When was the last time you waxed your car? Regular car waxing will not only improve your vehicle’s look, it will prolong the life span of its paint. It seems that few people do it anymore and that’s too bad. It’s not hard to do and it saves you money.
What you need – You will want to clean up your cars paint before you wax it so you’ll want an orbital buffer. These can get these for as little as $40 at auto part or tool stores. You’ll need some buffing pads and buffing compound ($10) too and, of course, some good car wax.
How you do – Buffing is the first step. It removes a microscopic amount of the paint’s top layer exposing the fresh, vibrant paint underneath. Waxing your car immediately after buffing will replace the protective properties of the top layer and make the paint look like new.
How to do it – Spread the compound out evenly across the painted area with the orbital buffer off to ensure that the compound doesn’t splatter onto nearby surfaces.
Turn the buffer on and slowly work the area in circular motions holding the pad completely flat at all times. Be careful about turning the buffer at an angle or applying too much pressure. This can “burn” the paint surface and cause swirling.
By the way, buffing should usually be done once a year. If you live in a coastal region and your car is stored outside, it may require more frequent buffing. This is due to the high salt content of sea air, which causes paint to oxidize faster.
Wax it – Using the buffer, apply the car wax using a clean pad. Spread it evenly, gently pulsing the trigger of the buffer (instead of keeping the buffer turned on continuously). You are just trying to get an even coat to cover the painted panel. When done, let the wax completely dry (refer to the directions on the bottle for more details). Then use a microfiber cloth to remove the wax, using circular motions to achieve a high gloss. Looks nice, doesn’t it! Looking for more waxing tips? check out Browns fine pre-owned cars and trucks for more advice.
Because it’s generally recommended that you wax your car every three months (but don’t buff every time you wax), car waxing is a good skill to have. Your car will look great, and you will have saved yourself some good money.
