How to clean a car

Title: How to clean a car

Duration: 3:33 minutes

Description:

A how to video to show someone how to properly and safely clean a car.

Shell Motoring Tips - How to clean a car – Transcript

[Background music plays]

Atmospheric, storytelling and soft background music; the same music continues throughout the video.

[Visual transition/change]

Screen starts with a white backdrop as the shell lock-up enters from the right of the picture while the video title text slides into the middle of the screen.

[Text displays]

How to jump clean a car

[Narrator]

Having a shiny clean car is hugely satisfying and keeps your car’s paintwork in better condition for longer.

[Visual transition/change]

Screen transitions to a page that lists the product names and pictures detailing exactly what a user will need to be able to perform the task of jumpstarting a car.

[Text displays]

What you’ll need: 

• Hose pipe
• Bucket warm water 
• Car shampoo 
• Sponge

• Cleaning cloths 
• Chamois leather 
• Microfibre cloths 

[Narrator]

Here’s what you’ll need.

• A hose pipe
• A bucket of warm water 
• Some car shampoo 
• A sponge

• Some cleaning cloths 
• A chamois leather 
• A few microfibre cloths 

[Text displays]

What you’ll need: 

• Trim cleaner 
• Car polish 
• Car wax 
• Window cleaner 
• Window blade 
• Vacuum cleaner
• Gloves

[Narrator]

• Trim cleaner 
• Some car polish 
• Some car wax 
• Window cleaner 
• A window blade 
• A vacuum cleaner
• And a pair of gloves

[Text displays]

Useful to have:

• Pressure washer 
• Alloy wheel brush 

[Narrator]

And these also might help:

• A pressure washer 
• An alloy wheel brush 

[Visual transition/change]

Page transitions to a white screen with text instructing the viewer that this is the first step of the process.

[Text displays]

1 – Get ready 

[Text displays]

Park in the shade

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The screen changes to show a dirty red car sitting in a white walled garage with a number of cleaning products next to it on a wheeled trolley.  

[Narrator]

Make sure your car is in the shade before you start, as bright sunlight can cause water spots. 

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2 – Washing

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Rinse with water 

[Visual transition/change]

The video shows the mechanic’s arm holding a hose, pointing it at the dirty car and spraying it all over.  

[Narrator]

Rinse the whole car with water. 

Text displays]

Wash the outside of the car 

[Visual transition/change]

The camera moves to show a yellow bucket full of soapy water. The mechanic dips a sponge into the bucket and begins to clean the outside of the car – starting at the front.  

[Narrator]

Wash the car from top to bottom with the soapy car wash solution using a sponge. Rinse the sponge in clean water before placing back in the soapy solution. 

[Text displays]

Rinse again

[Visual transition/change]

The mechanic picks up the hose pipe once more and sprays the outside of the car with water – removing the soap suds. 

[Narrator]

Rinse the car again with water. 

[Text displays]

3 – Drying 

[Visual transition/change]

The camera moves to show the mechanic using a water blade from one side to the other and then dragging it down to the bottom of the car windshield.  

[Text displays]

Use a water blade on the windows

[Narrator]

The best way to dry your car is to go top down. This will make sure that there’s no water marks left behind. 

Get any excess water off the windows using a water blade. 

[Text displays]

Wipe over 

[Visual transition/change]

The camera stays from the perspective of the mechanic and shows him moving a yellow cloth across the windows and the bonnet of the car – rubbing to remove any leftover water. 

[Narrator]

And finally, wipe down the rest of the car.

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4 – Polishing

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Polish the car 

[Narrator]

Add a small amount of polish to the cloth and begin applying the polish to the paintwork, spreading equally across a small area at a time. Apply in a gentle manner, using a circular motion. As it dries it will create a haze.

[Visual transition/change]

The mechanic pours some polish from a bottle onto a sponge – this is seen from the point of view of the mechanic. He then places the bottle of polish back on the wheeled trolley containing the cleaning products. The video then moves to show the mechanic rubbing the bonnet of the car with the polish and sponge in the circular motion described. 

[Text displays]

5 – Buffing

[Text displays]

Buff off the polish 

[Narrator]

Check whether the polish you are using needs to be left for a short time before it is ready to be removed. Take a fresh cloth and start to buff off the polish, again using a soft and consistent action. 

[Visual transition/change]

The mechanic uses a clean cloth the buff the polish on the car in a circular motion – moving across the bonnet and front light area. 

[Text displays]

6 – Waxing

[Text displays]

Wax the paintwork  

[Narrator]

With the polish now removed, it’s time to apply a layer of wax to protect the paintwork. Check the instructions on the wax bottle to see how long it needs to be on the car

[Visual transition/change]

The mechanic holds a pot of wax and rubs a clean cloth around it in circular motions.  He then applies the waxy cloth to the bonnet of the car and buffs in circular motions. 

[Text displays]

Buff off the wax

[Narrator]

Now buff off the wax using a fresh cloth.

[Visual transition/change]

The mechanic buffs in small, fast, circular motions with a clean cloth.   

[Text displays]

Apply a second coat

[Narrator]

If it has been a while since you last waxed your car, it’s worth considering a second coat for added protection. You can also wax your alloy wheels, giving them a layer of protection against dirt and brake dust.

[Visual transition/change]

The camera moves up and down the length of the car showing the mechanic buffing in quick circular motions. The car is now sparkling red under the lights of the garage.  

[Text displays]

7 – Tyres

[Text displays]

Apply Tyre dressing 

[Narrator]

To give your car that showroom look, apply a tyre dressing that will give your tyres a shiny new appearance. It’s best to spray onto a rag and wipe over the surface of the tyre. But only use it on the tyre wall, not on the treads.

[Visual transition/change]

The mechanic sprays tyre dressing onto a cloth in front of his body. Car wheel is the focus of the shot and the mechanic leans towards the wheel with the cloth in hand and wipes around the outside of the rubber tyre in a circular fashion – avoiding the hub cap and tyre tread.  

[Text displays]

8 – Vacuuming

[Text displays]

Vacuum inside the car 

[Narrator]

Using a vacuum, clean the footwells, remembering to slide the seats forward and back to get access to those harder to reach spots.

[Visual transition/change]

The car door is open and the mechanic’s arm is leaning into the footwell of the driver’s side seat with a vaccum cleaner. The seat is pushed back as far as possible and the pedals are visible. 

[Text displays]

9 – Trim

[Text displays]

Clean the trim

[Narrator]

Using a clean microfibre cloth again, spray some trim cleaner on to the cloth and rub into trim and dashboard areas. Don’t spray the steering wheel or pedals as they could become slippery and dangerous to drive with. 

[Visual transition/change]

The camera pans out to show a full view of the red car with it’s doors open. The mechanic sprays trim cleaner onto a clean cloth in full view of the camera and then rubs it across the car dashboard. The camera angle is shot from the point of view of the person doing the cleaning.   

[Text displays]

10 – Seats

[Text displays]

Clean the seats 

[Narrator]

Make sure you use the right type of product for your seats and read the bottle before starting, as leather and fabric seat cleaners need to be used differently.

[Visual transition/change]

The screen becomes darker as it zooms in to show fabric seats being cleaned by a cloth. The mechanic’s hand rubs up and down on the seat, taking time over the indents and making sure it is clean.   

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11 – Mats

[Text displays]

Clean the mats 

[Narrator]

For mats, give them a wash using a sponge and rinse off, leaving to dry before returning to the car. Now that the outside of your car is waxed and polished, and the inside clean and shiny, you’re all set to get back on the road. 

[Visual transition/change]

The camera shoots from above a black car footwell mat being cleaned by the mechanic. The mechanic’s arm is visible as he wipes all over the rubber matting to clean. The camera then moves to show the rubber mat being placed back into the footwell of the backseat of the car and the lighting reflects this as the screen becomes darker. The mechanic stands up from his kneeling mat position and backs away from the car. The car door shuts and the camera pans out wide to show the whole of the gleaming red car. 

[Text displays]

Summary:

1. Get ready
2. Washing
3. Drying 
4. Polishing 
5. Buffing
6. Waxing
7. Tyres
8. Vacuuming
9. Trim
10. Seats

[Visual transition/change]

The final transition is to a white screen with the Shell Pecten already present in the middle of the shot. The Shell Go Well caption slides in from left to right, sitting under the logo at the centre of the screen.

[Text displays]

Here’s to better journeys

[Background music plays]

Shell Mnemonic plays lasting only 2 seconds

[Text displays]

Go Well