Matte paint options are available on an increasing number of ‘ordinary’ cars such as the Cupra Formentor and thus it’s important to know how to properly clean it. No doubt those who drive a car with matte paint care about it deeply, since they specifically chose it.
Luckily, cleaning matte paint is still reasonably simple, and you can use conventional car cleaning products – you just need to use the correct ones.
About matte paint and why it needs special care
The reason matte paint doesn’t have a glossy finish like the types of paint you normally see on cars is because of the texture of the coating. With regular gloss paint, the coating is smooth and light reflects off it evenly. With matte it’s rough, at a microscopic level, and absorbs more light.
The main thing with matte paint is to keep its non-glossy look, which abrasive polishes and paste waxes can compromise. A paste wax is quite thick and can fill in the gaps in the microscopic undulations and abrasive products can damage the critical coating. The solution is to use a spray wax or ceramic coating. These liquid protectants give the matte paint a lighter protective coating than the pastes, which allows the matte to stay non-glossy yet sealed.
A step-by-step guide to cleaning matte paint
1. Clean the wheels
As you would in the regular car cleaning sequence, begin with cleaning the wheels. Our pick of wheel cleaners is Bilt Hamber Auto Wheels. It’s a pH-neutral, universal wheel cleaner – just spray it onto wheels, wait for a few minutes for the colour change, scrub with a wheel brush if needed, then rinse.
Best wheel cleaner
2. Apply snow foam
To remove or loosen grit and contaminants on matte paint without inflicting scratches, snow foam is the safest way to do so. You don’t need to touch the car at all. 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.
Best snow foam
3. Rinse
After the snow foam has sat on the car for five to 10 minutes, rinse the car thoroughly with your pressure washer or hose.
4. Apply shampoo
With the top layers of dirt removed and stubborn grime loosened by snow foam, the job of applying shampoo is much easier. In addition, it means you can get rid of all the muck on your car.
Use a wash mitt for the easiest and most effective way to scrub. It’s important to use a pure shampoo, that is, one 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.
Best car shampoo
5. Rinse and apply contaminant remover, if needed
Even after snow foam and shampoo, some spots such as tar and tree sap might remain after rinsing the shampoo off. Not to worry, contaminant removers will see you right. Of these, we recommend another Autoglym product, this time Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover. Spot clean with the Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover.
Best contaminant remover
6. Apply spray wax or ceramic coating
To check if the bodywork is clean, give it a touch test. With the bodywork now clean, you can now apply a protectant. Free of contaminants, the paint should feel smooth, even ‘soft’. Our choice of spray waxes for this job is Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax.
You can apply this spray wax immediately after rinsing off the shampoo and/or contaminant remover. You don’t need to dry the bodywork. Coat the surfaces with the spray wax, then rinse it off. The running water ensures it’s evenly applied. With this done, you can then dry the bodywork with an absorbent towel.
Best spray wax
7. Apply glass cleaner, if needed
Glass with finger smudges and splattered bugs doesn’t go well with freshly cleaned matte paint, or indeed regular glossy paint. Use an effective glass cleaner that doesn’t streak to top off the clean. We recommend Greased Lightning Crystal Clear. It works exactly as you need it to and comes in a big one litre bottle.