The non-glossy finish of matte paint is becoming increasingly available and popular on cars. It used to be for exclusive, expensive models but more common cars such as the Cupra Formentor can be bought with it.
Given matte paint’s rising popularity on cars, it’s important to know how to properly clean it. There isn’t anything too complicated about the process, and you can use some conventional car cleaning products. The key is knowing which ones.
Matte paint and why it needs special care
Matte paint absorbs more light than a regular glossy finish, which is what results in the muted appearance. It does this by having a rough, textured finish (at a microscopic level) compared to the smooth finish of glossy paint.
In order to maintain the non-glossy look, it’s important to protect the finish. Abrasive polishes and paste waxes can compromise it and need to be avoided. Paste wax is quite thick and therefore acts as a kind of filler, covering the textured finish with a smooth layer. Meanwhile, abrasive products damage and wear away the coating. The solution is to use a spray wax or ceramic coating. These liquid protectants still protect matte paint, like wax, but are applied in a much lighter coating, which follows the texture of the finish.
How to clean matte paint
1. Clean the wheels
Always begin a full car clean with the wheels. The best wheel cleaner is Bilt Hamber Auto-Wheel. It’s pH-neutral and a universal wheel cleaner. Spray it onto wheels, wait for a few minutes for the colour change, scrub with a wheel brush if needed, and then rinse.
Bilt Hamber Auto-Wheel
Price: £17.84 | VIEW OFFER
2. Apply snow foam
Dirt and grime are abrasive and can therefore cause damage to paintwork if they’re scrubbed with a microfibre cloth or sponge. What you want to do, is loosen muck and lift it away from the bodywork before you go to work with the shampoo.
Snow foam is the best way to do this. You don’t need to touch the car at all because snow foam is applied and then rinsed off with a pressure washer. Our top-rated snow foam is currently Autoglym’s Polar Blast. It’s very clingy, pH-neutral, great value, and biodegradable.
Autoglym Polar Blast
Price: £14.66 | VIEW OFFER
3. Apply car shampoo
Having rinsed off the snow foam, using shampoo is much easier. The snow foam pre-wash also means you can carry out a deeper clean. A wash mitt is the best applicator for car shampoo.
Regarding matte paint, it’s crucial to use a pure shampoo that doesn’t contain any waxes or protectants in it. Our recommended car shampoo is Gtechniq GWash. It’s highly concentrated, so a small amount goes a long way, very effective, pH-neutral, and biodegradable.
Gtechniq GWash
Price: £12.95 | VIEW OFFER
4. Optional: apply contaminant remover
Contaminants such as tar and tree sap might remain after a round of snow foam and shampooing. Specialist contaminant removers are great for spot cleaning stubborn grime. Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover is our top suggestion for this job.
Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover
Price: £7.99 | VIEW OFFER
5. Apply spray wax or ceramic coating
At this point, after two or three rounds of cleaning, the bodywork should be spotless. To check if the bodywork is clean the paint should feel smoother than it did before, even ‘soft’. If it does, you can go ahead and apply a liquid protectant. Our choice of spray waxes for this job is Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax.
You can apply Meguiar’s spray wax immediately after rinsing off the shampoo and/or contaminant remover. Its party piece is that you don’t need to dry the bodywork first. Coat the bodywork with the spray wax, then rinse it off. As the running water runs off the bodywork, it pushes around the wax, ensuring it’s evenly applied. You can then dry the bodywork with a drying towel.
Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax
Price: £20.99 | VIEW OFFER
6. Optional: apply glass cleaner
Dirty glass looks even worse when contrasted with freshly cleaned paint. It’s not a clever juxtaposition, it just looks bad. Use a streak-free glass cleaner to finish the clean. We recommend Greased Lightning Crystal Clear. It works exactly as you need it to and comes in a big one-litre bottle.
Greased Lightning Crystal Clear
Price: £12.99 | VIEW OFFER
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