{"id":48112,"date":"2026-05-08T00:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T04:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/?p=48112"},"modified":"2026-04-30T13:58:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:58:27","slug":"pampering-your-paint-car-people-unknowingly-turning-a-concern-into-a-bigger-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/pampering-your-paint-car-people-unknowingly-turning-a-concern-into-a-bigger-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Pampering Your Paint – Car People Unknowingly Turning A Concern Into A Bigger Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"swirls\"<\/p>\n

Caring about your paint in my world means not turning one problem into another.<\/p>\n

I chose the title of this article for a reason.\u00a0 Many people knowingly focus on just getting the dirt and or dust off their paint, not caring about micro marring or even deeper scratches.\u00a0 This content is not for you, and the message is likely not going to resonate with you.\u00a0 It is nearly the same concept of someone accepting the consequences of scratches that come from automatic tunnel wash.<\/p>\n

There is a category of car people that eagerly will read and gain some value out of it.\u00a0 There are some people who say they do not care, because they do not (GET IT) understand the volume of microscopic damage is the reason their paint just does not pop any more.\u00a0 For this crowd that may or may not ultimately care, this article is especially for.\u00a0 I might make a difference in the way 10 percent of this demographic thinks.<\/p>\n

\"Before<\/p>\n

For car people obviously it goes without saying you should NOT use a brillo pad or scrubby pad ever on paint.\u00a0 You would be amazed how many people in the general population do and suggest using kitchen cleaning tools to remove bugs and sap.\u00a0 Those people give advice in your social circle and on social media.\u00a0 The first point is to not be so quick to take the advice of people.\u00a0 Even on detailing groups or on YouTube be mindful and exercise some critical thinking.<\/p>\n

Next concern, and the follow up question many of you may be in your head, “what should I do if I have this (bugs, sap, tar) on my car?”\u00a0 If you are on the Detailed Image website, type (bug, sap, tar, waterspots) your problem and you will see several solid options.\u00a0 Any of those products, assuming you read the directions, are safer and significantly more effective than scrubbing your car with soap.<\/p>\n

\"Gyeon<\/p>\n

\"Decontamination<\/p>\n

Another, one of the most common problems. a lack of congruency in the way you care for your car.\u00a0 You do everything right when it comes to washing your car biweekly.\u00a0 You have the two bucket, quality mitt, you presoak the car and even dry the car carefully.\u00a0 For some reason you think paint can only be scratched during your biweekly ritual.\u00a0 Between washes, you make the mistake of dry wiping foreign substances with a microfiber towel.\u00a0 The best example of this is on display at car shows.\u00a0 Quick detailers are not meant to be used to wash your car.\u00a0 I also see people who spend an incredible amount of money on the best pressure washers, filter systems, and the most expensive soaps.\u00a0 But then, they never use a grit guard.\u00a0 They will store a dirty wash mitt out in open space.\u00a0 They allow their microfiber towels, knowing that is what is touching paint, to accumulate dust.\u00a0 Afterwards they rationalize swirls and scratches are not a product of their habits.<\/p>\n

\"Grit<\/p>\n

\"Scangrip<\/p>\n

Your ability to maintain the cosmetic condition of your car is a product of how you care for your car in your worst moments as much as your best moments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Caring about your paint in my world means not turning one problem into another. I chose the title of this article for a reason.\u00a0 Many people knowingly focus on just getting the dirt and or dust off their paint, not caring about micro marring or even deeper scratches.\u00a0 This content is not for you, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":49227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[31,29],"tags":[2190,2777,215,246,1996],"class_list":{"0":"post-48112","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pre-wash-degreasing","8":"category-washing-drying","9":"tag-bird","10":"tag-bug","11":"tag-tar","12":"tag-washing","13":"tag-waterspot"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/featured-image.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1kPO7-cw0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48112"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49228,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48112\/revisions\/49228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}