Car Detailing Tips Nobody’s Been Honest Enough to Tell You

Most car detailing tips you hear?

They’re garbage. Misleading. Contradictory. Or worse — they serve someone’s marketing budget more than your car.

Today, you don’t need more noise. You need clarity. So many beliefs about car care are just assumptions masquerading as “rules.”

Here’s my attempt to turn some of those conventional ideas upside down — not to confuse you, but to free you.

Real-World Car Detailing Tips You Can Use Today

• Despite what you think, people do judge us based on our cars. ( as is often the case; I don't make "the rules". I simply am stating the way things are)
• Your overly dirty car DOES actually say a lot about you. (once again, I didn't make the rules. We all communicate who we are as people. Most of this communication is non-verbal, so your excessively dirty car actually does make a statement about you as an individual)
• Using the squeegee at the gas station to wash your car is a really bad idea! Not only is this a bad idea (will be damaging to your cars paint) but also says a lot about you. (Are you really too busy to take your car through a proper car wash, or do you really not value your car?)
• Hosing your car off from the garden hose is also a bad idea! In fact it is a really bad idea. Allowing the months of dirt that has accumulate on your car is still better than hosing your car off and allowing your car to "drip dry". The minerals within the water will mix with the dirt and likely create permanent water spots. (Either just let your car remain dirty, or take the time to get a proper wash job)
• You are not invisible once you are in your car. When you get into your car to drive, you are not magically rendered invisible. We really can see you picking your nose, applying make-up as you sit at a green light, or texting as you are driving.
• There is a whole world happening around you. Despite your attention to the "road ahead of you", there is also an entire world at work behind you. When you fail to use your turn indicators, or make a right hand turns from the far left of the lane; this annoys all of us.  Pay attention to your entire surroundings.
  
• Don't use your wipers to clean your windshield when you are driving. If you have a dirty windshield and you need to clean it by using your wiper fluid and wipers —don't do this when you are traveling at high speeds. This only sprays over-spray onto the car directly behind you and is super annoying. 
  

Car Detailing Tips for Your New Car:

• New cars do not come with any protection on them in the form of waxes or sealants; you have either paid for it or the salesman is blowing sunshine up your backside.
• Any new car will have a clear coat as part of the original paint job done at the factory.
• Clear coats are essentially "clear" paint, —clear coats need that same care you might think a non-clear coated paint job would need.
• Modern day clear coats are forever being improved and are superior to clear coats of days past.
• Most car paint will last 2-4 years without any form of washing and waxing and be just fine. But this is neglectful and you will pay a greater price through deferred maintenance.
  
• If all you did for your car was to wash it every (2) weeks, wax every quarter, and used the clay bar to remove fall-out once a year, you would be ahead of 95% of the crowd; plus your car would not only look better than pretty much every other car on the road, but you would retain as much resale value as possible.
  

Car Detailing Tips: Myth Busting

Myth: You can wax your car too much.

Fact: This depends. Waxing should be reserved for protection and visual enhancement of paint. Therefore, any car wax product you would be using would not contain any form of abrasives or chemical cleaners, so unless you are so OCD and neurotic as to want to wax your car every day for years, the idea of waxing your car too much is just not true. We must also remember that many people wax their cars simply for visual perfection, so wax as often as you like and keep your car looking its best; those around you will appreciate your efforts. See what I recommend as my best car waxes.

Myth: If you wax your car too much, you will get wax build up.

Fact: There is no such thing as wax build-up; unless a person is referring to wax build-up within seams and crevices due to sloppy application and removal of wax itself. Once again, this is one of those topics that people will use as an attempt to elevate themselves to some form of “expert” by creating specialness to an area of discussion. The so called "expert" in the moment will talk about how you need to worry about wax build up if you wax too often, and you need to take special measures to remove old wax. ta

Myth: I heard that new cars don’t need to be waxed.

Fact: New cars need to be waxed just as any car needs wax on the paint. New cars get no form of protection applied to the paint from the factory or at the dealership. Not to be confused with clear coats, waxing is ongoing paint maintenance that needs renewing as wax wears out/off over time. Clear coat is un-pigmented paint that is applied at the factory as part of the original painting process and needs protection and visual enhancement just like old-school single stage paint jobs.

Myth: I heard you must buy products specially formulated for clear coats.

Fact: This is a myth started by car care manufacturers and perpetuated by people trying to appear as experts. In an attempt to sell more products, car care companies started to apply specialness to their own products by claiming their products are clear coat safe, or specially formulated for clear coats. A marketing tool that exploits the ignorance of consumers, it automatically creates doubt by claiming to be safe for something that most consumers have no ability to verify. The fact is that every paint type is going to come with its own inherent vulnerabilities. Just as no brand is exactly the same as any other brand, the same holds true for paint types, clear coat types, etc. Many will argue that clear coats are unique in that they are “softer” than traditional or other paints. Whether this be completely true or not, is mostly irrelevant. As a rule, a person must always apply appropriate use of tools, products, pressure, etc., when doing any area of auto detailing. As far as any form of unwanted chemical reaction between clear coats and products, this is untrue and one need not be concerned with shopping clear coat safe products.

Myth: You only need to wax your car once a year.

Fact:

Depends. With modern day clear coats, most clear coat finishes (which is any new car today) will last 2-4 years without doing a single thing to them; no washing, waxing, or polishing. Of course with that said, your car will not be looking its best (waxing also serves to visually enhance, not just protection) and you (or the next owner of your car) will now be forced to make up for lost time due to your neglect.

Myth: I had a paint protection system applied to my car at the dealership so I don't need to wax my car.

Fact: These are nothing more than over-priced paint warranties. What you are really buying is nothing more than false security, permission to be lazy, and a warranty that is virtually useless due to the fact that modern day clear coats will last, once again, 2-4 years without doing a single thing as far as washing, waxing, polishing, etc.  What people also forget is that these paint protection systems sound like a good idea when thinking of protecting their paint, but forget that waxing a car also enhances the beauty of it. Suddenly you are considering waxing your car for looks and you realized you spent all this money on some glorified paint protection system which you thought would allow you to never wax your car again. 

Myth: I heard that carnauba wax is the best.

Fact: There is no such thing as best as this is an individual call to make based on your specific situation, and expectations. It is also an oversimplification as to whether you are referring to the best in protection or the best in visual performance. There is also no such thing as a pure carnauba wax, as Brazilian carnauba wax is impossible to use in its natural state, and a wax product must be “blended” and processed with other ingredients to make usable.

Myth: I heard that synthetic waxes are the best.

Fact: Once again, this is an individual call to make. Waxing is about protection and appearance, and just like most things in life, you must trade off one benefit to receive another. The same goes with wax products. Synthetics will outlast carnauba blends for durability, but suffer from the inability to “cover” or “hide” surface blemishes as a carnauba paste wax can do.tips

Myth: I know a guy who kept his car for three years and never washed or waxed it the entire time. Just before he sold it, ran it through the car wash and it was fine.

Fact: It is true that most modern day paint finishes can last about three years with absolutely no maintenance. Unless you don’t care what your car looks like during that time, or don’t care about the next owner of your car inheriting problems of your neglect, then by all means, do nothing. Proper paint care does include regular washing, use of the clay bar, and waxing for protection and beauty.c

Myth: It is necessary to apply wax in a strict back and forth method, as applying in a circular motion will create swirl marks.

Fact: Swirl marks aren’t circular scratches — they just look that way.

What you see as “swirls” in sunlight are actually thousands of tiny scratches reflecting the round shape of the light source. The scratches themselves run in every direction. Under a long fluorescent bulb, they appear linear instead of circular — proving the “swirl” is an illusion created by the light source, not by applying wax or polish in circles.

Car Detailing Tips Summary

Thank you for visiting my car detailing tips. Make sure you pass them along to your blissfully ignorant friends now that you have become informed yourself!

Sincerely,

Darren Priest

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