A car's finish is vulnerable to the outside elements: bird droppings in spring, direct sunlight in summer and road salt in winter. A vehicle's skin is subjected to tough demands throughout the year. To prevent your glossy finish from turning into a dull reminder of what it used to be, you need to invest some time and effort. It takes regular care tailored to the needs of the vehicle to maintain the gloss and resistance of the finish. BASF Coatings, one of the world's leading manufacturers of automotive OEM and automotive refinish paints, is providing car owners with helpful finish care tips.
Prior to treating your car's finish to a round of polish or wax, be sure to thoroughly wash the car. Once you have dried off the vehicle with a chamois, you can take the next steps for preserving the finish. To do this, use circular motions to apply the hard gloss wax to the finish and then use a soft cloth to buff it to a high sheen. It's important not to polish your car in the blazing sun. When paintwork heats up, it is more sensitive and more difficult to treat. In most cases, waxing your car twice a year is enough. In general, the protective film provided by the wax should be refreshed when water spreads out on the finish surface instead of forming beads and rolling off.
Freshly refinished surfaces call for extra special care. During the first four to six weeks after refinishing, only clear water, without any additives, should be used to rinse the finish. Do not take the car through the car wash. The new finish does not fully harden until this period is over. Then you can treat it as usual.
Some new cars have a light dull film on their finish. By using a mild high-gloss polish, which can be removed with a soft cloth after it has dried, you can solve this problem too. On the other hand, older finishes or those exposed to a great deal of wear and tear require more care. Intensive pretreatment with paint cleaner should be followed by preservation of the surface with hard gloss wax.
BASF Coatings recommends that you check the finish for stone chipping and other damage once a year. Regularly repairing damage to the finish is the only way to prevent rust and keep the paintwork in mint condition.
Prior to treating your car's finish to a round of polish or wax, be sure to thoroughly wash the car. Once you have dried off the vehicle with a chamois, you can take the next steps for preserving the finish. To do this, use circular motions to apply the hard gloss wax to the finish and then use a soft cloth to buff it to a high sheen. It's important not to polish your car in the blazing sun. When paintwork heats up, it is more sensitive and more difficult to treat. In most cases, waxing your car twice a year is enough. In general, the protective film provided by the wax should be refreshed when water spreads out on the finish surface instead of forming beads and rolling off.
Freshly refinished surfaces call for extra special care. During the first four to six weeks after refinishing, only clear water, without any additives, should be used to rinse the finish. Do not take the car through the car wash. The new finish does not fully harden until this period is over. Then you can treat it as usual.
Some new cars have a light dull film on their finish. By using a mild high-gloss polish, which can be removed with a soft cloth after it has dried, you can solve this problem too. On the other hand, older finishes or those exposed to a great deal of wear and tear require more care. Intensive pretreatment with paint cleaner should be followed by preservation of the surface with hard gloss wax.
BASF Coatings recommends that you check the finish for stone chipping and other damage once a year. Regularly repairing damage to the finish is the only way to prevent rust and keep the paintwork in mint condition.
