We always talk to people about how they are looking to "polish" their car, we are not big believers in polishing for regular usage on paint, read all about this and how we regard paint cleansing as a more important method for regular use to bring a beautiful shine to your cars paint.
To start off with we had better clear up one simple point; cleansing the paint is not the same as polishing the paint. Cleansers should be exactly that, purpose specific cleaning agents that remove blemishes and mild oxidation with a combination of chemistry and a minor bit of elbow grease.
The best polishes on the market are to be used by a machine (random orbital or orbital) and can give a flawless finish when done by a professional detailer, but we will cover this in another article in the future. Polishes that are applied by hand and on the shelves of most auto accessory stores, are generally a one step cleaner/protectant that rely on abrasives to get the cleaning side of the job done. They use either silicones or polymer resins to handle the protecting bit. This is NOT the type of stuff we ever want smothered all over our cars.
WE DON'T LIKE TO POLISH!
“Why?” you ask. Well, whilst I don’t want to knock them, polishes do have their time and place. I’ll cut to the chase; if you have a brand new, well looked after or collector car (that’s a very broad term, covering past/present and future classics) with a new, original or just fresh coat of paint, you don’t need to use a polish, as the abrasives found in most polishes do a good job of what they are employed to do; strip off a fine layer of paint to expose a new layer underneath. Given that paint is on average 50 -100 microns thick (that makes a bee’s look big, trust me!), this should only be done as a last resort, if at all. Most the swirl marks you also get in your paint are dutifully put into your paint by the same abrasives as well, another thing we don't think should be the result of using any car care product.
Serina with the good stuff.
Polishes, along with most “one step” miracle products ("Cleaner Wax" is just re-named polish.) tend to either do one of their tasks well at the expense of the other, or do both poorly. The one step method that uses cleaning and protecting in one easy action, either builds residue up on itself or does not supply enough of a protecting barrier and your paint goes backwards. You naturally use more of the polish to gain back some of your shine and this works just for long enough, before you lose your glow again. Before you can say “Killer Shine”, you’re back in the auto store buying more polish.
KEEPING IT ORIGINAL
Don't get us wrong, not all polishes are bad, especially if you have a car that only needs quick 'one-step' maintenance. We own a 1967 Falcon XR GT that still has its factory paint on and is in pretty good order. If the previous owner of that car had chosen the polish path of cleansing and protecting, instead of the separate cleansing and waxing method, she would be like 95% of the other XR GTs out there and re-sprayed, and therefore, in our opinion, devalued.
The majority of the cars in our collection fall into two categories; either immaculately restored, or entirely original. So when we created our pre-wax paint cleanser, we formulated it to deal with either new clear coats or old fragile acrylic coats. These range from our 1940 Ford Businessman’s coupe with original paint, through to our freshest coat, the John French works GTHO Phase 3. Gentle but effective is definitely the motto of our pre-wax paint cleanser.
Few car care companies understand just how important it is to retain original coats of paint. We do, and we want the motoring enthusiasts of Australia to know that they can now buy a product from a local manufacturer that is focused on the goal of paint longevity. We know not everyone wants a new coat of paint on his or her car every 10 years, and when you regularly use the Bowden’s Own range, this only becomes an option, not a necessity. Bowden’s Own Auto Body Cleanser has a dual purpose; to renew your car’s original lustre and to prepare the surface for Bowden’s Own Auto Body Wax.
In applying the Auto Body Cleanser the rubbing action combined with active ingredients creates a positive charge on the surface of the paint. This enables the Auto Body Perfection to bond to the surface with tenacity, ensuring an even smooth surface that lasts. If you follow the directions on the bottle and follow up with the Auto Body Perfection Wax, expect your car to glow and most importantly, expect your paint to last.
USING THE CLEANSER
To start, we ensure that the car has been thoroughly washed with our Auto Body Gel and has had time to totally dry. Its surface has to be cool to touch and is out of direct sunlight. Then we assess the car’s paint; does it really require a thorough going over? Run your fingertips gently over your paint. Does it feel rough and look as though there are particles bonded to the car’s surface? If so, it may first need some quick work with a clay bar, you can read all about doing this process here. Clay barring your paint beautiful and smooth, making the cleansing process a lot easier and it also helps your wax coat last a lot longer too.
If the paint feels ok, then we are ready to give it a cleansing. First, you have to assess the paint’s condition. Is it fragile old paint? If your answer is "yes", then only give the car a mild once over to develop a bonding agent for the wax. If it is the original coat and that is the way you want it to stay, then only use reasonably gentle strokes when applying and buffing off the Auto Body Cleanser. Remember, this is clear coat safe and very gentle, so short of going ballistic with a buffing wheel, your car is getting cleansed by the safest paint cleanser you can buy!
Again make sure the car is dry - why? Well, water actually compounds how effectively the cleanser works, meaning it makes it a tougher cleanser. It can also be annoying when your nice even strokes are broken by a droplet, escaping from behind that beautiful chrome badge. So dry that car! Always make sure you are not wearing any rings, or other items that can mark the paint, big belt buckles are a ripper for new unexplained scratch marks all over your cars edges...
A little bit goes a long way, don't use too much product!
Start by shaking the bottle well! Then apply a 50 cent piece size dollop of Auto Body Cleanser to the Purple Microfibre Applicator Pad. (Use the gold Microfibre pad and gold Microfibre cloth for the wax. Both cloths and applicators are the same, regardless of the colours, we just have different colours to separate the cleanser and wax cloths, reason being is that the cleanser cleans off any wax, so if you get the cleanse and wax on the same cloth you will wreck your whole day! Keep them separated, as you do not want to use the same cloth by mistake when doing the next step of waxing.) Firstly use the Auto Body Cleanser on a small inconspicuous area to assess suitability. We have never had a complaint, other than when people have used the Auto Body Cleanser thinking it would have some real cutting “oomph”. Make no mistakes; this is the baby shampoo of the paint-cleansing world.
For applying the cleanser, use a gentle side to side motion
Apply using a back and forth, side to side motion, just imagine the manner in which the spray painter applied the paint to your cars surface and mimic this. Then once it has dried to a haze, remove it with the clean Purple Microfibre Buffing Cloth. Use the same side to side motion with the Microfibre cloth for the best result. Drying time of the cleanser will vary with your climate and the conditions under which you are cleansing. Another thing to take on board is the less cleanser you apply, the easier it is to buff off!
Quick and easy work, which Serina appreciates!
Work on one small area of the car at a time, I like breaking down large panels into quadrants. This minimises the chance of missing a section.
Inspect the car to ensure all the residue is buffed away. Then gently run your dry fingertips over the paint’s surface to ensure it feels smooth and ready for the Auto Body Wax.
Well done! Feels good doesn't it? But don’t rest on your laurels now. The paint is currently exposed and if you don’t protect it with a nourishing sealant before it gets exposed to the elements, you’re in for a rapidly degenerating paint job. This leads us on to our next section, click here for waxing and paint protection!
Love your car,
Dan Bowden
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