newb to detailing

[krahooligan]

so I have a 15 5.0 and it is black. In southern California, this car is dirty the day after I wash her.
that being said, I wash once a week at a wash rack that has low pressure and also comes with a special sprayer to spray out soaps and sudsy stuff that is good for your paint. I never use the brushes as they seem like they could hold onto dirt easily.
that being said, I use microfiber towels to dry. one to soak up most of the water on a panel, then the other to dry it and minimize water spots. I do this until the towels are saturated, then I switch towels. I bought a bag of 50 at Costco. after I use them I wash em, fold em up and put em in my trunk for next time.
I haven't used wax yet, or anything else. and I am seeing a lot of micro scratches on my paint. what causes these micro scratches and how do I avoid them?
also what wax should I be using and what techniques/ how often should I be using them?
any input to help a guy out would be greatly appreciated.
thanks guys!!!
:clap2:

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[krahooligan]

please??

 

[opensesame]

so I have a 15 5.0 and it is black. In southern California, this car is dirty the day after I wash her.
that being said, I wash once a week at a wash rack that has low pressure and also comes with a special sprayer to spray out soaps and sudsy stuff that is good for your paint. I never use the brushes as they seem like they could hold onto dirt easily.
that being said, I use microfiber towels to dry. one to soak up most of the water on a panel, then the other to dry it and minimize water spots. I do this until the towels are saturated, then I switch towels. I bought a bag of 50 at Costco. after I use them I wash em, fold em up and put em in my trunk for next time.
I haven't used wax yet, or anything else. and I am seeing a lot of micro scratches on my paint. what causes these micro scratches and how do I avoid them?
also what wax should I be using and what techniques/ how often should I be using them?
any input to help a guy out would be greatly appreciated.
thanks guys!!!
:clap2:

After you wash you car you should clay it to get rid of any micro abrasions and contaminants. After that you can seal or wax, I recommend collinite 845. Once you wax, the paint will be smooth like butter and dust will have a hard time sticking to the paint.

How to clay.
[ame]

How to Guide for Collinite 845
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...e-845-definitive-how-guide-legendary-wax.html

Good luck.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

There has been a ton of information, steps and products that have been shared on here. Do a quick search and read for a couple of hours.

All of your questions will be answered . If not, come back with more specific items.

 

[slythetove]

so I have a 15 5.0 and it is black. In southern California, this car is dirty the day after I wash her.
that being said, I wash once a week at a wash rack that has low pressure and also comes with a special sprayer to spray out soaps and sudsy stuff that is good for your paint. I never use the brushes as they seem like they could hold onto dirt easily.
that being said, I use microfiber towels to dry. one to soak up most of the water on a panel, then the other to dry it and minimize water spots. I do this until the towels are saturated, then I switch towels. I bought a bag of 50 at Costco. after I use them I wash em, fold em up and put em in my trunk for next time.
I haven't used wax yet, or anything else. and I am seeing a lot of micro scratches on my paint. what causes these micro scratches and how do I avoid them?
also what wax should I be using and what techniques/ how often should I be using them?
any input to help a guy out would be greatly appreciated.
thanks guys!!!
:clap2:

It all depends on how serious you want to get. At a bare minimum you need to put some wax or sealant with UV protection on that black paint.

Also, those cheap microfibers are probably causing the micro marring/swirls.

If you want the full detail you can see my thread here:
http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19194

 

[Patrick S]

I know i have shared a ton of info on keeping a black car clean. i think the biggest issue black car drivers run into is washing it in direct sunlight. its way too hot and the water evaporates leaving behind sediment. areas with hard water are the worst. let the car cool before you wash it.

and for God's sake, never use dish soap on your car!

When you say the car is dirty the next day, what sort of dirty? does a coat of dust develop? so cal does not get enough rain to worry about that, though some days in may and June, the Marine layer gets thick enough to cause a mist cover over the car.

 

[krahooligan]

I know i have shared a ton of info on keeping a black car clean. i think the biggest issue black car drivers run into is washing it in direct sunlight. its way too hot and the water evaporates leaving behind sediment. areas with hard water are the worst. let the car cool before you wash it.

and for God's sake, never use dish soap on your car!

When you say the car is dirty the next day, what sort of dirty? does a coat of dust develop? so cal does not get enough rain to worry about that, though some days in may and June, the Marine layer gets thick enough to cause a mist cover over the car.

there is a layer of dust on the car. I am on Camp Pendleton and after having it outside where I work for an afternoon there is soo much dust on it. :( I need to wax it.

 

[krahooligan]

can anybody recommend some products for a newbie?

 

[neodark]

I just went through this, black car too.

It takes a while to do it right, but the results are worth it. In short you want to:

1- Wash, away from sun... Avoid hardwater if possible, or use a filter.
2- Dry well
3- clay.... Don't drop clay
4- Polish
5- Wax or seal.

It rained the day after I did all this... Took me like 5 hours total. However, water now just beads off, and leaves almost no residue or sports. The ones that you do find are easily removable due to the wax coat. (Spray on wax/detailer and buff).

 

[NitroMustang65]

autopia.org is the be-all, end-all for automotive detailing

 

[EngineerDave]

How to wash your car:

Two Bucket Method-

Get two buckets. Get two Gritguards. Get at least two microfiber cleaning mitts (NO SPONGES).

Bucket one - Water, Gritguard.
Bucket two - Water, car soap (Meg's gold is fine.), gritguard.

Hose down car. With the mitt, remove any tags, make sure the plastic label hanger is removed, soap in soap bucket, wash roof. Wring out mitt on ground, toss in water bucket, and rinse car again starting at the top and work your way down.

return to water bucket, agitate mitt in bucket for 30 seconds. Remove Mitt from water, wring out again. Now into the soap bucket. Next do either the rear window - Trunk, or front window. Repeat previous process with mitt and hose. Next do the other. Then the hood. Then the rear side panels. then the doors and windows one side at a time. then the bumper area. Then the Grill, and lastly the side panels around the wheels.

If your mitt ever touches the ground, STOP it's done for the day. Use second backup mitt. Also if your car is extra dirty, you might want to switch mitts halfway through the extra dirty areas.

Wheels next if you can, just remember to constantly hose down the car to prevent spotting. Use a completely a rag/towel/designated old mitt for wheels. If it touches your wheels, it should never touch your car.

You can dry the car either using a microfiber towel, or I have a 4hp motorcycle blower that I got for 125 from amazon that has a filter. I like this especially for black cars because water hides in the mirrors and seams of the car and if you drive the car after drying it, it will come out and leave water marks on your car >_< Again with drying, work from the top down, and on the side closest to where the sun is.

Once dry apply a sealer/wax as desired. Or if already sealed and waxed from last wash, I will use a detailing spray and several microfibers to polish the car. The Detailing spray I use is Meg's Detailing spray. It has a super hydrophobic element (someone might have others they like) they helps repeal water, stains, and dust a bit. Also after I drive it I dust the sucker using the spray and clean microfibers if it needs it.

Once washing is complete, Mitts (not the wheels one) + microfiber clothes go into the washing machine. I run it for 3 complete runs, once with soap (no fabric softener, especially on towels! it repels water and could possibly ruin the microfiber), 2 with just water, that's probably me just being paranoid though. Drying without dryer sheets and without the bounce bar in the dryer.

Depending on how often you drive it and how abusive your area is to paint you can clay ever 1 - 3 months.

Things that scratch paint:

Tags.
Those little plastic "T" things that they use to attach some tags.
Hemmed edges of microfiber cloths. (fold those in toward the middle then fold in half, and then in half again.)
Too much pressure on the microfiber clothes/wash mitts. Let them do the work for you.
Dirt being trapped in the microfibers, if you are using a cloth, one panel per square, After 4 squares, flip insideout if possible, else that cloth is done for the day.


Waterspots: 50/50 mixture of water and distilled vinegar in a spray bottle should remove any water spots on the surface, with light pressure from a microfiber. If you use this on the paint, you will need to wax the car.

Waxing - if your product doesn't come with a applicator pad, you'll need to get one. get the softest one you can. Use a small amount of wax on the pad and work it into the pad to get it completely coated in the wax. Next use a pea size drop in the middle of the pad and apply in a circular motion until all painted parts are covered. Let set. Remove with clean microfibers (Not old t-shirts.) You can use q-tips to get any wax that gets down between the panels where your cloth can't reach. I've had some luck with one of those sponges that has a separate layer on one side, by just cutting off the layer and cutting it into strips. Pretty much the only time I use a sponge.

Keep in mind we decided on Black cars, which means they take a lot more extra care than a silver/metallic/metal flake sort of car. Black shows scratches easier than any other color. Using this method should help you reduce the number of paint swirls/scratches that are caused by your care of the car, but over time swirls will happen naturally. Once a year or Two it wouldn't hurt to get the thing professionally detailed with a buff, or if you feel like doing it yourself you can buff it. Start with the lightest possible setting/pad/solution.

 

[krahooligan]

just ordered some Chemical guys all in one polish , shine and sealant as well as insta wax + liquid carnauba shine and protection spray to start. I am thinking of ordering a paste wax as well but was told the spray wax will work just fine.
I need a clay bar too. but I am unsure of the right one to get. there are heavy and light medium and heavy... any input?

 

[krahooligan]

How to wash your car:

Two Bucket Method-

Get two buckets. Get two Gritguards. Get at least two microfiber cleaning mitts (NO SPONGES).

Bucket one - Water, Gritguard.
Bucket two - Water, car soap (Meg's gold is fine.), gritguard.

Hose down car. With the mitt, remove any tags, make sure the plastic label hanger is removed, soap in soap bucket, wash roof. Wring out mitt on ground, toss in water bucket, and rinse car again starting at the top and work your way down.

return to water bucket, agitate mitt in bucket for 30 seconds. Remove Mitt from water, wring out again. Now into the soap bucket. Next do either the rear window - Trunk, or front window. Repeat previous process with mitt and hose. Next do the other. Then the hood. Then the rear side panels. then the doors and windows one side at a time. then the bumper area. Then the Grill, and lastly the side panels around the wheels.

If your mitt ever touches the ground, STOP it's done for the day. Use second backup mitt. Also if your car is extra dirty, you might want to switch mitts halfway through the extra dirty areas.

Wheels next if you can, just remember to constantly hose down the car to prevent spotting. Use a completely a rag/towel/designated old mitt for wheels. If it touches your wheels, it should never touch your car.

You can dry the car either using a microfiber towel, or I have a 4hp motorcycle blower that I got for 125 from amazon that has a filter. I like this especially for black cars because water hides in the mirrors and seams of the car and if you drive the car after drying it, it will come out and leave water marks on your car >_< Again with drying, work from the top down, and on the side closest to where the sun is.

Once dry apply a sealer/wax as desired. Or if already sealed and waxed from last wash, I will use a detailing spray and several microfibers to polish the car. The Detailing spray I use is Meg's Detailing spray. It has a super hydrophobic element (someone might have others they like) they helps repeal water, stains, and dust a bit. Also after I drive it I dust the sucker using the spray and clean microfibers if it needs it.

Once washing is complete, Mitts (not the wheels one) + microfiber clothes go into the washing machine. I run it for 3 complete runs, once with soap (no fabric softener, especially on towels! it repels water and could possibly ruin the microfiber), 2 with just water, that's probably me just being paranoid though. Drying without dryer sheets and without the bounce bar in the dryer.

Depending on how often you drive it and how abusive your area is to paint you can clay ever 1 - 3 months.

Things that scratch paint:

Tags.
Those little plastic "T" things that they use to attach some tags.
Hemmed edges of microfiber cloths. (fold those in toward the middle then fold in half, and then in half again.)
Too much pressure on the microfiber clothes/wash mitts. Let them do the work for you.
Dirt being trapped in the microfibers, if you are using a cloth, one panel per square, After 4 squares, flip insideout if possible, else that cloth is done for the day.


Waterspots: 50/50 mixture of water and distilled vinegar in a spray bottle should remove any water spots on the surface, with light pressure from a microfiber. If you use this on the paint, you will need to wax the car.

Waxing - if your product doesn't come with a applicator pad, you'll need to get one. get the softest one you can. Use a small amount of wax on the pad and work it into the pad to get it completely coated in the wax. Next use a pea size drop in the middle of the pad and apply in a circular motion until all painted parts are covered. Let set. Remove with clean microfibers (Not old t-shirts.) You can use q-tips to get any wax that gets down between the panels where your cloth can't reach. I've had some luck with one of those sponges that has a separate layer on one side, by just cutting off the layer and cutting it into strips. Pretty much the only time I use a sponge.

Keep in mind we decided on Black cars, which means they take a lot more extra care than a silver/metallic/metal flake sort of car. Black shows scratches easier than any other color. Using this method should help you reduce the number of paint swirls/scratches that are caused by your care of the car, but over time swirls will happen naturally. Once a year or Two it wouldn't hurt to get the thing professionally detailed with a buff, or if you feel like doing it yourself you can buff it. Start with the lightest possible setting/pad/solution.

thanks for this amazing info!

 

[Patrick S]

there is a layer of dust on the car. I am on Camp Pendleton and after having it outside where I work for an afternoon there is soo much dust on it. :( I need to wax it.

I spent a good number of years in my youth living in Oceanside, CA. I understand the dust issue well.

There is a tool called a California Duster. This will get the dust off between detailing.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7flfcns8a4_b

I will be out in San Diego this summer with the car, so, in July, keep an eye out for Elvira!!

 

[dabears2322]

quick question. SHould foam buffer pads be washed? If so how? Laundry machine?

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