Micahdogg
12-05-2012, 11:41 AM
It amazes me how complicated it can be to just clean a car. It really shouldn't be this hard, but I've been trying to learn for the better part of 10 years now and still haven't come up with a good way to clean a car - but I think I'm close...so I figured I would share some stuff with people who may feel just as stupid as me as to how to get a nice finish on black paint especially.
1- Wash the car. I usually go to a car wash and just use the soap and rinse wand. Drive home and let the air blow most of the water off. Feel free to do it in your driveway, just don't use an old t-shirt and dawn dish soap please.
2- Dry the car with a clean cotton towel
You may want to wax immediately, but don't. The key to a nice finish is in the prep
3- Bust out the clay bar. Autozone stock a couple brands. Cut the bar in half or thirds because if you drop it on the ground you have to throw it away. Work in the shade and on a cool surface or else you will etch the paint. Spray a 1 foot squared panel with solution (u can use spray detailer too) and rub the clay back and forth a few times. Once you clayed the whole panel, get a clean towel and wipe it off. Don't let the water dry. Then move to another spot. I usually keep the towel over my shoulder and hook the trigger of the bottle on my back pocket. That way I can spray, work the clay, dry off, repeat....etc... It will take you an hour to clay a Marauder sized car, but you will be able to feel the results immediately.
4- Polish the panel. The clay works good for getting the panel smooth, but it won't get it clean. You need some kind of Ultra finishing polish or pure polish to get the old wax, clay residue, hazed portions of clear coat clean and shiney. It will also buff out micro scraches. This is best used with polisher, but you can hand buff with micro fiber towels. And I do mean hand buff...work that polish hard!
5- Wax. Use painters tape to trim out any plastic parts you don't want to touch. I'm using Mequiars nxt polimer based wax. Put an ultra ultra ultra ultra ultra thin - very even coat on the panel. Use as little as possible and again, spread as even as possible. Let it fully dry. If you wonder if it's dry, just wipe a small section with your finger. If it smears it is not dry.
6- Remove hazed wax with a micro fiber towel. Keep turning the towel to a clean section. Now that it is wiped off....go get another clean micro fiber towel and repeat. Once that is complete. Go get another clean micro fiber towel for the final wipe. You need to wipe the same panel with 3 new towels to REALLY get the wax off.
That's it. Why do you have to do all this? Because if you just wax a clean car, it won't feel good. If you clay and then wax, the paint will feel beautiful, but will look splotchy and have some ghosting where you can see where you waxed. If you do every step, but get too heavy with the wax during application, you will also have ghosting and an inconsistant reflection in the paint. If you don't go through at least 20 micro fiber towels, you will be wiping wax back onto the paint. You need to do all of these steps for a black car to shine. And you will hate life and your arms will be burnt out. And then never drive the car again.
P.S. Carnuba wax is one and done. The polimer based stuff you can probably do another ultra ultra ultra thin coat after a day or so and build it up a little for protective purposes.
P.P.S. Don't use fabric softener when washing/drying your pile of dirty micro fiber towels.
1- Wash the car. I usually go to a car wash and just use the soap and rinse wand. Drive home and let the air blow most of the water off. Feel free to do it in your driveway, just don't use an old t-shirt and dawn dish soap please.
2- Dry the car with a clean cotton towel
You may want to wax immediately, but don't. The key to a nice finish is in the prep
3- Bust out the clay bar. Autozone stock a couple brands. Cut the bar in half or thirds because if you drop it on the ground you have to throw it away. Work in the shade and on a cool surface or else you will etch the paint. Spray a 1 foot squared panel with solution (u can use spray detailer too) and rub the clay back and forth a few times. Once you clayed the whole panel, get a clean towel and wipe it off. Don't let the water dry. Then move to another spot. I usually keep the towel over my shoulder and hook the trigger of the bottle on my back pocket. That way I can spray, work the clay, dry off, repeat....etc... It will take you an hour to clay a Marauder sized car, but you will be able to feel the results immediately.
4- Polish the panel. The clay works good for getting the panel smooth, but it won't get it clean. You need some kind of Ultra finishing polish or pure polish to get the old wax, clay residue, hazed portions of clear coat clean and shiney. It will also buff out micro scraches. This is best used with polisher, but you can hand buff with micro fiber towels. And I do mean hand buff...work that polish hard!
5- Wax. Use painters tape to trim out any plastic parts you don't want to touch. I'm using Mequiars nxt polimer based wax. Put an ultra ultra ultra ultra ultra thin - very even coat on the panel. Use as little as possible and again, spread as even as possible. Let it fully dry. If you wonder if it's dry, just wipe a small section with your finger. If it smears it is not dry.
6- Remove hazed wax with a micro fiber towel. Keep turning the towel to a clean section. Now that it is wiped off....go get another clean micro fiber towel and repeat. Once that is complete. Go get another clean micro fiber towel for the final wipe. You need to wipe the same panel with 3 new towels to REALLY get the wax off.
That's it. Why do you have to do all this? Because if you just wax a clean car, it won't feel good. If you clay and then wax, the paint will feel beautiful, but will look splotchy and have some ghosting where you can see where you waxed. If you do every step, but get too heavy with the wax during application, you will also have ghosting and an inconsistant reflection in the paint. If you don't go through at least 20 micro fiber towels, you will be wiping wax back onto the paint. You need to do all of these steps for a black car to shine. And you will hate life and your arms will be burnt out. And then never drive the car again.
P.S. Carnuba wax is one and done. The polimer based stuff you can probably do another ultra ultra ultra thin coat after a day or so and build it up a little for protective purposes.
P.P.S. Don't use fabric softener when washing/drying your pile of dirty micro fiber towels.