Tips to Wash and Wax Your Old Car

I don’t know why many people believe that washing and waxing your car regularly spoils your car’s exterior. But to be true it is the best way to maintain the exterior paint finish for the future years. It is also good for the overall maintenance of the car. But if you have decided already that you will be washing your vehicle daily, you need to take some points into consideration.

You should wash and clean the exterior of your with right practices and the right products and with proper consistency. On every car that is manufactured since 1990, there is a clear paint coat finish. Every high quality brand of car washes, car waxes and the related detailed products are perfectly made to work on these clear coats. They are totally ideal for taking off dirt above and below the surface at the same time they eliminate the imperfections and leave a high glossy shine on the surface.

There are actually a number of varied steps to carry out this procedure. But it is not necessary that you do every step every day. You can do some steps once weekly. Some other steps can be employed once a month and some others can be done annually.
Some easy and simple car wash rules can be followed every day. They are as described as under.

1. First things first. Always park your vehicle in a cool and shady place.

2. If the water that you will be using for car wash is hard, that is it contains a lot of minerals, it will leaves spots and stains when it dries off. And when the sunlight is intense, this will happen faster. For optimum results, the car’s surface should not be hot to touch. Warm is fine.

3. You should keep with yourself a set of microfiber towels at hand for washing and drying the car. A microfiber towel is gentler than a cotton towel. A cotton towel might mar the finish, can create sunlight scratches or ruts that can collect over time. Microfiber towels should be washed separately from all the other laundry and especially with all the other linty towels. Use hot water to wash these towels and do not use fabric softener. And while rinsing; be sure that you rinse it one additional time before taking it out. Heating them on low heat setting will be beneficial. Then, when they start showing their age, stop using them on painted or glass surfaces. Then you can freely use them for polishing wheels and later for polishing stainless steel exhaust pipe tips.

4. Your vehicle’s paint must remain as new through the entire 4 step process: washing, cleaning, polishing and waxing.
To prevent your car’s finish from getting worse, you can use the correct products at the correct stages.

On the surface of the paint finish, there are accumulated loose contaminants that should be removed. There can be scratches later on if not removed at early stages. Normal dish soap, laundry soap or households cleaners should be avoided. Wash the car thoroughly with microfiber washing mitt. For the tops, if it is soiled with mud, you can use Meguiar’s Convertible Top Cleaner. These products are pH balanced to safely take off dirt. Dry car with another dry microfiber drying towel!

Take a look on every side of the car and check for any tree sap, bird droppings or pollen or below the surface defects like swirls or the oxidation caused by sun’s ultraviolet rays.

The function of polishing is clearly giving shine to your car but not protecting. So it should be totally optional. Old cars do retain their shine after many years.

You can apply car wax for protection. Experts suggest that this can be done after every 3 months. If you plan to wax your car regularly, you have to be careful as to which wax you should be using. Generally, the liquid and the paste wax provide the longest lasting protection. Spray waxes are available and designed for quick application. But it is proved that they don’t give along lasting protection. It is also suggested that spray waxes can be used after one 2-3 applications of the liquid or paste waxes.