Vintage cars are so great to look at. They may not have the sleek styling and modern amenities such as OnStar which newer vehicles have but their old school design has a charm of its own. If you own one, then you know the challenge of restoring a classic car in to a pristine condition. So if you have your classic car already restored, you have to maintain its showroom shine. And there are some things I would like to share with you on how to do just that.

First is how you keep your car. Make sure that it is protected from harsh elements such as frigid winter snow and direct sunlight. These two acts of Mother Nature contribute a lot to the aging process of your vintage car. So just keep it in a garage where it will be away from direct sunlight during the summer and snow in the winter. While in a garage, it will also help prolong the life of your car’s exterior if you covered is that dust will not accumulate where they should never go.

Taking care of the rubber components of your vintage car is also something that you should do. Just like skin, they need to be moisturized now and again. The leather seats should be cleaned with solution specially formulated for leather. The rubber tires should be wiped with lubricants to make it moist. Keeping rubber moist reduces the risk of it breaking due to dryness. Aside from the tires, you should also pay attention to other rubber components such as rubber hoses.

If you want to replace a certain component in your car, be prepared to spend a lot of time looking for the right vintage parts that corresponds with the make, model, and year of your car. While you can use replacement parts, this can hurt the resale value of your vintage car. After all, who said that restoring a car is an easy thing to do?

You should also protect your engine by carefully choosing the right type of fuel for it. Older engines are made to run on pure gasoline. But through the years, the gasoline sold at refilling stations is mandated to have a mix of ethanol top reduce petroleum fuel consumption. If you use a fuel with a high content of ethanol, you run the risk of ruining your car’s engine. The reason for this is that ethanol is highly corrosive. In fact, the engines of flex-fuel vehicles are specially designed to combat its corrosiveness.