Summer car care thread! What are your secrets?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Summer car care thread! What are your secrets?

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:03:04 AM EDT

Have a new 2018 Mustang GT coming. I've never had a brand new car that I plan on keeping forever. I've hand washed but never actually waxed a car. What are the must have products/techniques? Meguiars and Mothers seem to be popular. What about those spot cleaning/detail products? I've found out that HydroPeroxide/H2O work well for dead bug removal. What's the best wax/paint protectant? School me on expert car care GD!

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:23:56 AM EDT

[#1]

A garage... oh you want tips one sec, editing.

Edit: when you wash, rinse with garden hose well make sure everything is soaked, get a good car wash, not dish soap, start from the roof and move down. Don't swirl that's the worst, front to back straight motions. Use your fingernails to get stuck on crap that won't wash off, don't rub harder with whatever you choose to wash the car with. Also put grid or something in the soap/wash bucket so the rag doesn't fall to the bottom where all the dirt is.

For waxing, pick your wax once the car is dry and cool, park in the shade and follow the instructions on the product. Generally avoid plastics, some it's a bitch to get off and then turns white later in the sun. Again top to bottom don't swirl work front to rear motion.

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:26:04 AM EDT

[#2]

autogeek forums. if you go there leave your wallet somewhere not easily accessible and plan on being there for 2-3 hours

https://www.autogeekonline.net/

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:31:10 AM EDT

[#3]

Touch the car as little as possible. Get a pressure washer and “foam cannon” for washing. Use a metro vac master blaster or electric leaf blower for drying. No other way to avoid swirl marks.

I use chemical guys products for the most part.

Wash it with dish soap, clay bar and put a good sealer on it when you get it home.

YouTube “junkman2000” if you want to learn about taking care of your paint.

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:32:56 AM EDT

[#4]

Dirt is a good UV protective layer!

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:42:29 AM EDT

[#5]

Go watch Larry Kosilla vids on Youtube...Ammo NYC

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:46:13 AM EDT

[#6]

“Two Bucket” washes, look it up but essentially a wash bucket and a rinse bucket with grit guards. Good quality soap for cars but I’d highly suggest putting a ceramic application but read up on what’s involved or take it to a detailer.

I use Adams’ line of products which I’ve been well pleased with but there are other stuff out there that’s worth it too.

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:48:30 AM EDT

[#7]

https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Ceramic-coating-car/5-2109257/

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:49:08 AM EDT

[#8]

I've mentioned this in other similar threads over the years, but use Lemon Pledge for your interior/exterior plastics as well as a tire dressing.

This has worked well for me on all my vehicles, and the 3-packs of large cans are cheap at Sam's Club, etc.

It's a low-gloss wax, so no hard reflections from your dashboard, and the tires won't turn into "brownwalls" on exposure to dirt.

Posted: 5/15/2018 9:51:10 AM EDT

[#9]

“Need more lemon pledge.”

Posted: 5/15/2018 10:05:58 AM EDT

[#10]

Look into a ceramic coating for your paint. Awesome protection, paint stays cleaner longer, and makes maintenance washes easier

Posted: 5/15/2018 10:54:35 AM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
"Need more lemon pledge."

View Quote

Posted: 5/15/2018 10:56:12 AM EDT

[#12]

www.detailedimage.com

spend a few hours here and all will be answered.

Posted: 5/15/2018 11:01:14 AM EDT

[#13]

Porter-Cable-Soft-Polishing/dp/B0065N2BHG/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8

Practically impossible to burn your paint. UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE results.

Get the upgraded counterweight.

Posted: 5/15/2018 11:04:43 AM EDT

[#14]

Also, Chemical Guys quick detal spray (I think it's called "Slick" or something like that) produces great results for quick touch-up detailing. And for fucks sake get a soft toothbrush to get wak out of cracks.

Posted: 5/15/2018 11:06:36 AM EDT

[#15]

back when I cared about such things, I used their whole lineup:

https://poorboysworld.com/

Posted: 5/15/2018 11:11:29 AM EDT

[#16]

OP, this is what you want!

Presta Chroma 1500

I worked in body shop 20 years ago and this stuff is amazing!!!!!! It will make factory paint look better than when you first bought it.

They used to have three steps for this stuff. A 1000, a 2000 and a 3000. We took this '57 chevy after it was painted and clear coated, wet sanded it down to 3000 grit. Then the expert guy in the shop worked from chroma 1000 to chroma 3000 with a buffer. That was the deepest paint I have ever seen. Not one damn swirl on the vehicle and looking at the paint was like looking at a mirage.

I laugh at orange peel.

Posted: 5/15/2018 11:16:26 AM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
autogeek forums. if you go there leave your wallet somewhere not easily accessible and plan on being there for 2-3 hours

https://www.autogeekonline.net/

View Quote

Yep

Posted: 5/15/2018 11:19:57 AM EDT

[#18]

Klasse all in one, followed by optimum opti-seal, top with Pinnacle souveran carnauba in summer months.

Klasse and optimum combo is one of the easiest ways to maintain and protect our paint while providing a good shine I have found. Pinnacle on top will give you that show car shine for the summer months.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:11:21 PM EDT

[#19]

https://www.zainostore.com/

best stuff ever

make sure you clay it, it makes a huge difference

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:12:59 PM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
Touch the car as little as possible. Get a pressure washer and “foam cannon” for washing. Use a metro vac master blaster or electric leaf blower for drying. No other way to avoid swirl marks.

I use chemical guys products for the most part.

Wash it with dish soap, clay bar and put a good sealer on it when you get it home.

YouTube “junkman2000” if you want to learn about taking care of your paint.

View Quote

Only wash with dishsoap prior to sealer, DO NOT use dishsoap regularly- it strips off wax and sealant and leaves bare paint.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:19:42 PM EDT

[#21]

Park in garage.
Don't park under trees.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:20:07 PM EDT

[#22]

Clay it, then trizac 4000 grit to get the paint smooth, then buff. After that get it wrapped in xpel, it's a self healing clear wrap and it's amazing

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:31:59 PM EDT

[#23]

2 bucket method. Dish soap wash, clay bar, paint sealant, then wax (Collonite). Now it's perfect looking and protected. Wash with car soap of choice and re-wax when needed. Never wipe stuff off the car with a dry cloth. Always use quick detailer and a quality microfiber cloth. Many cheap microfiber clothes have stitching that will scratch paint.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:33:59 PM EDT

[#24]

Buy in bulk. "Buy 5, Get 1 Free" or "Unlimited washes for $20/month" are both solid options.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:37:46 PM EDT

[#25]

There is a YouTube channel called, "Auto Fetish Detail," he goes into great detail on all things dealing with auto detail.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:38:55 PM EDT

[#26]

Clear vinyl wrap.

If you can't afford that then use mothers for wax and turtle for spray detailer between waxes.

Posted: 5/15/2018 12:54:11 PM EDT

[#27]

If it hasn't been delivered yet - Tell the dealer not to touch/wash/detail it

Find a shop that can correct the paint (yes, brand new paint) and have it ceramic coated. Then get a clear bra on the front end at least.

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:05:33 PM EDT

[#28]

I stopped caring about waxing my 4R when I got my 4R. I can't say it looks much worse for wear than my Tundra ever did. The Tundra was a bitch to wax, but at least it didn't have a full roof.

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:07:05 PM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:
If it hasn't been delivered yet - Tell the dealer not to touch/wash/detail it

Find a shop that can correct the paint (yes, brand new paint) and have it ceramic coated. Then get a clear bra on the front end at least.

View Quote

This, but do the clear bra/wrap before the ceramic coat otherwise you'll have to do the coat all over again wherever you wrapped.

Posted: 5/15/2018 1:17:32 PM EDT

[#30]

If you have hard water like I do, mix up some glass cleaner using vinegar. I use about 3 to 1 ratio water/vinegar and add just a few drops of Dawn as a water softener. Vinegar will remove hard water spots from chrome and it's the best glass cleaner I've found yet.

And...rub your finger tips lightly over the clean paint finish, if you feel any "grit" texture at all I suggest the Mothers Clay Bar treatment. You will be amazed how shiny the finish is once clay bar is used.

That's all I have.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Summer car care thread! What are your secrets?

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