1. Dish detergent is safe to wash your car with.
Sure, we've all done it, a little squirt of plain dish detergent in a
warm bucket of water and we're ready to wash! But, this old trick might
not be such a good idea. Dish detergent is made to remove everything
from the surface including the polymers of car finish. Just like washing
your hands with dish detergent will dry out your hands it can dry out
your paint, accelerating the oxidation process.
2. Cleaning and washing are the same.
Cleaning means to remove stains, blemishes and bonded contaminants such
as tree sap and the spray of tire rubber. A car wash just means to
remove loose contaminants
3. A shiny car is a clean car.
Just looking at your car can't tell you whats happening on the paint.
Rubbing your hand across the surface can tell a driver how clean their
vehicle truly is, no mater how well it shines. If it feels like glass
then it's as clean as it gets!
4. Clay bars should only be used by professionals.
Clay bars are
used to grab and gently remove all bonded contaminants such as tree sap
and road rubber. They often come in kits that make it easy for driver to
use and really make that car sparkle!
5. Swirl marks can be removed my waxing.
More modern
paint finishes magnify scratches, fixing these often depends on how deep
the scratch is. Luckily, micro-fine scratches can be fixed with a
non-abrasive paint cleaner but more serious swirls may need professional
help.
6. There is no difference between waxing and polishing.
Polishing
creates a high-gloss surface and waxing protects the finish by coating
it with wax polymers, silicones and resins. So yes, there is a
difference!
7. Paint can be damaged by machine polishers.
When
it comes to polishers speed is key! A dual-action polisher and orbital
buffers work well but rotary buffers with higher RPMs should only be
used by professionals.
8. T-shirts and flannel make good cleaning cloths.
The smooth
surface of a t-shirt or a cloth is exactly what you don't want. You
don't want that because those fine particulates actually scratch the
surface! Instead try a premium terrycloth microfiber towel.
9. Paste wax is better than liquid wax.
Times have changed! Yes at one time paste wax was great but these day synthetic waxes, polymers and resins get the job done!
10. Regularly protecting the paint finish is unnecessary once the car is waxed.
Tree sap and tire rubber never sleep, so protecting your car from it is a full time job whether your car is waxed or not.