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If you are planning to join a car meet in the future, read this and prepare yourself and your car for the big event.

Car shows are big community events joined by automotive enthusiasts. People who have the same passion for automotive share and learn everything about cars. Car meets also gives a definition of your local community’s car culture.

New car enthusiasts are born from car shows. Car shows also expose people to the latest car models and set-ups. So if you are about to join one, you need to prepare a lot of things before participating in a car show.

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Preparing the car’s body

This is number one on the checklist. This will be the very first thing that guests and judges will see. Show a perfect appearance and impress them with a stunning and beautiful bodywork.

  1. Inspect for rust, scratches, and dents. Although these things may be obvious, have a closer look at the surface of your car and be sure it has no blemishes. You might want to bring your car to an auto shop so experts can check on things that you are not able to see. Be sure to replace worn out parts and do repairs if needed.
  2. Check for missing components. As you check on dents or scratches, check also on essential parts. All must be complete and functional, whether it is an interior or exterior part, have them repaired or replaced in a car shop.
  3. Upgrade the surface to a new look. After sanding down blemishes, you may consider having a whole repainting job. Make a little research on how other participants make their cars look like so you have an idea which paint will make your car stand out among the rest.

Preparing the car’s exterior

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Like preparing your car’s body, having a presentable car exterior will leave a good impression to the guests and judges. Give your car a full cleaning service. You might have decals on it, make sure that they still shine out. You will also need to wash even the hardest to reach areas of your car. Here are some things to keep in mind:

  1. Choose the appropriate cleaning materials. Do not attempt using household cleaning products. It may sound practical but this should be avoided. Use cleaning agents that are purposely made for cars.
  2. Clean under the hood. In most car shows, engines are showcased, so car hoods are put up to display the car engine. Start by cleaning the engine then the hood. After this, do clean the undercarriage, too.
  3. Clean the whole exterior. After washing the engine and undercarriage, wash the car starting from the top. Using  a microfiber towel, dry the car to avoid watermarks on the surface and the worst contamination from the water will be avoided. Do not forget to wash the wheels, too.
  4. Polish and wax the car. After washdown, you can polish the surface to remove spots or marks on the surface. Applying wax will make the car look like new and wax will also protect its surface and give a fresher look.
  5. Bring all cleaning materials to the car show.

Preparing the car’s interior

No exterior is nice if the interior will not match it. Make the guests and judges be impressed with a more presentable interior.

  1. Clean the inside of your car with the appropriate cleaning materials. Fabric interiors would require mild detergents. You can check out the best cleaning solution for the type of materials used in your car interior.
  2. Clean from the top and from back to front to avoid contaminating other areas. Glass cleaners are perfect to make the window glass clear and shiny.
  3. Carpets and mats should be cleaned. First is to vacuum and brush them. Use proper carpet shampoo and let it dry completely to give it a fresh look and scent.
  4. Clean your car trunk. Do not forget to give the trunk a clean look. Remove your personal stuff and make the trunk free from any clutter.
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Preparing the car’s wheels

After cleaning the entire car, it’s now time to give extra attention to the wheels. This will add more to a stunning look and presentation of your car.

  1. Upgrade your wheels. This will have a better score from the judges or guests.
  2. Clean the insides and use a tire conditioner. Clean the wheels and hard to reach areas thoroughly. Give them a fresh black look with a tire conditioner. Tire conditioners also prevent tire degradation.

Car presentation

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Having all the upgrades and cleaning the car entirely, you are now ready to present your car for the show. Here are some display tips that you also need to prepare:

  1. Make your presentation interactive. Your car will be the center of attraction during the whole duration of the show. But you can always put a table beside where you can place a customized sign and flyers for the judges and guests to have an interactive experience with your display during the car show.
  2. Design your sign. If you are good at creating graphic arts, you can design your car’s signage or have a digital or graphic designer create one for you. This car signage can give information like year, make, model and other features of your car that you would want to tell your audience. According to Car Show Boards, signages can be customized based on your preferences and it can be designed based on how you present your car at the show. The important thing here is you are sharing information that would make your audience curious and what will make you interested to see in other participants’ signs, too.
  3. Let the car do the talking. Make the display simple and make your sign serve as supporting detail to your car. Just make sure that the focus will be towards the car.
  4. Display the entire car. There are a lot of ways in making a display eye-catching. You can open the hood, the doors, windows or the trunk. You can also put some mirrors below to show how the undercarriage looks like. This will surely impress the judges and your audience.

Be sure to have fun at the car show. Meet with new acquaintances and grow your circle of car enthusiast family. After you have mastered these basics, then you will be ready for any car show event in your community.