washing car
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Curt Hennig
100+ Posts
All I know is that I have some "Rain Dance" gig going on with my car wash routine. Every time I wash my car it rains even if the weather channels say that there is a small % of rain. I took my car to get detailed on Saturday. It rained Monday morning some oak mold crap. I wasn't very happy.
WithoutAClue
100+ Posts
There is a car wash on the NW corner of Hwy 183 & Spicewood Springs Road
that charges $1 for 4 minutes. Best deal I've found recently...
that charges $1 for 4 minutes. Best deal I've found recently...
The clay bar is good stuff, but it should only be used 1 or 2 times a year. Definitely not every time you wash your car.
I'd recommend washing and waxing every 2 or 3 weeks, depending on how well the weather coorperates. Use a quality soap that is meant for cars. Meguiars is pretty good stuff. Get a good sponge and mitt for washing. Don't just use a kitchen sponge or a bath towel. These will leave small scratches in your paint. Also get a tire and wheel brush
When you're drying your car, again, don't just use a bath towel. Get cotten terry cloth towels or micro fiber towels.
Back to the clay bar. The clay bar basically removes the crap from the environment that gets imbedded in your paint over time. Wrap your finger in Saran wrap and run it over your paint and you can feel the debris. Use the clay bar once or twice a year with the appropriate lubricant..
Polish is used to cover up small scratches, swirls and water marks on your car. Use it once every 2-3 months. Polish should go on after you wash and dry and before you wax.
You should wax your car every time you wash it. Without the wax, you're not protecting your paint at all. There are some waxes that will claim to last a long time, and there are some wash/wax combos or polish/wax combos. Read around online and you can find a lot of information on these and figure out what is best for you.
So basically:
1. Wash and dry with quality products (2-3 weeks)
2. Clay bar (6-12 months) be sure to wash again after you clay the car
3. Polish (2-3 months)
4. Wax (2-3 weeks)
Oh, and don't do any of this in direct sunlight.
This doesn't go into a lot of other you things you should be concerned with, such as the interior. But it's a start. If you are serious about taking the time to protect your vehicle and keep it looking good for a long time, you should be prepared to invest some $$$ into the process. One thing I'd recommend is getting a bottle of a detailing spray that you can use to touch up your car when you come across bird crap or something else. Leaving **** sitting on your car is gonna cause nothing but problems.
For more detailed info, check out The Link. There are also a number of forums online that discuss detailing cars and you can learn way more from them than from me.
I'd recommend washing and waxing every 2 or 3 weeks, depending on how well the weather coorperates. Use a quality soap that is meant for cars. Meguiars is pretty good stuff. Get a good sponge and mitt for washing. Don't just use a kitchen sponge or a bath towel. These will leave small scratches in your paint. Also get a tire and wheel brush
When you're drying your car, again, don't just use a bath towel. Get cotten terry cloth towels or micro fiber towels.
Back to the clay bar. The clay bar basically removes the crap from the environment that gets imbedded in your paint over time. Wrap your finger in Saran wrap and run it over your paint and you can feel the debris. Use the clay bar once or twice a year with the appropriate lubricant..
Polish is used to cover up small scratches, swirls and water marks on your car. Use it once every 2-3 months. Polish should go on after you wash and dry and before you wax.
You should wax your car every time you wash it. Without the wax, you're not protecting your paint at all. There are some waxes that will claim to last a long time, and there are some wash/wax combos or polish/wax combos. Read around online and you can find a lot of information on these and figure out what is best for you.
So basically:
1. Wash and dry with quality products (2-3 weeks)
2. Clay bar (6-12 months) be sure to wash again after you clay the car
3. Polish (2-3 months)
4. Wax (2-3 weeks)
Oh, and don't do any of this in direct sunlight.
This doesn't go into a lot of other you things you should be concerned with, such as the interior. But it's a start. If you are serious about taking the time to protect your vehicle and keep it looking good for a long time, you should be prepared to invest some $$$ into the process. One thing I'd recommend is getting a bottle of a detailing spray that you can use to touch up your car when you come across bird crap or something else. Leaving **** sitting on your car is gonna cause nothing but problems.
For more detailed info, check out The Link. There are also a number of forums online that discuss detailing cars and you can learn way more from them than from me.
That Mr Clean car wash system really is the best car wash product I have ever seen. we have a metallic black car that was impossible to wash and get dry without a ton of spots. I bought that Mr Clean thing that claimed that it would dry spotless, and by God it does. Great product. Basically it is just a filter that deionizes the water, and it just rolls off the car leaving no sediments or anything behind.
Boozehound
250+ Posts
What Bobbs40 said. Except that polish doesn't cover up anything and it acts as an abrasive (a rediculously minor abrasive) and removes small scratches and swirls. Its a mild version of most polishing compounds. I also tend to think that for most practical purposes, waxing every 2-3 weeks is way overkill, and can lead to ugly wax buildup. Carwash soap is meant to not remove waxes, and I can't see losing a coat of wax in 2-3 wks. I'd wax every 3-4 months using a couple (or 3) of coats, with weekly maintenance washes.
I have had really good results with the Turtle Wax wash additive. Earlier advice was right on - use a good washing mitt and sponge, and avoid direct sunlight.
I wax my cars about three times a year. Meguair's Gold Class is the best wax I've found. Both of my cars (Maxima and 350Z) are the Nissan darker silver, and the Megauir's really makes them shine. Again, don't wax in the sun, and be sure the car's paint surface is cool to the touch before you start applying wax. The paste is a bit easier to work with than the hard wax, but both will do the job.
Good luck!
I wax my cars about three times a year. Meguair's Gold Class is the best wax I've found. Both of my cars (Maxima and 350Z) are the Nissan darker silver, and the Megauir's really makes them shine. Again, don't wax in the sun, and be sure the car's paint surface is cool to the touch before you start applying wax. The paste is a bit easier to work with than the hard wax, but both will do the job.
Good luck!
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