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Intro: Before you begin Step 1: Choose your products Step 2: Apply the polish Step 3: Remove the residue Step 4: Apply the wax Step 5: Buff it all down |
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Wax (or a wax/polish combo) Several clean terry cloths Clean water Polish (unless you use a wax/polish combo) Optional: Rubbing or polishing compounds An orbital buffer |
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One to two hours |
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If your car is newer than 1980 or so, it probably has a "clear coat" finish (a thin layer of colored paint on the metal, covered by a thicker coat of clear material). Cars built before then had a thicker layer of colored paint, without the clear material on top. You'll need to use "clear coat safe" products with clear coat finishes, but almost every wax on the shelf today will say "clear coat safe" on the label--just check to be sure. Polishing and waxing a car is a laborious chore. You can make it less so by using an electric orbital buffer to apply the products and remove the residue. An orbital buffer is just a hand-held polisher with a soft pad that rotates in a slightly erratic circular motion. When using one, make sure you use a clean pad for each step. Try to keep the polish off of your car's windows and the black trim around them. If polish does get on the windows or trim, don't rub it in--let it dry and remove it as gently as possible. Nothing terrible will happen, but you want the black trim to stay matte (not shiny), and the windows should always be kept as clean as possible. By the time you're finished with the last section of the car, any residue you've missed will have dried and will be more easily visible. Take a few moments to rub these spots away as best you can. Although kids love working on the family car, if you're concerned about keeping a perfect finish, do it yourself. Younger folks usually don't have the same patience, and won't take the same care as an adult. On the other hand, if you're the easy-going type, what the heck? The more the merrier--make it a family adventure! |
Shine on you crazy Datsun
Owning a car isn't always the carefree experience most of us would like. Regular oil changes, fluid in the cooling system, and a little something in the gas tank are only some of the things a car needs. A good wax job is another.
Air pollution, sun, and rain can slowly deteriorate your car's surface and can severely damage it unless you provide some protection. Waxing your car a few times a year keeps everything nice and shiny, maintains the resale value, and just might extend the car's life.
You'll know it's time to wax your car when the finish looks dull or when water doesn't "bead" on the surface. If you don't notice either of these characteristics, just be sure to wax at least twice per year.
When you do wax your car, the more time and effort you put in, the better it's going to look. If all you want to do is maintain a good finish, an all-in-one wax/polish combo will work fine. But if you're looking for superior shine and protection, or need to make an older surface look terrific, you should consider using separate waxing products.
Always wax your car in the shade, or out of direct sunlight. Bright sun is bad for the raw wax, and besides, who wants to work on a car in the blazing sun? Most products recommend dampening a terry cloth with water before starting, but read the directions to make sure. Always wash and dry your car well before you wax it so you don't grind anything into the surface.
Note: If you plan to use a wax/polish combo, you can skip Step 4, since you'll only be making one application.
Choose
your products
When you wax your car, you're applying a paste or liquid to its surface, letting it dry, and then removing the residue--leaving a hard, protective coating. If the surface has been neglected for a while, you might need to use some additional car care products. Here's a list of the basics, usually available in several different brands and at varying costs:
Rubbing or polishing compounds: These are abrasive pastes or liquids used to remove dull, damaged areas of paint or other material before you polish or wax. Be careful using them--it's a little too easy to rub all the way to bare metal.
Polishes: Although applied like waxes, polishes aren't the same--they make the surface very shiny but don't protect it like a wax does. Using a polish before a wax can give a deeper shine than wax alone. Water spots, small scratches, or other minor surface imperfections can often be removed by polishing gently.
Waxes: Waxes are natural or synthetic, and come in liquid or paste form. They protect the surface and add shine.
Wax/polish combos: Wax/polish combos are generally a little more abrasive than simple wax products. They'll make life easier by cleaning off any old wax on the surface, but aren't really appropriate for application over a separate polish (so if you use a polish, buy a simple wax rather than a combo).
Apply
the polishPolish residue that has dried on the car too long is very hard to remove. Before you start, divide the car into five sections--hood, roof, trunk, right side, and left side--so you can apply the polish and remove the residue one section at a time without worrying about over-drying. Work on the hood, roof, and trunk surfaces first to minimize the chance of scratching the surface with grit from the side panels. (Even when the car has been properly cleaned, it's best to be on the safe side.)
To begin, fold a clean piece of terry cloth twice, or, if an applicator came with the product, use it. Folding the cloth will give you a nice, padded surface that you can turn to a clean side every time you start a new section.
Put enough polish on the cloth to get a nice, light, even coating (don't flood the cloth). Apply it to the surface by pressing gently while moving your hand in small, overlapping, circular movements. Add more polish to the cloth as needed, until the section you're working on is covered.
Remove
the residueAfter you've applied the polish to a section and let it sit for a little while (perhaps five to ten minutes), it will dry and turn a slightly different color. Remove that dry residue by rubbing it off with another clean, dry, and folded terry cloth. Use the same small, overlapping, circular movements to rub away the residue. Press down firmly, but not so hard that you grind the residue into the paint. Keep turning the cloth to a fresh side as needed. Continue with each section until the whole car has been polished. When you're finished, you should have a smooth, shiny surface ready for waxing.
Apply the
waxYou can apply the wax coat as soon as you've removed the polish residue, but then again you could always take a break with a cool drink. Just make sure you don't have so many cool drinks that you forget to apply the wax coat.
Apply the wax the same way you applied the polish: put it on your clean applicator, apply it one section at a time, let it dry, and then remove it one section at a time. Wax takes about the same amount of time as polish does to dry, and it also changes color slightly when it's ready to be removed. You can press down a little harder than you did with the polish when removing it, but again, don't grind it into the surface.
If you're really ambitious, you can take your simple wax (not a wax/polish combo!) and apply a second coat after you've removed the residue from the first. Some folks feel that two coats of wax give a superior shine and extra protection, but for most of us, one coat will do just fine.
Buff it
all downAfter all of the residue has been removed, your car will look terrific. You can make it look even more terrific by taking yet another clean, dry terry cloth and rubbing the surface with a firm hand, using that same overlapping, circular movement. Buff the whole car however you please--no need to do one section at a time. Buffing the car ensures that any residue has been completely removed, and that the surface is as shiny as possible, smooth and slick to the touch.
Finally, take a few steps back and take in the glorious vision of your reborn automobile.
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