car wash question.

[willbebest]

guys, help for newbie like me. I got a 03 accord and live at Vancvouer Canada. can u guys tell me wht should i BUy, in order to wash the car entirly by meself? wht brand of chemical should i buy....and tools..etc. and mabe some good websites about wash cars?? thank you., i wish all u guys good luckk

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[wedley2]

http://www.web-cars.com/detail/clay.php

pretty much anything is descent unless u want to fork out the big bucks...

[superhids]

Anything any everything by S100 will do

Although, they don't have Harley out in CDN.

[e3NiNe]

since i've used just about everything ever made, here's my suggestions.

car wash: Meguiar's Soft Wash Gel

it smells so damn good, you'd want to use it in the shower.

leather care: Meguair's Gold Class Rich Leather Wipes

the wipes are extremely saturated in the leather care. you could do 2 seats, a steering wheel, a shift knob, and the arm rests with 2 wipes. it's alot cleaner than using a rag and leather paste.

vinyl shine: Natural Shine Vinyl & Rubber Protectant

after cleaning down your entire interior with this, it'll make your car smell a hell of alot better than armor all. this leaves a nice even shine on the dash, but it's not as glossy as armor all's finish. aa's product makes the dash look wet, and not everyone likes that.

wax: Meguair's Gold Class

easy on, easy off ... and it lasts a LONG time.

tires: Black Magic Tire Wet Gel

this gives you more control than any tire foam. the last thing you'd want to do is goo up your clean rims with a spray that mists everywhere. black magic products always leave a wet look, and it looks great on any wheel.

if you've noticed, i reccomend a lot meguair's products. i've been through almost every product, and their stuff is really worth it. on average, their prices are a bit higher (between $1 and $2 when compared to turtle wax, armor all, black magic, ...) but you really get what you pay for. if you wanted to go extreme, there's always xymol, but if you're on a decent sized budget, go with this list.

[randomtask77]

Since were on the subject of car cleaning products, anyone ever use Stoner's products? Both the "Invisible Glass" and the "Trim Shine"? I'd like to try it out, but for some reason, my local auto parts store doesn't carry them (and I've checked quite a few).

I'd just like an opinion from people that have used them if they're worth it or not. If they aren't, I'm just gonna stick with Meguiar's stuff.

[JonHsiung]

My shelves look somewhat like that too. But half the stuff isn't purchasable from your local auto retail stores.

My setup/recommendations (subject to change):
Wash: Zymol Clear
Windows: Eagle1
Oxidation/Impurities Remover: TR-3 Resin Glaze
Swirl/Scratch Mark Remover: 3M 1500+ grit Rubbing Compound (be careful) with rotary buffer. Zaino Z-5 if you're afraid
Clay Bar: Zaino Z-18
Base/Standard Wax: Zymol Hand-Crafted Wax (color specific)
Mid Wax: Zaino Z-2
Top Wax: Harley Davidson S100
Spray Wax: Wax-as-u-Dry
Tire Shine: Meguairs Gel
Tire Shine Applicator: Eagle One
Spritzer/Detailer: Meguairs QuikDetailer - if used correctly!
Metal Shine: Metal Masters Shine/Sealer
Applicators: Terry cloth applicator for rotary buffer; foam applicator for hand wax
Drying: Absorber w/Microfiber
Wax Removal: Microfiber
Dashboard: ArmorAll Low Shine
Interior Vinyl Panels: ArmorAll High Shine or Regular
Leather: Lexol & Meguairs Aloe Conditioner

[e3NiNe]

Originally Posted by randomtask77

Since were on the subject of car cleaning products, anyone ever use Stoner's products? Both the "Invisible Glass" and the "Trim Shine"? I'd like to try it out, but for some reason, my local auto parts store doesn't carry them (and I've checked quite a few).

I'd just like an opinion from people that have used them if they're worth it or not. If they aren't, I'm just gonna stick with Meguiar's stuff.

Stoner's products are great. when applying the cleaner, shake up the can, then spray on. you'll get a nice even coat with it. no streaks, no mess at all.

[joel95ex]

wash once per week or every time it rains.
clay bar once a month
wax once a month or zaino
zaino is harder to get ...go to zainobros.com
it blows away every wax out there including zymol
i have rinsed tar off of the lowers after using zaino
clay bar is the key to smooth finish. i like clay magic better than the others...it is worth it use a detailing spray with it or soapy water
DO NOT use dish detergent unless you are prepping for zaino....it will strip wax and dull the finish...ok before zaino though

[willbebest]

here is my understanding base on u guy's suggestions:
1. rinse the car with a lot water
2. apply a Soap cloth entirly on the car
3. rinse the soap off and rinse the car again and tower try the surface
4. use a clay bar
5. wax(do i need to rinse again before wax???)
6. rinse?? do i need rinse it after wax???

done

am i right? wht u think?

[randomtask77]

Originally Posted by Eklypse39

Stoner's products are great. when applying the cleaner, shake up the can, then spray on. you'll get a nice even coat with it. no streaks, no mess at all.

Thanks. Now if I could only find the damn things, that would be gravy...

[ZiviCase10287]

Eklypse39: good god you have a lot of cleaning stuff!!! also from your posts you could make their ads in magazines, lol

"car wash: Meguiar's Soft Wash Gel

it smells so damn good, you'd want to use it in the shower."

I love it! LOL!

[redgoober4life]

Originally Posted by ZiviCase10287

Eklypse39: good god you have a lot of cleaning stuff!!! also from your posts you could make their ads in magazines, lol

"car wash: Meguiar's Soft Wash Gel

it smells so damn good, you'd want to use it in the shower."

I love it! LOL!

Soft Wash is good, but Meguiars Gold Class wash is even better. Get yourself a lambswool wash mit too. For drying I would go to a department store and get a big, white, and SOFT (the softest you can find of course) bath towel. Wash it before. I use waffle weave microfibers (pakshak.com) which are even better, but I assume you don't want to order.

If you can find Meguiars NXT products, use their wax and wash. It's by far the best thing coming from Meguiars. If you want to order online, let me know. I know of a few products that are good.

[redgoober4life]

Originally Posted by willbebest

here is my understanding base on u guy's suggestions:
1. rinse the car with a lot water
2. apply a Soap cloth entirly on the car
3. rinse the soap off and rinse the car again and tower try the surface
4. use a clay bar
5. wax(do i need to rinse again before wax???)
6. rinse?? do i need rinse it after wax???

done

am i right? wht u think?

1) wash the car as usual

Now you can take two routes. If it's warm enough and you are not in direct sunlight AND you are going to polish before waxing use plan B. Plan A is the conventional method.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2a) Dry the car.

3a) Apply some of the quick detailer (clay lube) to the car in 3'x3' sections.

4a) Take the clay lube in the palm of your hand and run it along the surface using even pressure in back and forth motions parallel to the direction the wind flows over the car.

5a) Wipe up the excess lube when the paint is clean and smooth with a soft towel.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2b) Keep your garden hose out with the spray nozzel attatched. Get a panel of the car wet and with the clay in your other hand, work it back and forth over the paint in parallel motions to the direction the wind flows over the car in 3'x3' sections.

3b) Rinse off the residue from the clay when the paint is clean. Keep the car wet, even the clayed sections (no water spots).

4b) Dry the car as usual.


-Keep a wet surface for the clay to glide across.
-The paint is clean when you run your hand across it and it is as smooth as glass.
-Before applying a wax, it is a good idea to use Meguiars #9 Swirl Mark Remover to increase depth and improve the finish.
-Clay Magic is $9 at Walmart, BUY IT. Mother is good but overpriced. Meguiars clay is junk.
-Always wax after using clay.

I don't know if this helps, or if this is confusing. Let me know.
-

[ACCORDDUST]

Eklypse39 i love your collection haha

[willbebest]

wht is a 3x3 area....and wht is the difference betweet polish and wax??

[redgoober4life]

Originally Posted by willbebest

wht is a 3x3 area....and wht is the difference betweet polish and wax??

3' by 3' area is three feet by three feet. It's just a common area to do work in. Once you get doing it, you can adjust this to what works best for you.

A polish is slightly abrassive--technically. You use a polish before a wax to take out fine swirls and other imperfection. Polishes also increase depth and shine before waxing.

Some companies (Zaino and others) choose to use the name "Polish" on their wax. I really don't know, maybe they think it sounds more sophisticated then "wax." In reality, Zaino isn't wax, it's a sealant. Sealants are synthetic polymer protectants that serve the same function of wax but last much longer.

Mothers uses the name "sealant" for glaze. A glaze is really a oily filler that you put on after polishing but before waxing. You wouldn't use a glaze before a sealant because as a rule of thumb, a sealant bonds best to a clean, non-oily surface.

See how the lines are blurred? 9 times out of 10 a polish will be a varying abrassive product, a wax will be a carnauba, and a sealant will be synthetic. Forget about glazes, you don't need them and they don't last long.

[willbebest]

wht comes on must come off, is it means that u have to wash the wax off right after u applied it on ur car?

[redgoober4life]

Originally Posted by willbebest

wht comes on must come off, is it means that u have to wash the wax off right after u applied it on ur car?

I don't understand what you're saying.

When you apply a wax, you let it haze and buff it off with a soft towel.

When you clay bar, you're not putting anything on the paint. The clay picks up small pieces of contamination, tar, and other stuff that makes the paint feel "gritty."

[PrometheusX]

A great site that is dedicated to car detailing and caring for your vehicle is www.autopia.org I feel that this is one of the best auto care sites around! IMO

There are tutorials on waxing, buffing, claying, anything dealing with detailing is on that site.

[chadster]

We're a new sponsor to this site. Check out our product. It makes keeping your car clean simple.

http://www.honda-acura.net/forums/sh...ght=star+shine

[redgoober4life]

[quote=chadster]We're a new sponsor to this site. Check out our product. It makes keeping your car clean simple.

I did some research on your company:

STAR SHINE is the ONLY paint protection system to be awarded a US Patent. Beware of imitators - always look for Patent 5,081,171 on the bottle. There's only one 5 Star Shine.

On your website, you claim to have been applying FSS to a 1985 Cougar since new. How is this possible when the patent (5,081,171) was given January 14, 1992.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...S=PN/5,081,171

http://www.gardgroup.com/ppspatent.htm

I don't know if you're aware of this but quite frankly, PTFE must be applied in 640 degree temperatures for it to "sinter" or bond to a surface. Crazy internet marketting you have going on here.
[quote]
Infact, Dupont realeased a statement way back when, probably before either of us can remember about PTFE and all this automobile hokey pokey. This is from Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine, January 1989.

"Dupont several years ago released a press statment about their trade mark product Teflon. In a nutshell, they said the Teflon added nothing to waxes or polishes as Teflon can and will only
bond to metal while heated to very high temps. Basically what they were doing was giving a disclaimer for all of the polished and waxes hitting the market making claim after claim about how
superior their product was just because it was supposed to contain Teflon. This came out about the time the debacle about PTFE resins and the Slick 50 product that also turned out to be a big farce."

My general conclusion is that your company is more about the internet marketting then the actual product because the product itself in various people's usage isn't that great and cannot live up to the claims on your website. Oh, and I'd really like you to clarify how you went back in time with the 1985 Cougar.

[Tirod]

[quote=redgoober4life]On your website, you claim to have been applying FSS to a 1985 Cougar since new. How is this possible when the patent (5,081,171) was given January 14, 1992.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...S=PN/5,081,171

http://www.gardgroup.com/ppspatent.htm

I don't know if you're aware of this but quite frankly, PTFE must be applied in 640 degree temperatures for it to "sinter" or bond to a surface. Crazy internet marketting you have going on here.

Infact, Dupont realeased a statement way back when, probably before either of us can remember about PTFE and all this automobile hokey pokey. This is from Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine, January 1989.


My general conclusion is that your company is more about the internet marketting then the actual product because the product itself in various people's usage isn't that great and cannot live up to the claims on your website. Oh, and I'd really like you to clarify how you went back in time with the 1985 Cougar.

get em!!!!!

[chadster]

Hi, I appreciate each of your good/inquisitive questions and coments. Great due diligence! Each one has an answer. So let me answer them one by one. I promise the answers don't involve reverse time-travel a la Superman flying around the world backwards or flux-capacitors (Back to the Future)......

Question: "On your website, you claim to have been applying FSS to a 1985 Cougar since new. How is this possible when the patent (5,081,171) was given January 14, 1992. Oh, and I'd really like you to clarify how you went back in time with the 1985 Cougar?"

5 Star Answer:
You'll see that there are previous patents that are referenced within the 5 Star Shine Patent. The original patent was given in 1979. Since then there have been innovations and improvements. One of those improvements, which is the most significant, came in '92 which is the current formula. The Cougar had been treated using the previous 1979 patent application. Same protection, but just a vastly different application method.

Question/issue:"I don't know if you're aware of this but quite frankly, PTFE must be applied in 640 degree temperatures for it to "sinter" or bond to a surface. Crazy internet marketting you have going on here."

5 Star Answer:
Don't be confused, in the paragraph "BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION" it describes a DIFFERENT PATENT (4,284,668 ). 5 Star Shine remedies and eliminates the "buffing"/heating temperature bonding issue that you/dupont describe which can damage paint unless applied by someone skilled with a cutting buffer. This new patent formula (1992) is different. 5 Star Shine contains NO ABRASIVES. Application is an easy 2 step process using a soft terrycloth towel.

Let me continue to answer the next logical question one would have.... "So then how is it that 5 Star Shine achieves the ability to use teflon in its patented formula?"

Here is how 5 Star Shine chemically works and the unique patented formula that allows for the teflon to protect the car surface:

As the teflon (suspended in the aqueous solution) is applied to the car, the polar attraction of the teflon to the car paint surface holds the teflon in place.

The polar attraction alone won't hold the teflon on the car surface long term. (think of how a magnet would hold metal shavings...... they stick, but you can easily remove them)

This is where the new patent difference/innovation comes in:
Methyltrimethoxysilane (the major chemical in the aqueous solution) is the chemical that is the curing agent on the painted surface which cross links with the teflon to protect against and repel dirt etc..
Interestingly enough, over time, as it cures, the teflon expands while interlinked with the methyltrimethoxysilane and effectively covers the entire surface better than when it was first applied. (you'll notice on the bottle it says that the appearance will continue to enhance over the next 24-48 hours after application.)

I certainly understand your skepticism, I most certainly was initally too. Ultimately people want to know/see that a product works and lives up to the claims it makes. 5 Star Shine does exactly that. I hope that you and others take the plunge and try out 5 Star Shine. Then you can be the first to write in about your conversion followed by a stellar review on this site!

So there is the loooong answer. Hopefully I've explained it well. If you haven't, go and check out the testimonies of those that have applied 5 Star Shine and continue to get the same original shine/protection months after they first applied it. Updates will continue to come in.

Sincerely,
-Chad

Check out the proof by what long-term users are saying!

http://nicoclub.com/forums/showthrea...threadid=45700

http://nicoclub.com/forums/showthrea...threadid=48193

http://nicoclub.com/forums/showthrea...threadid=44819



Use customer code 'VIPDISCOUNTS' for a discount at checkout!

www.5starshine.com

[Intrepid241]

now thats a comeback...good work

[chadster]

Thanks, I'm just trying to be straight-up since we want to develop the trust of those who are a part of this site.
-Chad

[redgoober4life]

I'd try it but there are cheaper products out there that I want to try first. It's on the pricey side, especially when this product is "no-prep" and quite frankly, I like to prep paint and get it looking good before applying protection. And usually twice a year. Oh well, praise on.

[chadster]

Originally Posted by redgoober4life

I'd try it but there are cheaper products out there that I want to try first. It's on the pricey side, especially when this product is "no-prep" and quite frankly, I like to prep paint and get it looking good before applying protection. And usually twice a year. Oh well, praise on.

There are cheaper inferior products out there. It all depends on how often you want to protect your paint and how easy you want your car to be able to be washed. You'll need 5 Star once for over 150+ washes. People just use a mitt and plain water and the dirt comes off like a dry erase board. Takes much less time than having to go back and forth dipping your brush into a bucket. Also when used on your wheels, 5 Star makes them simple to keep clean.... I HATE dealing with brake dust.

Prepping is always something that I would encourage someone to do. In our deluxe kit we provide all that you need in order to do that (clay etc.). Our prices are competitive with other similar products but 5 Star is much easier to apply (there are only 2 easy steps vs. the many steps and drying time of other products.) and will last far longer.


Hopefully you'll be up for trying it out at some point.

-Chad

[redgoober4life]

Originally Posted by chadster

There are cheaper inferior products out there. It all depends on how often you want to protect your paint and how easy you want your car to be able to be washed. You'll need 5 Star once for over 150+ washes. People just use a mitt and plain water and the dirt comes off like a dry erase board. Takes much less time than having to go back and forth dipping your brush into a bucket. Also when used on your wheels, 5 Star makes them simple to keep clean.... I HATE dealing with brake dust.

Prepping is always something that I would encourage someone to do. In our deluxe kit we provide all that you need in order to do that (clay etc.). Our prices are competitive with other similar products but 5 Star is much easier to apply (there are only 2 easy steps vs. the many steps and drying time of other products.) and will last far longer.


Hopefully you'll be up for trying it out at some point.

-Chad

When it's too cold I can't wash my car without quick and easy wash. It's easier then just using a hose and a mitt. I use detergents because they lubricate better then plain water can. I would imagine that even though your sealant creates a "non stick" surface that washing the car with this method has negative effects on the longevity of protection you would recieve.

As for the 2 easy steps versus the many steps of other products: I use various different products together. Not one single line.

[chadster]

Originally Posted by redgoober4life

When it's too cold I can't wash my car without quick and easy wash. It's easier then just using a hose and a mitt. I use detergents because they lubricate better then plain water can. I would imagine that even though your sealant creates a "non stick" surface that washing the car with this method has negative effects on the longevity of protection you would recieve.

As for the 2 easy steps versus the many steps of other products: I use various different products together. Not one single line.

Hi,
Actually to the contrary, if anything, a detergent will have a negative effect on a protected surface since a detergent is meant to clean and breakdown the surface that it is coming in contact with. If you wanted to use a detergent with the 5 Star it's no problem either way, you won't lose the protection. Though, with just water you'll save time when not having to deal with a bucket. Plus normally, with a detergent, the bucket of water gets progressively dirtier and that is what you'll be dipping your brush into and rubbing on the surface of your car.

It's no big deal if you aren't convinced. There are lots of people out there who have tried it and are now convinced otherwise for the better. Once again, the testimonies I've posted links to on this thread account for that.

-Chad

[chadster]

Some more 5 Star Shine on-going user reviews:

http://nicoclub.com/forums/showthrea...threadid=48193