Since we have the brand new car we were hoping to keep it nice for as long as possible. I don't want it to rust out like the focus. So, in order to make it stay shiny and new I spent a good part of the day washing and waxing it. I've never waxed a car I own before. I probably have not waxed a car or anything since I was 10.
After I washed it I left it to dry a bit. When I went to go wax it, the weather has just started to spit. So, in the garage and time for the work. It took a while, but it looks great. I think that I've spent more time cleaning a car today than I have in the last 10 years total. Crazy.
One thing that I should have realized but didn't is that dirt is a Bad Thing. When your car is dirty, moisture, oils, etc stick to the car, eat away at the paint and allows rust (apparently). Clean car == not too rusty car. So we're going to do our best to keep the car clean and have it last as long as possible.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteSomething you might want to look into next year is a clay bar kit. A friend of mine convinced me to do this last year, and I think it did make a difference.
If you've never used one, a clay bar basically just seems like a lump of silly putty. You spray down a small area of the car with a special solution, then rub the clay across it. This picks up stuff like dirt that is really stuck on, small rust particles, and brake dust.
It's another step in the whole wash/wax cycle, but I'm going to try to keep it up once a year, because the car looked fantastic after it was done last year :D
- Andrew
I think that I just need more practise in general at cleaning a car.
ReplyDeleteMy wax job wasn't so hot since I missed some places where to take the wax off. Note: waxing your car in a one car garage during a thunder storm doesn't create the best lighting conditions. :-P
So, after driving it in the rain / country, it needs another wash anyways. Ah well.
Haha... I was finding wax in seams of the car (door edges, etc...) for months after I waxed it! I don't think it really matters where you do it, that stuff is hard to get off!
ReplyDelete