What to do with my new legacy (cleaning)

[Tidal]

As some of you know, my car is a little over a week old and it needs a bath. Being that old and fresh from the factory. Im curious what should be done as far as detailing goes.

 

Does a new car need to be clayed? Just waxed or is it already waxed?

 

Thanks... I read some of OCDs site but wasnt sure what to do with my new car.

 

Thanks!

[OCDetails]

New car care is pretty much the same as old car care. You do need to clay it. Just clay it and you'll know why. If it squeaks when you touch it then it needs to be clayed. It comes from the factory with plastic sheets over it and that adhesive needs to be clayed off. Not to mention all the crap it picks up in transport and sitting at the lot. It probably doesn't need to be polished for purposes of swirl removal, but as part of a proper process of detailing and to prep it for a sealant/wax I would say it is a good idea to follow up your clay with a polish. It might be waxed from the dealer, but it isn't a hand wax. Most likely it is the same stuff that comes out of the wand when you pay $1.50 for a car was at your local coin op car wash. It definitely needs love.

 

http://ocdetails.com/2012-camaro-zl1-detail/ That is a good example of new car detailing. That car is as new as they come and it was vastly improved with some TLC as soon as the plastic came off. Definitely treat it the same as you would any car. It needs clay and wax for sure.

[Tidal]

You rock OCD! Thank you. I will start reading immediately.

[OCDetails]

My pleasure. Just be sure to inspect the surface very carefully before you put the sealant on. Those protective sheets on the car leave a film behind that doesn't just wash off. (God, I sound like a Zest commercial) Clay might get it off, but a cleaner polish with maybe a little bit of cut will do the trick better. Something off the shelf like Meguiar's NXT, for example. That would be a great one step product for a new car.

 

Anyway, congrats on the new ride!!

[Tidal]

I just want to make sure I read your article correctly. Would you say these are the proper steps?

 

Body

1. Wash (with no wax)

2. Clay bar with lube

3. Wax

4. Sealant

 

Wheels

1. Wash

2. Cleaner

3. Protectant

 

Thanks again for your time

[OCDetails]

Pretty close. You should do the sealant first, since sealants won't bond to waxes. Other than that I think you have it. And if you have the choice then I would use the sealant on your wheels too. Waxes don't last long on wheels, so there is no point in wasting the product. Sealants don't really last very long either, but I've yet to find a good wheel protectant which actually helps in keeping them clean or making them easier to clean. At least, nothing which lasts very long.

[BarManBean]

If sealant doesn't bond to waxes, then why would you apply both in either order? Either you wax and the sealant doesn't stick, or you seal and the wax doesn't stick.

 

Try opticoat for the wheels. I've been impressed with it so far on the wife's van, although really it's only been about 6 months. Expensive stuff tho :/

[OCDetails]

Wax doesn't bond to the surface. It bonds to itself and creates a shell around the car. That is (one of the reasons) why it doesn't last very long. Sealants, however, need a clean surface to bond to. The oils and general waxiness of wax prohibit that, so sealants should go down first. That is an astute observation though. One of the benefits of sealants is that things don't stick to them, so it is logical to assume wax wouldn't either.

 

Personally I have pretty much stopped layering waxes over sealants. Sealants like Klasse certianly benefit from it. Ceramic sealants like CQUARTZ and whatever Opticoat is look a little better with waxes too. Those are absolutely bulletproof products, but they lack a little in the luster department. Sealants like Wolfgang just don't get improved by layering wax on top, in my opinion. I might do two or three coats of Wolfgang to get the best look, but I've found it gets a little muted when you put wax over something like that, so I save the wax for winter projects when I'm using a more durable sealant that needs a little extra help. But everybody's eyes are different, so if waxing over the top of your sealant makes it look better to you, then by all means wax on! I just think it crosses the point of diminishing returns when you wax over certain sealants.

 

I hadn't thought about using opticoat for the wheels. I dont' have any, but I do have the CQUARTZ still and it is really similar in durability to opticoat. Unfortunately (in this case) I don't have anything that really has a brake dust problem, but I maintain a couple M3s and M5s which certainly do, so I'll have to give that a shot next spring and see how it holds up. Thanks for the suggestion! I'm using CQUARTZ on the tail of a Robinson R66 turbine helicopter and it holds up really well under the heat and crud of all that exhaust, so I guess it stands to reason it would survive brake dust.