Survival Care Care

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Wumpus

New member
I worry about my new car. It's not the car... it's me.



I'm a complete newcomer to detailing, and the two threads Stickied at the top of this forum are a great help. But I'm still at a loss for what I need to do at the very start just to keep my car in good shape.



In the recent 'Best Waxes & Sealants' thread, for instance, Atlantic Euro makes the good point that 'a sealant gives you longer protection but layering carnuba on top gives you a much deeper shine.' To me, that says: start with the sealant first, and once you have your routine down, consider wax on top. Is that right?





Is this what I need to help my car survive in good shape, if not shine with showroom sparkle?



  1. Wash once a month.


  2. Wax or seal after washing.


  3. Work with a good kit.





and in a good kit, I'll need:



  • two buckets
  • shampoo
  • clay bar, or is that something for later?
  • polisher? with a mitt?
  • finishing wax or sealant?
  • microfiber towels for drying



For the interior, is leather conditioner enough?



Anything else I need in supplies or my routine? Remember, thanks to Autopia, I'm just now seeing the light... as in 'moving past Dawn detergent and paper-towels.'
 
Welcome to the forum and glad you "see the light".



It depends on how far you want to go with it, do you want to spend thousand of dollars on products or just do the bare minimum.



If you want do just keep it clean and look good just get a quality car wash and get a good wax from OTC. Wash how ever often you would like and wax every 3 months. If you want to go furter into it I suggest you search,search,and search again because 99% percent of your question have been answered here before.



Also the first thing and most important thing to get down correctly is washing and drying the car. Do as much research as you can about washing and drying because you can do as much work as you want but if you do not know how to keep it swirl free and looking good theres no point in doing anything at all.



- LI 85
 
LICamaro85 said:
If you want to go furter into it I suggest you search,search,and search again because 99% percent of your question have been answered here before.
Click to expand...



Yep, this site is a great resource.



But for a beginner, it's hard to sort "what's best" from "what's essential as a starting point."



If I read correctly today, for instance, I think a cordless orbital polisher might help me speed waxing or sealing. I do see from other threads that a corded version is 'better,' and a dual-action polisher better still, but I'm still not sure if I need to polish (and I have only street parking anyway).





Also the first thing and most important thing to get down correctly is washing and drying the car. Do as much research as you can about washing and drying because you can do as much work as you want but if you do not know how to keep it swirl free and looking good theres no point in doing anything at all.
Click to expand...

Good tip - I'll start there. Thanks!
 
If your not going to actually do any paint correcting I would not get a DA. Just wax/seal by hand it is not worth it to get the machine just to wax your own car.



Just start off slow and gradually grow into the hobby, If you jump in head first good chance you're head will be spinning with all the different products and steps in a true "detail"



Just look at it this way... Anything you do is better then nothing, well unless you are using dawn and paper towels than nothing is better then something ha ha.





- LI 85
 
OP, here are a couple of links that should help get you started while you continue your research:

Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides



….and here (check out the videos at the bottom of the page):

Autogeek's Show Car Garage



Personally, I would suggest sticking with the various tutorial driven write-ups/videos (like the examples above) before getting too deep into any of the “discussions” since that will likely add unnecessary confusion. Also, remember that there are more ways than one to skin a cat so you need to keep an open mind. Once you begin reading through these forums you will start to get a sense of what and/or who you can trust.



As for how often you should wash, clay, polish, wax, etc., I believe it is entirely dependent on your own situation (i.e. environmental conditions, where the car is stored, techniques/tools/products used, your expectations, etc.). ….simply repeat as frequently as needed/desired.
 
Thanks for those links! You're right: the videos are helpful, and I'm more confident about starting with the basics.



Who knew I was making so many mistakes just in washing?
 
Wumpus said:
Who knew I was making so many mistakes just in washing?
Click to expand...



IMO washing is the number #1 factor in detailing. It's what you most often and it's when the majority of marring usually occurs. And it's *NOT* something simple and obvious.



You have to move abrasive dirt across/off delicate paint without applying so much pressure to the dirt that it causes marring.



Get the wash right, and polishing isn't a big deal because you won't have to do it very often.
 
as mentioned, if you plan on/want to keep things simple, then it's best you start that way.

once you start adding little gadgets and goodies here and there the whole thing snowballs pretty quickly.

I was pretty shocked when I tallied up my detailing expenditures in the past 2-3 years.



simple in my eyes:

1. solid and safe shampoo via 2BM (separate wash media for paint and wheels/tires)

2. clay bar (1-2times per year as needed)

3. wax or sealant

4. quick detailer in trunk for emergency touch ups and bird bombs

5. interior: an all in one like 1Z Cockpit(plastics and vinyls) will usually suffice if you maintain it well enough.



slightly more involved:

6. glass cleaner with dedicated glass microfibers

7. wheel cleaners, tools and dressings



starting to get crazy:

8. polishing compounds

9. finishing compounds

etc.

etc.

etc.

(it never really ends)



wash as frequently as needed/possible to keep the car from needing any extra work (every 1-2 weeks for a daily driver IME)



carnauba wax every 6weeks or so (depending on environment)

synthetic sealants will last longer, this is all personal preference though



read up on washing techniques and hand waxing techniques.



then never EVER visit this site again because you will end up seeing more and more imperfections in your car that you want to fix.
 
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