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Car Wash & Wax

7K views 8 replies 9 participants last post by  L8Apex 
#1 ·
Hi all,
I know it's a matter of opinion but ......
What car wash and or car wax do you use ?

When I picked up my car a few weeks ago, it looked great and just wanted to keep it that way. Brush or sponge ? I've looked on different websites for car products and of course "theirs" is the best. I guess in someways there is to much information out there as to how to do and what to use.

Also is an after market paint pen/kit the same or as good as one from the dealership ?

Thanks all,
 
#2 ·
There are many good products on the market. My favorite that I use for my CT is Wet Paint. Their website is at http://www.wetpaintglaze.com/story.html

No, I don't own the company or have any connection to it. It's just a product I tried and really like. Yes, I tried the Turtle, Mothers, Clay bars, and more. Just found this easy to use and long lasting.

Again - There are many good products on the market - this is just one of them.
 
#3 ·
Definitely not a sponge, not sure what you mean by brush either. Both sound to me like prime scratch making tools.

2 bucket method with a good microfiber washmit is a good place to start. On youtube look up videos by "TheJunkMan" he has pretty good clear shooting detailing advice that is good. Proper technique on all this stuff is more important than the products your using. Study up and prevent those scratches and swirls.

As far as products go I often tell people to start with Meguiars. Reason being they are good products, reasonably priced, and many are pretty widely distributed. Their gold class soap is kind of a standard for many. Mix according to the directions. It won't strip wax which is what you want after you get a base built up, but it is good for cleaning. They have several wax/sealant that are great. A somewhat new product the Black Wax looks great on my Gray CT, but the NXT and Ultimate paste wax/sealants are easy to use, provide good protection and again are not crazy expensive. I did order a Klasse sealent before winter. Really good stuff long lasting but quite a process to apply and difficult to remove. Not recommended for someone just starting out.

Drying is a big deal for preventing scratches. You want to use only good quality microfiber cloths. Meguiars has a water magnet for about $8 on amazon that is pretty good yet unexpensive. I am about to order some new microfibers from TheRagCompany this week.

Glass, I really like stoner products. The invisible glass is good stuff. I didn't believe it but the microfiber cloths made for cleaning glass really do work better than the super cheap ones or any newspaper etc.
 
#5 ·
Depends on what you want...

I've had the car for a year, and even though I've modded it, and made it look mean, it's by no means a show car, so I have pretty realistic expectations.

That said, I'm doing a full (DIY) detail 3-4 times a year... pre-winter, post winter, and once or twice in the summer for good measure.

My Full DIY Detail includes:
- Power Washer (at a gas station)
- Meguiars Clay Bar Kit - Full Body & Glass Clay
- Power Washer again to rinse...
- AMMO NYC's AMMO SKIN (It's a synthetic sealant)
- Remove with Turtle Wax, Wax & Dry (spray)
- RainX
- Interior Leather Conditioner

In between the major details, I'd touch up with spray wax and RainX when needed.

I was my car every 2-3 weeks as it sits in a garage, and it's not driven everyday...

And I only prefer the power washer at the local BP station because I have a lot of Plasti-Dip on the trim... otherwise there is a automatic washer that does a great job of cleaning with discounted price after hours.

I just don't have patience to do a 2 bucket method (power washer's more fun anyway)... but I do use very good micro-fiber towels for drying...

I do recommend Meguiars micro-fiber towels (the big yellow ones) for getting the water off, and then smaller and finer towels for the final clean / buff.
 
#7 ·
Hi all,
I know it's a matter of opinion but ......
What car wash and or car wax do you use ?

When I picked up my car a few weeks ago, it looked great and just wanted to keep it that way. Brush or sponge ? I've looked on different websites for car products and of course "theirs" is the best. I guess in someways there is to much information out there as to how to do and what to use.

Also is an after market paint pen/kit the same or as good as one from the dealership ?

Thanks all,
Greetings. Personally, I like to use a regular car wash, and then rub the car with a clay bar according to this instruction How to remove water spots from car | Water spots removal with which I remove all remaining hard water stains, the body also acquires such a velvety sheen. You can try - an interesting option.
 
#9 ·
I think that I achieved beauty and long-term ease of exterior maintenance with this method. I'm in my second year of low maintenance and ease of cleaning. Accordingly, I'm happy with it.

-Car Wash with undercarriage feature
-At home, rinse/wash with clear water and microfiber towel, then dry
-Full body clay bar. I use a random orbit applicator on my Porter-Cable
-Full body "swirl level cut" polish, with applicator
-Full body "finish cut" polish, again, with applicator
-Full body ceramic sealant, I used AvalonKing and applied it with a microfiber pad that I made and removed with another such pad , both mounted to a right angle Milwaukee drill (this first layer is supposed to last 2 years)
-Full body 303 Protectant Graphene Detailer (this is a 1 year layer over a 2 year ceramic)

Since doing this 13 hour project early last year, I have only had to wash my car with clear water and dry with microfiber towel from time to time. Easy teasy!

I'll be more than happy to do it again in 2 or 3 (or more) years down the road.
 
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