COMPLETE newb to detailing.

9

94cc0rd

New member
Hi. I am new here and know nothing about detailing cars. I just got my first car, a 1998 Nissan 240sx SE. It's black and the exterior/interior is pretty dirty. I would like to know what is the best sponge or washing tool to use for the actual soap/water process. I was planning on going to autozone or something and buying a 99cent sponge. Does this make a difference? I'm not really into having my car shine like most of you guys on this forum are but would like a nice clean car. I plan on washing my car biweekly and maybe wax monthly?? Does that sound decent? My friend also told me I should clay bar my car once every 6 months. He told me that a Mothers Clay Bar kit would be great and only run me around 15-20 dollars. Please help a newbie out!



Here's a pic of my car!



s14side.jpg
 
Nice ride. I wouldn't go with the cheepest of sponges, for a few cents more you can get something of better quality. You don't sound like you want perfection but you don't want to induce scratches either. Go to walmart and pick up a chenille mitt, there pretty cheep and better than the cheep sponges. They'll float the dirt away better, they tend not to scratch as much. If you want moderate cleaning and half decent protection you should be fine with waxing once a month with a good quality wax and clay. I like to do more but that doesn't seem to be what your after. My suggestion is don't try to pinch pennies when it comes to dealing with your ride. You don't have to spend a lot but buying to cheep may be more expensive in the long run if you know what I mean. Spend enough time here and you'll be wanting your car to look like everyones on this forum, it'll suck you in!
 
Wal-Mart has pretty decent sheepskin mitts. They are Eurrow brand or something like that. Find the plushest mit they have and buy it. As for the wash, look for the Meguiar's NXT car wash. THis is most likely the best OTC car wash available. You can bet that most Meguiar's products are of top quality so always keep that in mind when looking for OTC detailing products.



Also, if it were me, I would save some money and contact a local detailer (maybe from Autopia if in your area) and have them do a full detail. THis will get your ride to"square one" and you can maintain the finish from there. Welcome to Autopia!



JJ
 
How much do "local detailer"'s charge?? I'm in SoCal, 626 Area...



Please take into account that paying anything over $50 will be absurd to me. Remember, I'm not at the point where I need my car as a mirror, as some of you guys on the forums seem to be at. Maybe I will get there but for now, a decently clean car will do.



Back to what to buy... I guess I'm looking for a sheepskin mitt?? Any other type that are good and won't scratch my paint? Also, is it ok to mix and match brands for detailing? IE: Meguiers wash, Mothers Clay Bar, Turtle Wax wax, etc...



Also I have some "Mint Condition Car Wash" soap from my dad's company (Amway) that I would rather use, just since it's lying around. Does the car wash soap make that big of a difference? I've seen Meguiers NXT car wash recommended a million times... so I'm wondering if it's worth it, or if my car wash soap will be fine.
 
You can find detailers under 50$ easy.



But finding a good one though I highly doubt, I would find it absurd that any detailer that can do a decent job would charge only 50 bucks, it's hard/skillful work.
 
Just go to AutoZone and grab a Meguiars chenille Mitt or Sponge , a bucket with a grit guard and a Water Magnet waffle weave towel for drying .

Wash them seperately by hand with Dawn and a little oxyClean - never wash them with anything else but themselves . You can just agitate 1 minute , let soak 1 hour , agitate until soap is all out then soak and agitate some more .

The microfibers hold water like crazy and hold soap deep inside them when washing so it's somewhat hard to get it all out with one rinse .

Hang to dry or throw in dryer on air or super low heat



Mint condition makes a whole line if your dad can get it http://www.mintconditionplus.com/customers/productuse.html



Wash your car out of the sub or keep it wet ( the whole car ) until your ready to dry



Also if your car's new it most likely wont need more than light swirls removed so the 1st job MIGHT be more than $50 , but after that proper washing it all you would need .

Especially if you get a quality sealant put on the car such as Klasse or Zaino , and top it with collinite

Topped with Collinite you could go 4-6 months without needing another waxing
 
Here’s the an article on proper wash technique.



Here’s an article on claying



Between the two of them there’s enough info for you to keep your ride looking however it looks right now (looks decent in the one pic) for a reasonable length of time.



If you want to do some restoration and make it look better it will take more work/knowledge or a trip to a local detailer.



In SoCal $50 will buy you a wipe-down with an old t-shirt by any random homeless guy.



A commercial carwash detail (not recommended) starts around $125. Expect to pay over $200 for a real detail by a skilled craftsman.





PC.
 
Thanks for those articles. Now I have a long list of stuff to buy. :(



papi_jay: I think that's a different Mint Condition. The stuff I have is made through a company called Amway. They make all types of products so I'm sure it's not the best car wash soap. I just hope it's acceptable.
 
So I went out and bought a Chenille Sponge, Absorber, 3pk Microfiber Towels, 3pk Terry Cloth Towels. As soon as I got home I parked it in the underground parking lot for my apartment and started washing the car. I soon realized that this was not the optimal way to wash my car. There was not much light since the garage lights come on when the sun goes down. (the garage is the only shaded area for me to wash my car) I also have to park on the street cuz there aren't enough spaces in the garage.



When i parked my car back out on the street, I noticed many many scuffs/scratches in my paint. I'm sure it wasn't the sponge i used or anything cuz it was brand new. What can I do about this??
 
Call the detailer and tell him your just want your paint scratches and swirls buffed and polished out and you'll take care of the wash n ' wax .
 
94cc0rd said:
.. I noticed many many scuffs/scratches in my paint. I'm sure it wasn't the sponge i used or anything cuz it was brand new. What can I do about this??
Click to expand...



Welcome to Autopia!



The marring was almost certainly caused by your washing, sorry to say. The fact that the sponge was new isn't a factor, it's usually not the sponge/mitt/etc. that causes the problem. Rather, it's a matter of dirt being between your sponge/mitt/whatever and the paint. When you move the sponge the dirt gets ground into the paint, causing marring. Washing a car without marring the paint is, IMO about as tough a job as there is in all of detailing. Most people can polish out scratches given the time and materials, but not inducing marring in the first place is a lot tougher to pull off.



IMO you really need a foamgun to wash a black car without inducing noticeable marring. And even then it's not easy.



Keeping it well-waxed and washing it before it gets too dirty will help a lot. And I find that the higher-lubricity shampoos make a big difference too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top