Perfect.
Here's how you answer your own question. Get your camera out and using the macro function, shoot a picture of your paint so that the flash shows up in the picture. The macro function (usually denoted by a small icon of a flower), allows you to get close to your subject without the picture becoming blurry. Anything closer than 12 inches usually requires the macro function to be selected. Your picture should turn out like this.
You can see what the "flash test" reveals. If you want to know if your your paint maintenance regimen is good or not, do a flash test. That will tell you the TRUTH. You won't have to take anyone's word for it, the truth will be staring you right in the face.
Here's a before and after shot I did of some paint I fixed. Notice how the flash is very big in the damaged paint and how small it is in the fixed paint. The reason the flash is so big in the damaged paint is because the flash is bouncing off the hundreds of scratches in the paint. This is what I call "light scatter". In the fixed paint, there is no damage for the flash to bounce off of so the light doesn't scatter.
When light doesn't scatter, your paint perfectly beams the light away causing your paint to appear DEEP.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Here's my car the first day that I bought it. Look at all the damage in the paint. The color looks dull and lifeless. There is no depth.
This is after I fixed it. It does NOT have one drop of wax on it in this picture:
See the depth? That's what damage-free paint will do for you. If you are doing anything wrong to your paint, the flash test is going to tell you volumns,
especially on a black car.
So take a picture and let's see what you're staring at. At that point, I can unplug you from the Matrix and lead you to Zion. That's if you want to take the red pill.
