I wish I had a dime for every person that told me “I purchased a special protection package for my new car and that means I don’t have to wax it anymore.” or “I was told not to wax my new car. It has some kind of special paint or coating.”

Clear-coat paint was introduced into the domestic market in the mid-1980’s. The prevalent misconception has been that clear-coat systems do not need protection. I see neglected clear-coat on automobiles every season; road salt damage in the winter, tar and bug damage in the summer, spore and sap damage in the spring and fall, and the worst damage comes from acid rain in the summer.

Wax performs a different function today. We used to wax to maintain color. Today, we use polymer sealants to maintain gloss. It is not a true “wax” as used in the past, but the application process is exactly the same.

Clear-coat is a highly reflective thin layer of colorless paint, in which every imperfection stands out like a sore thumb. It will begin to look dull if not washed and protected regularly. The dullness is from imperfections in the gloss.

Regular washing will protect and maintain a clear-coat finish better than just occasional washing combined with infrequent polymer sealant applications. If a car stays clean, it has nothing on it to damage the gloss. The less you wash, the more you need to apply a polymer sealant. Most people don’t wash enough. Or even worse, they wash by using tunnel systems that deposit and/or rub in the dirt removed from the previous vehicle onto yours. Hand washing with a clean wash mitt or power-spray is highly recommended.

Applying a product containing “wax” to a contemporary vehicle would do more damage than good. Polyurethane paints require a breathing factor. The pores trap moisture. A traditional wax ingredient product will trap in the moisture. These types of products are more appropriate for collector cars that are painted with lacquer-type paints.

Current polymer sealants serve two purposes for clear-coat gloss:

• It improves the shine by masking imperfections created by acid rain, scratches, spider webbing, etc.
• It provides a sacrificial layer of protection, until contaminates can be washed off.

Your owner’s manual is the real authority. I encourage you to read your owner’s manual. Here are some recent excerpts:

• 2000 Mazda 626 - “Your vehicle needs to be waxed when water no longer beads on the finish.”
• 2000 Jeep Cherokee - “Wash your vehicle regularly. Use Mopar Automotive Polish to remove film and stains and to polish your vehicle.”
• 2000 Jaguar - “For maximum protection against road dust, salts, industrial fallout, etc., it is recommended that the vehicle is polished regularly..”
• 2000 Lexus SUV - “Once a month or if the vehicle surface does not repel water well, apply wax.”
• 1999 Infiniti - “If you wish to wax your vehicle, only use a wax specified for use over clear coats, such as Nissan liquid or spray wax, because your Infiniti has been finished with the finest paint and fluorine clear coats.”

If you find any interesting quotes in your owner’s manual, e-mail them to me at lasalon519@aol.com.

While the average car owner knows to protect his/her car’s finish from salt, tar and bugs, the public isn’t as aware when it comes to acid rain damage. Acid rain is found everywhere and summer is acid-rain season.

Take a minute to do an experiment on the rain in your neighborhood or city. Water should have a pH of 7 (neutral). Most short showers are more acidic than long showers and can have a pH of 4.5. That is the same as orange juice or coffee.

Acid-rain will cause pitting on vehicles parked near airports or military bases. The pinhole size pitting is caused by the jet fuel exhaust in the atmosphere. Acid rain “rings” appear during the summer months. Why just the summer?

• Heat is the catalyst for speeding any chemical reaction.
• Atmospheric higher temperatures cause pollution to concentrate below the cloud level where it is more easily picked up by rain.
• Sunshine first evaporates, then concentrates and then burns rings into the clear-coat gloss.
• Intermittent showers and periods of high acidic rain followed by sunshine are more prevalent in the summer.

So, just because your vehicle is blessed with clear-coat technology doesn’t mean you can neglect your vehicle’s surface. Think of polymer sealants as ScotchGuard^® for your automotive paint.