2006- Wash + Clay Bar + Wax

[markieta]

First Post! I've been trolling the site since before I bought my brand new vibe at the time, 2006.Sad to say this is the first time I have ever did a thorough cleaning of the car!! Well let me describe my process. 1. Rinse the whole car with water.2. Wash the car using the 2 bucket method (with grit gaurds). Simple Green car wash with recommended dilution. Mothers lambswool wash mitt to lather up the car.3. Once the whole car was lathered up and rinsed I dried the car with some Mother Microfiber Ultra-Soft Drying towels (although any good quality waffle weave microfiber towel will work... don't use SWMBO's towels though!)4. When the car was completely dry, crack open the packaging for Mothers Clay Bar System. I used half a bar(broke 1 in half, 2 are included in the package) to complete the whole car. Method is simple, spray lube (Mothers detailer included in package) on a body panel (I like to do 1 panel at a time) and run the clay bar over the surface gently. Clay bars are not aggressive so you can work in any motion, pattern etc, just don't press hard. Wipe the detailer off the panel when you finish it. Move on to the next panel.5. Waxing the car by hand is simple and effective. Mothers Carnauba wax (Step 3) is great. It goes on very transparent and dries almost clear. You only want a thin layer of this stuff on your car, any more than that is wasteful. Wax on, Wax off. Microfiber terry cloth to put on, Microfiber polishing cloth to finish ( terry is the super plush towels that look like SWMBO's bathroom towels... again, I stress, Do not use SWMBO's towels) The polishing cloths are smooth and thin with flat fibers.All Mothers products use are "California Gold" class.Pics! (still have some swirling to remove... Metallic paint hides it well though!)Can anyone recommend some extra steps for a superior clean?What about tire dressings... there are hundreds out there. Im using el-cheapo I found at Canadian Tire but I am afraid of damaging the tires... Forget the name though.Cheers!Michael

[lovemyraffe]

Welcome!Your car looks awesome and an awesome write-up for the first post. It looks like Whelan has some competition now.

[asburydan]

Great work. Wish you had been at my house when I washed mine today.

[petervivian]

Great work. At this time of year, it's almost raining everyday in Miami. Wish there will be a sunny weekend soon for the clean and wax.

[cptnsolo77]

Same here.Looking to do a full detail just waiting for rainy/hurricane season to pass. Plan to do a clay/wax treatment along with shampooing the interior and trying this product called Refinish Restorer for the cladding.Looking forward to sprucing up the Vibe with a good bath.Where abouts in Miami?

[jammies]

Your car looks good. Honestly, I do not know if my advice will greatly impact your detailing work.Quote, originally posted by markieta »Can anyone recommend some extra steps for a superior clean?Steps 1 & 2 -- Same here expect I use a sponge encased in microfiber instead of a lambs wool mitt. I only was in the shade when the car is cool to the touch.Step 3 -- same here. This last time I tried out my leaf blower & it worked incredibly well at removing the water from cracks where it tends to pools up only to drip out later and leave water marks.Step 4 -- yep -- I do that too. About twice a year. Only differnce is IF I know I am going to clay bar the car, I will wash it will DAWN diswashing liquid first. DAWN will remove nearly everthing from the cars surface -- wax also, but especially grease & oils. Then I will wash it again with Meguiar's NXT generation car wash.Step 5 -- IF I am going to the extent of clay baring the car, I put on a sealant before I wax, so about twice a year. I use a Porter Cable 7424 with a 4 inch pad, the softest I can find. The PC makes application much easier, but I still remove wax by hand with microfiber.Tire dressing? I have never really put much thought into it. By the time I am done, I usually forget about it.