That crud is silicone oil and will leech into your paint causing permanent stains and will also damage tires in the long run.
Wash your car immediately if you haven't done so.
Eagle One and Mothers make rubber cleaners but can be hard to find. Eagle One A2Z Wheel Cleaner should do the trick. And for a one-time use, Simple Green is OK to use.
Its highly alkaline, will strip wax and sealant in a blink of an eye, and can permanently etch if left on a wheel. I have a Craftsman tool box with a nice, round patch of missing paint where I left a leaking bottle of SG on it overnight.
Simple Green has its uses but the weekly car wash isn't one of them.
What is so wrong with leaving excess leather conditioner on the seats? As you know, this mainly has to do with our new car which is 90% used on weekends only. After a long weekend that we had, I was thinking of cleaning front seats and conditioning it. Would I be waisting my conditioner if I over apply lets say on Monday and then on Friday evening wipe off any residue left? Would there be any residue? Would there be any harm to the leather if you over apply?
I don't think there would be any harm to the seats. Any residue will get picked up by your clothes. I don't know what amount of residue would be left after the product had sat for 5 days. IMO, its best to clean and condition the leather in one shot and be done with it. Use your best judgement here.
When I called a few years ago I asked what the difference is between the 476 paste doublecoat and the 885 paste fleetwax. Guess what, they are the same product. They market one for cars and one for marine products. The guy who answered the phone said he just finished a batch and filled up both with it. The only reason I get the fleetwax is because it is 12 oz. and the 476 paste doublecoat only comes in 9 oz. cans.
I've decided to use an all in one product like Liquid Glass, Klasse All-In-One, etc. when I'm able to get a new car. On a new car before applying one of these all in one products, all the previous wax the dealer put on should be taken off right? Will the pre-cleaner that Liquid Glass offers take off all the dealer wax or should I use a different method to get it off? Should I use Dawn when I first wash the new car or will the pre-cleaner take care of the wax? Also should I clay the car before using the pre-cleaner or after? Thanks in advance for any responses.
1. Most dealers I've experienced do not wax new cars so there should not be anything to worry about. But any household detergent like Dawn will strip off whatever's on there.
2. The LG cleaner is a mild chemical cleaner and should remove any old wax or protectant like spray wax. It won't remove scratches, stains, or swirls but that's not a concern on a new car. I don't think its necessary but it is a good first step so feel free to use it.
3. Claying a new car is a judgement call IMO. Lightly rub your hand along the body and feel for roughness. If it doesn't feel perfectly smooth go ahead and clay. I didn't clay the last new car I worked on and in hindsight I should have. There's no real harm in it so I vote for claying.
4. The claying step comes after washing and before polishing/cleaning. The basic steps of paint care are:
Wash Clay Polish/Clean Protect with wax or sealant
Sounds like the Liquid Glass cleaner and Dawn would accomplish the same thing so there wouldn't be any need in doing both, and possibly neither.
As far as claying is concerned, I read somewhere that when new cars are shipped they get a lot of rail dust on them and that claying would be the best method to get it off. Since it doesn't harm the car to clay it when brand new then I'll do it anyway just to be safe.
i took a five hour trip with a colgan bra on the front of my black slk. it rained the first hour-you guessed it, ive got 3 distinct areas where the bra was that appear "faded"-i took it off as soon as i returned home, but to no avail. ive heard of this thing before-but my question is what, if anything, can i do about it?
like a dark gray; its the actual paint that appears a lighter color. the overlying finish is as shiny as the surrounding finish and smooth without a descepant number of swirls. ive read that, simplistically, its from a combo of the moisture and heat, but i dont know much more about it(what to expect or how to treat it). each "lesion" is about 5X6 inches and hasnt improved in the last few days.
Try facing the car so the front end "bakes" in the sun for a day or two. I had the same issue on a dark green car. The heat took care of it. Just took a little longer than below. It sounds like the same issue. Just substitute the words COLGAN BRA in place of RAPGARD and read on.
Quote from Toyota TSB: Title: PAINT STAINS UNDER RAPGARD Models: ’02 – ’03 All Models Technical Service BULLETIN May 31, 2002 On some vehicles, when Rapgard is removed, the paint may have a stained appearance. These stains appear to be under the clear coat and should not be considered a defect in the paint (clear coat or color coat). The stain patterns are usually under wrinkles in the Rapgard. These wrinkles sometimes trap water and cause the paint to stain from the trapped moisture, especially on horizontal surfaces, such as the hood, roof, and trunk. Stains can be removed by heating the stained surface to remove the trapped moisture.
PAINT STAINS UNDER RAPGARD – PA002-02 May 31, 2002 Repair Procedure 1. Use aluminum foil or damp cloth to cover plastic/rubber parts that are near the stain. 2. Apply heat to the stain using an infrared lamp or heat gun. NOTE: Apply heat for 5 – 10 minutes at 70C – 80C (158F – 176F). Do NOT allow the surface to become hotter than 80C (176F). Measure the temperature with a thermometer. 3. After applying heat for 5 minutes, examine the area to determine if the stain has been removed. If the stain still exists, continue to apply heat and re–examine the stain 5 minutes later.
thats a load off my back, bec i am parking in the direct sun this entire week. thanks again, i just paniced and thought i had ruined my paint while trying to protect it. now i know.
Next choice or option is to sell the bra on e-bay and find a shop to install 3M paint film protection. Search the web for Stonegard, Invinca-shield, x-pel or 3M website for paintfilm. They guaranty no chips for 4 years I think. Perfectly clear, covers whole front end, don't need to worry about getting wet, doesn't come loose or flap around. Just a nice black SLK.
There was a wax that I use to use and I can't think of the name. The company logo was a gold wings, I believe there was a letter G in it. Anyone know the name, and if this company is still around? Are their products still just as good?
I use sprayway to clean the windows which works great but I am looking for a product to clean an older windshield. Bret reccomended Stoners, but I haven't been able to locate it in the CA stores and other products or suggestions?
Also I have never quite figured out how to keep the residue from building up on the car's windows after doing all the interior detail work when the car is all closed up an in the sun. Can't always keep the car vented because of security. Its the new car film that builds up. Any suggestions?
Eagle 1 20/20 is a great glass cleaner (as is Stoner's Invisible Glass). It won't stop the residue which is a by product of the plastics outgassing but it does seem to resist hazing longer than other things I've used. You can also order Stoner stuff on line and they have changed their policy of only selling whole cases. The price per can is high and the shipping puts it around $10. I'd go Eagle 1 if it were my choice.
Its not available at AutoZone or Pep Boys? That's odd. I see it everywhere.
As for glass polishes, they are very difficult to find at retail. But a few companies that offer them are Autoglym, Zaino, Detailers Pride (Autogeek.net private label), and Duragloss. The only one I'd be careful of is Duragloss as it has a lot of abrasives in it and leaves a very chalky residue. Does a real good job of polishing glass though and would be a good choice for an older car. Modern glass is too soft for such an aggressive cleaner but the others I mentioned would work fine. You can find Duragloss stuff at NAPA auto parts.
Thanks for the glass help. Question: Where did Eagle 1 products come from. I have a garage full of products that I have accumulated over the years and this company E1 seems to have appeared out of no where and has a strong following with many different products. In there line of products what have people had success with. I have seen leather protectant, glass cleaners, wheel cleaners etc...
The reason I ask is that a store, I think a national store (Big Lots)has had a lot of their products recently at big discounts. I was reluctant to purchase since I was not very familiar with their product lines. Bretfraz I have seen you mention some often. Any reccomendations? Thanks in advance.
dad16 - Eagle1 has been around for years. I used to use their 3 step precleaner/glaze/wax system.
bret - Autozones here in MA seem to carry about a 3' display of waxes/cleaners/etc. NAPA as well. I went to about 6 stores (AZ, NAPA, Western, independents) last week looking for 3M IHG to use on my Accord. One NAPA directed me to an autobody wholesaler as the only place around. Luckily (I guess) that Accord is now sitting in the yard of a body shop awaiting major repairs so the panel I was worried about may be replaced.
This is kind of a dumb question, but I'm confused. I keep hearing about how hard water is bad to wash a car with. How do you know if you're using hard or soft water? Is tap water considered hard water? If so how do all of you wash your cars with soft water?
The rule of thumb for determining if you have really hard water is whether or not soap lathers well or not. It is usually easy to tell with just a regular bar of hand soap or in the shower. If you have really hard water it will not lather it will just "slime" and feel hard to wash off. For determining if you have moderate or slightly hard water the best thing to do is call a water treatment company like Culligan. They do initial consultations for free and as part of that test your water for minerals and hardness. They will give you a hardness reading in "grains" which then can be correlated to acceptable ranges for how hard your water is. If it is a big deal then you need a water softener.
Eagle One was started by Barney Li sometime in the 1970's in So Cal. Their initial claim to fame was their wheel cleaners. In those days chrome plated spoke wheels were all the rage but no one sold a "spray on/rinse off" cleaner. The early stuff I recall was a 2 part cleaner - acid-based cleaner and neutralizer - and it was pretty dangerous stuff. But it sure did a great job on the wheels.
They were a big proponent of a universal system of cleaners made for specific types of wheels. For awhile dozens of wheel mfr's supported it by recommending to their customers "Use only wheel cleaner Type A" or something along those lines. Eagle One was the only company I was aware of that made cleaners for each type of wheel.
I've always liked Eagle One a lot. Nice people, very good products, great value, excellent quality, and for many years had very good distribution at retail. For me it was a good product line to recommend to others as their product labels were very descriptive and helpful for novices. To this day I cannot recall a single Eagle One product that worked poorly. All were decent products at a minimum and their wheel and tire care products were the best on the market.
Thanks for the offer. I have to wait and see what the adjustor says - I may be Z'ing a new car this time next week or a freshly painted car in a few weeks.
Just put it on yesterday, got to say that the shine is comparable to waxes but the paint surface is incrediblly smooth! I wonder if anyone else had tried 5 star shine and would like to offer his/her view.
Depends on exactly what product is used. Some waxes have no cleaning ability at all and will not abrade paint. Some have mechanical cleaners and some have chemical cleaners. They're designed to remove oxidation, old wax, light stains and swirl marks.
If he's talking about specific products then let us know what they are and we can tell you if they abrade the surface.
Does claying remove the existing wax/sealant on a car? I was wondering if I should apply a coat of sealant (I use Liquid Glass) after claying--wouldn't want to leave the paint unprotected. Thanks.
Is all polyclay the same? Is the the polyclay that you can buy at the craft store any different from that available from Pinnacle, Claymagic, etc. If, in fact, it is all the same, why wouldn't purchasing it from a craft store be a lower cost alternative to the brands mentioned above.
the stuff you buy in a crafts store has a whole different mix of oils and such designed for "making things out of clay". You can can get 'clay' that is designed to make pottery/sculptures (which are often hardening by hi-temp firings) or you can get the stuff that kinds play with (and usually dries when left out.
The stuff that one uses for cleaning surface containments of vehicels is MUCH more like "ultra-ultra low abrasion buffing compound". It is very smooth & uniform. It has water and some ingredents to keep it from drying out.
DO NOT smear "craft store" clay on your vehicle-- you will have an oily mess to deal with!
While RERENOV8R explained it well I thought I'd add my comments about paint detailing clay as well:
Paint detailing clay has almost nothing in common with kid's clay except the name. Paint detailing clay is specifically blended to remove surface contaminents from auto paint. And its designed to remain cohesive while using the liquid lubricants required for the process.
Modern paint detailing clay for consumer use was invented in Japan in the 1980s but versions of this have been around since the 1930s, made for body shops to remove paint overspray without sanding or stripping fresh paint.
You can buy a claying kit for under $10 at most any auto parts store or even WalMart. Mothers sells a nice kit that includes a bottle of car wax for about $16. And you can order large sized bars of clay online.
I had asked Bretfraz for his recommendations on claying, he pointed me to Clay Magic. He was dead on right. For $10, it came with a clay and a lubricant bottle.
Unfortunately for me, I was claying a 10 year old car for the first that the 1 piece just would not do. Luckily I had some clay from "Z" still which I had used for the new car.
Since then I have bought 2 more "Clay Magic" because I keep making sure that the 10 year old car is taken care of properly now. The car is shiny and smooth. I should say both cars are shiny and smooth
Clay magic is a good choice. The Mothers kit with the quick detailer and little bottle of wax at Walmart is excellent as well.
I clayed my car when I first got it and was amazed at how much gunk was hidden in the paint even though the car was new. The paint was much smoother afterwards.
Pretty easy, too. Just make sure you use lots of lubricant, and hang on tight to the bar because if you drop it, you have to throw it away. Might be a good idea to cut it into thirds before starting just in case.
No problem at all. I'm glad it worked well for you.
Personally, I use small pieces of clay pressed into little oval "pancakes". That way if I drop it I'm not wasting an entire bar, just a little piece. Plus the small pieces are easy to reknead into itself. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to knead a whole bar of clay. My fingers hurt just thinking about it...
I talked my brother into claying his old car as well because he was impress with the smoothness of the outcome. If you remember I did a test and clayed only half the car, then wax it.
Anyway, I warned him about dropping the clay like I did. So what he did was take one of those huge black garbage bags and lay it under the area he was claying. Then before laying it down on the next spot he would spray it clean. It worked for him, but I am not too sure I would follow. What I do is just to take my time. The time you drop the clay is when your arms start to give and you aren't paying attention.
I do one area, inspect it, rinse it, inspect it again. Clay if I have to, then go on to the next area.
I ran out of my usual car wash product and was looking for something around the house that would work in a pinch. I didn't want to use dishwashing detergent for fear it would strip off the existing wax job. On our laundry shelf I found a bottle of Woolite, the liquid soap for delicate fabrics. I tried it and was amazed at how easily it lifted off dirt and washed clean. The car had been waxed a month ago and it still beaded, so it appears Woolite doesn't strip wax (actually a polymer).
Any comments on using Woolite instead of a product specifically sold as a car wash?
My wife's Envoy XL is just too big for me to clay/polish/wax. I'm considering having a detail shop/car wash do it for me every 6 months. Here is what they do (for about $140):
Basic Car Wash Under Chassis Rinse & Rust Inhibitor Meguiar's Fine Cut Cleaner (Hand Applied) Meguiar's Swirl Remover (Hand Applied) Meguiar's Hi-Tech Yellow Wax (Hand Applied) Meguiar's Final Inspection (Hand Applied) Fresh Air Fragrance Custom Wheel Shine Complete Armor All (inside and out) Carpet & Floor Mat Shampoo Seat Shampoo or Leather Seat Conditioning
Is this a wise idea, or do these places do more harm than good? We are going to keep the vehicle for at least 7 years, so I want it to stay looking good. The color is magnetic red metallic, by the way, and the vehicle is about 7 months old.
1. Fine Cut is a fairly aggressive cleaner. Is the detail shop sure your truck needs it? I can't tell if they've actually seen your truck or are just giving a general quote.
2.No paint detailing clay? I'd ask about that. It'll make their work easier and your paint smoother.
3. Are you sure you want the interior slathered in Armor All? Its pretty glossy stuff. It'll make matte-look plastics glossy and semi-gloss plastics REAL glossy. If that's the look you like, no problem. If not ask them to use something with less gloss or skip the interior treatment altogether.
4. Make sure you like the smell of the fragrance before they use it. Your truck prolly still has the new car smell. Not every fragrance smells good so give it a test sniff first.
5. That's a good price. I'd charge quite a bit more for the same work. If they do a good job you might have found a winner.
Thanks for the feedback bretfraz. The list is one I pulled off their web site. I'll ask them about the claying, maybe they would be willing to do that instead of the fine cut and swirl remover. I haven't noticed any swirl marks anyways. They also have another package for $40:
Basic Car Wash Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax (Hand Applied) Meguiar's Final Inspection (Hand Applied) Fresh Air Fragrance Custom Wheel Shine Armor All Tire Dressing
This may be better since the vehicle is pretty new, and my interior won't get coated in Armor All. I can take care of the leather conditioning myself too. But there is just WAY too much surface area on this SUV for me to attempt to clay/polish/wax it. I don't want to break my back. Her last car was a Saturn SL, and I could handle detailing it just fine.
I have a sequoia SUV and I clayed it in on morning. It is not really that hard, easier than waxing. The only tricky part is keeping the surface wet as you are working. I noticed a slight improvement in my SUV but it was new. I just wanted to start out right and not seal all of the existing junk on the car.
I have a 3 yr. old, black Lincoln LS with LOTS of swirl marks. I put two applications of 3M Imperial Hand Glaze on this weekend, which did a great job, but there are still swirl marks.
Do I just live with them realizing it's a black car and I have no choice? Did I do something wrong? Is there a more aggressive solution?
...mostly from "whirr & whack" car washes you can probably take care of 'em with clay. If they are from a rotary buffer machine, you MIGHT need to use a "swirl mark remover" (and invest ALOT of time and/or find a REAL pro...)
Unless the paint is BADLY mangled, there is NO REASON to "just live" swirls...
The car has never been through a car wash - I've always done it myself. Admittedly, I was not too careful when I first purchased the car - and I let the dealer wax it before delivery. But I've gotten very good at this with all of the advice from the pros who post regularly here. I may be getting anal with my desire to get rid of all the swirl marks.
Yes, those are most irksome -- you'd think they'd get somebody with at least a little training to "wax" the car before delivery.
Instead they often just let somebody with as much experience mopping floors as detailing cars 'prep' your $40K vehicle.
Try clay first, it ought to do the trick. Maybe two or three "sessions", if you have the patience. If not the more aggressive "swirl mark remover" (from Meg, 3M or DuPont) can be effective, though on an otherwise well cared for car those are almost overkill.
I hate swirls too. The are worst on black, but dark blue can be very unforgiving too. In fact I recently took delivery on a Midnight Blue Pearl MDX and the dealer DID listen when I told 'em "NO BUFFER on the PREP!"...
Comments
Anything good you can recommend to clean the gunk off the tires, without damaging the wheels?
The ordinary car wash I'm using doesn't cut it.
Thanks!
Wash your car immediately if you haven't done so.
Eagle One and Mothers make rubber cleaners but can be hard to find. Eagle One A2Z Wheel Cleaner should do the trick. And for a one-time use, Simple Green is OK to use.
Simple Green has its uses but the weekly car wash isn't one of them.
I was about to buy a bottle just so I can really clean my rims, buy now you are scaring me of what it might do the the body as well.
1. Most dealers I've experienced do not wax new cars so there should not be anything to worry about. But any household detergent like Dawn will strip off whatever's on there.
2. The LG cleaner is a mild chemical cleaner and should remove any old wax or protectant like spray wax. It won't remove scratches, stains, or swirls but that's not a concern on a new car. I don't think its necessary but it is a good first step so feel free to use it.
3. Claying a new car is a judgement call IMO. Lightly rub your hand along the body and feel for roughness. If it doesn't feel perfectly smooth go ahead and clay. I didn't clay the last new car I worked on and in hindsight I should have. There's no real harm in it so I vote for claying.
4. The claying step comes after washing and before polishing/cleaning. The basic steps of paint care are:
Wash
Clay
Polish/Clean
Protect with wax or sealant
From there its easy maintenance. Good luck.
Sounds like the Liquid Glass cleaner and Dawn would accomplish the same thing so there wouldn't be any need in doing both, and possibly neither.
As far as claying is concerned, I read somewhere that when new cars are shipped they get a lot of rail dust on them and that claying would be the best method to get it off. Since it doesn't harm the car to clay it when brand new then I'll do it anyway just to be safe.
Thanks again!
I'm just guessing here because I can't see it but try some light polish like a swirl mark remover and see if that'll do the trick.
Quote from Toyota TSB:
Title:
PAINT STAINS UNDER RAPGARD
Models:
’02 – ’03 All Models
Technical Service
BULLETIN
May 31, 2002
On some vehicles, when Rapgard is removed, the paint may have a stained appearance.
These stains appear to be under the clear coat and should not be considered a defect in
the paint (clear coat or color coat). The stain patterns are usually under wrinkles in the
Rapgard. These wrinkles sometimes trap water and cause the paint to stain from the
trapped moisture, especially on horizontal surfaces, such as the hood, roof, and trunk.
Stains can be removed by heating the stained surface to remove the trapped moisture.
PAINT STAINS UNDER RAPGARD – PA002-02 May 31, 2002
Repair Procedure
1. Use aluminum foil or damp cloth to cover plastic/rubber parts that are near the
stain.
2. Apply heat to the stain using an infrared lamp or heat gun.
NOTE:
Apply heat for 5 – 10 minutes at 70C – 80C (158F – 176F). Do NOT allow the surface
to become hotter than 80C (176F). Measure the temperature with a thermometer.
3. After applying heat for 5 minutes, examine the area to determine if the stain has been
removed. If the stain still exists, continue to apply heat and re–examine the stain 5
minutes later.
Also I have never quite figured out how to keep the residue from building up on the car's windows after doing all the interior detail work when the car is all closed up an in the sun. Can't always keep the car vented because of security. Its the new car film that builds up. Any suggestions?
You can also order Stoner stuff on line and they have changed their policy of only selling whole cases. The price per can is high and the shipping puts it around $10. I'd go Eagle 1 if it were my choice.
As for glass polishes, they are very difficult to find at retail. But a few companies that offer them are Autoglym, Zaino, Detailers Pride (Autogeek.net private label), and Duragloss. The only one I'd be careful of is Duragloss as it has a lot of abrasives in it and leaves a very chalky residue. Does a real good job of polishing glass though and would be a good choice for an older car. Modern glass is too soft for such an aggressive cleaner but the others I mentioned would work fine. You can find Duragloss stuff at NAPA auto parts.
The reason I ask is that a store, I think a national store (Big Lots)has had a lot of their products recently at big discounts. I was reluctant to purchase since I was not very familiar with their product lines. Bretfraz I have seen you mention some often. Any reccomendations? Thanks in advance.
bret - Autozones here in MA seem to carry about a 3' display of waxes/cleaners/etc. NAPA as well. I went to about 6 stores (AZ, NAPA, Western, independents) last week looking for 3M IHG to use on my Accord. One NAPA directed me to an autobody wholesaler as the only place around. Luckily (I guess) that Accord is now sitting in the yard of a body shop awaiting major repairs so the panel I was worried about may be replaced.
They were a big proponent of a universal system of cleaners made for specific types of wheels. For awhile dozens of wheel mfr's supported it by recommending to their customers "Use only wheel cleaner Type A" or something along those lines. Eagle One was the only company I was aware of that made cleaners for each type of wheel.
I've always liked Eagle One a lot. Nice people, very good products, great value, excellent quality, and for many years had very good distribution at retail. For me it was a good product line to recommend to others as their product labels were very descriptive and helpful for novices. To this day I cannot recall a single Eagle One product that worked poorly. All were decent products at a minimum and their wheel and tire care products were the best on the market.
They were sold to Valvoline in 1998.
Just put it on yesterday, got to say that the shine is comparable to waxes but the paint surface is incrediblly smooth! I wonder if anyone else had tried 5 star shine and would like to offer his/her view.
If he's talking about specific products then let us know what they are and we can tell you if they abrade the surface.
After you are done claying, you'll want to wash the car and then reapply whatever wax or sealant you are using.
Sean
The stuff that one uses for cleaning surface containments of vehicels is MUCH more like "ultra-ultra low abrasion buffing compound". It is very smooth & uniform. It has water and some ingredents to keep it from drying out.
DO NOT smear "craft store" clay on your vehicle-- you will have an oily mess to deal with!
Paint detailing clay has almost nothing in common with kid's clay except the name. Paint detailing clay is specifically blended to remove surface contaminents from auto paint. And its designed to remain cohesive while using the liquid lubricants required for the process.
Modern paint detailing clay for consumer use was invented in Japan in the 1980s but versions of this have been around since the 1930s, made for body shops to remove paint overspray without sanding or stripping fresh paint.
You can buy a claying kit for under $10 at most any auto parts store or even WalMart. Mothers sells a nice kit that includes a bottle of car wax for about $16. And you can order large sized bars of clay online.
Unfortunately for me, I was claying a 10 year old car for the first that the 1 piece just would not do. Luckily I had some clay from "Z" still which I had used for the new car.
Since then I have bought 2 more "Clay Magic" because I keep making sure that the 10 year old car is taken care of properly now. The car is shiny and smooth. I should say both cars are shiny and smooth
THANKS BRET. Great Advice.
Maybe I should buy some Clay Magic stock.
I clayed my car when I first got it and was amazed at how much gunk was hidden in the paint even though the car was new. The paint was much smoother afterwards.
Pretty easy, too. Just make sure you use lots of lubricant, and hang on tight to the bar because if you drop it, you have to throw it away. Might be a good idea to cut it into thirds before starting just in case.
Sean
Personally, I use small pieces of clay pressed into little oval "pancakes". That way if I drop it I'm not wasting an entire bar, just a little piece. Plus the small pieces are easy to reknead into itself. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to knead a whole bar of clay. My fingers hurt just thinking about it...
Anyway, I warned him about dropping the clay like I did. So what he did was take one of those huge black garbage bags and lay it under the area he was claying. Then before laying it down on the next spot he would spray it clean. It worked for him, but I am not too sure I would follow. What I do is just to take my time. The time you drop the clay is when your arms start to give and you aren't paying attention.
I do one area, inspect it, rinse it, inspect it again. Clay if I have to, then go on to the next area.
Any comments on using Woolite instead of a product specifically sold as a car wash?
Basic Car Wash
Under Chassis Rinse & Rust Inhibitor
Meguiar's Fine Cut Cleaner (Hand Applied)
Meguiar's Swirl Remover (Hand Applied)
Meguiar's Hi-Tech Yellow Wax (Hand Applied)
Meguiar's Final Inspection (Hand Applied)
Fresh Air Fragrance
Custom Wheel Shine
Complete Armor All (inside and out)
Carpet & Floor Mat Shampoo
Seat Shampoo or Leather Seat
Conditioning
Is this a wise idea, or do these places do more harm than good? We are going to keep the vehicle for at least 7 years, so I want it to stay looking good. The color is magnetic red metallic, by the way, and the vehicle is about 7 months old.
1. Fine Cut is a fairly aggressive cleaner. Is the detail shop sure your truck needs it? I can't tell if they've actually seen your truck or are just giving a general quote.
2.No paint detailing clay? I'd ask about that. It'll make their work easier and your paint smoother.
3. Are you sure you want the interior slathered in Armor All? Its pretty glossy stuff. It'll make matte-look plastics glossy and semi-gloss plastics REAL glossy. If that's the look you like, no problem. If not ask them to use something with less gloss or skip the interior treatment altogether.
4. Make sure you like the smell of the fragrance before they use it. Your truck prolly still has the new car smell. Not every fragrance smells good so give it a test sniff first.
5. That's a good price. I'd charge quite a bit more for the same work. If they do a good job you might have found a winner.
Hope this helps.
Basic Car Wash
Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax (Hand Applied)
Meguiar's Final Inspection (Hand Applied)
Fresh Air Fragrance
Custom Wheel Shine
Armor All Tire Dressing
This may be better since the vehicle is pretty new, and my interior won't get coated in Armor All. I can take care of the leather conditioning myself too. But there is just WAY too much surface area on this SUV for me to attempt to clay/polish/wax it. I don't want to break my back. Her last car was a Saturn SL, and I could handle detailing it just fine.
Do I just live with them realizing it's a black car and I have no choice? Did I do something wrong? Is there a more aggressive solution?
Thanks in advance!
Unless the paint is BADLY mangled, there is NO REASON to "just live" swirls...
Instead they often just let somebody with as much experience mopping floors as detailing cars 'prep' your $40K vehicle.
Try clay first, it ought to do the trick. Maybe two or three "sessions", if you have the patience. If not the more aggressive "swirl mark remover" (from Meg, 3M or DuPont) can be effective, though on an otherwise well cared for car those are almost overkill.
I hate swirls too. The are worst on black, but dark blue can be very unforgiving too. In fact I recently took delivery on a Midnight Blue Pearl MDX and the dealer DID listen when I told 'em "NO BUFFER on the PREP!"...