Detailing gurus... guide me!

[special-k]

I realize these topics have been covered before and I've read through the old threads. But, please allow me to pummel the dead horse a bit more.

I've always been fairly low-key when it came to detailing cars. I liked to keep them clean, mind you, but aside from a good wash and occasional hand wax, I never went much further. 80% of the time I would wash it at the self-serve pressure wash... but I would take a wash mitt and soap with me because the pressure wash never got all the surface grime off. A couple times per year, I would take whatever my current vehicle was to a local higher-end detail shop and have them do "the works" on it, to the tune of about $250. The cars always came back looking great, but it became quite a costly habit.

I'm not completely clueless when it comes to washing and detailing methods, but would love to have some guidance to get the best results. For instance, I see some of you are big fans of clay bars, others don't use 'em. Some of you use polishes, and of those, some by hand and some with orbital buffers.

As I understand it, clay bars are for removing surface contaminants that are too-often overlooked. But, I thought polish did that, too? I assumed that since polish was a mild abrasive, it would also do that job of getting the surface contaminants off. Am I wrong here?

My current arsenal includes some Meguiar's products that I've historically used and liked (the Deep Crystal Polish and Deep Crystal Wax), but I know there's better-performing stuff out there. I like the Eagle One Bucket-Free Car Wash, and for touch-ups I also use the Eagle One Wax-As-U-Dry for in-between washes. If anyone has anything good or bad to say about those products, I'm all ears.

The one product that I use and love, and am surprised no one has ever mentioned anything like it, is called Perfect Detail from PPC. I discovered it from some fellow motorcycle owners. It's really awesome stuff on the bikes -- it does the paint, chrome, wheels, plastic... it's really great. I wonder if any of the quick detail or touch-up products that others have mentioned are comparable.

I'm probably going to order some Collinite 845 wax, unless someone convinces me that Zaino is really worth the extra effort?

What I'm looking for here is a few words on best practices. When to do what procedures, such as, do a "complete" treatment once or twice per year including clay bar, polish, wax, etc., with wash and quick wax in between? I would also like some advice on how much polish and wax to use because I think I tend to use too much. What brands / types of polishes work best? Should I get a power polisher/buffer or do it by hand?

Sorry for the long post... hope you stuck with me. Thanks in advance.

[shelland]

I'm not saying its the "right" way, but my full detail consists of the following:
[list=1][*]Wash (using Dawn if you really want to get down to the surface)[*]Clay - Clay Magic (make sure you never clay unless you plan to get it waxed before you drive again)[*]Wash again if I'm really energetic (which I'm normally not)[*]Polish - Meguiar’s No. 7 Show Car Glaze[*]Wax - Meguiar's No. 26 Hi-tech Liquid Wax or Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax[/list=1]

When I wash, I use two buckets - I use one and scoot around the bottom of the car on a creeper seat to wash the tires and bottom foot or so. This is to get the really grimy stuff off the bottom without dragging it all over the rest of the car. I then use a clean bucket (and different mit) to wash the rest of the car.

Ideally I do that twice a year on each car - once early spring to clean off the winter grime and once in the fall to provide winter protection.

Then I try to wax about once a month, although I've been slipping on that lately...

I've been following the above for about 5 years now. It takes a lot of time for the "full" detail, but you feel so darn proud when you're done. Plus it gives you an excuse to ask the significant other for a massage that night.

Not sure if your car really needs clay? Grab yourself a plain ol' sandwich baggie right now. Stick your hand in it, then run your fingers across your hood. You'll be amazed at what you feel. Now get yourself some clay, and do the same thing right after you clay the car. Get back to me on whether clay makes a difference. To this day, I do this every time I clay, because it's so darn cool.

[special-k]

Originally posted by shelland

Not sure if your car really needs clay? Grab yourself a plain ol' sandwich baggie right now. Stick your hand in it, then run your fingers across your hood. You'll be amazed at what you feel. Now get yourself some clay, and do the same thing right after you clay the car. Get back to me on whether clay makes a difference. To this day, I do this every time I clay, because it's so darn cool.

I would go so far as to say I'm sure it needs it. Even after washing and polishing, I can feel some "crud" on the paint even without a baggie.

This goes back to my question about polish -- I thought polish was supposed to take care of that? I thought maybe I needed to use a better polish or a power polisher / buffer. Hm.

Oh, and I always wash top-down, and that's why I like the no-bucket car wash. I get the surface nice and wet, a small shot of the wash right on the surface, and the mitt sudses it up quite nicely. One little squirt per section of car. I always do the bottom of the car last, and I do wheels / tires separately from the car.

How about your polishing and waxing techniques? Best way to apply, how much to use, etc?

Thanks.

[BikerJohn]

This is a great post(because it never occured to me to search for detailing info)! Our MO has had detailing (inside and out) done once in its' 4 years(it's an '03). The car used to be my wife's company car for the first two years and then we decided that we loved it so much we bought it from the company when the term was up. I would like to keep it looking great for as long as we can. It's hard with young kids and my work but its' sooo nice when it is clean
The one thing that's new to me is the use of "clay" . Do different companies make that product for use on cars?
I'll be following this thread to learn more about that. Thanks for starting (or bringing it back to life this horse)

[shelland]

The one thing that's new to me is the use of "clay" . Do different companies make that product for use on cars?

There are lots of product options. I happen to use Clay Magic - it tends to be cheaper than the others. (even though in general I'm a huge fan of Maguiars)







This is a great article that I just found looking for pictures: CLEANING CAR PAINT WITH DETAILING CLAY

[BikerJohn]

shelland;
Thanks for the link and info on the clay products. I'll be looking forward giving my MO a clay-job soon.
Thanks!
John.

[Jim D.]

special-k,

Your approach can depend a lot on the color and condition of the vehicle.

Often times, especially for a daily driver, you shouldn't have to spend a lot of time on it.

You should clay at least a couple times a year, as it removes contaminants safely that light polishing won't.

I disagree with using dish soap and I disagree with the need for another wash after claying.

My general recommendations are:

Thorough wash with quality car wash.
Detail the trim (Back-to-Black restorative or a quality trim dressing)
Clay
Cleaner/Polish/Sealer/Glaze/Wax (either multi-step or one-step depending on the color and condition).

[special-k]

Thanks for all the suggestions I've seen so far.

If anyone has anything else to contribute, I'm all ears.