{"id":402,"date":"2017-08-21T10:38:39","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T10:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.207.233.110\/?p=402"},"modified":"2024-08-21T06:03:53","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T06:03:53","slug":"keep-wet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/touchupdirect.com\/blog\/?p=402","title":{"rendered":"Keep It Wet!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While we\u2019re on the topic of simple ideas that make taking care of paint a whole lot less irritating\/obnoxious\/ineffective,<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> there\u2019s one that we\u2019re hoping you\u2019ve already figured out: keep it wet. Yes! The very hose you use to rinse can defeat the scourge of water spots.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The constant-wet methodology is not a new idea. It is, however, somewhat politically incorrect, as it requires you to use some extra water. Look at you, sticking it to the man. Don\u2019t be snookered by the water police and big-government propaganda telling you to save water by drinking from the sponge in the sink and watering your plants with the tears of unicorns. The extra water you\u2019re going to use to spritz your prized <a href=\"https:\/\/touchupdirect.com\/shop\/touch-up-paint\/ford-sonic-blue-pearl-metallic-sn-m7095\/\">Sonic Blue Mustang Cobra<\/a> might be a gallon or two. Be honest with yourself \u2013 if you\u2019re washing your car in the driveway without needing to fend off marauders or alien locusts, you probably live in a country with utilities capable of providing you an extra gallon or two of water.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By the way, is anyone interested in explaining what a Mustang Cobra is? Is it like a horseshoe crab, or some wild genetic creation born of a laboratory deep beneath <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehenryford.org\/visit\/ford-rouge-factory-tour\/history-and-timeline\/fords-rouge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FoMoCo\u2019s Rouge plant<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You\u2019ll note that some colors are prone to fast evaporation (darker paints), and therefore quicker water spotting. Colors (or lack thereof) like<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/TouchUpDirect-Mustang-Exact-Match-Automotive-Touch-Up\/dp\/B00HV11VCW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Wimbledon White <\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">and lightly pigmented yellows and beiges will absorb less sunlight, and not heat up as much. It\u2019s that evaporation that\u2019s the real problem, because it leaves the stuff in the water \u2013 chemicals, minerals, and other dissolved solids \u2013 on your paint when the water\u2019s gone. That stuff is not at all inert, and combined with the moisture already present in the air and the environment your vehicle lives in, they can etch\/burn\/eat away at your finish. A good coat of wax or sealer can hold the damage caused by water spots at bay for a time, but they\u2019re just another layer to be eaten away, and eventually, water spots will get to your paint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Fear not: if you have water spots, companies like<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mothers.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Mother\u2019s Polish sell specific water-spot removers<\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u2013 usually a polish of some sort, sometimes sporting a light wax in the mix \u2013 and these are effective. However, the objective should be to avoid water spots occurring at all, thus the wonderfully inexpensive and easy trick of keeping the whole vehicle you\u2019re washing wet until you\u2019re ready to dry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While we\u2019re at it, do yourself a favor and try to do all car washing and drying in the shade. Slower evaporation, less pressure to hurry up while drying, less heat, more shelving.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A near constant state of wet is easy: keep the same hose and nozzle you use to rinse your vehicle handy, and whenever you wash a section and rinse it (because you\u2019re always washing section-by-section, right?), give the rest of the car a quick spritz too. As we\u2019ve described before, it\u2019s the same easy flow of water you\u2019ve used on the rest of the car. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/gilligansisle.com\/minnow.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">We\u2019re not blasting barnacles off the S.S. Minnow<\/a>:<span style=\"color: #000000;\">there are lots of soft rubber parts, sensitive electronics and exposed lubricants on your car or truck, so you\u2019d never use high-pressure to wash or rinse. Right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Of all the easy rules for proper paint care, this one may be the easiest. It\u2019s never too late to get a better habit: if you want to avoid extensive touch-up work (though <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/help.touchupdirect.com\/en-us\" data-wplink-edit=\"true\">TouchUpDirect is here for you <\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">if water spots get you covered), keep the paint wet until it\u2019s time to dry.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While we\u2019re on the topic of simple ideas that make taking care of paint a whole lot less irritating\/obnoxious\/ineffective, there\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tud_fp_data":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[1221],"tags":[246,111,136,776,135,77,139,293,663,248,137,130,775,138,234,276,134,99],"class_list":["post-402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-best-practices","tag-automotive-touch-up","tag-body-paint","tag-car-cleaning","tag-car-paint-maintenance","tag-car-wash","tag-cleaning-tips","tag-dark-paint","tag-diy-car-repair","tag-flawless-finish","tag-paint-application","tag-paint-care","tag-paint-prep","tag-paint-touch-up-tips","tag-sun-care","tag-touchupdirect","tag-vehicle-care","tag-water-spotting","tag-wax"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Car Paint Maintenance Tips for a Flawless Finish | TouchUpDirect Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn essential car paint maintenance tips to keep your vehicle&#039;s finish flawless and avoid water spots. 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