24 & 25
by Mark Wibberley
With the credit crunch biting,
only need this treatment annually. It’s a revelation,
more people want to keep their
and everyone who uses it is amazed – just try it!
Now that your car is clean and the surface smooth,
cars looking good for longer.
you need to remove dead paint and swirls created by
My background in car care
the previous owner who used a sponge! You’ll need
began with a sponge and bucket
to cut the paint, either by hand or with a mechanised
mop, depending on your personal skill and comfort
on my Dad’s old Triumphs and
levels. It’s hard work, but proper preparation at this
graduated to sponges and Fairy
stage reaps dividends later. Just take your time and
Liquid on two Porsches. Both
do a small area at a time. You will see an immediate
improvement in shine and depth of colour as tiny
cars looked kind of shiny, but
scratches and old paint get removed. But the paint
little did I know at the time…
is now naked, and you will need to protect it with
So, to start at the beginning and expose my
wax or a silicon/resin chemical sealant.
early errors:
This final, finishing stage depends on your
Firstly, sponges are made of bubbles, perfect
preference for products, though natural Carnauba-
hidey-holes for grit and insect shell cases – a lovely
based products are the choice of most professional
scouring pad. I’ve seen a smart 911 Turbo covered
detailers. Enough said. Carnauba will also seal the
with parallel lines from loving regular washing. So
paint, so there’s no need for an additional glaze. Use
save your sponge for the wheels and underside,
The idea of dragging mineral clay over your paint of a good product lengthens the time between
and use anything with a deep pile – wash cloth,
strikes many as counter intuitive, but this is special waxing, so no more weekly polishing, like in the old
synthetic, wool or microfibre wash mitt. The pile
stuff. It’s smooth, sticky and comes in blue, yellow, days, and no more white marks on black trim or
traps dirt, and you can’t drop mitts – a simple way
green, grey. Coupled with a special lubricant and powders or residues on the car. And Carnauba builds
to reduce swirls for considerably less than a tenner.
applied to the paint surface, it lifts off anything stuck layers too, the more the merrier, deepening the shine
And don’t use Fairy. Its salt content is bad for cars, there – old baked-on bird muck, flies, tar spots, brake every time, so monthly waxing will pay dividends.
and it is designed to cut through grease, not road dust, overspray and general bits of microdebris. You can use lint-free cotton, disposable wadding,
grime. Any pH neutral shampoo is fine, ones with Once the area is dried off, it will feel glass smooth – sheepskin and the highly fashionable and effective
Carnauba Wax are recommended. Use two buckets, guaranteed. This is what marks out Concours-smooth Microfibre for final buffing. Retired clothing is
one with soapy water and the other with clean rinsing paint over a surface that just looks shiny. not recommended.
water – this omits the need for a trendy and expensive Repeated usage is recommended for summer flies, Having stood back to admire your pride and joy,
grit guard. And a word on jet washes. Obviously, no tar and annoying scuffs or marks on paintwork, you’ll naturally want to drive it. Go ahead – you
readers are ever going to use an automated car wash chrome, glass and metal, but general bodywork will deserve it!
or even garage jet washes, but many folks have home
power washers. A recent DEKRA report showed that
using them too close to tyres can cause premature
aging and damage to sidewalls, and the same applies
to bodywork. The recommendation is to use them
to loosen dirt from about 18” (45cm) away, and take
care under wheel arches, as they can loosen under
It’s useful to make a clear distinction between waxes and polishes. Polishing is the action of mechanically
body sealant.
buffing a surface using an abrasive product which will remove a fine surface layer to create a uniform,
When it comes to drying, you can use the right
reflective face and hence a shine. Whilst it will remove dead paint, unless the product contains certain
foot – 60mph or so usually does the trick!
oils, it will not actually feed lower layers of paint, so will not correct faded, leached paint.
Alternatively, use a drying blade, special absorbent
A wax is a finishing treatment for the surface, with no cutting action. The best is Grade One Brazilian
towel or chamois leather. Most chamois are
Yellow Carnauba, but other waxes such as bees wax are used to bulk up some products. Do not be fooled
sheepskins, though originally they were made
by products which claim to be ‘100% Carnauba Wax’– if they were, they would be completely solid,
from deerskins, which are tougher and can be
unusable and frighteningly expensive.
used from dry. My personal favourite is a waffle
Wax will dry glass hard, filling in surface marks and indentations, increasing the reflectivity of the
weave drying towel.
surface and hence the shine. It will protect against UV, chemical attack such as bird lime,
The next stage is something some will have heard
stone chips and enable much faster washing of the vehicle.
about, and a few will have seen its wonderful results.
Mark Wibberley is a former Chairman of Stamford & District RT611 and organiser
I’m talking about Clay Bar, a product beloved by
of its www.stamfordcarshow.co.uk. He runs valeting supplies company
professional valeters. You can get it from any number
Morethanpolish.com.
i
of suppliers for under £20.
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