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Everyone admires a sparkling clean car. A shiny, factory-fresh appearance typically takes a fair amount of elbow grease or the wallet-sapping professional attention, but Nissan has been exploring a means for cars to clean themselves.
First demonstrated on a Euro-market Note, and again recently on a Leaf, Nissan has shown how its special Ultra-Ever Dry paint can repel water and oil. In doing so, the slippery surface sloughs off mud, rain, and everyday dirt, thereby making it effortless to maintain a clean exterior. (Read about the colorful world of automotive paint.)
Nissan continues to refer to this nano-paint from UltraTech as a possible future offering. Until then, drivers will need to resort to tried-and-true methods of car care.
Car washing
Use a car-wash soap, as these are specially formulated for the job. Other household products can strip off protective wax and leave streaks. Washing in the shade is best, as a hot body can dry the soapy water before it can be rinsed off.
Don’t let tree sap, bird droppings, bugs, and other paint-marring detris sit on the car. Time will increase the damage and the difficulty to remove such unpleasant natural occurrences.
Use a soft natural sponge or lamb’s-wool mitt for scrubbing, being sure to keep it clean and work from the top of the car down. The wheel well and wheels may be especially dirty; use a separate cloth for these areas.
Check out our car maintenance guide for more advice on car washing and car care.
Creating the sparkle
To restore your car to like-new condition, you may be tempted to use a car-scratch repair pen. They are marketed as an easy way to avoid expensive auto body shop bills, and manufacturers say that anyone can get professional results from the pens. Not so fast: Our experience shows that professional results are a bit elusive.
The real win is with car wax and exterior trim cleaners. Both product types can restore luster and provide protection, but the benefits tend to be fleeting, requiring reapplication from every few weeks to several months.
When buying a car wax, be aware that premium car wax brands don't necessarily hold up any better than lower-priced alternatives. We found in our tests that pastes performed no better than liquids overall. Both wax types had similar scores for ease of use. Skip the spray-on waxes, as our tests have shown them to be less effective.
Trim cleaners can bring a faded gray panel back to a rich black, but the effects often don’t last long.
Elbow grease
For now, there is no substitute for elbow grease and smartly selected car-care products. Consumer Reports test results can point you in the right direction, but until seemingly magical, self-cleaning paint becomes readily available, time and effort will be necessary to keep your car looking sharp.
—Jeff Bartlett
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on this website. Copyright © 2006-2014 Consumers Union of U.S.
