Spring is here, so that means it’s time to think about doing some spring cleaning on your vehicle. In between the vacuuming and window polishing, you may forget about one very important step: Your paint job needs a good coat of wax every six months to protect the paint and the clear coat.

You see, when they paint your vehicle, the last coat they put on is called the clear coat. It’s paint without a pigment, and it’s what gives your paint job that multi-dimensional look while also protecting it.

So unless you want to end up having your clear coat turn chalky and look terrible — and we’ve all seen that — you need to protect it with a good wax job.

To do it right, you want to wax your car by hand and use the best wax you can find. Take advantage of having everyone at home right now and make it a family event.

Just remember, if you don’t see the water bead up on the paint, it’s time to wax.

For more tips from Mike, visit LetsTalkWheels.com. Be sure to subscribe to the new Let’s Talk Wheels podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play.