When it comes to taking care of your car there are so many car care products on the market you can feel completely overwhelmed.
If you get it right, your car will end up with a better shine than that of cars in a showroom.
The first rule is to realise there are different requirements for a car’s paint and trim condition.
So, assuming you are attempting to ‘pimp your ride’ for the first time, from an ordinary drive to a glamour vehicle, remember it’s the right product combined with attention to detail that will always give you the best finish.
First, to save yourself some time and effort, take your car to a good hand car wash centre.
The best hand wash places will not only freshen the car inside and out, but will also clean the windows, door seals, wheels and silicone the tyres.
By now your car will be looking very spiffy and most people would settle for this.
This is all simple enough and it would set you back around $30 to $40 dollars for the rub-a-dub-dub experience.
However, if you want that award winning showroom finish there is more!
Bring your pride and joy home, park it under a car-port, garage or somewhere in complete shade to allow the paint to cool from the sun.
Inspect the outside for paint chips, scuff marks, rubber strip discoloration, stubborn grime and dull chrome surfaces.
Once you have established any problem areas write down their location so you don’t forget where they are.
Next, detail the clean interior.
A vinyl or leather restorer may be necessary for non-cloth surfaces while a dry-clean ‘spray and wipe’ is good for cloth trim.
Scratches on black upholstery can be touched up with a black felt marker as can any black p.v.c. surfaces.
Felt markers for basic coloured upholstery is great if you can find a match for your interior.
Lint, dirt and sand in crevasses or in between rubber weather strips can be dabbed out with gaffa tape.
Stubborn stains on the corner of windscreens can be removed by brushing with toothpaste.
Rinse the car again and allow the water to ‘sheet’ as it will pull most of the water off the car and reduce chamois time.
Dry the surface with a good quality synthetic chamois so as not to leave streak marks.
To repair paint chips, purchase a small container of the original paint withan applicator brush.
Scuff marks and grime can usually come off with Prepsol.
Rubber strips and bumperbars can be restored with silicone spray or silicone wipes, which I prefer, as they don’t leave any overspray.
When you have completed the touch-up process, your car is now ready for a cut and polish or, if the paint is relatively new, a wax.
If the ‘duco’ feels like glass on the back of your hand it will only require waxing.
If you get it right, your car will end up with a better shine than that of cars in a showroom.
Polish and wax are two different processes and this is where most people ruin their paint work.
Why? Because they over polish rather than use a wax. A good quality polish lightly ‘cleans’ the paint, cuts out light swirls caused by heavy polishing and brightens the paint-work.
Polish should be applied with and wiped clean in a rounding motion with a top quality soft cotton cloth.
An electric buff can leave ugly swirls and streaks, but if you must use a buff, use it at its lowest speed to avoid burning the polish into the paintwork.
The touch up paint, silicone spray, prepsol, polish and good quality wax will cost anywhere between $70 and $100.
The final and most crucial step is the waxing. The wax seals the smooth polished finish from the elements and adds depth to the paint.
Best to use a specialist colour car wax (not silicone) which when applied with a damp sponge blends in with the paint.
The advantage of a colour wax is that it gives a deeper shine, hides minute scratches and does not leave any visible residue behind.
Do not wash your car with detergent for a week afterwards, this allows the wax to cure and keep its shine for up to three months.
It takes only about 45 minutes per week to clean and maintain this finish for the life of the car.
A wax every three to six months will keep it looking pristine!