We know that for many of you, it’s important that your car looks clean when you arrive for a work meeting or that looking after your car can give you valuable “me time”, but it can be difficult to make time every week to keep it clean.
Help is at hand though. Here we talk you through some products that will help you get a great looking car for longer, so that even if life gets messy your car won’t be.
Car Waxes
Waxing is the most important thing you can do to protect your car’s paintwork and keep it looking clean and shiny for longer, yet very few of us can claim to do it as often as is recommended (a minimum of twice a year).
Car wax helps to protect your car’s paintwork from harmful deposits like tar, salt, dirt and tree sap, whilst also helping to retain a deep, glossy shine — even in bad weather. The main types of car wax available are liquid wax and hard wax. These shouldn’t be confused with polish (which we’ll get to later).
At Simoniz, we’d recommend buying car wax which contains carnauba. This natural substance offers a deeper shine and longer-lasting protection than other waxes; they are capable of protecting a car’s paintwork for up to 12 months when applied correctly.
If your car is relatively new and in good condition, use car wax to protect the paintwork for wash after wash. If your paintwork looks dull, or if you can see fine scratches or “swirls” in the paint, you might need a polish, which we’ll come onto later.
Apply a minimum of two coats of wax per year (once at the start of spring and again at the start of autumn) to maintain a deep, glossy shine even in the toughest conditions. Hard wax can take some time to apply, so if you want something quicker then use a liquid wax, but just remember that it might not last as long as a hard wax so you might have to top it up.
Car Polishes
A lot of people don’t know the difference between car wax and car polish — many assume that polish is the product you’d choose to achieve shiny paintwork.
Polish is actually very different to wax, and is used to remove fine scratches and swirl marks from paint, helping to refresh the colour and improve the overall shine. If you own a new car, there’s no need to use polish when washing. However, if your car’s paintwork looks dull, faded or has signs of surface abrasion, applying a high-quality polish will help to restore its appearance — removing micro-scratches, oxidation and swirl marks.
It might take a little time to do the whole car, so you could just concentrate on areas that are particularly bad – bonnets can often fade more because of sunlight for example. Once the polish is applied, always follow this with a coat of wax to protect the paintwork from future damage and keep it shiny – then in the months that follow it won’t take much effort to keep your car looking great.
Detailing Waxes
So, what are detailing waxes? We hear you ask. Well, they’re products which can be used quickly and simply to offer short-term shine, and usually come as a trigger spray or sponge-on product. At Simoniz, we offer two main types of detailers, including Quickshine and Waterless Wash and Wax, and both are designed to top up your car’s protective wax coating whilst enhancing its overall shine and appearance.
Perfect for those who don’t have time to wax their car all that regularly, detailers offer the same benefits of wax, including a beautiful deep shine and instant protection, in a matter of minutes — so you can rest assured your car is always protected and looking its just-bought best.
Opt for a spray-on wax like Simoniz Quickshine, and you need only spray the product on for quick and effective results. Like our range of waxes, this spray-on detailer contains carnauba, for added durability, hard-wearing protection and a glossy, deep shine — so you can maintain your car on the go.
While detailing waxes are great for topping up your car’s shine, they shouldn’t be used as a substitute for regular coats of wax. It’s important to wax your car regularly to maintain the right level of protection, with detailers only used in between waxing to give the appearance a boost.
For practical, step-by-step advice on cleaning, polishing and waxing your car, visit our blog. To find out more about Simoniz products, visit the products page.
