I hear this all the time, “Hey Oscar, I just got a new 2015 XYZ car. It doesn’t need much work, can you just wax it?” Of course, you should always wax your car, but the thing that a lot of many people confuse is that your car’s paint does not come in “perfect” condition, believe it or not.
When you buy a new car, there will be scratches and possibly dings in the paint. It shouldn’t be this way, and sometimes it’s not, but 90% of the time, you will find imperfections.
Of course, I’m talking from a detailing perspective of things. I’m not saying that the car itself will have mechanical issues (at least I hope it doesn’t).
In this article, I’m going to talk about how the condition of your paint is when you buy it.
Your Car’s Paint Has Swirls and Scratches
Yes, your paint will have scratches in it. Although you are barely buying the car right off the car lot, the car has probably been fully assembled and moving around for several months.
Once the car is painted at the factory, every person that handles that car is putting swirls and scratches into the paint. You’ll see this throughout all types of cars, regardless if it’s a brand-new Honda Civic or a Ferrari- the paint will come with scratches.
Some owners get a little crazy and frustrated when they realize that their car isn’t in “perfect” condition. I mean you are paying a hefty price tag for a new vehicle, so you’d assume you’d have it nothing less than perfect, which I agree.
But the car goes through a loonnnngg process far before it ever touches the dealership floor. So it’s kind of hard to imagine to have a car come in perfect condition considering probably hundreds of people have to handle and manage that car until someone buys it.
What Can You Do About The Swirls and Scratches On Your Paint?
The simple method would be to add a nice layer of protection, either a wax or a sealant to your car every 2 to 3 months. If you’d like to take it a step further, you could always have a professional detailer (or learn it yourself) perform paint correction.
This is the most effective method to properly enhance the car’s paint to make it look completely brand-new. It’s definitely a long and tedious process, but your car will look 10x better than when you first bought it.
As mentioned earlier, you should apply a layer of wax or sealant to protect the paint, but you can also (and highly recommended) to apply a paint coating. A typical wax or sealant can last 2 months to 6 months depending on a few factors.
When you use a paint coating, you’re looking at a minimum of 12 to 24 months of protection (depending on the coating you choose). It is the most durable as well as it can take a much stronger beating compared to the traditional wax and sealant.