- Let your car cool off before washing, especially the hood. Wash your car in the shade. Dry it before it water spots.
- Wash your car with a car wash concentrate used according to label directions. Start at the roof, then do the hood and trunk. Do the sides, then the bumper covers. Finally, grab a different rag and do the bottom edges, wheel wells, exhaust tip, and wheels. Do not use this rag in the future except on the bottom edges, wheel wells, wheels, etc.
- Don't wash your car with dishwashing detergent. Harsh detergents remove waxes and polishes. (Exception: Use Dawn or a similar liquid if you WANT to strip the wax so you can start your protection program over. Actually this is not a bad idea every year or two.)
- Don't use nozzles or otherwise increase the pressure of the water stream from your wash hose, especially when rinsing. Just let the water flow out. The water will sheet off the car better leaving behind fewer water beads. This will make drying your car a lot easier. This technique also seems provide a faster and more complete rinse.
- Be careful what you use on your tires, if anything. Many products will cause your tires to turn brown faster or to deteriorate prematurely. Meguair's has a new gel product that has received good reviews for avoiding these problems. Also, because it is a gel, you won't have to worry about overspray on your wheels and fenders.
- You can (and should) wax your car when it is brand new. The paint is baked at high temperature by the factory and is fully cured by the time the car leaves the assembly plant. Unlike the old days, you don't have to wait three months, unless you are waxing over a non-factory paint job.
- Don't apply wax over surface problems like water spots, metallic micro dust, tree sap mist, etc. You will only lock these imperfections in until you strip off all the wax at some point in the future.
- Wax and polish are NOT the same things. See some of the resources below for details.
- NEVER rub a dirty car or use a rag you have dropped on the ground, ever, ever - unless you LIKE scratches. Some people say, if you drop a rag on the ground you should throw it away or put it in the oil change rag bin.
- Use CLEAN, lightly moistened sponges to apply waxes and polishes unless the product directions specify otherwise. Use a big sponge mitt made for the purpose to wash your car.
- Use ONLY white 100% cotton brand name towels that are made in the USA to dry your car and to wipe off polishes and waxes (unless you are using an orbital buffer.) Wash these towels at least twice before you use them the first time and (once) again after EVERY use. Use a LIQUID detergent and DO NOT use fabric softener to wash the towels. Trust me. It only costs a few bucks to do this and it will be more than worth it. All the detailing and product web sites recommend towels. Zaino does a good job of explaining why. They are fanatics on the subject and have me convinced.
- If you want to find out how clean your finish REALLY is, get a jewelers loop or other magnifier for a closer look. Then rub your clean dry hand over the surface. You may be surprised.
- Read product directions, even if you don't follow them. You will save yourself a lot of time and trouble.
i like to use 2 buckets: one for the soapy water, one with clear water. i rinse off my sponge or mitt in the clear water after a few wipes. then i resoap my mitt. it keeps alot of dirt out of the soapy water, which can scratch your car
Originally posted by dantastic i like to use 2 buckets: one for the soapy water, one with clear water. i rinse off my sponge or mitt in the clear water after a few wipes. then i resoap my mitt. it keeps alot of dirt out of the soapy water, which can scratch your car
That's a good idea, I had never thought of that before. I'll try that
I'm definetly going to strip my wax off this spring when it gets warm...I have alot of metallic specks trapped on my hood. I always thought I wouldn't be able to get them out
Originally posted by 91redsi how do u strip the wax?
Dish washing detergent - something harsh like dawn should do the trick. Just make sure you put on 1 or 2 GOOD coats of wax on immediately after you do this, as you don't want your car susceptible to environmental factors - air pollution, UV rays, etc. I would also suggest buying a clay bar and using it on the paint while the wax is stripped off to remove all the shit you don't want on your car, like tar or metallic specks.
one day i wanted the best clean possible so i went to canadian tire and bough some nice cotton washing mits that go on your hands, proffessional drying cloths-that will not scratch your paint and for soap, i bough some rain-x wash and shine. It seems to work really well. I dont wax my car cause in toronto during the winter there is an endless amount of salt dumped on the roap but the raninx works well.
acuraman32cl one day i wanted the best clean possible so i went to canadian tire and bough some nice cotton washing mits that go on your hands, proffessional drying cloths-that will not scratch your paint and for soap, i bough some rain-x wash and shine. It seems to work really well. I dont wax my car cause in toronto during the winter there is an endless amount of salt dumped on the roap but the raninx works well.
Nah those mits stuff are a pain you'll be sore the next day. Spend $20.00 on a Buffer it will make your job faster and easier and the outcome will be better. Doing a wax by hand is so labor intensive.
Originally posted by b12uceHuy Nah those mits stuff are a pain you'll be sore the next day. Spend $20.00 on a Buffer it will make your job faster and easier and the outcome will be better. Doing a wax by hand is so labor intensive.
If you don't use a buffer PERFECTLY, you'll mess up your paint by creating swirl marks. Manual labor ownz and it turns out better if you have some biceps
Originally posted by acuraman32cl one day i wanted the best clean possible so i went to canadian tire and bough some nice cotton washing mits that go on your hands, proffessional drying cloths-that will not scratch your paint and for soap, i bough some rain-x wash and shine. It seems to work really well. I dont wax my car cause in toronto during the winter there is an endless amount of salt dumped on the roap but the raninx works well.
Well, you really should start. By not waxing your car, you're letting the road salt eat your clearcoat and eventually your paint away. Wax is basically a protective layer that will shield your car from environmental contaminants and UV rays. In 5 years, especially in Toronto, your car is gonna look like ass if you don't wax. You only have to wax every few months...I do it once in the spring for summer and once in the fall for winter.
Well, you really should start. By not waxing your car, you're letting the road salt eat your clearcoat and eventually your paint away. Wax is basically a protective layer that will shield your car from environmental contaminants and UV rays. In 5 years, especially in Toronto, your car is gonna look like ass if you don't wax. You only have to wax every few months...I do it once in the spring for summer and once in the fall for winter.
I think your talking about a buffer that spins @ a high rpm ie: a GRINDER with an a buffing attachment. What I am talking about is a low rpm buffer.
hey guys while we're on the topic of washing cars any of u see the new superstreet with the yellow si on the cover? theres a good step by step article on how to detail ur car and wat to look for, how to treat it..pretty interesting
Check meguires for a good buffer. Dual Action, won't leave swirl marks.. bit expensive, but i'd rather pay more for that, then have to spend 4 grand on a new paintjob.
I have a very stupid question and I have tried to look an answer for this. What is the difference between waxing and polishing?
And how frequently it should be done, like in my case where I live in Montreal. The color of my car is red and I have a hell of a time to keep the swirls marks away. If i do take these out, they come back again
Originally posted by captainsaveaho i heard that if you use dish washing soap, it'll ruin your paint, that true?
Dish washing soap will ruin the paint on cars without a clear coat. If you have a clear coat, it will simply strip the wax and all the shit trapped under the wax off
I'm talking about the spots that look like dried up water, but no amount of washing/scrubbing that can get it out. Is there any way to get rid of them?
Originally posted by ClayMan I'm talking about the spots that look like dried up water, but no amount of washing/scrubbing that can get it out. Is there any way to get rid of them?
The only thing I can think of would be to strip off your wax, and work a good quality clay bar on those spots. That should fix it. How often do you wax your car?
As of right now, never... I just got this Accord last week (99 LX coupe) and gave it it's first wash yesterday. And then I noticed all these dry water spots. I would think, from the looks of it, the previous owner didn't wax it that often.
So what I need to do is:
-strip the top layer (wax) with detergent (anything I should be careful of here? i.e. not rubbing too hard or something? detergent sorta sounds abrasive and scary)
-claybar the whole car
-wax once, wax twice .... wax more
Don't use Detergent. Use Dawn Soap. Hand Soap stuff. Water spots usually come off with a 50/50 mix of water/vinegar. I don't know if the clay will help, but it might.
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I have a very stupid question and I have tried to look an answer for this. What is the difference between waxing and polishing?
And how frequently it should be done, like in my case where I live in Montreal. The color of my car is red and I have a hell of a time to keep the swirls marks away. If i do take these out, they come back again
Thanks
Polishing is a step where you bring out the "wet/lustrous" color of you car - adds deeper color.
Waxing is just adding a protective layer to the polish to ensure no harmful contaminents eat your paint away - adds a little bit of shine, but polishing is key if you want your car to look brand new.
For a good car wash go out and buy yourself three good bucks and lots of bone sponges. If you go to Wal-Mart you can get three buckets, car wash soap, and half a dozen sponges for about $20.
Each wash I use three sponges. And each time I wash, each sponge gets demoted to the next level. The oldest sponge(grade 3) is always used to wash wheel wells, tires(not rims), and undercarrage. The next oldest sponge(grade 2) is used for the car below the water line(will explain later), door jams, and rims. I always use a new sponge each wash(grade 1). I will use this to wash a majority of the car. You might think its expensive but at $1 a sponge is a lot cheaper than a nice scratch.
First I start off washing the wheel wells. I first spray them down with high pressure water(oh a cheap pressure washer is nice). Then I spray on a 50/50 mix Simple Green/water. Go around the car and when you done all of them you can start scrubbing the first one. For any tough stain/mud/tar I use straight Simple green but rinse the area off really well with water as I have seen some faded wheel well liners from straight simple green left on. I will also spray the tires with the 50/50 mixutre during this step and then scrub then with a frim but not rough brush.
Next I high pressure rinse the entire car, paying attention to front bumper, rear bumper, and car below water line.
Whats the car's water line? I heard someone call it this a long time ago and have used it since. Don't know if it's a correct term but I use it. The water line is basically where most of you dirt splashes on your car when driving. I define the water line as front/rear bumpers, and both sides below the car's side trim.
After the power wash is when I do any tar/bug removal. For large tar areas around the wheels I use the 50/50 mix again, let it sit a couple minutes and then spray off(or use your grade 2 sponge). Again rinse well as leftover Simple Green does like to leave a film.
After all the large tar/bugs areas are clean I wash the car below the water line with a grade 2 sponge. In one bucket I have soapy water and clean water in the other. After each wash I rinse the sponge before placing it back in the soapy bucket. Then I wash the wheels with a 25/75 Simple Green mixture using a grade 2 sponge. I mix it up in a bucket, this is why I need a third bucket. Again rinse well.
Now come the final wash. Dump your two buckets and fill with clean rinse water and soapy water. Wash the entire car how you usually do.
To dry the car I have fallen in love with the "water blade." While it doesn't eliminate a towel it removes a majority of the water. For drying I have found old t-shirts work well, don't leave lint or scratch(and you usually don't have to buy).
I think thats about it. If you drop a sponge don't think a rinse in the bucket will clean it. Get a new one.
You can keep grade 3 sponges around a while and its nice to have a couple for when you get your car muddy. I also cut up my Grade 3 sponges to use a tire dressing applicators.
I also have lots of ideas about waxing but as you can see my explaination on washing is long. I wouldn't even want to start on waxing.
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