How often should I clean my car paint

DEGREASERS/TAR/BUG REMOVERS: These types of products are normally solvents designed to dissolve surface contaminants such as road tar or bugs. There are two broad classifications of solvents, petroleum distillates and citrus based. The quality citrus products tend to be gentler on the paint. Any degreaser/tar/bug remover will remove wax. So after you have rid your car of the remains of Billy bee, you will have to rewax the area. (What is the last thing that goes through a bee's mind as he slams into your windshield at 60 mph? ......His stinger.) Be aware that many of the popular over the counter tar removers are based on kerosene and may cause long-term damage to paint.
     How often should you clean the paint? The correct answer is based upon several factors. If your car is a "garage queen" and only sees the light of day once a week or so, then once a year is usually often enough. If it is a daily driver, and sits out in the elements day after day, then twice maybe three times a year may be required. Your paint will tell you when it needs to be cleaned. It may scream at the top of its little lungs or it may be more subtle and simply lose its luster and look dull (you know your paint better than I do). If the finish is subjected to acid rain, and the effects of highly acidic bird offerings, then you may have to clean specific areas of the finish a little more often. If someone tells you to clean the paint each time you wax, then they are either trying to sell you another paint job or have an excess of cleaner they are trying to unload.
     Power tools and fine finishes, in my humble opinion, do not mix. There is nothing that a power buffer can do, that you cannot do by hand. The advantage of power is speed. This also applies to getting yourself into trouble. The edges of your body panels and raised/creased areas of the sheet metal have the thinnest layer of paint. When the body is painted, the liquid paint will tend to flow away from these raised areas. A power buffer will concentrate its energy on the thin paint of these high points. This is another way of saying hello to your primer or as the professionals say, "burning an edge". If you must use a power buffer, use only closed cell foam pads and use one pad for each product. Do not use lambs wool type of pads, as they are swirl marks waiting to happen. Most importantly, use only a cleaner/glaze/polish type product that is specifically formulated for use with a power buffer. The frictional heat of a buffer will cause some product's abrasives to flocculate or clump together and make your hood look like a newly plowed cornfield. Most people do not appreciate this look.


Bruce Drago car Detailing