How To Detail Your Car ...

[Mean Green z28]

We're all worried about modifications and body kits and we rarely take the time to stand back ask ourselves if we're actually washing our cars right. Well, I started off with a nice shiny car a few years back and after a while realised that all that I was doing (thinking it was good) was actually hurting the finish and I had my car sitting there to prove it. I used to buy the cheapest car wash soap available and use a bath towel to wipe it off (yeah, I was one of you'll .. ha ha) but it made my car look like crap. So after much research and talking to professional detailers (and a minor repaint of some extrmemly ugly paint), I'm ready to actually "take care" of my car ... and I hope this info will be beneficial to you.

First off, if your car is dry and has a layer of dust/dirt on it ... let it be till you wash it and do not try to wipe it off with a cloth, you'll ruin the paint by introducing fine scraches into it. Try looking at your pain it the sun, you'll see nice swirl marks ... don't you love it?

RULE ONE ... try to keep water off your paint as long as possible ... remember that water has alkalines/lime/minerals and other stuff in it that would ruin the paint. If you're lucky, you probably already have water stains on your paint that piss the heck out of you in the sun.

Washing/detailing your car starts long before you even turn on the water. Plan your path. Get a good car wash soap and a wash mitt (don't be cheap, you spent loads of money on your car, now take care of it).

If you've planned to clean the engine bay, do it now and try to keep water to a minimum and away from the electricals. Use a spray bottle with some general cleaner solvent (a household cleaner will work but be careful to not get it on the paint), a "soft" bristled brush and then a light stream of water to only where you need it. Keeping the engine running while rinsing will help you (yeah, right?) keep away from the dangerous spots 'cos if you're spraying in the wrong place ... guess what, the engine's gonna let you know by stumbling/dying. Dry it off, shut the hood and move on.

Next, we're gonna concentrate on wheels (you'll need a different wash mitt for the wheels only) but take the same care as you would on your wheels as you would on your paint (afterall, it's usually paint on the wheels too right?). You can scrub a little harder if it's chrome/metal, but be careful not to mess up the finish. Once again, the cleaner in a spray bottle and "soft" brush (make sure it's clean) is used here. Wash all the wheels ... and try to keep water off the paint!

Now, you can go ahead and mix the desired amount of "car wash soap" in a bucket and get ready to wash your car.

If you look at your car when it's dirty, you'll notice that the lower portion below the belt line is dirtier than the top, so we'll start up top 'cos that's the least dirty. We do this so that we use the wash mitt on the dirty area the last ... try to keep the mitt clean for as long as possible. Go around and spray your car down (from top to bottom) and get all the loose dirt off. Follow the instructions on rinsing from the soap bottle lable and go around your car once and wash only the upper portion. Then, the next round, go around the lower portion. Seems easy right? When you're finally finished washing, here's a tip to reduce on drying time ... take the nozzle off your hose and just run your water gently from the top of your car downwards without causing any splashes. The surface tension in the water will help it bead easily and take the water will just stream off your car ... you'll have a lot less water to wipe off. Drying, try not to use one of those water blades (it'll scratch your paint) and use a good soft cotton towel (microfibre is the best for your cars paint). Dont forget to wash your exhaust tips LAST, they're very dirty with carbon/oil and you don't want that on your paint. After you're done, make sure you've got all the water out of the cracks and doorjambs (use compressed air if possible, but a towel would do) Take it around the block once so you'll shake off all the excess water from the cracks/etc. and wipe down again. Now you're ready for the tiring part.

If you can get a clay bar, use it now! Spray the lubricant and run the clay bar over the paint and feel the paint getting smoother each time you run over it 'cos it's taking all of the caked on dirt/grime .. now you have bare paint in a very clean condition. Now we need to finish it and cover it all up to protect it.

Use a good swirl/haze remover product on the paint to get rid of all the swirl marks. Here's where you need to apply some good pressure 'cos this is the base you're woking with, everything else covers your work here. Wipe off the swirl/haze remover with a good microfibre towel. After that, it's ready for a polish.

Use a good car polish product and go around and polish the finish of that paint ... you know what to do ... use a microfibre towel to wipe that off too (you can use the same towel from the previous step). Now we're ready to seal it up with a coat of wax.

Go ahead and apply the wax as per the manufacturers recommendations and once again wipe off with a mifrofibre towel (fresh towel) ... step back and enjoy your days work!

Wanna move on to the inside? Use an cleaner and wipe up your interior to get all the dirt off. Take time on the door handles, gear knob, hand brake, and steering as that's what you touch most often. After you've cleaned and vacuumed the car, use a interior protectant to seal it all up. Get a new air freshner too ... ha ha

Tips ... I've only covered the top layer of the work, there's a lot more in it and you'll find out yourself what more is needed after you do it a few times. Only the first time you do it, is it gonna take a long time .. in the future, you'll only need to apply a coat of wax every now and then, but this long procedure has to be done only every 6mo. or so.

Try to use all the products from one manufacturer since it's easier to keep track of and they'll all work together.

Happy driving ... a shiny car!!!

[The Don]

This post deserves to be made a sticky!

Edited August 24, 2007 by The Don

[Dj shan]

Definitely This is deserve a reward of some kind if some do this

[miniace]

Thanks mate, for sharing!

MINIACE

[miniace]

Thanks mate, for sharing!

MINIACE

[GihanFX]

In Fifth Gear - [09x02] - 2006.04.17 they show the World Best Car Cleaner and the Most Expensive one too, he use a wax tub cost of 6000 Pounds, Expensive Shampoo, Towels, and High Tech Equipments.

[ThunderBolt]

Hi

Machang can u tell me where can I find this "clay bar" that u have mentioned. If there's a brand name, mention it.

Shivanka

[Mean Green z28]

Hi

Machang can u tell me where can I find this "clay bar" that u have mentioned. If there's a brand name, mention it.

Shivanka

More infor on Clay bar ... http://www.autogeek.net/clbaandlu.html?gcl...CFQeQgQod_Wlv_A

Here's a product that I used in the past ... http://www.autogeek.net/motcalgolcla.html ... I now use a different brand but it's essentially the same

[ThunderBolt]

Where can I buy those Clay bars?

[DCL]

Thx Bro, for this valuable info!!

[Mean Green z28]

Where can I buy those Clay bars?

I'm not sure of any places in SL that would sell the clay bar kits, but I'm guessing you should be able to get it shipped to you. That link I posted has some product prices, factor in the cost of shipping too though.

[neXGen]

There aint no claybars last I checked but who knows there might be that single shop having all the stuff you need. Just a matter of beating the bush and seeing what comes out.. lol..

Zz