08-01-2016, 02:41 PM
Yeah, Dan is really the ultimate source on this stuff. However, I did bodywork for my Dad in high school then detailed cars at that Porsche shop in Roanoke during school, so I've picked up a lot of info about it. Here's a very rough, poorly organized list on what I recommend buying and how to use it.
Basic Washing
Soap - Virtually anything but dish soap is fine. The reason dish soap is so bad is because it strips wax, so you're just working against yourself. Pick out a big cheap jug of whatever from advance autoparts and you're golden. Now, if you want to spend more money, you can do something like this ChemGuys Snow Foam: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guys-honeydew-snow-foam.html">http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guys-h ... -foam.html</a><!-- m --> It does create a much thicker and longer lasting foam, but when it comes down to it I don't think it really matters that much.
Method - If you really care about your finish and want to avoid picking up those fine swirlmarks/spiderwebbing, you should be washing your microfiber mitt between every car wash. At a bare minimum, make sure you just rinse it out thoroughly before using it. Keep a few of them around, if you drop the mitt while washing the car, get a new one. Seriously. You'll only discover some little twig or pebble got in there after it has scratched your car.
Try not to do it in direct sun in the summer. Water stains come from letting hard water dry on the paint, and its really hard to avoid in the summer, especially on dark colors. If you have to do it, only use soap on one panel at a time, and when you rinse, rinse the whole car to keep it wet until you get to drying it.
As far as the actual process of washing, i mean, rinse, suds, rinse, check for any missed/stubborn spots and repeat as needed. Pretty straight forward stuff. If you have extremely stuck on bugs/schemga on the front/bottom of the car you can let them soak in a fairly strong solution of degreaser but you will need to reapply wax to those areas afterwards.
Do I Need to 2 Bucket? - If you have to ask, no. The 2 bucket method is the preferred method to avoid putting swirls in new/freshly detailed paint. Basically you just have another bucket of water to dunk the wash mitt in after taking it off the car, before going back into your soap bucket. This helps rinse the contaminants from the car off before going back into the soap, so you don't wipe grit back onto the car. They even have special buckets with a little screen on the bottom to help separate the silt out. Given that most of us have real cars that exist in the real world with bugs and birdshit and rock salt and pebbles and dirt, it's not going to make a huge difference whether or not you 2 bucket.
Drying - Use a chamois.
Other Things to Clean
Wheels - This is one and only area I strongly suggest you ball out. Get the Sonax cleaner even though it's $20/bottle, and treat yourself to a good flexible wheel cleaning brush (like this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Speedmaster-17181616-Speed-Master-Wheel/dp/B00E9E76F0/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470074969&sr=1-5&keywords=wheel+cleaning+brush">https://www.amazon.com/Speedmaster-1718 ... ning+brush</a><!-- m -->) and a smaller detailing brush. The Sonax reacts with the brake dust to actually break it down. You spray it on when the wheels are dry (so do this before actually washing the car) let them soak for about 5 minutes, and all that stubborn brake dust grit just wipes off. You can actually get away with not scrubbing them at all if you're in a hurry, 95% of it will still just rinse off after they soak.
Fockin' Tire Shine - Don't use a spray on tire shine. Don't use it at all if you want to avoid ridicule at an autocross, but if you're ok with being an Icy Hot Street Stunna, get the gel that goes on with an applicator. Silicone attracts dirt, and if you spray them the overspray will suck dirt right back onto the wheel you just got perfectly clean. Also, less is more, use just enough to get the browning color out of them and try not to make them look like they were just dumped in a vat of personal lubricant.
Vinyl, Rubber, Interior Plastics, etc - I actually really like the Mother's VLR stuff. It smells good, it works well. This is basically like the automotive version of Pledge, just an all-purpose wet duster. Don't sweat it to much. Spray it onto a microfiber cloth until it's damp and give all your interior surfaces a good going over.
Deeply Soiled Interiors - When I am really trying to bring back a nasty interior, I start with a bucket of warm water and make a weak concentration of degreaser by adding a capful of purple power or similar. I'll soak one microfiber and wipe down all the surfaces. Then I go over it with a gentle detailing brush to really get into all the corners and crevices. Then I'll go over it with a dry microfiber before using a product like VLR or another interior dressing.
Carpets - I just go over them with an attachment for a standard house vacuum for normal maintenance. For very soiled carpets, rent a Rug Doctor from the grocery store with the car attachment. The nasty ass black sludge that it pulls out of them is the most disgustingly satisfying thing ever. For spot cleaning there is a brand I like, I think it's called "Blue Coral" pretty good at lifting out spot stains and comes with a little brush on the cap.
Leather - If you just a single-step maintenance product, use something like Gliptone. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Honey-Conditioner-Furniture-Accessories/dp/B003IS3HV0/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470075562&sr=1-1&keywords=Gliptone+leather">https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Honey-Co ... ne+leather</a><!-- m --> I haven't actually tried that one personally yet but I hear good things. I still haven't really found a quick conditioner that doesn't leave too glossy of a sheen for my tastes. If you need to actually correct some cracking and discoloration, Leatherique is the only way to go. Don't balk at the $70 price tag, that shit is bottled magic. Just make sure you follow the application instructions to the letter.
Engine Bay Cleaning - Don't spray water in your engine bay. I used to do it when i worked at the shop on cars we got on trade, but I'm not going to share my method with anyone lest they inadvertently take their ECU for a swim under my instruction. For light cleaning, a interior "natural shine" sort of product actually works really well. Makes all that plastic look nice and new and shit. Just spray on, wipe off.
Basic Paint Correction and Preservation
Clay Barring - After you wash your car, just give her a little stroke. How does she feel? It should feel like glass. If it feels rough, you need to clay it. The kits you can get at Advance are fine. You basically spray on a quick detailer (water with a little soap in it (not dish soap) also works, the kits just give you detailer), then go over that area with the clay bar. Wipe the panel off with a microfiber, fold the bar over to a new section, and move on to the next panel. This is not a frequent thing, you don't need to do it more often than every 2 years or so. Also, do not plan to just clay, doing it will actually put some fine scratches into the clear so you need to follow up with a polish.
Polishing - The safest method for a DIYer is to use a DA. Basically it moves the pad side to side as well as in circles, so your chances of putting swirl marks or (holograms) into the paint are much lower. You'll want something like this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-7424XP-6-Inch-Variable-Speed-Polisher/dp/B002654I46/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470076029&sr=1-2&keywords=DA+polisher">https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-742 ... A+polisher</a><!-- m -->. Plus a coarse cutting pad, standard cutting pad and finishing pad. Along with cutting compound (heavy cut if its really bad), and a swirl remover.
This is skilled labor that some people charge a lot of money for. Don't expect to knock out your first car in a couple hours. Watch some YouTube tutorials, make sure you've got a good position to control the buffer (when it "gets away from you" is when paint gets damaged) and make sure you're using an appropriate speed on the buffer, plus the right amount of pressure on the paint (enough to remove the swirls, not enough to remove all the clear). Just make sure you do your research, it is most definitely not rocket science but it's certainly not idiot proof.
Waxing - If you're gonna take the time to wax your car in 2016, it's a bit silly not to use a synthetic one. It's not that much more expensive, goes on the same way, and lasts about 6 months depending on how your car gets used. I'm a big fan of this stuff: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Oz-Poorboys-Ex-p-Pure-Sealant/dp/B0002UQA98/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470076404&sr=1-2&keywords=poorboys+sealant">https://www.amazon.com/Oz-Poorboys-Ex-p ... ys+sealant</a><!-- m -->
Method: Apply with a clean wax applicator pad. Let it glaze. Wipe it off with a clean microfiber. If you get some stubborn spots a light spritz of a quick detailer will help loosen it up.
Quick Detailing - This is just a quick way to keep it shiny between waxes. Might not be worth the money to some people but I like to use them. I'm a big fan of the ChemGuys SpeedWipe. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WAC_202_16-Vintage-Detailer/dp/B00FALVU9Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470076528&sr=1-1&keywords=Chemical+guys+quick+detailer">https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WA ... k+detailer</a><!-- m -->
Basic Washing
Soap - Virtually anything but dish soap is fine. The reason dish soap is so bad is because it strips wax, so you're just working against yourself. Pick out a big cheap jug of whatever from advance autoparts and you're golden. Now, if you want to spend more money, you can do something like this ChemGuys Snow Foam: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guys-honeydew-snow-foam.html">http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guys-h ... -foam.html</a><!-- m --> It does create a much thicker and longer lasting foam, but when it comes down to it I don't think it really matters that much.
Method - If you really care about your finish and want to avoid picking up those fine swirlmarks/spiderwebbing, you should be washing your microfiber mitt between every car wash. At a bare minimum, make sure you just rinse it out thoroughly before using it. Keep a few of them around, if you drop the mitt while washing the car, get a new one. Seriously. You'll only discover some little twig or pebble got in there after it has scratched your car.
Try not to do it in direct sun in the summer. Water stains come from letting hard water dry on the paint, and its really hard to avoid in the summer, especially on dark colors. If you have to do it, only use soap on one panel at a time, and when you rinse, rinse the whole car to keep it wet until you get to drying it.
As far as the actual process of washing, i mean, rinse, suds, rinse, check for any missed/stubborn spots and repeat as needed. Pretty straight forward stuff. If you have extremely stuck on bugs/schemga on the front/bottom of the car you can let them soak in a fairly strong solution of degreaser but you will need to reapply wax to those areas afterwards.
Do I Need to 2 Bucket? - If you have to ask, no. The 2 bucket method is the preferred method to avoid putting swirls in new/freshly detailed paint. Basically you just have another bucket of water to dunk the wash mitt in after taking it off the car, before going back into your soap bucket. This helps rinse the contaminants from the car off before going back into the soap, so you don't wipe grit back onto the car. They even have special buckets with a little screen on the bottom to help separate the silt out. Given that most of us have real cars that exist in the real world with bugs and birdshit and rock salt and pebbles and dirt, it's not going to make a huge difference whether or not you 2 bucket.
Drying - Use a chamois.
Other Things to Clean
Wheels - This is one and only area I strongly suggest you ball out. Get the Sonax cleaner even though it's $20/bottle, and treat yourself to a good flexible wheel cleaning brush (like this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Speedmaster-17181616-Speed-Master-Wheel/dp/B00E9E76F0/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470074969&sr=1-5&keywords=wheel+cleaning+brush">https://www.amazon.com/Speedmaster-1718 ... ning+brush</a><!-- m -->) and a smaller detailing brush. The Sonax reacts with the brake dust to actually break it down. You spray it on when the wheels are dry (so do this before actually washing the car) let them soak for about 5 minutes, and all that stubborn brake dust grit just wipes off. You can actually get away with not scrubbing them at all if you're in a hurry, 95% of it will still just rinse off after they soak.
Fockin' Tire Shine - Don't use a spray on tire shine. Don't use it at all if you want to avoid ridicule at an autocross, but if you're ok with being an Icy Hot Street Stunna, get the gel that goes on with an applicator. Silicone attracts dirt, and if you spray them the overspray will suck dirt right back onto the wheel you just got perfectly clean. Also, less is more, use just enough to get the browning color out of them and try not to make them look like they were just dumped in a vat of personal lubricant.
Vinyl, Rubber, Interior Plastics, etc - I actually really like the Mother's VLR stuff. It smells good, it works well. This is basically like the automotive version of Pledge, just an all-purpose wet duster. Don't sweat it to much. Spray it onto a microfiber cloth until it's damp and give all your interior surfaces a good going over.
Deeply Soiled Interiors - When I am really trying to bring back a nasty interior, I start with a bucket of warm water and make a weak concentration of degreaser by adding a capful of purple power or similar. I'll soak one microfiber and wipe down all the surfaces. Then I go over it with a gentle detailing brush to really get into all the corners and crevices. Then I'll go over it with a dry microfiber before using a product like VLR or another interior dressing.
Carpets - I just go over them with an attachment for a standard house vacuum for normal maintenance. For very soiled carpets, rent a Rug Doctor from the grocery store with the car attachment. The nasty ass black sludge that it pulls out of them is the most disgustingly satisfying thing ever. For spot cleaning there is a brand I like, I think it's called "Blue Coral" pretty good at lifting out spot stains and comes with a little brush on the cap.
Leather - If you just a single-step maintenance product, use something like Gliptone. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Honey-Conditioner-Furniture-Accessories/dp/B003IS3HV0/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470075562&sr=1-1&keywords=Gliptone+leather">https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Honey-Co ... ne+leather</a><!-- m --> I haven't actually tried that one personally yet but I hear good things. I still haven't really found a quick conditioner that doesn't leave too glossy of a sheen for my tastes. If you need to actually correct some cracking and discoloration, Leatherique is the only way to go. Don't balk at the $70 price tag, that shit is bottled magic. Just make sure you follow the application instructions to the letter.
Engine Bay Cleaning - Don't spray water in your engine bay. I used to do it when i worked at the shop on cars we got on trade, but I'm not going to share my method with anyone lest they inadvertently take their ECU for a swim under my instruction. For light cleaning, a interior "natural shine" sort of product actually works really well. Makes all that plastic look nice and new and shit. Just spray on, wipe off.
Basic Paint Correction and Preservation
Clay Barring - After you wash your car, just give her a little stroke. How does she feel? It should feel like glass. If it feels rough, you need to clay it. The kits you can get at Advance are fine. You basically spray on a quick detailer (water with a little soap in it (not dish soap) also works, the kits just give you detailer), then go over that area with the clay bar. Wipe the panel off with a microfiber, fold the bar over to a new section, and move on to the next panel. This is not a frequent thing, you don't need to do it more often than every 2 years or so. Also, do not plan to just clay, doing it will actually put some fine scratches into the clear so you need to follow up with a polish.
Polishing - The safest method for a DIYer is to use a DA. Basically it moves the pad side to side as well as in circles, so your chances of putting swirl marks or (holograms) into the paint are much lower. You'll want something like this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-7424XP-6-Inch-Variable-Speed-Polisher/dp/B002654I46/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470076029&sr=1-2&keywords=DA+polisher">https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-742 ... A+polisher</a><!-- m -->. Plus a coarse cutting pad, standard cutting pad and finishing pad. Along with cutting compound (heavy cut if its really bad), and a swirl remover.
This is skilled labor that some people charge a lot of money for. Don't expect to knock out your first car in a couple hours. Watch some YouTube tutorials, make sure you've got a good position to control the buffer (when it "gets away from you" is when paint gets damaged) and make sure you're using an appropriate speed on the buffer, plus the right amount of pressure on the paint (enough to remove the swirls, not enough to remove all the clear). Just make sure you do your research, it is most definitely not rocket science but it's certainly not idiot proof.
Waxing - If you're gonna take the time to wax your car in 2016, it's a bit silly not to use a synthetic one. It's not that much more expensive, goes on the same way, and lasts about 6 months depending on how your car gets used. I'm a big fan of this stuff: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Oz-Poorboys-Ex-p-Pure-Sealant/dp/B0002UQA98/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470076404&sr=1-2&keywords=poorboys+sealant">https://www.amazon.com/Oz-Poorboys-Ex-p ... ys+sealant</a><!-- m -->
Method: Apply with a clean wax applicator pad. Let it glaze. Wipe it off with a clean microfiber. If you get some stubborn spots a light spritz of a quick detailer will help loosen it up.
Quick Detailing - This is just a quick way to keep it shiny between waxes. Might not be worth the money to some people but I like to use them. I'm a big fan of the ChemGuys SpeedWipe. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WAC_202_16-Vintage-Detailer/dp/B00FALVU9Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1470076528&sr=1-1&keywords=Chemical+guys+quick+detailer">https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WA ... k+detailer</a><!-- m -->
Now: 07 Porsche Cayman S | 18 VW Tiguan
Then: 18 VW GTI Autobahn | 95 BMW M3 | 15 VW GTI SE | 12 Kia Optima SX | 2009 VW GTI | 00 BMW 540i Sport | 90 Mazda Miata | 94 Yamaha FZR600R | 1993 Suzuki GS500E | 2003 BMW 325i | 95 Saab 900S