Tips to Keep Your Car Clean: Wash and Wax

10 May Tips to Keep Your Car Clean: Wash and Wax

Over time, vehicle paint breaks down. Dirt and grime and weather are all major contributors to the decreasing integrity of vehicle paint. And the more a vehicle is garaged, kept out of the elements as much as possible, the better its look will age. But did you know that over seventy-five percent of people don’t use their garage to house a vehicle? It’s true, many people use a garage as a workshop or a storage space. The trick then becomes keeping the vehicle’s paint protected, as much as possible, from breaking down due to dirt and weather. Here’s a few tips on how.

Wash

Yes, we live in Montana and it’s nearly impossible with the ever-changing weather to keep a vehicle’s paint shining and healthy-looking. But when we’re able, it’s best to keep the car’s paint free of dirt. The car wash, especially the drive through touch-free-type car washes, is the best way to keep your car clean. Why? Because it’s more economical, believe it or not; a drive through car wash uses considerably less water than the garden hose and bucket method. Also, if you wash your car at home, the pressure of a rag against the car’s paint may scratch the surface of the paint—scratches faint and small that could later effect the surrounding paint’s integrity (remember, an exposed surface can develop rust over time).

Wax

The job of waxing a vehicle has seemingly gone out of style. But vehicle wax is a simple and economical way to protect your vehicle’s paint job. If, before you wax, you plan to buff out the scratches in your vehicle’s paint, you’ll need to purchase an orbital buffer; there are several kits on the market that claim to simplify the buff-out process, but nothing works as well as a little buffing compound and an orbital buffer. But if you only wish to wax your vehicle, use a buffer pad—a rag may put scratches in your paint—and spread wax evenly one quarter of one of the vehicle’s panels. Then remove the wax with a microfiber cloth. Use a circular motion when you remove the wax, and the circular motion will help to achieve a high gloss finish.