Car Cleaning/Care FAQ

What to do to keep your car looking and running like new, inside and out.
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mikebai1990
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Post by mikebai1990 »

Well, you're gonna have to remove it eventually. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to remove (especially if you applied thickly).
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eaglecatcher
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Post by eaglecatcher »

Waxing is an art, I'll say that. I've gotten much better from the first wax I did, which took me about 3 hours because I used about 1/2 can of paste wax. lol.

Now, I use Turtle Wax ICE, which is an excellent synthetic product. Applies super easy, buffs really easy, it can be applied in hot or cold, wet or dry, and it doesn't leave tons of white residue everywhere.

If carnauba wax is a 10/10 for shine/protection/durability, I'd have to give ICE and 9 or 9.5/10, simply because I don't mind doing it 2 or 3 times a month, whereas I dread messing with the paste waxes.
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Post by Evaunits01 »

Yeah i checked under the light after i got back home from fellowship and i noticed that i didnt buff really well. (didnt know what buff meant in the first place) So what should i do? Apparently from wht i heard dawn is good at removing wax from a car. Yet since i just did this should i just wait until i claybar my car again. (Claybar should get rid of wax correct?)
Any advice would be helpful here. Thanks
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mikebai1990
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Post by mikebai1990 »

So does it look like a haze, or a white smeary mess? If it's a haze, you can go over it with a QD (not if it's dirty though; you'd need to wash first, then). If it's a white smeary mess, I'd either use some elbow grease and get it off, or I'd take some isopropyl alcohol, dilute it with 50% water, and use that to remove all the wax on the paint. Won't damage the paint in any way, but will strip your wax protection.

Also, if it's just a haze, it'll wash off after 1-2 washes.

eaglecatcher: With paste waxes, they aren't necessarily a pain.. My carnauba paste wax (Collinite 476S) is pretty easy to use, and removal is never a problem (2 passes with a MF and the haze is gone). I think it's just that people are applying it too thickly. Of course, there are those paste waxes that are a bear to remove... Turtle Wax Hard Shell, my first wax, one that I will never touch again. I probably also applied too thickly at the time, but that wax was a pain to use. Horrible durability as well..
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eaglecatcher
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Post by eaglecatcher »

mikebai1990 wrote:
eaglecatcher: With paste waxes, they aren't necessarily a pain.. My carnauba paste wax (Collinite 476S) is pretty easy to use, and removal is never a problem (2 passes with a MF and the haze is gone). I think it's just that people are applying it too thickly. Of course, there are those paste waxes that are a bear to remove... Turtle Wax Hard Shell, my first wax, one that I will never touch again. I probably also applied too thickly at the time, but that wax was a pain to use. Horrible durability as well..
that may be it, I used meguiars cleaner wax, and I'm never using that again either. I mean, it took me longer to wax and buff the car, than it did to wash it twice, clay, and polish it.

I may go back to paste eventually, but for now, i'm sticking with ice since I don't have loads of time on my hands.
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Post by Evaunits01 »

Ahhhh that isoproprol alchohol stuff works wonders at stripping wax. Thanks for the tip man.
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Post by julian »

Since I never saw any Meguiar's advertising here in Germany nor did I ever see any products in the stores, I contacted them.
2 days later, I checked my mail and there's a catalogue, a list of stores near me that have their products, aaand a sample of their Gold Class Liquid Wax.
I'm already using the Gold Class Car Shampoo so I figured this should be a perfect match.
It came in one of those things that usually contain ketchup...only a little bigger...it's 1 fl oz, so my question is:
Should I use this thing? How (again, this should be hard to apply since I don't know how to evenly get it out of there ? Will it be enough for the whole car? (mid sized sedan)
I'd really like to try it before I get a whole bottle and since they gave it to me for free...why not
And it's half past four and I'm shifting gear...
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mikebai1990
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Post by mikebai1990 »

Yes. Waxes are applied very thinly, and for a midsize sedan, 1 oz should be enough to do two cars.

Sure, you can use it, but it isn't all that great in terms of durability. If I'm correct in assuming you don't have all the time in the world to constantly wax your car, I'd consider getting something more durable.
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Post by julian »

mikebai1990 wrote:Yes. Waxes are applied very thinly, and for a midsize sedan, 1 oz should be enough to do two cars.

Sure, you can use it, but it isn't all that great in terms of durability. If I'm correct in assuming you don't have all the time in the world to constantly wax your car, I'd consider getting something more durable.
Any recommendations? Especially since winter is around the corner...

Thanks
And it's half past four and I'm shifting gear...
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mikebai1990
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Post by mikebai1990 »

You'll have to look up the products by yourself, but I'd recommend Collinite 845/476S or Duragloss 105 for cheap and very durable (it'll last you through the winter for sure, at 4-5 months durability) products.
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Post by Leedeth »

What do you guys recommend for tire shine?
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Post by Leedeth »

When I was down in the States I went to Carquest and picked up some Duragloss Aquawax 951. I couldn't find any sealant 105 though.

Would it be a good combo to lay down some Collinite 845 as a base/sealant and the Aquawax on top of it for shine/depth?
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Re: Car Cleaning/Care FAQ

Post by pmacutay »

What about keeping rims clean?

Can I apply a sealant to my rims to prevent brake dust from being so attracted to them, or at least making it easier to wash the dust off?
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Re: Car Cleaning/Care FAQ

Post by Soulwound »

I'm planning on detailing my car for the first time later this month or early next month. Here's a short list of what I plan on using (read a guide on ephatch that is highly rated) and I thought I'd bounce it off you guys here.

1) ivory or dawn dish soap (yes I know don't use this every time, but I've read it cuts the wax etc off for the 2 times a year you're detailing)
2) Clay Magic clay bar
3) Klasse All In One
4) Klass Gloss Sealant
5) S100 caranuba wax

Basically it's wash, rinse, clay, wash/rinse, dry, All In One, GS and then S100, as far as I understand.

Any opinions or suggestions?

Also, what's a good car shampoo to use in between detailing? I'm not going to assume they're all created equal, but I'm leaning towards Mothers or Meguiars.
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Re: Car Cleaning/Care FAQ

Post by watkins »

Anything except Armorall
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