After you've spent a day washing and waxing your pride and joy, you look forward to giving it that final stroke: when you run your hand across the freshly waxed paint, just to feel how smooth it is.

We have all seen the commercials. A guy walks into a junkyard and finds a weathered-looking car with severely faded paint, and with one swipe of the “miracle” product, it suddenly looks factory-new ...

After a few years, your car’s finish can get damaged by everyday crud. Airborne metallic particles, road tar, insect residue, bird droppings, honeydew (often mistakenly called tree sap), road salt ...