The finish on a car is a few thousandths of an inch thick. The only thing between that
thin layer of primer, paint, and clear coat is wax. Without wax, the harmful effects of
ultraviolet light, bugs, tree sap, acid rain, salt, and bird droppings will ruin your
finish. There is no reason why a good original factory paint cannot last the entire life
of the vehicle. This article will explain how to properly clean, polish and wax a car.

There are a number of different types of wax available. I wax my car once every couple of
months with a natural wax that contains no abrasives. If I want to use abrasives, I have
to polish the car, and then wax it. There are a number of waxes available that have
abrasives blended into the wax. The up side to using a wax with abrasives is the finished
product looks brighter and you don't have to polish and wax the car. The down side is the
abrasives remove a little bit of paint each time the car is waxed. I wax my car too often
to use an abrasive wax.

Although I use a natural wax, there is no such thing as pure natural wax. Natural wax is
called natural because it is carnauba blended with synthetics. Synthetic wax doesn't have
any carnauba in it, hence, it's name. The basic argument between the natural and
synthetic wax groups is this:

People who prefer natural wax say synthetics make the paint harder. The harder paint is,
the more likely it is to crack. They also say synthetic wax builds up on the paint. The
synthetic crowd says carnauba is already blended with synthetic materials, so why make a
big deal of it? Synthetic wax lasts about twice as long as natural wax, and therefore
protects the paint better. Pick a side, both have valid arguments.

I take the scientific approach and use natural wax because my car is red. That doesn't
sound scientific, but the darker the car, the better it looks with a natural wax. The
polymers and acrylic resins used in synthetic wax are great for protecting the finish,
but synthetic wax doesn't produce the clarity of natural carnauba. To get around this,
some people use synthetic wax with a layer of natural over the top. That can be a little
tricky though. Some natural waxes won't adhere to a surface that has a layer of synthetic
wax.

I've never used colored wax. I have friends that have tried it, but the colored wax
that I've seen is really just wax with a dye. Wax is supposed to be a clear coating
between the finish and the elements. Since it's clear, I don't see how the color of the
wax would be of any benefit. This isn't to imply that colored wax is bad. If you use
colored wax and the results are satisfactory, you can use that same wax in these
procedures. Colored wax is just not a product that I have any experience with, or has
qualities that I can see as improvements over the non-colored variety.

One wax that I would not recommend is one that contains Teflon®. I don't have anything
against Teflon®, but it's manufacturer, DuPont Chemicals, has issued the following
statement: "The addition of a Teflon® fluoropolymer resin does nothing to enhance the
properties of a car wax. We have no data that indicates the use of Teflon® is beneficial
in car waxes." If the manufacturer doesn't recommend it, I don't see how I can.

So what does wax cost? Like most things, it depends. In general, synthetic wax costs a
little more than natural wax, but when you consider that it lasts longer, the overall
cost is about the same. You can pick up a 16-ounce container of synthetic wax for $8 to
$10. The natural waxes that I use all cost under $10. I use either Meguiars, Mothers, or
Eagle One Fast Wax. There are very "high end" waxes. Pinnacle Souveran is one. Pinnacle
Souveran is a natural wax, and costs about $70 for an 8-ounce tub. Pinnacle Souveran
looks great on black or red paint jobs. Of course, at $70 a tub, it should look
fantastic. Usually, any wax that looks good on black will also look good on red, and most
other dark paint jobs.


I prefer using a soft wax rather than hard. I find that it is easier to apply a soft wax.
I suppose the easiest form of wax to apply would be a hot wax. Unfortunately, I've only
ever seen hot wax advertised at commercial car washes. Even then, I'm not sure that it's
any different than the wax that's suspended in Turtle Wax's car wash soap.

Whatever type of wax you use, remember that wax is not a one-time shot. This is
especially true of natural wax. In the summer months, when your car is hot, natural wax
will melt. This is especially true of black cars that are parked outside in the summer.
Synthetic waxes are a different story. Synthetic waxes have melting points in the one
thousand-degree F range. It's the softening due to heat, and the greater ease at it can
be dissolved that requires natural wax to have to be applied more often. Although
synthetic wax lasts longer, it will eventually wear off as well.

Before beginning any of the work discussed here, make sure the car is clean, the surface
of the car is cool, and all of the work should be done in the shade. If you think you're
ready to wax, lets not be too hasty. If you have some swirl marks, now is a good time to
remove them. That means you should break out the polish. Before polishing the car, you
may want to remove the contaminants that didn't come off in the wash. Some polishes claim
to be "paint cleaners" as well as polishes. Some may work as claimed, but some don't.
Your choices are to take a chance, or to use a clay bar.

A paint cleaning clay is the proper way to remove contaminants from the paint. Clay will
remove things the others won't. Have you ever seen water spots that won't come out? What
about tar, brake dust, tree sap, or overspray from construction? Clay will remove any of
these from the paint. Now the bad news. If you use a coarse clay, or use it without
enough lubricant, the clay will scratch your paint. Using Meguiars C2000 clay with
Meguiars #34 Final Inspection as a lubricant will produce good results if the
instructions are followed. Before continuing, I want to make sure that you understand how
clay works. Even though it will seem like the clay just glides over the surface of your
car, it's really scraping off a minute layer of paint. If you use clay often enough, you
will eventually wear through the paint. You'll know because you'll see primer. If you
don't need to use clay, it's a good idea not to use it.

If you do need to use clay, start by tearing off a section of the clay bar. Flatten it
into a pancake shape. Spray a two-foot square area with the lubricant. Wipe the clay back
and forth over the lubricant. You don't need to press down, lateral pressure is
sufficient. A couple of passes on one spot is all that's required. Don't wipe any area
that is not lubricated. If the clay starts to stick, that is a warning that you need more
lubricant. For areas that have are especially contaminated, you may have to press a
little harder and pass over it a few more times. The clay will have less resistance as
the paint gets cleaner. When you've finished your two-foot area, don't let the lubricant
dry on the paint. Wipe it down with a towel. The towel should be either cotton or a micro
fiber. The area you just cleaned will feel a lot smoother than the other areas. As you
move from one section of the car to another, roll the clay up and flatten it again. This
moves the contaminants into the middle of the clay, and away from your paint. If the clay
gets a piece of grit or dirt lodged in it, pinch that piece off, and throw it away. If
you drop the clay on the ground, you may want to throw away that piece, and start with a
fresh piece. The idea here is to keep the clay as clean as possible. Once the car is
finished, shoot a little lubricant in the container with the clay before you put the lid
back on. This will keep your clay moist for the next time.

Now that the paint is contaminant free, you may want to polish out the swirl marks. If
there are no swirl marks, you can simply wax the car. I still recommend reading through
the polishing section, as it has some useful information. Before I describe how I remove
swirls, let me give you the bad news about polish. Like clay, when you polish a car
you're scraping off paint. If you're wondering, "Which removes the most paint, clay or
polish?" The answer is, it depends on the clay and the polish. In my case, I think the
polish removes less paint than the clay. The polish I use is Meguiars #9. It's a fine
line, but the perfect polish is just strong enough to remove the scratches. Anything
stronger needlessly removes paint. This is not to imply that using a mild polish a dozen
times will strip your paint down to the primer. However, if you use abrasive materials
and a buffer, you can burn through the paint on your first attempt. The person performing
the work will have to accept the responsibility of doing their homework and determining
what they can, and cannot do.

Now that you know the type of damage that can occur, lets examine the goal. Swirl marks
and light scratches are tiny grooves in the paint. Those groves can come from wiping the
car with an abrasive towel, automatic car washes, stacking groceries or boxes on the car,
sitting on the car, or waxing a car that's not clean. These types of scratches, along
with some oxidation, can be corrected with polish. If the scratch goes down to the
primer, or through the clear coat on a two-stage paint job, the proper remedy is touch up
paint. The basic idea behind using polish is to remove enough paint around the scratch so
that the bottom of the scratch is flush with the surrounding paint. There are two ways to
apply polish; by hand or by machine.

In my opinion, the best way to polish out scratches is with a machine called a random
orbital polisher. This is not to be confused with a direct drive polisher. With a direct
drive polisher, the buffing pad spins like it's on the end of a drill. A random orbital
polisher spins AND moves in orbiting motion. This is much like a rotor in a wankle. There
is a big difference between the two polishers. A direct drive polisher spins at a high
speed and can generate enough friction to burn through the paint before the operator
realizes what's going on. If you have ever seen a car with huge repeating swirl marks all
over it, chances are someone with a direct drive polisher gave the vehicle a
"professional detailing". A good random orbital polisher will apply the polish and leave
the paint cool to the touch. I own a random orbital polisher, and I can put a thin, even
coat of polish or wax on the car and remove it in less than an hour. Like most things,
random orbital polishers vary in prices depending on where you buy them and what features
they have. I have seen single speed units in the $30 to $40 price range.


I got my polisher in the mid 1980's, so it doesn't have the multiple speed feature that
newer models have. If you buy a multiple speed unit, you will have to read the owner's
manual to find which is the correct speed to apply polishing compound. With my single
speed unit, I place the polisher upside-down, and put on my polishing pad. I use one pad
for polishing, and a different one for waxing. While the pad is facing up I spread a thin
coat of polish all over the pad. The point is to ensure that any part of the pad that
touches the paint has polishing compound on it. I then put the pad on the paint, and turn
on the polisher. I work in rectangular areas and am careful around the trim so as not to
get any polish in the seams. Initially, I make horizontal passes. I go from left to
right, down, then from right to left, down and left to right again. This way I cover the
entire square. When I reach the lowest corner of the square that I'm working in, I go
back over the same area with vertical passes. I go from the bottom to the top, over to
the left, and from the top to the bottom. I continue in this direction until I am back
where I started. On surfaces like the roof and hood, I don't apply any pressure. I allow
the weight of the machine to do the work. I pass over the area enough to thin out the
polish. A thin layer of polish is better than a thick layer. This will make it easier to
take the polish back off. I turn the orbital polisher off without lifting it from the
paint. If you lift the polisher from the paint while it's still on, it will splatter the
polish all over as the pad speeds up. I don't let the polish completely dry before wiping
it off with a cotton towel. Unlike wax, the application of the polish is what produces
the results. After completing a section, I buff off the polish, and take a look at the
paint. If the scratches are gone, I apply more polish to the pad and move on to the next
section. If some scratches are still there, I can either go back over the spot, go back
over the spot and apply some pressure on the polisher, or go back over the spot with a
more abrasive polish. I usually just go back over the spot and apply more pressure.
Different cars may require more pressure and/or more abrasive compounds. This is because
of the paint. Different paints have different degrees of hardness. With Meguiars and a
number of other products, the lower the product number, the more abrasive the compound. I
think it's best to start with a mild polish and work from there. With a multiple speed
polisher, you can use a higher speed rather than applying more pressure or using a
harsher compound.

There are areas of the car that you can't get to with an orbital polisher. These areas
must be hand polished. These same procedures can be used by those who choose to polish
the entire car by hand. Your first choice will be the type of pad to use. A foam pad is
used for regular polishing, while a cotton pad is used for more aggressive work. As with
an orbital polisher, work in small areas, apply a thin layer of polish, and don't allow
the polish to fully dry. Although the polisher applies the compound in a circular
fashion, when polishing by hand I apply the polish in straight horizontal lines, followed
by straight vertical lines covering the same area. Applying polish by hand is more
difficult than by machine because it is difficult to apply the pressure evenly and it
takes longer. If you polish the entire car by hand, you may find that occasionally the
polish has dried in a few spots. Dry polish is a pain to remove. An easy way to remove it
is to spritz the dry polish with water, and then wipe it down. If you find that you are
wiping off a lot of polish, then you are applying too much. It should be thinned out as
much as possible.

Now that you have polished the car, it should be waxed. Before beginning, the surface
should be cool and your car should be perfectly clean. It should be cool because a hot
surface will cause the wax to cure too quickly. This can result in streaking when you
remove the wax. It should be clean because when you wax a car with straight wax, you are
sealing it. You don't to want seal in water spots, or any other contaminants. If while
waxing you find anything other than wax on your pad, then the car wasn't properly
cleaned. You should also keep in mind that if there is dirt on the pad, you are probably
scratching the finish. With a few exceptions, I follow the same procedure when waxing a
car as when applying polish. I use my orbital polisher, work in sections, use as little
wax as possible, don't lift the polisher while it's on, and avoid getting any wax in the
seams around the trim. The differences between applying polishing compound and wax are I
use a different pad to apply the wax and I allow the wax to haze before wiping it off.
When wiping the wax from the car, I use either a micro fiber towel, or a 100% cotton
towel. I avoid polyester, because this will scratch the finish. You can also use a clean
cotton pad and a random orbital polisher to remove the wax. If the wax gets into the
seams where a towel can't reach, you can use a detailing brush to wipe out the dry wax.
Many people simply use an old toothbrush. If you do use a toothbrush, a brush with soft
bristles is preferred. If the finish looks hazy after being waxed, go back over the spot
and allow it to cure longer before wiping it off. If that doesn't work, use a spray
bottle, spritz some water, and then wipe it down. If it still doesn't have a deep shine,
there can be any of several problems. If there has ever been synthetic wax on the finish,
that could be the problem. The old synthetic wax may be reacting with the new wax, or
there could be a build up of the old synthetic wax. In either case, the solution is to
remove the old wax.

Old wax can be stripped by using a paint prep that strips wax. This can be found at most
automotive paint stores. Wax strippers will remove natural wax, synthetic wax, and oil.
Wax strippers do not remove paint. As is the case with any product, you should follow the
instructions on the container. The instructions for the strippers that I have used simply
said to pour a little stripper on a clean towel and wipe the area with that towel. It's
real simple. It's common for people to use wax stripper on glass on weather stripping. I
never do because wax stripper will streak the glass and dry out rubber. Once the old wax
has been removed, wash that area down with clear water, dry it, and wax it again. A
special note here: Just because your car now has a good coat of wax on it, don't assume
it is OK to leave bird droppings, splattered bugs, or anything else on the surface. These
things can eat through the wax and discolor the paint if left on the car. Clean them off
at the first opportunity.

There you have it. Your paint has been cleaned, polished, and waxed. This is the same
type of treatment your paint would have received with a several hundred dollar
professional detailing. All it took was an afternoon and a few dollars worth of supplies.
If you wax your car at regular six to eight week intervals, the paint will retain it's
show car shine indefinitely. At this point your car's paint should be properly protected,
and color should have the type of depth and clarity that is fit for display at SevenStock
Six.

A Last Word About Clear Coat Paint

My car has been repainted in what is called a single stage paint job. There is no clear
coat, so I am working directly with the paint. That's how new cars used to be painted.
Times have changed and new cars are no longer painted this way. New cars and some
re-sprays are done in what is called a two-stage paint job. What this means is on top of
the environmentally friendly, ultra thin, water-based paint, there is a thick layer of
clear polyurethane or urethane paint. Aside from protecting the color coat, this "clear
coat" is what gives the two-stage paint job it's glossy look. It has been my experience
that if the clear coat is worn through, pealing, or damaged in some other way, there is
nothing that can be done to give the finish a really deep shine. It will still look
better if properly waxed and cared for, but it will never look as good as new. If your
car has a two-stage paint job, make sure any polish, clay, or wax you use says it is safe
for clear coat paint. Most of today's products are safe for use on clear coat paint, but
many are not. Always check the label on any products you buy.