Housekeeping Your Car - Pontiac 1953 Owners Service Manual

"HOUSEKEEPING
YOUR CAR"
The glossy exterior, luxurious
interior and fine appearance
details of your 1952 Silver
Streak Pontiac deserve the
same care and attention that
you give the furniture in your
home.
Washing and Polishing-
One of the best ways to pre·
serve the original beauty of your Pontiac's finish and to protect the
value of your investment, is to keep it as clean as possible. Frequent
washing is helpful, especially if you live. near the seashore where
salt air may come in contact with the finish. Tree sap, road tar,
excretion from insects, and smoke from factory chimneys, also con·
tain hannful chemicals and other foreign matter that may per·
manently damage the finish of your car. (Dead insects can easily be
removed by saturating the area with a mild solution of water and
baking soda.) Washing is also important in winter·time if you drive
a lot where salt or calcium chloride is used to melt snow or ice on
the streets.
ALWAYS USE COLD WATER IN WASHING A CAR. NEVER WASH IT IN THE
DIRECT RAYS OF THE HOT SUN, AND ALWAYS WAIT UNTIL THE SHEET METAL
SURFACES ARE COOLED OFF.
If you find
that the finish has become slightly dulled by the presence
of "spent pigment," you may want to have your Pontiac Service man
polish it to bring back its original glossiness. This operation consists
of washing the car thoroughly and following up with application of
a mild liqUid polish. This will remove "spent pigment" and restore a
high luster without harming the finish.
It's well to remember that the polishes and cleaners which do the'
job fastest and easiest aren't necessarily the best. A polish contain·
ing harmful amounts of abrasive will do the job quicker, but it may
also remove some of the good finish as well as the dull oxidized color.
A polish requiring a little more time and "elbow grease" is desirable.
If you plan on polishing your car yourself, you will find GM Body
60