How-To: Clean & Detail

[Cool_Steve]

Not going anywhere for a while? Grab a SNICKERS. Because you are gonna need it. :D

Yeah, so it took me forever but I typed out the definitive guide for car care, and after it came out to be so long, I thought it better just to place it as an attachment. I started writing this while I lurked around here two weeks prior, as I thought I should join and enter the community with a bang! So here it is - proof reading it alone took me two hours, so if it still has errors I just don't care. :p

Enjoy.

EDIT 3/13/08: Since people aren't reading all the way to the last post in this thread where the updated .doc is posted - the one you should be reading and not the first copy, I've uploaded it here as well. The parts I added and/or changed are highlighted yellow – to undo that just simply Ctrl+A everything and hit the highlighter to highlight everything, and then do it again to un-highlight it.

[Keegz]

Great write up!

[KJS]

Wow. Nice.

The only thing is... you forgot to let me know where I can drop my car off :D :p

Good stuff.

[Marleymar]

Great contribution right off the bat brother ^ my sentiments exactly

[dead_cactus]

Awesome write up.

Thanks

[Nutella]

I'd like to read this but I never open .doc files other than my own, for fear of viruses. Maybe you can post it up some other way?

[Cool_Steve]

I just discovered that you can't download the file if you are not a member/not logged in. I can assure there is no virus, my computer is a clean machine. I'll see what I can do about posting it somewhere else.

Lol, if I cleaned every member's car in my area, that would cut out any little free time I have left :p. It would fill my wallet though.

So, I'm at work right now, and forgot to add some things I spaced on. I'll have to revise the .doc sometime.

-Older tires don't take dressing as well as newer tires, and they will keep sucking it up making the tires look as if you never sprayed them at all. You may have to re-spray the tires two-three times and really soak them with dressing until it stays shiny.

-When doing inside windows, like the windshield, make sure to take any stickers off, like your oil sticker, so you can clean everything. When doing outside windows (and when washing and drying), be careful with any decals/stickers you may have as well and don't put pressure on them, as they could start to peel in areas.

-I can't believe I forgot this - for vinyl, you must clean the kickplates too. They get dirty fast, and unfortunately get scuffed by careless owners.

-If you have a bug guard on the hood, you must get in there with the pressure washer to blast out all the dirt and debris (like leaves) that tend to build up over time. You may also have to take it off to clean and wax under it, but depending on how long its been there you could crack the things that hold it to your hood.

-I read this in another thread and its good to point out - when scrubbing carpet mats and rinsing them, pay attention as to not rip off any sowed or glued logos on your mats if they have them.

-If your car is parked near a sprinkler system and gets rained on, you could face getting hard water spots on your paint - many brand new Lexus' here got hard water damage from this during the summer as the water dries instantly, and sometimes not even the best buff can get rid of them.

My lunch is almost over. :( Mike, I'll get back to you later on, but I don't get home until 10pm today. Bowling league. :)

Edit: Wow, I just read over this post when I got home - I sound horrible without the sphell chexerr.

[danny1rod]

great stuff...

[tiffers]

Thanks for your write up!

[danny1rod]

here is a qustion how often should you be cleanning leather seats and what do you think is best to use????

[CulRidr]

19 pages of single-spaced text...WOW. Gonna have to read this in the spring :)

[Cool_Steve]

here is a qustion how often should you be cleanning leather seats and what do you think is best to use????

It all depends how much you use the car and get in and out of it, and if you take alot of passengers and how much your seats get used. You're always gonna be bringing in dirt from the outside. It also depends on color - black and dark leathers tend to hide the dirt more, whereas beige and white look dirty pretty quickly. Perhaps every two/three months would be best, the worst of it gets on the drivers seat on the left and edge areas of the top and bottom of the seat.

To use? Sigh, I'd tell you to use a multi purpose cleaner but that could mean alot of things...to me it means the spray bottles filled with light blue chemical in our shop. If the seats aren't bad, I spray and wipe the chemcial with a rag. If its any worse, I scrub it with a well broken in green pad and then wipe it. I stand by Meguiar's products, I'm sure they have something good you can use.

I've discovered I need to revise the .doc in many ways as I missed things - today again at work I remembered three more things I could have included.

[danny1rod]

is it possible to over wax a car and if so what is to much as what is one of the better waxes out there that you recommand to use????

[Cool_Steve]

is it possible to over wax a car and if so what is to much as what is one of the better waxes out there that you recommand to use????

Hahaha, there is no such thing as too much wax. I've waxed my car WAY too many times to count, and it beads water well which is good when its raining as the water doesn't stick to the paint and when its snowing the snow has a harder time sticking and slides off easier when its wet. Next time it rains take a look at people's cars. There are the ones where the paint/windows have no sealed surface at all - the water just sheets the car and makes it shiny. Then you have others where its beaded up. This is handy for example as after a rain and your car sits, but the roads have already dried - before the sunlight dries the water and leaves ugly spots, take it for a quick spin somewhere like on the highway so the water can fly off.

I have yet to really explore what is out there for polish/wax, because there are some out there that streak, are super hard to take off once put on, and don't provide any real water beadage and/or protection or deep shine. Some work better for darker colors, and some will last longer under certain conditions. Anything I use are things in my shop. We have a liquid type of quick wax, a good quality polish we call Crystal Shine (but again its only polish, not a wax), and the paint sealant/protection we used on brand new cars (the stuff people pay like $300 bucks for). If you clean and polish/wax your car using proper methods and tools, I'd bet a good selection of products would give you a good result. Technique is important, and alot of people skip steps and expect an expensive wax to work miracles, and it doesn't work that way. The key is not to get your paint so bad where it needs an overhaul of a buff and wax job. People bitch when spending alot of time trying to get swirl marks out, but don't spend the time trying to prevent them in the first place - they still use t-shirts or old bathroom towels. I mailed another 'car guy' about this long ago for the best stuff to use, and from all the photos he had of his cars they always looked fantastic.

If I had to recommend one set of products and a process, it would be to start with the Meguiar's Deep Crystal three step. After a wash and clay, use their #1 Cleaner, #2 Polish and # 3 Wax. Depending on the results, one may want to substitute a more aggressive cleaner or different wax. I've always found it fun to experiment. Of course I treat my white daily drivers differently than my darker colored toys.

But even with all the best products in the world, the paint has to be in pretty good shape to begin with. Deep scratches or clearcoat failure can't be fixed with anything but repainting. If paint is dull, polish and wax are a temporary fix.

[danny1rod]

cool thanks alot dude.. one other thing you never really talked about clay bar use's....

[Cool_Steve]

cool thanks alot dude.. one other thing you never really talked about clay bar use's....

Damn u fast 2 reply. I never really covered it because in all honesty, my car never gets that bad where I need to use it, and most cars don't need it unless the paint is REALLY beat to shit and gritty in areas. You don't need to clay all the time, did someone ever tell you that? My car gets washed alot, and polished/waxed more often then most cars as I just can't stand driving around in a dirty car for too long. I've only ever once clayed it, and that was before someone did an all out buff job on it for me. He did such a good job and used a really good wax that three months later my paint is still smooth to the touch, and now if I keep up with frequent polishing/waxing, I won't ever need to clay.

[danny1rod]

^ well I've never used a clay bar before but they say that no matter what you will always pull off dirt with it and should be done before waxing for best results of waxing....

[Cool_Steve]

^ well I've never used a clay bar before but they say that no matter what you will always pull off dirt with it and should be done before waxing for best results of waxing....

Detailing at the end of the day comes down to one's personal opinions and preferences. Yes, a clay bar removes dirt and other imperfections in the paint, as well as fallout (those little rust spots on lighter colored cars). When I clayed mine it didn't really take that much dirt off, because my paint was in good shape to begin with. If I did that every time I waxed my car I'd piss away way too much time. I suppose its better suited for people that don't wax as often as I do, so perhaps when I update the .doc I should highlight that yes a clay bar is important, but not always necessary.

Remember, the more often you do something to prevent something, the less time it will take. Wax alot, and dirt particles will forever just bounce right off the car's finish and will never be able to stick.

[danny1rod]

I'm with you on that one, my car will always be waxed and cleaned I'm like you I hate to have my car dirty and take pride with washing and waxing. I also have no problem telling anyone that might be getting into my car what the rules are while in the car. Even my girlfriend in getting annoyed with it. But she still get's really jealous on how clean my car always is even in really bad weather....

[Cool_Steve]

I'm with you on that one, my car will always be waxed and cleaned I'm like you I hate to have my car dirty and take pride with washing and waxing. I also have no problem telling anyone that might be getting into my car what the rules are while in the car. Even my girlfriend in getting annoyed with it. But she still get's really jealous on how clean my car always is even in really bad weather....

Holy, you must be refreshing this thread every five minutes. :p

Yeah, its such a bitch to keep a car clean right now. Mine's all bathed it salt again. I'll wash it again before I go to London Feb 10th, hopefully it's a dry drive up there. There is no shame in telling others the rules of your car, and how to enter/exit properly without messing it all up. They may think you are crazy, but you're just protecting your investment.

[danny1rod]

Holy, you must be refreshing this thread every five minutes. :p

Yeah, its such a bitch to keep a car clean right now. Mine's all bathed it salt again. I'll wash it again before I go to London Feb 10th, hopefully it's a dry drive up there. There is no shame in telling others the rules of your car, and how to enter/exit properly without messing it all up. They may think you are crazy, but you're just protecting your investment.


you got that right and is wasn't cheap.....but the way it looks, it should last forever and ever knock on wood......

[Shasta]

Very good write up, it's great you mentioned how to be delicate with shampooing. I've seen so many people, experienced and not experienced completely soaking an interior and actually making it worse since the fine dust underneath the fabric and within the foam is lighter than the water, that dust now rises to surface and creates and even bigger problem, so smart by saying just wiping with a cloth first.

[Cool_Steve]

Very good write up, it's great you mentioned how to be delicate with shampooing. I've seen so many people, experienced and not experienced completely soaking an interior and actually making it worse since the fine dust underneath the fabric and within the foam is lighter than the water, that dust now rises to surface and creates and even bigger problem, so smart by saying just wiping with a cloth first.

Shampooing is something that may never have to get done if you keep a car really clean right off the bat. I shampooed the floors once in my Protege, I believe in the summer of 2005. They are still mint. As for seats, I shampooed the edges of my drivers seat top and bottom as that is where most dirt collects as you always enter/exit and rub against the fabric. I usually just wipe it with a cloth sprayed with some multi from time to time. I should inculde that if needed, after shampooing wipe the seats with a cloth as you will more than likely still pick up some dirt.

For some reason I can never get the floors in my 929 completely cleaned without the chemical staining it - it has a far different fabric compared to my Protege. I've done those floors three times, and the chemical still stains a bit when dried. I've even done them with hot water with no chemical, and they still aren't the best - but better when I got the car, as I had salt stains to deal with.

[Myk]

I understand the No Kids in the Car thing, but no Coffee? Aack, can't do it!

:p

[FunkRider]

When I used to work at National Steel car I had to clay my Pro every other week because of the metal dust in the air. blaaaaaaaaa

Excellent write up though! Sweet pro too. Let me know if you ever want to sell.

[Cool_Steve]

I understand the No Kids in the Car thing, but no Coffee? Aack, can't do it!
Lol, most people can’t either. The other day I had two large dd's in a tray on my passenger floor with just a quick three min drive away from my work. Glad I put them there, because a fair bit of coffee found its way out of one of the cups. If it has to spill, I make it go on the floor rubbers as they were already dirty.

When I used to work at National Steel car I had to clay my Pro every other week because of the metal dust in the air. blaaaaaaaaa
The first summer I worked at Heffner’s they were roofing the new building. My one co-worker with a black Civic had to clay his entire car as it got covered in dust. I got off lucky - as the day before most of the dust hit, I had washed/waxed my car so nothing stuck plus I was parked far enough away.

Excellent write up though! Sweet pro too. Let me know if you ever want to sell.
I'm surprised anyone would be interested in a 1stGen unless it was a GT.

[Cool_Steve]

I have finally updated the document to its utmost updatey-ness. I spent most of two days doing it, and the proof read alone took 3½ hours this time. I don’t really have time like that to burn, but now it’s as perfect as it’s gonna get. The parts I added and/or changed are highlighted yellow – to undo that just simply Ctrl+A everything and hit the highlighter to highlight everything, and then do it again to un-highlight it.

With all the time and work I put into this, it may be next winter before I tackle a “winter edition” for car detailing. :p