Cleanliness is one of those things that a lot of people absolutely do not compromise on. Their house is spick and span but the same sentiment has never been transferred to their cars; apparently, they don't have a reason for that. The car, in India, is just a mode of transport and nothing else. Getting from one place to another is the only thing that the car is capable of and for most Indian households it serves that purpose.
When it comes to cleaning the cars, the car washer is one that takes complete control of the situation and you never stop to wonder how it actually gets cleaned. You see droplets of water on the car and it looks good. No dust or bird droppings and you are happy. To the naked eye it is all clean and that's that.
Even the interiors are given a quick sway of the cloth that cleans the outside and you don't stop to wonder if it is actually hygienic. However, there is a way to go about it now and 3M Car Care Centres around the city and country are here to make your car shine and the interiors hygienic. The claim that they could manage to do it, got me curious and that is why I was called to the 3M Car care Centre, with my car, to check out what this was all about.
For most, 3M is always associated to films on car windows but in fact they have a large-ish collection of the best cleaning agents for cars. Yes, you have your STP's and Armourail's but 3M too has its share of products. The only difference in these products is; that the 3M one's aren't readily available in the market.
Once I reached the location, the car was taken inside and was looked at by the experts. I was advised the 3M Paint Sealant - Advanced and the Interior GermKleen Plus treatments to which I gave the nod for the go ahead. Once my nod was translated as a 'good to go' sign, an army of 5 agents, swarmed my car and took out everything that was part of the cubby holes, glove box, spare tyre compartments and every nook and cranny was emptied.
Once that was done the cleaning started. The carpet cleaning was done using an industrial usage vaccum cleaner. The carpet was scrubbed and 3M products applied after which the vaccum cleaner came into play. According to the 3M officials, this system along with the spray manages to kill 99% of the germs inside the car.
Right from the dashboard to the rear seats were given a thorough scrub and the dirt just flowed out of every crevice. You couldn't really imagine the amount of dirt you were sitting in and it was more or less making me nauseous to see it. But the agents soldiered on till every part of the car was clean as a whistle and glistening in white.
Once the interiors and the badgings were all done, the car was taken for washing and exterior cleaning. What one gets to see here is the immense amount of care that is taken with regards to the car. Every detail is looked after and there are people to explain what is happening. The cleaning does take some time and hence there is a lounge where you can relax, read or watch television while these agents give your car a spa-like treatment.
The exterior of the car is shampooed and then washed again after which sand paper is rubbed on to get rid of all those small scratches or dirt which look hideous on the car. It is then wiped clean with a micro fibre cloth and is rubbed on with paint sealant which helps the car retain its colour and shine making it look brand new.
At the end of the day, the car looked sparkling clean and I had absolutely no complaints about the way things went. It, however took close to 6 hours to get through all of this and that is quite a long time. Cost wise too, it isn't easy on the pocket. Both these services cost more than Rs. 6500 and that's a lot too but there are other services you can avail of as they start from as low as Rs. 990.
The Paint Sealant treatment will take care of my car paint for the next 3-4 months depending on how and where I drive so it is not a bad option but in a country where people don't spend on spare parts, it is a little difficult to explain to them to spend money on getting their car washed. 3M infact extends its services to those patrons who have old cars too. They might not be able to make it sparkling clean, if it is rusted but they may help in stopping further deterioration.
A clean car does put a smile on your face and 3M certainly has managed to do that, however the time spent waiting for the car was a bit of a setback. The service provided was every bit the money spent and for a car nut like me, I can see how happy the car was too.
3M should also try and give people services at home as it would be convenient for them and they can get their car clean sitting in the comfort of their own home. However, the logistics for that have to be figured out and maybe 3M can see what they can do.
