Care of the paintwork (Fiesta 4)

Regular maintenance of the paintwork is a job that always pays off, as matte, scratched paintwork significantly worsens the appearance of the Fiesta. A new surface does not require much attention. Regular washing and removal of stone chips, asphalt stains and insect residues is enough. Maintenance of the paintwork should begin immediately after washing the car. The sun, rain, road salt, dirt and other negative environmental impacts do their dirty work, so the paintwork constantly requires thorough cleaning.

Paintwork care product

Which product to choose depends on the condition of your car. A new, well-preserved coating requires only a soft polish. It evens out minor irregularities in the paintwork caused by bad weather and mechanical impacts. In addition, modern polishes contain wax components that preserve the paintwork. For a new coating, using a strong cleaning agent will damage it - for an old one with many cracks, it is just right, since the result of its use will be brilliant.

Thorough care of paintwork

First of all, the cleaning agent acts as a polish, its formula contains relatively large particles of abrasive agent, which removes heavy dirt. Before you decide to repaint your time-worn car, try to use a quality cleaning agent. As a rule, cleaning agents do not contain preservative components. Therefore, the prepared (cleaned) paintwork is covered with car wax in the second stage.

The harmful effects of the sun on paintwork

With new or restored paintwork, it is recommended to carry out conservation two or three times a year. It maintains the shine and optimizes the protection of the coating for a long time. Most polishes and cleaners act very aggressively on the paintwork in bright sunlight. Therefore, it is better to carry out work in the shade or in the garage, where chemical compounds have no chance of damaging the paintwork of your Fiesta.



SEQUENCE OF WORKS

1. Wash and dry your car thoroughly.

2. First, test a relatively inconspicuous area to see how the paint and polish interact.

Apply only a thin layer of the product, as too much cleaner will remove more paint than necessary. It is better to clean the surface in several stages.

3. Apply the polish or cleaner with cotton or synthetic wool (fist-sized swabs). Rub the product in a circular motion with light pressure. Always treat only a small area.

4. After a short period of action, a dry white layer of the product is formed, which is polished with circular movements. If the paintwork is heavily damaged, pay attention to the edges. Do not treat one place for too long, otherwise you will grind the coating down to the primer.



5. Change or rotate the cotton ball regularly as its surface becomes clogged with polish or cleaning agent particles.

6. To remove any remaining polish and cotton wool fibres at the end of the job, wipe the surface with a clean cotton cloth.

Preservation of paintwork

1. Apply car wax to the cotton wool. The size of the surface to be treated depends on the product used.



Fig. 3.12. Applying the preservative with a cotton swab in circular motions with light pressure to areas of the surface with an area of 0.5 m²

2. Apply the preservative with light pressure and circular movements: uniform application increases the gloss of the car's paintwork (Fig. 3.12)

WARNING

Preservatives contain a high amount of solvents, so ensure adequate ventilation in enclosed spaces.



Fig. 3.13. Rubbing a white layer of preservative with a cotton swab until a perfect shine is achieved



To ensure a transparent and streak-free coating, rub the white layer of the product until it shines with large cotton swabs. When the polishing motion becomes difficult, rotate or change the cotton swab (Fig. 3.13).

3. The cotton wool should slide easily with little resistance over the surface. Therefore, turn the cotton swab more often and change it in a timely manner.

4. If after applying the preservative there are streaks or cloud-like spots on the coating, the reason is contaminated paint particles left over from the previous polishing. Treat these areas again with this polishing paste.



Fig. 3.14. Re-treatment of the polished surface with a cotton cloth to remove the preservative layer and cotton wool fibers

Finally, polish the surface again with a cotton cloth. This will remove the remaining layer of preservative and, of course, the cotton wool fibers (Fig. 3.14).



Fig. 3.15. Soft polishing of paintwork



If the preservative rolls into droplets when applied to the paint surface, the surface tension of the coating is too high. In this case, try to treat this area with soft polishing before preserving (Fig. 3.15).