Sorry...Ive had it with the downer topics on here lately about the latest rattle or window regulator or turn signal indicator thats broken.
Im starting to get into detailing my car. Ive always tried to take care of my cars what with waxing, buffing, armour all'ing,etc. But now I think Im into a new level of detailing. I bought my first clay bar system today! Add that to the three step polish/wax products, and Im ready to make my baby shine!
So how seriously do you take detailing your car? Do you send it off for a buffing from a pro? Or do you like to spend a Saturday washing, clay barring, polishing, sealing and waxing?
And finally, any products you swear by?

 

I really like Zaino... nothing beats a weekend with that.

 

Weekend with Adam's stuff. Wash, clay bar, polish, hard wax, condition interior (never armor all), clean and seal cab top, tire dressing and rubber parts dressing, wash engine and use Chemical Guys..

 

i've been searching for the holy grail of waxes for 30+ years. I must have tried everything until 2 weeks ago. I don't clay bar everytime just when the surface feel by touch dictates, i don't always find it necessary to polish either usually only 2 times a year once in spring and then in fall just before winter hits. now on to the new wax i've fell in love with, Turtle wax Ice in the spray bottle. yeah that's right!! i used it ot n my 66 candy apple red mustang and i wanted to take a bite out of it. then i went in the garage and used it on my 89 guards red carerra and i couldn't believe how it glowed. then i said holy **** lets see how the 01 996 looks with it. I stared endlessly afterwards and was amazed, the colors absolutely shined and glowed at the same time. The stang sits outside ( i know i'm a bad man until new garage is built) after 2 weeks of rainy weather etc.... and driving it in the rain that car still looks amazing and the water beeds like nobodys business. Added bonus it only takes 15 minutes per car to do and zero residue!

 

Detailing is a labour of love for me. I am a fan of Griot's Garage products, polishes, field spray, spray wax, interior cleaner, etc. I've used their clar bar system for a few years now (2x per year) along with their orbital buffer and "best in show" wax or sometimes their "one step sealant." Stuff's a bit pricey, but works real well for me.
An afternoon, a good cigar..........well worth my time to really give her a good bath and polish and the results speak for themselves when I'm done. Funny thing is, the car is at its absolute best one wash after the whole process. Go figure.

 

I use a mix of products from Adams and Griot's Garage. I use the clay bar when necessary, which is usually 2 - 3 times per year. I use a Griot's random orbital polisher when necessary and I'm pleased with the results. My favorite accessories are: the Adams Turbo Stick for cleaning inside of my wheels, the Adams Ultimate Merino Wool wash mitt, the Adams boar's hair wheel brush and finally Adams paint glaze. The paint glaze is like magic on a metallic color.

I do a regular wash job once a week (this takes 2 - 3 hours) and a full detail 3 or 4 times a year.

 

I wash & quick detail every week or two, and apply wax maybe 3 times per year. I'm not very choosy on wax (polymer), but I like the Zaino products. If you use a very small amount, its not a bad value and it really cuts down on the powdery residue. I alternate between the Z-AIO and the Z5. (I might try the spray-on recommended by tbanasiak next time I need to buy wax. I love the idea of zero residue and easy-to-use. I'm lazy.) I've gotten maybe 2 years out of a bottle of Zaino AIO and Z5, and I've still got plenty left.

I use a clay bar maybe once per year. I find the process very tedious, so I minimize it. I'll probably only do it before a polishing step in the future.

I've only done a full polish with a Griot's random orbital polisher once, but WOW, what a difference. The wax and clay bar can only do so much. The polishing steps make such a difference in the shine and finish on the car. This is something I plan to do maybe once per year or less, since it was very time consuming. My first-time polishing procedure went like this:

• Wash
• Clay Bar
• Polish Stage 1 (Griots Random Orbital, Menzerna Super Intensive Polish PO83 to remove swirls, CCS Orange Polishing Pad)
• Polish Stage 2 (Griots RO, Griot's #3 polish, Griots Orange Pad)
• Wax (Griots RO, Zaino AIO, Griots Red Pad)

It took me all day, put I was VERY pleased with the results. I ended up buying a Griot's kit that included the #3 polish, but added the Menzerna SIP because I had read it did a better job with "medium" imperfections. The Menzerna SIP can even remove *small* scratches.

Also, I now always use my RO to apply wax. It's super fast, and I can put down a thin, even coat. Even though you waste some wax on the large pad, I can still do my entire 996 with less than 1.5 ounces of wax.

Here was my shopping list for Polishing Products last year:
GlisteningPerfection:

• Polish - Menzerna Super Intensive 29.95 (swirl removal) PO 83, 16oz $29.95
• 6.5" Assorted Foam CCS Pads (2 yellow, 2 Orange, 2 White, 1 Red) 78.60 78.60
• hand applicator foam Pad 9.95

BJs.com (on sale):

• Griots Kit (6" polisher, red & orange pad, wax, spray, clay, #3 polish) $149.95

Here was my shopping list for Zaino:

• Z-5 Z-5 PRO Show Car Polish for Swirl Marks and Fine Scratches 1 $16.95
• Z-6 Z-6 Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer Detail Spray 1 $9.95
• 314 Zaino Custom Polish Applicator 1 $2.50
• Z-7 Z-7 Car Wash 1 $8.95
• Z-AIO Z-AIO All-in-one 1 $26.95

I got a bunch of this info over at Autopia.org. Those guys are crazy with the detailing.

Right now I do a simple wipe-down of plastic parts with interior detailer and Leather parts with Meguires. In the future, I'd like to do some more refurbishing of the interior.

That's my $.02. Ok, maybe you got the full $.99.

 

I'm a big fan of zaino products. I used it on previous cars but have not tried it on the p-car yet.

For the guy's with black cars, how do you prevent water spots after washing? I find no matter how hard I try I end up with some and end up using meguirs quick detailer after to get rid of them. Sounds like tbanasiak uses turtle wax. Does one else use these products on a regular basis?

 

I use quick detailer or spray wax to eliminate water spots.

Have you considered an in-line filter for your hose? If you have hard water they really help. Griot's sells them.

 

Everyone has their own favourite products and many swear by them. I have used many of the 'off the shelf' waxes but now I use Swissvax Zuffenhausen. There is a local guy in Vancouver who distributes it. The wax is so superior to anything I have used that words don't do it justice.
The cleaner wax for this system is non-abrasive. I use the cleaner once or twice a year and I wax it around three times a year. When you use clay bar, be careful. It is not hard to scratch the paint with it. As long as you use a lot of lubrication and go easy, it will be safe.

 

I just drive it though a car wash was a few times a year...

 

someone smack ralph!!

I detail nakid - HEY, I waited a long time for this car!!!!

 

This is a very loaded question and you will get SEVERAL answers and favorites.

Although I haven't tried every single product out there I think it boils down to a few factors you should consider:
- level of effort you want to spend
- kind of paint you have(dark colors, metallic, etc)
- how much you want to spend on products
- how often you want to apply it
- preferences to deep gloss, clarity, depth, etc
- whether your partial to all natural or synthetics
- will you be using an orbital or by hand
- patience level

I'm currently experimenting with these combos on different panels of the car:

Mother's Clay + Klasse AIO + Collinite 845(2 layers)
Mother's Clay + Klasse AIO + Klasse SG(3 layers)
Mother's Clay + Klasse AIO + Ultima Paint Guard Plus(2 layers)
Mother's Clay + Ultima Paint Guard Plus(2 layers)
Mother's Clay + Ultima Paint Guard Plus(2 layers) + Collinite 845

As you can tell, my choices are geared more towards durability(3-6mo protection). There are several products that will offer a better depth and brilliance than these but as you can tell, my primary concern is durability first and shine second since I only want to exert minimal effort to keep my cars clean.

For bucket wash during winters and such: Optimimum No Rinse (I don't like this though for QD as it doesn't seem slick enough compared to others)

For best bang for buck Quick Detailer(Godsend for us owners with black or dark cars): Ultima Waterless Wash + Concentrate. If you do the math, it comes out to about $0.62 for 22oz bottle. Because of this, if my car isn't that dirty, this is the product I use often to wash my car.

I don't really believe in polishing often or unneccesarily. Unless you have heavily oxidized or lot of swirl marks, you can get by with a chemical polishing that products like Klasse AIO offers.

I do own a Porter Cable polisher with several cuts/compounds of polishes but I think I've only polished 2 cars so far with it.

I recommend you take a peek over at www.autogeek.net if you haven't already done so.

 

1 thing I do inbetween waxes is add a little wax to my wash bucket.
then I use a microfiber to give a quick polish when im finished.
Also newspaper is the best with windex to clean your windows.

 

My regimen: First, hit the wheels and tires with a brush and warm, soapy water. Give them a good rinse. Next, wash the car using dish soap (like Dawn...but very little) with warm water. Clean hand mitt all the way around careful not to let the soap dry on the car. Also, keep the soap off the Cab Top to prevent fading. Dry with lint free towels in the sun. I have the advantage of a very dry climate so virtually no water spotting anywhere. Pull into the garage for a vaccuum while the car cools. Next, dry the wheels making sure to get into the lug holes and all the nooks and crannies. Like Fred Couples says, your car isn't clean unless your wheels are clean. Then hit the interior. Always been a Maguire's fan. I use their leather cleaner/conditioner. Not a paste so you don't get the build up in the holes in your vented seats and it is not greasy like Armor All. Still gives you a great shine! Then I use Maguire's interior cleaner for the same reason. Hit the all the non leather areas with that. Then, if needed, Maguire's Tech Wax 2.0. Like pouring melted glass on your car. No streaking, swirls or fogging at all. After waxing its wheel time with Black Magic Tire Shine. Then windows with Windex (purple) using newpaper (no streaks). Since we hardly get any rain, I can do all this and the car stays sharp for weeks! Until the brake dust builds up on the wheels, then it is bath time again.