991999R

how about the pro wax every quarter?

TheAnswer

Thanks for flames all around gents.

Jay-S

Don't worry about the commentary...they all mean well. It takes years to get from ground zero on detailing until you know you've got it all sorted out. Take some of the recommendations posted above and start there.

If you are like most of us you will slowly sink into detailing obsession. You'll pick up bits and pieces here and there (and by searching on various topics).

TheAnswer

Please allow me to rephrase the question: can someone point me to a thread or explain the best way one cleans a Porsche? I am reading things about deionized water etc. and I am looking for some help. I don't know more than to get a bucket of car soap and wash it down.

TheAnswer

Griot's Garage 11470Z Master Car Care Collection

I ordered this to get started.

LexVan

Funny screen name. Have you tried search yet? Or our excellent Concours Forum??

kosmo

Griots is fine.

Autogeek.net has a lot to products and how to.

chuck911

TheAnswer … its really not all that difficult or time consuming to maintain a great finish. It is, if you want concours perfect or 24/7 perfect. But if you're willing to put up with the car being dirty for days (or, sigh, weeks) at a time, but want it to look great once you do get around to washing it it doesn't need to be all that demanding. At least not if you know what you're doing.

Everything in my Griot's link above will be useful, but you can get on just fine with just a 5 gal wash bucket, 100% cotton or microfiber wash mitt, Boars hair brush, Car Wash, Clay, Machine 4 polish, Best of Show Wax and several 100% cotton or microfiber towels. (I know microfiber has won everyone over, but they are not all created equal. Some leave scratches. A 100% cotton towel on the other hand is fool-proof, and more often than not, free.) These few items have covered about 90% of my detailing needs for near on 20 years now, and as Bob (Hammer911) has actually seen my car I think he can vouch for me when I say you can do very well indeed with my approach.

The most important thing to keep in mind, by far, is that pressure causes scratches. Never apply much pressure to your paint. When the car is dirty, bits of grit concentrate pressure resulting in scratches. When washing, the weight of your wet mitt is about the right amount of pressure. If you let your car accumulate dirt for a month it can still be cleaned but you'll have to be extremely careful to follow these steps to avoid scratches. Wash only a very small area at a time. Turn the mitt as you go so you're lifting dirt off the car not pushing it around. Wash with a straight back and forth motion, never in circles. Rinse the mitt off with the hose before dipping into your Car Wash bucket.

This will get the car clean. But infrequent washing will lead to lots of contaminants becoming embedded in the paint. If you really are going to wash only once per month then it will be a good idea to clay every time or maybe every other wash. Griot's Paint Cleaning Clay is non-abrasive and can be used often like this. You will be amazed how much better your car will look - and feel - and it only takes about 15 min.

There is however a much better approach. If the car stays dry then use a California Car Duster followed with Speed Shine before parking each night. Once it gets rained on then let it go until wash day, which should be once a week. If it stays dry you could go several weeks like this without washing. You will however probably want to wash the wheels, as otherwise you will ruin your towels and scratch your wheels trying to get them clean with Speed Shine. Griot's Boar's Hair Brush is great for wheels, just remember to shake it off and rinse before putting it in your wash bucket.

Some will cringe, but this is advice for the real world. It won't eat up a huge amount of time and money. And it really works.

TheAnswer

Thanks chuck911, much appreciated. I'll see how this Griot's package works out and take your cleaning advice. I'm going to wash it more than once a month too, don't worry everyone haha.

I only said that because I have a great looking SUV that I wash very infrequently and it looks great, but it is time to respect the 911.

stealthboy

I would use a two-bucket method to wash. You have two buckets - one with just water, the other with water and your car soap. Take the mitt from the car soap, wash a section of the car, then rinse the mitt in the *other* bucket. This keeps a lot of the dirt and grime in the dirty bucket, then the car soap bucket can remain somewhat clean. I also use things called "grit guards" at the bottoms of the buckets. This keeps your mitt from getting down into the bottom where dirt and grit has settled.

I go weeks in-between washings sometimes and instead concentrate on quick detailing (Speed Shine) and cleaning the wheels. I find these two quick detailing steps keep the car looking great for a long time. It helps when you don't have hours and hours every weekend. Use separate towels for the wheels. In fact, when I wash the car, I have a separate bucket, soap, wash mitt, everything just for the wheels.

You can easily become obsessed, but I would start with:

- Two-bucket wash method
- Quick detailer spray (I used Griot's Speed Shine) for daily touch ups
- Quality towels (I use Chemical Guys ultra plush microfiber)
- Detail the wheels often - clean wheels make for a clean-looking car in between washes, IMHO

aml161

It's so easy.

The most important thing to remember is that it's best practice to ensure that your car is always shielded from the elements. Since so many of us commute with our cars, at the top of the products list should be a hermetically sealed and ionized plexiglass trailer attached to a supercharged Range Rover. I know, I know, we all love Porsches, but it's so pretentious to drive your 911 around in a Cayenne Turbo. Let's keep it real, right?

The trailer is used to transport your car from the also hermetically sealed and ionized garage to the hermetically sealed and ionized staging area. I can't overstate this.

In each of these environments, you should have series of ultra high quality LED lighting set to 6500 K with 25% saturation balance so that your car is given its best possible opportunity to shine. It will also help you differentiate, identify and catalog the imperfections found in the paint as it came from the factory to those that occurred in the wild...before you started finally taking care of your car. Moreover, it will help you remember what the car looks like when/if something goes wrong.

In your staging area, you should have at, minimum, the following items:

- 3 brand new buckets each filled with 2.5 gallons of boiled, distilled water;
- OPT NRW and S (very important that it has the S);
- 13 - 17 cleaned and conditioned microfiber towels;
- a clay bar tough enough for a BMW but PH-balanced for your Porsche;
- a high quality paint cleaner;
- high quality polishes of various abrasiveness;
- a high quality machine polisher;
- a high quality glaze;
- a high quality sealant;
- a high quality carnauba wax;
- a high quality instant detailer;
- a high quality trim sealant;
- a high quality auto glass cleaner;
- a high quality metal polish;
- a high quality wheel cleaner;
- a high quality tire dressing;
- a high quality lotion in which you keep in a basket to ensure your hands are left feeling soft and supple;

These items are generally best procured from high end auto boutiques, but the web being what it is today, I'm sure they can be found online.

Crap, that took too long to type. Gotta run. I'm sure someone else can chime in.

chuck911

Deionized water can be a lifesaver, or complete waste of money. It all depends on where you live and how you care for your car. If water in your area leaves spots, and especially if you are unable to complete your wash/rinse/dry before spots form, then a deionizer is a blessing. Or, if you have money to burn and want to be able to skip drying, then get a reverse osmosis filter. I have to think that people who just blanket recommend these things either are out to make a buck or don't understand that not everyone is in the same situation with the same priorities.

paradocs98

Love this!

chuck911

Indeed. Good to know. I'm glad you ordered Griot's and know you will be happy, but cannot stress enough that how is much more important than what. Especially with a black car, the details are everything. Happy to provide them, any time.

Money2536

Sorry, to waste your time and not actually add any value. Chuck911 has given you solid advice.

I chronicaled my car washing procedure that I've developed through research, trial, and much error. It's in my journal thread:

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/8010...s-journal.html