Hello Vibers Need Detailing help

[BIGGMIKE88]

I have a 2006 Vibe - Black including the plastic cladding. I am very concerned that I might have a bad paint job. I have been a shade tree detailer for 10 years I have no formal training I have read a lot and practiced. I also have a 1994 Honda Accord that I can make look awesome most do not believe it is a 94. This Vibe is frustrating me. We have about 8000 miles on it and everytime I wash it (I use meguirs car wash) I cannot seem to get it dry it streaks so bad it doesn't matter if I use a $3 special, Walmart chamois or use a $15 mail order professional one it streaks. Its almost like the paint is not letting do of the water. I go over it 2 and 3 times and it will not dry. I even tried a bath towel (out of frustration) not only did that not work but I have some minor swirls/scratches. Not sure whats up its been 8 months since we got the car should I be waxing this car after this little time? HELP!!!!!!!!!! I am starting to dislike my VIBE

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[WaveAction]

wow that is frustrating..i know that it happens alot at work(i work at a gm dealership) and it seems like just the black cars do this..we washed a black sts..and u go to dry it up with the chamois but it'd still be there..it's weird..it looks wet but when you use your finger..it does dry up..so i dont know if it's the clear they use on black cars..or what..but it is a lil strange as to why it does that..specially with black cars..btw nice vibe

[keithvibe]

try this:http://www.mrclean.com/sites/e...shtmlit's has it's good points and bad points. But being you have a black car it may help with the "not drying" issue.I own it myself, I used it till the first filter needed replaced. I works well on darker colored cars that can show the water spots.

[nygiantzz1]

I have the same thing, it works great if used properly. The trick is to keep the entire car wet until you're ready for the spot free rinse. Then start from the highest point on the car and rinse down. You have to displace all the rinse water with the filtered water or you will have spots.

[ColonelPanic]

You'll be OK to wax it at this point, probably wouldn't have hurt it to do it sooner. It may be a good idea to take a clay bar to it and then follow that up with a nice wax job, there could be something stuck to the paint that needs to come off.Do you have the same problem if you try to take it to a car wash? I always had problems back when I lived somewhere where I could wash the car at home, it always did more damage than good thanks to lots of hard water. Nowadays, I just run it through the automatic with the blow dryer at the end, then wipe off what's left.

[Sublimewind]

Are you washing it outside in the sun? Shade? The only way to rid yourself if streaks is to make sure the water doesn't dry on the car... I often use a quick detailer of some sort, during my dry cycle... Right after i rinse and am about to dry, i mist the car lightly with the QD and then start drying... You may have to go over the car again with QD to get and left over spots/streaks off.... Quick Detailer works wonders IMHO... I don't personally like chamois or synthetic "drying" towels... I like 100% cotton towels, but they can't be washed with fabric softener, it's a WAX and makes it harder for them to absorb water... The big thing is having the paint to be cool and not in the sun... maybe you could go to the car wash later at night and allow the car to cool a little, prior to washing... and then dry it there...

[Whelan]

At what point is someone gonna come on here and tell him to talk to me, lol.Well let me read up this post and I'll see what I can throw together haha.

[WaveAction]

if you have any questions..should ask whelan..guy is the detailing god on the forums ...happy whelan lol

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by WaveAction »if you have any questions..should ask whelan..guy is the detailing god on the forums ...happy whelan lolX2.. that whelan guy seems to know a thing or two about detailing. talk to him

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »At what point is someone gonna come on here and tell him to talk to me, lol.Well let me read up this post and I'll see what I can throw together haha.Aww man, you were slackin... Someone(s) had to get this guy started... I could see it now, the phone rings at your house, you're in bed, it's 3am and someone on the other end says "Whelan, quick, someone on GV is having a detailing issue, quick, you gotta get up and help this guy!"

[Whelan]

Ok, lol I'm much happier wave. Ha!Sublime, I just posted and saw your comment too, too funny!Moving along, let's see what we have. First as most people on here know the Vibe paint is fairly thin and prone to fading if not kept properly. This also means it swirls and hazes easily. When washing your vehicle there are a few things you can change that will and should help you out. 1) The water in your area may be very hard which means it leaves spots and lines when trying to dry. Gives you that dried soap film look. So you can buy a hose nozzle that is specially made to purify the water as it passes. Think the Mr. Clean Autocar Wash, they use a PUR filter to clean the water. This reduces streaking, spotting, etc. and created that sheen of water that flows off the car. Just look up water filters for hoses. Here is one from Autodetailingsolutions.com. Granted this is a more extreme version for around $300 but it may be worth it in the long run.2) Microfiber is your friend! Get yourself a good soft foam or microfiber wash mitt. I switched to soft foam because it does not trap and hold dirt particles. It will make a difference in your car. When washing, go front to back, not up and down and circles, this just makes the swirling, hazing and spotting/streaking worse. Back and for from front to back and do not rub hard, if something is not coming off, switch to clay barring after you wash. 3) The "Two Bucket Rule". Get yourself two buckets, one with some car wash soap and water, and the other fill with luke warm or warm fresh water. Each time you dip in the wash bucket, do an area, ring it out quick then dip it in the warm bucket. This will open up the microfibers and expand the foam (think middle school physical science heat expands cold contracts) and it will release a lot of the dirt and whatever else you got in that mitt.4) The type of car wash soap you buy DOES matter. I personally use Mother's California Gold Car Wash. It gets the job done very well. A lot of car washes today are filled with additives like a wax polymer or what have you that is used by lazy people who just wash and never wax. Sure it makes the car feel smooth but it does not clean well. A straight original car wash is the best way to go, especially if you detail your car because some of those wax additive car washes can react with the wax detail on your paint and cause the issues you are having as well. 5) Again, microfiber is your friend. Ditch your chamois, they trap leftover dirt and particles and drive them into the paint. Go pickup a Microfiber waffle pattern towel. Meguiar's makes one called the Water Magnet which is a large towel that you can literally wipe the entire car down with and not wring out. It's a fantastic product that has become very popular as of late. 6) Still cannot get some stuff off your car. The next time you wash in, invest $10 in a clay bar kit. Clay bar kits are essentially a piece of soft ultra smooth clay and a spray lubricant. When the car is rinsed down, leave it wet, spray an area of the car (i.e. half the hood at a time) with the lubricant and palm the clay bar rubbing it on as if you were waxing. You will and may feel some spots where your bar and hand are suddenly stopped, that is an imperfection in either the paint or from industrial fallout, sap, etc. Continue to rub and spray until the surface feels smooth all across. This little bar gets mighty dirty even if your car looks clean. Here is a picture of the kit, and a picture of what I pulled off my car after I washed it.7) Ok, so we are getting somewhere now, you got all your steps together, the final piece of this is after you washed clay barred dried and what not, if you still have stuff on the car, try this. When the car is dry, get a bottle of Meguiar's Quick Detailer. It is a phenomenal product! Grab two microfiber towels and spray an area (again 1/2 to 1/4 of the hood size) and use one towel to wipe the product in, it will look streaky and hazy but its supposed to. Next take the dry towel and wipe it clean (again using a front to back motion online, this is not wax so circular will not help) It should be noted that Quick Detailer should only be used if your car has a good wax coat on it, otherwise it is hard to remove and can leave streaks itself. It is meant for people to throw on before a car show or to pull of dust.8) Invest in a California Car Duster. If you don't already have one, the dirtier it gets, the better it works. It pulls dust off like a magnet as well as pollen and fine dirt inbetween washes.9) Vinyl cladding. If its streaked, faded and looks worn. Two products are proven to help. First is the drastic measure. Get a jar of Jif, Skippy, Peter Pan, whatever your choice is. Rub a towel in it, and apply to the cladding. Yes, peanut oil will now absorb into your cladding and pull out the fading and leave it shiny and clean. Of course be sure to wipe off. If you want to get a nice deep clean and long lasting shine, and something that won't wash off in the rain or the next car wash. Invest in some Meguiar's #40 Professional Line Vinyl/Plastic polish. It sprays on easily and you need to work the product in. Just do not spray and wipe as most people mistake a shiny finish for clean. Rub it in like its a wax, it will not run, streak, wear off fast. It lasts a long time. I put it on my tires for dressing and after two rainstorms and a wash it still has the tires with a nice deep black look. [IMGhttp://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/219FHCTS2PL.jpg][/IMG]I hope this helped some, if you have any questions feel free to post and ask away. I did not learn this stuff overnight so it takes time and lots of reading. If you want some good info, check out http://www.meguiarsonline.com. Great forum, great people, tons of information.

[WaveAction]

ahh..it's like music to our ears, good write up whelan

[Sublimewind]

My first clay bar system i ever got (mothers IIRC) came with a microfiber glove... They said if you washed the car and then dried it, and ran your hand across it with the glove, you could feel it "grab" the fibers, something you couldn't feel by hand. After the clay bar treatment, it was smooth as a babies bottom... interesting stuff... Another addition, never let the mit touch the bottom of the bucket, where the dirt collects... Here is a link to the ultimit wash system... while i agree that Whelan is the master, i don't completely agree with a foam or microfiber wash mit, they to can trap dirt,.... My suggestion if you an (removed) person (i used to be when i lived in an area that WASN'T 60% dirt roads) would be this... http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp ... 6075Pricey, yes, worth it...definitly

[Whelan]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »while i agree that Whelan is the master, i don't completely agree with a foam or microfiber wash mit, they to can trap dirt,.... http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp ... 6075Pricey, yes, worth it...definitlyI should have known you to argue with me on some poin LOL. I use the foam/micro mitt but I also do the two buckets, The warm water bucket opens up the fibers and allows the dirt to be released. But I also dont have a lot of dirty since I wash the car as part of my religion, (removed)

[Sublimewind]

Argue, no, counter point, YES... lolI know your religion well, i used to be VERY into my cars appearance, it's just here in central Mi, it's practly impossible to keep anything clean... I've all but given up... I did do a 6hr detail on my Subie the night before the Michigan meet a few weeks ago... Funny story to share about it, it's somewhat embarrassing though... So i was working over the interior, killin myself trying to get 12hrs of detailing in 6 (it's been a looong time since the last time) i get the interior "satisfactory" about 1am.. i head off to the local "spray away" and on my way in, i roll up my drivers window, go to roll the passenger window and nothing. Well, the windows are nice and clean and the lighting is off and I'm tired, so I FIGURE IT'S ALREADY UP.... Well, you can picture the rest.... I finally figure out what up and instantly stop washing... i go to get in to go home (mad as a dog fight) and that dash is still dripping, everything is wet... and the dam window WILL NOT GO UP...!!! I got home and start the troubleshooting process (I'm a electronics tech by trade) i work on that for about an hour, and then realize that there is a window lock on the driver side... Yeah, not cool.... lol.... so i get home about 3am from the final, final wash and put my baby to bed.... made for a loooong meet day and is a good reason why i didn't stick around to do and after meet stuff... plus the 2hr drive home.... Go ahead, laugh it up.....

[Whelan]

You dont know how many times I've been pissed cause the window would not close in the back or what not, and then figure out I had the lock pushed down. So I can feel your pain on that one. 12 hours in 6, thats impressive!And yes up there it is impossible to keep a clean car for more than a week tops (if your lucky). We have yet to get a few good weeks with no rain, it seems to happen once a week or so for like a day, not even, a few hours. Then i have to go out and Quick Detail or re-wash. I swear I should live in LA.