Maintaining a vehicle’s finish can be a tiresome chore. If you’ve ever found yourself with a filthy car on days or even weeks of consecutive rains you’ll find yourself in a quandary. Should you quickly wax or allow your paint’s finish to absorb the brute force of the rain. Read on to find out a simple solution.

Many a car enthusiast will have found themselves debating whether or not to wax their car during days of consecutive rain. For one thing, we know that rain is capable of easily stripping off protectants we apply to our car. Whatever wax you use be it synthetic or carnauba it is not going to last long with continuous rains.

Should you wax quickly in the garage before exposing it to the rain again? Do you just let the rains stop altogether and hope its acidic content doesn’t eat up your finish? This can be very true on areas that experience heavy rain throughout the year.

However, waxing repeatedly can be costly both in time and money especially if you are using boutique waxes. Most waxes too have a curing time, synthetics are claimed to instantly bond but most people believe that a good 12 hours will make it last longer.

What we’ve found is that you can wax your car in sections. For example doing the hood, or fenders today would be quick and easy. Plus it would allow you to finish quickly and let it cure overnight. Doing the other parts on consecutive days will make it much easier.

Making sure that the surface is as dry as possible also will prevent the wax from being blown away on the next rain shower. You can use some terry towels after a round of chamois patting. After that you can even use your leaf blower to make sure it’s as dry as a bone. Since you’ll be doing sections at a time this can be so much easier.

As mentioned above letting waxes cure will make them last longer. Waxing as soon as you arrive home will mean that when you get out to work the next day you’ll be protected with a strengthened wax layer.

Using synthetic wax should be compulsory during rainy days. Most synthetic waxes are easy to apply and almost magically as easy to wipe off. Going for traditional waxes will make your rainy days extremely frustrating. Plus all the effort will go down the drain when you realize that 12 hours is too short of a cure time for even the hardest carnauba waxes.

Some people recommended waxing weekly if your car is exposed to bad weather. We can’t recommend this highly enough if you love your car. Don’t forget to rotate each section. You can wax a different section once a week or once every third day if the weather is really bad.

Lastly it is recommended to make sure that you vehicle is not damp when you wax it. This can leave unsightly white swipe marks all over your car. They can be a pain to remove with washing. That’s a lot of time and wax wasted too.

By M. Maxx

Most people who love cars will never let other people wash their them. That means that their cars do not visit drive through car washes or have them scrubbed by those bikini car wash girls that seem to be pop out once in a while.

True enthusiasts find that touching the surface of their car and caring for its paint is one of the most satisfying moments they can spend with their works of art.

No one is ever going to be able to take care of your vehicle better than yourself. Through your regular cleanings you’ll take note of every imperfection, dent or scratch.

The more time you spend cleaning it or her the more you will memorize its imperfections. Every car is unique this way and this is why many people love them.

By taking time to clean your car you will find that you will start to care more for it. And like a woman if you start taking care of your ride it will never let you down too.

While cleaning you can notice tires getting worn out, bumper screws missing, light bulbs burnt out and even tail pipes needing replacement. A lot of people take these things for granted which in the end might cost them their lives.

Taking time to wash your car and care for its paint can mean the difference between a shiny 10 year old jewel with original paint and a 3 year old car with premature fading of its paint. This can mean a lot when it comes to resale value. A good paint job is an investment that could pay back for itself when the time comes to part with your vehicle

Driving a clean car can have its social benefits too. Someone who arrives with a super shiny work of art they tend to get compliments from their peers. A clean car usually means that you have discipline which can carry over to your work.

Not only have that but women always seemed to get attracted to cars as well. The shinier and cleaner they are the more they speak of your ability to take care of it.

Cleaning your car is indeed an important thing. It can prevent accidents, earn you some money (when it’s time to sell), improve your self confidence (through peer’s appreciation) and even better your chances of meeting women. So start regularly cleaning you car!

Regular washings can give you a cardiovascular workout as a bonus too!

After washing comes waxing. Read on the best Car Wax Reviews to find out which products are considered worthy of your time and car. I promise it won’t take you a long time to see which the best car wax is.

By M. Maxx

Cleaning your car while losing fat may be hard to believe but it can be done. The science behind this fact is simple. If you exert any amount of effort you burn calories. In fact cleaning the car each morning can be as effective as walking for a couple of miles!

Doing it more vigorously without breaks can feel like 10 hundred meter sprints! A lot of older guys attribute their health to early morning rituals which included car cleaning. It is a simple and productive exercise that requires no training and, unlike other forms of exercise, it is virtually injury free.

To lose weight it is essential for you to concentrate on consistently. You must commit yourself to washing your car at least twice a week. Waxing it every 2 weeks is a good option. Doing this consistently will make you more active and speed up your metabolism.

If possible it is recommended to do it early in the morning. An outdoor setting will help too. The human eye when exposed to sunlight first thing in the morning will trigger the brain into waking up the whole body. You will feel energized and ready to go when you expose your eyes to sunlight.

Another tip would be to wash your car with focus and determination. This might sound funny but being distracted will only make your “cardio session” ineffective. You must keep your activity high to raise your heart rate. This means a faster than regular movement of your mitts while soaping your car.

This does work and the metabolism boost you will experience might be effective. Do this daily for 6 months and you are guaranteed to lose at least 10 pounds. Make sure your sessions are very quick and move deliberately. Fast paced music helps to make you livelier and drown distractions.

Dividing the car by panels can help you when you run out of stuff to clean. You can divide the car into sections that you could cleaning anywhere from 3 to 5 times weekly.

Make sure to try and make your feet move fast too. Go through each panel with decisive swift motions. Think of it as a contest in challenging yourself to clean your car as fast as possible. Cleaning with sufficient challenge on quickness and decisiveness in movement will cause your metabolism to heighten. Regularly doing this will ensure not only a beautiful car but also a trimmer sexier waist.

Waxing can be a real bother if you have inferior car waxing products. Read Car Wax Reviews at http://www.carwaxreviews.net/ to find out which products are considered worthy of your time and car.

By M. Maxx

A lot of times car enthusiasts are bombarded with ads featuring car care products that are very expensive. Usually these ads run on Home TV Shopping Networks featuring fancy scientific tests. These tests generally are exaggerated and sometimes even featuring waxes that can “resist” laser beams.

The point of this article is to discuss whether or not expensive car waxes that you see often see on TV are better than that can of paste our fathers have been using for the last 20 years.

Point 1: Law of Diminishing Returns

Waxes can generally be divided into price points. First we have the value waxes costing less than 10 dollars. Next are the “top of the line” consumer waxes hovering at around 20 dollars. Around the $50 dollar mark are waxes whose brand names are only familiar to those who detail their cars.

Waxes can cost well beyond 200 dollars. Generally speaking the most expensive waxes do not offer a linear scale of quality. In other words a 200 dollar tin can of high end wax will not give a gloss that is 20x better than one costing 7 dollars.

Concluding this point people will generally not notice any difference between a $20 USD wax and that $100 USD high end wax you have been saving for.

Point 2: “Boutique Waxes” Do Not Last Long

Expensive car waxes generally cater to people who prepare their cars for exhibitions. Once in a while a serious car restorer might apply his most expensive wax during special occasions like weddings or impressing dates.

Some detailers know for a fact that these “boutique waxes” will not hold its gloss and shine for long. In fact a lot of car waxes that offer the wettest look for your car’s paint will attract dust like crazy. It is a common lament among novice detailers that as early as the third washing high end car waxes get stripped off.

Budget waxes on the other hand are designed more to protect than to reflect. So they do their job well and there are brands that do last for as much as 6 months. Half a year’s protection for around 5 bucks is as good as it gets.

Point 3: More Expensive Harder to Apply

Generally speaking as a car wax gets progressively more expensive it gets harder to apply. There is one popular brand for example that needs to have 3 to 4 products layered on top of each other to produce the best results. This may take several hours to complete since you have to let the product sit for as long as an hour at times.

There are also product families which do not work well when they aren’t applied with a bundle of other products. Step products are an example of this.

More expensive car wax products will be harder for a beginner to apply since getting the exact amount on the car’s surface requires experience with each product. Some products when over applied can eat up on the car’s clear coat and ruin your cars finish.

Cheaper products tend to be designed for everybody and are “idiot proof.” This makes them somewhat safer than the obscure super expensive products.

Expensive car waxes have their place in detailing. But it does not necessarily mean that they are worth their price for most people. It may surprise you to know that even the cheapest waxes do protect your car. And if you are looking for the best shine and reflections from your car you might get the best result from that product you can get over at your local gas station instead of importing it from some European country.

Find out which cheap car wax was chosen the best at Car Wax Reviews.

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Everyone who has ever owned a car has encountered water spots. And most detailing jobs are done to remove them. They are among the most horrible car paint problems you will ever encounter. Read on to find out how to avoid getting them.

What Are Water Spots?

Water spots are those little irregularly circular shapes that appear after water has dried of the car’s surface. They can range from barely visible to extremely visible as if painted on the car. They occur when water beads evaporate from the surface of the car leaving hard minerals on the paint’s surface.

Water spot removal can be very difficult if not impossible without the right tools. Furthermore the severity of the problem can depend on how hard or soft the water is that caused it. In milder cases a gentle wipe while shampooing a car can remove it. In very bad cases only a car care product with abrasive polishing properties can remove them.

What Water Sports Can Do to a Car’s Paint

Water spots can attach to a car’s paint. A bonding process can happen between the trace elements and the paint of your car if the water spot is allowed to stay on.  Exposure to the heat of the sun accelerates this bonding process.

If left for more than a few days time with the sun scorching on the paint, water spots will begin etching the paint. This will make it a fixture on your car’s surface which can be very ugly.

How to Avoid Getting Water Spots

Although it can be hassle the best way to prevent water spots stains is to make sure your car is always dry. As soon as it gets wet from the rain try to park it somewhere dry and begin washing it. If you are in a hurry a detailing spray and a microfiber cloth to wipe it with can save your car finish. It is much better to spend 5 minutes to get out water beads as soon as they form rather than spend hours later on polishing it off or worse shell out hundreds of dollars to have it removed from a detailing shop.

Water spots are probably one of the worst paint problems you can encounter with your car. If you allow it to set in and bake under the heat of the sun it will be very difficult to remove. Taking time to wipe off any excess water of your car is the best way of preventing water spots from happening.

Did you know that Turtle Wax makes a product that serves as a water spot removal tool? Check out what we had to say about Carnauba Cleaner Wax from Turtle Wax.

This article looks into common car paint problems that older cars run into. Paint oxidation and Paint Chipping. They are among the most difficult paint problems that you can run into. Read on to find out how to avoid them.

Paint Oxidation

Paint oxidation is when a car’s paint slowly turns from bright glossy to dull and rough. You will notice this first on the hood of the car and sometimes on the roof part. This is caused by weathering and sunlight damage.

The car’s clear coat is slowly thinned out and exposes the paint to sunlight and other damaging factors. This is a process that happens for a period of time rather than overnight so it is harder to notice for car owners. Fortunately if the oxidation is caught early you can delay repainting and polish your car instead.

Polishing your car can restore mild to moderate damage cause by paint oxidation. You can also avoid paint oxidation by parking your car away from sunlight and protecting it with a paint sealant.

Paint Chipping

Paint chipping is one of the greatest damage your paint can go through. Major paint chipping damage cuts through the color coat down to primer and well to the actual metal surface of the car. This kind of paint damage will require repainting.

Lesser paint chipping damage that does not cut all the way to bare metal can be filled with polishing products. Some even come with color sticks that you can filled the damage with. However if you are seriously wanting to revive your car you paint chipping damage is best done by professional car detailers.

Paint related damage on your car can be repaired or masked. If the damage is too great, a little painting can be done provided that you have the experience with detailing cars. Preventing both paint oxidation and chipping is the best way to go about this.

It is not difficult at all. All you need is time with your car and a willingness to maintain its paint. Half an hour each weekend will be enough for you to maintain your cars finish for a long time. To protect your car during its life it is best to provide a sealant for it.

Resource

Did you know that car waxes act as paint sealants for your cars? Check our Car Wax Reviews for the best information on products that protect your car like the Turtle Wax line.

Automobiles have become an integral part of our society. Intended to be used as a tool to get from point A to point B cars have extended their use in today’s society.

This article discusses a few points on car selection and personality. Cars have long stopped being tools that get us from one point to another and have transformed into status symbols and reflect the driver’s values and personality.

Often people judge a person by the car they drive. If you are stepping out a Bentley for example, you would garner much respect from just about anyone who witnesses you getting out of the car.

The condition and look of your car has extended the mantra of your discipline being reflected on how your wear your clothes. Being seen parking a dirty car is the equivalent to going to the office in a disheveled suit. Analogously, alighting from an impeccably detailed car is the prim and proper look that many office executives are known for.

In fact nowadays what you drive adds more to your reputation than what you wear. Studies have shown than rides reflect more of the personality of the person than clothes. Cars have ceased becoming tools and have transcended into the realm of lifestyle.

Playboys want fast looking coupes while daddies are opting to get minivans. Buicks are said to cater to the less internet savvy drivers compared to Honda which has an overwhelmingly digital age buyer group.

This trend even goes to driving tendencies. Sports cars owners tend to be a little less patient on the stop light than station wagon drivers. The gigantic proportions of some SUVs tend to make their owners bully smaller sized vehicles in rush hour traffic.

Brands like Lexus are tend to be bought by wealth and well educated owners. Aside from that demographic the brand caters mostly to married couples. This reflects stability and a more settled down personality for the buyers.

Your choices in the car you are driving very much reflect your personality. Stop thinking of your car as something that takes from one place to another but take great care in choosing your car. You may not think it matters but your peers will gauge your personality on the car you drive.

Scratches on cars typically fall under three categories. Read on to find out which scratches your car has and what cause them. Finally look into some tips on how to remove car scratches.

Swirl Marks

Swirl Marks rank among the most annoying things that can happen a car’s finish. Swirl marks also known as the “cobweb- effect” are scratches that seem to center on a particular point. When you move your field of vision this cobweb effect seems to follow your point of view. This is what makes it unsightly.

It seems that the car is full of circular scratches all throughout. And yes it is! Tiny almost invisible scratches scattered all over the car’s body is what causes this cobweb effect. Darker colored cars are immensely affected by them.

Minor Scratches

Minor scratches can be defined as scratches that do not penetrate the car’s primer paint. Or the colored layer beneath most modern clear coat protected cars. These scratches are usually faint in appearance and can occur from small particles being rubbed against the paint.

These particles may be dust, sand or other abrasive materials that a car is often exposed to. This can be easily buffed away by a good car care product. Some waxes even help “fill” this minute crevices.

Deep Scratches

Deep scratches are often the most difficult to remove. Scratches like this are often done deliberately by people who vandalize cars. Pointed objects such as screw drivers or nails are used to etch the car’s finish. Often the only way to remove them is to visit a detailer who can retouch your paint.

If you are incredibly lucky some elbow grease and rubbing compound can minimize them. There are also car care products that can mask the effects of deep scratches.

In a car’s lifetime it will undergo various degrees of these scratches. They can be very unsightly and in some cases make newer cars look artificially aged. Taking care of your car’s paint is not difficult with the right amount of care and attention plus a few car care products.

Mothers Car Wax offers a few products that could simplify car paint maintenance. Read more about which products topped our list in Car Wax Reviews.

Swirl marks are the bane of car owners and car enthusiasts alike. They make even the best paint job ugly quick! Read on to find out what the normal cause for these swirl marks are. Also learn how to avoid them to give your car the best finish for as long as possible.

Dirty Cleaning Cloths

Surprisingly the number one cause of swirl marks on your car paint is dirty cleaning cloths. This includes filthy chamois, dirty terry cloth towels and cheap micro fiber fabrics. Often to save money people use old clothes or towels to clean their cars. This leads to swirl marks appearing on your car sometimes as soon as your dirty fabric touches the paint!

Remove this risk by cleaning your cloths before and after using them. Also you can use 100% cotton towels that haven’t worn down too much. As for chamois towels try to use them by tapping them into wet areas instead of wiping the car with it.

Car Dusters

Car dusters have gone the way of the dinosaur. Old car dusters with feathers for cleaning your paint were very harsh on dark clear coat painted cars. However newer products that feature waxed cotton strands do a much better job.

However they still cause much damage because most people do not follow directions on applying zero pressure to them while they glide across the surface of the car. Another swirl causing habit is using dusters on cars which are too dirty. The effect is that the duster is met with particles way bigger than dust particles that get dragged along the surface.

Washing Improperly

Not enough people wash their cars properly. They often just dip their washing mitts on a pail of detergent and start scrubbing away. This habit destroys the paint and destroys it fast. The proper way to wash so avoid getting swirl marks is to hose down the car first with water to loosen large particles that may otherwise mar the surface when shampooing it.

After shampooing it is also best to hose it down again before drying it to make sure that the particles removed by the shampoo are taken away from the car. A film of water from a bucket is also a great way for the water to remove particles that were not removed from the first hose down.

Filthy Car Covers

Car covers meant to protect cars often are the cause of swirl marks. This is because car covers are seldom cleaned. Most are just tucked neatly with all sorts of mold and mildew growing on them. As soon as cars get under the covers they rubbed against the particles trapped on the car covers inside.

Without proper maintenance car covers will damage your paint more than it will protect it.

Improper Use of Strong Polishing Compounds

Polishing a car should be a rarely done activity. As polishing is an abrasive process it eats up precious clear coat that protects your cars paint. Because of the abundance of polishing compounds on the market most people think that they need to polish their cars as often as they wax it.

Polishing compounds with strong abrasives will eat up your paint fast if done more than twice a year. To be safe try to use it only once a year. A properly cleaned and waxed car will not need to be polished more than that.

Swirl marks are easy to get and hard to remove. It is important to realize that sooner or later any car will get swirl marks. Your job as a car owner is to avoid getting them fast. Some cars get swirl marks five days after they roll out the dealership. While others which are well taken cared off don’t get swirl marks well into their fifth year.

Avoiding the five causes of swirl marks above will give you a swirl free car for years to come.

Did you know than a good wax can fill up swirl marks to make them invisible? Meguiars Wax offers different products that can help reduce swirl marks. Read more about them at Car Wax Reviews, where we give our honest opinion on the best waxes for your car.

In this piece we discuss the different kinds of environmental contaminants that you car can get exposed to. Read more about them to increase your awareness and help your car’s paint last for as long as it can.

Bird Droppings

Bird droppings damage your paint because of their acidic nature. This has a tendency to eat through the clear coat and on to the paint’s primer.  Leaving bird droppings on your vehicle’s paint will allow it to etch out more damage.

Road Tar

Driving your car around will inevitably expose it to all kinds of particles that stick to your paint. This includes asphalt, filth, exhaust emissions from other cars and even tire rubber bits. This stuff is almost impossible to remove through washing alone. The lower half of your car will show the most damage often making the paint coarse and rough to the touch.

Tree Sap

If you park near trees to shade your vehicle then you will notice that once in a while you get tree saps along with little insects. They are one of the hardest contaminants to remove in a car’s finish. A rubbing compound can help you with tree sap removal

Dust

A build up of dust forms a cake around your car as soon as it gets moisture. This can be difficult to remove once it has set itself in layers and dries. The most common source of cobweb scratches in cars are little dust particles (which have solidified) going through the surface when you wipe a dirty car.

Cars are exposed to a lot of environmental contaminants every time they go out. All of these cause your paint to degrade faster than normal. If you want your car’s shine to last for as long as possible it is best to have your car protected from them.

Car Wax products offer the most economical and convenient way for you to product your car. Reading Car Wax Reviews is the best way to find out which the best car wax is for your car.

Black cars generally are chosen by people who like a dignified look on their automobiles. Some people consider them to have pedigree. Others cannot think of any other color for a car other than black. In fact Henry Ford once said that the customer could choose any paint they wanted for their cars as long as it was black!

First let’s enumerate a few things about black painted cars.

They Scratch Faster

Ask anyone who had washed a new vehicle that was painted black about what he first notices on the paint. Scratches will certainly be his first reply. Because of the nature of most common scratches on cars, they usually will be colored white. White against black is one of the easiest things to see. People usually interpret this as black colored cars “scratching faster.”

Swirl Marks Are More Noticeable

All cars even the most pampered ones will get swirl marks that are very annoying. Black cars are so unforgiving that swirl marks can be seen from a mile away during a bright sunny day. There is nothing more unsightly than a super glossy car showing off its cobweb scratches.

They Easily Show Dust

Dust particles are extremely visible on a black car. Car detailers often call them dust magnets. In fact without the use of special products cars detailed to perfection could be laden with dust particles that are not apparent on other colored paints.

They Heat Up More

California was not joking when it wanted black painted automobiles off its roads. Science suggests that on the average a black colored one heats up faster than lighter colored ones. And with more heat on the surface of the paint more degradation follows.

All those reasons above means that a car with black paint will require a lot more maintenance than lighter colored cars. The nature of scratches, dust and dirt means than they will stand out in a black colored car.

Normal waxes on these cars do work. But filling up streaks and scratches with green colored car wax will only serve to make them more visible. A lot of people just leave it at that. “Black cars just scratch faster.”

However judicious use of products meant for black cars can literally make miracles happen. Next time you shop around make sure to pick out car wax products meant for your black paint. If you can’t find one read for products meant for darker colored vehicles.

Interested in Car Wax Black reviews? Find out which products we chose as the best wax for a black car

Most of us never really give car washing much thought. A brush, sponge and a hose is all we ever think about. Some of us don’t ever bother and just go on self-service car washes to save time.

All of those who wash their cars by hand however, are rewarded with a car that will wear its paint beautifully even after many years on the road. This article goes through some basic tips on washing your car.

Do Not Use Brushes on Your Car’s Surface

It is generally best to avoid letting any sort of brush touch your car’s paint. These abrasive materials are meant to scrub of dirt and grime and make cleaning easier.

There are even brush-hose combos that are meant to take a dry car for an instant scrubbed bath. Unlike people a car’s skin top layer cannot regenerate. The glossy clear layer that gives a car its shine will wear out quickly if you keep using brushes to clean the surface of your car.

Instant Spray based “Car Washes” are a No No

Touch less car washes in a bottle are filled with nasty chemicals which get rid of the dirt and grime on your car. Unfortunately this also damages your paint in the long run.

Do Not Use Dish Washing Detergents

Using detergents meant for the kitchen as a substitute for car wash shampoos is bad. This myth should die. Dishwashing detergents contain powerful stripping chemicals that can obliterate your car’s coat if used excessively.

Yes there are gentler dish washing detergents but it is best to avoid using them. There are car wash shampoos or preparations that do not cost much higher than dish washing detergents.

Do Not Use Old Clothes to Wipe Your Car

Old clothes generally have run out of enough cotton fibers to be effective in removing dust and dirt on your cars surface. When washing your car it is best to use a mitt with soft fibers that can trap layers of dirt and take them off the car.

Tattered clothes act has sheets that do not take dirt and grains of sand away from the paint. They will drag all these abrasive materials on your paint and that will have the effect of sanding your car’s paint.

If you have old thick towels that have still have long cotton fibers then you can use them if you do not have car washing mitts at hand.

Do Not Wash the Car in Direct Sunlight

Perhaps the greatest mistake you can make when washing cars. Washing the cars on direct sunlight can have a dangerous effect on your paint. Each water droplet will act as a magnifying glass.

This produces little laser like beams that will create microscopic pits on your car paint. The end result is a premature chipping of car’s paint especially in the front portion.

Do Not Use the Same Mitts for Upper and
Lower Parts of the Car

If you use mitts then it is best to have two of them. One for the upper half of the car and one for the lower half is a good way to ensure that dirt on the lower portion will not contaminate the more visible upper part. A lot of cars have a line that runs through the level of the headlight that will help you distinguish from he lower or higher parts.

You can also look at the sides of your car when it is dirty. You will notice that from the bottom of the car up to a certain point will be abrasive. Or even contain grains of asphalt. Take great care that these grains do not make their way up to the upper half of the car. As they can cause deep and visible scratches on your car’s finish.

Using two mitts or car washing towels can help you with this.

Do Not Allow Your Car to Dry in Air

Allowing you car to dry without your intervention can leave nasty water marks on your paint. This is caused by tap water with higher mineral content. They can be nasty and be very difficult to remove.

No doubt you have seen cars sprinkled with so much of these little white circles.

Do Not Forget to Wash Your Wheels

Wheels and tires are among the dirtiest part of your car. A lot of us neglect to wash them because they will get dirty again as soon as we drive. However if you leave them unwashed for a period of time they can be very difficult to remove.

They will accumulate into a greasy paste like layer on your wheels. This can take hours to scrub off. To avoid this wash your car’s wheel regularly with the help of wheel detailing products like brushes.

Very few people know how to maintain their car’s paint. Almost everyone will always just wash and dry their car. Occasionally when they feel that they need it to look good they’ll have it waxed.

This article lays out the proper steps in maintaining your car. The following steps take a previously dirty car from cleaning to protecting.

Step 1: Washing

Washing is what we are most familiar with. Because washing is intuitive we think that the main way of protecting our cars is through washing.

Although this can be somewhat true, washing actually removes the clear coat for cars that have it. This does not happen in one washing but through numerous washing sessions especially with detergents not meant for car use.

Washing your car is just the first step among the four discussed here. Step 2, the Clay Bar confuses a lot of people.

Step 2: Clay Bar

Claying a car would be difficult for anyone unfamiliar with car detailing to put together. Indeed much confusion happens when a Clay Bar should be used.

Clay Bars are meant to be used after washing. They work by clearing the paint of imperfections. Contaminants that were not taken out by washing can be effectively removed by a clay bar.

Step 3: Polishing

Polishing may sound like the last step in maintaining your paint but actually it’s not. People might mistake polishing as a process of making the car glimmer or shine.

When we say polishing here it actually is more like cleaning. A polish contains very light abrasive materials that dig into the paint to remove scratches.

Polishing is also responsible for removing those fine cobweb shaped swirl scratches that ruins the finish of a car.

Step 4: Waxing

The last step in maintaining the paint of your car is waxing. Waxing is a protective process.

A wax creates a layer of protective material that acts as a shield. You can think of this as an extension skin for your car. This is probably the most important step as it prevents the elements like the sun and weather from ruining your paint.

Waxes generally come in different forms. The most popular among them is the carnauba wax coming from Brazil. Newer synthetic “waxes” are not even waxes at all. But they do have the same bonding effect that carnauba based waxes do.

This four steps in maintaining your car is not a rigid system. Waxing your car for example can be done every 3 months or so. While washing it down with a car shampoo should be done more frequently.

If however you want the maximum treatment to maintaining your car’s paint then doing this four steps twice or thrice a year will ensure a car that will hold on to its shine for a long time.

Washing cars can be simple process. Have you ever thought you needed to read a guide on how to wash cars? Read on to find out if you are doing it the right way.

This article goes through four steps that will make your car washing more efficient and less time consuming as possible.

Step 1: Hose with water

A hose is a car washer’s best friend. Start by quickly hosing down your whole car. This will remove and dust and dirt that has built up.

Making you sure you do not waste water try and wash down the car in panels. Take note that the car does not enjoy bathing in water like you do so try to save water.

Step 2: Wash it with car shampoo

Be mindful of what you put on your car’s paint. Most people think detergent if they wanted to clean something. Unfortunately your car’s clear coat and paint are not designed to resist the highly abrasive detergents used on laundry or dishes.

Get a proper shampoo and soap your car. A proper soaping technique involves two buckets and a car wash mitt. The first bucket should be filled with soapy water while the second filled with clean water.

Drip your wash mitt into the bucket of soapy water. Do not squeeze out any excess suds and instead lightly let the car mitts run following the lines of the car. Do not scrub your car in rough circular motions. This is the cause of those swirl marks that your car has.

As soon as you finish one panel soak the mitts on the second bucket of clean water. Make sure to shake your mitts to lodge of the dirt and sand it accumulated.

Step 3: Rinse With Water

Rinsing with water can be a tricky thing. If you had soaped the entire car before rinsing it some of the soap may have already dried up. This can be a hassle to remove frequently requiring you to do a pass of soap and rinse again.

An easy technique to rinsing your car after a healthy soaping is to not use a hose. Instead use a small pail or container to create sheets of water that will run through the surface.

Starting from the top allows this sheet of water to glide down removing soap and debris along the way. This is much more effective than rinsing with a hose because that film of water that forms acts as a gentle wipe on the surface of your car.

Step 4: Dry with Chamois

The last step involves drying your car. While it may be tempting to just let the car sit and dry on its own you should take steps in making sure you dry your car quickly.

Leaving it to dry by itself will leave water marks on your car which may be very difficult to remove.

Drying can be very quick with a pair chamois wipe. The chamois are highly absorbent materials which will instantly make the surface of your car dry within contact.

Do not wipe that chamois over at the surface. Instead pat your car dry with them. Squeeze out the excess water and continue patting until your car is free of any water beads.

An important thing to remember while washing your car is to never allow it to dry between steps. Only on the last part should the car be allowed to dry.

Following these four steps can cut down your washing time drastically. Car washing does no need to take long and using this method can take as little as 20 minutes.

Polishing and Waxing are terms in the car cleaning industry that are used interchangeably. In fact products that are true waxes are often labeled having “polishing” properties.

Conversely, true polishing products are combined with waxes in order to produce one step polish-wax solutions that are labeled as “polishes.”

This has led many car owners to use the term interchangeably. But what really makes waxes and polishes different from each other? This article will explain the difference between them.

Polishing is a process in which a material that has abrasive properties is applied to the car surface. This is done to remove minor paint damage and removal of minor scratches.

This application is done on a clean surface free of any dust, grime or dirt. Polishing is done after washing the car.

A polish product accomplishes by gently scrubbing a very thin layer of paint on your car. This cleansing property of polishes however exposes the paint to the elements.

Applying wax over the polished surface of a car is then the next step to protect it. If polishing is a cleaning process then waxing is the protecting step.

Waxes coat the car in an invisible barrier. And they act as the first line of defense in weathering the paint damaging effects of the sun and other harsh chemicals.

Waxes are often mixed with chemicals that give of a shine. This extends the surface quality that polishing does. Waxes from the carnauba tree are the most common ingredients of waxes.

Polishing and waxing your car are both important for the health of your car’s paint. Remembering to do both will ensure that your paint will remain deep and shiny for years to come.