Common Car Care/Detailing Myths

[Todd@RUPES]

Common Detailing Myths

1)Waxing your car too much is bad for it...

For the most part this is not true. This myth likely can trace it`s routes to the an older age of automotive painting. Back `in the day` cars where painted with a single stage paint jobs, which while looked great, tended to oxidize very quickly. Waxes from back `in the day` had to not only provide protection, but also had to remove any oxidation to ensure the paint shined. These older waxes often used abrasives similar to a compound or polish, so when they where applied, they removed trace amounts of paint. Frequent application over time would thin the paint.

The second myth, regarding frequent wax application is that you can apply too many coats of wax, reducing the gloss or clouding the finish. Because carnauba wax is not clear, there is some truth to the fact that if enough product bonded to the paint, the surface could loose some clarity. However, carnauba wax is so hard in it`s natural state, that it must be `cut` with solvents. When an additional layers of wax are applied on top of a previous layer of wax, the solvents act on the sub micron thick layer of previous wax. Additional layers of wax chemically remove previous layers of wax, to some degree. The `thicker` the wax build up becomes, the more the solvents will remove, so there is a theoretical limit to how much wax the paint will truly hold.

Additional coats of wax may still improve gloss by improving the amount of coverage the wax has or restoring the shine to the previous layer. You cannot harm your paint by adding additional layers of wax, unless your application method itself is damaging the paint.

2)Car soap is bad for the paint/car/rubber/wax etc...
Again this is simply not true. Modern car soaps are close to pH neutral, and use surfactants to reduce water surface tension, allowing the solution to encapsulate particulate, and remove it from the surface with out scratching or marring the paint.

High alkaline soaps, such as those used in `touch less car washs` or in dish washing detergents may dry out paint, plastic, rubber, or vinyl over time, this is simply not the case with modern car soaps.

Driving your car down the road once or even leaving it outside will cause dirt and grime to accumulate on the surface. Static charge will attract a certain amount of dust and dirt to the car, even as it sits in the garage. The problem is that this dust, grit, or dirt is that if it is not carefully removed from the paint, it will scratch it. These scratches over time will increase in appearance and soon you will have swirl marks and reduced gloss.

Modern soaps also tend to feature conditioners, waxes, or polymer sealants that can provide protection and increase the durability the current wax or sealant. Again, high alkaline soaps and detergents and weaken the existing wax layer, but this is often not the case.

3)Machine polishing is bad for the paint...

A proper way to phrase this myth is that `improper` machine polishing, as practiced by the majority of body shops, detail shops, and detailers is bad for the paint. Improper would the hinge word.

Most of the surface marring and scratches are caused by improper washing and grinding particulate into the surface. These scratches act to diffuse or refract light, vs. reflect light evenly, which reduces the gloss or the paint`s luster. Removing swirl marks and microscopic marring means that the paint has to be leveled, or all the paint above the deepest part of the scratch has to be removed, like turning a mountain range into a plain. The clear coat, or top layer of paint on most cars is between 1.5 and 2.0 mils thick, or 38 to 51 microns. This is .00006 to .00008 of an inch thick, about the same thickness as a sheet of notebook paper! The good news is that most scratches and swirl marks penetrate about 1/100th or less of the total thickness of the clear coat, truly microscopic.

Correct polishing of the paint will remove just enough paint to ensure that it is even, then burnish the existing surface so that is completely level and reflects a maximum amount of light. This is type of correct, measured polishing, can be repeated over and over again with little fear of damaging the paint. In fact to keep your car looking it`s best, it is necessary to polish the paint with some regularity.

A better question is what is worse, improper washing techniques or correct machine polishing? One improper wash, where dirt, grit, and grime is ground into the paint causing swirl marks and damage can take 15 to 20 hours to fix by machine polishing. It takes 20 hours to undo the damage, or remove all the paint left behind (from the peaks and valleys of the newly formed scratches) as one bad wash does in 15 minutes. Frequent and improper washing will thin the clear coat faster then work required to fix the damage.

4)My wax features 50%-75% white carnauba wax, it is the best in the world!

The truth is that waxes and sealants do very little for the overall appearance of the paint, their primary function is provide a sacrificial layer on top of the paint to protect it. The second truth is that scientifically, when measured in true `wet volume` it is really impossible to make any wax with greater then 35% of carnauba wax work, it becomes to hard. The third truth is that, to my knowledge, all automotive waxes use carnauba wax, and that there is no such thing as a natural white carnauba.

Carnauba wax, in it`s most natural state is yellowish-brownish in color, and extremely hard. It has to be chipped or beat of the fawns of the Carnauba Palm. For automotive use, only the highest grade, #1 Yellow, is used. To make the wax applicable, it has to be softened with various solvents and oils. Modern VOC regulations have limited the type and strength of the solvents used in the wax, making it impossible to obtain a large percentage of carnauba.

The good news is that you wouldn`t want a huge percentage of carnauba wax anyways. By itself, carnauba wax is opaque and not very shiny, it has be blended with quality oils, solvents, and silicones to get that very deep, high gloss shine. This is far more important to the aesthetic characteristics then the carnauba itself. Carnauba wax also melts at about 170 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that 50-70% of the product would melt on a hot sunny day, when the surface temperature of the paint can exceed that number.

To get the best gloss and highest shine requires starting with great paint, such as paint that is not swirled or marred up. The prep work accounts for about 90-95% of the final gloss by most accounts. To achieve that mind blowing gloss, it is better to spend $1000.00 having your car polished by an artist, vs. spending it on a wax.

5)Armor all can ruin your dash and cause it to crack.

This rumor, at one point, was likely true. Certain vinyl dash boards, particularly from car`s in the 1980`s tended to dry out and crack frequently. However it was likely more a factor of poor manufacturing and low quality materials then it was a factor of a bad product. That said, Armor All, while I don`t use it and really have never recommended it, uses safe and high quality chemicals in their newest products.

6)Leather needs to be feed...

Well I guess we could argue about the terminology, but leather is dead, and it doesn`t need to eat. When it comes to leather in automobiles, two different types of leather are generally used.

Top Coated Leather- This is the most common. The color is sprayed on to the leather itself, and the leather is usually coated with urethane

Aniline Leather- This is the more traditional, more `real` leather. The hides are dyed through out the thickness and tanned. This is the type of leather used in Ferrari`s, Maybachs, Rolls Royce, Bentley`s, Porsche`s, etc...

With Aniline Leather you are treating the leather itself, with the more common Top Coated Leather you are treating the coating. In both cases keeping the leather clean, both from dirt and particulate that will abrade the leather, as well as from harmful body oils, is far more important then actually conditioning the leather itself. In the case of Top Coated Leather it may be impossible to even treat the leather.

Keep leather clean and keep it protected from UV rays. Avoid using conditioners that are oily, as they will attract dust and dirt.

7)My wax or sealant has Teflon, it will last for years...

Teflon or PTFE is a very durable substance when it chemically adheres to a surface. Unfortunately it has to be baked on between 600-700 degrees Fahrenheit to chemically cure it and cause it bond. PTFE is have some benefits when used for waxes and sealants, particularly in aiding the delivery of the wax or sealant to the paint by increasing the internal slipperiness of the product. However, unless baked on, it offers

[imported_Luster]

Excellent post Todd!

When my neighbor yells out,

"You`re gonna wax the paint off that car!"

, I always kindly reply,

"GOOD! Then I`ll get to have it repainted and start all over again!!!"

:wink:

Hasn`t happened yet.:thumbup:

[imported_Bunky]

Common Detailing Myths

6)Leather needs to be feed...

Well I guess we could argue about the terminology, but leather is dead, and it doesn`t need to eat. When it comes to leather in automobiles, two different types of leather are generally used.

Top Coated Leather- This is the most common. The color is sprayed on to the leather itself, and the leather is usually coated with urethane

Aniline Leather- This is the more traditional, more `real` leather. The hides are dyed through out the thickness and tanned. This is the type of leather used in Ferrari`s, Maybachs, Rolls Royce, Bentley`s, Porsche`s, etc...

With Aniline Leather you are treating the leather itself, with the more common Top Coated Leather you are treating the coating. In both cases keeping the leather clean, both from dirt and particulate that will abrade the leather, as well as from harmful body oils, is far more important then actually conditioning the leather itself. In the case of Top Coated Leather it may be impossible to even treat the leather.

Keep leather clean and keep it protected from UV rays. Avoid using conditioners that are oily, as they will attract dust and dirt.

I suspect you may get some comments on your top coated leather comments. They say it still needs to be fed with water..not oil. But, I agree with your basic comment. The best way to care for top coated leather is to keep it clean and apply a light protectant type coating to minimize UV damage and act as a barrier.

The industry problems is that these protectants are often still called leather conditioners and this riles the purists since they do not have a lot of oils, etc.

[mrtonyn]

with a Porter Cable 7424 and Menzerna products to remove swirls...is that enough times to thin out the clear coat? Should I be concern at all?

[Harleyguy]

Another intresting post and somegreat reading.How do you find the time it takes too do these posts.

[imported_Luster]

with a Porter Cable 7424 and Menzerna products to remove swirls...is that enough times to thin out the clear coat? Should I be concern at all?

No. You should be able to remove swirls many, many times without breaching the clear.

[Tuck91]

another myth,

everyone believes all you have to do is wash and wax your car.
They simply do not realize the concept of polishing paint and how it is an art form and the idea of removing swirls.

[imported_Luster]

ANOTHER MYTH! This one has been perpetrated by car salesmen for YEARS!!! Obviously meant for the mindless masses.:cursing:

You`ll never have to do anything to this paint except run it through the carwash. It`s CLEARCOAT!!!

[Old Pirate]

ANOTHER MYTH! This one has been perpetrated by car salesmen for YEARS!!! Obviously meant for the mindless masses.:cursing:

That`s a great one Bill..........:thumbup:

[SwirlBFree]

ANOTHER MYTH! This one has been perpetrated by car salesmen for YEARS!!! Obviously meant for the mindless masses.:cursing:

Another one has been perpetrated by car salesmen for YEARS: Swirls are natural and unavoidable with dark painted cars. If you want a swirl free car, you need to buy a silver or white model.

[imported_Luster]

Another one has been perpetrated by car salesmen for YEARS: Swirls are natural and unavoidable with dark painted cars. If you want a swirl free car, you need to buy a silver or white model.

Haha!!! That`s right, because light colored cars DON`T EVER GET SWIRLS!!!ut:

[SwirlBFree]

Haha!!! That`s right, because light colored cars DON`T EVER GET SWIRLS!!!ut:

Of course! That`s what a salesman told me last year when he couldn`t locate a swirl free blue or black Accord anywhere on his lot. I ended up buying from another dealer as a result. The Accord still had swirls, but at least the other guy didn`t offer up the first guy`s pablum.

[BIOLINK]

Common Detailing Myths


7)My wax or sealant has Teflon, it will last for years...

Teflon or PTFE is a very durable substance when it chemically adheres to a surface. Unfortunately it has to be baked on between 600-700 degrees Fahrenheit to chemically cure it and cause it bond. PTFE is have some benefits when used for waxes and sealants, particularly in aiding the delivery of the wax or sealant to the paint by increasing the internal slipperiness of the product. However, unless baked on, it offers

There is a detail shop near my house still advertising 3 year protection with a Teflon sealant. If you read the fine print, they recommend coming in for an annual reapplication of the product, . Even still one year is stretching it for any sealant. Their runner up is a one year package using acrylic; I`ve always wondered if they use Klasse. Anyway, I think it`s funny they still push the Teflon and people go for it. Three years? Come on! I buy some of the best product available from PAC and gladly reapply twice a year, sometimes more because I have fun doing it!

[imported_Luster]

Yet another:

"If you apply too much wax to your car, you`ll wax the paint off!"

I`ve heard this one for years. Never seen it happen yet.

[imported_Luster]

Here`s another one:

"Keeping my car detailed will not add to it`s resale value. It`s worth the same whether it`s detailed or not."

IMO it does add value, because it shows that the owner has taken care of the car, not only mechanically, but cosmetically as well.

For most people, they would buy a nicely detailed car as opposed to a car, same condition & miles, that was not kept clean.