Lonely_Raven

Man, I wish I had a carport, I'd probably be just like that.
I'm very jealous!

neuromonic

Alot of people do actually. Windex is the old school way of spotcleaning your car. They don't paint cars like they used to though, so now we have to buy a 20 dollar bottle of megiuers quick detailer.

One of my first cars was a 77 ford thunderbird. The thing was aerodynamic like a brick and I was fond of drafting big-rigs to save on gas. Won't you know I had ZERO rock chips in the thing when I finally got rid of it? The giant chrome bumper was a little pitted, but the paint was fine.

They definatly don't paint cars like they used to!

edit: p.s. I reread that and realized I sound like an old fogey! I'm still in my 20's dammit!

garciaog

Most products are pretty good, but as posted earlier, maintenance is the key. I have tried all products, and what I'm using now is Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash & Gold Class liquid wax, applied using wax pads and polished with microfiber towels from Griot's Garage. I used to be a detailer at the local Lexus shop, and I learned numerous tricks of the trade there.

Lonely_Raven

Almost like I know what I'm doing:




I need to stock up on some Microfiber. I also need to find a glass cleaner I like,
that isn't as expensive as the Zymol stuff. I clean my glass WAY too much to
use the expensive Zymol, but I don't want to use anything with Amonia...

sciontc_mich

i personally love meguairs gold class wax.. other's like the new nxt stuff, but i still love the gold class, more i buff the deeper the shine might try a bottle and see for yourself..

its_ikon

moved to car care forum

kennysmagnitude

Does anyone know about Amazing Glaze? Its suppose to give you the "off the lot" shine forever.

What about the Mr Clean Auto thingy ? lol

I didn't know there was much detail in towels, sponges, and stuff. . . kinda like girls and makeup - it isnt' just red, its FIRE ENGINE RED lol

Any great products to keep your tires glossed up? Most of that stuff gets dull after the first drive. Should I use something with a gel or silicon?

What about the rain treatment for windows? Good idea or waste of money?

Had wash or car wash? lol Or whats the difference between using a bucket and a water hose?

Lonely_Raven

Wow, don't get me started on some of this stuff, I could write a book on it!!

But I'll kill off some of your questions with quick and easy answers:




I'm hard core hand wash. Without getting too nutty, or writing another 3 page report,
many of the car wash either use Brushes which scratch (not many use brushes
anymore) High Pressure Jets which imbed the road dirt INTO your paint , or
harsh cleaners/chemicals/acids to clean your car. Many even recycle the dirty
water!!!! Not to mention what the Drag Track at the car wash does to your
custom rims (or factory hubcaps). Sorry, I'm not hip to paying to have my rims
scratched and my clearcoat corroded off!

The drawbacks to handwash are:

Cost of Equipment and Products
Time Consuming

That's all I can think of. Though, harsh water from the hose could also be bad for
your paint, but that's a local thing and can't be helped.

SCI_TC_GUY

hmmm.....currently using blue coral car wash ( don't ever use any wash/wax products) and using meguiars detailing clay which is awesome!!! and using the meguiars 3 step system (paint cleaner, paint polish, and protectant wax)...overall i really like the luster it produces!!!

xBino

I use mostly Mothers/Meguiars products and have been extremely happy. I agree that handwashing is really the best way to go.

It's therapeutic to hang out on a nice day, wash the car, detail, and leave it spotless in the driveway. I absolutely love the feeling of a well washed and detailed car!

Lonely_Raven

Well said Special!

2tone_xB

I use the Meg.'s NXT lineup.
xB is slick enough to do some slip-n-slide on it.

LowProMofo

Here's the steps I take each time I wash and wax each month.

Products used:
-Meguiar's NXT Car Wash
-Clay Magic clay bar
-Classic Motoring Accessories Microfiber UltraMitt
-PakShak small Microfiber towel
-PakShak Waffle Weave drying towel
-PakShak Ultra Micro Fiber Towel
-PakShak Ultra Fine Micro Fiber Towel
-3 Buckets
-Meguiar's # 83 (Cleaner)
-Meguiar's #9 (Polish)
-Meguiar's NXT Wax
-Meguiar's Final Inspection
-Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action (orbital) Buffer


First off I start with the wheels and tires. Since they take longer to do. You don't want to wash your car/truck then your wheels and just let the rest of the car sit there and dry while you're washing your wheels. I clean my tires and wheels first with Meguiar's NXT Car Wash with a "tire and wheel" bucket. Since you do have more dirt from your wheels you don't want to use that same bucket for washing the "paint" areas of your car. Anyway I clean my wheels and fender wells.

Then I move on to the "paint" areas of my car. I take the 2nd bucket and fill it full of clean water. Then I take the 3rd bucket and mix my Meguiar's NXT Car Wash with water in it. I use two buckets because while I'm washing dirt and other deposits get into or on your wash mitt. After each sectioned is washed, I rinse my mitt out in the clean water bucket so I won't have any lose dirt or debris in my mitt causing scratches on my paint. I start with the front bumper and hood cause again this section takes longer to do than the rest of the car since it has bugs and what-not on the front of it and you don't want to let the rest of the car dry while washing it. I wash each section throughly 2 times each. Once each section is done I take my wash mitt with lots of soap on it and soap down a section that's alreadly been washed and then I take my clay bar and clay that section. The soap acts as a lubricant for the clay. One way to tell you need to clay is after you wash your car take a plastic bag (thin) and place your hand inside it. Rub a section of your paint. If it feels like sandpaper, then you need to clay your car!
Once I'm done washing and claying each section it's time to dry it off. I use PakShak's Waffle Weave drying towel for drying. In my years of detailing cars and trucks I've used many different products for drying and other stuff. And I've found that Terry Cloth Towels and regular chamois like the Absorber for an example will cause scratches in paint. I've seen this many times over. Why do I use Microfiber instead of Terry Cloth?

Even after years of safe, beneficial use, there are still microfiber critics. Staunch supporters of 100% made-in-America terry cloth cotton toweling claim that cotton is the only safe toweling material. Possibly these people have not seen the magnified results of cotton vs. microfiber toweling.

I found these pictures showing a lab test of 100% cotton terry toweling (right) and a terry weave microfiber towel (left) and a freshly painted test panel.

Once I'm done drying my car off I can start waxing. I take my Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action (orbital) Buffer and some Meguiar's # 83 (Cleaner) and start waxing, doing a section at a time. Once a section is done I take my PakShak Ultra Micro Fiber Towel and take the cleaner off by hand. Once the whole car is done I repeat this process for the Meguiar's #9 (Polish) doing it the same way. Once I have my cleaner and polish done I use my Buffer with some Meguiar's NXT Wax. This time I do the whole car instead of a section at a time. Once the whole car is waxed I let it set for 1 hour and then I take my PakShak Ultra Micro Fiber Towel and take the wax off. Once that's done I use some Meguiar's Final Inspection and mist a section at a time wiping it off with a PakShak Ultra Fine Micro Fiber Towel. And that's it!
Now you don't need to do this every time you want to wash your car. I'll usually Polish every 4 or 5 months and use Cleaner Wax about once a month along with the NXT. Becasue NXT is only "Wax". It does have some cleaning agents in it but it's main purpose is to "protect" your paint not clean it. It's all about the prep work.

Also here's some links from a few place I buy my products from:
http://pakshak.com/ Microfiber Towels.
http://properautocare.com/index.html Classic Motoring Accessories.

For a better place to learn way more go here:
http://autopia.org/
Be sure to click on "Learn" at the top of the page for tons of how-to's and facts about car detailing!

LowProMofo

And word! Lonely Raven knows his stuff!

THE_DON

Word!

Lonley Raven, can you wash my car

j/k

-THE DON

Lonely_Raven

Thanks guys, I appreciate it!

LowPro, that's a good write up!
When I get around to writing my multipage one, you and I
should compare notes. I could really use someone to proof
my writeup and make sure it makes sense.

Right now I'm still shopping for a couple more (high end)
products before I do the write-up. I want to try out a few
tire, rim, and glass cleaning/dressing products because I'd
like to recommend some products, but also be able to explain
why I *don't* recommend some others.

Don, you can't afford me to wash your car! LOL

mancide

I didn't think you wanted to wax your car 12 times a year? I also didn't think you wanted to clay a car that often either?

I've not clayed my tC yet, as it didn't appear to have any problems before I Zaino'd it the first time.

So far, I'm loving how it shines with just zaino wash + the z6 shine spray. I think I might check out their tire dressing next as it's supposed to be rather good as well.

LowProMofo

I don't wax 12 times a year. If you'll read the whole thing, you will see that. Want to find out if you need a claying? Easy, after you wash your car take a plastic bag (thin) (Like a ziplock bag)and place your hand inside it. Rub a section of your paint. If it feels like sandpaper, then you need to clay your car. It should feel real smooth with no blemishes at all. It is good at removing, tar, bugs, over spray, and daily road grime that gets stuck in your paint. After you use the clay and wax your car will shine better than before.

pearldrummerms

So after all of those great replies, i appreciate it...can you not go wrong with Meguiars products?

mancide

Emphasis added.

From what I read, and what I still read, it appears to me you are waxing your car quite a bit. I read the instructions that came with my Zaino clay, and I know the plastic trick. I didn't do it, I felt the paint was still too new to do it yet, I'll do it when I next wax the car.