Between washing and waxing: the keys to a deep shine
While a good wax job reveals the gloss that turns heads, drops jaws and makes people green with envy, the real work occurs in between washing and waxing. We'll cover all of the steps you need to take to rid your paint of shine-stopping imperfections, including:
- Using detailing clay
- Fixing scratches, chips and other damage
- Polishing your paint
Washing your ride can't get all of the deep dirt and contaminants out of your finish. That's why you need detailing clay—it literally pulls imbedded particles out of your topcoat, giving your paint extreme clarity.
Detailing clay usually comes in a set with a clay bar and lubricant spray. The process works like this: spray the afflicted area with the lubricant and rub as directed with a small, flattened piece of the clay bar. Be sure to use plenty of spray on each area—this makes using the clay much easier. As you rub the surface, the clay pulls imbedded particles out of the paint, leaving your finish completely free of dirt and contaminants. Have a look at the underside when you're done—it's appetizing!
Be careful to follow the directions included with a clay bar and lubricant exactly. These tools were once confined to the hands of expert detailers only, and for a good reason. Using a clay bar incorrectly can result in damage, especially if used without enough of the supplied lubricant. If you do it right, though, the results can be stunning.
Using a clay bar to purify clarity is a good start. Now it's time to take aim at the other imperfections interrupting the smooth reflections in your paint: scratches, chips, and other minor damage.
Paint damage, no matter how minor, is essentially impossible to avoid. Sure, you may be able to stay clear of the larger nicks, chips and scratches, but water spot rings and acid rain damage are tricky to dodge. Fortunately, with just a bit of car care know-how, many of these unsightly marks can be taken care of right from your own driveway.
Clean the area of the scratch with soap and water, and run your clean hand over the area of the scratch. If you can't detect the scratch with your hand and the area feels smooth, the scratch can be taken out with a fine or medium hand polish.
Scratches like these may appear to be through the color layer. It's an illusion—what you're seeing is a reflection in the clear coat that's at a different angle than the rest of the coat. All you have to do to make the scratch disappear is even the clear coat edges around the mark.
If you can feel the scratch, or you can see primer in the gouge, professional-grade repair will be needed, such as touch-up paint or careful buffing.
Start with a fine polish solution and a clean cotton rag or microfiber cloth. Apply the polish with a corner of the rag, rubbing the scratched area with a light swirl motion. Using a clean corner of the rag, buff the area free of extra polish and inspect closely with your eye.
If the scratch is still present, move up to a higher grit polish, rubbing compound or scratch remover and repeat the process. Chances are that a light or medium-grade polish/scratch remover will be more than enough to smooth the scratch edges and eliminate its appearance.
If polishes, scratch removers and rubbing compound won't do the job by hand, a buffer is probably needed. Or, professional paint touching may be in order. Both can be done at home, but there's a substantial risk of doing more damage than you seek to undo if you're not trained. If you can't get the scratch out by hand, leave the job to a professional detailer.
If you want to be brave and try to fill a deep scratch yourself, browse our guide to using touch-up paint first.
The leading causes of paint chips are the doors of other cars, tire-tossed rocks or debris, and mischievous pranks. Getting rid of these blemishes is a tricky process that involves using touch-up paint to get the job done. To stop dings before they need repairing, look into our proactive protective accessories to guard your auto from harm.
Many owners will opt for a professional repair job on small chips in the paint, especially if the chip is in a highly visible area such as the bumper, hood or high on a door panel. But, any of these chips can be repaired at home without the steep cost of a pro's work. With some care and patience, you can take care of ugly chips on your own.
For the best advice on covering these nasty chips, see our tips, techniques and cautions on touch-up paint for more details.
Oxidation—to be a common problem with un-maintained vehicles. Most modern cars—from the last decade or so—won't ever have to deal with oxidation, though.
Oxidation is essentially the dead skin of your paint. If left unprotected against the beating sun and harsh elements, the top layer of paint will dry out in a cloudy, flaky pattern. The areas affected by oxidation can reflect small spots that somehow were untreated by wax or sealant. Or, oxidation can be evident in large blotches throughout the paint.
To remove oxidation and reveal your vehicle's true colors, use a product known as "paint cleaner," not to be conf with soap or polish. Paint cleaner is mildly abrasive, lifting the "dead" paint off of your finish to reveal the lively color beneath. Wash, dry and wax the affected area and it should look nearly new.
Most acid rain and water spot rings can be eradicated by fine polishing compound followed by a re-waxing of the area. These spots are usually ones where the outline is barely visible in the sunlight only.
Acid rain and water spot rings which are deeply burned into the surface of the paint have likely eaten through any clear coats and into the color. Heavier rubbing compounds may be necessary to even out the paint in that area, after which you can touch the area up with a new layer of clear coat. Both methods involve polishing the paint, which is one of the easier finish care tasks you can do at home by hand.
If only the outline is visible, there's a good chance that the dropping only ate into your clear coat layer. Wash the area with soap and water to remove any protective waxes and sealers (or residual doodie), then feel the area with you clean hands. If the mark feels smooth, the outline can likely be removed with a fine polish or cleaner.
If the area feels rough, try using a clay bar to pick up imbedded particles in the paint. Once any "contaminants" have been lifted from the spot, the area can be polished and waxed to an even finish with the rest of your vehicle.
If, by chance, the dropping was left on for a lengthy period of time and bubbled your paint, a finish professional may have to repaint or smooth out the affected area.