Post by danase on Dec 4, 2007 13:13:17 GMT -5
Why should I bother taking care of my car’s exterior? I wash it once a month isn’t that enough?
Time and time again I hear a similar comment from someone. “I wash my car once a month why should I wash it more?” Or “I wax my car once a year, that is good enough.”. However, these people don’t hesitate to change their oil every 3,000 miles, rotate their tires, and change their transmission fluid and so on.
Your vehicle’s exterior care should be no different than the mechanical side of it. Your vehicles paint and body is one of the most expensive parts of your vehicle and to not take care of it is crazy!
“Why is a dirty car bad for my paint and body?”
Because the dirt sitting on your car holds moisture and moisture, as we all know, is a big part of rust formation. Also, you never know what that dirt is or what else besides water is absorb into the dirt that is just sitting on your paint and holding there. Maybe it is corrosive road salt, factory pollutants, brake dust, acid rain, and so on. Keeping your vehicle clean will keep the body in great shape, will keep it looking like new, and will help hold the resale value.
“Why should I wax my vehicle?”
Well, for one, because a good wax or sealant will help protect your paint from the above mentioned items as well as UV rays. And a vehicle with a good coat of wax or sealant will be easier to wash because dirt will not stick to it as well as on a vehicle without a wax or sealer. Depending on certain variables your wax or sealant will usually last 3-6 months. If your vehicle is garage kept most of the time and never sees rain expect 6 months. If it is a daily driver sitting in elements 24/7 expect 3 months of protection.
“I take my car to the automatic car wash all of the time, is that ok?”
Well, that all depends. Let’s talk about some of the car washes that exist. First we have the worst kind possible…the ones where the car goes through and all of these brushes smack your vehicle to death. I don’t care how clean the brushes are or what the wash owners tells you, these ARE scratching your paint. Also the cleaning chemicals are usually very harsh and will strip your wax or sealant. Stop using them if you want an A+ finish on your car. Next we have the touchless automatic washes, usually found at the self serve car washes. These are the better of the two. However, the touchless washes also use harsh chemicals to clean your vehicles and they too usually strip wax and sealants. When I say “harsh” I am not saying they will hurt your car, they are just harsh on the protective coat you applied. That is how they have to be in order to get your car clean with minimal work.
“I paid my dealer $2000 for this special wax and it last 5 years!”
Your dealer is a con and you fell for one of the oldest cons in the book. Mark my word that no wax will last that long. You are basically paying for a paint warranty of some sort. If you paint doesn’t come with a good warranty in the first place don’t buy the vehicle.
Sincerely,
Bob Daniels
Time and time again I hear a similar comment from someone. “I wash my car once a month why should I wash it more?” Or “I wax my car once a year, that is good enough.”. However, these people don’t hesitate to change their oil every 3,000 miles, rotate their tires, and change their transmission fluid and so on.
Your vehicle’s exterior care should be no different than the mechanical side of it. Your vehicles paint and body is one of the most expensive parts of your vehicle and to not take care of it is crazy!
“Why is a dirty car bad for my paint and body?”
Because the dirt sitting on your car holds moisture and moisture, as we all know, is a big part of rust formation. Also, you never know what that dirt is or what else besides water is absorb into the dirt that is just sitting on your paint and holding there. Maybe it is corrosive road salt, factory pollutants, brake dust, acid rain, and so on. Keeping your vehicle clean will keep the body in great shape, will keep it looking like new, and will help hold the resale value.
“Why should I wax my vehicle?”
Well, for one, because a good wax or sealant will help protect your paint from the above mentioned items as well as UV rays. And a vehicle with a good coat of wax or sealant will be easier to wash because dirt will not stick to it as well as on a vehicle without a wax or sealer. Depending on certain variables your wax or sealant will usually last 3-6 months. If your vehicle is garage kept most of the time and never sees rain expect 6 months. If it is a daily driver sitting in elements 24/7 expect 3 months of protection.
“I take my car to the automatic car wash all of the time, is that ok?”
Well, that all depends. Let’s talk about some of the car washes that exist. First we have the worst kind possible…the ones where the car goes through and all of these brushes smack your vehicle to death. I don’t care how clean the brushes are or what the wash owners tells you, these ARE scratching your paint. Also the cleaning chemicals are usually very harsh and will strip your wax or sealant. Stop using them if you want an A+ finish on your car. Next we have the touchless automatic washes, usually found at the self serve car washes. These are the better of the two. However, the touchless washes also use harsh chemicals to clean your vehicles and they too usually strip wax and sealants. When I say “harsh” I am not saying they will hurt your car, they are just harsh on the protective coat you applied. That is how they have to be in order to get your car clean with minimal work.
“I paid my dealer $2000 for this special wax and it last 5 years!”
Your dealer is a con and you fell for one of the oldest cons in the book. Mark my word that no wax will last that long. You are basically paying for a paint warranty of some sort. If you paint doesn’t come with a good warranty in the first place don’t buy the vehicle.
Sincerely,
Bob Daniels
