Adventures in Detailing visits a place to step...or at least wipe...softly. Your exterior car mirrors are a place that will easily show damage if you are not careful. When washing your car, make sure your wash mitt is sudsy (think lubricated) & go from top to bottom, have a separate bucket to rinse off or a protector in the bottom of the bucket so grit is trapped beneath it. Even if you use one (or more) of these "defensive detailing" measures, it's still a good idea to use no pressure when you wipe over the face of the mirror. A little grit & even just a little pressure with your wash mitt can leave visible scratches on your mirror...which will appear once it's fully dried. Make sure to keep your wash mitts & chamois grit free. Do you have contaminants (like paint over spray) on your mirror face? Yes, it is okay to use clay bar to remove them. Make sure the area is lubricated with a spray wax or soap & water...& again, make sure your clay bar is grit free. Do you have hard water spots on your mirror face? DO NOT USE A GLASS POLISH!!!! If you do, chances are you will be in the market to replace the glass. If the spots are light enough, you have two options:

• use a compound wax & rub lightly with a clean soft cloth or wax applicator until they're gone,
• or use a chemical or acid based water spot remover (I do not wipe over this area at all, though you may be able to with a micro-fiber cloth, I have not had too...yet).
  • make sure the glass of the mirror is absolutely, completely cool to the touch (if its even a little warm, you may have problems). Also, if your mirror is old, especially if there is visible chipping around the edges & the silver backing is visible, you probably should not use this method. This increases the risk of the chemical seeping behind the glass & damaging the backing. It may look something like an oil slick after you're done...& you will have to replace the mirror.
    • cover the mirror face completely with a damp chamois while working on that side of the car (if it's in the sun {even a little bit}).
    • lift the chamois & touch the glass, if it's completely cool, spray the water spot remover evenly over the surface & let it sit while continuing to work on that side of the car, revisit a couple more times if necessary (DO NOT let dry on surface)
    • spray off with water & wipe dry with your chamois
    • if there are still remnants of the water spots go over with your light compound wax (usually not necessary). Again, do not use pressure & apply with a clean soft cloth or wax applicator.
    • If your mirror seems to have a little haze on an edge or may have taken a very, very light amount of damage, you may be able to correct it slightly with Mother^tm aluminum polish. Again, when dealing with mirror faces, it's a good policy not to use pressure.

You should now have a sparkling clean exterior mirror face. As always, if you have any questions on this procedure, please feel free to drop me a line. Please send any questions for future episodes of "Adventures in Detailing" to gavin@autodetailaces.com. Thank you for tuning in...& see you next week!