If you invest in body work for your vehicle, you will want to take time to keep your car looking its best.
That is why you should regularly wash and wax the exterior of your car and perform what is known as "claying." The claying process is how to truly bring out the outstanding looks of your vehicle. Below is how you can perform this process for yourself and maintain your car's beautiful paint job.
When a car rolls off the factory assembly line or after it is just painted in a body shop, its finish is in perfect condition. However, it doesn't take long for finishes to fade and lose their luster.
In many cases, the problem isn't that the actual paint is affected; instead, the clear coat becomes scarred by grime that cars encounter. The clear coat is a hard, outer shell that protects the pigmented base coat.
The clear coat undergoes an assault anytime the vehicle is in motion. Everything from brake dust to bird droppings to rock particles is going to "attack" your car's finish and start the gradual dulling process. Particles actually embed themselves in the clear coat and cause light to refract and scatter, thus further interfering with the shine.
Unfortunately, washing and waxing alone will not address the problem, and the only recourse is to remove the particles. That's why claying is invaluable, as it is capable of grabbing the particles and pulling them from the clear coat.