Car blog edited the following
Question: Car detailing need help with how to do it and what products to use?
The pictures have nothing to do with the content!!
What is the process of detailing a car and how, i have read that you must…
1. Wash and dry
2. Use a clay bar
3. wax
what does each step involve and what are the best products thanks!
Q&A:
Answer by Vipassana
That’s not detailing a car.
Detailing a car is cleaning the DETAILS.
Which would mean going through your dash with a q-tip, to clean out all the crevices, removing the seats, and steam cleaning the carpet, seats, etc, individually, hand polishing any chrome, etc and so forth.
All you’re doing, is washing the outside. That’s the same idea as putting on clean clothes, and saying you’re clean; instead of actually taking a bath and cleaning up.
Answer by badaz06
A lot of this depends on what you’re looking to do (i.e., how detailed).
There are several products, Maguires, Mothers, etc. I personally prefer Zaino, although you can’t buy it at a store, just online.
http://www.zainostore.com/ (there are some great tips and tricks on there as well) It’s not cheap, but it is awesome!
If you really want to get zealous, wash the car once (and only once) with some dishwashing liquid, something like Dawn. What this will do is remove all the wax and wax buildup on the car and let you start clean (very important if you’re going to do this right). Just once you start applying layer after layer of wax (required for the deep mirror shine) dont use dawn again or you’ll have to start from scratch!
Then use your clay bar.
Then wash again with a car wash. Dry your car with a 100% cotton towel.
Then (and it all depends on how awesome you want this to be) you can put down a prewax. I know Zaino has this, not sure about the other brands. Give it some time to let it dry.
Zaino has two types of wax (a few others do as well). The first few times you wax the car you use one wax, which is more for getting into and bonding with the paint, providing UV protection, etc. Then the 4th time you wax use the other wax which is more for glossing and shine, brings depth to the paint.
There are special glass cleaners also (oddly enough, black and white newspaper works AWESOME cleaning windows).
There are also some engine cleaners you can use that are great for keeping your motor clean (required if going to show the car).
with regards to the tires, dont over black the rubber as it’ll sling down the side of your car.
Answer by lychi
Clay bars are used in the detailing, automotive reconditioning and auto body shop professions to remove paint over spray, tree sap and industrial fallout from the cars painted surfaces.
Many claim that clay bars are not abrasive but that is incorrect. They are all abrasive to a degree, so use with caution.
I would recommend 2 products for you so that you can detail your car with a snap and you can eliminate lots of steps.
1. Autoworks™ High Performance Auto Care Exterior Car Wash (Usage of clay bar can be eliminated with this car wash.)
http://www.marketamerica.com/lcbeauty/index.cfm?action=shopping.wpGoShopProducts&prodID=10167
Primary Benefits:
• Gentle surfactants cut through dirt and grime leaving no microscopic abrasives in the wash water
• Strong enough to tackle the worst grime that the elements, environment and road conditions create
• Protects against scratching
• Gentle on paint and won’t damage clear coats
• Does not contain acids or alkali that strip wax and dry out the paint, rinses clean with a streak free shine
• Softens minerals in the water to reduce water spotting
How to use:
Highly concentrate so it’s very economical. Mix one ounce of the concentrate into 1 to 5 gallon bucket with water, you can clean up to 3 cars!
After diluting the product, we suggest using a sponge, terry cloth or mitt to wash your car. And that’s it! Because it contains plant base ingredients that help enhance the shine of painted vehicles. Many customers review that it looked like their cars were waxed after using the washer. (You can actually skip the polish step if you are satisfied with the shining look)
2, after washing your car, if you want to achieve showroom shine finish, then you can apply Autoworks™ High Performance Auto Care Shimmering Polish
http://www.marketamerica.com/lcbeauty/index.cfm?action=shopping.wpGoShopProducts&prodID=10170
Primary Benefits:
• Protect against harsh UV rays and sun damage for your car
• Provide Shines and protect car paint
• Maximize paint’s brilliance and reflection
• Leave a slick, high-gloss, streak-free shine, without any white residue
• Resist detergents, pollution, hard water spotting, road salts, insect remains, bird droppings
• Restore the luster of your car’s finish with no harsh chemicals or abrasives
How to use:
Very easy to use, just spread on and wipe off, no buffing or waxing is needed, definitely save you lots of time and energy compare to the traditional way of buffing and waxing your car.
The best part is both products using biodegradable, non-toxic and plant based ingredients that are not derived from petroleum and bottled in recyclable plastic, very environmental friendly.
Answer by lcpspetsitter
There’s a nice write up here: http://www.squidoo.com/showcardetailing along with product suggestions and how tos. The main steps you missed were cleaner & polish. Basically, clay removes contaminents like tree sap. Cleaner will remove any old wax. Polish will feed the paint, restoring essential oils. Wax will protect the paint.
As far as brands: I have a few cars that I show, I use Meguiars. Mothers seems to be the second choice to Meguiars in the local car show scene-I see more people using Meguiars Quik Detailer than Mothers Showtime. After those two are the Zainos, Zymols, etc. I think Meguiars and Mothers are probably comparable and can be bought in stores (the step system of cleaner and polish only seems to be available at Pep boys near me, Advance and Auto Zone no longer carry it).
Product brand is probably secondary to technique and process. Use clean foam applicators and microfiber towels. Work the product in small sections, allowing only the wax to haze (polish and cleaner don’t need to haze or dry-they are REALLY hard to get off of they do!). Work in the shade with a cool paint surface. Don’t forget the tires and rims-a beautifully cleaned/polished/waxed paint job will pale next to dirty rims and browned tires!
Answer by KB
theres more steps
heres what you do
1. wash vehichle
2. clay bar ( this get rids of all the continments that are bonded to the paint, leaving the surface smooth) i suggest meguiars smooth surface clay kit- this is non abrasive, its almost impossible to cause any damage to your paint with this, you can also use it on your glass
3. paint cleaner- this removes oxidation, swirl marks, scratches, etc
depending on how bad of shape the car is in, you will need a certain abrasive cleaner, for light swirls/scratches, you can use meguiars deep crystal cleaner. or for more aggressive
theres scratchx, swirlx, scratchx 2.0, and ultimate compound
(listen in from least go greatest)
4. polish. polish can be abrasive or non abrasive
if its abrasive
usually its a paint cleaner/ and a polish in one, or a cleaner/polish/wax in one
otherwise, its pure polish, then it just fills in scratches/swirls, and gives vehichle shine. i suggest deep crystal polish, its a pure polish
5. wax your vehichle, this locks in the polish, and can also fill in scratches/swirls and gives it a little more shine
i suggest meguiars nxt 2.0 tech wax, or meguiars gold class
this is just for the paint
therse also interior, tires, trim, etc..
or for the paint
you can do
1. wash
2. clay
3. cleaner wax ( paint cleaner, polish,wax all in one) comes with meguiars clay kit)
4. wax
use microfiber towels/applicator pads
and paint cleaners, you need to work into the paint
usually around 30-60 seconds per 1 square foot area
any more questions, email
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