DIY Car Wash??

[johnw]

Depends really on how much contamination gets on your paint and if its cleaned off quickly. If you park at a train station everyday under the sun then probably every 6 months or less :-S. Or like me I have under cover parking at work and garage at home, when I clay once a yr, nothing much comes off. But still feels nice

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[vainbt]

just spent 3 hours on my car....... finally got a chance to wash it ....

I went to the DIY car wash at around 10pm...
spray rinse > cleaned the wheels> two bucket wash (I was the only one... guess everyone out partying .. crusing..)
> dry with the waffle drying towel.. (I noticed some small residues though.. maybe i need to wet it first like chamois?)

drove home and used dodo juice lime prime lite > clayed most parts of the car... still sees some dirts off the door sides.. bonnet was quite clean... > autoglym ultra deep shine to polish the car.........

and then i felt... okay.. i have had enough.. (maybe i have overdone for a car less than a year..)

will do the nanolex sealant in the morning..

crappy iphone photo:

[Corey_R]

drove home and used dodo juice lime prime lite > clayed most parts of the car... still sees some dirts off the door sides.. bonnet was quite clean... > autoglym ultra deep shine to polish the car.........

Hmmm, did you really do things in that order?

Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite is a pre-wax cleaner which then allows your choice of wax to bond to the surface easier. It should be done after claying.
Dodo Juice Lime Prime also has micro abraisives and therefore does your mild polish step in the one go.

Also, since they're both pre-wax cleaners, using them before polishing would also seem redundant.

I haven't used Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine before but it reads as though its a Polish and Sealant in one. (I'm more familiar with Autoglym Super Resin Polish which is a cleaner/polish/sealant in one). Anyway - are you sure that using that is the best prep-step prior to then putting on Nanolex Sealant?

[johnw]

From what I understand AG UDS is a glaze that fills swirls etc not a polish. The only down side I can see from your process is that the prime is gone to waste, but I think UDS would bond to a clayed surface ok.

Takes time to find your own procedure that works

[vainbt]

thanks for the feedback guys..

well.. this is the first time i have used the dodo juice lime prime lite and also the first time i have used clay..

I just thought i should use the pre-wax cleaner first to get rid of the existing wax residues.. and then clay off anything still on the paint.. then before i apply the nanolex sealant i thought i wanted to make it shine a bit more and maybe fix some of the scratches hence the reason i used the polish first.

there is some logic to my procedures but i am not a pro .. any advise?

I have just finished applying the sealant.. waiting for it to cure before i can go out for a spin.. and hopefully take some photos..

[Corey_R]

If you want to get rid of a wax, use an APC (All Purpose Cleaner), then clay, then Lime Prime Lite (if you don't need to remove any swirls) or Lime Prime (if you do), then nanolex Sealant. That'd be my method with the products you have...

Well, you don't have Lime Prime, but if the Autoglym Deep Shine is a filler, then I'd maybe just not use that as it'll simply be removed next time you do this process and all the stuff it filled in will just be visible again. Find an actual polish which doesn't fill to use that before using the Nanolex.

[fuzion]

In order.

APC to dewax the car, or a very strong dilution of really strong car wash.

As mentioned, Lime Prime has got micro-abrasives yes and lime prime lite does not have any micro-abrasives.

If you were to use nanolex on the car i would use Lime Prime, than afterwards follow with Nanolex Cleaner or maybe an Isopropanol to clean the paint.

i would not however have any other product between the nanolex sealant as it will then not bond onto the paint correctly and especially with the Autoglym it will definitely shorten its life and defeat the purpose of nanolex itself.

My suggestion would be to start again, wash the entire car with a strong dilution of car wash or just all purpose cleaner again.

Use nanolex cleaner, follow with the nanolex sealant (if you chose the sealant that is, if you chose the spray still thats fine).

Any premium sealant, or premium wax will not have any fillers inside. Products as mentioned like Autoglym SRP, and also Meguiars/Mothers do contain fillers to hide "and make it look great" but are very short lived (2-3 washes, 1-2 months).

So if you do intend on nanolex'ing the car. Redo it again (no need for clay) but you want one product, and if you choose you can layer you wax a day later over the sealant if you choose too however its not necessary or will bring anymore benefits of protection.

[DDTW]

I live in an apartment and go to the "DIY Carwash" as well.

After washing my 2 months old R about 3 times, I decided to to get rid of the factory wax as it left nasty water spots every time after a rain.

I used Poorboys Pro-Polish with Carnauba.
Waxit - Premium Car Care Products

Then I used Poorboys Natty's Blue Paste Wax
Waxit - Premium Car Care Products

I must say that I am bloody happy with the outcome! The R shines like glass and water beads off easily. Drying after a wash has also became a breeze. And oh, Poorboys smells like bubblegum and always tempts me to eat it!

[fuzion]

I live in an apartment and go to the "DIY Carwash" as well.

After washing my 2 months old R about 3 times, I decided to to get rid of the factory wax as it left nasty water spots every time after a rain.

I used Poorboys Pro-Polish with Carnauba.
Waxit - Premium Car Care Products

Then I used Poorboys Natty's Blue Paste Wax
Waxit - Premium Car Care Products

I must say that I am bloody happy with the outcome! The R shines like glass and water beads off easily. Drying after a wash has also became a breeze. And oh, Poorboys smells like bubblegum and always tempts me to eat it!

Except the difference is your wax lasts 2-3 months.

His nanolex lasts 12 months.

[carcareproducts]

Nanolex Premium Paint Kit will last up to 12 months on your car, if not longer. Combine that with the Nanolex Reactivating Shampoo as a top up you could realistically extend the life substantially more than 12 months.

If you chose to layer your wax on top of this product you are able to do so. However they're are not extra benefits except adding a lot more depth as a Synthetic tends to offer you a Glassy, Wet/Glossy Look.

A natural carnauba wax will give you a lot more depth and intensity with your paint, however very short lived.

You also got to take into mind, lighter coloured cars and even some solid tend to look a lot nicer with a wet sharp glassy look vs a in depth look from a wax. (Well i think so anyhow).