Car Detailing

[Mach.89]

G'Day All,
As I'm preparing myself for the arrival of my Camaro ZL 1 White Summit with black rims, I have a few questions in the detailing department.

My Garage:

1-Its not fully sealed, so dust is my major concern. I cannot afford building a proper one for now.
2-If I have to clean the car by myself, then the water where I live is a bit salty, my concern is after some time it might cause rust.
3-As the garage is not fully sealed, what is the best way to wash & polish the car in these conditions, taking into consideration temperatures can get to 40 degrees celsius under shade i.e 104 degrees fahrenheit in my part of the world during summer.

Roads:

1- They are very good here, but I live close to a HWY & there is lots of truck movements, so chances of stone chips are very high. I see that most of the members recommend the clear bra, but what we have here is the 3M.

Polishing:

1-As the car is new, when do you recommend start polishing or sealing it. Products here are limiting e.g Maguires & Armoil or something.
2-Do I have to have the machines to do it or can I do it by hand.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[13lstuner]

It does suck that your garage isn't sealed, but in that case dust is just something you will have to live with.

the water should not cause rust on the painted areas of your car. If you are concerned about rust maybe just try not to get it on bare metal, or make sure you fully dry the bare metal off after spraying it. I.e exhaust tips, undercarriage etc. also look into an IronX treatment yearly. And MAKE SURE you fully dry the car after every wash so the salty water doesn't sit on your paint.

You can wash your car normally. I wash my car outside where it is not sealed. Just follow your standard two bucket wash procedure. If it gets that hot in the shade during the summer I recommend that you only wash your car before sunrise or after the sun sets so it can be as cool as possible. As for polishing I would just avoid the summer all together. Just polish in the spring and fall when it is cool. for waxing and sealing, also do it before sunrise or after the sun sets.

3m clear bra is a good idea. Just get your front bumper covered and your "gills".

You can polish and seal it right away no wait time needed. You will need a machine to polish, but you can wax and seal by hand if you choose.

If you are limited to meguires then I would reccomend their ultimate paste wax, it's about the best you can get over the counter. As for polishing compounds I would go with m105/m205. I would definitely look into ordering some good microfiber towels though. You can REALLY screw up your paint with cheap microfiber.

[Mach.89]

13lstuner

I thank you so very much, I will take your advise. Appreciated.

[DylanVK]

Congrats on the ZL1! At least white shows LESS of the dust accumulation and stuff, if you had black you'd be hating life! LOL

Originally Posted by Mach.89

G'Day All,
1-Its not fully sealed, so dust is my major concern. I cannot afford building a proper one for now.

Not much you can do here, but when you say not fully sealed is it actually open or just not tightly fit doors? If its the latter you could cheaply add some foam rubber weather stripping to close gaps better and prevent SOME dust.

Heck... mine is air tight for the mostpart and I still get dust so its a losing battle no matter how you slice it. Dust will happen! How you choose to deal with is what will make the biggest difference.

I'd suggest getting a product to do light wipedowns and dust removal without introducing damage. Our Rinse-Free Wash & Wax would be ideal. There are 2 ways to use it - in the bucket as demo'd in the videos on the product page OR dilute into a spray bottle for waterless washing. Very versatile product and safe for dust removal, which you will clearly have a lot to do.

I'd also suggest our Polymer Detail Spray which actually features some anti-static properties. While it can't prevent all dust accumulation, it will not add any additional charge to the surface leading to dust being ATTRACTED or sticking to the surface. Wax based detailers are going to attract and hold more dust.

Originally Posted by Mach.89

G'Day All,
2-If I have to clean the car by myself, then the water where I live is a bit salty, my concern is after some time it might cause rust.

Really of no concern unless you're washing with sea water. Painted panels obviously are not going to rust unless there are chips or large areas of damage to the paint. The frames and underbelly are coated where they need to be. Also, with the above recommendation you'd be introducing almost no large amount of water to the surface so the concern is even lower if you stick to a rinse-free wash process.

Originally Posted by Mach.89

3-As the garage is not fully sealed, what is the best way to wash & polish the car in these conditions, taking into consideration temperatures can get to 40 degrees celsius under shade i.e 104 degrees fahrenheit in my part of the world during summer.

Same processes all apply, although extreme temps can make for more a more difficult time. You may see increased streaking with many products like cleaners in the colder times and you may see increased dusting from polishes or problems with products drying out prematurely in the high heat. You just have to adjust your approach slightly to compensate.

Choosing times to work when temps are more manageable will help... in the hot months work early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the hottest hours... in the cold months work at the peak of the day to take advantage of the warmer temps.

Originally Posted by Mach.89

1- They are very good here, but I live close to a HWY & there is lots of truck movements, so chances of stone chips are very high. I see that most of the members recommend the clear bra, but what we have here is the 3M.

Good idea to invest in protective film right away to prevent stone chips. Also, be conscious of what/who you are driving behind. Approaching a truck? Slow down, or even exit the road and wait a few moments to give him time go farther ahead.

Originally Posted by Mach.89

1-As the car is new, when do you recommend start polishing or sealing it. Products here are limiting e.g Maguires & Armoil or something.

Immediately.

Originally Posted by Mach.89

2-Do I have to have the machines to do it or can I do it by hand.

The only area where machine vs. hand has a massive difference is in paint correction/defect removal. All other processes for the mostpart are going to yield identical results regardless of how you apply the product.

If you have swirl marks and defects you want to remove a machine is a MUST. You simply cannot make substantial improvements without a machine.

[Mach.89]

Dylan,

Thank you so much.

My garage is sealed on 3 sides, where I have the garage door is the open area, as it is a sliding gate horizontally instead of vertically, so I have about 30 in which is open from the top of the sliding gate to the the roof. I'll see what I can do with that.

Again

[RavenZL1]

I clear-bra all of my cars, 3M is fine.

If you want maximum protection, go with what I had done. Full front, full hood, full front fenders, lower door sills and lower rear quarters (gill area) along with the pillars and the mirrors. Also try to find someone that wraps all of the edges.

Well worth the investment.

[Mach.89]

RavenZL1,

Thanx, I will be approaching them very soon.

Did any of the 3M cause colour difference, as the car is white I'm worried it might cause yellowish results later.