what do you guys use to wash your cars or do you take them somewhere? i bought this armoral kit it has something for the intererior, wheels, tires, and the soap and then this sheepskin mitt.
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2003 Metallic Silver Cobra Coupe - Borla Stingers/Bassani X, Steeda CAI, SFPHQ 2.76/100MM Idler, Predator Tuner, MGW Shifter w/Blue Handle, Fiore Firewall Adjuster/Clutch Quadrant, COBRA SS Inserts, 5% Tint All Around
I like you use zip wax car wash by turtle wax. But the stuff you got is good too. As far as wax I use Mequirs gold class....good stuff. It's good you got a sheepskin mitt. Sponges can actually hold small particles that could scratch your paint.
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02 5spd mustang 2 chamber delta flows o/r H pipe P&P 65mm TB & Plenum pro 5.0 FMS 4.30
I work at a professional detail shop, and I will shed the following light on the situation:
Armorall isnt good. Refer is right. The petroleum will not only dry out the vinyl, but it will also make dirt and dust stick to the vinyl, thus making it dirty quicker. What we use is a product called Vinyl Shine, made by Zep. I dont know if this is available non-commercially, but it works great. Meguiars isnt bad to use, as it doesnt contain the petroleum like armoral. Another tip: when you use a vinyl shine, use an air compressor and a rubber tipped nozel to spray the liquid into the vents and cracks. This will eliminate where you can see unprotected vinyl due to not being able to get the cloth in the crack.
As far as the outside, unless you own a pre-clearcoated car, you might as well throw that wax out the window of your stang next time you are doing 120+ mph. Wax has no place in new cars. Clearcoat replaced wax. Wax was used to protect the paint from rust and dirt. Clearcoat does essentially the same. Plus, when wax gets hot, especially on dark colored cars, it melts, kinda like a candle. Then, when you go cruising, all the dirt and bugs stick to that wet wax, and then are stuck to the car. Paste wax is the worst. If you want to make your car look good, you need to get rid of all the wax you have on it first. First, use a pressure washer and get off the loose dirt. Then, use laquer thinner. I know this sounds scarry, but trust me, if your car has clearcoat, it wont hurt it. Wipe the car down completely with this. If there is a lot of wax on the car, the cloth you use will get really yellowed from the wax. Keep folding it if it is dirty. The last thing you want to do is scratch the car with the dirt you pick up. Once you wipe down the car, you will notice that it feels a little smoother. Then, if you really want a nice finish, get some detailing clay, made by Wizards products. Rub out the entire car with this, using water or cheap glass cleaner to lube the clay. If you try it dry, the clay will stick. The clay will remove overspray and most of the dirt that gets imbedded in the clearcoat. Also, it will remove water spots. Finally, go to Walmart and buy a can of Speedbead or another form of aerosol spray wax. I know i said not to use wax, but this appies such a thin layer, you wont really be effected by it. If using this wax bothers you, you can find some clear coat protectants at some parts stores. Most of these are applied with a air sprayer. They work great, if you can find them. When applying any final finish, pick up some microfiber cloths. These work great, and are nice for not leaving lint and other deposits behind.
If you have a buffer, whatever you do, DO NOT buff the car without first wetsanding, or using clay on it first. You will pick up the dirt in the paint, and swirl the heck out of it. I recommend wetsanding with 2500 grit wet/dry sandpaper lightly with a sponge. Wash off the white film that forms (this film is actually dead clearcoat). Then, use a fine buffing compound. DO NOT use heavy cut compound, as this can swirl the paint too.
When you wash the outside, do NOT use household dish soap. This can wreck the clearcoat. Buy the armorall or other forms of soap made especially for cars.
Umm...I cant think of anything else offhand, but if you have any questions about cleaning the inside or out, just let me know. I can give you some advice.
I have been a professional detailer for many years on both automobiles and aircrafts. I am now a PPG certified painter. Brando's advice wasn't too bad up until he said wipe down the car with a rag and lacquer thinner. What are you smoking crack or are you just trying to see who would actually be dumb enough to do this on here? Thats horrible. I don't really agree with much else you said either, and don't care to add on it. However, about the buffer and scratching. Whether you choose to wetsand your car or not with fine grit is up to you. But take caution because you do not know how much clear is on it, if it has been buffed before, or for older cars if the clear has faded over the years. I'd generally only sand any areas that have surface scratches. I'll give you a bulletproof method for your buffing flaws. The reason you get swirl marks is because the panel hasn't been cleaned. Not because it hasn't been wetsanded or such. First and foremost even if you do wetsand it, it should be cleaned extensively because dirt will get under the paper and scratch it. A fine compound is fine depending on your application. After you are done buffing, for dark color cars, wipe the panel down extremely good with water and a very soft paper towel. Use seperate towels for drying and washing. Once you got all excess compound off the panel or any smears I would like to recommend a product that 3M makes called 'swirl mark remover'. Switch the pad on your buffer to a new one that preferably isn't used with compound and go back over the panel. This is a MUST for black cars. I buff cars every single day freshly painted and/or detail purposes. And my method works great and I never have a problem with swirl marks or the such.
Also Brando i'm not trying to cut you down, but I don't see the logic behind how 'dish soap will hurt your clear coat but lacquer thinner won't?'
Some more notes:
IMO, anything that Zep makes is a good product. Also I heard the rumors about armorall the other way around, that they used alcohol in their wipes and they'll crack plastic over time? Who knows...
Also if anyone is interested in what I think is one of the best waxes out there. Liquid Glass owns!
< Message edited by zennx -- 12/13/2004 1:14:35 AM >
has anyone seen a post on a mustang forum I believe the title is "chipstick" it was like a 4 post long set of intructions on how to wash you car without scrathcing it. Invovled like fill a bucket with towels and soap and then after you use one towel to wash your car put in in a laudry basket and don't use it again till you clean it.... it was nuts he said it took like 6 hours to wash his car. Anyway... I can't find it now and it's bugging me.
Posts: 191
Joined: 8/30/2003 From: St. Charles, IL Status: offline
i work at turtle wax, and im not promoting our products. i prefer meguirs gold glass wax. both t-wax zip wax and meguires NXT gen car wash are awsome soaps. also about wax having no use on a clear coat. sounds like b.s. everything ive heard and everyone ive talked to says it protects the clear. i taken cars down to the clear with a special chemical we use before buffing and its not smoother. it safely removes all the wax (not like laquer thinnner) but a bare clear coat isnt smooth. its like rubbing your hand across rubber, it "sticks" after even just a wax its shines and feels so much better. just my profesional observation.
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I just got a firm grip on reality, now i can strangle it!
As far as what you said zennx, no, i am not smoking crack. I've detailed many cars with these methods. Just wiping down a car with soap and water wont always get all of the dirt out. A lot of the dirt gets embedded into the clearcoat when you drive down the road. Most of the cars we do we only wetsand scratches, but if you want a showcar appearance, the factory clearcoat alone wont be smooth, as Shaggy said. This is where you lightly wetsand the car out. If you use a mix of water and soap to lube the car when you wetsand, you wont leave any big scratches. Small scratches will be noticeable, and you'll see a whitish speckeling to the paint. This speckeling is the high spots getting sanded off. Then, when you buff the car, it will fill in these microscratches and give it a shinny, and smooth appearance, unlike buffing alone. I have nothing against those wax removers that you can buy in the store either, but i cant justify spending 2 to 3 times as much as laquer thinner for essentially the same product. The laquer thinner will also remove the rubber from the sides of your car after a burnout.
Another thing I forgot to say in my original post was not to let the water dry off in the sunlight. This will leave waterspots. Even if you go to a carwash, which, if you do, only go to touchless ones, stop and wipe down the car with a microfiber cloth to remove any excess water.
dont go through the automatic car wash. i went through one and it sprayed so hard it went through my trunk and got my husbands 2 day old kicker 600 amp wet. he was pretty ticked. it shut off for about a week so we thought it was blown or whatever, but it started working again. He was lucky, im never going through one again though.
the seals in the trunk must be gapping and allowing water to enter. also the trunk on my stang never gets wet even when i spray directly at the cracks with my hose. i get all under the spoiler and every possible angle to clean around the trunk. if water does enter, it is cought by the grooves by the trunk spring and actuator running on the side, and the water exits out when the trunk is opened. water will only enter if the rubber seal is loose like it happens sometimes around the windows. none of this has yet to occur on my 99 stang. sorry this happened to your car. the only suggestion i have is replace your seals and dont be afraid of the car washes. i dont use them, only because i care enough about my car to wash it myself. last thing though, never. never use the car washes that have brushes. if you do, your paint will get so f*cked up and it will rip off your antenna.
I am a detailer and I use Meguirs Gold Class car wash. Also use there new line of waxes NXT Next Generation, because I like the finish with no residue. And Black Magic for the tires. Interior no Armor All on dash will destory it over time. Just keep it clean with a dry towel.
nice thanks a lot guys. this was very informational, i think i'm gonna go with the Meguiars Gold Class package they got, and oh yea where can you get something like that, like any stores or do you gotta go online?
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2003 Metallic Silver Cobra Coupe - Borla Stingers/Bassani X, Steeda CAI, SFPHQ 2.76/100MM Idler, Predator Tuner, MGW Shifter w/Blue Handle, Fiore Firewall Adjuster/Clutch Quadrant, COBRA SS Inserts, 5% Tint All Around
Team MF Member #420 Posts: 14534
Joined: 7/24/2003 Status: offline
The laquer thinner suggestion cracked me up. Don't be dumb and clean your car with laquer thinner.
Simply use dish liquid or a wax stripper you can buy at any parts store. Then use a clay bar like everyone has stated, which will get the rest of the contaminants out of your paint. When you've completed these 2 steps you can take your hand and simply try sliding it down a fender or your hood. It's not going to do it very well and it's going to squeek a whole lot without much pressure at all, that's when you know she's clean of wax & dirt...
I also have to laugh about the comment about don't bother waxing...heh. Are ya smoking crack man....you said dish liquid will damage your clearcoat...ahaha, but WTF, won't the sun & acid rain from our polluted skies do far more damage than dish liquid ever could (and it doesn't even hurt a thing). The whole purpose is to protect your clear coat, which your clear coat protects your paint...uhhh so hm, yeah. Wax your car, Zaino is just about the best on the market regardless of what anyone else says. You need wax that contains polymers, they will give your clearcoat/paint a shine like you've never seen before.
As for the buffing comments by Brando, duh... if you take all your wax off and clean your clear coat clean of crap with a clay bar, you don't need to wetsand anything, which by all means I would advise against wetsanding for anyone who hasn't done it before, as you can make a bigger mess of swirls and damage than you'd want to admit to. So if you have a buffer, it's perfectly fine to use the steps I listed above, with skipping the whole wetsanding process. Man, I sure wouldn't take my car to you to be detailed, I think I'd be better off letting my little nephews throw rocks at my car.
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Black 04 Cobra For Sale. Will trade for 93 older/non 4-eye fox + $$.
Whats so funny about the laquer thinner? My boss has been in business for over 20 years, and has always used laquer thinner. IT WILL NOT HARM THE PAINT!!!!!!!!!!!!! We just detailed a squad car yesterday. The only problem with using the laquer thinner was that it tried to take the stickers off the outside. And I'm not talking about the ones that are embeded in the clearcoat, im talking about the vinyl stickers stuck over top of everything. The laquer thinner doubles as a tar & rubber remover too. Those cops must really burn out a lot because they sure have a lot of pieces of rubber on the sides of the car.
If you guys don't believe me, go ahead and spend 3-4 times as much for some "Magic wax and adhesive remover" from walmart or a parts store. I guarentee you that the laquer thinner wouldn't be any worse on the paint than these solvents. And as far as saying dish soap will work as good? Good luck trying to get rubber, old wax, or stuck on bugs off of the car.
Then, after that, go ahead a stick a nice thick coat of PASTE WAX on your car. Sure it will look good for a week or so, but then just wait until the sun starts beating down on the car. It will soften the wax. Then, when you go down the road, or even just let the car sit, all of that dirt floating around the air will stick to it....yeah....great idea. Plus, not even including the dirt, the wax alone will dullen after a couple of weeks. Why do you think your car looks so nice after you stip off all the old wax? Let me let you in on a hint: THE WAX IS THE PROBLEM!!!!!
THERE IS NO PLACE IN TODAYS CAR PAINTS FOR PASTE WAX OR HEAVY APPLICATIONS OF WAX
Wax was used to protect the paint on older cars. These cars didnt have clearcoats on them. Now, clearcoats came out on the market, to protect the paint. You dont need to protect the clearcoat. Thats what it is for, to protect the paint. If that was the case, you would never be able to stop applying protectants. Because, what would protect the wax? Thats to protect the clearcoat that protects the paint? WOuld you put another wax over the wax? Think about it. Also, have you ever realized how hard a clearcoat is? You dont need all of these products to protect the paint from dirt. Plus, do you think a soft paste wax that has a coat about .00001 thick is going to stop a lot of rocks and other damage? I sure as heck dont.
Hey Dan- You go ahead and clean up the outside of your car any way that you want want, and i guarantee that my detailing will look better to start, be smoother, and hold a shine a heck of a lot better. The clay will remove contaminants from the paint, but it sure as heck wont remove scratches or high spots from spraying the clearcoat.
Also, ever so smart one, wetsanding doesnt make swirls, its the DUMBA$$ who goes and takes a buffer to a car that hasnt been properly prepped (i.e. not WETSANDING)
Take your car to whoever you want, because I've heard of a lot of people who are "professionals" who use the half a$$ methods you listed.
Let you little nephew throw some rocks at your car. And stand by it too. Maybe he'll hit you and knock some sense into you!
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washing your cars - 
RE: washing your cars - 
