Things everyone should know about washing the car

[Domestic Violence]

i found some tire shine stuff that has worked really good. i forget the brand, but it's in a black bottle. i think it's like black magic. it has glitter mixed in with the tire shine. you can buy it in blue, red, or white. i bought the blue and have been using it on my car for a few months now. it gives my tires a blue tint and that stuff lasts forever. it doesn't collect dust near as much as the spray on cleaners do.

[chas]

black magic works fine for tires (i apply it with a sponge since too much spins off onto the body of the car). as for wax, i like nu-finish paste. like some other products its not a wax. it does last (not quite a year like it says on the bottle but a couple months certainly). its fairly cheap and easy to find. i also tried liquid glass -- not as glossy. nu-finish isnt very abrasive though. if you need any deep cleaning use a clay bar first. if you are going to wash your car after you have waxed it use something meant for the purpose (i use mequire's car wash but its likely anything for this purpose would be fine). dish liquid takes the wax off and you need to start again.

[Backfire]

1 - Before you apply any finishing products, use a clay bar to remove any contaminants. You may not feel its necessary, but find someone in your area who has done it recently and it will change your mind. Mothers, Meguiar's, Zaino, and one other company offer one I believe. I use a mix of Zaino car wash and water as the lub, but you can use the quick detailers as well. You don't need to do it every time, but your finish can go from sandpaper to glass with this stuff, and it will make the polish/wax you use look even better with a smoother surface.

2 - 100% cotton towels are the only thing that touch my car. Actually, they are much nicer than what I use on myself :D Fieldcrest Royal Velvet or Charisma's are recommended. I use one for washing, and one for drying, as well as applying and removing polish.

3 - Use front to back strokes on the horizontal surfaces (hood, roof, etc), and top to bottom strokes on the vertical surfaces (doors, etc). This will help minimize the swirl/spiderwebing on the paint. I do this when washing and polishing. No circular motions at all.

4 - Don't let dirt and grim sit on your car! Cleaning it often makes it a quick and easy job, and your paint will thank you. Especially if you get bug guts and bird crap on it. They will leave marks quite quickly. I have also noticed that if a dusty or dirty car gets wet, spots generally develop that are a little difficult to remove.

5 - Don't wash your towels with softener or any crystal type addative. They will leave residue or scratchs on the paint. And the softener seems to reduce the towels effectiveness at drying. Use a perfume and dye free soap to wash.

6 - As for product recommendations, I am a Zaino user. I have yet to find anything better than this stuff. It is a little more expensive, but you use much less per coat than most waxes, so a bottle will last quite a while. And you don't need to buy the whole product line. And it is only time consuming the first time if you clay the car. Other than that it takes 10mins to apply, 15-30mins to dry and 10min to take off. And a single coat will last for months. I have used Mother's, Meguiar's 3-step and Gold Class, and Zaino. The Zaino has given me the best results with the least effort. But you can get a great looking car with any of them. Find something you are comfortable using, and can afford.

Now go out and clean your car!!

[9silverbird8]

How about some Zaino? AWESOME product.

[TokFan]

Clay bars are good, but if you are not very, very careful they can scratch your paint.
I use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze insead, it removes contaminants from your paint as well as a clay bar bu it's much easier to use.

For a wax I love Blitz Carnauba wax, I haven't found one with better shine ecept maybe Zymol, but Blitz is much easier to use and much, much less expensive. Use your hand (fingers) when you're applying wax instead of a rag or a pad. The heat from your fingers helps warm the wax and you can also feel directly if you get any dirt under your fingers and prevent it from making swirl marks.

Use a straight line motion and not circles, this will make any eventual swirl marks much less visible.

Also don't wax too often; you will get too much wax buildup. Once a month is good enough.

[Gmoney]

i have my arsenal for cleaning. people say i clean my car too much(2 or more times a week) i say nto enough.
I bought the glosser wipes from walmart($5) so if i dopn't have times gets the car clean i suggest them i have had nothign but good experiences.
also window wipes are a plus.
WASH: Mcguires crystal wash($4)
WAX: either Mcguires quick wax($5)[every wash]
-or- Mcguires three step waxpolish ect.. [once a month]($12)
DRY: ABSORBER BEST THING ON EARTH ($10)
WINDOWS: Invinsible glass($4)
TIRES: Black magic all purpose cleaner($7)
INTERIOR: black magic dash cleaner($4)
RIMS: Mcguires hot wheels($3)
so basically if you sitck to black magic or mcguires you can get all you need to keep a clean car. trust me i know i worked at a detailing shop this is wut we used adn i keep doing it now that i don't work there.
G$

[Steve Caroccia]

ZAINO

[img]graemlins/burnout.gif[/img]

[TheV6Bird]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Steve Caroccia:
ZAINO

[img]graemlins/burnout.gif[/img] <hr></blockquote>

Couldn't have said it better myself [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Backfire]

3M Hand Glaze does not remove contaminants like a clay bar.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>From 3M Site
Non-silicone, non-wax hand glaze. It is used by hand to refine and fill swirl marks after machine glazing. This product has been formulated to work on all colors and can be painted over.<hr></blockquote>

It is designed to reduce swirls which would suggest to me it is a mild abrasive, much like there Foam Polishing Pad Glaze. These products do not remove dirt, but they may "wear" them flat so you can't feel them with your hand. Or you may wind up pulling some of it loose while you buff off the glaze. Clay will actually remove the particles. I have never had trouble with scratching, but you do need to be aware when using it. If you drop it on the ground, throw it out. Kneed it repeatedly to give a clean surface to use. And when it starts to get dirty throw it out.

[ June 03, 2002: Message edited by: Backfire ]</p>

[TokFan]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> It is designed to reduce swirls which would suggest to me it is a mild abrasive, much like there Foam Polishing Pad Glaze. These products do not remove dirt, but they may "wear" them flat so you can't feel them with your hand. <hr></blockquote>
Right, it IS a mild abraisive, though it much much finer than what is generally called swirl removers.
If you have swirlies you better use something stronger than hand glaze unless you want to rub it all day long.
It does not remove dirt the same way as a clay bar, but while polising the surface of the paint it also does a great job of removing dirt, even dirt that clay bars does not remove. It's not the same thing, but if you use glaze there isn't much point in using a clay bar in my opinion.

Of course, even though it's mild it IS an abraisive so you probably don't want to use it every week.

[jonny985]

I also clean too much, gonna wax the paint right off.
Tried the Mothers Clay bar, was pretty impressed but didn't think it was worth the money.
I always do door jams, hatch jam and hood jam after washing
I also wipe out wheel well an put a a little tire gel in there (keeps them looking nice and rich instead of dirty and dried out)
I also tire gel the air dam and undercarrige spoilers.

Washing-Mothers car wash
Wheels-Wesley's Espree
Tires-Meguires endurance tire gel (no spraying on paint)
Wax-Mothers three step (with pure carnuba paste)
Trim-Meguires trim detailer
Windows-Invisible glass or glass plus

[97Pcam6]

EVERYONE MUST get a water blade for their cars. I bought one a while back and its been the best tool I have used for drying my car. It really does cut your drying time in half and it doesnt scratch your car. Very good investment! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Silent Majority]

Zymol user here.