Is my detailing technique/products ok?

[AusScare]

Hey all,

I've been using this stuff for a while, it's been giving good results, but just want to make sure it's all ok, and I'm not killing my paint or digging in bad scratches, etc. This whole process takes 40mins-1hr tops.

Here is how I use the stuff:

1. Rinse car with hose, spray off top level grime.
2. Fill 2 buckets, one with the Mothers car wash, other with water.
3. Get the blue mitt, use straight arm movements over paint, top to bottom, wash in plain water before re-soaping.
4. Rinse car with hose when it's all covered.
5. Get the brush and do under arches.
6. Get the white mitt and do wheels with rest of soapy water or wheel cleaner if they're bad.
7. Rinse wheels and do a quick wipe of all door jams with the white mitt to get off dirt.
8. Use the chamois to get water off. Throw flat over the roof/bonnet and drag pulling corners (Mighty car mods method). Then just wipe other areas.
9. Rainex glass, wipe with newspaper.
10. Brasso exhaust, polish with terry towel.
11. Vacuum interior.
12. Foam seats with Kitten, then scrape and wipe off.
13. Use Kitten on dash/plastics, wipe off. Leather cleaner used on the side leather bits of interior, but have run out now.

When I bought the car ~2 months ago, I did a cut/polish/wax with the Mothers and Meguires stuff. Should I was more often? I have a massive tin of it...

Thoughts? I also can't get to the inside of the wheels, so if there's a special brush for that let me know.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Most of your methods sounds fine Tim...some general advice:

Make sure those mitts you're using to wash the car are microfibre, as these are by far the best cloths to use because they take dirt away from the surface and your water bucket will rinse the dirt out again.

Check to make sure that kitten stuff you're using on the interior doesn't have silicone. If it does then you'll have to keep using it regularly or it will do bad stuff to the dash.

If you're chamois-ing the car with an actual chamois, I'd suggest dropping that and grabbing a Waffle Weave drying towel (which is made of microfibre) because this will not scratch the paintwork. A chamois can have bad effects if there is still grit on the paintwork when drying, so if you use a waffle weave towel with light pressure you won't have any problems.

Mothers and Meguiars polishes don't actually polish into the paintwork - most of them are a 'glaze' type product where they add product into the scratches to reduce their visibility, so eventually when that wears off you'll need more of it - I would suggest that a proper polish with an abraisive product (I use Menzerna polishes) would be what's needed to get rid of swirls on your car for good, as they level out the paint and get rid of scratches instead of filling them in. Proper care for the paintwork should see MUCH longer results compared to the results of filler or glaze polishes.

Also to protect your paintwork you'll want a nice wax that seals the goodness in and keeps the badness out! You can get stuff like Duragloss Aquawax that is a spray on and leave, and it adds a thin layer of wax onto the car and protects it. It's fantastically easy as I'm finding out, and it gives great looking results. Best of all it's cheap because you only need one spray from a bottle to do one panel, so it will last ages. I'd suggest using aquawax once every 2 - 4 weeks.


Hope that helps mate

Oh and as for the wheel brush...I've got one and I like it lots It's a Vikan brush that CCP sell; it's like 20 bucks. Have a look on their site.

[jasn78]

and come along to the detailing gtg im trying to organise

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...089#post407089

[AusScare]

Most of your methods sounds fine Tim...some general advice:

Make sure those mitts you're using to wash the car are microfibre, as these are by far the best cloths to use because they take dirt away from the surface and your water bucket will rinse the dirt out again.

Yes they are microfibre mitts.

Check to make sure that kitten stuff you're using on the interior doesn't have silicone. If it does then you'll have to keep using it regularly or it will do bad stuff to the dash.

There was nothing on the can that said silicone... and actually after reading the can it says do not use on plastic ahah....

If you're chamois-ing the car with an actual chamois, I'd suggest dropping that and grabbing a Waffle Weave drying towel (which is made of microfibre) because this will not scratch the paintwork. A chamois can have bad effects if there is still grit on the paintwork when drying, so if you use a waffle weave towel with light pressure you won't have any problems.

Yeah I can see how this could happen, if the towel isn't too expensive I will grab one, my chamois is dying anyway.

Mothers and Meguiars polishes don't actually polish into the paintwork - most of them are a 'glaze' type product where they add product into the scratches to reduce their visibility, so eventually when that wears off you'll need more of it - I would suggest that a proper polish with an abraisive product (I use Menzerna polishes) would be what's needed to get rid of swirls on your car for good, as they level out the paint and get rid of scratches instead of filling them in. Proper care for the paintwork should see MUCH longer results compared to the results of filler or glaze polishes.

I took the cheapest option in terms of the cut/polish, so yea it's just the filler type, but for now it is ok.

Also to protect your paintwork you'll want a nice wax that seals the goodness in and keeps the badness out! You can get stuff like Duragloss Aquawax that is a spray on and leave, and it adds a thin layer of wax onto the car and protects it. It's fantastically easy as I'm finding out, and it gives great looking results. Best of all it's cheap because you only need one spray from a bottle to do one panel, so it will last ages. I'd suggest using aquawax once every 2 - 4 weeks.

Yeah I'm using a very cheap wax, but it is very easy/quick for me to just rub it on and buff it off, so if there's a wax that I can apply every 2-3 weeks, and will give added protection/shine then let me know. As long as it's not really expensive!

Hope that helps mate

Oh and as for the wheel brush...I've got one and I like it lots It's a Vikan brush that CCP sell; it's like 20 bucks. Have a look on their site.

Yeah it was helpful, I will have to make an order for one of those brushes, a towel, and another wax, but what sort? And maybe dash cleaner.

So..
http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...fle_wave_cloth
http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...heel_rim_brush
????http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...s_carnauba_wax

Thanks

edit: And some black WOW while I'm at it. http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...ands/black_wow

[Mrk_Mickey]

So..
http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...fle_wave_cloth
http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...heel_rim_brush
????http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...s_carnauba_wax

Thanks

edit: And some black WOW while I'm at it. http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...ands/black_wow

Alrightey!

That waffle weave isn't really big enough for the whole car tbh. I'd spend the extra and get the x-large one - trust me, i didn't want to at first but i'm completely converted because it's so much easier.
the vikan brush is the right one
for wax...you could use that p21s stuff, but personally I'd recommend Duragloss Aquawax. @ $21.95 for a spray bottle that will last you a year if used correctly, it's well worth it. Spray on, wipe over, leave - no buffing.

Black wow is good ja

I'll show you all of this while I'm up in QLD anyway dude

[gregozedobe]

A couple of comments I'd like to add:

A I'd wash the wheels before the arches if you are using the same soapy water for both (likely to have more grit on the arches than on the wheels).

B If you use a clay bar it will get a lot of crap off your paint. Do it after you have washed thoroughly, but read up on how to use it first. Used properly they are perfectly safe, abused and they can mar your paint. Google 'using clay bars' or visit one of the many car detailing sites that have instructions and they'll get you on the straight and narrow.

C Once your wash water (soap, not rinse) gets down to about 1/3 of a bucket left (or as soon as gets a bit dirty looking) thow it away and get a new lot (or if you are ikey use it for your wheel arches). Anytime your rinse water is getting dirty from the muck off your mitt replace it (and consider rinsing your mitt very frequently as well, as you must be getting a LOT of dirt off your car on that panel if it is making your rinse water dirty)

D Final rinse using the "sheet of water" method - more water, less pressure, just straight out of the hose without any fitting is ideal. This ends up leaving a lot less water on your panels( compare with spraying with the usual fine, high pressure jet), which makes drying much easier (see the next point).

E Pat your panels dry using a large, thick, soft, waffle weave microfibre towel, starting from the top. The more you move dry things (towels, chamois etc) across your paint, the more likely you are to add fine scratches. Patting dry means the towel isn't dragging across the paint, so no chance of creating more scratches/swirls.

To paraphrase a very respected US detailer (Mike Phillips, formerly Meguiars, now AutoGeek guru)

"Find a process and products that gives results you like, and use them often."

[SmutsGTI]

Check out the Dodo Juice wax, the smell alone will make you want to do it often, orange crush mmmm!

[DMS_Dan]

Some good tips there. However i take anything Phillips says with a grain of salt after reading how he said you cant apply wax by bare hands. Especially when the wax he tried to use was gold class liquid wax hahahahaha

[Mrk_Mickey]

And just to add...Carcareproducts have a video on how to use a claybar and I've stickied it among with the rest of their demonstration videos

Claybars should only need to be used about every 4-6 months I reckon, unless your car sits under a tree and you don't wax it often.

[AusScare]

Cheers guys.

To add, my car sits in a garage all day, has only been driven in the rain twice since owning it, and dust is the dirtiest thing that touches it usually, so the water in the bucket is never THAT dirty lol..

I'll keep checking up on those products.