Cleaning a Glossy Car With Matte Accents in 3 Easy Steps

Last Updated August 4, 2022

We receive tons of questions from customers regarding how to deal with glossy cars with matte accents. People want to know if using matte products to care for the matte accents will damage or change the glossy parts of their car. The answer is no, but only if you use the right tools and methods. Fortunately, we have the knowledge and products to qualm the understandable anxiety surrounding these inquiries. 

Whether you’re the owner of a Camaro Black, a Challenger Hellcat, or a custom accented car with a matte hood or decals, we’ll show you the proper way to safely and effectively care for it. Excuse us if this article seems a little “salesy”, but we really are matte paint care experts and we just want to share our insights.

Also, definitely worth noting, ALL of our matte products are safe to use on glossy paint. The gloss will not become matte, nor will it become glossier. It will stay exactly the same. So, now that you know the deal, let’s get started!

1. Wash & Rinse

• As you know, the two bucket method is the best way to wash your car at home, so your first reaction might be to get 4 buckets ready for the wash; two for the glossy parts of the car, and two for the matte parts.  You don’t have to do all that! You only need the regular two bucket system to wash your whole car, because you only need one type of soap.

• Say you’ve got a glossy Dodge Challenger Hellcat with a matte black hood. You want to wash your entire car all at once, because it’s easier and more efficient to do so. So what do you use? You only need one product, Matte Body Wash. If you’ve got a matte accented car, this should be your body wash. 
• After washing & rinsing the car, DON’T dry it! You’ll need the vehicle to be wet for the next step.

2. Seal It Up

• Even if your car only has matte trim, a matte spoiler, or matte stripes on the hood, you can use the Matte Paint Coating on the entirety of the vehicle so it’s totally protected. Matte Paint Coating needs water to bond, hence the lack of post-rinse drying. Again, this product won’t add or detract from the glossy bits of your car. They’ll stay the same.

• If you don’t have the time or energy to seal the entire car with MPC, you absolutely have to seal at least the matte accents. It means the accents will be protected from staining, fading, cracking, and the appearance of hairline scratches will be minimized. Protection lasts through hundreds of washes and up to a year with proper maintenance.

3. Final Touches

• If you did protect your entire car with the Matte Paint Coating, you might want to layer wax on top of the glossy parts to enhance the contrast between matte and gloss. Wax the glossy parts like you normally would, just make sure you don’t get ANY wax on the matte bits. They’ll become shiny and you’ll become sad.

• If you only used MPS on the matte parts of your car, you can go back to the glossy parts and apply a protective coating like Nano Resin or Formula 1201. Just make sure you don’t cross contaminate!

Additional Info

All of our matte products are safe for use matte painted surfaces, matte vinyl wraps, and matte decals.

If your car is matte with glossy accents, follow the same procedures. 

If you have only one tiny area that’s matte, you don’t need a whole bottle of Matte Body Wash. Go with a Matte Waterless Wash to take care of say, a matte spoiler or splitter. You still have to seal it, even if it’s just one part, to keep the matte paint/wrap protected.

Finally, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Dr. Beasley’s Team! You can contact us via email at myteam@drbeasleys.com, via phone at 773-404-1600, or you can leave a comment on this post!