Car Meet Prep

Top 5 things do the night before the big car meet to show off that special car and make the most of the experience

If you are going to a car meet, you love cars and car culture, and you want to participate by showing your A game. You’ve been spending nights under your car, maintaining, upgrading, and bolting on performance parts so this is your opportunity to make sure that work doesn’t go unnoticed.

In prep for the big meet you are going to want to make sure your car looks the part and drives the part so you can focus on enjoying the day, meeting new people, and building friendships. Car meets aren’t about being the best of show or bringing the most exotic car, as much as they are about showing our pride and sharing our passion with like minded people.

Wash

Let’s face the obvious first, we all enjoy looking at cars, and us Avid people like to break necks as we drive by. A dirty ride won’t show your passion so start by getting it cleaned up. This is a great opportunity to take care of your regular maintenance wash, if it’s been some time. Hopefully you are familiar with the Two Bucket Method for washing; If you are going to do the job you might as well do it well, right.

For those times that don’t seem to warrant pulling the hose and getting all set up, I opt for a waterless wash or quick detailer to brush off the dust. I highly recommend Optimum No Rinse, for convenience. Its crazy easy to fill up a bucket, adding an ounce of No Rinse, and give the car a quick wipe down without worrying about scratching or smearing dirt. Its as simple as soaking a plush microfiber, wiping away the dirt, and immediately following up with a second towel to dry off. Although no replacement for a wash, quick detailers are just as handy especially for spot cleaning garage parked vehicles by saturating any problem areas and gently wiping away with a clean microfiber.

This is just a surface wash so no need to go crazy with the details, hopefully you completed a full detail at the beginning of the season and are still in good shape. For those of you with beautiful engine bays this is also a great time to give the heart of your car a quick wipe down. We’ll be following up with dressing in the next step to make it really shine.

Make sure you give the wheels and tires a good clean also, though you will want to leave this to last if you are doing a single bucket wash to avoid carrying up contaminates. Don’t neglect the glass either, especially if you are planning a cruise with friends. Clean glass will make the drive all the more enjoyable and let you focus on the view.

Coating & Dressing

This is the step that is really going to make your ride stand out. Yes, a full wash is going to go a long way but the wax, tire shine, trim dressing, and clean glass are going to make you show worthy.

As mentioned before with such a short time frame, a full detail isn’t feasible, you definitely want to get that job done early, in preparation to enjoy your vehicle all season. For best results you’ve already done a decontamination, paint correction and have a wax, sealant or coating on your car already, but if not it’s really no big deal.

If you have done the full detail, a quick maintenance coat will freshen up the look of your car and makes certain you still have full coverage for that glossy look and an uncompromised layer of protection for your paint. Either way there is no reason you can’t apply some dressing to make your exterior really pop.

Paint

Throwing some sort of wax or sealant on top of your paint can be done on the fly and is always going to make your paint looks years fresher. Both products are easy to apply, by working a thin layer of product onto the paint and buffing off with a soft fresh towel. These products work their way into micro scratches, and swirls in the paint, flattening out the entire surface. This flat surface really allows light to reflect unobstructed, leading to a deep glossy finish and improved color.

In a pinch you can always use some detail spray or bead maker if you have any on hand

Plastics, Trim and Tires

The same goes for other areas of your car, I keep products around for a quick improvement on the plastics, tires, and engine bay. These days I keep CarPro Perl around because when diluted with distilled water it fits all three purposes. At full strength it is the best tire dressing I’ve been able to test, at 1:3 it makes the perfect plastic and trim coating, and at 1:5 dilution it’s suitable for engine bay applications. In all uses it brings back a flat OEM black, leaving a premium looking, and non-sticky finish.

Mechanical Maintenance

Car meets can often quickly turn into a cruise among friends. Make sure you check over the simple things so you’re in top shape and not slowing the gang down. A few basics like tire pressure, oil, coolant, and brakes can stop a bad situation from arising. If you’re a gear head who’s always working on their car, make sure you tie up any loose ends and check over your work. Hopefully you’ve done a shake down drive at least a week in advance, but better late than never.

These days with a cheap OBD scanner you can keep on top of any engine codes and have less unexpected breakdowns on your adventures. Don’t neglect your spare tire either, make sure it’s safe and up to spec before you need it.

Pack an Emergency Tool Kit

Car break downs happen all the time especially if you or others are bringing out their weekend warriors or project cars. Being the one prepared with tools and parts is a great way to make someone’s day or make new friends. I think one of the best reasons to attend an event is to meet new people and make personal connections. Having a kit on hand to share, shows you know what’s important and gives you an opportunity to easily connect with others over their pride and joy.

This kit doesn’t have to be exhaustive, rather anything you have on hand which can act as a patch or help avoid a tow. Something with common sockets, driver bits and a few hand tools will go a long way.

I like to keep a small kit with a few things on hand:

I have been in this exact situation myself, and hour away from home, overheated coolant after a bad attempt at bleeding air out of the system the night before, needing to walk store to store to find distilled water and a screwdriver to get my car going. This step might not seem valuable until it is!

Map Out the Plan

Knowing where you are going, how you are getting there, and where you might meet up with friends is going to take a burden off the day. If you want to put in some extra effort, look into the surrounding area and research the best driving roads nearby. Planning a route is a great way to impress new and old friends so you can all concentrate on having the most fun with your cars.

It’s often a good day if you can find a couple scenic spots to stop for some pictures, or a recommended spot to grab a bite to eat. Having a destination in mind is a great reward for a long cruise.

Show & Meet Etiquette

I think this is fairly common knowledge among the enthusiast crowd these days to act respectfully when attending a car show. Incase you are new to the scene I figured it would be worth outlining a few do’s and don’ts when attending an event.

Generally, it’s just about showing respect to the event coordinators, property owners, and others attending. Car meets can have a bad reputation these days, associated with dangerous driving, street racing, and property damage. It worth it for all of us to do our part so car meets can continue to exist.

Definitely Do Not:

• Make excessive noise revving
• Do burnouts or doughnuts
• Dangerously drive or speed
• Litter on the property
• Touch other people’s cars without permission

Definitely Do:

Relax, enjoy yourself, and have good conversation with others about the thing they’re passionate about. Car culture is diverse so make sure you stay open minded, check out all kinds of vehicles, and ask people questions about their interests. Your likely to learn something new or interesting exploring all spectrums of the scene. Maybe you can even share your knowledge on detailing cars to people less educated on the hobby.

I hope I was able to give you an idea or two to make your car meet, show or cruise a bit more enjoyable. This is everything I do the afternoon before an event to prepare, if you have any tips or additions to this list make sure to let me know. Most importantly remember after hours of working hard and prepping, this is an opportunity to enjoy your ride and time with friends, so prioritize that experience over all.