Exterior Cleaning And Conditioning

The Process to a perfect shine! Everytime!

If you want the perfect shine, you have to do a little work, and you have to work to keep it maintained.  If your car's paint is relatively new and in excellent condition, getting the perfect shine will be far less work than with a car that's five or more years old with heavy oxidation.

The process I'm about to explain came from years of experimenting with dozens of polish and wax combinations to discover what products produced the best results.  After a few years of trying my process on the cars of family and friends, I concluded that it works on all car finishes that are in good condition, but has the most dramatic effect on dark colors. 

Perfect shine requirements

The perfect shine comes when the car's paint finish is in good condition, free of surface contamination, polished, glazed, protected and waxed.  Let's look at each of these requirements individually.

Maintain good paint condition
For the first 12-18 months of a new car's life, the paint is relatively oxidation-free and in good condition.  If you maintain the new car's paint with regular washing and protection, oxidation will remain minimal, and cleaning the paint will be a minor task.  At a minimum, you should get your vehicle washed waxed and sealed semiannually, with a goal to give it some attention every week.While outside, cars will also collect other contamination.  (Birds, bugs and neighborhood kids seem to have a natural attraction to beautiful cars.)  These contaminants must be removed; you can't wax over them and expect to get a show car finish.

Clay
After washing and drying, examine the car's paint with your hand.  If the paint is not perfectly smooth, use a paint-cleaning clay system and clay lubricant to remove the surface contamination.

Polish
Polishing is necessary to remove minor blemishes, including surface scratches, swirl marks, pitted areas (minor road stone nicks) and scuffs.  When polished, the paint finish will feel perfectly smooth.  Your hand and polishing towel will literally glide over the surface.  Feeling a perfectly polished car is a stimulating experience for most car nuts. 

Protect
Paint is protected when it's sealed from the elements.  Synthetic sealants offer the best protection.  Synthetic coatings are five to ten times more durable than the carnauba waxes.  They offer extended protection from the elements and create a super-slick surface.  The synthetic protection is an acrylic sealant.  I have not found a polymer sealant that works.

Wax
Waxing is the final step of “the perfect shine.”  We're not talking just any wax here; we're talking about a pure, natural carnauba wax.  Pure carnauba waxes don't have cleaning properties or synthetic compounds added.  They are made from a blend of carnauba waxes, beeswax and natural oils.  A quality show car wax gives paint depth and warmth.  I know, I know, it sounds like we're talking about a fine wine or something.  Just don't underestimate the value of a great show car wax when it comes to the final results of your car's finish