Mattlackpflege

[Shaun]

I have since restocked to properly care for the matte paint. For this, I have thoroughly researched.
So that others who have or want matte paint can have some guidance.

• Electric foam sprayer from SYLSTAR – for applying your own cleaning agents, since cleaning products from public facilities are usually unsuitable for matte paints
• Matte paint car shampoo from CLEANEXTREME – should be self-explanatory.
• Car wash bucket set with sieve and lid – can be used for hand washing and also for the shampoo mentioned above
• Car wash mitt (shaggy) 4 pieces – one mitt each for rear, front, left and right side
• Silicone blade (California Car Duster) – for removing excess water (can theoretically be omitted and just dried with cloths)
• Drying towel 90x60cm from "glart" – to gently remove remaining water
• Soft microfiber cloths – for example, for door frames, drainage channels on the tailgate and other hard-to-reach areas

I’ll leave out the other items for windows, wheels, etc., as I want to focus specifically on matte paint cleaning.
Otherwise, feel free to ask. I will wash my car during the next longer dry spell and take pictures

If I have forgotten anything, please feel free to add it. For example, detailer

 

[Cupra2025]

I stopped reading at the chenille wash mitt. There is nothing worse for the paint than that rubbish – which is why it’s often given away for free with washes at places like Aral.

Only one bucket? If anything, you use one for clean water to wring out and one with the water/shampoo mixture.

If you want to do it properly, as your post suggests, you should also question the GSM of the (dry) towels. Glart doesn’t specify anything. The towels should have >1500 GSM. If the paint attracts too much fluff, you shouldn’t drag the towels but only lay them on.

A silicone blade for matte paint? No thanks. For glossy paint, yes; matte, no!

For door frames, etc., 400–800 GSM towels are enough. You don’t need to spend a fortune because these areas get dirty relatively quickly compared to others and can be disposed of sooner. The Amazon Basics towels are perfectly fine. Don’t let all the YouTubers fool you too much; it all worked fine back then without them. It’s all about the right mix.

 

[Shaun]

Of course, you’re right. There are always better products and gentler ones. No question about that. Regarding the wash mitt, you might want to take a closer look at the price-performance ratio. The "Microfiber Madness Incrediflair" simply costs more than four times as much if you want to use a mitt for each side.

A bucket? Yes, that works. Take water with the mitt/wash pad and don’t wring it out in the bucket, but on the floor. I only use the bucket for taking water. I also chose the smaller bucket (13l) to refill twice with fresh water instead of once with 20l.

Drying towel. I’ve had this towel for years and its absorption capacity is great, in my opinion. I’ve never had any problems with it being too wet or even saturated. Yes, there are probably better ones, but if you don’t need better, this is perfectly fine.

Silicone blade. Yes, the criticism of the silicone blade is justified. My blade has a super-soft lip and I’ve been using it for years. It’s made entirely of silicone without plastic parts or anything like that. Of course, you have to be careful not to drag it over dry surfaces. If you know how to handle it, I wouldn’t rule it out as a product. If you don’t want to use a blade, you can simply use more drying towels if necessary.

Door frames. For the mentioned areas, I also use several towels because these spots often retain more dirt after washing than the larger surfaces.

As I said, there’s certainly always something better and more suitable than the products I mentioned. You can spend €100 or €600. At the end of the day, what counts is:
how much time, money, motivation, and love you put into all of it. For example, if I read that there are matte paint car washes, I still wouldn’t drive in there.

 

[philimi]

Lack maintenance, I believe there are so many opinions and thoughts on this topic, like hardly any other - and then there's matte paint...

I'll share my opinion on it.

Exterior:

• Schaumsprüher - Gloria FM30 with battery air pump (I can take pictures if desired)https://www.amazon.de/CLEANEXTREME-Mattlack-Autoshampoo-Konzentrat-Liter/dp/B079L7CGG4/?tag=cupra-21
• Magic Buclet Wascheimer with lid & Sieb
• Waschhandschuh - I actually find them very good. They hold dirt well and are easy to clean afterwards. In the end, of course, any friction on (matte) paint is bad. - You can also find these things on Aliexpress - to be honest, I haven't noticed any difference in quality except for the elastic at the end.
• Trockentuch Liquid Elements 1200GSM - Maybe not the ultimate solution, but it serves its purpose and I get the whole car dry.
• "Trockentücher" - For entries or sometimes in the interior
• Mattlack Autoshampoo von CLEANEXTREME - I used it at the beginning, but I wasn't really convinced by it; it produced little foam and wasn't very strong in cleaning performance.
• Koch Chemie GSF - Superb in performance and easy to use
• Koch Chemie CES - can be used as shampoo or as foam. Depending on the level of dirt, I sometimes only use the CES as foam. The sealant is great and makes every wash easier! I'm a big fan of the product.
• Sonax MultiStar - Good all-purpose cleaner. Can be used inside & outside - also as foam. Usually used by me as a pre-cleaner.
• Stjarnagloss Först X Citrus - Very powerful pre-cleaner. Especially after winter or when there are many insects, it's a blast!
• Stjarnagloss Matta Shampoo - Unfortunately hard to get. But for me, the best shampoo so far. Makes the matte finish nice and matte again, very good sliding properties.
• Stjarnagloss Mork Matt Finish Detailer - I use it very rarely through the CES.

Innenraum:

• SONAX CockpitPfleger Matteffect - For interior care
• COLOURLOCK Neuleder Pflegeset - For the leather/artificial leather. I've only used it once so far. But it worked well.

There are already topics here for interior cleaning. I transferred the cockpit cleaner into a pump dispenser

For the exterior, I usually wash like this: spray pre-cleaner with the FM30, let the wheel cleaner work. The wheels are sealed, so I do this very rarely. Then rinse and wash the whole car using the two-bucket method. I usually use 5 wash mitts - the 5th is usually just for the sills.

Inside the car, I always have an "emergency kit." Some water, my pre-cleaners, and GSF. With this, I can also remove bird droppings while on the go - as that is poison for matte paint.

In the end, with matte paint, it's a bit more special, but the paint itself is easy to care for and forgives scratches more easily. Polishing isn't really an option, so that step is usually skipped. However, there has been a bit of progress lately. There are already one or two products that are supposed to work...

And if there is a defect in matte paint, it gets very complex. I have more than enough experience with that: Meine Mattlack Rückabwicklung


Ich persönlich will mein Auto pflegen und stecke gerne die Zeit in die Wäsche. Für andere ist das nix - was auch völlig okay ist. Aber wenn ich manche Mattlacke sehen, wie speckig die sind, würde ich den Besitzern dann doch gerne mal den ein oder anderen Tipp geben wollen

 

[NS9556]

Kann man Mattlack auch Keramikversiegeln?

 

[philimi]

@MZ4045 ja kann man sehr gut! Wird auch oft gemacht - empfehlenswert sind hier Produkte die spezielle für Mattlack freigegeben sind.

Schau dir mal die Videos der "Autolackaffen" dazu an - recht informativ.

 

[Shaun]

danke für die infos und weiteren empfehlungen

 

[NS9556]

@philimi ich werde da eher auf die Kenntnis meines Versiegelers vertrauen Mein letztes Auto hatte er superkeramikversiegelt, wird's dann wohl auch bei Mattlack schaffen

 

[haraldkutt]

@philimi What a great Cupra bag for storing care products! I'm quite receptive to things like that

 

[philimi]

Hier der Link zur Tasche

Preislich sehr gut, leider ist der Versand sehr teuer! Aber ist gut gearbeitet und ist stabil, was mir wichtig war. Ich kann sonst bei Wunsch auch mehr Fotos machen!

 

[haraldkutt]

Vielen Dank für den Link.
Auf dem einen Foto ist es gut zu sehen, dass die Tasche ansprechend verarbeitet ist. Ich klicke mal...

 

[Shaun]

ja, die sieht echt gut aus

 

[andyK]

Hello, since I am still new to the topic of matte paint, how do you handle it at these temperatures when salt is spread and you can’t get into the garage to wash?
How long can you wait before washing?
Or is it enough to just use a pressure washer and then let the car dry so that the coarse dirt is removed?
Thanks for your information and experiences.

 

[Cupra-Klaus]

I also wash my Cupra (magnetic grey matt) in winter, of course at temperatures above zero degrees, under the home carport with clear, warm water – without any additives. The result is excellent.

 

[Shaun]

ich habe meinen heute bei 0 grad gewaschen. war aber auch nötig nach der autobahnfahrt ^^