Ask A Technician: Basic Washing and Waxing
When you wash your car, you are not washing the paint, but the clearcoat finish that sits on top of the paint that gives the car’s finish its luster and depth.
It’s crucial to maintain a layer of wax on the clearcoat as a barrier against all these elements so that the wear on the clearcoat is minimized. Waxing helps fill in microscopic pits in the clearcoat and gives it that ultra-smooth feel.
Start first by washing your car with a soft-cloth mitt that you can buy at your local auto-parts store.
Before you wash, look at your mitt and make sure nothing is in the cloth that might scratch or damage the finish.
Also pick up a bottle of car wash concentrate that is sold in the same aisle as the mitt.
Look for a car wash that is pH-balanced.
When looking for a wax, you want to consider two things.
First, do not buy a cleaner wax that will strip away any lower wax layers. Second, buy a wax that contains UV-blockers to keep out harmful rays from the sun that will accelerate wear on the finish.
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