When a microfiber towel starts pushing water around, residue may be coating its fibers. Fabric softener, dryer sheets and detailing products can all interfere with absorption. A wash following the tow
New windshield wipers can still smear if there is residue on the glass, the blades are the wrong fit or the rubber is not sitting against the windshield properly. Cleaning the glass and checking the i
Why are my tires turning brown? Protective ingredients in the rubber can work their way to the surface, leaving a brownish film known as blooming. Road dirt and brake dust can look similar. Blooming i
On some older cars, each headlight wears a wiper blade small enough to look like a toy. It can be an amusing sight now, particularly when one blade has stopped halfway across the lamp. The equipment h
Washing a car in winter can feel wonderfully pointless. The bodywork is clean for perhaps half a journey. Then a truck passes in the opposite direction, the windshield receives a cold brown showe
Wash a car in the evening and look through its wheels the next morning. The brake rotors may have turned bright orange. The change can happen quickly enough to feel impossible. The discs looked cle
What would the man who designed the Tesla Model S do with the very first example of its final edition? In Franz von Holzhausen’s case, the answer is simple: protect it and leave the design alone
The car has been washed, rinsed, and dried. From a few steps away, the paint looks spotless. Run a hand across the hood, however, and the surface tells a different story. Instead of feeling slick, it
A car door can hide an impressive amount of water before anyone notices. Usually, the first clue arrives after heavy rain or a thorough car wash. Pull away from the curb and something splashes near
The old-fashioned car antenna made no attempt to hide what it was. It was a long metal whip sticking proudly out of a fender, ready to catch radio stations, snag a car-wash brush or disappear overnigh