Know how to wax a car right - Get this result!

Harsh UV sunlight...  Acid rain ... Corrosive road salt... Bird droppings ... Insect residue...Tree sap... Road tar ... 

All these things attack your vehicle's finish, causing it to fade, chalk, dull and discolor over time.

If you're interested in protecting your investment and getting more money when the time comes to resell your vehicle, or if you just want to find out the best way to make your baby shine, read on to learn how to wax a car.

Tips and Techniques on How To Wax a Car

There's always and right way and a wrong way, a good way and a better way to do anything. This fact holds true especially concerning how to wax a car.

Here's What To Do and What not To Do.

1. Park in the shade

Commercials always show people washing and waxing their autos on a hot day, usually in full sunshine. It looks great for ads because it shows the shine, but it really doesn't show how to wax a car the right way. A hot, sunny location is the worst place you can apply soap and polish. Why?

· A hot surface will cause any soap,
  residue remover or wax to dry too quickly, making it difficult to remove.

· Paint tends to soften somewhat as it heats. This can lead to ugly micro-scratching
  as you rub to remove the dirt or as you polish.

· Certain waxes are not formulated to be applied to heated car surfaces. Basically, 

  they become chemically altered and lose their effectiveness.

3. Wash and Dry your car

Applying wax to a wet surface causes streaking. Be sure to check that trim isn't holding water behind it as it may drip or be wicked onto the surface as you polish or before you are ready to remove it.

It's better to use a soft, lint-free cloth or a chamois to remove the water. Air drying leaves spots.

4. Apply the wax

   

Apply in overlapping circles

· Start by carefully reading

  manufacturer's directions.

· Use a clean, soft cloth and apply

  the car polish in a light, even

  coat.

· Use even, slightly overlapping
  circular motions.

· Avoid rubber strips and textured
  plastic parts and surfaces - they
  absorb the wax and this makes a
  white stain hat's very difficult to
  remove.

· Only apply to one section of your car at a time rather than the whole car.   Why?  See below.

· Let the wax dry to a haze. Don't let it sit on the surface much longer than the 

  time it takes to dry because the longer it sits after it has dried to a haze, the 

  harder it is to remove. You don't need any extra work.

5. Remove the wax

 

· Use a clean, soft towel or a cloth baby's diaper (yes, they still make them!) or a
  microfiber towel.

· Use a circular motion and rub to remove the wax.

· Turn the cloth frequently so that you are always using the cleanest part you can.
  Otherwise you will redeposit the residue and this will cause the ever-dreaded
  streaking. You might want to have a second clean cloth handy.

  

6. Repeat Application and removal section by section until done - Now that's how to wax a car right!

How often should you wax a car?

It's best to do it about every 3-4 months, but a good general rule of thumb is if water is no longer beading on the car's surface, it's time for a wax job!

Now that you know how to wax a car properly, get out there and make it shine!

Next: Choosing the Best Car Wax 

Paint Chip Repair

"There's a dozen tiny chips on the front end of my car. Is there any way I can get rid of them?"

Those tiny chips on your car, especially if they're on the front end, are called "road rash". They're caused by small pebbles or tiny pieces of loose asphalt hitting the finish and taking off tiny pieces of paint. Fortunately, these days, it's fairly easy to do a decent paint chip repair job.

A few years ago, it used to be that if you wanted to do paint chip repair on your car, you had to go to the dealer and get a bottle of OEM touch-up paint and a small paint brush. This was fine if you were OK with globs and blobs of paint all over the front of the car. Frankly, dabbed-on touch-up made your car look like it had a case of acne. The fix was worse than the problem.

Now, there is a much better way of paint chip repair than using a bottle touch-up or a paint pen. It's called Dr. Color Chip. 

Dr. Color Chip makes it super easy to do a paint chip repair job. You can order an exact match to your car's finish by model and year. The paint they use might look like ordinary OEM touch-up, but that's where the similarity stops. 

Dr. Color Chip is available in three different kits depending on your paint chip repair needs: 

The Basic kit sells for $39.00 and includes a bottle of your make and model color touch-up, a bottle of sealant, a tandem paint brush with a small tip and a large tip, a glove and instructions. The basic is enough to repair about a dozen or so chips.

The Standard kit sells for $49.00 and includes the same items, only enough to take care of two dozen chips. It also includes two extra brushes and a microfiber towel for buffing.

The Road Rash kit sells for $59.00. It includes the same items as the Standard, but more paint and sealer; enough to cover more than two dozen chips.

Super Easy Paint Chip Repair

Dr. Color Chip is unbelievably easy to use. First you wash and dry your car. Put on the glove they supply. Then, apply the paint to your brush and dab it into and slightly over each chip. Swipe it and smear it slightly 
with your finger. It's OK that it looks messy at first. Next, let the paint sit for a minimum of 5 minutes. 30 minutes to an hour is better. Then, take a soft, cotton cloth, apply a little sealant and gently wipe away the excess from around the chip. Try not to press too hard or too much will come out of the chip. Finish by buffing with the microfiber cloth. It's that easy! No special skill needed. You'll have to immediately follow up by a coat of wax for protection.

Dr. Color Chip does a really excellent job of camouflaging the chips. But don't expect it to totally fill in chips and make the finish smooth. It won't. Really close up, the chips are still there. But basically, it does a good enough job of hiding them so that you'd only know they were there if you were up within a foot or two and actually looking for them. To everyone else, they're essentially invisible. You could reapply until the chip is full or better yet, use an orbital buffer and polish out the chips if you're really looking for perfection.

Pros:

• Super easy. 
• Really dramatic difference in appearance between before and after.
• Way more effective than other touch-up methods of paint chip repair.

Cons: 

• Doesn't completely fill in chips.
• Some problems with this system of paint chip repair is that the repairs may appear slightly dull due to the absence of a clear coat. 
• The glove sometimes tends to drag on the car's finish causing the touch-up paint to pull out of the chip.

Overall:
Dr. Color Chip is an excellent product. If you want an easy and effective way to get rid of road rash, nothing else compares. It's not perfect, but short of a new paint job, you won't find a better way of paint chip repair.