Take steps to protect car's exterior during the winter

Car buyers everywhere are waving the white flag. White/white pearl ended silver's streak of seven years as the world's most popular color for automobiles, according to the DuPont 2007 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, released this week.

In North America, as well, white is the most popular color, holding 19 percent of the vehicle market. Silver cars make up 18 percent of the market, and black/black effect (a metallic, sparkly finish) 16 percent.

But no matter what color the car, the vehicle's exterior components -- paint, windshield, wheels and tires -- must be protected during winter.

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Winter is very hard on any car with extreme temperature changes, rain, sleet, snow, sand, salt and other chemicals that are used on our roads. Owners need to clean their car thoroughly and then seal and protect it from all of those damaging elements.

Protect the paint

• Wash your car. You must always wash your car before waxing or polishing it. It's important to use a professional car wash before waxing to ensure that you don't have any remaining dirt or soap residue after rinsing.

• Wax your car. Your car-wax coat will be the final line of defense between the damaging winter elements and your paint finish.

• Use a sealant. Paint sealant stays above the wax layer and will be the first barrier that comes into contact with the salt, snow, etc. Paint sealant is easy to apply and adds lots of extra protection.

Protect the windshield

• Clean your glass. Always use a professional grade cleaner in order to achieve a spotless glass surface to polish. You can find professional aerosol cleaners for all glass surfaces including windows, windshields, mirrors and side glass.

• Polish with detail spray. You can touch up auto glass frequently and add an invisible layer of polish to your glass, causing water to bead up and helping to sluice off snow, rain and road dirt.

Protect wheels and tires

• Use a tire and wheel cleaner. Tire cleaners restore and renew the rubber's dark color, and wheel cleaners eliminate damaging brake dust and road grime that can permanently stain, pit or discolor your wheels. The chemicals used to control snow and ice can be especially damaging to your wheels, so that's why it's important to always use a professional cleaner to wash, polish and seal your wheels against the elements.

For a comprehensive line of professional car-care appearance products to help improve and protect the appearance of your vehicle this winter, visit www.3Mcarcare.com.