Caring For Your Car’s Paint Job
To protect the paint on your new vehicle, it’s important to invest some effort and time to clean your car regularly. There are a variety of polishes and waxes available, and some car product manufacturers claim that their products have long-lasting results for paint jobs, but you’ll still have a reapply every three months to keep your vehicle looking like new. If you’ve recently bought a new vehicle with a shiny coat of paint, don’t use too many detailing products, since these products can reduce the luster and shine of the paint job and possibly damage the paint. Keep these tips in mind when you want to keep your car shiny and in great condition.
The first step in keeping your paint job intact is to clean your vehicle. Washing and shampooing your car keeps the exterior in good condition. You can also use commercial power washes every few months to ensure that your paint job looks its best. Be sure to keep a good distance between the car’s surface and the pressure jet to prevent paint damage. If you’re unsure about handling the process yourself you can have it done professionally.
It’s also very important to use the right wax when caring for your car’s paint job. Different types of paint will react differently to polishes and waxes, so you’ll have to find out which paint was used on your vehicle and purchase the correct detailing products. This is essential, since some products can be abrasive and strip of the car of shine.
If you’ve painted your car recently or purchased a new vehicle recently, think about using a non-abrasive paint conditioner to keep the paint protected. Conditioners that are gentle for the vehicle have to be sprayed onto the car in small amounts. Make sure you follow the directions listed on the package to get the best results.
Clay is another essential “ingredient” in keeping your vehicle paint looking great. You can get a better finish and lots of great shine if you use high-quality clay. Before you apply the clay to the surface of your car, make sure you clean the vehicle with a paint cleaner. Use the appropriate applicator or a soft terry towel when you’re working on the exterior of the car so you won’t scratch the paint job. If you’re not sure how to use clay or detailing products on your vehicle, you can take a look at some online tutorials to find DIY guides that will make you more comfortable with the task.
Don’t forget undercoating as well. Even though waxing and polishing the car will give you satisfactory results, undercoating will prevent long-term damage and make your car’s exterior resistant to rust. When the metal of your car becomes oxidized, the rust will set in and ruin the vehicle’s surface. You can rust-proof the car to avoid this, which is especially important if you live in an area where the humidity is very high. In addition to rust-proofing your automobile, make sure that you fix small scratches in the paint job right away will prevent further damage.
Apart from rust-proofing the vehicle, you should fix small scratches promptly. If the scratch is not too deep, you should only use touch up paint and finish off with a rubbing compound to get a good shine. If the scratch is deep and exposes the metal, you will have to sand off the surrounding paint and apply primer before painting the affected area.
If you want to re-paint an old vehicle to maintain the exteriors, make sure you research the best new car paints available in the market. You need to also carefully follow car paint preparation techniques to do a good job.