WHAT’S TO KNOW ABOUT PAINT

Many car owners have a belief that paintwork is hard, strong, difficult to scratch and resistant to chemical and environmental damage. This is far from the truth. It is a thin sheet of flexible plastic and easily scratched and damaged.

Many of today’s vehicles have differing types of paint. From easily scratched to scratch resistant. So using old technology polish doesn’t work anymore. Paints have changed massively in the time that I have been in this industry. What you the car owner must realize is that the products and materials used to polish them before the mid 1990’s cannot be used on today’s finishes

Flannels, T Shirt material, bath towels, bed sheets, cheese cloth and kitchen sponges/scourers are not what you should polish your car with anymore.

WHERE TO START

Quality car care products are important to restoring your paint finish easily. You have three options when polishing. Abrasive, Non Abrasive or both (abrasive then non abrasive)

If you choose the abrasive route, it’s important to use water based polishes. Those which contain crystalline silica and strong solvents are not the answer and are a risk to your health. They make work harder and do not comply with new regulations. As for applicators to use, I highly recommend Microfibre applicator pads (come in square and circular shapes) and Lake Country CCS applicator pads when using polishes by hand. This yellow and white pad can be used with non abrasive products also whereas the orange can not.

THE PROCESS

STEP 1

Begin by washing your vehicle with a quality car shampoo to remove the grime.
Dry the vehicle.
Next use a clay bar. This removes contamination that washing cannot. Use clay with a dedicated clay lube only. Using other products is detrimental to the clay bars performance and can induce marring on the finish.

PRO TIP: Follow washing with a dewaxer to remove polishes, wax and paint protection coatings prior to claying the vehicle.

STEP 2 (Abrasive Polishing)

Now its time to restore your car’ paintwork.
Spray your pad with a quick detailer, clean water or a pad lube.
Now apply a three to six inch line of polish to the pad and evenly apply to the paint work.
Divide each panel into at least two sections. For large panels like roof and hood, divide that into four or more areas.

Begin polishing using circular motions with some pressure for the first pass from top to bottom.
From there lighten the pressure and use horizontal motions then vertical.
If at any time, the polish film dries out, spray one spritz of water or lube onto the surface and continue polishing. This releases all polish residue in the pad and brings back the oily film.

Work the product for at least three minutes until the product dissipates and the film on the surface is transparent.
Remove the film with a folded microfibre towel and continue around the car

STEP 3

This step is the enhancement stage. Using a softer grade of foam or another microfibre pad, apply another product or the same one if you wish to the surface and apply in exactly the same fashion as instructed in step 2.
Continue over the whole car or do a panel or two per day if you wish.

STEP 4

Now you should have your car back to it former glory. This step will take it beyond that.
Use a finishing polish and a yellow and white hand pad as shown above.
Lubricate the pad and apply product to it. Follow the process as instructed in step 2 but spend more time during this step. Burnish the paint with no pressure and vertical and horizontal motions after the product turns transparent and a higher gloss is achieved.
Wipe down the whole panel with quick detailer and remove all traces of abrasive polish.
Move to the next panel or section.

STEP 5: (non abrasive glazing)

This is the final polishing step. Use non abrasive pure polishes known also as glazes.
Most of these products are solvent based so do not apply water to the pads.
Apply the product in the same fashion I mentioned above but do not use much pressure.
A low amount of pressure is okay but it is best to let the product and pad do the work for you.
This time do the whole panel in one hit.

Once this is done, protect your vehicle with paint protection so the finish stays that way for years to come.

PRO TIP: Once used, wash your foam and or microfibre applicator pads by hand or in the washing machine with warm water setting and liquid laundry detergent. No powders or fabric softeners.

Happy Polishing!

Matt Gibb

Dream Machines Refinishing
97 to 99 Helps Road
Burton, South Australia, 5110
W: 08 8280 9210
M: 0439 840 637

3. WASH THE VEHICLE

Soak your wash mitt of choice into the bucket and begin to wash using straight line motions only. No circles. And allow the shampoo to do the work. Do not use pressure when washing. This only increases the risk of inducing marring and swirl marks.

After completing that panel, soak and clean the mitt in the water bucket and then move to next panel, soak the mitt and continue. Go around the whole vehicle.

PRO’S TIPS: Do not wash in direct sunlight or before 9pm during winter. Wait until the mid afternoon. Use more than one mitt. The more you use the less chance of marring the finish. Invest in a low sodium or sodium free car shampoo that is also silicone free as silicone attracts dust and grime and sodium is common in cheap shampoo and not good for any paint finish.

4. RINSE THE VEHICLE

Now it is time to rinse the vehicle. Remove the spray nozzle from a garden hose and begin rinsing the shampoo off. Begin with the roof and then the bonnet and boot or tailgate (utes) and then down the sides. Once rinsed, you can do one of two things – either dry as normal or spray a quick detailer or spray sealant onto the surface and towel dry. I will share both methods…

5. DRY THE VEHICLE

There are many ways to dry a car. My personal favourite is spraying a quick detailer onto the surface and then wiping it into the paint with a plush microfibre drying towel – effectively drying and quick detailing the paint in one go.

Use only plush microfibre drying towels, not waffle weave towels as these are most often a very thin abrasive type of towel and can marr the finish over time and snag on badges and emblems. Chamois are not recommended as they can leave streaks, need to be wrung out very often to remove the water and are not a soft enough material.

6. QUICK DETAILING

If you prefer to do the quick detailing afterwards then that is fine too. In some cases you may not even need to do it. This process will extend the life span and protection of any paint protection system.

Simply spray this on a wet or dry vehicle and wipe to a glossy finish with a quality plush microfibre towel. One that is 60 x 40 cm is the easiest to use.

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If you enjoyed this Car Care post, be sure to leave a comment in the comments section below!

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The Toughseal Do-It-Yourself Paint Protection Pack is a reliable way of ensuring your car’s paintwork won’t fall victim to our harsh Australian climate, driving and parking conditions.

Toughseal’s Complete DIY Paint Protection and Car Care Pack is available now for just $189.95AUD through Any New Car via the Paypal Secure Payment Gateway.

I remember when I was a kid that it was really tough going washing my father’s red car because we washed it in the sunlight, used any shampoo or even dish washing liquid and were restricted to drying the car with pigskin chamois which left streaks everywhere. Fortunately car care products have changed a lot since then.

Many people misunderstand vehicle washing and are unhappy with the results they achieve. It’s really not that difficult to achieve professional results. The most important thing is make sure you use the best cleaning materials possible. Demote your wash sponges down to wheels only.

Foam sponges trap road grime, bugs and general dirt into its pores and you will continue to spread it around all over your nice paint and its not always possible to get all of that out even if they are rinsed. Wool or Microfibre Wash Mitts are the best option. There are 100% microfibre mitts and also Microfibre wrapped foam sponges which do not trap dirt, are easily rinsed clean and extremely soft and thus good for your paintwork.

Here are the six easy steps for washing your car and achieving an outstanding result…

1. PRE SOAK THE VEHICLE TO REMOVE BUGS, EXCESS DIRT AND ROAD GRIME

A citrus based degreaser is not always necessary but if you have tar and sap on the paint or excessive brake dust on the wheels, spray the bottom of the car and the wheels with a PH neutral or lightly alkaline degreaser or All Purpose cleaner first. This will shift the tar and sap and the brake dust and most of the grime on the car.

Rinse the car with water.

2. PREPARE THE WASH SOLUTION

Using two eleven litre buckets, add your shampoo of choice to one bucket and fill with warm to hot water. Fill the bucket with water at around thirty to forty degrees celcius. Too hot isn’t good for the paint just as really cold water isn’t either. Fill the other bucket half or three quarters full of water and a hint of shampoo. This is the bucket you will dip your wash mitts into after cleaning each body panel to clean them and prepare them for safe washing of the next panel.

PRO’S TIPS: For some extra performance and better results, add some Quick Detailer to the shampoo bucket. Something like 75% shampoo, 25% detailer is a good start.

This combo will provide more lubrication, more gloss and slickness and easier rinsing of the residue.

USE DEIONISED WATER OR REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER IN THE SHAMPOO BUCKET — YOU CAN ALSO USE TO RINSE THE CAR IF YOU WISH.

To continue following this post, click the link below…

How To Properly Wash Your Car… <– Continued Here

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A vehicle is a significant investment, it’s therefore a wise choice to protect that investment by keeping it in like-new condition throughout the time you own it and thus achieving maximum resale value when you sell or trade it in on another car.

The paint on vehicles is there to protect the panels from rusting and give an ultra glossy attractive finish but there is nothing except the paint’s clear coat itself to provide protection from the damaging Aussie UV rays and it cannot do this fully on its own. Unprotected, your car’s clear coat gets scratched; oxidised and eventually fails if the surface is left unprotected from the elements. If left totally naked, Oxygen and UV rays combine to attack it and destroy it if left to do its dirty work for long enough.

Even though your car’s clear coat does contain UV protection agents, these are depleted by abrasive polishing/compounding and regardless of these agents, they will eventually begin to absorb some UV rays and once this begins, it’s a vicious cycle as the paint becomes dryer and more porous which then attracts even more UV rays. Fortunately compounding/polishing can be all prevented by Paint Protection – Paint Protection of the most overlooked and underestimated car care investments.

And now for the 4 reasons Paint Protection on your new car is a good idea…

1. THE VEHICLE IS FAR EASIER TO CLEAN.

There’s nothing harder to wash than a paint finish covered in Industrial Fallout. It’s really tough going. You will save a lot of time on car cleaning and car care in general by having the paint protected – this also means more free time for you. Fallout is actually iron filings from foundries and railway lines mostly and once bonded to the paint and not removed, as soon as it rains or the car is washed regularly, the iron filings begin to rust thus seriously damaging the paint finish.

2. SERIOUSLY REDUCED RISK OF CONTAMINANTS BONDING TO YOUR PAINT.

Because the paint has been treated with the protection process and effectively the paint pores sealed, far less iron based fallout, bird droppings and other contaminants can stick to your paint and can not etch into it and leave permanent damage – simple car cleaning is all that’s needed.

3. PAINT WILL NOT FADE.

Compare two six to twelve month old cars. One untreated and another of the same model and colour that is protected. Within this time frame, the untreated car is most likely to be duller, paint drying out, be contaminated and covered in swirl marks. The treated vehicle has not faded at all and still retains its like new appearance and feels – car care isn’t difficult if small steps are taken to protect the paint.

4. NO NEED FOR CAR WAX.

If your vehicle is not protected by anything, every three, six or twelve months at least, re polishing with car wax will be necessary. This means that some clear coat will need to be removed or plenty of hours of hand scrubbing with non abrasive polishes and glazes required to restore the like new appearance. All the protected paint needs is a quick wash, some quick detailer spray (on dark cars) and its looking perfect again. Car care doesn’t need to be hard.

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If you enjoyed this Car Care post, be sure to leave a comment in the comments section below!

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The Toughseal Do-It-Yourself Paint Protection Pack is a reliable way of ensuring your car’s paintwork won’t fall victim to our harsh Australian climate, driving and parking conditions.

Toughseal’s Complete DIY Paint Protection and Car Care Pack is available now for just $189.95AUD through Any New Car via the Paypal Secure Payment Gateway.