Step 4: Surface Prep
This is where your evaluation is going to help you sort through all the stuff that fills store shelves. Not every product in this category is suitable for every car, and few of these products will be used every time you wash. The goal here is two-fold: to thoroughly clean your car's surface (the wash was just the first step) and to treat the paint for specific problems before you protect it with wax.
A liquid cleaner will remove contaminants below the surface of the paint that the washing didn't, like grease, oil, water spots, and oxidation. Some cleaners contain abrasive compounds that will take out swirl marks and light scratches as well. (Some polishes do that, too; more on that later.) Now, a cleaner can damage above-the-paint vinyl graphics and striping, so be careful. It will also remove any wax you previously put on the car, so this is one of those products that you may only need to use every six months or so.
For above-the-surface contaminants, like those you felt when you rubbed your hand over the paint, the pros recommend using a clay bar product. It's time-consuming, but it will give your paint that glasslike finish. You should be able to do a small car four times with a single clay bar, depending on how bad the car was to begin with. But if you drop the clay, toss it. Don't risk picking up dirt or small rocks off the ground and rubbing them into your paint.
And then there's polish, sort of an "odd category," admitted Mothers' Ken Holland. "Some companies call cleaners a polish, while some call wax a polish." And then there are polish/wax products on the market to add to the confusion. A true polish has compounds in it to remove small surface imperfections, but it also contains oils and other chemical nutrients to condition the paint. A true polish only has to be applied about once a year, but polish has no protective qualities, so always wax over a freshly polished surface.
Sealers and glazes fill and hide surface imperfections that haven't been worked out with the cleaners and polishes. They contain what Mothers' Craig Burnett calls "optical enhancers" to restore shine. Like polish, sealers and glazes don't have any protective qualities. In fact, a polish will remove a sealer. So this should be the last product applied to the paint before waxing.
11. A liquid cleaner should be applied like the other car care products: Use just a little on a foam applicator pad. Always use a different pad for each type of product. If you've got some hard-to-reach areas, you can cut the foam pads into smaller pieces to reach those tight places, said Eagle One's Chad Heath.
12. Some companies offer surface-prep kits that take the guesswork out of choosing a product. Mothers Ultimate Wax System, for example, is a three-step kit that includes a cleaner, sealer/glaze, and carnauba wax. According to Mothers, dark cars especially benefit from a multistep process like this, as dark colors have a higher reflective index-the amount of light that bounces back to your eye off the surface-and so need the extra care. A white or light-colored car would look fine using a one-step cleaner wax, says Mothers.
13. Got seagulls? Use a product like Mothers Bird, Bug & Tar Wipes to get rid of the nasty stuff. Just remember not to wipe the droppings, despite the product's name. Put it directly on the spot, let it sit so the chemicals will work on the mess, then squeeze it to pick it up. Wiping bird droppings could scratch the paint, as it contains little rocks and other abrasive stuff like sand castles and Doritos. Ewww!
14. Everyone makes some sort of clay bar product (this one is the Quik Clay from Meguiar's), and they're great for removing the surface imperfections you can feel with your hands. To use the bar, wash the car first, then lubricate the surface with an instant detailer type of product before rubbing the bar across the paint. You'll be able to actually hear the bar picking up gunk. When one side of the bar gets dirty, fold it in on itself and knead it to bring up a clean surface. A bar this size should do a small car four times before it needs replacing. But do replace it, otherwise when the bar gets saturated with contaminants, they'll stay on the bar's surface and scratch the car.
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