Polish Them Until They Gleam
Anything and everything that can be polished should be polished to a brilliant shine. Under the hood, your strut bar can use a rub, and, most importantly, your wheels can be buffed out by using a buffing compound. Use a small amount on a soft cloth (so you won’t scratch any surfaces), and rub it over the desired areas until the cloth begins to turn to a dark color. Use another soft cloth to buff out the polish until the area shines.
Clean Off the Underside of Your Vehicle
Judges are extremely specific when they say they’ll check to see that your car is spotlessly clean in every aspect. That means the undercarriage of your car as well, not just the body. Get yourself on the ground and use a spray-on cleaner with a soft cloth to clean the trim on the front and rear bumpers and the side skirts. Do this a few times to free up any stubborn dirt particles. Use the old finger test afterward: run your finger along the undercarriage. If you pick up any dirt, then continue the cleaning process until it is clean.
Cleaning the Engine Bay
The engine bay can be a little tricky to clean out. You’ll most likely need something a little bit stronger than just a mild cleanser to do the job. Try using a heavy-duty degreasing product like Simple Green to touch up your engine bay. Spray on ample amounts to free up areas with the most grime. Use a soft cloth to wipe out the excess dirt.
Crack Kills
Yes, the judges even look at the cracks. Clean as much as you can, including the cracks. If that means opening your doors to spray cleaner into places you can’t even reach, then do so. Clean as much as you can possibly reach. This shows that you are meticulous and every clean area of your car equals another point on the judging sheet.
Pull Everything Out
Take out anything that you don’t want judged. Books, clothes, and leftover trash all need to go. Pull all the cleaning supplies out of your trunk. There’s nothing worse than having a judge that’s prepared to give you the gold…if it weren’t for the bucket, shammy, and half of a Big Mac in your trunk. That’s major points off which could have been saved if you had put it all in a friend’s trunk instead.