Understanding Your Car’s Painted Surface

Your car’s paint is technically a semi-porous surface, with multiple layers, much like your skin.

Most of the filth that collects on the painted surfaces is fine particles that have built up over time. Often you can’t even see the contamination, but if left on the surface, it will eventually start to eat away at your paint. Some kinds of particles, such as metal particles, may even oxidize and create spots and stains on the paints surface. A good wash may help your car look good at first, but as particles build up over time, it will become more and more obvious that just a wash won’t be enough to completely cleanse the surface and you will notice the loss in luster.

Washing and scrubbing can remove dirt and dust loosely bound to the paints surface, but to remove particles embedded in the paint’s pores, you need something to grab onto them and pull them out.