A little regular maintenence can keep your vehicle's finish looking new for years to come.
Keep Your Vehicle Looking Like New!
The Right Way to Wash, Polish, and Wax Your Vehicle.
There are countless advantages to keeping your vehicle clean and protected throughout the year. Preserving the shiny, new look to your paint job is only the beginning, as corrosion on a vehicle’s surface can drastically reduce its resale value. Moisture will quickly dry on a clean vehicle, but can accumulate in grimy areas on a dirty car, and that accumulation will lead to corrosion if it’s not taken care of.
Your vehicle has more than just rainwater as its enemy. Bird droppings, highway bugs (you know, the kind that are plastered to the front of your vehicle), acid rain, road salt, and atmospheric pollution can all wreak havoc on your once beautiful paint job. Fighting back against these ever-diligent adversaries can seem a daunting task, but really, it’s easier than you’d think.
Ideally, you should wash your car at least once a week, but alas, nothing in life is ideal, and a good washing at least once per month will suffice. The more you wash it, the better your car will look on a daily basis, and the more you’ll be doing to protect it from the harsh conditions of the environment.
Washing
Before Getting Started
First things first, you’ll need to gather some required materials before beginning.
Make sure that a steady stream of water is available.
Fill a large, plastic bucket with cool water. (A metal bucket could scratch your vehicle if it’s accidentally knocked into the paint).
Your choice of a soft, clean cloth, a wash mitt, a terry cloth towel, or a soft bristle brush, just as long as you’re sure that whatever you’re using won’t scratch the paint. A sponge is a poor choice here, as it’s relatively flat surface could drag dirt across the vehicle’s surface as you wash, wearing away the finish.
Tip: Most towels labeled “100% cotton,” actually aren’t made entirely of cotton, and contain fibers that will scratch your vehicle’s paint. You can find out if a towel is 100% cotton by performing the following test. Roll up a corner of the towel and set it on fire. That’s right, light a small, corner portion of the towel on fire. If the flame is clear and candle-like, then the material in question is truly 100% cotton. On the other hand, if it creates black smoke, and leaves melted fibers on the towel (the very same fibers that would have scratched your paint), then you shouldn’t be rubbing it all over your vehicle.
You’ll need some soap for this operation, and any good automobile soap will do. Do not, however, use dishwashing liquid or household cleaners of any sort. These detergents were not made to be used on automobile paint, and many will remove wax from a car like grease from a dinner plate.
Tip: If you suspect that your vehicle has a special, unique paint job – one that might require special care to be taken when cleaning - be sure to consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual before you wash anything.
The Process
Have everything you need? Great. Now it’s time to get down to business. You’ll want to wash your car in a shady area, and you’ll also want the paint surface to be relatively cool before you begin. If there’s a great deal of heat, or worse, direct sunlight on your vehicle, you risk the soap drying onto the paint before you’re able to rinse it off, leaving noticeable streaks and soap residue. If you can easily hold your hand on the hood of your vehicle, then it’s not too hot to wash.
Run-off is another issue to keep in mind when positioning your vehicle before the wash. The run-off from your car wash contains soap, dirt, oil, and other pollutants that will go straight into rivers, lakes, and harbors if left to drain into the storm water system (i.e. into the street gutter). Storm water is not sent to a sewage treatment plant before being dumped into our waterways. If water on your driveway runs off into the street gutter, it’s best to park your car in the grass, that way the run-off will be soaked up in the lawn before it can reach the storm gutters. Though unlikely, the EPA can fine you for letting such run-off go into the storm drains.
Add the soap to your bucket of cool water. The amount of soap to use depends on the manufacturers recommendations, which should be printed on the label. The more soap you use, the more wax you’ll be taking off during the wash. You can use as little as half of the manufacturer’s recommendation and still get your car nice and clean.
Use a gentle spray of water to thoroughly wet the surface of the vehicle. Be gentle here, as a harsh spray could grate dirt across the paint surface and cause scratching. This light rinse should get most of the loose dirt off the vehicle.
Now, divide your car into five different sections: top, hood, trunk, right side, and left side. Working from the top, to the hood and the trunk, and then on to the sides, rewet, gently wash, and then rinse each section, finishing each one before moving on to the next. This top-down strategy ensures that run-off soap won’t end up on the already washed sections, and that no soap will dry onto the paint.
Washing Tips:
When washing, rub the car gently, as a roughness here could grind dirt into the finish of your car, leaving unsightly scratches and swirls in the paint.
Rinsing your cloth, towel, brush, or mitt often helps to prevent any accumulated dirt from being rubbed across the paint surface.
When dipping into the soapy water, give your cloth a swirl while it’s in the water to help get out any stuck-in dirt or grime. If you’re using a mitt, take it off periodically and fill the inside with water, then turn it upside down and pour the water back out – this helps to remove any caught dirt from inside the glove.
As soon as you’ve finished washing the car, it’s important to begin drying it right away. Using a soft cotton or terry cloth towel, and starting at the top of the vehicle, blot the water gently off of the surface. After the initial blotting, switch to a fresh, dry towel to blot away any remaining moisture. Once you’ve dried the top using this method, move on to the trunk and hood, and then down to the sides.
You’re finished! You can be confident that your vehicle is as clean as it can be. You’ve successfully turned away another environmental attack against your vehicle’s precious shine. If you’ve got a little extra time on your hands after you’ve finished washing the car, feel free to take a drive to your local coin-operated car wash and put a few quarters into their pressure wash machine. It’s a good idea to use this, from time to time, to spray underneath the vehicle and inside the wheel-wells. These are the places where corrosion most often rears its ugly head, and a little pressure wash now and then can help to keep the rust away.
Polishing
Many people don’t take the time to properly polish their vehicles after washing them; often skipping right to waxing, if they bother to wax at all. A good polish can deepen the shine provided by waxing, but that’s not all it does. Automobile polish is a bit more abrasive than wax, and as a result it can remove water spots, minor surface imperfections, and even small scratches from your vehicle’s finish.
If you choose to incorporate a polish into your regular car-cleaning regimen, you’ve got two options to choose from. You may choose to go with a polish designed for use under a separate coat of wax, or a combination wax/polish application. It’s up to you which route you choose to go, as long as you never use both a separate polish and a polish/wax combination product, as you may run the risk of damaging your finish.
Since it’s a good idea to polish directly before applying a coat of wax, you’ll probably only need to do it once every three to four months, or as long as the wax you plan to use is designed to last (we’ll go over this in the next section, entitled: Waxing).
Before Getting Started
The best time to polish your vehicle is immediately after washing it. This will ensure that your automobile is free of any dirt or grime, and help reduce the chances that you’ll inadvertently rub any sort of abrasive filth into your vehicle’s finish.
As with washing, avoid polishing your vehicle in direct sunlight, if possible. The shade will help you avoid uneven drying, which leads to an uneven, streaky, and very unprofessional looking finish.
You’ll need some sort of automobile polishing product. This will, most likely, be available at the same store at which you bought the soap used for the car wash. Any auto supply store, big box retail store, or even grocery store, should have a selection of polishes available.
Make sure the material that you choose to use as an applicator is soft and clean. If your polishing product didn’t come with an applicator, a clean, folded piece of terry cloth will work well.
The Process
Add a light, even coating of polish to the towel, then gently apply to the vehicle’s surface using small, even, circular movements. Polish only a small section at a time, starting at the top of the car and working your way down to the trunk and hood before moving on to the sides.
Let the polish sit on the paint surface for about 5-10 minutes (check the label on the polish for the manufacture’s suggested time). During this time, the polish should dry out, turning a slightly different color in the process.
Remove the residue with a different towel than the one you used to apply the polish. While removing, use the same small, even, circular movements you used during the application, turning the cloth to a fresh side as needed, and pressing firmly enough to remove all of the residual polish, but gently enough not to rub the residue right into the vehicle’s finish.
Repeat the polishing process for each of the other four sections.
Now that you’ve polished out any minor spots or blemishes, it’s time to get out the wax and make your paint beautiful.
Waxing
A good coat of wax will not only give your car a deep, lustrous shine, it will also help to protect your car’s finish from loose dirt, light scratches, and corrosion causing moisture. It will provide your vehicle’s finish with a barrier of protection, and such protection is well worth the time you’ll spend on it. Even if you’re only able to renew your vehicle’s coat of wax two or three times a year, that added protection will immeasurably improve the look of your paint job in the years to come.
Natural or Synthetic
Before beginning, you’ll have to decide whether you’d like to go with a natural wax, or a synthetic blend. The most common natural wax comes from Brazil, and is called carnauba wax. Carnauba wax is described as adding a warm depth to the finish, especially when it’s used on darker colored paints. Carnauba does a fine job of beading up water, absorbing acids contained in rainwater, and hiding slight swirls in the paint.
On the other hand, Carnauba waxes aren’t as durable as their synthetic counterparts. A good natural wax will usually last for only about 30-60 days, as opposed to the 4-6 months you’ll get out of the synthetic waxes. With a natural wax, you’ll also run the risk of it streaking in extremely hot or humid conditions, a problem that you won’t have to worry about with most synthetic blends. A good synthetic wax is said to create more brilliance and sparkle in the paint, a trait that you may prefer over the depth and warmth created by a natural wax.
Ultimately, the decision is up to you. When making the decision between natural or synthetic wax, take into account the amount of time you’ll have available to re-apply the wax (natural waxes demand more frequent applications), as well as the type of finish you’d like to see in your paint.
Before Getting Started
Before you start putting on the first coat of wax, run your hand across the paint’s surface. It should feel very smooth, almost like glass. If it feels at all rough, or gritty, you’ll want to wash the paint before beginning. As with polishing, it’s always best to wax your vehicle immediately after washing it.
If there are any noticeable scratches in the paint, you’ll want to take care of those before applying any wax. Small scratches can usually be taken care of with a little rubbing compound or touch-up paint. As always, be sure you read all directions carefully before using any abrasives on the surface of your vehicle. Large scratches or dents will probably require the attention of a specialist.
Make sure you’re vehicle is parked out of the sun. If its surface is too hot, leave it in the shade for a while before starting. As before, if you can’t hold your hand comfortably on the hood, it’s too hot.
The Process
Using a soft, clean terry cloth towel, apply the wax to a small section of the car using the same small, even, circular movements that you used to apply the polish earlier.
Wait for the wax to dry to a slight haze. The approximate drying time should be printed on the manufacturer’s label.
Wipe the haze away with a fresh, clean terry cloth. Wipe in both directions with the same small, circular motions. Tip: When you’re wiping the excess wax off the surface, shake your towels often to remove any accumulated residue.
Repeat the process for the rest of the vehicle, working only on small sections at a time until the entire surface has been waxed and buffed.
If you’re really ambitious, repeat the whole process again, adding a second coat of wax to the vehicle. It’s not necessary, but it will give your car additional shine, along with another layer of protection.
And there you have it – by now your car should gleam like it did the day it was painted. You’ve removed the dirt and grime, polished away the small spots and scratches, and added another layer of protection to your vehicle’s finish. All that’s left to do now is show it off!