steve775

I tried this technique for waxing my 997 (Seal Gray Metallic), I used McGuire's Gold Class Wax. Wax your entire car by using rubbing motions from front to back (and back to front) for the top surfaces, applying and removing. For the side surfaces, use top to bottom and bottom to top motions.

Light reflects off your car in a way that will maximize the shine.

Now for the areas of your car that you want especially briliant, for me that would be the rear top fenders that flare out, and the round top of the front fenders and the hood, wax them a second or even a third time, the more times the more brilliant it will look. Maintain the motions as described.

I took my 997 to the dealer to get that hood latch thing fixed, I waxed it before bringing it there, and when I came back to get my car, you would have thought my car body was liquid, it was that brilliant! It blew me away.

Another pointer: Use high quality 100% cotton towels, like from Bed & Bath. Use a separate towel for the body, one for the glass, and (sponge or rag) for the wheels, and finally one for the undersides of the car (like the wheel wells) which will get especially dirty. Have a second bucket with only clear water and after each section you wash, dip the towel in the clear water and rinse, then into the suds bucket. Change the clear water often. Wash your wheels first, I have a Porsche wheel cleaning kit to do this so I use the supplied sponge and the other tools. For the underside of the car I use the cheaper terry cloth towels you get at any auto parts store. For the high quality towels I cut the borders off, they are not all cotton and can scratch, just cut the hanging threads off, lasts for about a year or more.

Before you dry off the car, with a 100% cotton towel, remove the nozzle and sheet the water over your car, this will minimize droplets and allow you to dry easier. Also never use a high pressure setting on your nozzle.

It's work but I gladly do it this way every time. The car deserves it.

By the way the dealer also had to replace a faulty switch for the alarm, which was going off for no reason occasionally.

JS

Thats cute, I like that.

Chris C.

Decent program, exept I use high quality microfiber towels and wash/wax pads. Try them and you'll ditch cotton forever.

texas911

I don't get it, the same people who said that polyester will scratch the paint (thus cutting off the bound edeges of towels story) are now saying to use microfiber towels which are 100% polyester. What gives? Anyway I use microfiber towels for everything except drying, I still use the giant bath towels, but I also use a leaf blower first to get all the water out of the nooks and crannies before I towel dry.

Eric - Plug Guy

The up/down waxing on the side panels is a mistake. Go with the wind, as they say. Work the wax across the body of the car the same way the wind goes by while driving.

I've been doing it this way for 6 years, and have stellar results with two Porsches that have maintained showroom condition on the paint, both daily drivers during their life with me.

steve775

I got the up/down on the side panels information from McGuire's themselves and from the Zaino website. Have you done it that way and it did not come out good?

What is the best wax? Seems like Zaino is a really good one.

I read that the jury is still out on the China-made micro fiber towels - the ones you get a auto part stores and that they can scratch, that in China they use inexpensive machines to make them, but there are much more expensive machines to make them the right way, some of the detalier websites sell those micro fiber towels.

I need a good book on detailing.

I doubt anyone ever comes back and says 100% cotton (the good bath towel ones, with borders cut) scratches.

MMD

Get a large microfiber drying cloth from Guido's (griot's). Nothing beats them for drying. Not even chamois.

I believe this scratching stuff is moot point for lighter colored cars. I've never had a problem; I've always had light-colored cars.

OCBen

The absolute, ultimate best source of information for detailing top-of-the-line automobiles that I have found (and yes, they have an e-book on detailing and it's free!) is the website maintained by a good friend of mine, David Bynon, called Autopia Car Care:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/

Here you will learn, as Eric pointed out, that you never go up and down on the side panels but in the direction of the wind, as well as a ton of information that will be time well spent absorbing. Check out especially his trademarked article on "The Perfect Shine" if you're after the ultimate shine on your 997. But be forewarned, if you're not a perfectionist this might prove too onerous for you, and you might think all this is a bit too ****-retentive, but once you see the results I swear you'll be hooked! If you want to see what this shine looks like on an actual car, see the pics of my Boxster that always gets this special treatment. I'm not trying to plug my car that's currently for sale, but that's the only convenient place I have pics of it online that really shows off the shine:

http://users.adelphia.net/~bcarrion/boxster.htm

MMD

Great comment OCBen; it's great site. Nice to find a place that makes alot of sense and "settles" lots of issues for alot of people.

OCBen

Yeah you bet, MMD.

peanut

what switch did you replace for the alarm?
I have a Porsche alarm on my S2 which goes off intermittantly Drives me nuts and means I have to leave the doors unlocked. I noticed that the interior light doesn't work maybe they are related

Blue S2

I prefer microfiber. It leaves no swirl marks. 100% cotton does. In addition to your stated technique, i recommend using a pure polish first. Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish seems to work better for dark colors than their other ones. After that do the wax. After waxing though, try throwing a coat of the Pinnacle Souveran Carnuaba wax on there. Doesn't last long at all, but its amazing!

WULF

Klasse + souveran= the deepest finish you can get. You have to properly prep with clay(even for new cars) and paintcleaner/polish. It's a pain in the **** but worth every minute (or hour more like it)

steve775

The issue with my 997:

The alarm would go off for apparently no reason, especially on windy days and rainy days, but sometimes in perfect weather for no reason. I have a Porsche 997 cover on my car at all times and it would go off with that on or off, but since Dec. it has done it only about 4 times or so.

Here are the parts replaced, free of charge by the dealer:

Remove and install lower hood lock mechanism
1502 WP (N/C)
997-613-206-00 microswitch (N/C)

Two items, no charge. So far so good, no more System Fault warning.

*****I would like to note, that after I had my car a week, during a close inspection of the head lights, the left head light cover had small fissures on the edge.******

****I'd look on your car if I were you, you have to look very close, my dealer says it happened at the factory in Germany - they replaced it free of charge, and I bet that part costs at least $300 or more ******

About the wax I used, the McQuire's Gold Class has some paste and wax in it.
But I know what you mean about the Deep Crystal, I have done the 3-step system and it is nice. Being that my car is new, I'd skip Step 1 (Cleaner) for now, but I'd like to do Steps 2 and 3.

jfraser

Definately agree with OCBen.....Autopia is absolutely THE DEFINITIVE detailing site.....
RE Klasse.....Be very very careful applying this product (especially on dark cars) when you think that you have too little product on the pad, take a bit more off.....if you use too much, it will streak....Whilst I know it's a great product, I really find it a pig to work with by hand.....