2009LEX

Hey everyone -

I spent the day searching and reading through threads and really know more about washing/detailing my car than I ever wanted to know (sometimes knowledge is scary because then you see all the imperfections).

My local car was sux! Every time I get some type of weird water spot that takes me an hour to get out with Vinegar and vinegar just smells soooo bad.

What do I need to give my car a basic wash every week or when it rains?

I plan on getting it detailed once a month so I don't need to get really into it but I can have someone come out to my office and detail it for about 100 bucks per month.

We have extremely hard water where I live and my car is black.

Here is what I found:
To wash:
http://www.detailersdomain.com/swiss...umcarwash.aspx

To Dry:
http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com...-drying-t.html

To spray when needed I guess???: Or maybe when I am lazy instead of washing it????
http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com...less-wash.html

But what is the clay bar for? And do I even need it?

Thank you for your help!

Chris@GlimmerGlass

iTrader: (3)

I just set someone else up w/ a wash kit who initially had the same questions as well

For a soap, you can do the one you linked to on Phils site, or theres a few others I'd recommend as well. P21s Bodywork Conditioning Shampoo, Citrus Wash n Gloss, Optimum Car Wash, and Super Slick n Suds are all fantastic shampoos. Citrus Wash n Gloss, in high concentration, can strip your wax. (dont think of it as a bad thing.. stripping the wax every so often, before details, etc, is a good idea). I dont find that the p21s soap suds very much, but it leaves an excellent finish. I personally use Super Slick n Suds, but just finished up a bottle of Optimum. I use them all and enjoy using each of them.

You would also want to pick up at least one wash bucket. (two if you want to do a 2-bucket method wash). The 2 bucket method basically consists of a dirty rinse bucket and a clean wash bucket. I highly recommend grit guard to place at the bottom of the bucket. And finally, a nice lambswool wash mitt is my preferred wash tool

Now, the Spray n Wipe that you linked to. Thats designed to be a waterless wash (although it works very well on chrome and as a quick detailer as well). If you'd like a quick detailer to use after your routine washes (to boost your wax and add some gloss and depth), I really like Spray n Gloss on darker colors, or Quickshine for a slicker feel.

We also have a few wash kits located here if you'd like: http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com/carwabuandpa.html

2009LEX

Thank you! What about the clay bar? Do I need one of those?

Chris@GlimmerGlass

iTrader: (3)

Thats up to you really. Again, I would recommend claying about 2x/year. Clay removes surface contaminents that your vehicles surface accumulates over time. Unfortunately, theres no rule as to how fast or how much will build up on the surface. I've had to clay brand new vehicles before, but I've also had cars here that hardly needed any claying at all after a year.
If, after washing the car, the paint does not feel smooth, you might consider doing it. Here is a clay package for you if interested: 200g Clay, Luber & Clay Box

To clay, you would spray a small section at a time (maybe 1'x1'-2'x2'), then, using light to moderate pressure, work the clay in back/forth motions. You'll feel and hear the clay working on areas that need it. You can also cut the bar in to smaller pieces and only use what you need. Save the rest for future use

GS4_Fiend

iTrader: (22)

Can paint cleaners be compared with claying?

jfelbab

Paint cleaners are quite different than clay. Clay removes contamination bonded to the paint. It shears the contaminant off of the paint. So clay removes stuff that is firmly bonded on the paint.

Paint cleaners, OTOH, remove stuff that is in the paint or in the pores of paint. It removes stains and old wax/sealants. It is is not good at removing bonded contaminants as it doesn't have the ability to shear off this stuff like clay.

Clay is not needed if the paint surface feels glass-like smooth. Clay often will degrade but not completely remove a sealant. If you are planning on a detail and don't need to clay, a paint cleaner is a good choice to remove all the prior coatings. Some suggest Dawn for this but Dawn does not completely remove some sealants. Others use body solvents like DuPont's Prepsol for this. While that works it doesn't offer the swirl removing ability of a paint cleaner

I prefer a paint cleaner as it also polishes the paint and removes fine swirls. There are a few cleaner/polishes that do this very effectively.

Chris@GlimmerGlass

iTrader: (3)

And there you have it