Surviving to the spring
A harsh winter has been threatened and some parts of the country have already experienced very severe conditions. This brings out the gritters and, of course, lots of salt – your car’s enemy No.1. The best way to protect the body and brightwork is to wash them down thoroughly once a week. Remember that a deep pile wash mitt, such as the Meguiar’s Ultimate Wash Mitt, will add far fewer swirls and scratches to your paintwork than a sponge, which tends to trap particles of grit. It’s not just the top surfaces of the body that require attention either, you need to clean under the arches where the salt and mud combine into a lethal cocktail, and in and around the wheels and brakes.
Once clean and dry, protect the bodywork with a good coat of wax such as Meguiar’s Gold Class and the brightwork with NXT All Metal Polysh, which will seal the surface against moisture and contaminants. Equally, dressing the tyres will help protect them from the ravages of grit, salt and freezing temperatures. One point, wax takes longer to cure in cold weather, so expect to allow up to 20 min before polishing off.
Once prepared in this way, your pride and joy should sail through the winter free from harm. Any odd spots of fresh contaminant or dust can be swiftly and safely removed with the aid of a terry towel and Meguiar’s Quik Detailer.
Cars being laid up for the winter months
A year of even modest mileage can create any number of imperfections in and on your paint finish. Some problems can be felt more easily than they can be seen. Try a simple touch test. When your paintwork is clean and dry, run your fingertips lightly over the bonnet, roof and boot. If you can feel any grittiness at all, you have ‘bonded contamination’ stuck to the surface of your paintwork. The most common example is tree sap, but industrial fall-out, road tar and paint overspray can all play havoc with your paint finish. Fortunately, such contaminants can be quickly and safely removed using the Meguiar’s Quik Clay Detailing System.
Tear off about a third of the 100g Meguiar’s clay bar and work it with your hands until it is nice and malleable. Then fold the piece of clay into a disc about 5-6cm in diameter. Wet the clay disc and the area of paintwork to be worked with the Meguiar’s Quick Detailer lubricant provided in the kit and rub the clay through the lubricant using just fingertip pressure. If you feel the clay binding to the paint, simply apply more lubricant. After you have finished an area of maybe ½ m2, inspect the clay for contaminant and fold it in to expose another clean clay surface. Continue this process until all bonded contaminant has been removed. Repeat the fingertip test and your paintwork will now feel as smooth as glass.
The claying process should be followed by a deep cleansing of the paint with something like Meguiar’s Deep Crystal System - Step 1 Paint Cleaner. This strips off any old wax and silicone residues and penetrates the upper surface of the paint to remove the early onset of oxidation and any light staining in the paint surface. Every well cared for car should have its paint ‘deep cleansed’ at least once a year.
Light swirls and scratches can be remedied with Meguiar’s Scratch X. This is not a harsh compound like traditional UK scratch removers, but uses unique diminishing abrasives and polishing oils to gently remove fine swirls and scratches. Deeper marks may require two or three light product applications. This cleaning process should be followed by a coat of good quality wax such as Meguiar’s Gold Class or NXT Tech Wax.
If you now remove and clean the wheels and treat them to a thorough coating of wax as well, then dress the tyres in order to keep the rubber supple and conditioned, your car will rest through the winter months well protected and ready for the joys of Spring.
