First new car, all exterior maintenance

[db4dajc24]

All in a nutshell I have never owned anything this nice in my life, I went from my old toyota celica gt to the camaro after being financially disciplined. Basically I am wondering what the best methods/products to use in upkeep of the car. So far all I have invested in is the hybridV07 as a cleaner and it worked well. I am still wondering though about waxing and all this stuff people use to maintain their finishes. All I do is once or twice a week, go to the touchless DIY car wash, run it through, dry it off with my leaf blower, then apply the hybridV07 with a microfiber towel. Lengthy but any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I am simply looking for the best protection for my car. Thanks.

[ec1990]

Here's a great list (goodness can we just sticky this)

V07 is an awesome product unfortunately there just isn't much durability with it, but I use it for many things, quick detailer, glass cleaner, and more. I would look into a long term sealant like Menzerna Power Lock which has a 4-6 month durability then use V07 to top it off weekly.

[SoCalThug]

Welcome to the c5 forums! I would look up "junkman2000" on youtube and watch his videos, make sure you grab some and get comfy

[axis]

There are TONS of things you can do, the question is, how deep are you wanting to go and how much time and $$ do you want to invest.

[db4dajc24]

Thanks SoCal for the welcome, ec1990 I'll definitely look into that. As for the deep (that's what she said) allllll the way, time isn't good because I'm new at my job and low on the totem pole so I usually get mandated and have to stay 16hrs then come back in 8hrs later to work my regular shift. Money to invest is decent I make decent money for people my age. In particular I have this bug acid which I know isn't good on the front of my car that just will no come off. The bug and tar remover got off some, the hybridV07 got off some more, but all that remains are like juice stains. Just a huge pet peeve because I just heard of some clear bra shit the other day and sounds like it would be easier to have one of those.

[db4dajc24]

And I do understand that this topic has probably been covered numerous times, so I appreciate the patience and that sticky.

[Adam's Polishes]

Congrats on the new ride!

Take a look through our Instructional Videos, they will give you some idea of how much or how little you want to do in order to maintain your car's appearance and go from there!

[db4dajc24]

Thanks I will definitely do that. Saved me tons of time.

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by ec1990

Here's a great list (goodness can we just sticky this)

V07 is an awesome product unfortunately there just isn't much durability with it, but I use it for many things, quick detailer, glass cleaner, and more. I would look into a long term sealant like Menzerna Power Lock which has a 4-6 month durability then use V07 to top it off weekly.

Lol I told you they dont like me. Wouldn't matter if my threads got 100k views.

This one might help you too OP

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307114

[Speedbuggy]

Originally Posted by db4dajc24

Thanks SoCal for the welcome, ec1990 I'll definitely look into that. As for the deep (that's what she said) allllll the way, time isn't good because I'm new at my job and low on the totem pole so I usually get mandated and have to stay 16hrs then come back in 8hrs later to work my regular shift. Money to invest is decent I make decent money for people my age. In particular I have this bug acid which I know isn't good on the front of my car that just will no come off. The bug and tar remover got off some, the hybridV07 got off some more, but all that remains are like juice stains. Just a huge pet peeve because I just heard of some clear bra shit the other day and sounds like it would be easier to have one of those.

since you are going all the way...here is a write up ive done on general maintenance and cleaning.

i have others if you're interested on engine bay, interior and machine polishing.

Step 1 Washing
As far as washing goes, you need to look at it as an entire project. First and foremost, you have to wash the car frequently (once or twice a week) and while doing so, you want to try and limit the amount of contact with the vehicle that will cause scratching or swirls. To do so is pretty easy but you can’t take shortcuts. I recommend the 2 bucket wash method. You can Google it for different variations, but the key is one wash bucket, one rinse bucket and two grit guards. Grit guards will protect your wash media from picking up debris from your wash waster, and the soap will take the debris down to below the guard, minimizing the risk of scratches. Simply hose the vehicle down, and section by section wash the car. Every time you need more soap on your wash medium, rinse your wash medium in the rinse bucket and agitate it against the grit guard. Then back to the wash bucket and on to the vehicle again. Repeat. Also make sure you have a nice soft wash medium like a chenille microfiber wash mitt, or my favorite, a merino wool wash mitt like the one made by carpro.

If this is a pre polish wash, I recommend using Dawn dish soap...you don’t care if it will strip the wax, because you really want to degrease the paint anyhow...but this should be the only time you use Dawn, unless you are starting this process all over again.

For the maintenance wash, look for some good quality high lubricity car wash soap such as the Sonax Shampoo, Optimum Car Wash, Perls made by 1z, which is great and has a wax in it to aid with drying, or Meguiar’s Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner which is pretty cheap in the gallon.

Step 2 Decontaminate
Next, I suggest using a product called IronX. This stuff is amazing, but the smell is horrific. It is great at dissolving all iron particles, and other paint contaminants and will really make the claying step easier.
Once prepped with Iron X, now you have to clay the paint. Use a high quality clay bar and clay lube. This is a necessary step to ensure all of the contaminants are off the paint. The last thing you want to do is grind them into the paint and cause more swirls or even worse, scratches.

As like many of the steps, there are many variations of the traditional clay bar, but I would recommend sticking to traditional clay like the one made by clay magic. The speedy prep towel, or nanoskin towel or pad are like clay alternatives, but sometimes are quite aggressive.

Step 3 Remove Swirls/Polish
Once clayed and cleaned, machine polish the paint to remove the swirls. Sometimes if the swirls are bad, they will need a heavier compound, but you should be able to use a good polish like Menzerna SF4500 or Optimum Finish Polish and use more and less aggressive Pads to get the cut and finish you’re looking for on your truck. The Menzerna is really the best for the hard ceramic clear s, but Sonax Nano Polish is also awesome and easy to use!

If the paint is a bit worse, I would suggest either the Menzerna PF 2500 or FG 400 for the swirl and scratch removal and Menzerna SF 4500 for your polish. Equally as good, are the Sonax Profoline Fine Abrasive Paste and the Sonax Profoline Nano Polish. Again, this would be just a preference. Both are high end products made in Germany.

As far as pads go, you will need a couple oranges for the aggressive cutting and either some whites or greens or blues for the polishing (these are Buff and Shine Pads I’m referring to). You need to clean them often, and I suggest a few of each colour because they do get dirty. I suggest 10 pads.

If you’re working by hand, you really won’t be able to get rid of the swirls, but you will def. clean the paint. The best product I’ve used by hand with the best results is hands down Sonax. They have a two step process with a Paint Power Cleaner and step 2, a Hybrid wax. It is a mix of Carnauba wax and synthetic polymers. This will make an outstanding shine and gloss on the vehicle, and a recently released product called Sonax Polymer Net Shield will take the gloss and shine and durability to the next level.

I also like the Duragloss TPP 105 which is also amazing. And id top that with Aquawax. This is the most affordable solution, best for hand application, but won’t really remove any swirls. These two product lines are more of a chemical cleaner than an abrasive product.

Step 4 Sealant/Wax/Coating
This step can be done either by machine or hand depending on the products chosen. The machine just spreads the wax/sealant out faster and thinner. Remember, thin is in...Do multiple thin coats instead of one thick coat. The residue is hard to remove. But I do not suggest using a machine to spread a coating like cquartz or opti coat.

For a sealant, I highly recommend Menzerna Powerlock. expect to get anywhere from 12 to 18 months protection, and this can be topped with a carnauba wax if so desired to give you more longevity. Use a red pad to apply the selant or wax if working by machine.

For a permanent coating, I suggest Opti Coat or Cquartz, however, expect 24 moths protection from Cquartz, permanent from Opti Coat. Cquartz is very nice on black.

The surface must be properly prepped for Opti coat to work its best, so I’d also recommend using eraser or prep sol to ensure all the polishing oils are gone, or else you risk the Opti coat not bonding.

Step 5 Maintenance
Once protected, wash the car using the above method as necessary, but using a gentle and highly lubricated shampoo like Sonax Car Shampoo or Optimum Car wash, and look to freshen the paint after washing and drying with a product like Optimum Instant detailer (the only thing I suggest using on top of Opti Coat) or Sonax brilliant shine detailer or AquaWax (my personal favorite).

Also for drying, I recommend using your leaf blower. It is a great way to dry your car...it blows the water out of all the crevices and prevents water spotting, which will etch the paint and bring you back to step 2 very quickly. I would also recommend using a waffle weave towel for the spots left by the leaf blower such as Sonus Drying Towels, or my new favourite Microfiber Madness Dry me Crazy with one of the drying aids listed above.

My all time every time recommendation is to consider a coating when possible, but I only like to recommend permanent coatings when you have access to a machine polisher. The final finish depends on the prep work, and without a machine, id skip the permanent coating route and just take your time by hand with less permanent option.

[ihaveacamaro]

Originally Posted by axis

There are TONS of things you can do, the question is, how deep are you wanting to go and how much time and $$ do you want to invest.

I agree!

[tonyko1]

Speedbuggy sounds like he is on speed, whoa!

Your car has a clearcoat on it, greatest invention since fuel injection. I washed my car yesterday, just to get rid of waterspots from a thunderstorm, no big deal. My car is dark blue, Imperial Blue Metallic (IBM) and waterspots are hell. I bought some "hotsause" detailing spray from a member's recommendation, works awesome. Other than that, the car's finish is great. Sure I get bugs on front bumper and bird crap, but geez Louise, washing the car 2x a week means you are out of work, ha.

Lastly, no machine buffing is necessary, geezzz, that causes swirl marks of its own. Again, the clearcoat rules. If you see any imperfections, keep taking steps back until you can't see them....

[ec1990]

Originally Posted by tonyko1

Speedbuggy sounds like he is on speed, whoa!

Your car has a clearcoat on it, greatest invention since fuel injection. I washed my car yesterday, just to get rid of waterspots from a thunderstorm, no big deal. My car is dark blue, Imperial Blue Metallic (IBM) and waterspots are hell. I bought some "hotsause" detailing spray from a member's recommendation, works awesome. Other than that, the car's finish is great. Sure I get bugs on front bumper and bird crap, but geez Louise, washing the car 2x a week means you are out of work, ha.

Lastly, no machine buffing is necessary, geezzz, that causes swirl marks of its own. Again, the clearcoat rules. If you see any imperfections, keep taking steps back until you can't see them....

Yeah....no....it removes them. Improper washing and drying and cheap microfibers causes scratches. Machine buffing at 4000-6000 rpms removes them by lowering the clear coat to an even layer

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by tonyko1

Speedbuggy sounds like he is on speed, whoa!

Your car has a clearcoat on it, greatest invention since fuel injection. I washed my car yesterday, just to get rid of waterspots from a thunderstorm, no big deal. My car is dark blue, Imperial Blue Metallic (IBM) and waterspots are hell. I bought some "hotsause" detailing spray from a member's recommendation, works awesome. Other than that, the car's finish is great. Sure I get bugs on front bumper and bird crap, but geez Louise, washing the car 2x a week means you are out of work, ha.

Lastly, no machine buffing is necessary, geezzz, that causes swirl marks of its own. Again, the clearcoat rules. If you see any imperfections, keep taking steps back until you can't see them....

Where do you people come up with this stuff?