Six Spring Cleaning Tips for your Car Interior

February 28th, 2012 Posted in Tips & Advice 
By Kia BUZZ Editorial Team

Springtime is here and you know what that means. It’s time to throw out those filthy fast food cups, wipe down that dusty dashboard and let in some fresh air to dispel that smell that’s been bothering you for the last 3 months. Yes, it’s time for some spring cleaning and we want to share six simple tips using common household items to properly clean your car interior without a fuss. Let’s start with the ceiling.

1. Ceiling: If the ceiling of your vehicle is made out of fabric material, wiping it too hard with a wet cloth may cause some fuzz. You want to make sure you use a slightly damp washcloth made out of superfine fibers and you can add a bit of neutral detergent as needed.

2. Dashboard: You can wipe the dashboard down with a washcloth and use a car brush or toothbrush to dust any hard to reach spaces.

3. Handles & Steering Wheel: Many cars have leather handles, so you may be tempted to use household leather care products, but it’s not advised. These can make your steering wheel slippery and hinder you from having a good grip. We recommend keeping a dry cloth in your glove compartment to wipe it down every now and then.

4. Heater: Use a dry cloth and cotton swabs to easily access those narrow vent spaces. It’s good to clean these areas to help prevent any allergies and respiratory ailments caused from too much dust.

If you smell something foul when turning on your heater – It could be fungus or a special surprise from a skunk. Mix some mustard powder in warm water and spray it into your vents. Afterwards, run your heater on the strongest mode for 4-5 minutes. This is a very effective way to eliminate odor.

5. Car Seats: Car seats are often the culprit of unpleasant stenches (Think about all the spills, pets and people that have been in your car). You can certainly use various products to clean your seats, but as the saying goes, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’ so try to wipe down seats often. Leather seats are easier to clean with a damp cloth and a bit of neutral detergent. For fabric seats, spray water mixed with a neutral detergent and wipe down the seats with a damp cloth, followed with a dry cloth. Make sure to keep the windows down to allow the upholstery to dry completely.

6. Car Floor Mats: For rubber, simply spray it down with soapy water and wipe, and for fabrics, you can always use your household vacuum.

Hopefully we’ve shared some tips you can put to good use and make your car squeaky clean and ready for spring.

Be sure to check out our previous post for tips to wash the exterior: ‘How to wash your car properly.’

Roads less traveled: vehicle testing in the Mojave Desert

Roads less traveled: vehicle testing in the Mojave Desert

March 27th, 2014 Posted in Design & Technology,In Other Words

About 100 miles north of Los Angeles, in the Mojave Desert, sit the final testing grounds, where every Kia vehicle must receive the stamp of approval before mass production. At the Hyundai-Kia California Proving Grounds, located in California City, stretching over an area of about 4,300 acres, our next-generation vehicles are tested to their absolute limits, until we’re certain they are suitable for even the most extreme weather conditions. So what does it take to be an approved Kia vehicle?

Prove yourself

Although all vehicles are tested for engine and air conditioning system reliability in specially controlled hot chambers, the vehicles are once again tested at the California Proving Grounds because the Mojave Desert provides the most ideal environment, with temperatures reaching up to 39°C (about 102 °F)

 

We test on multiple types of roads to ensure that we’ve covered almost any type of scenario that our vehicles might face. The extended uphill road was created with an inclination angle between 2 and 12% to test the hill-climbing ability and the Automatic Cruise Control System. On the multi-purpose road, shaped like an open fan, vehicles go through a variety of tests that test for vehicle stability, brake performance and ride and handling.

The endurance test road replicates more than ten different types of road surfaces, making sure that all vehicles have been roughened up enough to take on any type of terrain. This test road is so rigorous that it tests vehicle wear and tear to the equivalent of 60,000 miles (96,000 km) when driven for just 10,000 miles (16,000 km). It makes sense that every single vehicle must survive the endurance test track before it can be mass produced.

 

The handling test road is made up of sharp winding roads, ensuring optimum drivability of vehicles on the mountainous U.S. road system and testing how responsive the handling is on all the vehicles. The straight road is the hottest in all of the Mojave Desert, with a sensory temperature that reaches up to 90 degrees Celsius. In addition to this straight road, we also have a separate extreme condition materials testing facility which exposes both cars and their various components to scorching hot temperatures and blistering sunlight to prove their integrity. Those that fail to pass this test never see the light of day and are sent back for further improvement.

Roaring engines and screeching tires are the norm at our Proving Grounds, and while the testing can’t exactly be kept a secret, we do make an effort to keep things on the down-low in the Mojave—after all, it’s all these tests that determine which vehicles make the final cut.

Every Kia out in the market right now (even yours!) has gone through all of these tests before having the privilege of sitting in your driveway. Now, isn’t that reassuring?