5. Wax
After cutting the paint with a good polish the surface will be free from chalky oxidation and if the condition was corrected in time, the original hue of the color will be restored. With the previous steps completed your paintjob will look almost as good as the day it rolled out of the paint booth. That said, the next step, applying a quality car wax will return, if not exceed, the original gloss of the finish. A premium wax will enhance gloss and depth of the finish while offering protection from the elements. How glossy or how long the wax will last depends on the individual brand. In addition to intensifying gloss a good car wax will fill and conceal minor scratches and abrasions from the human eye. Filling imperfections provides a barrier from the elements that slows the oxidation process. Maintaining a good coat of wax can stave oxidation off indefinitely. Not all car waxes are created equal, the quality of the ingredients vary, and ease of application does as well.
6. Glass Cleaner
Washing windows on a vehicle, whether it's a car or truck, is a whole different animal than washing the windows in one's home. Using a household glass cleaner with ammonia as an active ingredient can be the fast track to doing irreversible damage. This can run the gamut from tinted window film to the knobs on your truck's dashboard. There's more than one person who used a household window cleaner on knobs marked with white paint discovered the painted digits and delineations dissolved upon contact. Even in the best-case scenario, ammonia-free household glass cleaners streak and waste valuable time trying to achieve satisfactory results. The glass cleaners in aerosol cans spit and sputter and drip everywhere, use a hand pump for better control.
The best way to store clay...
The best way to store clay is squirt it with clay lubricant and then keep it in baggie.
Claying removed surface contaminants...
Claying removed surface contaminants from the GMC's black paint, but these hard water spots would have to be polished out.
This Craftsman industrial...
This Craftsman industrial buffer is 20 years old and still works great, but the foam pad had separated from the wheel. For around $200, a random orbit buffer is a good way to go.
In place of the wounded Craftsman...
In place of the wounded Craftsman buffer we used a $25 Mothers Paint Ball powered by a Craftsman drill. Mothers Carnuba Cleaner Wax made short work of the paint flaws on the GMC.
After claying Mothers Pre-Wax...
After claying Mothers Pre-Wax Cleaner was used to cut the oxidation on the '66 Chevy.
Mothers Scratch Remover used...
Mothers Scratch Remover used on Paint Ball works good for abrasions too deep for Carnuba Cleaner.
After claying and polishing,...
After claying and polishing, the next step is to seal with a good wax designed to increase gloss. We used Mothers SynWax on this black hood.
The SynWax was applied at...
The SynWax was applied at low-speed in even rows with a Mothers Paint Ball.
After allowing the SynWax...
After allowing the SynWax to dry to a haze it was hand-buffed with a microfiber towel.