Winter preparations

[99RedDragonCamaro]

I just bought my first Camaro, its a red '99 with the V6 3.8L, and I love it to tears. Well, I picked the perfect time to buy one, just before Winter sets in, yay! I don't have a beater car to drive around while my Camaro sits in the garage so I have to drive it in the snow here in Western Ohio. My query is I'm looking for a good wax/protectant to keep my nice red paint from dwindling away this winter.

Before I do the wax I would like to take care of the minor little nicks and scrathes that I have found since washing it for the first time and also it appears the "top layer" of paint is flaking off around the door locks, I would like to stop that from progressing immediatley. So could someone recommend a good product(s) that can help save my pait job?

-The New Guy [img]graemlins/bowdown.gif[/img]

[99firebird44]

I've got JUST the thing for you. Winter is terrible on your paint finish, and road salt is about the worst thing your finish can be exposed to. Before winter sets in, I'd recommend that you set aside a sunday to clean, polish and wax. First, start by washing your car at your favorite car wash. Do a good job and make sure to get down low. Then, I HIGHLY recommend that you take a clay bar over the entire car. Mothers' makes a nice kit, and so does Clay Magic. After you clay, you'll need to wash the car again. You'll notice that all the bugs and once impossible tar spots are now gone. Next, you'll want to use a polish. Zaino by far makes the best, but Zymol, Meguiars deep crystal polish, and Meguiars COLORX are also very good. COLORX works great for red cars. I prefer to apply by hand, and remember to go in straight lines, up down, side to side, following the concours of the car. This is the ticket to getting rid of the scratches and swirls. Once you've polished, It's time to protect with a wax. You have two choices, a synthetic, or a natural. Natural waxes use Carnauba, a substance the comes from a tree in Brazil. It is very hard and leaves a beautiful shine, but the down side is that it doesn't last long at all. I'd HIGHLY recommend a synthetic wax for winter protection, like Meguiars NXT wax. It's the best synthetic out there! I use it regularly and it does wonders. Apply it with the same up-down motion as when you polished. And remember, use sparingly, a little goes a long way. In summary:

step 1: wash
step 2: clay ($14 at pep boys)
step 3: wash again
step 4: polish (COLORX $7)
step 5: wax (Meguiars NXT $14)

It might take a whole sunday afternoon, but It's well worth it. Enjoy!

[99firebird44]

Oh, and another thing I forgot to mention, get a good duplicolor paint touch up kit. You can go into any pep boys, advanced auto, auto zone, etc... and they'll be able to match your factory paint color. Get those door handles touched up. make sure to get the wax around those areas really well too.

['94firebirdv6]

this was my winter preparation that ive done in the past 2 eveinings.
-wash car with mothers car wash and a few drops of dawn dishsoap
-bug and tar remover
-touch up paint to fix all tiny nicks and thin spots
-wash again with just mothers car wash
-meguires paint cleaner
-meguires show polish
-meguires carnauba wax
-mothers chrome polish on wheels, exhaust tips
then just normal tire shine, window cleaner, and interior clean.
also ive got my old rims with winter tires to put on when it starts to snow

[j_downey50]

anybody have recommendations for a black car? even after a fresh wash, wax, and detailing, it still gets covered in road grime that won't come off with just a high-power spray. winter sucks and my car hates it more than i do.

[99firebird44]

A clay bar works like a miracle for removing tough dirt and tar spots. I'd highly recommend using a clay bar, and if you want to spend a little more $$$, (like $30 bucks) I'd get Zaino car polish. It's by far the best for black cars. Just look at some of the photos at the web site, www.zainobros.com

[99RedDragonCamaro]

Thanks for the replys guys.

I'm doing the wash this Sunday while I listen to football. But I have one more question...after washing my car for the first time last week I found a few scratch marks. They're not too bad but enough for me. Is there some kind of "filler" wax I could incorporate into my waxing job this weekend to help with the scratches. How about a rubbing compound?

Oh yeah, my car is red.

[CamaroKRAZED]

A good compound should get the scratches out, or at least lighten them up enough to where it will be hard to point them out. I really like 3M products for this kind of stuff. If you have access to a buffer, and most importantly experience, then this would be the way to go.

[j_downey50]

Originally posted by 99RedDragonCamaro:
Thanks for the replys guys.

I'm doing the wash this Sunday while I listen to football. But I have one more question...after washing my car for the first time last week I found a few scratch marks. They're not too bad but enough for me. Is there some kind of "filler" wax I could incorporate into my waxing job this weekend to help with the scratches. How about a rubbing compound?

Oh yeah, my car is red.

meguiar's scratch-X. my car is black and it had swirl marks galore. i used that and NXT and there were hardly ANY swirls or scratches at all. it's a miracle cream for your car. :D

[99RedDragonCamaro]

Yeah, I'm a big fan of any 3M product. Quality stuff. I'll have to check them out.

Man, I really hate the winter time. Its hard to keep your car from looking like **** all the time.

Well, I got some nice car wash soap, a clay bar, and some Meguiar's. Gonna buy some rubbing compound tomorrow. I'm ready.

Thanks guys.

Peace.

[GreenDragon]

Have fun man,Its funny how nobody Mentioned Zanio(if spelled that way)But iam happy with Meguiars Gold class [img]smile.gif[/img]

[GreenDragon]

Btw,How much you pay for the Camaro?

[FunkZ]

I don't think you want to use rubbing compound on your car, it would eat right through the clearcoat. You want a clearcoat-safe polishing compound, which will smooth surface scratches in the clearcoat without removing the clearcoat.

[00firebird]

well, if you're looking to spend some money, (around 200$) I talked to an expert who does autodetailing and this is what he recommended for me.

Porter Cable Polishing buffer 7424 (around $120)
+meguiars cutting pad & polishing pad

Meguiars #83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish (use first to clean w/ PC)
Vanilla Moose Wax Hand Glaze (use with PC)
Klasse Sealant Glaze for finishing wax.

with this stuff you should only have to do it twice a year to make it look perfect

[99firebird44]

Meguiars scratch X works miracles! I'd try that first, then follow up with a polish like 3m, zymol, or zaino. It works better if you apply by hand and work the polish in the opposite direction of the scratch.