Proper way to wash and wax car

[Ender2664]

Honestly, we all know that there are proper and improper ways to wash and wax our cars. I know some methods that I would share, but i would like to reserve this thread for only people that have take a class, or done show detailing or so on so that they can put in there 2 sense. There are basics and there are not so basics. If someone could please explain the processes step by step for the lamen inlcuding water temp, sun exposure, prep, product, whiping style, prefered clothes, and so on, that would be great. Please don't put this is what i do is it right in this thread, leave this for the people that really know what they are doing, maybe sticky if some people put some really good info in it.

[ April 04, 2005, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: Loochy88 ]

[Loochy88]

#1 rule: anything that comes in contact wit the car must be soft

scratches-whats worse? These are biggest enemy to your car's finish. Avoiding scratches is the only way to keep your car looking good. Dirt that you carelessly rub in while washing and trying acts like sandpaper and ruins your finish.

Anything that comes in contact with your car's finish should be soft.

i suggest true 100% cotton towels or even better, microfiber. Ive heard true 100% cotton T-shirts are good too, but watch out for the tags and such.

#2 If you can, keep your car in a garage, if not, buy an expensive car cover. A car exposed to the elements (sunlight,snow,rain) will deteriorate faster than a garage queen.

#3 If you drive your car, you have to wax it. Always have a protective coat on the finish. You cant dodge dirt and bugs, so you have to protect your paint from it.

Washing the car:

when washing your car follow these guidelines...

Use generous amounts of water/detergent, no skimping here, especially if you buy the cheap stuff. Use only detergent meant for cars, no dishwashing detergent unless you want to get rid of all that wax too. Even if you do want to get rid of the wax, dont dishwash your car too often.

Rinse the car down first.

Soap-wash the car in sections: wash the excessively dirty parts twice. Less dirt later will mean less scratches.

Rinse down the car afterwards.

If its particularly dirty wash it twice.

USE TWO BUCKETS. This is the step noone ever does, but it helps the most. one will have your normal car wash detergent, the other will be just water. When you are finished sudsing up a particular area, rinse the wash mit/sponge in the plain water. This will keep scratch causing dirt particles from revisiting the surface of your car. Another approach is to rinse off with your hose the wash mit/sponge before dipping it into the car wash detergent.

WASH YOUR CAR OFTEN! You dont have to wax every time (if you use the right soap). Once a week wouldnt kill you.

Polishing:

Polishing is basically taking the top layer of paint fron your car in extremely small amounts. There are really 3 kinds of polish:
Polish
Cleaner
Rubbing compound
Rubbing compount will remove the most, polish will remove the least paint. Start with the polish, and if that doesnt work, go to the cleaner, then to the compound. Careful using rubbing compound, if youre a beginner, and you probably are if you need to read this, then hand the car over to a professional before going this far.

Polishes remove contaminants on the paint surface. There is a better way, the allmighty clabyar.

Claying the car:

This is done after washing. Youll need a rag, a clay bar (go with mothers or meguiars if you can), and a bottle of detailer (you can just do a 33/66 mix of carwash/water for this). Spray a section of the car with the detailer, wipe the claybar over it lightly, fold the clay bar over a couple tiems, and repeat. When the surface is smooth and you dont feel the clay picking anything else up, dry the section with a clean rag and move on to the next section. Claying the car will not remove any paint like polishing, and will leave the surface looking great.

Waxing the car:

Once you have the paint looking like you like it, its time to wax. Wax is available in three forms: liquid, paste and spray. Liquid wax goes on easier, but does not last as long as the paste products. NXT seems to not follow this rule however (try to find a wax with a high carnuba content). There are a lot of great waxes out there, i use either Meguiars Gold Class or NXT, its up to you to find one you like. I tend to avoid spray waxes, but thats just personal preference.

Those round applicators that come with the paste waxes are great for the liquid waxes also. Put the wax on the applicator and rub it gently into the paint (make sure the applicator is clean... dirt in applicator=new applicator). Apply the wax in a shady area. When the wax has dried onto the car wipe it off with an appropriate rag. Waxing the car in sections makes it less likely to miss a spot. Avoid getting wax on plastics or any other surface than the paint.

Glass:
I recomend plain old windex for this job. Do remember to wash the window before waxing it just as you would wash the paint. Dry the window with a normal paper towell.

Wheels
Wash your wheels just as you would wash any other part of your car, regardless of what finish they are. Afterwards, the correct type of polish is important. Meguiars makes a great polish for mag/aluminum wheels. Apply it as any other polish/wax. For chrome wheels use chrome polish. Painted wheels are treated just as the finish of the car, wax them. Tire dressing can be applied to the tires if you wish, but some tend to fling black residue off onto the fenders.

Under Hood
Spray the engine down with degreaser to begin, careful not to get the paint with that stuff. Then dribble water over the engine and all sprayed parts. Avoid electric components (covering them would work best... with a plastic bag). When this is done wipe the engine down with an old rag. Plastic/Rubber pieces can be coated with armor all for a nice shiny look. Paint under the hood should be treated just like paint outside the car, includeing waxes/clay/polishes.

[ January 31, 2005, 06:56 PM: Message edited by: Loochy88 ]

[Ender2664]

Question for you...when i was and wax my car, if i don't clay it everytime i wax it is there a good product that i can use to strip off the existing wax to put down a new coat or is that not a bright idea.
In another thread they are arguing when applying wax if you should use a circular or back and forth motion...any comments?

[Loochy88]

Honestly, there is no need to strip off the wax thats allready on there. Building up layers of wax will in no way hurt the finish, it will only protect it more. The clay bar will still work even if there is wax on there, and unlike polish, it will not remove the wax, so there is no need to reapply it unless you were planning on it anyway.

When waxing, there is no real correct direction. The trick is having the surface clean before waxing. The other thread stated that you should not wax in a circular motion or you will get swirls. Well, if the paint is dirty, no matter which direction you wax you will mar the paint, if you do it in a circular motion you will get swirls, if you wax in a straight back and forth motion you will get straight back and forth scratches. Dont overthink it.

[shenanigans]

COuple good ways to avoid swirling...

like said 100% cotton towels, make sure its made in USA. Many times cottons form like china and such seem to still swirl cars...

Or even better if you can, avoid towels...

Use a leaf blower to dry, or a waterblade(make sure car is really clean)

And a claybar does wonders...

[00firebird]

i used cotton towels on my car and could tell they were scratching it, started noticing more scratches that werent there 30 mins before.
waxed again few weeks later, using microfiber towels, looked 1000x better without making any scratches or swirls

[InsaneCamaro]

if you have a darker car claybar will put minute scratches in the paint also. Use a shammy over the car first and then blow dry with whatever type of compressed air you have. Different waxes last different times. Also for darker cars get a fine paint polish if will help alleviate the minute scratches. Darker cars also get alot of help by getting buffed every so often. Word to the wise tho about buffing check out the place and check out some of the cars that they do and see how they look swirls are a ***** to get out

[dmw319]

i wash my car about once every 2 weeks, and claybar it about once every two months. works dandy!

[Camarorulz]

I always use microfiber now, it's the best material out there to avoid surface scratches and swirling. I won't let even 100% cotton touch my paint now. Don't wax in circles, and apply thin coats. Claying is the best for removing surface contaminants. You have to prep the paint well before waxing.

I use Klasse products now:

clay with clay magic

Klasse All-In-One: this stuff really cleans the paint up nicely and leaves a great shine

Klasse Sealant Glaze: this is the sealant that protects the paint. If you apply more than one layer there's really no need to wax

Top with a nice carnauba wax like P21S.

If I'm in a hurry I replace all those steps with NXT :D

[ February 01, 2005, 11:36 AM: Message edited by: Camarorulz ]

[DarkEcho]

Heres my write up on Drying, which is where most of the scratches are incurred...

Stop using the absorber, Mine got sandy feeling and I know it got my black paint scratched up. You need to buy a few waffel leave microfiber towels, they dont absorb better but the waffle weave patten has little pockets that allow the water to be absorbed on more sides, so there is more wicking action, anyways. The absolute best way to dry your car is to do this

1. Wax every 3-4 weeks depending ont he durability of your wax, water should beat like a mofo, when the water beads start getting flat (look for this when you are washing inbetween waxes) instead of being very round, you need to wax again.

Keeping the car waxed will help with the second step.

2. When washing the car, spray it down with a nozzle, wash it in sections, spraying off each section after you wash it to prevent soap from drying, and thenwhen you are completely done washing and rinsing, rinse one more time. but TAKE OFF THE NOZZLE!!

start at the top and let the water run from the end of the open hose, this works incredibly well, the waxed surface will allow the running water to sheet off like mad. work from top to bottom and try not to splash.

what happens is the nozzle "atomizes" the water into a mist. with all of these little water particles, the water can all set down on the surface, this allows you to gather more water on the surface. so obvioulsy, use the open hose technique will take off 3/4 of the water if not more, when done right..

so that is by far the greatest drying technique in my book, nothing comes close.. air drying helps because it is softer than microfiber lol but even then, you want to make sure that the ambient air is super clean because the blower sucks in ambient air and propels it toward your car... if your car is wet, and there is dust in the air... your bllowing dust into the water, then when you wipe down, you are going to cause scratches.

air compressors are better but they dont give you that massive volume of air.. I say, use the hose technique and dab/blot up any left over water drops with a microfiber towel. once u get this down washing the car will be lots more fun

[RancidCamaro]

Originally posted by DarkEcho:
Heres my write up on Drying, which is where most of the scratches are incurred...

Stop using the absorber, Mine got sandy feeling and I know it got my black paint scratched up. You need to buy a few waffel leave microfiber towels, they dont absorb better but the waffle weave patten has little pockets that allow the water to be absorbed on more sides, so there is more wicking action, anyways. The absolute best way to dry your car is to do this

1. Wax every 3-4 weeks depending ont he durability of your wax, water should beat like a mofo, when the water beads start getting flat (look for this when you are washing inbetween waxes) instead of being very round, you need to wax again.

Keeping the car waxed will help with the second step.

2. When washing the car, spray it down with a nozzle, wash it in sections, spraying off each section after you wash it to prevent soap from drying, and thenwhen you are completely done washing and rinsing, rinse one more time. but TAKE OFF THE NOZZLE!!

start at the top and let the water run from the end of the open hose, this works incredibly well, the waxed surface will allow the running water to sheet off like mad. work from top to bottom and try not to splash.

what happens is the nozzle "atomizes" the water into a mist. with all of these little water particles, the water can all set down on the surface, this allows you to gather more water on the surface. so obvioulsy, use the open hose technique will take off 3/4 of the water if not more, when done right..

so that is by far the greatest drying technique in my book, nothing comes close.. air drying helps because it is softer than microfiber lol but even then, you want to make sure that the ambient air is super clean because the blower sucks in ambient air and propels it toward your car... if your car is wet, and there is dust in the air... your bllowing dust into the water, then when you wipe down, you are going to cause scratches.

air compressors are better but they dont give you that massive volume of air.. I say, use the hose technique and dab/blot up any left over water drops with a microfiber towel. once u get this down washing the car will be lots more fun

You should change your quote in your sig to say "Live like you were drying!" :D

[DarkEcho]

lmAO....hahah nice lol

[CrosX731]

Is that true about the clay bar leaving scratchs don darker colored cars like black? I want to pick one up for my g/fs black mustang but not if it will ruin the finish.

[DarkEcho]

wash the vehicle completely and make sure to use a democratic, i mean, liberal amount of lube or soap to keep the surface workable, you want your clay to glide easily over the surface, and you dont need to apply heavy force, gentle but moderate force and work small sections at a time, you will probably need to wash again afterwards.

[CamaroKRAZED]

Originally posted by DarkEcho:
wash the vehicle completely and make sure to use a democratic, i mean, liberal amount of lube or soap to keep the surface workable, you want your clay to glide easily over the surface, and you dont need to apply heavy force, gentle but moderate force and work small sections at a time, you will probably need to wash again afterwards.

It is best to use a detailer spray of some sort when claying. It is also a good idea to wash the vehicle again after the claying process is finished. Follow up the wash with a polish or glaze and then a nice coat of wax.