Keeping your i2 or any car looking great

[Cobb]

So, you dont have 100 bucks to spend on the zainos kit? You dont have 4 friends to split it 4 ways? Thats ok, here are some steps and products I use.

First off, wash your car. There are 2 different types of car washes you should do.

One is with an over the counter car wash that contains a wax, I like the rainx stuff myself. This is for weekly washing, the other is for when you give it a wax job, that you want dish washing detergent. That removes all the waxed previous applied and coatings.

Wash from top down around the car dunking the sponge in the water as you go. Rinse car, wash, rise again, wipe it down with an absorber or sham-wow. I like to use the touchless car washes for just a wash only, then drive out before the dry cycle and wipe my car down.

Next is to clay the car, there are plenty of those kits available. Basically you rub the bar of clay on your car til it slides smoothly with no noises. You spray the solution down first, rub it, then check the clay frequently for discoloration.

You should see it turn black or brown. Once that happens you kneed it over into another clean surface and start over. I end up using a bar at a time. These kits run around 20 bucks. Dont wait for it to become black or brown, soon as it starts to look discolored, kneed it.

Next is a cleaner wax. About 7 bucks a bottle. This further helps to prep the surface, remove fine scratches, swirls, etc. Rub it on, rub it off and check your work.

Next is polish. You want a compound that will be some what abrasive to remove a fraction of the top clear coat where all the imperfections hide. You can use meguiars ultimate compound for example or step 2 of the 3 step system. Zymol is another product that does this as well. If you got some scratches to deal with you want to move up to some type of scratch remover.

Do this as often as needed and check your work to make sure all the scratches, swirls, etc are gone. I like using micro fiber cloths and a small 6 inch buffer and going over a section at a time with a Z pattern. Worse cases you can get turtle wax scratch remover.

Almost last is to apply a wax. A carnauba wax paste is best and multiple coats. Like with shampoo, repeat as desired, usually 3 coats top.

Lastly is some type of sealer, I like the turtle wax ice polish. It works like rain x on all glass, armor all on all plastic. Many spray waxes are good for this.

If you dont want to do all of the above, you can cheat and wash your car, then use colorx. Its an all in one, wax, polish, cleaner.

Ive learned the hard way and been fooled by brightly color boxes, stuff that is on sale and advice from store clerks. Many times what you buy doesnt do anything to fix surface issues, they just hide or fill it in or makes them stand out even more. Then next car wash or 5 they show back up.

I try to wash every 2 weeks and wax quarterly. Once a month I use a spray wax like turtle wax ICE.

Now if you want to remove orange peel, time to get out the da and 1500 grit sand paper, followed by 3000 grit.

[circa1986]

Great writeup! I agree mostly with your list of steps, It sounds like you are polishing by hand, which is probably just not going to cut it for most people. Swirl marks will inevitably be created by poor washing technique, which is what 99% of car owners practice (either they use a bad method, or have inappropriate wash medium/lubrication), and you can literally spend 2 hours polishing a 1x1' area by hand that would take a professional grade dual action polisher mere minutes and not even get the same level of perfection.

My steps would look like this:

1. Wash and dry
2. Strip the paint of any old waxes/sealants with high concentration of Chemical Guys Cirtus Wash and Clear (essentially wash the car again)
Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Clear - 16 oz | Detailed Image
3. Clay bar as described above
4. Isopropyl alcohol (50/50 dilution) wipedown with soft microfiber towel
5. CAREFUL INSPECTION
6. Depending on level of marring, use Meguiar's M105/M205 or Optimum Hyper Spray products (I like Optimum's products because they don't leave ANY dust at all) in conjunction with a Porter Cable 7424XP or a Flex VRG 3401 dual action polisher with appropriate polishing pads (I like Lake Country). Do another IPA wipedown in after each polishing step.
Optimum Hyper Spray Compound - 18 oz | Detailed Image
7. Now your paint is ready for wax. Plenty of different waxes available on the market, but one that I've found to be particularly durable (long lasting) with a brilliant shine is Collinite 845. Your car will literally be beading water for 6 months.


As for regular washing, I tend to use Optimum No Rinse, which uses less water and does a better job avoiding paint marring than even the two bucket method. Usually I use a grout sponge (you can find them at Home Depot and Lowes) because these are very soft, hold lots of suds, and shed dirt debris very easily by squeezing. You do a panel at a time, and then wipe it off with a microfiber towel or two. A helpful tip is to spray some quick detailer when the panel is still wet, like Lucas Oil Quick Mist Speed Wax, to aid in spot free drying.

Products like Zymol and Zaino have been an old standard for quite some time, but in the last few years there have been amazing developments in new polishes, waxes and sealants that deserve a second look. If you want to keep up with the best info available in auto detailing, check out Autopia.org. Lots of helpful discussion of techniques and a lot of before/after shots.

[EDIT]I just noticed you mentioned using a 6" buffer. Didn't see that before!

[Jayemtee]

Cobb, I don't think I agree with going from clay to cleaner wax to polish. That doesn't make me right or you wrong. It's just my opinion. Also, "assuming" one is starting from scratch, what is the approximate cost of the items you mention in a typical auto parts store?

I think anyone with a solid plan can get a good shine, and both suggestions here seem solid. I believe the key is starting with the smoothest and cleanest surface possible, then protecting it the best you can.

Circa, I've been around super nice cars a long time and I admit that I haven't even paid attention to any new paint protection technology in the last several years. At the time I got hooked on Zaino, their big point is what you put onto that perfectly prepared surface often had issues with durability and discoloration, especially carnuba waxes. If the durability lets you down, you have to start from scratch and clay again. If the wax yellows or discolors, you have to strip it to apply more. I'm glad technology has improved greatly.

My favorite Zaino feature is that upkeep is simple and the shine keeps getting better and better. It's not for everyone but it works for me. If there are other products that do the same or better, good for them! The more pretty cars out there, the better.

[circa1986]

It's definitely hard to keep up with the new products. I had a gold colored car for a while, so I never really had to put much effort into it. Now my Insight is white, but my other car is black and now I have been getting back into the loop to keep it looking great!

[circa1986]

BTW I also would not go from a clay to cleaner wax to a polish. You want the surface of the paint to be FREE of oils and waxes before you polish so that the oils in the polish have a chance to really break down the paint surface.

[Zwolfe]

I'll throw in my 2 cents.

Whatever you do, awesome results rest in your prep. 95% prep, 5% everything else. If this means you have to drag your knees across the ground and be slow as hell, then be slow about it. Just do it right the first time. If you can be fast and still get the same results, more power to you.

Nonetheless, I believe a lot of marring and imperfections in your paint come from improperly washing your car, i.e. dragging grit and crap across your paint while you're trying to get all the dust and grime residue off it that won't come off with a hose, power washer, etc.

You want to use a sponge or mit that won't slide crap across your paint like a very small knife. One sponge I highly recommend is the Lake County Blue Grout Sponge.

I did the "CD test" on it, doesn't scratch, not even dry. That's what you want. If it scratches a CD by dragging it across, you don't want to press that on your car. With lubrication on the car, the odds of scratching should realistically plummet even further.

However, I have found sponges at even Walmart that pass the "CD" test as well. Yet, the sliced up nature of that Blue Grout sponge give crap a place to go aside from just being dragged across your paint which in theory should provide an additional level of protection against damage, whether it small or not, an extra degree at any rate.

I'm a Zaino user myself and it's actually very cost effective on a per-coat basis and easy to apply and remove by hand. But do what you can to reduce slicing your paint even at the smallest level and you should be happy with just about whatever you want to use.

Also, towels, do the "CD" test on them as well. Do a "CD" test on anything that you're going to press against the car. You can't look at a CD without scratching it hardly, so if it doesn't scratch, you're in the clear.

[Cobb]

Well, I think my photos speak for themselves of my car and procedure. I too agree its the pre ir removing the crap that makes for a bad finish before you lock it in with a wax.

It also helps to re-read the labels too. I just re-read the turtle wax color match wax I bought a few years ago. It says it hides and masks sqirls with its unique formula and chip stick. No wonder it looked well after wards, but the stcratches started to return. Now its going to be polishes with fine abrasives to remove the tip top layer of damaged paint.

[Jayemtee]

Back in the old days when I knew everything, polish was much more abrasive than clay. Scratches and swirl marks were supposed to removed in earlier stages. The clay was the last stage of grit to smooth out the surface.

[Mark Elvin]

Originally Posted by Jayemtee

Back in the old days when I knew everything, polish was much more abrasive than clay. Scratches and swirl marks were supposed to removed in earlier stages. The clay was the last stage of grit to smooth out the surface.

Clay is there to remove bonded surface contaminates, is the next stage after washing.

[circa1986]

If you do the clay after polishing, all those contaminents will end up in your polishing pads and will end up marring the paint further.

A grout sponge that I use and has been vetted by Autopia.org is the ProLine Tile and Grout sponge (comes in a sealed bag at Lowes).

Cobb, where are your photos, BTW?! Hah!