New Detailing Thread. (Wax, Polish, Wash, etc...)

[greenflash00]

Ok guys, since the last one got messed up, this is the new thread for all of your detailing ?s that you might have. Likewise, im making this a sticky so if you have anything you wanna contribute that you think will be helpful, post away.

CAR WASH

There are many great car washes out there. My personal favorite is Meguiars. This is the stuff in the pink bottle. For along time I used Kit car wash and I liked it as well. You can either get car wash with wax mixed in it, or just the wash by iteself. I have found that the wash with the wax mixed in with it will somtimes streak really bad if you wash your car in the sunlight. Another decent car wash is Eagle One Wet. Although i personally prefer Meguiars this is good stuff too.

CAR WAX/POLISH

Like car wash, there are dozens of kinds of wax. Some of the most popular lines are the Meguiars waxes. I have heard nothing but good things about their basic cleaner waxes, and their top of the line Gold Class waxes. Another great wax is Zymbol. This is what i personally use. Meguiars also makes a Quik Wax in a spray on form that works pretty well if you just want a quick shine.

CLAYBAR

A Clay bar. Yep that’s right, a bar of clay. lol. They sell them at any local auto parts store or even walmart. Mothers, and Meguiars makes them and either will be just fine. A lot of people think "oh great another product that doesn’t work" but NO NO NO NO NO ... these things work like a charm!!! I personally use them every time I wax my car or someone else’s car, and I’ll be honest; the car looks waxed after just the clay bar job. It gets ALL the crap off of the paint and leaves it slicker than polished glass. If you’ve got something on your paint that’s bugging you that doesn’t come off with wash or wax. Give the clay bar a try, it just might be the detailing tool you’re looking for.

TIRE SHINE

The absolute best tire shine I have found is Meguiars High Gloss. This stuff lasts great, and doesnt sling to bad either if you put on a nice even coat. On a side note, it smells like grape kool-aide too. I honestly havent found any other tire gel that works as well as this stuff. Everything else i have tried slung right off.

RUBBER/VINYL PROTECTANT

If your rubber weather stripping, grill inserts, or scoops are fading out and you want them to be black again, get some Mothers Back To Black. This stuff will color them back to black and make them look brand new. Unfortunately its not a dye so it only lasts for a few weeks, but its a great temporarty fix. For making rubber or vinyl shine whether it be inside or out, Armorall High Gloss works great. I have tryed others and they always seem to be greasy and sort of slimy to the touch. Armorall is the way to go in my opinion.

GLASS CLEANERS

First and foremost, if you have tinted windows, do not use ammonia based glass cleaners on the inside where the tint is. I was told by the tint shop that this will damage the tint. Water is actually one of the best things to clean glass with, but Eagle One 20/20 is AWESOME! And believe it or not, some newspaper works great on getting a streakfree shine on your glass. Spray on the cleaner, and wipe it down with newspaper.

CHROME/POLISHED METAL

For chrome, polished, or any shiny metal surface...Zoops Seal is what you want. Its guaranteed to protect your metal for 2 years with one application. Its expensive but a great investment. Some other good stuff is called Duragloss. Its hard to find but its great for shining metal.

ENGINE CLEANER/DETAILER

For the engine i use some stuff that is a citrus degreaser. Works great to get the dirt off, then i simply wipe it off with a damp rag. For the detailing part i use something called CD2 Engine Detailer. This stuff is AMAZING! You just spray it on and it will shine like you wont even believe. Got this at autozone.



Here is a sample of what I personally do to my own car. If others have different methods, please share them.


Process: Normally I wash it first, then dry it with a towel. If I’m going to wax, I clean the car really really well. Then clean the tires and rims. Then I use a clay bar on the whole car...then buff it out. Then I start to wax on and wax off. Then I detail.

DO NOT wax every time you wash, it’s not necessary. Wax about 2 or 3 times a year. Wash your car as often as you like. I wash it, dry it, and detail it in that order.

Washing tips: Make sure you get it all clean, I like to use a wash mit and rub it in a circular motion like you would waxing

Drying tips: Buff it out with a towel, not chamois, while still wet. This will smooth out wax and make the paint smooth as glass. Make sure you don’t buff over dirt though, it needs to be WET and CLEAN when you do this step.

Tire tips: Clean or polish the rims, and put a nice coat of tire gel/cleaner on to protect and shine that rubber. Nobody likes stale tires. The tire swipes from eagle one work great for applying the gel.

Engine tips: Be careful with this one. You dont wanna spray any liquid (water, cleaner etc) directly on the electronics, so sorta spray around them and clean them with a rag instead. Spray the degraser on the rag, then apply to the engine and wipe it off till clean. For the detailing spray, (assuming your using CD2 Detailer) spray it on, then you can let it sit and it will cure itself to a beautiful shine. Again, dont spray this stuff directly onto the electronics, get a rag, and apply it that way.




Hope this helps guys, Post away with comments or questions!

[DropTop_Stang]

Do you put the wax all over your car first, and then buff off, or do it section at a time? apply, buff, apply over there, buff.

[greenflash00]

I do it in sections b/c i have found that if i leave it on to long its hard to get off. I will to large sections at a time though. Like ill do the whole hood, then buff it off, ill do the whole roof, then buff that off, the whole door, bumper, etc.....

[DropTop_Stang]

yeah, I found out the hard way today that putting it all on first sucks, buffing off the last few pieces sucks.

[DropTop_Stang]

and i hate waxing my car because it shows all the imperfections in my paint. I really wish my mom took better car of the car.

[greenflash00]

Yea i know, been there done that too.

[Fishers Stang]

http://www.teammeguiars.com/getschooled.asp this will help out alot, keep in mind this is Meguiars, so its big on there stuff but still good info

[Fishers Stang]

and this http://www.teammeguiars.com/getschooled_clinics.asp

[greenflash00]

Dude!! thats some great info there. Thanks for posting that.

[Danger Dude]

Wow that was some very good info

[DropTop_Stang]

Nice find. Quick question. Clay bars remove wax correct? and is the bar for the whole car or just trouble spots? I think I might be spending a day inside and outside cleaning if the sun ever decides to warm us up here.

[greenflash00]

To my knowledge the claybar doesnt remove the wax, however if you have waxed over dirt it makes sense to me that the claybar would pull the dirt, so i guess it does and it doesnt...not totally sure to be honest.. But to answer your 2nd ?...yes you can use it anywhere. Ive even used it on my glass. Its a remarkable tool.

[Zim]

i gotta clay mine up some day. Ive never used one of those things and i have LOTS of retarded little rust looking particles on my car. Maybe thats my answer

[Fishers Stang]

yeah what geen said, i use it all over

[greenflash00]

i hope its not really rust. Only think i will say is make sure the paint isnt chipping and run that claybar over it b/c it will prolly pull the chip off. Those things are sticky beyond your imagination lol. Ive gotten my fingers stuck into that bar so bad b/f it hurt to pull them out. I cracked all of my knuckes pulling my fingers out of it one time.

[Zim]

its not rust, cuz if i buff it really hard they come off... i just havnt wanted to put that much effort into the waxing part lol goin at that rate my arm gets tired in like 30 seconds and i quit

[Fishers Stang]

hahaha

[greenflash00]

haha. i understand. its tiring no doubt. If you can scrub really hard and get it off, im guessing the clay bar will get it off w/o problems.

[Fishers Stang]

Quote: Originally Posted by greenflash00 Here is a sample of what I personally do to my own car. If others have different methods, please share them. Process: Normally I wash it first, then dry it with a towel. If I’m going to wax, I clean the car really really well. Then clean the tires and rims. Then I use a clay bar on the whole car...then buff it out. Then I start to wax on and wax off. Then I detail. DO NOT wax every time you wash, it’s not necessary. Wax about 2 or 3 times a year. Wash your car as often as you like. I wash it, dry it, and detail it in that order. Washing tips: Make sure you get it all clean, I like to use a wash mit and rub it in a circular motion like you would waxing Drying tips: Buff it out with a towel, not chamois, while still wet. This will smooth out wax and make the paint smooth as glass. Make sure you don’t buff over dirt though, it needs to be WET and CLEAN when you do this step. Now on this, I use a Chamoi when i dry, it has been shown that when you use a towel it will scratch and some cleaners you use on the towels can take the wax off your car. Tire tips: Clean or polish the rims, and put a nice coat of tire gel/cleaner on to protect and shine that rubber. Nobody likes stale tires. The tire swipes from eagle one work great for applying the gel. Engine tips: Be careful with this one. You dont wanna spray any liquid (water, cleaner etc) directly on the electronics, so sorta spray around them and clean them with a rag instead. Spray the degraser on the rag, then apply to the engine and wipe it off till clean. For the detailing spray, (assuming your using CD2 Detailer) spray it on, then you can let it sit and it will cure itself to a beautiful shine. Again, dont spray this stuff directly onto the electronics, get a rag, and apply it that way. Hope this helps guys, Post away with comments or questions!

As most people, i have my ways.. the ways that are posted are ok, but i have been doing this my whole life, while my dad has done it for the last 20years. here are also some pics that i took today. I used a new claybar called "clay magic" Clay lube. also waxed it up with Meguiars professonal show car glaze #7. I like it. Green, your car looks great. keep up the good info! :-P The pics will be in the next post.. I have to make them small. :oops:

[Fishers Stang]

Pics>>> 8)