Before you start sealing and waxing, you need to do a bit of soul searching. What is it you really want? Your overall life satisfaction may be high already; however, good choices made here will only help that score. So, wash your car and dry with a high-quality microfiber towel. Then run your hand along the surface. Does it feel smooth? Be truthful with yourself. If it feels a bit rough and scratchy, the finish is embedded with contaminants, such as iron, tree sap, and other things that love to get into the pores of your paint. Waxing or sealing over this is no bueno, as the wax will simply go right over these particles and embed them even further into your paint. Waxing more or rubbing harder will just do more damage and burn unnecessary calories. You need to use a clay bar to rid your paint of these nasty little things.

Now don’t get anxious over this clay bar foolery; it’s easy and safe and will make the surface feel like it did when it was brand new. Claying your car is actually super easy when combined with Luster Lube—and no, you won’t go blind. It really will make all the difference in the world.

Once the surface is smooth, applying Lithium’s insane paint sealer (Seal and Squeal link to page) will prevent this from happening in the future. However, don’t be a quitter; you should really go all the way and apply a good coat of wax over the top to get a shine that will make you squint. It is important to note that once you have clay barred the surface that both sealant and wax will go both on and off very easily and won’t take that long.