perfectlap

claying would be a good idea not so much for the pollutants but for removing the sediments from the road. Those sediments blow onto the paint while moving and when its parked. A regular wash might not dislodge them since they can "stick" to the paint. but when you follow up your wash by rubbing on the paint to apply your rejex it will break those sediments loose and voila you have induced marring.
Best to wash, clay before drying the car, and wash once again to clear away any remnants.

I would encourage you to touch black paint as little as possible. One quick detailing between washes max. Get the best towels you can, brush them clear of lints and threads after washing, And look into using anti-static products.

gota911

Yes you COULD do just the Dawn wash and then Rejex... but you would be surprised how much dirt and other gunk a clay bar will pull out of the paint. A clay bar and lubricant spray runs about $15 and claying the car takes 45 - 60 minutes max. Clay bars are avalable at any auto parts store.

Start at the top and work your way down. Do the lower 12" of the car last, because that is where you will see how much "dirt" the clay bar removes, even if you wash the lower 12" 2 or 3 times before you use the clay bar.

westlaker

OK. So I have this dirt on a new car that just had the wax stripped off. I'll take your word for it. I have the Rejex and Dawn. I assume I can get the clay bar at a NAPA store locally and it will have instructions. Wash, clay, wash, rejex, wash rejex right. What do you mean my detailing? I usually wash the windows and use a CA duster in between washes. I try to go two weeks apart on the washes. Also, I use clean white terry cloth towels and cotton tshirts to do all of this. (lots of them so they are never dirty). Is that OK?

perfectlap

stop dry dusting. Try to never touch dry paint. Spray the whole panel and your towel and wipe in one long pass. Flip the towel after each pass.
Whenever you touch paint you want to have maximum lubrication. With a black car you will marr the paint over time with a dry duster.
The biggest culprit is drying the car. When you rinse the car before, during and after you want to remove the nozzle from the garden hose and use only a trickle. After you have washes raise the water pressure and flood the paint surface so that all the water floods off the surface leaving only a few puddles. Don't wipe these puddles dry. Buy a waffle weave towel (I use the poorboysworld.com) and blot the puddles in an up and down motion. THis way there is minimal contact with paint.

as far as towels most pros use high end micro fiber towels (try not to spend more than $4 per towel by buying a dozen at a time).
I personally keep two sets of silk bind microfiber towels for polishing/cleaning and another set(in a different color) for waxing/buffing. This makes the towels last longer and stay cleaner. I have a third set of less expensive polishing towels for wheel duty.

p.s.
Detailcity.com has a monthly newsletter that gives you 10% discount. I get most of my stuff from there.
and If I had a black car again I would stock up on FK 425 spray.

westlaker

Some of your post isn't making sense. No more dry dusting. Spray the panel with what? Then wipe with one long pass of the towel?

theonlyrobertson

I'm sure these cars look beautiful when they are done, but whew, that's way too much aggrivation for my P-car.... it's a daily driver and I couldn't justify the effort just to see it get ruined by one drive to work in traffic mist.

--Dale

westlaker

I agree, I'm not obsessed with this. I'm just trying to get a basic sensible, simple, non time consuming process in place for keeping the paint nice and the heads turning. I have about 30 minutes a week for this.

gota911

I think he means using a Quick Detailer spray. There are various brands you can find at the auto parts store. Spray it on the panel and a little on the cloth and wipe the panel as indicated above. You should be able to do the entire car in 4 to 5 minutes.

Eric - Plug Guy

Once you do the complete job, and apply the Rejex, you will find your weekly routine cut in half.

I wash MUCH LESS often now with Rejex on the C4S than I did before. It makes the paint very slippery and keeps it easier to clean.

JUST DO IT!

And yes, we have it in stock if you need it (or more of it).

perfectlap

exactamundo. With the right products and methods a well prep'd surface comes clean in a blink. It doesn't really matter what brand you use Zaino, Rejex, Werkstatt, Poorboys, 1Z...they all produce nearly identical shines with differing prices,some varying durability and differing levels of required effort. But not using an antistatic polymer LSP (last step product) is really making more work for yourself if you drive the car a daily basis.
here are a couple brands unrelated brands you might consider
Chemical Guys
Finish Kare FK1 #425

westlaker

OK. I washed with Dawn, clayed, washed again, and applied the Rejex. It's setting now in the garage. Looks great and it's sooo smooth. So, I can't use my duster daily huh? How do I keep it clean between washings? My plan is to use a gentle car soap as seldom as possible and reapply the Rejex every 4 months. How do clean it in between washings?

perfectlap

Try washing with a no-rinse or rinseless wash product when you do wash or as an in between washes cleaning. I highly recommed it for black, its a more gentle wash if you will.
Optimum No Rinse seems to be the leading contender these days, Quick And Easy Wash was the original.
You can either pour one ounce of it into a bucket of warm water and wipe down the car with a towel
or you can can use the recomended dilution ratio as a spray detailer. Its a sort of silicone that lubricates dirt right off the surface. Many high end professional detailers have been using it as a much faster way to wash a car and clean more cars,make more money.
There is no need to rinse, just wipe it dry with a waffle weave towel (in one long pass).
follow up with an antistatic spray and rainfall allows dirt to slide down to the lower portions of the car. I recommended FK 425 to another Pcar owner and he told me that grass clippings stayed off his car for the first time. it leaves a dewey like silk texture and will prolong your Rejex coat.

p.s.
my old car was black too, I know the pain..

westlaker

OK. I'll get some Optimum No Rinse and try that. I like the idea of putting it in a spray bottle. Not sure what a waffle weave towel is. I live in SoCal so rain isn't the problem. It's either dust or salt air if I'm near the coast. You are saying to use FK 425 (wipe it on) after the Optimim? Who makes that?

perfectlap

a waffle weave is just a highly absorbent towel that doesn't leave lint. The benefit of a such absorbancy is that the car comes dry with minimal touching/swirling. For glass and canvas a rubber absorber type towel from Pepboys is the way to go, put don't use that on paint (squeaks are no good, means no lubrication). I have several of the poorboys brand waffle weaves which seem never to catch threads.

Finishkareusa.com makes #425. Get a good spray bottle for it because its consistency is on the thick side and you want it to dristribute in as fine a mist as possible. I use the furry side of the micro fiber towel to spread it across the panel and then the short nap side to buff it out. It works very well on glass, dash, plastic interiors and on your wheels. I notice the dash stays cleaner when I have the top down.

425 is a last step product so you can clean the car with Optimum No Rinse and then chase it with 425.
FK1 also make a product that's like No Rinse and 425 in one bottle called #146. It cleans and provides ati-static coverage in one step. But like most antistatic sprays it can't be diluted. I buy 425 and optimum no rinse by the gallon to save some money. I haven't been to a car wash or used a hose (other than to rinse my soft top or wheels wells) in since using No Rinse.
http://detailcity.com/optimum-no-rin...-32-ounce.html

westlaker

OK. I now have the Optimum No Rinse and the FK 425. So, to clean I spray my detailer's solution of Optimum on each panel. Clean and dry it with micro fiber towel. Then wipe with FK and micro fiber towel right?