When I bought my Sportage last November I thought it looked okay, but later I noticed stains in the paint that refused to wash off. It looked like somebody had let dirty soap dry on the car. Last week I determined to clean things up.
Step one, I used kerosene to loosen bug and tar stains around the front end, mirrors, windshield header, and lower sides. I then sprayed some bug & tar remover (the new stuff that doesn't have so much kerosene in it) on the same places and thoroughly washed it with soap solution. The bugs and tar were mostly gone, but I used some more to get what was left. Stains were still there.
Step two, I washed it a second time with soap solution containing a pint of rubbing alcohol, which somebody told me would take off any old wax. Either my info was bugus or I didn't use enough alcohol because the stains were still there, but I was pretty sure I had gotten as much dirt off the finish as I could.
Step three, I went over the car with some polish, that comes in a yellow bottle from Kit, that I got from WalMart. WOW! GOOD STUFF! It's inexpensive, really easy to use, and doesn't leave tiny scratches in the surface. It got rid of the stains and all the little spots that washing didn't take off. I didn't know how dingy and dirty the whole car was until I did one fender and stood back to look. The fender was about three shades whiter than the door and hood.
Step four, I used some white pigment Turtle Wax with the little paint stick that fills in minor scratches and dings to wax the whole car. A couple of days ago I got a complement from a total stranger about how clean the car looks.
It was a long day of hard, physical work, but the result was worth it.
