Protecting your car paint during the rainy season

The rainy season poses many problems and inconveniences for the motorists and commuters. Traffic in the metro turns from terrible to horrendous. This season also makes motorists a bit more religious everyday. We tend to recite prayers everytime we wade through flood in certain parts of our usual thoroughfare. Torrential pouring or just the occasional drizzle, rain makes any car enthusiasts most especially those detailing nuts (like me) work double time just to maintain the pristine condition of the car’s paint and interior.

Here’s my weekly car cleaning regimen during the rainy season:

I start off with cleaning the car with my usual car shampoo, Zymol. It not only smells good (banana scent), but from my personal observation, its formulation is mild enough not to strip off your wax.

Then I proceed to use claybar. I prefer mother’s clay bar. It may be more expensive than other clay bar in the market but the package includes two medium sized bars, plus a bottle of spray on quick detailer. It also comes with a microfiber cloth. ( By the way, you need not perform claying every weekend. To test if it’s time to clay, just run your fingers through the paint surface after a car wash. If you can feel grit and surface imperfections embedded like sand particles, then your car’s due for claying.)

Tips when claying: Do not scrimp on applying the QD (quick detailer) when you glide the clay across the surface. Sufficient lubricant will prevent the contaminants (the debris/ particles picked up by the clay in scratching your car. Never use a clay bar accidentally dropped on the floor.

After claying, I just rinse off the car with just water and dry it off with a waterblade then finally with a microfiber towel. The next phase is waxing. In waxing, I proceed to apply Mother’s Step 2 a.k.a. Sealer and Glaze. This product works great for dark colored cars like my black car. Sealer and glaze substantially improves the over all depth and shine of dark colored cars. I just apply a very light layer over the whole car and buff it afterwards by hand using microfiber towel.

During the summer, after Step 2, I use Mothers Reflections Top Coat. Aside from smelling really great, it is also easier to work with especially if you do your waxing by hand. I prefer Reflection over Mothers Step 3, which is a carnauba based wax. Though Step 3 is much durable, Reflections is a synthetic wax, which makes it easier to buff off than regular carnauba based waxes. But the downside is that durability- wise, carnauba based waxes last longer than synthetic waxes. But it’s really not an issue for me since I get to pamper my car almost every weekend..

Since summer is over, I switch from Reflections to Soft 99’s Rain Hop. From its name itself, it really is outstanding in terms of durability. Water beading on the surface is best I have seen among the myriad of products I have tested. But be careful though in applying it, avoid getting on your car’s plastic trims. It whitens plastic trims instantly. Also, spread the wax thinly. Otherwise, you’d have a hard time removing the residue when buffing it out by hand afterwards.

With regular application, I’m not worried about my car getting really trashed during the rainy season.

P.S.

Ill be posting pictures of the products soon.