Detailing

[medfordcharger]

Just curious....What do some of you use to wash your car with and what do you use to wax it with? How about wheel shine..any particular brand? Finally, am I to old or do most people still use armorall for the inside.

Thanks
MedfordCharger

[acroos21]

I have it washed 2 times per week, waxed 1 time per month, and only allow chamois to dry (pardon the spelling). I never use Armorall on the inside just because after the first application, it will never look like it did before it was armoralled...just my opinion. I think wiping the inside lightly with those non-whatever-they-are towells is the best thing to do for the inside plastic, etc...

[REB]

OK, keep it simple: Water and soap is, over time, going to affect finishes. Unless you keep it out of the sunlight, the interior will bake a little and surfaces will lose flexibility. UV will fade paint and decals, road grime will build up in hidden spots and cause rust. Rubbing the surface with anything will produce fine scratches in the surface of the clear, usually known as swirl marks. Black plastic parts will whiten and oxidize and become 'greyed out'. Aluminum surfaces not coated will whiten and the anodized finish is actually HARMED by polishes, causing this to happen faster.

With all this in mind, the less you touch the car with anything, the better off you'll be. TO that end I use the Mr. Clean kit to prevent any drying at all, not even a water blade. I use the mink mitt and get a new one twoice or three times a year, and wash the mitt well after using. SO that's the only rubbing the car gets with the exception of monthly coats of Eagle One Nano wax SPRAY formula and a NEW microfiber cloth. THis sounds expensive, but really isn't nearly what a pro shop charges or monthly car washes. THe MC system filters the water and charges it so that when you rinse the car it sheet dries with no spotting. No lie, I didn't believe it either, until someone got me one as a gift, and I was hooked. It cut my detailing time in half, and I'm not kidding, it really helps. It has a nice ultrathin HP setting that allows you to blast road grunge out from seams in the body, bugs from the grill, etc.

For decals: THe Eagle ONE spray nano is the only thing ever to touch the car, and it's a sooo-slick shine, and still no swirls! Yet on the decals, it doesn't change the factory appearance one iota, Just spray LIGHTLY and buff, a little goes a long way.

Don't forget to detail the engine bay with a damp cloth every time you wax, and then wax with the Eagle the underside of hood, inner fenders, black blastic anything, the radiator surround and the intake area. Spend some time and it'll pay off in three years when it still looks new under there, and it pays a dividend: You'll find stuff coming loose or wearing BEFORE it breaks.

And clean the entire fender well, behind the tires, every wash. Wax them EVERY WASH to keep them looking new and black, and it helps clean crud out of there the next time. Only use a spray wax or detailer on black plastic, NEVER a cream base.

Clay bar or Mr. Clean Magic eraser helps get stubborn stuff off with as much rubbing, which can only help, but be careful and I don't recommend it for decals.

Interior: Leather should be cleaned and undressed, especially not with Armor All, unless its formulated specifically for leather. I don't like dressing on the dash either, because it draws dust, and you can't dust it without adding more dressing. Same for any vinyl/plastic interior surface, you don't really want them slick and shiny. But some people like the look or have to park in the sun a lot, so I understand and we'll call it even.

Vac carpets with a big shop vac, they make better suction, and get a fuzzy brush to vac dust from consoles, dash, guages, etc. It's there even if you can't see it, and should be done every wash. Same for package tray, dash, etc. Carpet you use a vac-comb, something tough and narrow, with fingers to comb the rug and get more dirt. Mats should be out before vacced, and then beaten. Like a red headed stepchild, or get rubber tray style even better.

I can pull the above in about two hours with no help. But I have a lot of practice, so it's about getting a routine down. Start with the wheels, tires and fender wells with a cotton mitt, move to the wash process, rinse, while drying, hit the door jambs, lift the hood, damp wipe under and over everything, vac inside, clean leather, vinyl, button up and roll into garage, wax, buff and final detail, finish off with glass inside and out and apply tire gel, wipe off excess and go clean yourself up, your done.


Enjoy,
REB

[triplefive]

So REB, say you already have swirl marks, can you only cover them up or is there a way to actually remove them? I have had my paint waxed and polished and the swirlmarks came back after a week or so when the car was washed. Even before then I could still see them slightly in direct sunlight.

[PaCharger]

1. Wash by hand, use a wax based soap...or 2.
2. goto Brushless wash
3. Chamois off immediately...always have a chamois and 3-5 microfibre towels in the trunk
4. Microfibre off or 5
5. Spray ICE detail wax, and then do 4 with 5. Deep shine btw. (green micro)
6. Stoner Glass Cleaner spray, with microfibre on all windows (yellow micro)
7. McGuires tire stuff, i think it's called WET (clear bottle), spray tires
8. use the BLUE microfibre (or cheap towel), wipe down tires, clean wheels, detailing black pockets
9. clean calipers, exhaust tips, first 6 inches of wheels wells using the WET Blue microfibre.
10. wash hands.
11. admire, look critically, get Cali Duster out and make sure it is PIC worthy.
12. Smile, have a beer....lust Charger :grin:

[roman371]

So REB, say you already have swirl marks, can you only cover them up or is there a way to actually remove them? I have had my paint waxed and polished and the swirlmarks came back after a week or so when the car was washed. Even before then I could still see them slightly in direct sunlight.

Wax actually fills the swirls temporarily, but they will come back after a wash. The best way to eliminate them is with a Porter Cable and some good polish and waxing. Check out autotopia.com.

Warning - auto detailing is like crack-cocaine, and once you get started you are hooked. However, the car will always be ready for a show.

[REB]

So REB, say you already have swirl marks, can you only cover them up or is there a way to actually remove them? I have had my paint waxed and polished and the swirlmarks came back after a week or so when the car was washed. Even before then I could still see them slightly in direct sunlight.


I hate to break it to you, but the swirl marks are actually scratches in your clear. It's probably too late to do much about them with over-the-counter remedies. The clear on modern cars is soooooo thin, I would be very careful of any buffing, even an orbital can mess it up further. The fine scratches came from SOME kind of rubbing, it could have been dirt in your wash mitt, particles caught in a waxing rag/pad, or just micro-scratches from drying. This is why I advocate touchless kits for the home, and swap mitts frequently and use only new microfiber cloths.

If you get to the point where you want them fixed or get a chance to do some body-shop level work, they can be removed. A little wet sanding to get the old clear off, and a couple of thicker coats of clear over the top can make a good paint job great. On cars I have painted I always make them run 3 coats of clear, to give plenty of life to the shine. If and when (usually when) you wind up with some swirl marks, the car can be buffed with a DA and most of that removed.


THe less you use on the paint at this point, the less it will show the swirl. Stick with one brand of wax, and it might not hurt to try a little of the Eagle One nano wax SPRAY on an area and see if it lasts a little longer. The fact that it's not a cream base may help, because a cream base in a micro-scratch will whiten up after a week or two, making the mark MORE visible. The spray formula may work better and last longer when it comes to hiding what's already there. Best of luck.


Yes, it is like crack, or the gym. I use detailing as my cardio on days I'm not in the gym lifting.....


REB

[GoofyTimL]

Here's an informative site Perfect Auto Finish (http://www.PerfectAutoFinish.com). Gary Kouba is a professional detailer in Chicagoland, who has a passion for sharing his wealth of expertise with anyone who asks. He has a DVD out, which gives you "Detailing 101" on just about any subject pertaining to keeping your car looking "show-ready."

He is the prep-detailer for a local Ferrari dealer, and he did the detailing of the Demo G6 which Oprah used and then gave to everyone who attended her famous show a couple years ago.

[Betorioss]

I wash every weekend. I use Meguires Gold Class car wash. With my huge bucket and cotton washer. Wash the top surfaces first then work my way to the sides and lower portions of the car that have more dirt. Rinse then dry with 100% cotton towels. First towel to get the majority of the water off, second to get the remaining water off. That second damp towel i use lightly to pick up dust inside the car and on the dash. Not into Armorall. Wheels are last I get on my hands and knees and get my hands all the way inside the wheel well. Not into any wheel cleaners. Just like new after.

I dont wax since I did that Teflon coating when I bought it last month.

[GoofyTimL]

....

I dont wax since I did that Teflon coating when I bought it last month.Teflon® (preferrably with the ® or at least an asterix) is a brand name and a registered trademark of DuPont.


Not trying to be nut case, but I work at the US plantsite that produces the products and like to see our brand mentioned, but preserved whenever possible.

[Fight On]

What does the Teflon do to your paint? How much did it cost?