Wash, rinse, repeat (car detailing)

Today was clean-up day for the Civic, and we followed the playbook from our buddy Tim McNair: quick detail, synthetic clay bar, light polish, 3-in-1 ceramic wax. We did the wheels with some spray car wash. Most of it was Griot's stuff purchased from Autogeek--found a $25 discount code, even. Did the whole thing in the garage--no buckets of water, no mess--and we're happy with the results. So, anyone else break out the detail stuff recently? 

Did a 16 hour detail on one of the convertibles 

started last night. Finished today. 
 

since house projects done. Detail started. 8 more cars to go. 
 

Yep

but I park outside and you can't tell I did anything. Ugh

And now the clean up from the cleanup. A little Woolite did the trick. (Amazing how many dirty microfiber towels you can find in the garage.)

did some work on the daily and the Miata with my random orbital from two Christmas ago and some meguiars compound, Griots polish and Griots best of show wax.  These paint finishes have never looked as good.  It was fun and good therapy in the garage at the same time. 

Looks great. Did you try the Griot's synthetic clay? 

And another white Miata wearing clear corners! (I need to get mine out.)

I just finished the Fordzda Branger yesterday.  Not bad for original paint on a 1994 that lived in Florida until 2 years ago.

I went old-school, mostly because it's what I had on the shelf.  Roof started with a 2000-grit wet sanding (FL sun).  Roof and hood got rubbing compound.  Then Polishing compound.  Then the whole thing got a cleaner/glaze on a wool rotary pad, then liquid carnuba.  Most of the above was Meguiars

Looks great Curtis 

Did my son's Volvo last week. My usual process is to wash in the driveway, then bring the vehicle into the barn for all the polishing and everything to keep it out of the sun:

I gave it a light buff with Meguiars Ultimate Compound on a black pad with my PC 7424XP, another wash to get the residue off, then a coat of Jescar Power Lock polymer sealant, topped off with Turtle Wax Seal and Shine hybrid ceramic spray wax.

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

This time, we didn't bucket wash as usual. I listened to Tim McNair. I never bucket wash, he says. How's that? It's messy.

So we started with quick detailer on fluffy microfiber towels--the entire car right there in the garage. Then clay bar, polish, wax. Yeah, he was right, it was easier that way.  

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I will have to try that next time.

Aaron_King said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I will have to try that next time.

I figured if it's good enough for Pebble, it's good enough for me. Worked like a charm. 

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

This time, we didn't bucket wash as usual. I listened to Tim McNair. I never bucket wash, he says. How's that? It's messy.

So we started with quick detailer on fluffy microfiber towels--the entire car right there in the garage. Then clay bar, polish, wax. Yeah, he was right, it was easier that way.  

Exactly how the company in Tulsa did I used to use to have my cars detailed. I always thought it was more of marketing thing so he could advertise his business as "green" because it was a "waterless" detail. 

 

For a truly dirty car I can't see how just wiping with quick detailer and a towel wouldn't just grind the dirt into the paint and cause fine scratches.  For a lightly dusty garage kept car sure, but a car that lives outside in the north it seems like more of a pain than a simple bucket wash 

In reply to Sonic :

Will probably run through a touchless first.

Sonic said:

For a truly dirty car I can't see how just wiping with quick detailer and a towel wouldn't just grind the dirt into the paint and cause fine scratches.  For a lightly dusty garage kept car sure, but a car that lives outside in the north it seems like more of a pain than a simple bucket wash 

Agreed. 100%.

When I lived in Boston and my cars were outside, I wuould do a quick detail everyday, took about 10 min. If you do that, you COULD get away with no water washes. However, this was spring/summer.  When there was "weather" like snow and slush, HAD to do a full bucket wash. 

Since 2010, I have been back in Los Angeles. I have not washed a car since 2010 with a hose and bucket. We have no weather here. I maintain my usual, 10 min quick detail on whatever car I drove that day. Then every 6 months, full polish/compound/clay/wax sealant.  So it is possible in the area where I live. 

Sonic said:

For a truly dirty car I can't see how just wiping with quick detailer and a towel wouldn't just grind the dirt into the paint and cause fine scratches.  For a lightly dusty garage kept car sure, but a car that lives outside in the north it seems like more of a pain than a simple bucket wash 

That's how I feel about the waterless washes. Plus, when I do the first wash of the spring, I give the undercarraige a bit of a how's-your-father with my fancy pressure washer attachment:

Ooh, I like that attachment.   I end up running my winter driver cars through the touch less car wash with underbody spray every 2 weeks or so if they need it or it, just to keep the salt residue off. 

I like the mess-free nature of waterless washes, but I also find an odd satisfaction in the sights, sounds, and smells of a traditional car wash. You know, this kind of thing:
 

I've been listening to the Every Day Driver podcasts a lot so I decided to pickup some Griots products and clean up our daily drivers.  I washed the cars, used iron/rust fallout remover, clay barred, complete compound where needed, complete polish, and 3in1 wax.  Both were long overdue and turned out very nice.  The Volt was covered in rust specs on the on the rear bumper and hatch but with some time I was able to get rid of everything.  All of my 'fun' cars have crappy paint so there isn't much of a point or those ones.

In reply to Nitroracer (Forum Supporter) :

Looks good. Did you try the synthetic clay bar? I'm a fan. 

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to Nitroracer (Forum Supporter) :

Looks good. Did you try the synthetic clay bar? I'm a fan. 

Actually, I don't recall which one I used.  I've had it on the shelf for a long time.  I think it may have been meguiars.  

Hey Guys, I just have to throw this out.  Like most of you, we have several cars in the fleet.  I have stuck with different products for different cars.  Our 99 miata is the dreaded black car.  (My father was a funeral director, and I have had more black cars than I can remember, I could do a whole post of just black cars alone)   We use optimum no wash on that car and their brand of spray seal and wax.  For the minimal amount of work we put into that car, it looks amazing.  My wife's fiesta st is red, I have been using the meguiars hybrid ceramic wax.  You first apply it like a normal wax, then after just spray it on and rinse it off.  This is after a traditional two bucket wash.  Again, I consider this minimal effort and the results are great.

I'm using something called bead maker on my 06 mustang.  This car's paint has always been cared for, to the point that my wife bought me an air force master blaster to dry the car.  If you are into keeping your paint scratchless, just choke on the price of this thing and buy it.  You will not regret it.  (I do have to mention that it blew a miata badge off my silver miata, a Grassrootsmotorsports sticker perfectly covered the holes)  The beadmaker is similar in application to the megiuars, with a thicker application first, then an easy mist to keep it up.

I'm not sure which product I like the most, I am still open about the rinseless wash. I think I'll need to see what the paint looks like at the end of the season.

I was at the Newport Auto Museum in Portsmouth, RI and was surprised to see their cars covered in fine scratches.  I asked the dude how they cleaned the cars, he said they just dusted them at night.  I talked to  him about detailing spray, I'm not sure he appreciated it.

Speaking of my father:  He used someting called a "kozak" cloth to give the cars a quick once over before a funeral.  All our cars were covered in fine scratches.  I would blame the kozak cloth for them.  Micro fiber wasn't invented and Larry Kosila wasn't born, so we just didn't know.

Sorry for the geek out, but thanks for the trip down memory lane.  I need to tell the story of the road trips in the hearse...

This weekend I am going to try some mirror glaze and a buffer to buff out the paint in my miata. It's pretty beat. We shall see where it goes. 
 

ive never been a guy to do detailing. We shall see.