A member on another forum I frequent has come up with some very valid point, so I thought I'd share them with you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by white_is
what products do you use and recommend? from doing some reading online and stuff i've gathered that i should clay bar, polish and wax. so what stuff do you use?
Wash?
Clay Bar?
Polish?
Wax?
i've been trying to figure out what order to do everything to really get my car as well as my brothers, sisters, and girlfriends looking nice. i'm still kinda confused. but i've gathered that i should..
wash and dry (twice)
clay bar
polish
wax
but what if i want to use some scratch remover. do i do that before the polish or after? and i've also read that some people use a polish then a sealant and then a wax. do you recommend this? or should i just use one or the other?
|
Yes, you will want to wash your car twice with a proper car body shampoo. Do not use the all-in-one products (soap, wax, paint cleaner, &c.) as you're just putting more muck on your paint! I recommend Meguiars' Deep Crystal. You will want to use your scratch/swirl remover (I recommend ScratchX from Meguiars') after you have completed your clay bar process, but only if you're not laying down a polish. If you are not comfortable with a clay bar, as you can damage your paint if you don't do it correctly, I recommend getting the liquid version; it works just as good if not better and it is practically fool-proof. A good polish followed by a finishing polish will get rid of most if not all minor scratches and imperfections, so no real need for the scratch remover (it's more or less just a finishing polish in itself). You will want to work your polish in a small spot before you lay it down over the whole car; during this first application of a new polish it's a good idea to keep track of the amount of time it takes for the polish to settle! Clean up the spot you've worked on regularly and check the finish of the paint. When you see no more marring and imperfections, your polish has been worked thoroughly and you now know how much time you have to work per panel in order to get the most out of the polish! I'm personally not a big fan of polishes… they're a lot of work. I'm a lazy detailer! :P
You will then want to seal up the paint with a wax. Now I'm not up to date here when it comes to the English-language terms but as far as I know, regular waxes are made from a natural base (carnauba) and a sealant is just a fancy term for waxes made from synthetic polymers. A true paint sealant such as the Quantum Sealant System, I don't recommend applying yourself. Remember, stay away from Teflon and silicone based waxes and "sealants!"
Quote:
Originally Posted by ISx300
Is it recommended to wash the car AGAIN with soap and water between the clay bar and polish/wax steps?
|
After a clay bar your car will be as clean as you will ever get it! I don't recommend washing your car between the steps, but giving it a good wipe-doy with a microfiber cloth and the detailing spray provided with the clay bar sure doesn't hurt!