Step by Step cleaning and detailing

[Kevzaz]

Ok, please note that I am fairly new to this, and I got all this information from Whelan. I made this thread for an easy place to get all the information. And I really hope everyone can help me out and make suggestions and suggest changes or other products to use.Items Needed: DawnMeguiar's Clay Bar KitPainter's TapeMeguiar's PlastXMicrofiber TowelWax of your choicePlexusInstructions1) Put a drop or two of Dawn into a wash bucket, give the car a good wash to remove any old wax and materials. 2) Wash it with special car detergent in parts of the car, and then rinse it shortly after. Try to use the two bucket process, one for washing, one for rinsing. Remember try to use a sponge or a wash mitt3) Dry with a microfiber towel so that water spots cant appear.4) Clean tires and wheels with desirable tire washing product (looking for a suggested product). Try to do one tire at a time to reduce the chance of water spots5) Dry them with a microfiber towel6) Then clay bar the car using a clay bar kit such as Meguiar's or Clay Magic. Both can be had for around $10-15. Make sure that when you are using this, to use plenty of lubrication, the result of this is that the clay should move easily, if not, you need more lubrication, or a new bottle, or your car is REALLY dirty. You should rinse off the surface when you are done clay barring it and hand dry it with the same towels you used for drying the car when you washed it.7) Wax using Meguiar's Gold Class Mirror Glaze or Meguiar's #26 NXT Generation Tech Wax. Make sure to just get a light coat on the car and let it dry. Also, make sure you get EVERYTHING off. You may have to repeat this process a few times. Make sure before you do this, you use painter's tape to cover up the lights, and windows, because you don't want to get wax on them.8) Remove the painters tape and apply it to the outside of the lights (The metal around them) 9) Use Meguiar's Plastx on the Headlights and Taillights (Repeats 2-3 times) 10) Use Plexus to keep headlights and taillights nice and cleans, spray to a microfiber towel and wipe the lights.

[VivaVibe]

Since there is an entire Forum devoted to this topic I'm not sure we need a single thread for it all. As to your list, the hand drying should come after the washing. And I would never pressure wash the car. I believe the suggestion is just the opposite; you should flood the surface with a gentle flow without a spayer attached. Oh, and multiple waxing should occur 24 hrs apart. I'm sure Whelan can correct me if any of this is off.

[Kevzaz]

Ok, I changed a few things. But I wanna see more opinions on the presure washing thing. Thank you. But I want to make it a one place thing for washing and detailing your car. So please I need more opinions and such.

[kunkstyle]

I wouldn't use car wax on my dinner plates. Likewise, I'd never touch my car with dish soap.

[Kevzaz]

'Another alternative would be to take the car to base and start from scratch. With this I mean go home, put a drop or two of Dawn (use only Dawn is is softest and safest) into a wash bucket, give the car a good wash to remove any old wax and materials. Then clay bar the car using a clay bar kit such as Meguiar's or Clay Magic. Both can be had for around $10-15.' Directly from whelan.

[Kamikaze]

Anything and everything you needed to know about detailing your car, from my man Whelan:http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...55554

[kevera]

I hate to give the young guy a hard time,I can tell he's excited about cleaning his Vibe.But,you have stiff competition from Whelan who already wrote a great how-to in the link that Kamikaze posted.

[Kevzaz]

*Sigh* Didn't see that on the forum before. =[ Oh well, I tried.

[Kamikaze]

I was once like you young grasshopper.and then I found a thread from the Jedi Master of Detailing, and there was nothing else to say... I couldn't elaborate on anything he wrote. He knows it all, and he's awesome if you have any questions.(no Whelan I'm not trying to suck up to you or anything )

[Whelan]

Who dares to try and take my throne!(removed), j/k. It's good he is enthusiastic about cleaning and detailing, and be rest assured I do not try to own this thread nor do I claim ownership. I just happen to have the experience and knowledge after years of doing this kind of work (not professionally, just on my own and side jobs). One thing for sure is I am always learning new techniques and products that are available. As for the person who mentioned the no dishwashing detergent stuff. There are hundres probably thousands of people who would say heck no to doing something like that because of the harshness of detergent soap. Hence I only put a few drops in the bucket and only use Dawn. It is powerful yet soft enough.One misconception people get with the dish soap is that I only use it twice a year when I am about to detail, it brings the car to what I call base, literally stripping off any wax or other things that may have gotten into the polishes and such. Then when you clay bar afterwards, you are smoothing the paint and removing the smaller particles and fallout from the paint itself. If you own a dark car and went to wax it after washing it with carwash soap, you may have noticed that some areas had darker streaks to them that were a PIA to rub out. Well one thing that a lot of people don't know is that almost all car wash soaps now come with some kind of wax element or polish product that is infused. Why? Because the average Joe is lazy and wants to clean the car and have it be smooth to the touch without having to wax it the True way. So for me, I would really stick with using a wash like Mother's California Gold Car Wash, can't miss it in the big clear bottle with amber fluid. It is nothing but car soap, no additives. As I was saying, people tend to think that using dish soap is bad, well, it is. If you wash your car with it every week. But they say this under the impression that you are washing your car like this every week with no waxing or detailing involved. And over time, yes that can strip and ruin your paint. But doing it once before you completely overhaul your paint, does nothing but clean it up for you to be able to apply smooth even coats in your process.Sorry if I ranted there for a bit, but figured I would address that misconception somewhat. As for the new guy, welcome and feel free to post whatever you find, hear, try, etc. here. Again I do not own this thread, I just feel a need to hit every post in here cause it's my specialty. Oh btw, my car gets detailed next week! About frigin time with the rainy season almost over here and temps settling into perfect detailing weather, i.e. no humidity, cool crips air, mean you can work in direct sunlight too.

[Kevzaz]

Thank you whelan. It is nice to have some extra help around here. I love the information you give. It is easy. Even I can understand it =p I have to wait 2 more weeks until I can do anything to my car, because I got it touched up with paint, and it has to settle for a month. Its only been like a week and a half.

[Whelan]

Given you live in PA it's probably as cold there as it is here, low 50's and high 30's at night. If that is the case DO NOT wait two more weeks, wait another 1-2 on top of that. The colder weather means it will take longer to settle and doing any kind of polishing can cause some blemishing and uneveness if you attempt. General rule in average conditions which would be 65 to 80 degrees would yield a one week before washing and 3 weeks before waxing. Given the time of year and cold weather approaching, I would say 2-3 weeks for washing and 5 for waxing. I would wait a bit longer.

[Kevzaz]

Well, We have a heated garage, so that is all good, but I still wont be able to wash it without freezing my hands.

[Whelan]

Hand warmers and a small bucket of warm water to keep your hands temperate go a long way.You could also head to a marine store or go to one online and get some Gill Frostbite gloves. Have me a set from when I used to sail in the fall months on distance races. Keep your hands warm when the water gets cold.Or just find a set of neoprene's water is cold at first but your body heat gets them all toasty inside.