Protect Your Vehicle Finish With Clear Coat Wax

Sunlight, acid rain, UV rays, dirt, grime, and a host of other environmental factors work very diligently day in and day out to destroy the finish of your car. You can slow their progress down by protecting your vehicle’s finish with clear coat wax products.

Although most new vehicles come with a clear coat finish it’s not overly thick and it too is subject to breakdown if you don’t regularly reapply a coat of wax. Older vehicles generally did not have a clear coat finish so it’s even more important to apply if you want to keep your paint from oxidizing and fading.

We’ve all seen the vehicles we are talking about. The paint has a flat almost grayish color to it. Yet if you looked inside the door jam you’d see bright and sparkling paint. That’s because the elements in the environment cause your paint to oxidize. Rich blues turn to a powdery blue, red turns to orange, and silver starts to look like primer.

Using the correct clear coats, wax, and ceramic coatings will stop these environmental affects. Done regularly your car will maintain its shiny paint for years. It’s comparable to you putting on your sunscreen before going out to play in the sun.

Be careful to avoid getting swirl marks in your paint. This is a result of overzealous application of the wax or car washes that are too harsh for your car’s paint. These swirl marks are actually ingrained right into the top coat that already exists on your car. So avoid harsh car washes and make sure you apply your wax coat correctly.

To test to see if you’ve applied your wax correctly take a fluorescent light and shine it on your paint. If you see wavy patterns coming off the paint then you’ve not done a great job. Crisp light reflections mean you’ve mastered the skill of waxing.

If you are seeing white rings that are dull this is a result of alkaline spots which is caused by alkaline precipitation. You can remove these white spots using the correct product. It’s important that your remove them as soon as possible because they can really reek havoc on the paint pigment, and actually cause a color change. That is unless you want to have a polka dot car.

Clear coat became popular in the 1990s because it was a way to extend the life of car paint. It has not pigmentation and the factory clear coat is sprayed on. The more coats the deeper your paint will look.

The clear coat breaks down over time so when you way with a clear coat style wax you bring it back to its original protection level and shine. You also need to read the label on the wax you are buying to make sure it is clear coat safe. Most of the products on the market today are but the occasional one isn’t and you’ll create quite a disaster if you use the wrong product.

To apply the wax start by reading the instructions on the bottle. You’ll get the best results by using the least amount of product. Applying several thin layers will give you better protection and a much nicer looking paint job than providing one thick layer.

You can apply it by hand or using an orbital polisher. Waxing by hand makes it easier to get into the tight corners but a polisher sure makes the process go faster. If you are applying use a dry wax applicator pad and apply in long straight lines. Never apply in circles because this can cause those swirling marks you sometimes see on paint. Follow the instructions for application and removal. Remove with a nice thick high pile towel. This will create the maximum shine.

If you want to keep your vehicle’s paint looking as good as the day it rolled off the assembly line then make sure you reapply clear coat wax on a regular basis. It’s well worth the time and effort!

Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.