CAR CARE TIPS---:How To Wash & Dry Your Car

SELECT THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB
Do not use dishwashing detergent, or any other household cleaning item on your car. I highly recommend the use ofour high quality products that are made specifically for automotive cleaning and detailing.

Here are some detailing tools that I recommend for washing your car:

1. Two (2) clean five gallon buckets & 2. 50 - 100 foot garden hose with an adjustable spray nozzle.

2. FOAM
3. pH balanced SHINEWELL car wash shampoo.

5. Plenty of CLOTH  for drying.



WORK IN A SHADED AREA
One of the most important things to remember when washing you car by hand is to work in a shaded area and that the paint surface be cool to the touch. If you work in direct sunlight, the car's surface will get too hot and your car wash solution will tend to dry on the paint finish. Dried soap residue and water spots are something that we want to avoid so finding a shaded area to work in will be of great benefit to you and your car.

RINSE THE VEHICLE THOROUGHLY
Use a garden hose with an adjustable spray nozzle and thoroughly rinse your car, starting at the top and working your way down. This step is very important as it will remove loose dirt and contaminants from the vehicle.

USE THE TWO BUCKET METHOD
I highly recommend the use of two buckets when washing your car. One of the buckets is going to be a clean water rinse for your wash mitt and the other bucket will contain your soapy car wash solution. When you see how dirty the water in your clean water rinse bucket gets, you will fully understand why I am telling you about using two buckets when washing your car.

 Your car's paint finish or any surface, can easily be scratched when it is washed. Almost all scratches and swirls which occur, are caused from improper car washing. The dirt and grit from you car get trapped in you mitt or brush as you are washing your vehicle.
After adding SHINEWELL CAR SHAMPOO in ea ch bucket, fill your first bucket with about 2 gallons of water, add the appropriate dilution of car wash soap and then agitiate with a strong jet of water
Fill your second bucket with about 3 gallons of clean water. You will use this bucket to dunk your wash mitt in after using it to clean your vehicle.

The proper steps to using the two bucket method are as follows:

1. Prepare two five gallon buckets, one with clean water and the other with soapy car wash solution.

2. Rinse vehicle thoroughly. This will remove loose dirt and contaminants.

3. Dunk your wash mitt into the soapy car wash solution, gently glide mitt over vehicle to lift dirt from surface. Start at the top of vehicle and work your way down. This is important to prevent transferring dirt from the grimier lower areas up to the rest of the vehicle. Use long straight sweeping motions with the wash mitt. Do not scrub. Allow the soap and water mixture to do the work.


 gently glide over vehicle to lift dirt from surface. Repeat this process until you have washed the entire vehicle and then rinse thoroughly.

RINSE YOUR WAY TO EASIER DRYING
Now that you have washed your vehicle and rinsed it with a garden hose and spray nozzle, I am going to teach you another rinsing technique that will actually make the drying process easier!

How To Properly Wax Your Car

"Learning how to wax your car properly, and then waxing your car on a regular basis, will help ensure that your car's paint looks great for years to come!"

YOUR PAINT IS UNDER ATTACK
It's true. Your car's paint is constantly under attack. Acid rain, intense UV rays, industrial fallout, bug splatter, bird droppings, break dust and hard water mineral deposits are just some of the things that can attach to your cars paint and damage the finish. By applying a high quality car wax on a regular basis, you are applying a sacrificial barrier that will offer protection from the aforementioned elements and contaminants.

CAR WAX DEFINED
Wax is a generic term that can be used to describe products containing organic wax that is derived from the Brazillian Palm Tree, COPERNICIA cerifera also known as the "Carnauba palm" or wax can be used to describe synthetic polymer "waxes" that are used to protect automotive paint also known as paint "sealants". Organic "carauba" waxes come in both paste and in liquid form and provide a deep, wet-look gloss. Synthetic polymer waxes are most often found in liquid form. In recent years polymer waxes have come a long way regarding the way that they look. Polymers used to provide a plastic-like, sterile shine but that is not the case anymore. Today's polymer waxes rival the finest carnaubas when it comes to appearance. Polymer wax also offers much more durability and protection than carnauba wax provides. For the rest of this article the term "wax" will be used to describe both organic and synthetic waxes.

FREQUENCY OF APPLICATION
As you may have noticed, in the heading of this article I wrote, "waxing your car on a regular basis". be possible on a "garage queen" that is never exposed to the elements. If you actually drive your car, wash it on a somewhat regular basis and park in direct sunlight, NO CAR WAX IS GOING TO LAST A YEAR! Period.

CAR WAX DURABILITY
There are many things that determine the durability of a particular car wax. Here are some of the contributing factors:

1. The composition of the car wax. Is it synthetic or organic? For the most part, synthetic "polymer" wax lasts longer than organic "carnauba" wax. In general, carnauba wax lasts anywhere from 1 week to 4 months. Polymer waxes last from 1 month up to 1 year. It all depends on what the finish is exposed to. Your mileage may vary.

2. Amount UV exposure.

3. Frequency of washing and method of wash.

4. The condition of the car's paint. Is the paint rough or is it smooth? Is oxidation present? Waxing over an older, neglected finish is a waste of time. The wax will not last.

5. Quality of prepearation prior to waxing.

Preperation is paramount when it comes to waxing your car.
Car wax bonds better to a smooth, clean and contaminant-free surface. Proper preperation of the paint finish is vital to a long-lasting wax finish. If your car's paint is not as smooth as glass, claying and polishing may be needed to create a smooth paint surface that is ready for waxing.

WAXING YOUR CAR: THE PROCESS
Finally! So now we know that car wax is a sacrificial product that is designed to protect the under-lying paint while enhancing the look of the paint. We know technically what car wax is, how often that it needs to be applied and how long it lasts. Now we get to learn how to apply car wax!

This is the part where it will really pay to read the instructions on label of your favorite car wax. In most cases, the manufacturer's directions will give you the best results. In some instances we have seen manufacturers provide questionable directions on their labels.

No matter which type of car wax that you decide to apply, keep in mind that for best results, use the least amount of product that you possibly can. Multiple thin coats are much better than one thick coat. You will be leaving behind a clear, microscopic layer of wax. All excess product will be removed during the residue removal process. The more that you apply, the more that you will have to remove. When it comes to layers, thinner is better.

Wax can be applied by hand or by machine with an orbital or dual-action polisher. I have used both of these methods with great success. When waxing by hand, I am able to get into tight areas and around trim that a machine cannot get into. When waxing with a machine polisher, larger areas are waxed in a short amount of time. A machine polisher can apply wax much more thin and more even than you can apply by hand.

For hand application, I prefer a foam wax applicator pad. Do not moisten the pad with water, this can cause some waxes and polymers to become sticky, gooey and hard to remove. I prefer to prime the foam pad with the actual wax product being used. "Priming" is simply applying liquid car wax to the applicator to moisten the foam and help it spread the product more evenly. It does not take much product to prime the pad correctly. Apply the wax with long, straight overlapping passes. Do not apply in a circular motion, this could increse the appearnce of swirls in the paint.

When applying wax by machine, I suggest using the  Dual Action Polisher with foam polishing or finishing pads. This polisher is the safest and easiest polisher that you can use. The Porter Cable polisher has a varible-speed dial that goes from 1-6. For waxing, a setting of 3 or 4 will give the best results. Prime the foam pad with just enough wax to moisten the foam. Spread the wax in a small area before you turn the machine on. Only turn the machine on when the foam pad is in contact with the vehicle's paint. Use overlapping passes, first side to side and the front to back. This machine will help you to apply wax very thing and even.

Some waxes need to be applied and removed one panel at a time while others work best if allowed to dry for a longer period of time. In general, carnauba waxes need to be applied and removed before moving on to the next section. If left to dry, they can get very hard and their residues are very hard to remove. If you run into this problem, reapplication of the car wax will soften the hardened wax, make sure to remove the residue immediately. Polymer waxes tend to work best and be easier to remove if allowed to dry for a longer period of time. These types of car wax allow yu to apply the polymer to the entire vehicle, take a break and then start removing the residue.

The best way to remove the dried wax residues is by hand with thick, soft and plush high-pile microfiber towels. Using only high quality microfiber, take one in each hand and fold them over to increase the thickness of the towel. Remove the wax residue and buff and polish to reveal that freshly waxed shine

Cleaning a Car Battery

What You Need

• Baking Soda and Stiff Brush
• Rubber Gloves
• Wrench to Fit Cable Clamp
• Wrench to Remove Battery
• Waterproof Grease

1. After loosening the cable clamps and battery holder, remove the battery from vehicle.

2. Begin by cleaning the entire battery top of dirt and oxidation using baking soda and water.

3. While battery is out, clean the cable clamps until shiny with the #535 brass brush.

4. Re-install battery in vehicle. Re-attach clamps and cover the connection with grease.

Washing an automobile on a regular basis protects it from the natural elements that harm the finish. The Car Care Council recommends the following do's and don'ts when it comes to a do-it-yourself car wash:

• Don't wash cars in direct sunlight. Do wash cars in shade or in cooler temperatures in the early morning or late afternoon.
• Don't use dish detergent. Do use a SHINEWELL formulated car wash.
• Do fill your bucket with warm water.
• Do use a soft terrycloth towel or washing mitt.
• Do spray the car often with water.
• Don't scrub the car all at once. Do complete one section at a time, rinsing repeatedly to prevent the soap from drying on the paint.
• Do use soft terrycloth towels or scratch-free fabric to dry the vehicle.
• Don't neglect waxing the vehicle. Do prep the car for waxing using cleaner/polish to remove contaminants.