I'm such a newb, reading about thsi stuff hurts my head!

G

gopedhead

New member
Ok guys, i'ma compelte new, theres so much to learna dn i can't take it in all at once, it's liek a funnel and it's just not all going in at once. i need to start off slow and i want to start off right. ijust bought a new car and i want to know what materials i shoudl definately have. there is a list of about 10 thosuand different towels, soaps, tire washes, etc.



What is good, adn what is acctually the best? this is jsut for washing and drying, i will get to the rest later when i figure out this part.



so far i have mothers wash which is a PH balanced cleaner, i have microfiber towels (no brand, if that makes a difference, which i would like to know now) and a microfiber mit



do i have the right things? what is the best mit, best dryign towels, best whee/tire stuff.



shoudl i jsut get this stuff at pep boys? or shoudl i buy this SONUS stuff thsi site recommends so much. lol, never heard of it.



sorry for the logn post guys. my head is hurting w/ all this.
 
IMO, car wash is usually car wash, except for the extremely cheap stuff like Blue Coral. Personally I use either Sonus Gloss Shampoo or Megs Gold Class (I don't buy the Sonus GS often because it's a tid bit pricey for car wash soap) but Gold Class or NXT is good stuff and available at AutoZone. I use one of the Sonus Ultimate Wool wash mits (although they have basically the same washmit available at my local Advance Auto, it just isn't labled Sonus. Drying, I sheet the water with the nozzle off the hose, then I dry with a waffle weave MF, I have 1 smaller waffle weave from PremiumAutoCare.com and 1 of the Sonus Ultimate Drying towels, good stuff. Waffle weaves are nice because they suck up a LOT more water then regular microfibers. Wheel cleaner on my stock wheels, eh, I just buy this Black Magic All Wheel cleaner available at Autozone, works good for me. There are a LOT of quality microfibers out there, available at many places online.
 
Part of the fun is trying different things out. And yes, that can cause some confusion. But that way you can tell what works for you and your particular paint, conditions and level of satisfaction. If I had the eye of a real detailer, I probably would not be satisfied with what I do. However, for me, it is just fine and I am happy and look forward to every wash.



I have a silver truck. For me, I have found that the best results come from the Klasse twins - AIO/SG but I also have Jeff's Jett waiting on the shelf so that tells you something right there. If I had a dark color vehicle I might want a carnuba. I love QDs too and Menzerna's HGAS is tops after each wash for prolonging the protection and adding a little extra gloss. PoorBoys SW is the best QD for light cleaning and I use it by the gallon!



My mfs are good quality such as Cobra ww and Elite (don't skimp on your towels). A good over the counter and inexpensive shampoo is Eagle One (there are many) and I like things like QEW and 4 in 1 too. Since I do everything by hand, no PC or rotary machine is necessary. Claying is a nice step but I don't really get into it that much - a real detailer, however, would not be caught without his clay bar.



So you see, it depends on a lot of things. The more you get into it, the more critical you are and the harder you want to work at it all makes things either easy or confusing. Look at this as a fun hobby and your experiments will be labors of love.
 
gopedhead- Welcome to Autopia!



IMO the quality of wash shampoo *is* important. The more lubricity the better as it keeps the wash-induced marring to a minimum and that's how most "swirls" happen. I'd do some serious research/thinking about washing lest you scratch the nice new paint, it's not as simple as one might think.



I prefer Griot's Car Wash by a huge margin (available only by mailorder, IIRC the phone is 800 345 5789, $30/gallon + ship and worth it IMO). Meguiar's #62 isn't bad. I'm not a big fan of their Gold Class but some people like it. Never tried the Mother's.



I use a foamgun when I wash...but I hesitate to get into that as you're already getting info overload.



The problem with a MF mitt is that they tend to hold on to contamination, and dragging a contaminated mitt across the paint will mar it. A real sheepskin mitt (look inside for the leather backing, that's how to tell if it's real) is probably available locally. I'd get several and switch them out during the wash; they'll get dirty. Don't, for instance, use the same one to clean your hood that you used on the dirty areas behind your wheels.



Another possiblity is Boar's Hair Brush such as those at AutoGeek. Used properly it won't mar the finish any more than a mitt will. Used improperly most anything will scratch the paint up.



Good MFs are available from places like PakShack. I hate recommending vendors as there are so many good ones, but that's one you can count on (apologies to the guys I'm not mentioning). IMO Vipers aren't soft enough, at least not for my cars; I use 'em on wheels and other non-delicate surfaces (edit- I hear they have new ones that are nice, haven't tried them). Get plush MFs for waxing/polishing/etc. and waffle weave ones to dry with.



Best way to clean wheels IMO is a Boar's Hair Brush, they make special ones for wheels (see Griot's). Meguiar's makes a brush for stuff like this that is soft, but it'll wear and eventally cause problems. I use carwash shampoo to clean my wheels, but there are good wheel cleaners from a lot of places. You can get some Eagle One All Wheel and Tire cleaner at many autoparts stores. Get a brush made for scrubbing tires and don't use it on the wheels (it'll scratch them).



Buy some Meguiar's or Mother's cleaner wax to use after the wash. Don't get it on black plastic/rubber trim or it'll stain it white, but otherwise it's a no-brainer way of at least protecting your paint a little bit after you've washed it up. Actually, the Mother's claybar kit comes with clay, lube and a little bottle of cleaner wax, it's not a bad intro package. You really oughta have something on the paint and that's a lot better than nothing.



Actually, you could probably do a lot worse than just go to Griot's website and order from them, but some people find their prices prohibitive.
 
I have a silver truck too! I love my silver :clap:

I agree, the fun is in experimenting with products. To me, it's more fun than experimenting with makeup. :lol

I just bought the P21S Carnuba Wax and the Klasse 3 in 1. I love the results. My paint was in good shape beforehand because it's my show truck. This just made it really sparkle. I still read as much as I can to learn about other products.
 
(gopedhead) I can't tell you what the best is ,To many products out that I have not tried .I don't think anyone could anwser you it comes down to personal perference write now I'm using mostly Meguiar's chemicals & detail tools and have been very happy with the results. Here's what I have been using
Car Wash: Meguiar's Gold Class car wash shampoo & conditioner​
Wash Mitt : SM Arnold sheepskin wash mitt (Drying Towel : Meguiar's Water Magnet) ( Wheel & Tire Cleaner : Gold Class All Wheel Cleaner) for Tires: NXT Tire Cleaner but mostly I use car wash to clean wheels & tires I don't get alot of brake dust,dirt or grime on wheel/tires I hope this helps .I suggest you buy chemicals (car wash,wheel/tire cleaner) at Pepboys and order towels and mitts online.
 
ok, this has really helped. so pretty much it's all experimenting and pretty much every product is the same. maybe except for the mits, which is my very concern. i know i'm not using dish washing soap, but eitehr motehrs, mcquiers, or prettymuch anything meant for car wash.



as far as mits go, i got one from pep boys and i dont thikn it's the very best. i do have a pretty large microfiber towel from mcquiers and i think it's a waffle weave (how can you tell?) usually one towel is enough to dry the car off if i sheet the water using just the hose? i do sheet teh water off when i'm done rinsing off the soap, and i blot the spots i need to dry. do u guys dry teh car using one towel? aside from different towels for the wheels, and door jambs, hood jambs, trunk jambs? but the main paint is done w/ one towel?



any recommendations for the mits and drying towels? thats the main thign i want rgiht now. the right materials that acctualy touch the paint. then i guess claybarring will come next, from waht i've read thus far, then wax? but i want to understand how to properly wash my car first before i continue. if i know i'm not scratchign my paint, i will have more time to read and research about the following steps. Because my car does attract lots of dirt.



i did order a cover and i'll be putting that on once i get it after i wash the car.
 
(gopedhead) Your right it's all experamenting but not every product is the same,You can usually tell if you have a waffle weave towel by the waffle weave patteren on the towel! As for how many towels you need to dry your car it depends on how big your car is and waffle weave towel size, I like to use 2 waffle weave towels 1 to remove most of the water and a 2nd smaller waffle weave towel to remove any remaining water .As for recommendations for mitts & waffle weave towels go to www.autopia-carcare.com they have sheepskin mitts & waffle weave towels nice stuff also check out there how-to's they have 1 on how to wash and dry your car you will learn even more!.
 
Hi gopedhead. Congratulations on the new car!



Probably more important than the soap and towels is using two buckets (preferably with grit guards), one for the soapy water and one with plain water. After wiping down a section with soap, rinse your mitt in the bucket of plain water, then go back to reload with suds. This will cut down on marring big time.



I do think though that there is a difference in quality of soaps. They are not all created equal. Some are noticeably more lubricious than others. Griot's, Top of the Line Bubble Bath, and Jeff's Werkstatt are my three favorites. I have not yet found an over-the-counter shampoo that can match these. I would love it if there was one. I just haven't found it yet, and I've tried many.



Waffle weaves are towels that look like how they sound. You should see tiny squares. This type of weave yields a greater surface area, which allows the towel to hold lots more water than other types of weaves.
 
Another good source for information is to go to the top of the page and hit the "review" link. It will take you to Autopia's product review section where we forum members write unbiased reviews of all kinds of detailing products. They are catagorized there for your convienance. Lots of good information as to what works and what does not on a product by product basis.
 
In your situation, I would head for Wal-Mart, if you have one, and grab a "Eurow" brand sheepskin mitt. They have worked well for me, and for five bucks, it's hard to beat.



You will likely try some products that you won't use much, but that happens to everyone. But, it's fun to experiment.



As Accumulator said, there are a lot of good on-line stores, with good people offering quality products at competitive prices, with great service. If you live in the "boonies" like I do, that helps a lot.
 
gopedhead- I haven't tried that MF towel, but you'll know soon enough if it dries your car well. I wouldn't sweat it until you try it, the worst that'll happen is you might get a few waterspots if it doesn't get all the water.



But if it were *me* I'd track down a waffle-weave ;) You can probably find one locally as Meguiar's products are pretty widely distributed. Or even get a second one of what you have now. As Gonzo0903 implied, there are some things you really can't have too many of. I always need more than one towel to dry, even though I get most of the water off before I start with the towels.



You'll need some kind of towel to dry your wheels/tires. DON'T use the same one that you use on the rest of the car as I can guarantee that the wheel/tire towel will get pretty dirty.



Do get the second bucket to hold the rinse water. I have a third bucket just for the wheels/tires.



Something to consider (note that I'm *really* big on thinking this stuff through before you start doing anything...) is water getting caught in nooks and crannies (like in your fuel filler pocket, in the sideview mirrors, behind the trim, etc.). I use an air compressor to blow it out of those spots, lest I end up with waterspots all over the car. Others use a (preferably dedicated for detailing-only) leaf blower. Just something to think about...
 
My experience with silver paint is a thorough, all over session with a clay bar (even on a reasonably new car.) I never really noticed the metallic flake until I clayed, then... OMG - POP! there it was!
 
Hi gopedhead, :welcome to Autopia.



That Meguiar’s Supreme Shine is a good microfiber towel for removing wax and polish but it’s a terry weave so it’s less that ideal for drying. It’s also too small to dry a car.



I’d also recommend finding a waffle weave microfiber for drying. Meguiar’s ww is called the Water Magnet Drying Towel

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and should be available in the same stores as the Supreme Shine.



You might also try any boat stores in your neighborhood to see if they carry Meguiar’s http://meguiars.com/?boat-rv-accessories/Maine_Water-Magnet-Drying-Towel]Marine Water Magnet Drying Towel[/URL], which is bigger.



I haven’t tried them myself but other forum members have reported good results with Target’s Vroom brand ww mf towels when they wanted something over-the-counter.





PC.
 
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