I am asked often about car care and what I do to keep my cars clean. Believe it or not, up until a year ago I routinely detailed all of my cars myself.
Today I have so many it just doesn’t make sense so I have a detailer on retainer to come keep my collection looking spiffy, but I still love to hand wash my cars when I have time.
Recently I engaged one of our members and sponsors, Arman Kouray of HydroSilex, to go over the three biggest mistakes people make when detailing their cars.
Enter Arman:
—-
Thanks for the opportunity, PJ!
Using quality products to maintain the paint on your vehicle is something that’s often overlooked. With modern day technology, now more than ever it’s easier to clean and protect your vehicle’s paint.
Here are some common mistakes car owners make when it comes to their paint that they might not realize is causing more harm than good.
Mistake #1: Going to the car wash.
A majority of the people go to a car wash with the hope of making their car nice and clean without having to lift a finger, however, in most scenarios, the paint takes quite a beating during this process.
Car washes are notorious for damaging the paint on your car, ever see a black car in direct sun that has thousands of scratches & swirls and think, “wow that car looks bad?”
That’s the result of dozens of washes using a car wash or poor technique when cleaning the car.
This happens because the machines they use at car washes are very aggressive, clean hundreds of cars everyday which causes tons of small rocks, dirt and other contaminants to be stuck in the brushes.
While your car is going through the tunnel those dirty brushes are hitting your paint dozens of time causing fine hairline scratches all over the paint… don’t be this person.
Mistake #2: Washing on hot, sunny days.
Here’s why that’s a bad idea.
Generally, on hot summer days the metal panels of your car heat up to temperatures far behind the temperatures outside.
This makes washing a car very challenging simply due to the fact that everything on the surface dries and evaporates very quickly.
Most people don’t realize that water, soap and other chemicals drying on the surface are actually damaging the paint, not cleaning it.
The common hose water that’s used to wash your car has harmful chemicals in it that once dried causes those dreaded water spots.
Water spots are the #1 thing to avoid when owning an exotic car, they not only are an absolute nightmare to take out but can make the paint look dull, faded and, when really bad, cost a pretty penny to remove if you need a professional’s help.
Mistake #3: Wiping down a dry car.
Most people think their paint is indestructible and don’t treat it with the love and care it deserves.
After a quick drive or a night on the town most people just take a dry towel and wipe down their car.
Here’s why that’s bad: the surface of the car has thousands of contaminants on it, from things like dust, dirt, pollen, road grime and whatever else might stick to the surface while driving.
If you take a dry towel and apply pressure to that towel when wiping the car down you’re pushing all of that contamination into the paint and dragging it across multiple surfaces, the same way the car wash puts fine hairline scratches in the paint.
Hydrosilex manufacturers premium DIY ceramic coatings and car care products to help you better protect and maintain your vehicle.
Our spray on ceramic coating makes the cars paint slicker, more chemical resistant and, water repellant allowing water to roll off the surface effortlessly so that those terrible water spots won’t happen again.
Our flashship coating is designed to keep your car cleaner for longer and requires less work to clean it when it gets dirty.
You’ll see 6 months of protection from just one application.
We sell everything from interior cleaners to detail sprays to safely wipe down your car after date night, and towels that feel smoother than a baby’s bottom to wipe down your prized possession.
—-
I want to thank Arman for sharing these great tips for new exotic car owners when it comes to maintaining your car.
Believe it or not, most people think its ok to bring their car to a gas station drive through car wash.
Regardless if you own a luxury or exotic car, it’s in your best interest to take for your car the proper way to reduce the risk of paint damage… which in turn can cost you more money later in correction or a reduced sale price.
I personally use and recommend Hydrosilex’s range of products to maintain my fleet of exotics. Check out Hydrosilex and let them know PJ from Exotic Car Hacks sent you.