Why are you still waxing your car?

[legacy2005]

Taking it to atlanta would be redundant unless it was transported in a covered trailer.

 

i wouldnt call it redundant, having it detailed professionally will give you a good working surface to start with so that you can take it from there. by letting the pro's do the clay bar/cut/buff/wax you will have a nice finish to work with next time you go to wax/polish the car since all the "hard work" is done.

 

i had actually been thinking of doing the above for the first treatment on the car. so that i have a good work surface to start with when i do my first wash/sealant application.

[OCDetails]

I detail a lot of cars while it is raining or snowing outside. Like legacy2005 said, at least the car will just need to be maintained after that. The car will get dirty again regardless of where you have it detailed. Getting all the swirls out and the contamination off is the key thing. Those won't all come back on the drive home. Wash it after you get back and it will look good as new.

[Jerboa113]

well, you may have already said, but how do you recommend washing it? currently I use lambskin mits with armorall concentrate carwash and tap water, I dry it off with a "the absorber" "shammy" but I just feel like I'm not doing something right there. on average washing my car just a normal wash w/o wax can take me about an hour and a half to 2 hours. I use stoners invisible glass on the windows with newspaper to dry em. I wash it in sunlight but I do 1 panel at a time top to bottom starting with the roof down to the rims. I don't let it dry before it gets in the garage where I do the rest of the cleaning. I used to use tire shine, but simple green gets them good 'n black naturally and theres no sling off when theres no treatment on them, so I haven't been treating my tires for a long time.

 

I dont like to wash my car because I always feel like I'm not putting enough effort into it. It's HOT here in the summer and too cold for me in the winter so I dont like spending a long time out there working on it, and I worry about contaminents in the mits, no matter how many times I wash them theres always some grit or grime that gets in it that just wont come out, plus what about laundry detergents that get in the fibers and dont come out damaging the paint? this is why I try not to worry about it, it can consume your thoughts lol

[OCDetails]

I recommend a double bucket method with a wool wash mitt. Never use a sponge to wash the car. Sponges will trap dirt and redeposit it on your car and drag it all over the paint. That is one way to get some damage in a hurry. Any wash mitt will trap dirt, wool mits will rinse much better than a sponge. The double bucket method is when you have a bucket for your suds and a bucket for your rinse water. Before you go in for more suds you dip the mitt in the rinse water. That way your wash water stays cleaner and you decrease the risk dragging dirt over the car.

 

I just bought a new bucket with something called a 'grit guard' at the bottom. It's basically just a grill on the bottom of the bucket that keeps the mitt from touching the actual bottom of the bucket where the grit is hiding out. I'm tellin ya, this is the Ferarri of wash buckets. Check this action out...

 

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b182/OCDetails2/DSC03521.jpg

 

Now that is what I call a wash bucket. It has a lid with an extra padded top so I can spare my knees while working along the lower panels of huge ass SUVs too. It's going to be great. I am hoping that this will help reduce wash damage even more in addition to rinsing the mitt between dunks.

[Jerboa113]

thanks, yea we usually use empty chlorine buckets from the pool THAT HAVE BEEN THOROUGHLY CLEANED! heh, have to specify that.. using a chorline rinse can't possiblly be good.

 

the two bucket thing however is something I haven't done however, although it certainly doesn't sound like anything that will increase time.

 

I like the seat on the bucket idea also, but it seems like it will get wet from constantly removing the top and putting it back on. I have a small stool on wheels that I use in the garage to work on my way too many projects and it has proven to be invaluable, especially when doing brake work.

 

So in summary from the pic: cool bucket, cute kid, awesome swords, looks like.. LOTR collection?

[OCDetails]

Yeah, that's my other hobby. I'm not exactly a nerd, but I do like swords. Some of the LOTR swords were just too cool not to have.

[2Simpletons]

Yeah, I think I've got the Glamdring.

[john_knoxville]

Getting all the swirls out and the contamination off is the key thing.

okay, a couple lingering questions after reading this entire thread, and ocdetails.com (ocdpharmacy seems to be on hiatus, btw)

 

1. can you list all found-in-stores/off-the-shelf polishes (if any) which can be used with the PC for mild/medium swirl removal with satisfactory results? meguiar's step 2 okay?

 

2. is meguiar's step 1 "paint cleaner" an example of a pre-wax cleaner that you referred to for preparing the surface for bonding with a sealant (nxt, for example), or does the product have to have "pre-wax cleaner" in the title? does dawn detergent do the same thing?

 

3. since you own a LGT, could you post a pic (or series of pics) which shows (for retards like me) exactly which engine parts should be covered, and any other steps which would make detailing the LGT boxer engine less intimidating to a novice?

 

thanks for any and all help

[OCDetails]

Yeah, OCDPHarmacy got nuked last spring. I got tired of people calling me 'biased' just because I wanted to have a store where I could offer the best products at the best price. So screw em... If they would rather pay more and get advice from someone 'non biased' then so be it. Anyway, I had to republish the site a couple months ago and for some reason it published an old version with those links there. I need to fix that....

 

1. Hmmm... well, the numbered Meguiar's products in the maroon bottles aren't really what I would suggest for swirl removal. If you can find #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish (DACP) then that would probably be the best one. If you can't find it at PepBoys then call a couple auto paint supply stores Most of those are either Meguiar's or 3M distributors. DACP would most likely be found there. #80 is another good choice. I've got a scale of the Meguiar's polishes on OCDetails in the Guide to Detailing. I've got them rated on a scale of 1 to 10 by abrasiveness.

 

2. The Meguiar's 3 step product (Deep Crystal System) are designed for hand use. They won't do the job of heavier polishes, but they can get some level of result by hand. With a PC they are more effective, but even their #2 step is pretty mild in comparison to #83. It isn't the products that are important anyway. As long as you are cleaning, polishing, and waxing then you are doing good for your car. They put the paint cleaning before the polish, but you can do it in reverse order too.

 

Paint cleaner is going to be way more effective than just Dawn. Dawn will remove wax and oils off the surface, but it won't remove fillers from polishes or oxidation. It won't remove the rust stains from IFO either. Dawn is a great wash to use before using a paint cleaner, but it isn't a replacement.

 

3. I'll have to do that probably this spring when I bust out and detail the engine again. The last time I detailed the engine I only covered the alternator. The resto of it I just avoid spraying with water. I clean most of the engine by hand and not with a fire hose. You really should avoid spraying the engine directly on any car. I have seen alternators literally start on fire because there was some degreaser in there and after about 15 minutes it just ignited. That was his lesson to never try detailing a hot engine I guess... Anyway, I'll get better detailing process picture this spring. I've got a lot of detailing to document this year.

[sframs]

OCD thanks for the read. your websites is next on my list to read. lots of good info.

 

i live in an apt building that doesn't allow tenants to wash their car. i take my car into a touchless car wash. after the car wash should i apply the sealant then? or what should i do after the car wash.

 

thanks

[AMBIVALENCE]

uhhhh... touchless does not clean ur car...

It only makes ur car look clean.

 

Suggest you find a friend's house and borrow his driveway.

[kelly]

subscribe

 

Kelly

[brad32]

Question for OCD. Due to boneheaded contractors painting metal silo structures next to my place of work, I got gray and white overspray settled on my 2 week old clay bar and NXT wax job. The overspray would not wash off but a clay bar and detail spray did get clean it off. Now it looks like the dumbasses are painting in the wind again today, and I'm going to have to clay again.

 

Will repeated clay bar usage damage my paint? I am liberal with the detail spray, but am concerned that I am wearing off the clear coat. Clay Magic being used.

[OCDetails]

Clay doesn't remove anything from your car other than contamination on the surface. It may remove some of the NXT that you applied, so you will likely have to rewax after you clay, but other than that you should be fine.

[bosco]

years ago at work we had some large steel roofs, 100' dia., blasted then spray painted. needless to say 40 cars as far as a 500' away got overspray on them. the really bad part was the paint used was two part epoxy. nothing would take it off. we contacted a company, can't remember name, that goes around the country cleaning paint damaged cars. they used pure carnuba paste wax and a straight edged razor blade with holder to remove overspray. it went like this, wash car, apply wax to surface 2'x2' section, use razor blade (razor was dulled using a barbers leather strop) pull to you lightly along surface. the wax acted as a lubricant the blade removed overspray. this worked very good no damage to finish. the reason i posting this is i don't think clay will remove a two part paint. bosco

[OCDetails]

Not fine grade clay, but there is an overspray clay that is more appropriate to use on industrial overspray. There are also other ways to get the overspray off. On seriously damaged surfaces I use an acid bath that dissolves much of what you would clay. It is safe for the paint, but not for anything else on the surface. It isn't a product I would recommend to someone just getting the hang of claying, but there is more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to overspray removal. Like bosco pointed out, there are some things that are going to require a little more 'oomph' than just a normal fine grade clay bar.

[OCDetails]

Since many car wash owners have signs that say 'no bucket washing' around here, it can get a little tricky doing it that way. I used to be in that boat too and what I did was look for a car wash that had a broken bay. You can always tell because they have barrels in front. I'd go in there to bucket wash and then pull it around to a working bay to rinse. Then I'd pull it back into the broken bay to do the waxing and everything. It worked out well and car wash owners didn't really mind. After all... I was paying to rinse.

[outahere]

....NXT is a really good off the shelf sealant. It is the only product that compares in looks to Zaino if you ask me. Zaino is a very popular sealant that has a cult-like fan base. I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate me comparing a product like NXT to their beloved Zaino juice, but it is true. NXT looks great. It isn't a sealant that you can layer very well though. It has micro abrasives in it and some paint cleaning qualities that would remove other layers on the paint. NXT is the closest thing to a true one step product that I have seen on the shelf. It will clean paint, polish swirls (and fill some) and offer a durable sealant. What could be better?

 

The July issue of Consumer Reports has some test results on liquid and paste waxes, and I was surprised to see that the NXT waxes did not score highly overall. Both the NXT liquid and paste were rated only "fair" for durability, but the paste had an "excellent" rating for gloss, the liquid had a 'very good" rating for gloss. The paste had a "fair" rating for hazing the clear coat, but the liquid was less harmful, with a rating of 'very good".

 

Of the 17 liquid waxes tested, the top overall scorer was Black Magic Wet Shine (but it was criticized for being somewhat difficult to use).

[OCDetails]

Consumer reports is often wrong.... It doesn't sound like they were making fair comparisons anyway. You can't put a synthetic against a carnauba and expect to see comparable results. I'll have to check the issue out and see what they said. I hate it when people who don't know the difference between a synthetic wax and carnauba are reviewing products telling people which is better.

[AMBIVALENCE]

ehh. so whats the cons for synthetic against carnauba?

I thought it last longer and give a better protection, attract less dust, but where are the cons?!? less shine and what else?

[OCDetails]

The only cons for carnaubas versus synthetics is that carnaubas typically don't last as long and due to their oils they tend to attract more dust. Synthetics are enginered to last longer and definitly look different. The molecules of a synthetic are different than a carnauba and they refract light differently. Appearance-wise I can enjoy them both, but for durability you should choose a synthetic. You are looking at comparing a product that lasts weeks to one that lasts months. The OTC synthetics may not be the best examples, but there are better sealants out there that last 3 and 4 months with one coat. That is far better than any natural wax has ever done.

[biz77]

The July issue of Consumer Reports has some test results on liquid and paste waxes, and I was surprised to see that the NXT waxes did not score highly overall. Both the NXT liquid and paste were rated only "fair" for durability, but the paste had an "excellent" rating for gloss, the liquid had a 'very good" rating for gloss. The paste had a "fair" rating for hazing the clear coat, but the liquid was less harmful, with a rating of 'very good".

 

Of the 17 liquid waxes tested, the top overall scorer was Black Magic Wet Shine (but it was criticized for being somewhat difficult to use).

 

I wouldn't put ANY faith into ANYTHING CR has to say. Their panel of "testers" may be testing car waxes today, but will be testing dishwashers, lawnmowers and baby food tomorrow. They are experts on NOTHING, but test everything and almost always get it wrong. This is just my opinion though. If you want an expert opinion on a particular subject, ask an expert (trade magazines are also a valuable resource). Our resident expert is OCDetails. He may not know everything, but knows way more than most of us and he does this day-in and day-out, which makes him a more reputable source than the person that was evaluating vacum cleaners yesterday.

[mwr]

I know this is an old thread, but I just got a 2005 LGT and found this great thread. I'd like to ask if anyone, particulaly OCDetails, has an opinion on two products I've been using for a while that were recommended for lazy people on a detailing forum. Meguiar's ColorX followed by Duragloss 951 Aquawax spray. I find them easy to use with good shine and pretty long lasting. Can I get better results with no more work with something else?

[OCDetails]

I don't have any suggestions that are easier than what you are doing. The only suggestions I have will make your car look ten times better than it looks now, but it will require a little effort on your part. Getting the ultimate shine is not easy nor is it a quick process that just comes in a bottle. There are several steps involved and it will take a little time.

[mwr]

I don't have any suggestions that are easier than what you are doing. The only suggestions I have will make your car look ten times better than it looks now, but it will require a little effort on your part. Getting the ultimate shine is not easy nor is it a quick process that just comes in a bottle. There are several steps involved and it will take a little time.

Let's hear those ten-times-better suggestions! Thanks.