Listen up, kids. Uncle Drew caught us detailing our rides with Turpentine and Murphy's Oil. After a brutal paddling, he gave us a severe lecture about car care. What follows is a condensed, friendly version of the lyrical beat-down we endured. Now excuse us while we finish our time-out.
1. When evaluating your paint, don't just look it over. Run your hand across the finish. If it's not glassy smooth, chances are good there are surface contaminants on the paint that need to come off.
2. Details make a difference when evaluating your car-care needs. For example, if your car has vinyl decals or pinstriping on top of the paint, you should not use a polish, rubbing compound, or bug/tar remover on these graphic elements, as they could damage the vinyl or deteriorate the adhesive. Treat them gently with a mild cleaner and wax. And be careful when rubbing around the edges of the vinyl or you could lift it off.
3. During the evaluation, take note of what kinds of surfaces you'll be working on. This wheel, for example, has a chrome-plated hoop and a clearcoated center, and each surface type has its own treatment product. A polish for plated metal has a different chemical makeup than one for a resin-based clearcoat.
One car-care mantra we heard over and over again was, "Use the right product." That means don't use vinyl dressing on leather or glass cleaner on paint. But it also means you should evaluate your car's condition to see what it needs to produce the ultimate shine. For example, a freshly painted show car that's covered unless it's on the fairgrounds won't need the same kind of care as a 10-year-old beater that's parked outside all the time. A car with vinyl graphics over the paint needs different treatment than one with painted and cleared graphics. A chrome-plated rim will need a different treatment than an aluminum rim with clearcoat over it. And so on.
Look closely at your paint's condition. There are two kinds of problem areas to look for: those above the paint surface (bugs, tar, tree sap) and those below the surface (swirl marks, scratches, oxidation). The below-the-surface issues you can usually see, but some of the above-the-surface stuff can be hard to spot. Run your hand over the paint. Any bumps you feel are contaminants that should be removed.
Mike Pennington, the director of training for Meguiar's, recommends walking around your car with a note pad to write down the problems you find before going out to buy any sort of car-care product. Then you can hit the store with a particular goal in mind.