Just a regular guy who likes a clean car

[Ghaleon0721]

I don't own my own detailing business. I don't even offer to do friends and family's cars for some extra cash. I'm not entering any car shows. I'm just a regular guy who likes to have a clean car. It's a good way to spend a saturday. The end result is satisfying. And I'm protecting my investment. That's it. Autopia has helped me refine my process and given me valuable tips to make my car look just a little bit better each time I detail it.



Everytime I wash the car I have a moment or two of doubt or confusion and say to myself "I'm going to have to ask Autopia about this. I've been putting it off and I've forgotten most of the questions I've come up with. But here is a list of what I can remember needing help with.



Dawn - There was a thread on this a little while back. There were mixed responses however everyone seemed to agree that it should not be used for every wash. When is it ok to use Dawn?



Cleaner/Wax - Most OTC brands have a 3 step system for car finishes. There is a polish, sealer/glaze, and then a wax. Correct me if I'm wrong on this: the polish rounds out the edges of the scratches, the glaze fills them in, and then the wax adds shine and protection. If I use a cleaner/wax in between full 3 step details, will that remove the glaze? When is a cleaner/wax appropriate to use?



Pre-Wax Cleaner - When is it ok to use this? Is it a replacement for clay if the car is not excessively dirty? Is it a replacement for polish if the car does not have swirls or cobwebbing?



OTC Products - There are plenty of threads on which OTC products are worth buying. However, the overwhelming answer is that OTC products are never as good as their high-end special-order counterparts. But my question is, when is it worth the extra money and time for a regular guy like me to get a better product. In other words, what types of products should be bought OTC and which shouldn't. I'm guessing that polishes and clay are probably places where you don't want to skimp while good tire dressings and quick detailers are readily available OTC.



RainX - Good or bad?



RainX Orange Windshield Washer Fluid - Good or bad?



Megs NXT - I have heard rumors that it contains fillers and cleaners in addition to the wax. Is that true? If it is, does it mean that I shouldn't use it as part of a 3-step polish, glaze, wax process?



Please indicate the appropriate application for each of the PC Pads. Orange, Yellow, White, Blue, and Black. Is it ok to use a pad to remove product, or will be better off with a microfiber bonnet?



How do I know I'm buying quality microfiber? I see packages of 8 or 12 microfiber towels for $5 and then I see Meguairs selling a single towel for $4. Is there anything on the package that would indicate the quality of the towels?



That's all I can think of now. But I'm sure I'll have more questions.

 

[Accumulator]

I'll take a "just *IMO*" stab at your Qs I enjoy posts/perspectives like yours, where you're not after some extreme result, just a practical means of keeping a real-world vehicle in nice shape. Please forgive any typos or poor wording, I'm doing this kinda quickly

Dawn - There was a thread on this a little while back. There were mixed responses however everyone seemed to agree that it should not be used for every wash. When is it ok to use Dawn?

IMO it's an OK way to wash the car before doing a full-process detail, but also IMO Dawn is vastly over-rated as a wax stripper. The only time I use it is on real beaters (e.g., mechanic's loaners/rentals that I'm doing for kicks). It lacks the lubricity of regular shampoos and can thus make things worse marring-wise. I don't really see any point in your using it from what I'm assuming about your process.

Cleaner/Wax - Most OTC brands have a 3 step system for car finishes. There is a polish, sealer/glaze, and then a wax. Correct me if I'm wrong on this: the polish rounds out the edges of the scratches, the glaze fills them in, and then the wax adds shine and protection. If I use a cleaner/wax in between full 3 step details, will that remove the glaze? When is a cleaner/wax appropriate to use?

Note that in the meguiar's three step Deep Crystal system the "cleaner" is mildly abrasive, the "polish" is nonabrasive (really just a glaze as I'd use the term), and the wax is, well, just a so-so wax.



Yeah, the cleaner/wax will clean off the glaze and whatever else is on there. Think of it as an "all-three-steps-combined" version, not quite as good as doing the three steps separately. FWIW, if the finish is in good condition, you might be perfectly OK using just a cleaner/wax topped with a "straight" (i.e., non-cleaner) wax. I've known plenty of people who did fine with that approach and I've used it myself with good results. Keep cleaner/waxes off trim, most OTC ones will leave white stains.

Pre-Wax Cleaner - When is it ok to use this? Is it a replacement for clay if the car is not excessively dirty? Is it a replacement for polish if the car does not have swirls or cobwebbing?

Generally they're safe to use any time you want to clean everything off the paint. No, not a substitute for clay (they both clean but via completely different processes). Can be a substitute for polish in the absence of marring, but there are some wide variations in what "pre-wax cleaners" really are (can't just generalize *too* much). It's not a substitute for nonabrasive glazes (e.g. the Deep Crystal Step #2). Some paint cleaners (e.g., Pinnacle PCL) do some polishing and filling, and these are great for the situation you mentioned.

OTC Products - There are plenty of threads on which OTC products are worth buying. However, the overwhelming answer is that OTC products are never as good as their high-end special-order counterparts. But my question is, when is it worth the extra money and time for a regular guy like me to get a better product. In other words, what types of products should be bought OTC and which shouldn't. I'm guessing that polishes and clay are probably places where you don't want to skimp while good tire dressings and quick detailers are readily available OTC.

Yeah, spend the extra on polishes, waxes, and clay. Note that going to an autobody/paint supply place can drastically expand your concept of "OTC" because they often have pro-level products on the shelf.

RainX - Good or bad?

Depends who you ask. Some people swear by it, others swear *at* it. I'm one of the latter, I absolutely despise the stuff but it's just personal preference.

RainX Orange Windshield Washer Fluid - Good or bad?

Dunno, never tried it. I do fine with cheapie fluid. I expected issues when I tried not using fancy stuff but to my surprise the cheap stuff works fine. Note though that I clean my windows properly every day if necessary.

Megs NXT - I have heard rumors that it contains fillers and cleaners in addition to the wax. Is that true? If it is, does it mean that I shouldn't use it as part of a 3-step polish, glaze, wax process?

Yeah, true, but the cleaners are so mild that you can (according to Meguiar's) use it after a glaze as long as you don't apply it super-aggressively. The fillers do a fair bit of concealing, I know a guy who uses it to hide some nasty marring on an old Jag and he's satisfied with how it looks (I wouldn't be, I think it looks awful, so bad I'd like to steal the car, polish it, and sneak it back into his garage- if he's reading this: hi, Bob, great car, just needs a good polishing).

Please indicate the appropriate application for each of the PC Pads. Orange, Yellow, White, Blue, and Black. Is it ok to use a pad to remove product, or will be better off with a microfiber bonnet?

Hard to generalize based on color these days, but using the Lake County colors:

Yellow- serious correction; orange- general correction; white- gentle polishing; blue/black- finishing and super-gentle polishing. No, don't remove product with a pad, use a MF bonnet. FWIW, in my experience removing polishes by bonnet doesn't work all that well in most cases but removing LSPs works very well.

How do I know I'm buying quality microfiber? I see packages of 8 or 12 microfiber towels for $5 and then I see Meguairs selling a single towel for $4. Is there anything on the package that would indicate the quality of the towels?

Hard to tell until you try them, but *IMO* you usually get what you pay for. I never skimp on MF, I buy what I consider good as you can get. Test them on CDs to make sure they won't mar your finish. I have cheapies for use around the house but I'd never touch the paint of my car with them. Meguiar's is about as cheap as I'd go for detailing use.

 

[Ghaleon0721]

[quote name='Accumulator'] I enjoy posts/perspectives like yours, where you're not after some extreme result, just a practical means of keeping a real-world vehicle in nice shape. QUOTE]



Thank you! That is exactly my point. If I had two or three whole days to devote to my car every three months I would be all over this forum. But I don't. I just want a car that looks good.



It took me almost two months after I joined Autopia to sort through what information was for me and what was for the extreme car detailing enthusiast. Now I want to apply that process to other stuff in my home and yard. For example, I could use an Autopia-like forum to help me take better care of my lawn, help patch my driveway, or prune some trees. I'm not a golf-course groundskeeper, paving specialist, or lumberjack. I'm just a guy with stuff to do and not a lot of time to learn the best way to do it.



I think there should be a new discussion forum for regular guys who want to take care of their stuff. No Extremists Allowed, just practical advice from amateurs.

 

[Tommy W.]

I think there should be a new discussion forum for regular guys who want to take care of their stuff. No Extremists Allowed, just practical advice from amateurs.







Why would want to ask ametuers when you can ask experts??

 

[coupe]

That would be hard to do since we all consider *extreme* as something different.

Like i dont consider a full paint correction *extreme*, but to some *average Joe* thats extreme.



It shouldnt take you 2-3 whole days either, i think your just stone walling.

 

[Accumulator]

Heh heh, this'll probably sound all :argue (or at least a lot more than I'd like) but:



A) I often spend a few days doing a vehicle, and that's using a rotary too :nixweiss



B) IMO a person can be both an amateur ("somebody who engages in an activity for the pleasure of it, not for pay") and an expert. I don't detail for pay but I do know a thing or two

 

[Ghaleon0721]

I didn't mean to start an argument here I'm just saying that there are alot of things in our daily lives we don't know much about. And a little knowledge and technique can drastically improve our results.



For example, Up until three months ago, I was taking care of cars by washing them whenever I had time and applying some turtle wax every six months. Thats it. That's the way my dad taught me when I was younger and that's how I grew up. Now I know better thanks to Autopia.



That just got me to thinking, about things I've been doing the same way for a long time. And that the results I'm getting aren't as good as they could be. For example, a lawn will survive with regular watering and mowing. But then there is raking, aerating, de-thatching, and about fifty different kinds of lime and fertilizer. How does one even begin to develop a combination of products and processes?



I could go out and find "Lawn-topia". But I thought it would be silly to have a seperate website for everything I do. So I'm proposing one forum for all of us "Weekend Warriors".



And just my two cents here

1. It was my understanding that many high end waxes and glazes require several hours to cure and bond to the surface before another coat can be applied. So it is logical that your car could be tied up for multiple days.



2. And when I said "Amateurs" I didn't mean rookies. I simply meant people who don't detail for a living. Olympians are amateurs.

 

[Accumulator]

IMO it's not like boutique LSPs are more requiring of setup/cure times, but rather that it doesn't get considered with OTC products. When the need to cure before reapplying is a problem, I just apply the next coat after the next wash. I do this with KSG all the time as I can't always have the minivan off the road for long.



Oh, and people ask all sorts of Qs in the Hot Tub forum. We've discussed plenty of topics there and it can be surprising how much info fellow Autopians can provide (on a wide range of subjects). It seems like all sorts of jobs (sealing driveway/floor cracks is a good example) can be handled by non-pros. When I paid to have my (huge, gaping) driveway seams sealed I had the guy look at some garage floor seams that *I* sealed..asked if he could improve on my work and he said "nope, looks mighty good to me". I'd just used common sense and invested a lot of time. So many things like that just aren't all *that* hard to do properly as long as you think them through before you start. There's just *so* much info readily available in this "information age".