Keep Your Toyota Well-Groomed All Year Long!

One of the great things about your Toyota is the quality of the exterior finish, interior, detail component, and rubber materials used in the manufacture of your vehicle.

These materials are designed to stand up to years and years of driving in all kinds of weather conditions. Of course, there are a number of steps you can take, and Toyota products you can use, to further prolong the appearance and integrity of your vehicle. Here at South Coast Toyota, we have everything you need to keep your car in tip top shape. Just visit our Toyota Parts Department, call us or simply contact us on-line.

Car Care Tips

Washing Your Vehicle

If there's one lesson to be learned here it's DON'T USE DISH DETERGENT to wash your car. Dish detergents are meant to clean everything off the surface of a dish so you can, well, eat off it! However, that squeaky clean feeling on your car after washing with a detergent is a sign your paint has been left unprotected. Best bet, use Toyota Liquid Car Wash, specially formulated to dissolve dirt without compromising your vehicle's finish.

As for what type of cloth to use for washing, a 100% terrycloth towel works best, better than diapers, t-shirt, flannel and other seemingly soft fabrics.

Removing of Tar & Bug Stains

Be very careful here. Lots of solvents commonly used to remove road grime, tar, asphalt, and bug residues can seriously damage your vehicle. Don't take the gamble with gasoline, alcohol, acetone, or other non-recommended solvents. Toyota Bug &Tar Remover is the safe, smart choice.

Cleaning the Paint

This is not the same as "washing" your car. A car wash gets rid of loose dirt, road grime and bird droppings, but some contaminates get so bonded to the surface of your vehicle, a slight abrasive is needed. That's where Toyota Cleaner &Polish comes in.

This special formulation combines silicones, waxes and mild abrasives to remove stubborn grime and leave a brilliant surface shine.

Interior

Regardless of whether your vehicle's seats are leather or cloth, the number one enemy of the interior is the sun's ultraviolet rays. And of course a certain amount of spills, marks and grime are unavoidable.

Window tinting helps minimize the damaging effects of the sun (fading of cloth, drying of leather and vinyl), as will an inexpensive windshield sunshade used anytime the sun is out-regardless of the season. And for extra protection, apply Toyota Vinyl &Leather Protectant at regular intervals. For carpet and upholstery stains-including crayon, oil, grease, lipstick, etc.-there's Toyota Fabric Spot Remover.

Wheel & Tire Cleaning

Nothing adds the finishing touch to a car wash like a good tire dressing. And not just for appearance sake, but for protection too. Toyota Tire Shine is especially easy to use in its Spray-n-go formulation. And it's long-lasting too.

To cleanse wheels of road dirt and brake dust, Toyota Wheel Cleaner works both on petroleum and non-petroleum based soils and is safe and effective for chrome and alloy, as well as plastic and rubber components.

Car Care Products

Bug & Tar Remover

A highly effective combination of solvents dissolving road grime, tar, bugs, asphalt and other foreign materials without damaging clear coat or other finished surfaces.

Car Care Kit

A 3-piece kit of the following car care items: Cleaner Polish, Vinyl & Leather Protectant and Fabric Spot Remover. Each product comes in convenient 4 ounce cans and can easily be stored in the glove compartment of a Toyota vehicle.

Cleaner & Polish

A combination of silicones and waxes that contain mild, safe abrasives for removal of and protection from acid rain, bug and bird droppings, road salt and grime, while protecting all Toyota paint applications.

Fabric Spot Remover

A highly effective combination of solvents and surfactants to dislodge and disperse oil-base soils including crayon, oil, grease, lipstick, chocolate, shoe polish and ink. Dries quickly after use.

Glass Cleaner

A combination of alcohol glycol, ether surfactants and ammonia to provide excellent cleaning for glass and other surfaces.

Liquid Car Wash

A combination of powerful detergents, surfactants and emulsifiers to safely dissolve dirt, grease, oil and other materials. Couplers and sequestrates aid in complete rinsing without spotting.

Tire Shine

Use Toyota's Tire Shine as the perfect Finishing Touch on virtually any vehicle cleaning, maintenance or detailing job. Its special formula quickly restores like-new color and luster.

Vinyl Leather Protectant

A silicone emulsion-based formula that protects against the sun's ultra-violet rays while repelling dirt and dust particles. Helps prevent cracking and peeling by minimizing the deterioration of the elastimers which keep vinyl and leather soft.

Wheel Cleaner

A special water-based detergent that works on both petroleum and non-petroleum-based soils. Toyota Wheel Cleaner uses power surfactants to clean without damaging plastic or rubber.