Proper way to wash and wax car

[CrosX731]

Okay this is going to sound redundant but I'm sure others would want this request as well. In the past I didn't really care how I cleaned my car because it was a old Audi 4000S. Now that I have a new firebird I want the paint to be taken care of and shine.

What I would like is step by step procedure in order from start to finsh of how you would clean a car. From claying to waxing to drying, washing ect. I'm not sure what product rules out others. example if you clay do you wax after is the clay like a wax? Product brands to use in the list would be appreciated as well. thanks

[DarkEcho]

gimmme a few days and ill post on that lol... seriously though, a few days

[CrosX731]

Cool, thanks Hawk. I'm in no rush with all this snow around.

[CamaroKRAZED]

Here is a quick run down of a step by step process pertaining to your detailing question of paint care.
1. wash
2. clay bar
3. wash again
4. cleaner
5. polish
6. glaze
7. wax
Really, i could go into great detail and end up with a post about 3 times longer than Loochy88's. Loochy88's post is good though, he provides a lot of information that many people here can benefit from. I have been professionally detailing cars for about 4 years now and i am still learning!

[birdman99]

I was gonna post somethin because I myself am a detailer, but it looks like these guys have pretty much covered all the bases.... Good Luck

[CrosX731]

birdman: if you want to post anything in detail as routine step by step cleaning then I'm sure everybody would appreciate it. I know I would. Its good learning everybodys techniques.

[DarkEcho]

ok here goes my write up from start to finish.. ill cut it up into sections ,ill do the wash part right now.. ok

Step One: Prepare yourself!

get on some good clothes, maybe sandals if its not too cold outside to keep from soaking ur shoes... you will need:
1. hose
2. sprayer nozzle
3. sponge/wash mitt of some sort
4. drying cloths (EXTREMELY PREFFERABLY MICROFIBER!! waffle weave is the best at drying, I can dry my entire car with one waffle weave cloth if I do the drying process right.)
5. car soap! (dont skimp here, get some good stuff cause it will last really long time, you only need to pour like 2-3 tablespoons worth of it.)
6. two buckets (YES TWO!)

ok, now that you got all ur stuff, go somewhere shady, i use my garage everytime, no sun to dry the water before i want to, but if you dont have a garage availiable, maybe an overhang, side of a building after sunset or before sun rise, SOmething, you dont want sun touching your car!

if you want to use a self serve car wash, you will have a more difficult time drying but i will provide tips on how to overcome it even so [img]smile.gif[/img] alrighty onto the dirty work!

Step Two: Initial Rinse

this is the easy part, just take your hose and nozzle, blast away at your car from all angles, get as much of the dirt and dust off as you can, the less dirt there is on the sufrace when you start washing, the less chance you will induce swirlmarks into your beautiful fbody finish.

Step Three: Wash!

ok, take one bucket, fill it with clean water, set it aside, you will use this bucket to rinse off the sponge that you use to apply the soap with. this will keep the amount of dirt on your cars surface to a minimun, empty this bucket maybe twice throughout the entire process if you see it geting really dirty (which it should)

take the other bucket and dump a small amount of car shampooooo into it, you should NOT have poured enough into the bucket to cover the entire bottom of the bucket, maybe a 2x2" section like 3 quarters or whatever, not too important just dont use too much. then take your spray nozzle and blast at the soap! you want to really get the suds, you wash the car with the suds, not the water.

get your mitt on and dip it into the soap bucket, go to the bottom and get the mit wet with the water down there, and then on your way out, cup your hand and get a big ol' handfull of suds!, take this and spread it evenly across the roof of the car (you can do the roof as one complete part, do one side as far as your arm will reach and then switch sides, for the rest of the car, do one side at a time.) once you have good soap coverage, gently stroke the paint back and forth turning over your mitt to cut the chance of rubbing in dirt by half. once you have covered all of the paint you want on that side (pillar, and half the roof) dunk your mitt into the clean water and swish it around, the water will start to turn light brown if your car was pretty dirty. go to the other side and do the roof the same way go from front to back of the car not in circles, straight even lines, this will prevent swirl marks.

once you have finished soaping it up on a panel (the roof this time) take your hose with the nozzle attached and blast off the suds, leaving nothing but water on the car (you dont want the soap to dry on the paint.)

do the rest of the body panels the same way, wash from the front of the car to the back of the car, always keep straight lines and rinse the mitt in the clean water after every panel. remember to rinse every panel off after your done soaping and wiping.

Step Four: DRY IT!

this should be easy right? the hard part was washing the car... WRONG! drying is the most dificult part because it is where most swirl marks occur. you MUST have quality drying cloths, microfiber is the absolute best, the squeegee things are ok (except you must completely wipe the blade clean after each pass or you can catch dirt and drag it across your paint) but you will never dry the entire car with just the squeegee, you will need a towel, so just get the microfiber towel and follow these directions, you will clean the car faster than with any squeegee i assure you.

the first step in drying is actually getting your car soaking wet again, THAAATS RIGHT!, now listen carefully, remove the nozzle from the hose, you want the water to be flowing nice and gentle, slow, not snail slow, but about 80% pressure, make sure the water is flowing smoothly, no splashing, you will start at the top of the vehicle and gently "draw" the water off of the roof and down to the lower panels (when i say "Draw" i mean that if you have a big watter puddle on your roof, you can run the water in such a direction as to coax the water to use its (very weak, but still existing) polarity to cling to the rest of the water, this takes some practice but if you wax your car often, the water will bead up nicely and it will be easy for you to get the water to "sheet" off. trust me, it works wonders with the right technique, you can practically get the car 80% dry or more JUST by doing this technique alone (that is if the car is waxed well)

---------Self Serve wash technique--------
if your at a self serve, how are you expected to get that nozzle off the hose to help you sheet? you cant right?! so take the two buckets you used for soap and rinse, empty them and fill them with water from the high pressure sprayer. you can then dump these on the car parts just like a hose, it might not work as well but its definately better than what you would have to do otherwise!

now that you have shed the water off with the sheeting technique, begin gently wiping the water with the microfiber towel. Some say to dab and blot the water, but i find that wiping is more efficient and on my black finish i havent noticed any new swirl marks, even after polishing them out and washing again. again, do NOT go in circles, wipe in straight lines, front to back this will help in reducing any chance of swirls greatly!!

as the cloth gets wet and stops drying (leaving streaks and remnents of water everywhere) turn the cloth to show a dry side and continue, if your cloth gets all the way soaked, your your next cloth (i have two just in case) dry from top to bottom then rear to front or front to back whichever you prefer, make sure to get to windows (here you can use a squeegee more casually for whatevers left over since glass is more resistant to scratching than paint). after that you can dry the windows with your cloth.

once you have dried your car you will feel proud, brand new looking, sparkling paint, smooth and lacking dirt and grime. you will have a sense of releif until... uhoh, your car is bleeding! or crying! or somthing! it will leak from door handles and mirrors, bumper side markers and tailights... this is where you want to either gently pat the panel where the water is seeping out from to shake it out, OR you can start up the car, go for a lap, come back in and wipe up the rest..

be careful after a drive, water will grab onto dust in the air and cling to it getting almost muddy (water + dirt/dust = mud) so, be extra gentle when wiping it up, turn the cloth once to make sure you reduce the chance of swirls. then finish off the whole car..

you can then opent he doors, the hatch and the hood to detail the rest of the car however you like. you can use a cotton towel for the door jambs and hatch tracks, those parts of the car (IMO) are less noticeable with scratches and they get too dirty. lots of dirt ruins the microfiber towels ability to dry without scratching until being washed...

YOUR DONE WITH YOUR BASIC CAR WASH! this should be the basis of your routine, you can then wax and apply sealant however you like and detail the interior/engine bay with whatever you wish to use. this is a great little process that sets you up nicely for waxing and once you get the hang of it, it will come naturaly and you will be set for the rest of your life!


if you wish to wash your microfiber cloths, its favorable to get a liquid detergent (no bleach or fabric softeners!) and put them into the washing machine with the detergent for a while on cold/warm water. you may use the dryer of you want to risk them getting ruined but if you do put them in the dryer, dont use any heat, the fibers will be destroyed and render them no longer swirly-free

i let my cloths air dry, i figure a week or two is long enough to dry out before my next use of them [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hope this help you guys out I have perfected this method over a long time and if anyone has something to add to this, please feel free to do so, I am always looking to better my methods [img]smile.gif[/img]

[cmartin99]

here's a good wash for someone who only has about 3 hours to wash thier car and has to do it in the sun. and no this wouldnt be what you would do before a show, its just the quicker average persons way to wash it and it look really good.

first go to wally world and get yourself a mr clean auto dry deal.

rinse your car, then use normal soap, such as blue coral, or a light dish detergent.Wash it in sections, and be sure to keep everything you have washed wet. After you get all sections of your car wet, switch your spray setting to the suds setting, and cover your car in the suds( do this in section too, if its really sunny and hot.) Then rinse it. Next you will want to switch it to the filtered water setting and spray it all over your car as if you were painting it, this way there is no real need to hand dry it. for the wheels you should wash them with a rag or wash mit and then towel dry them, and if you have chrome wheels let them completley dry and then take normal windex and polish the bajesus out of them. and just follow the other peoples directions to wax it and do the claybar stuff

[SpeedingFirebird]

I noticed nobody mentioned shammies. Opinions?

I have been using a deerskin for years and never noticed any swirls.

[Crashtest]

Sorry if I missed it but, anything to put on stock rims (PAINTED SHOOTERS)after washing to make brake dust cleaning easier?

[LD]

Originally posted by Crashtest:
Sorry if I missed it but, anything to put on stock rims (PAINTED SHOOTERS)after washing to make brake dust cleaning easier?

ceramic pads :D

[CamaroKRAZED]

Originally posted by Crashtest:
Sorry if I missed it but, anything to put on stock rims (PAINTED SHOOTERS)after washing to make brake dust cleaning easier?

Just use wax... next time you wax your car, do not forget the wheels. You apply wax to the paint on your car to protect it, right? Why not do the same for the wheels... not only will it help to protect, but it will also help make them easier to clean.

[ April 29, 2005, 10:29 PM: Message edited by: CamaroKRAZED ]

[Jaymatic]

All of the information in this thread is very helpful and much appreciation is given to those who took their time to post all of that information.

There is just one question I have. What kind of sponge would be best? I'd assume something that is going to scrub dirt from the surface of the vehicle but yet not something too coarse that could scratch the clear coat. Any recomendations on the best sponge to use?

Thanks guys

[Gallstaff]

I like using a mit cause they're soft, easy to handle, and easy to wash and rinse.

[joecool]

Has anyone ever seen this long brush that looks like a broom? It has a hose attachment to it and looks like it would be great for a quick wash. I think the name was "flow through" or something. It was 19.95 at advance discount auto parts.