GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Things you will need (absolute minimum) 1 or 2 bottles general purpose cleaner (you can find this at any auto parts store)Tons of ragsOld toothbrushesCotton SwabsWindow Cleaner (invisible glass)HoseSpongeWax Car wash soapChamoisSoft bristle paint brushBug spongeVinyl Dressing For best results you will need these: High speed buffer Buffing pad (wool) Glazing pad (sponge)High pressure hoseSpray bottle of keroseneOrbital buffer with at least 2 bonnets3m true grit buffing compound liquid (DO NOT USE RUBBING COMPOUND!!!)3m liquid glazeSteam cleaner PUT YOUR CAR IN THE SHADE First start off by hosing down the lower half of the car and be sure it is wet.Using the kerosene (or WD40) PLEASE DON'T SMOKE DURING THIS STEP, spray down the lower part of the car where bugs and tar are a problem. This will loosen up all tar, you will even see it starting to melt away. (this may sound rediculous but with all that you will be doing, it will not damage the paint) Scrub the areas to be cleaned with your bug sponge until the surface is free of tar and bugs, reapply kero or WD until clean. After clean, use soap and water to remove any excess chemical.(Do not do this step if you are not planning to wax later, you will remove the wax during this step and will need to reapply) This step will not harm the cladding if you use a thick protectant towards the end of the detail.Get a decent wheel cleaner (even window cleaner works on lightly soiled wheels) and scrub where necessary with a used toothbrush to get all the grime out. Be sure to hose the wheels off immediately after cleaning to avoid the cleaner sitting on the wheels.Pop the hood, START THE ENGINE AND KEEP IT RUNNING DURING THIS STEP Spray General Purpose cleaner (GP) over the entire engine compartment including the underside of the hood. This is where a good high pressure hose comes in handy, if you do not have a good high pressure hose, you can always buy a high pressure nozzle that will work with a standard garden hose. Hose down the entire engine compartment WITH THE ENGINE STILL RUNNING. (if this is a car with a distributor cap, cover the cap with foil before spraying anything on the engine) This should remove most if not all buildup on the engine and in the compartment, be careful not to let GP sit on the car in sunglight as it may fade the paint.After you have done these steps you can wash your car, top to bottom. Be sure that you give it a good wash to remove all leftover chemicals and to remove all dirt. Clean the door jambs carefully last to avoid spreading grease on the car. Dry car with chamois.Start on the inside of the car to allow any standing water to dry. Work from the top down.For dirty headliners, Spray a little bit of GP or window cleaner on a CLEAN rag and wipe in one direction, do not use a scrubbing motion, this will cause fuzzies on the liner, be sure to rotate the rag often.SKIP THE WINDOWS!Use the general purpose cleaner and a rag to clean all vinyl, scrubbing with a toothbrush when needed and getting into tight areas with a cotton swab. Wipe all areas dry with rags.VACCUUM seats and floorsSteam clean cloth if you have a steamer, if not, use store bought upholstry cleaner on tough spots, or if you have a shop-vac, mix GP and water in a bucket, dampen a sponge and wipe the seats, don't be as shy with the GP and water on the floor, you can easily shop-vac this off out of the floors. On the mats, spray straight GP on the mat and spray off with high pressure water, shop-vac excess water and allow to dry in the shade.Now that you have cleaned all but the windows, use the vinyl dressing on the vinyl and then clean the windows, the inside is DONE!Pop the hood, spray dressing over the entire engine, this will protect hoses and add a nice look to the engine without harming anything.Leave the hood popped a little bit if you will be buffing and glazing.Take a few rags and cover the cowel and windshield wipers, you do not want to get compound on them.NOW TO BUFF.*edit* Dark colors (black, dark blue) and red show swirl marks the worst from buffing, white and silver show them the least. BUFFING IS A VERY DIFFICULT THING TO DO IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO IT OR ARE UNSURE, YOU ARE BETTER OFF USING A CLAY BAR, IT WON'T TAKE OUT SWIRLS, BUT IT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING That being said, if you are going to use the buffer, be sure that you have the wool pad attached tightly to the disk. Start on the top of the vehicle using about a pea sized drop of compound for every square foot of surface, you may have to adjust this amount, you will be able to tell while buffing, you will have to make sure that the buffer NEVER runs dry on the surface or is allowed to sit on any one spot for more that a second or 2, if this happens, you run the risk of stripping paint or leaving HORRIBLE swirl marks. Be sure that you do not let the extension cord from the buffer rub on the paint. Buff all painted surfaces being sure to keep the buffer as flat as possible to avoid pesky swirl marks. The reason you left the hood popped a bit is so you do not buff the corners of the hood, if that doesn't make sense, you will see what I mean when you are buffing. After buffing the entire vehicle, switch to the sponge glazing pad, if there is still a little bit of buffing compound on the car, don't worry about it. You can be a little more generous with the liquid glaze.Using a smooth back and forth motion, glaze the entire painted surface in the same order you buffed the car, be sure not to let extra glaze sit, you can work it into the paint with the sponge. WARNING': Even though the glazing pad is softer, you still do not want to let it sit on the surface for too long, it will also strip paint and cause swirl marks.After you have buffed and glazed, get a good can of paste wax.I recommend Magiuars Gold Class or Mothers Pure Carnuba.Using the back of an old spoon rake the paste across the top as though you were using a butterknife across the top of a stick of butter, be sure you get a good amount of wax on there and apply it to the orbital buffer, with a clean bonnet on it. Spread the wax evenly making sure that you cover the whole surface. Wax the car in the same way you buffed and glazed, you should only have to reapply the wax once, if at all. After waxing the entire car, switch to a new bonnet on the orbital, remove the wax in the same order again. Get soft cloths and rewipe entire car getting rid of all wax the bonnet didn't remove. Remove the rags from the cowel and wipers.Using the soft bristled brush, clean all cracks and around details (Vibe symbol) on the exterior. Clean the exterior windows.Use dressing on the exterior vinylDress the tires and spray a little extra dressing in the wheel wells to restore the dark color in the wells. Open beer and insert into dry, gaping piehole, cause you are done and have a clean Vibe.THIS POST IS SUBJECT TO ADDITIONS AS MY MEMORY SERVES ME.

Some good tips here. I would like to add that using a wool pad on a high speed buffer with polishing compound or otherwise can cut right through the paint down to the primer and even the bare metal rather easily (I've done it before, but fortunately long before I got my Vibe). You really only need a wool pad if you are removing very heavy oxidation (like on a rather old and neglected or damaged finish) or to remove overspray after repainting parts of the car. Everything I've ever read on this has said to use a foam pad for buffing out a car under normal circumstances. It is gentler to use on clearcoated paints and when done properly, won't leave swirl marks. The wool pad will leave swirls no matter what glaze/compound you are using---I know this from experience. A wool pad should be left to professionals or people who have reasonable experience with a power buffer. One little "whoopsie" with a wool pad on a power buffer can cause some real problems. I can't stress that enough.Also, if using a foam pad on a power buffer, you can still burn the clearcoat if not enough compound/glaze is on the surface and still wet or if you remain in one spot for too long.

This is a good tip, Using a foam pad may be better for less experienced buffers. I always use wool because that is what I am used to and it can take care of any problem areas (scratches) easier than sponge pads.If anyone follows these directions, please post some before and after pics, let everyone see how well this works. I may do this later this summer if time allows. If so, I will post pics.

Anyone try any of these yet?

um.. i guess i'm lost (still in alaska). what are you cleaning? the engine compartment???

Mr. P, thank you so much for this quality post. You obviously put a ton of time into it, and it will be a reference for many moons to come. Question: when you use the terms "buffing" and "glazing", are these equivalent to Maguire's Step 1 Cleaner and Step 2 Polish?I'd be rushing out to try this had I not just done my version of the above mega-clean prior to the last meet in Calgary. Maybe next month...

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »um.. i guess i'm lost (still in alaska). what are you cleaning? the engine compartment??? EVERYTHING!

Quote, originally posted by Keely »Mr. P, thank you so much for this quality post. You obviously put a ton of time into it, and it will be a reference for many moons to come. Question: when you use the terms "buffing" and "glazing", are these equivalent to Maguire's Step 1 Cleaner and Step 2 Polish?I'd be rushing out to try this had I not just done my version of the above mega-clean prior to the last meet in Calgary. Maybe next month...The polish and glaze are done with a high speed buffer, it looks like an angle grinder. All major companies make one, I suggest Dewalt. But buffing is much better than the 1 and 2 step Maguiars for a few reasons. Yes, those steps take off buildup, but that's about it. Buffing, if done correctly, removes buildup, restores gloss, removes small scratches, and can actually, if done by a VERY experienced person can even out a good bit of the "orange peel" effect you see on some car's paint jobs. So, long story short, no, they are completely different.This is basically what they look like

Alright, that clears it up. And I thought I was doing some complicated stuff with the Maguire's 3 Step system - this is way over my head for sure!Still, it's good to know what's out there and what the professionals (and GenVibe Gods) are capable of doing.

Nice detailing list. I'll have to try it out sometime this week (My car really needs a good detailing too). Thanks man

Halfway through the detailing and into the engine compartment, what precautions should I take? Should I put a plastic bag or foil over the alternator? Does the Vibe have a distributor cap, and if so, where is it?

No distributor cap as far as I know. You don't have to cover the alternator, I never did and never had a problem.

Great, I can finish the detailing today and actually wash it. Yesterday right as I got the stuff ready to wash the outside of it with, it started to sprinkle so I waited until today. I'm about to go down there and attack it with an 10 inch orbital buffer

distributer cap???isn't that only on carborated (sp?) cars?

I'm not sure, that's why I wanted to ask and make sure first.

HUGE BUMP!!It's that time of year again, just thought I'd give this a bump for all the newer members who are looking to get a good cleaning on the Vibe.

great detail listbut what about the wheels? the wheels?!?!?!?!!

Why thank you!!Oh, the wheels. Get a good wheel cleaner, make sure it is right for your wheels, Get an old toothbrush and scrub down the wheels, ONE WHEEL AT A TIME!! Don't let wheel cleaner sit on the wheels, this will cause them to blister and peel.

oh man...thanx! yeah, i'm gonna have to spend some time on my wheels. hopefully i can polish out some of the stuff that sat too long.

You should be able to, It may require some scrubbing. Just be sure you don't get wire rim cleaner, that stuff can peel the coating off of alloy rims in a minute.