Proper Car Care: How often should I wash, pre-wax, and wax my vehicle?

• Washing
  Most cars will benefit from washing at least every other week. Depending on the environment you live in, you may need to wash more often. Factors like pollution, rain dust and acid rain are just a few contaminants you don't want on the finish very long. The darker your finish is the easier it is to tell, as darker colors show dirt easier than lighter ones. Remember, waiting too long to wash allows damaging contaminants to sit on the finish and sometimes etch marks that have to be removed. An extremely dirty finish is also difficult to clean without creating swirls and scratches in the finish.
  
  
• Pre Cleaning
  Pre-cleaning should be done at least twice a year, anytime the finish does not feel smooth to the touch, or is beginning to show light swirls and/or scratches. Another time it is necessary to pre-clean is when you use our wax for the first time. It is critical that all other wax products previously used are removed from the finish. This will prevent streaks and other application difficulties when applying our wax for the first time.



• Waxing
  Wax is extremely important to maintain a shiny, new-looking paint finish. Wax acts as a barrier between all surface contaminants and your paint. Wax also makes washing easier. Less pressure is required to remove the dirt so less scratching occurs during the washing process. There are a couple of ways to tell if you need to wax. If water beads up and runs off, you are probably okay. Additionally, look at the size of the beads of water. Small beads indicate a well-waxed finish. Larger beads indicate the wax is beginning to wear off. The feel of the finish is also a good indicator. A properly waxed finish not only feels smooth, it also feels very slick.