National Car Care month is April, a time to take care of any issues that occurred in the winter, and prepare for spring and summer driving ahead. One popular task is washing your car. Some might wonder if washing your car is crucial, if it’s something a spring rain can’t solve. Auto tech instructor Roger Lillie from the Kirkwood Community College Washington County Regional Center explains the importance of car washing, “One of the most important things is definitely when it gets warmer and you’re coming out of the snow and ice season is to wash all the salt and road grime off your car so it doesn’t cause corrosion.”

This corrosion can cause a car to start rusting, and lack of washing can dull your paint as well. Lillie gives this advice to those washing their cars, “If you wash it by hand always kind of prewash it or pre rinse it first and use soft cloth, because a lot of that road grime if people drive gravel roads, a lot of that lime dust if you would take it and start rubbing immediately on that it could cause scratches in your paint.” Checking your tire pressure, windshield wipers, and brakes are some other ways to prepare your car for the summer driving season.