Are these the items that normally feature when you wash your car?
We need to deal with each item in turn to show why they are bad for your car
Think about the surface of a sponge, which is flat. What happens if grit on the car's paintwork is trapped between the face of the sponge, and your paintwork? As you move the sponge around, you are creating very fine scratches on the surface of your paintwork. Over time these scratches build up, becoming more and more visible, eventually creating a dull surface where it was once shiny.These scratches are more commonly known as swirls. They are often more obvious in sunlight, and are more easily seen on darker colours.
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| Is this how your car looks in the sun? |
Simply put, the same applies to chamois leathers as with sponges. There is nowhere for grit particles to go, so they get trapped between the surface of the chamois and your paintwork, and create scratches. So if there aren't enough scratches caused by the sponge, the chamois leather just adds to them
Washing-up liquid is a powerful cleaner and degreaser, but the problem with it is that it contains salt, which is used to add to the viscosity. It may also contain ammonia. Salt makes water conduct electricity better. The process of oxidisation is essentially an electrical process. By adding salt to your car’s bodywork speeds that process up, which is bad for both your paintwork and metalwork. The problem with washing-up liquid, as far as your car is concerned, is that it may contain other chemicals such as solvents, surfactants, colourings and preservatives. Now if you believe the advertising that is great for your dishes and hands, however it is not good for your car. Washing-up liquid is especially formulated for washing grease and food from your pots and pans. When washing your car though, you need to use a soap especially formulated to remove salts, tar, pollutants and traffic film.
Because washing up liquid is such a powerful de-greaser, it will strip any wax from your paintwork, and can also make your paintwork dry out. This drying out can make it brittle and prone to chipping and even cracking.
You should always use a purpose made car shampoo or ‘wash & wax’ that contains no sodium. If cost is an issue, these can be bought quite cheaply from motor accessory shops, or even the supermarket these days. There are also higher quality car shampoos on the market.
Don't panic Mr Mainwaring!
The point here is that even though you may have been causing damage to your paintwork by using the wrong products or procedure, it can be put right. Find a detailer in your local area, and they will be able to assess the condition your paintwork is in. They will be able to tell you what level of correction they expect to acheive.
For example, the pictures below show a panel before and after detailing. In the first picture, the scratches we mentioned before are clearly visible. In the second picture, the paintwork has been corrected by a detailer, and the beautifully scratch-free paintwork can shine once more.
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| Paintwork before correction by a detailer |
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| Paintwork after correction by a detailer |
So go find a detailer or valeter in your local area now, and get the shine and sparkle back to your car
