Car Valeting Tips from IPS Paint Supplies
If you’re a car enthusiast and love to take care your vehicle, you may get frustrated with the end results despite your best efforts. At IPS Paint Supplies we often have customers coming in to purchase valeting products but, despite the quality of these items, are still not 100% satisfied. This is generally because, although they have invested in some of the best products on the market, the way they are cleaning their car is not always spot on!!!
Learning how to valet your car to a professional standard isn’t just about taking pride in your vehicle, it’s also a smart way to maintain your car’s value, and make sure you get the best possible price when it comes to selling it on.
So, whether you just want your car to look and smell great or you are planning to sell it on, we’ve come up with these top 10 tips to help you to get the most from your washing, waxing and polishing efforts.
IPS Paint Supplies Top Valeting Tips
Tip 1: Dry glass surfaces in two directions. When cleaning and drying your car’s windows, you’ll almost certainly come across an annoying streak on either the outside or the inside of the glass. To make the process easier, get in the habit of drying the exterior glass in one direction and the interior in another (horizontal and vertical for instance). By making the effort to dry the glass this way, you’ll know whether the streak is on the outside or inside of the car by the direction it’s facing, enabling you to deal with the problem quickly without causing any more streaks and blemishes.
Tip 2: Clean the very top of the windows. One simple tip that can help you avoid unwanted smears is to wind down the windows to clean the topmost portion of the glass. Excess product can build up in the window jamb, and could result in streaking, dripping and other marks. By winding the windows down an inch or two, you can make sure every inch of the car receives a professional clean, so that all dirt, debris and excess product is removed.
Tip 3: Shampoo Your Car Every Fortnight. To keep the paintwork looking great, give it a wash every fortnight or so. As well as removing dirt, it will help to reduce unwanted abrasion and prevent the onset of rust. Some people think washing a car this regularly will remove the protective coating from its paintwork, but this isn’t always the case. Using the wrong thing, like washing up liquid, will damage the paint, and washing it regularly but never waxing it will also leave it exposed to damage. You could use a two in one shampoo and wax to help protect as you wash.
Tip 4: Use a Towel or Chamois to Dry the Paintwork. If you let your car air dry after you’ve cleaned it, water marks will develop on the surface — and these are often more difficult to remove than dirt and road dust. To dry your car effectively, use a soft microfibre towel or chamois to carefully remove any and all water droplets from the paintwork. Using a long, figure of 8 action, start at the top of the car and work down each panel to remove excess water and leave the paintwork looking clean and clear.
Tip 5: Remove swirl marks with polish, not wax. Swirl marks are super fine scratches that appear on the surface of your car’s paint, and can be caused by using the wrong kind of cloth or sponge, or using one that’s dirty. Some people might tell you that covering the car in wax will remove the marks, but this isn’t the case. Instead, the best way to remove swirl marks is with a quality car polish.
Tip 6: Rinse your sponge regularly during cleaning. To reduce the risk of swirl marks in the future, make sure you rinse your sponge (or cloth) regularly during washing, preferably in a separate bucket. Dirt particles on the sponge can easily cause damage to the paint, so try to get the sponge or cloth as clean as possible before bringing it back to the paintwork.
Tip 7: Treat your trim before applying polish and wax. Black plastic trim requires different care and maintenance from the rest of the bodywork. To keep plastic trim looking its best, we’d recommend treating it with a black restoring product before waxing and polishing the surrounding metalwork. These products are designed to not only restore the colour of the plastic, but protect it from grime, chemicals and abrasion. Waxes and polishes can actually stain the bare plastic, which is why it’s a good idea to treat these areas first.
Tip 8: Wash your care out of direct sunlight. You should always wash your car when the bodywork is cool and out of direct sunlight – water evaporates faster on hot cars which can leave water marks. When washing a car, use two buckets, one with shampoo and one without. This avoids putting dirty water back on to the car. Fifteen litre or more buckets are recommended, ideally with anti-grit grates in the bottom.
Tip 9: Check the surface with a plastic bag. Before sealing the paintwork with a fresh coat of wax, you should always check to make sure all areas of dirt and abrasion have been removed. But how do you do this without getting annoying fingerprints all over your freshly washed and polished bodywork? One of the simplest ways to feel for areas of dirt and abrasion is to put your hand in a standard plastic carrier bag and run it over the surface of the car. This will allow you to feel for any bumps and bits of dirt, without the risk of getting greasy fingerprints on the paintwork.
Tip 10: Brush your carpets first. When it comes to cleaning your upholstery and carpet another great tip to get rid of annoying bits is to brush the carpet with a stiff nylon brush. This will agitate the carpet fibres, making it easier to remove the bits with a vacuum cleaner. Be careful not to rub too hard, however, as this could damage the upholstery and lead to fraying.
IPS Paint Supplies
At IPS Paint Supplies we stock a huge range of valeting products including top brands such as Neilsens Chemicals, 3M and both Roar and Farecla compounds and polishes, as well as mop heads and all ancillaries.
To find out more, click here https://www.ipspaint.co.uk/valeting/ or call a member of our team on the number below:
