Thread: HOW TO: Detail your car!

Awesome idea for a "How To."

I was, am, seriously clueless. After reading (the finished parts of) this thread, it is readily apparent to me, that I have never properly maintained my paint, on any vehicle.

I'm gonna have to get it together for my Classic.

I also wish you lived in reasonable proximity to me. I would pay you a very considerable sum of money to personally detail my car. In a heartbeat.

Well my dad has an old one, but we don't have any new pads for it. I used it once and I got slight swirl marks. I know how to buff, I just think I need some new materials. I'll have to try out what you said. My car is beatin for a cleanin haha

And the detail shop was a yellow foam with a cover you changed over it. Then a Green compound. I took some when I left haha It's kinda clumped up now, that could've done some swirly marks to lol

Thanks Shawn! You have fresh paint, right? Just do a proper wash once a week and use a good sealant and you should be fine, it's less work to maintain a finish than it is to bring back.

I wouldn't trust the compound any more Erik, if it's an unknown throw it away. Most products do have a shelf life and are usually junk after two years, sooner if left in conditions with significant heat fluctuations. Do you know anything about the polish? Whether it breaks down like standard polishes or has a unigrit formula? Is it a pure polish or does it have any fillers, cleaners, waxes, or sealants? If you're not sure what a product is designed to do it's best not to use it.

My suggestion is to buy a white Lake Country pad (or a quality medium cut foam pad) and use that with a one step swirl/scratch remover (Meg's 205, Meg's SwirlX/ColorX, XMT 360, Pooboy's World Polish w/ Sealant, these are all good choices).

Here is one of my favorite sites to order my supplies from, great selection and the best prices.
We Are Car Care -- Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Buffers & Car Accessories Store

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Oh damn, I need to stop detailing cars and get to writing about detailing cars! I've been in a mad hurry to get as many done as I can before winter officially arrives! Next up on the list is a RHD Austin Healey Bug-eye Sprite!

A quick note on clear bra's and buffing. BE CAREFUL AS ALL ****ING HELL! Clear bra's burn at a much lower temperature than paint will, this is especially true if using a rotary, with a DA you have a little more wiggle room. Needless to say even a low RPM setting (<1200) will still burn in seconds leaving an ugly hazy mess that you WILL NOT be able to remove. This is an unfortunate lesson that I learned today on a client's 2009 Porsche 911 Turbo loaded.

I'm about to head to Auto Stoned and get some proper supplies, all of which are recommended in this thread.

Get to the "wax section" already, I need more pointers! .....

Although, I *think* with just a 1) solid wash, and then a 2) clay-bar treatment, and I should be good to go on a 3) hand waxing. My Nissan Superblack paint is just about six or seven months old.

I reckon that should make the vehicle look good enough to take some pictures.

You're dead on Shawn! Sorry about the lack of updates, school and two jobs is getting the best of me. I should have some time tomorrow.

Small update on rinseless wash products in the washing section. I'll get more done tonight, I promise.

Shawn, I think what would probably work best for you (read ease of use, minimal time required, and maximum effect on cleanliness and shine) is as follows...

A bottle of ONR
Meguiar's Clay Bar kit
A bottle of Klasse AIO
A bottle of Chemical Guy's Acrylic Glaze II
A bottle of Optimum Opti-Seal spray wax/Optimum Car Wax spray
A pack of cheap chinese microfiber from Autozone/wherever
A (3) pack of Cobra Shamrock microfiber towels
About 4-5 quality microfiber applicators/foam waxing discs
Eagle1 wheel cleaner
Meguiar's Hot Shine tire shine

The ONR you can use for your wash as described in the first post.
The clay kit should get your paint nice and cleaned up for waxing.

After the claying you should apply a veeery thin coat of the CG Glaze, if you're unsure whether there is still product on the applicator then you know it's thin enough. It is rather difficult to remove if it cures too thick. If applying the sun just do a single panel at a time and wipe off before starting the next panel, if in the shade or garage you can do the whole car and let it sit for about a half hour to cure before wiping off. The glaze is an acrylic filler, so if there is any swirling on your car it should help to fill in those scratches (I'm against using fillers as it is a crutch towards having a properly scratch free finish, but in this case it is the best option rather than having you go buy a $200 buffer kit). The reason why I suggest this particular glaze is because it is acrylic and not carnuba, the Klasse AIO is acrylic as well so you can apply the Klasse on top of the glaze and still have maximum bond strength and durability.

Next is the Klasse application, apply exactly as you did the glaze except even thinner. You should only need 8-10 pea sized drops to cover the entire car, any more and you're wasting the product. A thicker application will still only bond at the thinnest layer. The Klasse can be used on all rubber/plastic/vinyl trim as a dressing as well so don't worry about leaving any wax residue, because there won't be any! It should leave a nice deep black matte shine on all the trim for months to come. You can also use this on your windows, it will protect and bead up water better than RainX and won't leave a hazy finish.

After the Klasse you can apply your spray wax, the Opti-Seal is more expensive per volume but will deliver unparalleled protection and shine for the price. I have never used OCW personally but have read amazing reviews about it, it will have significantly less protection as the Opti-Seal but will deliver great shine. The Opti-Seal is probably overkill as the Klasse offers 4-6+ months of protection, and the Opti-Seal is similar in durability. If you like the sound of overkill, go ahead and use the Opti-Seal over the Klasse and the OCW over the Opti-Seal, your car will be shiny as hell and protected from just about all forms of road grime. Application of both of these spray waxes is very easy, just wipe on and wipe off. The Opti-Seal should be used very very very sparingly, an 8 ounce bottle is enough to wax about 20 cars, two sprays should cover half a car. You will want to spray your applicator and not the panel, when wiping you should see the product disappear a few seconds after wiping. The OCW can be used more liberally, spray a panel down trying to achieve even coverage and wipe the product off.

Use the Cobra Shamrock towels (or something with similar plushness, at least 500 grams/inch) on your paint, you can fold them so each side has 4 sections. When soiled just fold to a clean section.

The cheap chinese microfiber is for use on any area that is extremely dirty that doesn't matter if scratched, such as the wheels, wheel wells, interior surfaces, windows, door jambs, etc.

For the wheels, presoak with your quick detail solution of ONR, let that sit for a few minutes and then wipe off. If there is still some stuck on brake dust use the Eagle1 wheel cleaner, this is a fairly strong product so use it sparingly. Just spray on, let soak for a minute or so, and then wipe off. This process applies for the tires as well.

Once cleaned, you can apply the Hot Shine tire dressing with an old sock or other disposable applicator. Wax the wheels using your Klasse AIO.


Most of these products (Klasse, Opti-Seal, OCW, ONR, Cobra MF, Chemical Guys) you won't be able to find at your neighborhood Autozone, so you'll have to order them online.

My favorite supply site is [url]www.autogeek.net[/url], as they have a huge selection and price matching! Right now if you use the code 15BELOW you can get 15% off your entire order, if you spend $75 or more you get a free Pinnacle Crystal Mist Detail Spray (good stuff!).

I just got a Meguiar's Clay Bar kit last week. Waiting for the best time to get started. Along with a bunch of other car type to do's