Published on: 05/11/2015 Updated on: 20/02/2025
Washing a car may seem like a simple task, but there are several tricks that you need to pay attention to if you want to achieve an optimal result, especially if you want to polish the 'car exterior toits best. Each step dedicated to car washing deserves a brief discussion, as it has features and small tricks that can come in very handy.
#1 Prewash
Prewashing a car is a key activity to remove the most visible and difficult-to-remove dirt (e.g., salt in winter and gnats in summer) and decrease the time used for the subsequent washing activity.
To do this best, it is necessary to use a prewash, such as HP12, capable of removing in a short time the impurities adhered to the bodywork: rinse the car with water, apply the product starting from the bottom of the car, on the bumpers and wheel arches, and then going upward, leaving the product to act for about two minutes. Finally, rinse thoroughly.
For specific midge cleaning, however, we recommend Killer, a product that can quickly remove any traces of insects deposited on the bodywork.
Dedicating time to the car prewash phase is essential to get the best and make the following car wash phase safer, avoiding scratches and imperfections from passing over a dirty car with a glove or sponge.
#2 Washing
Washing your car is a simple task if you use the right products and follow the right tips.
First, it is necessary to wash the car out of the sun and on hot days remember to work on small areas: divide the car into defined areas and wash by steps.
To wash the car, it is appropriate to start with the rims and tires with Rim and Tire Cleaner: in fact, it will suffice to apply the product to all four wheels and then proceed to rinse, to degrease and deep clean all kinds of tires and rims, from wheel covers to alloy wheels.
Once this step is finished, you can proceed with shampooing the bodywork.
Mafra's advice is to use the two-bucket washing method: this technique involves preparing two buckets of water, one for washing where the shampoo will be added and the other for rinsing. Add the car shampoo to the first bucket, use for example Car Wash - Shampoo and Wax or Shampoo Power, taking care then to add water to dilute the product and to generate foam. Begin work at this point by starting with a glove, such as Marley Glove, from the top of the car, while for the bottom, the use of a sponge is recommended, rinsing the tools in the appropriate bucket without ever touching the bottom to prevent them from coming into contact with dirt.
Once the washing is finished, proceed with rinsing the car with plenty of water. Thorough washing greatly improves the following activity of decontaminating and polishing cars-so proper care is needed for this important step.
#3 Drying
The drying phase of the car is important so that no imperfections are left on the bodywork.
Mafra's advice is to use Panno Martina, starting at the top of the car and taking care not to press the cloth too hard against the car. After this step is complete, it is then appropriate to use Fast Cleaner, with an Xtra Brillance microfiber cloth, to finish the job and remove water residue.
#4 Decontamination
Prewashing and washing are necessary operations to wash the car in the optimal way, but sometimes they are not enough to remove all impurities from the bodywork. For this reason, the decontamination stage, divided into chemical and physical, is necessary.
Chemical Decontamination
Chemical decontamination is necessary for impurities such as iron residues and tar stains, which need appropriate products.
Regarding ferrous residues, it is possible to use iron remover P-Ray capable of highlighting and removing, by changing its coloring from colorless to purple, all ferrous contamination on the bodywork.
To use the product, simply apply it to the car, wait for the color change and rinse thoroughly, helping yourself with a sponge if necessary. In this way, the product will have independently removed all residual iron.
As for tar stains, however, Mafra recommends instead to use Deca Flash, which will instantly dissolve the tar present, both on the bodywork and on the rims. In fact, simply apply the product, wait for the stains to dissolve and rinse the treated part.
Physical Decontamination
Once chemical decontamination is finished, it is time for the transition to physical decontamination, the last step before the car can be polished.
This operation requires the use of the clay bar and a clay bar lubricant. Mafra recommends as a lubricant the Fast Cleaner, while for the clay bar you can choose between Clay Dark, for dark cole cars, and Clay Light, for light-colored cars.
Using the clay bar is simple, but some care is needed. In fact, it is enough to apply Fast Cleaner to the part to be treated, then start the work with the clay on the bodywork in small portions of the car, working by areas, with vertical and then horizontal movements, taking care to mix it often. Gently pass the clay bar over each area until it improves the smoothness of the same.
Finally, remove excess Fast Cleaner applied with a microfiber cloth.
#5 Polishing
Polishing the exterior of the car is the main step in achieving optimal body work in terms of shine, gloss and depth.
Polishing is done to remove imperfections that make the car dull, resulting in loss of shine and color depth.
Although it is possible to polish the car by hand, it is preferable, in order to achieve better results and decrease time, to use special tools such as a rotoribital. Once you have chosen the machine with which to do the job, the second step involves choosing the right products: visit the detailing section of our official online store to find the polish and pad product that best suits your needs.
In general, it is a good idea to understand at what level you want to act: whether to act in a light manner, with a single product, a One-Step polish, or to seek a deeper work, a Complete Detailing, alternating all the polishes provided with several passes. The major difference lies in the amount of work and cost one wants to incur to achieve the intended result.
One-Step Polishing
After all the previous steps have been taken, it is possible to act with a One-Step polish using only one product from Mafra's Detailing Line: the Refinishine Polish with Yellow Pad. The combination of these products, in concert with the orbital polisher, provides an exceptional effect with little work. It is a one-step, one-product process capable of reviving the car's color in a short time while giving it more shine and gloss.
Polishing Complete Detailing
A full polish, on the other hand, involves passing several polishes, with their corresponding pads, over the entire bodywork-a true paint correction. Mafra's advice is to start with Regénera - Ultra Cut Compound and the White Pad to give the bodywork a first cut, and then go over the whole car again with Versatile - Fast & Easy Cut with the Orange Pad so as to start preparing the bodywork for the Refinishine Polish and Yellow Pad. Having completed these steps with the three polishes, Mafra recommends a final finishing pass with Supera - Ultra Finishing to best complete the job. These four passes guarantee a perfection that will restore the treated car to the shine, gloss and depth of color it had right out of the dealership: like new!
#6 Waxing
The next step after the activity of polishing the exterior of the car is finishing the work done with a wax.
For this last process an excellent product is Carlux, the protective car sealing wax made from a mixture of selected waxes, capable of polishing and protecting a car body in ease and in a short time. Using this wax on the car will form an anti-deposit barrier, which will let dirt and smog slide off and thus not stick to the bodywork: this effect will withstand even numerous and repeated car washes.
With Liquid Wax Last Touch on the other hand, it will be possible as often as desired while achieving an effective result with minimal effort, thanks to the fine carnauba within its formulation.
#7 Maintenance
The effect and result of polishing the exterior of the car can be maintained over time. Our advice is to use Fast Cleaner to quickly keep the car clean at all times, preventing dirt from redepositing, and Abrasive Paste to remove imperfections, scratches, and smears on the bodywork that inevitably occur over the years.
