Car owners who do not find the time to take care of their cars are often met with disappointment when it is time to sell their cars. Often they are met with a lot of low bids for their cars because of the paint condition. The years of neglect can often mean hundreds of dollars loss when it comes to re-sale value.
The car care industry has some secrets that enable professionals to bring out the shiniest cars out in shows. However, much of the technique used is very basic and is the topic of this article. Using the fundamentals can give your car paint care that they need.
Cleaning the car basically involves hosing off grime, dirt and mud that have gathered through your normal use of a car. Attempting to scrub this stuff away can be disastrous for the longevity of your paint. If there are things that have stuck to the car that you cannot hose of don’t worry. The next steps should take care of them.
Pretty often you will be met with tar and granules of sand that have embedded themselves into the paint. Often they will be very difficult to remove by conventional means. Thankfully chemicals like bug and tar removers have been invented to take care of them. Areas such as bumpers and the lower half of the body of your car are the best places to treat. Making sure to follow the directions is a good way to make sure you do not damage the paint.
The next step after you have removed major contaminants mentioned above is polishing. Experts define polish as a cleaning agent. On the most basic level you use compounds which are abrasive in order to clean the clear coat of the paint. This will eat into your clear coat so make sure to use a branded polish that can clean without grinding down this protective coat.
After polishing you will notice a much smoother paint. You should be able to feel a clear, smooth surface with the back of your hand. If you find rough areas with tangible bits of gunk embedded into the clear coat polish that area again.
After making sure that your surface is clean and polished you should protect it. Protecting your car is like laminating an identification card (ID). You basically shield the whole car in a clear and very strong substance. Most commonly this will be carnauba. A wax from South American palm trees that is extremely tough.
There are synthetic sealants which has polymers that bond to each other and to the paint to create and even more durable finish. Your options here are endless. Almost all products from big name car care brands like: Mothers, Meguair’s, Griot’s Garage, Turtle, Zymol and Zaino work and work well.
You’ll be hard pressed to choose one of their products and be disappointed. Mainly the difference is application and look. So feel free to experiment among these brands. You’ll know which works best for you and your car.
With all those steps mentioned it is important to note that you need to use pristine microfiber or terry cloth towels. Having filthy cloths will wreck havoc to your paint and leave fine cobweb like swirls all over your car. This is especially true with darker colored ones.
There you have it a few steps on making sure that your car’s paint will last a while. Making sure to do these steps bi-monthly will ensure that in a few years time you’ll paint will be good as brand new.