Car Detailing

Four Steps to a Better Car Finish

What you need to have on hand:

• Soft clean towels or old baby diapers. If you are using different products when buffing your car make sure you keep the towels separate so that you don't contaminate the paint surface with contaminants from your previous product application. 

• An electric buffer and use the right buffer pads and change often so that you don't clog the pads with wax and possibly cause swirls in your paint finish.

• Chamois, there are two types: natural and synthetic. The natural one's work well but have a shorter life than the more expensive synthetic ones.

Washing Your Vehicle

This ensures that the finish on your paint will looks it's best. Remember to always keep your vehicle out of direct sunlight or best in the shade, this will help you achieve your best results. There are many professional products out there that may wash your car better but liquid dish detergent like ivory or sunlight does a pretty good job to remove oil, soil and wax from your vehicles paint at a fraction of the cost. What ever product you are using ensure that you rinse off your vehicle well. Even though you may have washed your car well dish soap will not deoxidize your paint or remove pollutants from the environment that have become embedded into the paint itself. You will need to deoxidize your paint for the next step.

Remove Oxidization from Paint before Waxing

Car Detailing Clay is my recommendation
It is called by many names such as ; clay bar, paint cleaning clay or a detailing clay bar, is a mix of a mild abrasive material with a plastic or elastic clay base. This was mainly created for the auto body shop industry. The clay works by taking off contaminants imbedded in the paint with very few passes over the paint surfaces. The clay is best for safely cleaning your car paint without taking off any paint thickness. This is an excellent feature to consider if you are working with a clearcoat finish. Keep in mind to always read the instructions before applying any cleaner, deoxidizer etc.
Three in One Products
are products that will clean the paint and give it a nice shiny finish. Some of the problems with products like this is that they are a little abrasive which in turn will thin out your surface paint. Also keep in mind if you have a clear coat finish or not. They say if you are using any cleaner to first try it out on an area that is not easily seen on your vehicle and apply a little cleaner to that spot using a clean cloth. If your cloth has a bit of paint color after you have rubbed your cloth on the paint it means that you do not have a clear coat. Once again read the instructions on your product to ensure your not going to make a mess of your paint finish.

The list of products could go on and on. The intent of this page is to give you some insight into what may not always be obvious to a new car or new used car owner. With a little experimentation you will find the product out there that is right for you. Over the next few months articles on car leasing and other car related items will be coming online. Stay tuned.


Polish: Products that give you that dazzling shine.

• Carnauba wax
  is a resin produced by the wax palm tree (Copernicia cerifera) . This tree grows in various parts of South America . The best quality wax comes from the trees grown in the rainforests in Brazil. Carnauba Wax is the hardest wax known to man and when it dries has a deeper darker shine. There are different grades of Carnauba Wax with #1 being the best down to # 3 which is of a lesser grade. This wax has been a favorite for many car enthusiast due to the deep shine and protection provided to their vehicle.
  The downside of this wax is that it may only last for a month or so and then you have to reapply the wax. Some feel that this is the only way to pamper your car and so they consider it no problem for the extra care. The car is their baby and they are going to pamper it as much as they can.
  Synthetic Car Waxes

• Acrylic
  is different from wax, silicones, and polymers. The Acrylic polish will bond to your car's surface and will not cause changes to your paint. Due to the quick drying time most acrylic finishes will not leave any streaking or hazing on your vehicles finish. Most Acrylics do not contain abrasives but it is always good to read the label of what ever product you buy.
  Besides leaving a beautiful shine Acrylic finishes need only be applied a couple times over the year which gives it a greater advantage over the Carnauba Wax .
  Polymers and Silicones
  is similar to the acrylics. The shine will never be as deep as the Carnauba wax but it will see look very good. One thing to keep in mind before using a synthetic car wax is if you have had your car repainted recently that synthetic car waxes will seal in the paint and not give it the proper curing time. You should probably wait 30 to 60 days after painting to apply a synthetic wax. 

• Paint Sealers
  
  After you have applied buffed , shined and made your vehicle a thing of beauty you can apply a sealer that would protect your car finish and make it easier to maintain your car's exterior look.
  Once again there are many products available and always read the instructions on the label to ensure you get the right results for the product you have. If you have any doubts always pretest the product in a small out of the way area to ensure you will not damage your paint due to the products incompatibilities with your other care care products.

The information above will give you a good start to getting better results on the finish of your vehicle . There are many products that will get you there.

A great book called: Automotive Detailing: A Complete Car Guide for Auto Enthusiasts and Detailing Professionals  by Don Taylor, has excellent discriptions and follow up pictures. If you like to read before you buy, got to your local library, they should be able to help you.

I cannot emphasize that you need to do your homework and buy compatible products to help get the best results for your vehicles finish. Remember always read the instructions and don't be afraid to ask a professional for help, because it's much easier to do it right the first time rather than fix a mistake.

Tim Lajeunesse enjoys writing articles and researching on many subjects

by Tim Lajeunesse - Aug 2009

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