit to wipe the surfaces regularly with baby wipes or a clean rag kept in your car always.

3. Avoid Eating Inside

This may be hard to do but it will be extremely helpful in eliminating unpleasant odor and food droppings. Maintain your car as a dine-free zone. But if you REALLY need to eat inside your car and have no choice, just be sure to keep trash bags stored in your car and clean up immediately after eating.

4. Stomp Off Your Shoes

Keep debris out of your floor mats by making this a habit. Your shoes can bring dirt, sand, and mud into your car. Sit on your seat sideways and bang both feet together. Do this especially in sandy areas like on a beach. Now put in your feet back inside – minus the debris build-ups.

5. Don’t Let Spills Set

You can never avoid spills especially when you have kids riding in your car. Don’t allow the upholstery to soak in the spill and leave it there for a long time – this can cause a stain and growth of mold. Have a clean rag you can use in case someone spills something. Or better yet, enforce the “no eating and drinking inside the car” rule.

6. Windows Closed Please

You can deal with a higher amount of dust and dirt build up when you leave your windows or sun proof slightly open when parked. Stop this habit and make it a point to close every opening even small cracks to cut down on dirt build-up.

7. Keep Baby Wipes

Store some hygienic baby wipes in your glove compartment at all times. Our hands can get grease from food and contain germs. Make it a habit to wipe your hands before touching the steering wheel. Also, this is best to use for unexpected spills.

8. Be Organized

Don’t just get rid of clutter from your home and office desk – you car interior also deserved to be organized! Get rid of receipts, papers, documents, and other piles inside the car. Invest in car accessories that are meant to organize your things inside.

9. Don’t Smoke

Cigarette smell inside your car is one of the hardest to get rid of. Do not smoke inside your car as the smoke can cling to your upholstery.

10. ShakeOut Mats

Be consistent in doing this and build a habit of shaking your mats regularly.This will get rid of debris build-up coming from your shoes.

Posted on

Common Questions and Myths about Cars in Japan

japan\

This first blog post is sort of an introduction and just for a starter. Since I’m from Japan and would love to share and promote our Japanese practice when it comes to automotive.

For years I’ve been asked questions about common myths and how we do things differently. Here are answers to those common questions you’ve been wondering about:

Why do cars in Japan usually look new?

It’s common for people to comment that cars in Japan seem to look so clean and new always. No signs of rust, bumps, dents, and dirt. Well, the reason is that Japanese have a particular habit of maintaining their car, and there’s an automobile inspection system going on. This regulation is conducted as part of improving the living conditions and to help the traffic flow – by preventing vehicular breakdowns.

The inspection stated is done when a car turns 3 years old, followed by every 2 years of inspection until it turns 11 years old, then following a yearly inspection. This inspection is strictly done by Government test centers or authorized service stations only. Japan is stricter when requiring parts of the car to be checked which is in every 6, 12 or 24 months.

Are Japanese forced to change their cars after a few years?

handing over car keys

No, this is a myth. It was different from about 5 to 6 years ago, since cars older than 10 years old need to pass an extra car inspection test. And if they don’t pass this test, they will be required to have it repaired or get a new one, depending on the situation. There’s the main car inspection that is required to be done by EVERY car owner every 2 years, which ensures their car to still be in driving condition.

What happens to the cool, still looking “newish” cars that are abandoned?

Japan is known for giving birth to new technologies and new gadgets. New things happen in Japan with their discoveries and fast advancement. This country is also known to be clean and has rust-free cars. The average lifespan of a car is around 6 years, and when a car is deemed too old, they are usually sold for almost nothing and shipped to Africa, America or England

Where can I buy these cool, still usable cars from Japan?

Of course, who wouldn’t want to buy second-hand, well taken care of cars from Japan? And we are sure the prices are so much cheaper and worth the money! You can buy some Japanese Import Cars from the following:

  • Gray Market

These aren’t usually still available in the market and the models are usually attainable through personal imports.

  • Online Auction and Ads

Nowadays, people would prefer to buy online for its convenience and easy communication with the seller. It also minus the hassle of showing up physically for comparisons which you can do over the internet. Make sure to research the model and ask all needed questions before going for a test drive.

  • Check Used Car Lots

Tip: Have a trusted mechanic with you when shopping here. There’s a huge quantity of import cars stashed in used car lots and you might even find surprisingly rare models.

There you have it. Here are answers to those questions that have been at the back of your mind. If you have any questions, kindly comment or send me an email!

I’ll be posting more articles about cars but mostly about maintaining this wonderous, badass mechanical monsters. Watch out for more!