Driving a fresh clean car is nice. Driving a car that looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor is even better. Getting that showroom quality shine doesn’t take a professional either. All it takes is a little elbow grease and a little knowledge on how to give your car a glossy shine.
Wash the Car
Washing the car is an obvious step, but what may be less obvious is the fact many people do this step wrong. Specifically, this tends to happen when they elect to wash the car themselves. Washing the car yourself isn’t bad in and of itself. The problem is when you wash the car with an old rag or t-shirt and dish soap.
Old rags can be stiff and abrasive, which can scuff your paint job. And dish soap may work well on food grease, but it isn’t built to clean the sort of stuff that’s stuck on your car, and we will touch more on that later. Using microfiber cloths and soap made for the car is always the best bet when it comes to giving your car the best shine. But getting the dirt that’s keeping your car from that perfect shine doesn’t end with the wash.
Paint Decontamination
Cars go through a lot as they drive the roads. Along with the normal dirt and grime, there are animal droppings, road salt, and brake dust. Brake dust is a metallic material from brake pads and motors mixed with dirt that usually sticks to car wheels but can get on your car body too. This material is also abrasive and will take away from your car’s paint job and shine.
Fortunately, there is something you can do about this. Paint contamination is a process designed to lift these tough to remove materials that might have been missed during washing. Now that your car is fully clean, you are ready for the finishing touch.
Paint Protectant
Paint protectant is an extra substance that you put on your car to keep your car’s paint looking gorgeous and give it an extra shine. There are several types of paint protectants including wax, paint sealant, and ceramic coating. Each has its own benefits, and many will argue that one gives a better shine than the others. One thing is for sure, any option will give your car a glossy shine.
A responsible car owner will make sure their car is clean. But where’s the fun in stopping there? It takes a little more effort to get a car that shines, but every time you walk out to the car to go to work or the store, you can feel good about that effort.
