Opinions for these cars/application

F

FLdude

New member
Hi guys. Noob to the board. Been lurking for a few days reading up. What would you guys recomend for exterior care in my situation. I'm a DIY kind of guy, don't ever let people even wash our cars. I have to care after 2 cars. My wifes 2006 red car and my 2007 Silver car. We live in FL, so that means TONS of sun exposure. We garage the cars at night and whenever possible. I can only wash the cars once per month, being time is limited (newly weds with a house and new jobs). We own our cars and plan on keeping them long term. I give them a very very good scrubbing; once a month. I hose the chassis down, hose the engine bay down and wheel wells. Heres what I'm currently using:





Soap: McGuiar's Purple, run of the mill.



Wheels/tires: Ealge One A to Z wheel & tire cleaner with scrub brush.



Drying: Synthetic Chaimy. I use the good ones that come in a plastic tube... forget the name.



Wax: Liquid Glass every 6 months.



Claybar: Mothers or McGuiars 1x per year.



Glass cleaner: Stoners Aerosol. Bon-Ami classic powder on the windshield works wonders.



Anything I can do to improve or save time? Money is an issue, but NOT the pivotal point like Consumer Reports. I don't mind paying if it works. I really don't have the time to kill a whole 10hr+ day or weekend every 8 weeks. but I really do appreciate a detailed car.
 
My $.02 (still a noob, but learning)-



Washing and drying your car is the most important thing. There are a couple pinned threads on the subject.



I don't know what Meguiar's purple is. Some around here say that Meguiar's Gold Class is acceptable, but not great. I use Griot's car wash. Many here use Optimum car wash. If speed is your thing, you might use Optimum No Rinse (ONR). See the pinned threads for advice.



I'm not sure that anyone around here uses an "absorber" (I think that's what you are desrcibing) to dry their cars. I would think that the risk of marring is significantly greater than when using a MF towel. I use Cobra Guzzlers, although there are numerous other towels touted on the site.



I don't know about Liquid Glass. If you want to wax/seal every six months, I think that many would recommend Collonite 845, which you can get through many internet retailers. Its easy to apply and durable.



Good luck.
 
Get rid of the chamoise. Use a waffle weave towel instead. Much safer and just as quick. Liquid Glass can be a pain in the arse to deal with. I like the look of it until it starts streaking (and it always seems to eventually) Which BTW it's a sealant not a wax by any means. Clay is clay. Don't go broke over it. Just make sure you get the appropriate aggressiveness to handle the job. If the Glass cleaner is working keep it. And to save time you really need to tell us the technique not the products. Products are products.. they do what they are supposed to. It's the technique of using those products that can either save or kill alot of time.
 
I agree, its not so much product selection as the techniques. Though you could save a lot of time by switching to ONR. I can wash, dry, treat tires and wax two cars in under an hour with ONR. I really believe you make less work for yourself by increasing the number of washes you do.



If the Liquid Glass works for you, stick with it. If you want to save time, grab some Aquawax or Optimum Car wax, you can use those while drying the car each time you wash and add about 5 mintues to your drying time.
 
yakky- That duragloss Aquawax, is that something I use to up-keep the Liquid glass? Does it contain any carnuba? Or is that something I just use after each wash and only clay bar 1x yr?
 
You can use it to keep up the Liquid glass, but you could use it on its own. Some people claim 3 months durability, but its closer to 1 month for me. Super easy to use, just wash the car, use the hose to sheet the water off, then spray each panel with a bit of AW and wipe dry. Very slick and nice looking stuff. I don't think it has carnauba. As far as claying 1x a year, its your choice, its not something you HAVE to do since you park in the garage, but if you like the paint feeling smooth....
 
Yeah I want to keep the paint smooth and nice. So technically I could just claybar it once or twice a year and after each wash use AW. I really like the sound of that!! 1 month durability, I wash the cars once per month... seems to line up. Lot of folks talk highly about the Duragloss stuff on many different forums too.





2 Questions:



1-What kind of rag do you use when drying/waxing?



2- Does it turn plastic white?
 
1-What kind of rag do you use when drying/waxing?



When using AW? I use a plush MF, but I do sheet most of the water off the car. If not, I'd use a waffle weave then followed by spraying some AW on the panel and drying with the plush.



2- Does it turn plastic white?



Nope. Its trim friendly.
 
I've used the Absorber, the one you get from AutoZone, I really do not recommend it too much. Maybe small spots for dabbing, but for drying a whole car; I was able to tell how easily it was leaving swirls, or I guess what people call marring not sure, still new to detailing. I switched too a better MF drying towel and was able to tell a big difference. Also I think it may depend on the car, because my old CivicSi had a nighthawk black. Which this color had b lue speckles in it so it didn't show it too much. But my new Jetta is just plain glossy black so it shows a lot easier. At least that's just my exp, I am still learning!
 
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