What are the biggest rips to avoid when maintaining your car?
We asked the Woodward Dream Cruise car enthusiasts to nominate the biggest rift in car maintenance.
It is necessary to not only wash your car, but also to keep your painting job bright.
Washing is important from time to time, but there are always some extra steps to keep your car new. Using a microfiber towel after washing and applying wax every few months is an easy way to protect your paint. If you want to take it a step further, consider ceramic coatings and paint protection films.
There are several ways to protect your car’s paint.
Wash and dry your car properly
Regular car washes are the best first step to take and one of the most important things to keep your vehicle. Hand washing or touchless wash is the best way to clean the exterior as there are no machines that can harm the paint after repeated use. If there are no other options available, or if there are no options to use occasionally, automatic cleaning is fine.
After washing your car, use an absorbent microfiber towel to dry the car to prevent water spots from forming. These spots occur when water that touches the outside of the vehicle is wiped off and then evaporated, leaving small, unattractive stains on the outside.
Wax on, Wax off
You should apply wax after washing once every few months or whatever is recommended by product instructions. The wax adds an additional layer of protection to the paint. This protects it from UV rays, swirls and scratches. The wax also gives the paint a glossy shine. That’s easy.
Paint correction and ceramic coating
If you want to lift the notch from the wax, consider a ceramic coating. This can be done yourself or in a detail shop.
Paint corrections must be processed first before applying a ceramic coating. This is done by polishing the paint using cutting compounds and buffers to remove scratches from the vehicle. Once the paint is corrected, you can proceed to the next step.
Ceramic coatings create chemical bonds with paints and are highly resistant to water, UV rays, scratches, swirls and other contaminants. It is often compared to wax, but lasts much longer and is excellent at protecting your painting tasks. It will come a long way, and you will later thank yourself.
The best protection money can be purchased
Perhaps the best product available will be paint protective films, or PPF. This film is a transparent layer added to the vehicle that protects paint from any kind of contaminants and scratches. Each PPF is specially cut to fit the dimensions of the vehicle. You can choose a transparent bra. This is a small PPF used to cover both the bumper, side view mirror and part of the hood. Alternatively, you can use a complete PPF that covers all painted surfaces on the outside. The downside is that it is a very expensive option and is only valuable if you have a more expensive vehicle or a classic you want to store.
How to store paint in winter
For those who live in cold areas and are affected by winter weather, there are a few precautions to take first. Many auto washes are closed when it’s cold outside, so you may need to use touchless or self-service wash options. It is important to wash your car in the winter, remove any salt collected from the roads and stop damaging the paint. Using a car cover while parked at night is also a great way to keep snow and ice away from your car if you don’t have a garage.
Think about it – if you have a car you want to keep for the long term, you have to take care of it. Washing your car regularly, dry properly, and adding wax every few months is a basic way to store your paint and it works well to add it to your maintenance routine. If you want to raise the notch, use a ceramic coating. However, if you need the best product to protect your painting job and have the money to do so, consider getting a paint protection film.
