Edmunds.com Highlights Effective Techniques for Washing and Waxing Your Car
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — June 27, 2012 — Summer is the perfect time for car owners to wash their own cars, and Edmunds.com, the premier online resource in automotive information, provides simple steps to ensure that their cars maintain their showroom flash.
"Frequently washing and waxing your vehicle is the best way to maintain its exterior paint finish for years to come" says Edmunds.com Consumer Advice Editor Carroll Lachnit. "All major brands of car washes, car waxes and related detailing products are specially formulated to work gently on the clear-coat paint finishes found on every car built since the mid-1990s."
To help drivers maintain their car's glossy exteriors, Edmunds.com provides simple rules to maximize the benefits of washing and waxing.
- It's always best to have the car parked in a cool, shady place. If the water you're using to wash the car is hard — meaning that it contains a lot of minerals — it will leave spots on the paint's finish when it evaporates. That happens more quickly in hot sunlight.
- Be sure to have a good stock of microfiber towels on hand. A microfiber towel is gentler to a car's finish than a cotton towel or chamois, which could mar the finish, creating slight scratches or ruts that accumulate over time.
- Follow a four-step process: washing, cleaning, polishing and waxing:
- Washing. It's the most critical of the four steps by removing the loose contaminants that gradually accumulate on the surface of the finish. Experts recommend washing a car weekly.
- Cleaning. Lightly sweep your flat hand along the paint. If it does not feel as smooth as glass, you have above-the-surface contaminants. A clay bar designed for car care is mildly abrasive to shear off and remove these contaminants. Experts say that use of a clay bar will probably be necessary every six months.
- Polishing. Apply the polish or glaze by hand, using small circular, overlapping strokes with a microfiber-covered or foam applicator pad. Using a polish or glaze once a year may be helpful.
- Waxing. When applying a liquid or paste wax, use small, circular, overlapping strokes with a microfiber-covered or foam applicator pad, working one section of the vehicle at a time. Experts recommend a good waxing at least once every three months.
For more details on effective washing and waxing techniques, please visit http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/it-takes-more-than-the-occasional-wash-and-wax-to-keep-your-car-looking-its-best.html.
And for drivers on the go looking for a quick clean-up job, Edmunds.com offers a few resourceful tips at http://www.edmunds.com/how-to/clean-your-car-without-washing-it.html.
About Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/index.html)
Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its acclaimed mobile site, Edmunds.com Android App and five-star Edmunds iPhone and iPad apps make car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and on the go. Its automotive enthusiast web site, InsideLine.com, is the most-read car publication of its kind. Its highly regarded mobile site and iPhone app features the wireless Web's most comprehensive gallery of automotive photos and videos. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook.
