what do you use to detail your car?

[greathuskie]

*exterior only*

i start with meguiars gold class soap, wash it, soap it down again then clay it, then wash it again, then i use paint cleaner to get rid of the water spots, then i polish it, then i use gold class wax or #26 wax, depending on the car
then i go over the trim with final detail to get any wax off (on my moms car, DSMs dont have that kind of trim)

then i do wheels and tires then windows....

what about you all?

 

[greathuskie]

wow DSMers must not take car of their cars

 

[DSMRevolution]

When I first got it I buffed it with one of those $300 buffers that I have at my work. I waxed it right away with S100 (shines like no other). That wasn't durable enough so I tried many different waxes. Now, I am using Maguire’s Gold Class. I really like it. It feels smoother then the others. Shines basically the same.

If the car is dirty and needs waxed: Pop the hood and spray degreaser all over the engine (except what is covered). Not engine degreaser, but Purple Power its called. I also spray the tires with the degreaser and the wheel wells. Then I spray off the engine (make SURE its cold) and the wheel wells along with the rest of the car. I take some Maguire’s interior armorial stuff and cover the engine in it then close the hood.

After I rinse the car off I wash it with this soap I got at Advanced Auto. I can't remember the name, but it is red and has a cherry scent eek: yum!). After that I rinse the car off again. Then I dry with a California squeegee I think its called (purple handle with a squeegee T part). Then dry the car with a cotton towel.

I make sure that the car is in the shade and go to work with the wax. I don't go in a circular motion because that will leave swirls in the clear coat. I go in a straight line. I can wax my whole car in about 20 minutes. I go over the car with a tooth brush to get the wax out of the cracks. Sometimes I will wash it again to get the residue off. If I don't feel like doing that, then I just use Maguire’s Final Inspection to finish it off.

Then I take a tire shine and cover the inside wheel wells with along with the tires.

That basically covers it (the outside at least).

 

[90LaserTurbo89k]

Originally posted by DSMRevolution
When I first got it I buffed it with one of those $300 buffers that I have at my work. I waxed it right away with S100 (shines like no other). That wasn't durable enough so I tried many different waxes. Now, I am using Maguire’s Gold Class. I really like it. It feels smoother then the others. Shines basically the same.

If the car is dirty and needs waxed: Pop the hood and spray degreaser all over the engine (except what is covered). Not engine degreaser, but Purple Power its called. I also spray the tires with the degreaser and the wheel wells. Then I spray off the engine (make SURE its cold) and the wheel wells along with the rest of the car. I take some Maguire’s interior armorial stuff and cover the engine in it then close the hood.

After I rinse the car off I wash it with this soap I got at Advanced Auto. I can't remember the name, but it is red and has a cherry scent eek: yum!). After that I rinse the car off again. Then I dry with a California squeegee I think its called (purple handle with a squeegee T part). Then dry the car with a cotton towel.

I make sure that the car is in the shade and go to work with the wax. I don't go in a circular motion because that will leave swirls in the clear coat. I go in a straight line. I can wax my whole car in about 20 minutes. I go over the car with a tooth brush to get the wax out of the cracks. Sometimes I will wash it again to get the residue off. If I don't feel like doing that, then I just use Maguire’s Final Inspection to finish it off.

Then I take a tire shine and cover the inside wheel wells with along with the tires.

That basically covers it (the outside at least).

That makes me sound like I don't take care of my car.

I wash it with Gold Class. Then dry it with a chamois. Then I wax it with some more Meguiars stuff. Then I'm done.

 

[greathuskie]

i hate final inspection or any QD for that matter, it just doesnt work for me, it takes me about 5 hours to do the outside of my car if im really doing teh whole thing (wash, clay, wash, paint cleaner, polish, wax) and looks awesome

 

[510eclipse]

degreeser on tires? that doesnt sound like the best idea. but then again maybe the purple stuff you speak of isnt very strong. i use degreeser on comercial air conditioner coil's and that shit will melt your finger nails.

 

[Boost Era]

Meguiars is the best stuff I've found to use. I use the 3 step formula after I wash that is swirl remover, polish, finishing wax. I use brake cleaner on my brakes, I dont really use anything on my rims because I wipe them down anyways, and I use tire wet on the tires. Body, tires, windows, interior.

 

[92redman]

I use Car Brite from a local distributer. Start with the engine running so no electrical stuff gets water in it and shorts out. Degrease it with Purple Panther 50/50 mix and scrub everything with a brush, then rinse leaving the engine running till most of the water has evaporated off.

For the outside I start with the wheels because I don't want brake dust getting on the freshly cleaned body. I use purple panther on that as well, if that doesn't work I also have wheel acid. Use a scrub brush on the tires and a rag for the wheels.

For the body, I use Cherry Bomb soap, it has a nice scent and it has some wax in it so that the water beads up and runs down. Make sure to wash and rinse in sections because you don't want to leave the soap on too long. I use a wool mit for any place that bugs tend to get caked on, and a soft bristled brush for the rest. Then rinse the car one last time, and use a squigee and shamee to dry it off.

 

[DSMRevolution]

Originally posted by 510eclipse
degreeser on tires? that doesnt sound like the best idea. but then again maybe the purple stuff you speak of isnt very strong. i use degreeser on comercial air conditioner coil's and that shit will melt your finger nails.

This degreaser isn't that strong. You can put it on the paint of the car also and it will not hurt it. I work at a professional detail shop and we use the same shit. Sounds to me like you use some pretty harsh stuff.

i hate final inspection or any QD for that matter, it just doesnt work for me, it takes me about 5 hours to do the outside of my car if im really doing teh whole thing (wash, clay, wash, paint cleaner, polish, wax) and looks awesome

Its not quick dry. What you do with the final inspect is spray only 1 spray per fender. On the hood or top I will use two sprays since its a larger area. Then wipe it down pressing hard on the paint surface. Flip your cloth (use a microfiber cloth) and wipe it off. It always turns out great for me. My friend uses quick dry on his car. I hate that shit. Doesn't do that job that I like. Then again, that friend just told me yesterday that he waxed his car. His idea of waxing his car was going to the powerwash and turning the dial to wax mode and spraying the car down for 5 minutes.

 

[greathuskie]

i was using the final detail again today and it really works good on those miscellanous areas, like the door jams and such, its also nice to wipe the car down, i figured id give it a try, ive hada 100% change or heart for it

and a HUGE bonus for it, it smells really good