car wash

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by DBS

so how would we dry the car if we don't have a leaf blower?

The first step is to keep a fresh coat of wax or sealant on the paint. After you've finished a wash, take the nozzle off the hose so that you have a light stream of water coming out. Let that run over the horizontal surfaces of the car and the water will remove itself in a sheeting action leaving mostly just water beads.

Use a nice, clean, soft microfiber waffle weave drying towel. Do not rub the paint dry. Drag the towel over the surface to remove the majority of the remaining water. Blot the rest dry. Never use pressure. That will add swirl marks in a heartbeat.

Also, use a separate towel for dirty areas such as fender wells, wheels, exhaust tips, rocker panels, etc. Relegate that towel for those duties.

When you wash your towels, use liquid detergent only, with no fabric softener.

[DBS]

Jesus maintaining a nice car is a paaainnn. OK so let me ask you this since you seem to know this stuff really well. My car is going to be black and I will have the ventureshield clear bra on it covering the front, mirror covers, entire hood, pillars, etc...

I'm getting the car professionally detailed every 6 months. Since I can't take it to a car wash I have to do it myself every week.

How do I go about washing this car every week. Do I need to wax every week? And w/e else is relevant please tell. I also will be adding carbon fiber parts to the car so info on managing those would be helpful too.

Thanks.

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by DBS

How do I go about washing this car every week. Do I need to wax every week? And w/e else is relevant please tell. I also will be adding carbon fiber parts to the car so info on managing those would be helpful too.

Thanks.

You do not need to wax every week. The real work is done in the polishing stage. Waxing is just done to protect your polishing and add a little protection from the elements. Most of your gloss comes from polishing. You need to make sure your professional detailer knows what they're doing. It's not hard to really mess up a paint job if you get in a hurry, use heavy cut compounds, and/or use rotary polishers.

Once your car has been clayed, polished, and sealed, the hard work is done. BUT, to keep your paint swirl free, you need to practice good wash techniques. Your method and tools that you use to wash can prolong a perfect paint job, and conversely, improper techniques or tools can ruin one in a hurry.

There are lots of resources available online. Check out www.autopia.org and www.autogeek.net and do an Internet search for the "two bucket wash method."

I'm not very familiar with carbon fiber parts, but I do know that they can be polished and waxed just like paint can (if those parts are clear coated). The carbon fiber's sensitivity to polishing may be different than clear coated paint, though.

[SIRLOIN]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

The first step is to keep a fresh coat of wax or sealant on the paint. After you've finished a wash, take the nozzle off the hose so that you have a light stream of water coming out. Let that run over the horizontal surfaces of the car and the water will remove itself in a sheeting action leaving mostly just water beads.

Use a nice, clean, soft microfiber waffle weave drying towel. Do not rub the paint dry. Drag the towel over the surface to remove the majority of the remaining water. Blot the rest dry. Never use pressure. That will add swirl marks in a heartbeat.

Also, use a separate towel for dirty areas such as fender wells, wheels, exhaust tips, rocker panels, etc. Relegate that towel for those duties.

When you wash your towels, use liquid detergent only, with no fabric softener.

Originally Posted by Gizmo

You do not need to wax every week. The real work is done in the polishing stage. Waxing is just done to protect your polishing and add a little protection from the elements. Most of your gloss comes from polishing. You need to make sure your professional detailer knows what they're doing. It's not hard to really mess up a paint job if you get in a hurry, use heavy cut compounds, and/or use rotary polishers.

Once your car has been clayed, polished, and sealed, the hard work is done. BUT, to keep your paint swirl free, you need to practice good wash techniques. Your method and tools that you use to wash can prolong a perfect paint job, and conversely, improper techniques or tools can ruin one in a hurry.

There are lots of resources available online. Check out www.autopia.org and www.autogeek.net and do an Internet search for the "two bucket wash method."

I'm not very familiar with carbon fiber parts, but I do know that they can be polished and waxed just like paint can (if those parts are clear coated). The carbon fiber's sensitivity to polishing may be different than clear coated paint, though.

Great posts with proper information...

[DBS]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

You do not need to wax every week. The real work is done in the polishing stage. Waxing is just done to protect your polishing and add a little protection from the elements. Most of your gloss comes from polishing. You need to make sure your professional detailer knows what they're doing. It's not hard to really mess up a paint job if you get in a hurry, use heavy cut compounds, and/or use rotary polishers.

Once your car has been clayed, polished, and sealed, the hard work is done. BUT, to keep your paint swirl free, you need to practice good wash techniques. Your method and tools that you use to wash can prolong a perfect paint job, and conversely, improper techniques or tools can ruin one in a hurry.

There are lots of resources available online. Check out www.autopia.org and www.autogeek.net and do an Internet search for the "two bucket wash method."

I'm not very familiar with carbon fiber parts, but I do know that they can be polished and waxed just like paint can (if those parts are clear coated). The carbon fiber's sensitivity to polishing may be different than clear coated paint, though.

I see. The carbon fiber parts have clear coat. They aren't cheap like other ones that just have the gel coat. What is the difference between polishing and waxing. As far as the process.

My shop I go to for mods, they are the ones who have an outside detailer come for the cars as well, is really good. He's been doing the car I have now which is also black and every time he is finished with it, it looks like a brand new car again (till I see the rock chips and get depressed I have an old crap car lol).

Also what place has the best products? So far when I do a google search as well as forum search the popular products seem to be Zaino and Meguiars (could be spelling this wrong)

[bbboomer54]

I don't know why you would ever put your ZL1 through a car wash, but GM specifically warns against using car washes that are tracked to pull your car through. The wheels and tires are simply too wide and will not fit into most tracks. Even if they do they will likely get damaged.

[chazysoccer11]

Originally Posted by SIRLOIN

NEVER use a clay bar before you wash your car!!! This is something you do AFTER your car has been thoroughly washed and cleaned...

+1,000,000

[shockandawe]

Originally Posted by bbboomer54

I don't know why you would ever put your ZL1 through a car wash, but GM specifically warns against using car washes that are tracked to pull your car through. The wheels and tires are simply too wide and will not fit into most tracks. Even if they do they will likely get damaged.

Newer touchless car washes have nothing on the floor so your tires would not be damaged by anything. Also, with a touchless you get a soft water rinse which leaves no hard waters spots on the paint.

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by DBS

I see. The carbon fiber parts have clear coat. They aren't cheap like other ones that just have the gel coat. What is the difference between polishing and waxing. As far as the process.

My shop I go to for mods, they are the ones who have an outside detailer come for the cars as well, is really good. He's been doing the car I have now which is also black and every time he is finished with it, it looks like a brand new car again (till I see the rock chips and get depressed I have an old crap car lol).

Also what place has the best products? So far when I do a google search as well as forum search the popular products seem to be Zaino and Meguiars (could be spelling this wrong)

The terms "polishing" and "waxing/sealing" are used interchangeably in the industry, so it gets a little confusing. For example, Zaino calls their Z2 and Z5 paint sealants polishes when in fact they are pure sealants and have zero corrective ability.

Polishing to me is correcting or enhancing the paint by means of cut (compound) or chemical cleaning (something like Klasse All-in-One). When you polish the paint with a compound, really what you're doing is removing minute, almost immeasurable amounts of clear coat. As you do this, it takes the sharp edges of the microscopic scratches/swirlmarks and rounds the sharp edges off so that they don't catch light and then you can't see them.

To make things more confusing, there are cleaner waxes and then there are pure waxes. Cleaner waxes include small amounts of abrasives or chemicals which clean and polish the paint while leaving a small amount of carnauba wax or synthetic polymers behind. The compromise here is that, while they can make the paint look good, they will not correct as well as a dedicated compound and they will not protect as well as a dedicated pure wax or sealant.

So, after you have corrected the paint by polishing, you protect the finish with a wax. I have used a LOT of products, and honestly, there is no "best" product. I like to shop from Autogeek and Adam's Polishes. I have used Zaino extensively as well and you can't go wrong with their products, either. Right now, I'm using Optimum products on my Roush and Duragloss products on my daily driver. There's really no wrong choice. Meguiar's is great, too. The most important thing is perfecting your technique, finding something you like, and using it often.

[bumblebeecamaro]

Washing my car is very relaxing to me. IE: Today my wife was bed ridden so I decided to use my alone time wisely. I decided to do one of my full blown wash jobs on my SS. Full blown as in putting UV protectant on my dash as well as thoroughly cleaning my leather seats followed by conditioning them. I see so many people failing to do this and yet they wonder why their leather seats look like hell after only a couple years.

My '10 SS looks, smells and drives like its still brand new. Why? Because I take very good care of my Bee.