Why does my car still show marks after I wash it?

I have had a lot of time on my hands during the lockdown and decided to give the car a good clean. It's metallic black so shows up virtually any marks. No matter how careful I am, the bodywork has marks all over when I have finished washing it. I use a proprietary car shampoo. Have also gone over it with a chamois cloth as well and then used Autoglym polish. I think some of this may be the dust or sand in the rain which we have had a few times. Do you have any suggestions?

Asked on 16 June 2020 by Neil L

Answered by Georgia Petrie
I'd possibly try different shampoo, and waxing it after polishing. Polish removes grease, dirt etc, as well as stripping away a tiny layer of the paint’s top coat (damaged or oxidised sections) - which reveals the fresh pain beneath. Car wax protects the car's paintwork, so when it's buffed in properly, the car gets a brand new protective layer making it look shiny and new for longer, and keeping water off the paintwork.

The best thing to do is wash your car normally with whatever products you use, then have a look at the paintwork to see if you actually need to apply polish. I'd only polish it after washing, and before waxing, if I saw there were problem spots.
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