Regular car care is not just the service at the garage. Many small but important jobs can be done yourself in an hour or two: cleaning the battery terminals, protecting metal under the bonnet from corrosion, lubricating locks and hinges and preparing rubber seals for frost.
This care matters most in a climate with damp autumns, salted winter roads and big temperature swings. It prevents the small failures that tend to happen at the worst possible moment.
What you will need
Important: Never apply lubricants to brake discs, pads, tyres, the windscreen or wiper blades. Work under the bonnet only with the engine off and cold.
Step 1
Clean the battery terminals
Switch off the ignition and disconnect the negative terminal first, then the positive. Spray WD-40 Specialist Contact Cleaner on the clamps and battery posts to dissolve oxidation and finish with a brush. It evaporates quickly and leaves no residue.
Reconnect in reverse order: positive first, then negative. Clean terminals mean reliable starting, which you notice most in the first frosts.
Step 2
Protect the engine bay from moisture
Spray WD-40 Multi-Use onto a soft cloth and wipe metal brackets, fasteners and unpainted parts to protect them from rust. Lightly treat ignition leads and connectors: it displaces the moisture that makes engines hard to start in damp weather.
If spark plugs are seized, apply a little around the plug wells before removing them. Wipe off any excess.
Step 3
Lubricate locks and hinges
Use the straw to spray WD-40 Multi-Use into the door, boot and fuel flap lock barrels and into door and bonnet hinges. Open and close each lock several times to spread it.
This prevents sticking and wear, and in winter helps stop moisture freezing inside the mechanism.
Step 4
Prepare the rubber seals
Apply WD-40 Specialist Silicone to the door, boot and sunroof seals and spread it with a cloth. Silicone keeps rubber supple and stops doors freezing shut after wet snow. Treat the seals in autumn and a few times over the winter.
Step 5
Clean the wheels and number plates
After washing the car, apply WD-40 Multi-Use to a cloth and wipe the alloy wheels to remove tar spots and leave a protective layer against dirt and road salt. Keep it off the tyres and brake discs.
Clean the number plates of tree sap, insect marks and road salt the same way, and the bumper plastics and chrome of stuck on bugs. Rinse these areas with car shampoo afterwards.
Tip: If you look after several cars or a fleet,
WD-40 5 L with sprayer is more practical: decant it into a trigger bottle, which works out more economical than individual cans.
What next
Do this routine twice a year: in autumn before the frosts and in spring after the road salt season. In between, lubricate the locks as needed and keep a WD-40 200 ml in the glovebox for small problems on the road.
These uses come from the experience of WD-40 users in many countries. Always follow the instructions and warnings on the product label.
More guides in «How to use».