Paint detailing tips

[Supa_c 1]

Good idea on the thread.  We can just have one that will be pinned.

Here's what I do:

If it's new paint, I suggest having it wet sanded.  Any new paint job will really sparkle with this as it will rid the paint or any orangepeel or runs.  It's especially good with a black car.  Next have it buffed, BY A PROFESSIONAL.  Actually a professional should be used for both.  It can be rather pricey, but these extra steps are key to a mirror finish.

Now, Here is what I do everytime I clean my car.  This is a weekly ritual for me, but I am very anal, so other will not need to take it to this extreme.

1.  A good wash with dish washing soap.  This will strip all the old wax and does a great job loosening baked on bugs.  I wet my hand first then just take the soap and rub it into the bumper cover before I do anything.  Let it sit a couple minutes and it will loosen stuff up aiding in cleaning.  Wet the car and wash.  Start at the top, work top to bottom, front to back, one section at a time.

2.  Dry the vehicle with a good chamois or something similar.  This is key.  If the opportunity presents itself, cover the vehicle in a garage and let it sit overnight.  This will make sure that all the residual water in the cracks will be dry or receeded and will not interfere with the following processes.

3.  Clay bar.  Nuff said.  Buy one at the local autoparts store and use it.  You will be astounded with the difference.

4.  A paint cleaner.  Similar to a wax, this is just an extra step I take to make sure it's clean.  It provides a "prime" for the polish, but it is NOT necessary.  Some may not even see results.

4B.  A good swirl/scratch remover.  If this is necessary, now is the time to do it.

5.  Polish.  Many people don't realize that paint actually breathes and needs essential oils to maintain it's finish.  This is the reason particular dry and heavily sunny areas have oxidation problems.  The UV light dries the oils in the paint.  Polish is the KEY to getting a good deep lustre.  I myself like to use the colored polishes as the oils used in these polishes have a pigment in them that is in the same color spectrum as the paint.  Some may not notice the difference, but I do.  That's why I use them.  More coats of polish the better.  I do 4.

6.  Wax.  Wax is NOTHING MORE than a protectant for the finish beneath it.  That is all.  Again, here, more is better.  At least two is the best.  Here again, I do 4.

7.  Glaze.  Not a necessary step, but just something I like to do to add a little more lustre to the final effect.  Once again, this is similar to the polish as it contains some oils.  Be leery though, this will attract more dust and you will be dusting your vehicle quite often.  For that "show quality" finish, this step is a must.  One coat is good.

8.  Grab a 6 pack and relax and enjoy the day.  If you're a bastard like me, you'll have your girl come over and tip the brew for you as you just don't have any arm strength left to do it.

DO NOT USE THE SPRAY ON TIRE PRODUCTS, like NO TOUCH.  They sit on top of the tire and do not soak in.  Once the wheels start spinning, you'll be left with greasy looking splothes on the side of your vehicle.  This is especially bad with dark colors.

Now, make sure you don't overlook the details.  Everything on my vehicle gets done this way.  Open up your gas door and make sure you follow the steps there too.  Under your hood, trunk, etc as well.  Don't even forget about the door jambs.  Trust me, it'll score you some brownie points when you open the door for your date and she notices how much care was taken to make sure the vehicle she's riding in looks first class.  Men relate cars to women (unless they are  ) and a woman will feel special if she see the care and pride you take in your vehicle.  She feels she'll receive the same.  Of course we all know better. 

Make sure you use a proper wheel/tire cleaner and get the proper brushes.  Take some time in these areas.  I have open wheels and I like to remove them to clean them. Don't even be a B I T C H and not clean the backs of the wheels.  If this is not feasible for you, I suggest cleaning the tires/wheels first as most brushes will throw debris all over the place, possibly contaminating your freshly detailed machine.

If you have chrome or polished aluminum, keep up on it.  Use a good polish and follow that with a couple coats of wax.  This will really help in portecting the finish you worked so hard to get. It will also aid in the cleaning for the next time. 

I have more but it's time for a break.

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[Acidburn 10]

good stuff, this should be Pinned or something

[mrray13 30]

done..

feel free to add any more suggestions folks...

and supa...make sure when ur friend's car is painted black, they stick the entire thing before paint...or it's going to a wavy,wavy car (my father-in-law is a body man..lol..) and look like chit...

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Supa_c 1]

If its a good enough deal then the regal might get the same treatment

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

one thing that I always do, before I wash the car is a serious pre-rinse

this consists of me using my barehand and the hosewater, to wipe off any heavy surface dirt and stuff you cannot see but can feel,

to be honest I never use dish soap, I feel it is too coarse, I have seen a few people that have used it and there are endless swirl marks in the paint from it, there is a new soap out by Greased Lightning, it has UV-protection in it to protect the paint better, and it has a nice scent to it, not to mention it is fairly thick so it does not sud out after a few sponge sloshes onto the vehicle

[Supa_c 1]

I always do a pre rinse and i never ever use dish soap.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

There is no coarse soap soap or detergent unless it is solvent based or has pumice. If they are getting scratches when washing, they have debris on the sponge, mitt, or whatever they are using to clean with. I will add more later tonight.

[Supa_c 1]

LOL...pumice

I'll be waiting

[02BlackOnBlackSS 1]

LOL...pumice

I'll be waiting

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I'm all out of dawn, grab the fast orange

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Okay, a little more info.

I know of a few fanatics that have show vehicles that do not use any type of soap or detergent to clean their vehicles, just water.

These people are very ignorant. You want some type of soap or detergent. It's key to removing the dirt and debris. The bubbles or foam trap and encapsulate the contaminants within the bubbles. The final rinse carries them away. Using water is doing essentially nothing other than grinding the dirt into the paint.

The dish soap is used as a stripper in my case or similar ones. If you are simply giving the vehicle a bath and have already done the prvious steps, use a car wash. Any one will do. They will NOT strip anything from the vehicle other than the surface dust. This is what you want. You do not want to remove all the polish and wax you previously worked so hard on.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Interior:

Again, the same principles work here. Start at the top and work down.

If you have a used car that may need some restoration of some panels, do that first. If the seats/carpet are very dirty, I recommend having them professionally cleaned. Luckily, I do this for a living at the moment and have access to a mass of great products. If you guys need help, just ask. I can tell you what works, and what doesn't. Do NOT go out and rent one the commercially available cleaning machines. They may look good, but they really don't do the job properly. Get in the phone book and call a local carpet cleaner that has a truck mount unit. They provide the best suction and HEAT which is key to a good clean. Shouldn't run any more than $60. A worthwhile investment IMO.

Continuing:

Start with the headliner. Do a thorough vacuum in perpendiculr motions. Go front to back, then side to side, or vice versa.

Next clean your windows. A good glass cleaner with newspaper as the rag will work best. Some may question this, but I guarantee, once you use the paper, a rag or paper towels will never be used again. I suggest using a cleaner with ammonia. It will strip the glass and leave a smooth finish. After the initial cleaning, I like to take a clean rag and wipe down the windows again dry.

Next, get a good cleaner for whatever material your interior panels are. This is key. If you just go over it with some type of protectant, you're doing nothing other than smearing the dirt in. It may not look dirty, but it is. I use Lexol products as I have had excellent results with them and they can be found at any auto parts store. Any good cleaner will work. Follow this with a good water-based protectant. Do not use something oil-based. It will stay suspended on the surface and do nothing but attract dust.

Go to a local beauty supply store, don't be scared and buy some makeup brushes to clean in all the cracks, vents, and any other hard to reach areas where the dirt will be trapped. This is especially helpful where two trim pieces meet, or where the switches come through the panel. Get a range of brushes. Toothbrushes also work well, but I find they can not be articulated as well as the makeup brushes.

Move on to the seats. Take a soft brush about the size of your hand a lightly brush the seats. This will help to break up any dirt that may be compacted in the material. If you have leather, make sure you get s very fine horsehair brush with LIGHT GENTLE strokes. LEather is something that needs to be cleaned with the proper cleaner followed by a conditioner. This is key. Without the conditioner, the leather will be prone to cracking and will also attrach dirt. Next follow with a through vacuum going in perpendicular motions again like on the headliner.

Carpet: Again, use a brush here to loosen up the dirt and debris and reset the nap on the carpet. All carpet will ly a certain way once it begins to break down. Follow with a thorough vacuum in every direction possible. You are never going to get everything out, but it helps to be thorough. After vacuuming, go over the carpet again with the brush. This will act as a dressing to reset the nap yet again.

Deodorizers. Deodorizers are NOT air fresheners. An air freshener is simply used to cover up an existing odor. A deodorizer will change the molecular structure of the odor, therefore negating the nose to pick up the scent. That's how we sense odors. Each odor has a certain molecular structure. Once the deodorizer is applied, it modifies the molecular structure effectively removing the odor as your nose can no longer sense it. BE very careful with these products! Most are water-based and will quickly evaporate. Some are oil or solvent based. These can pose problems if they come in contact with some interior pieces. I have seen them melt or disform different types of plastics or leave a film behind, or disolor the plastic or dye.

More to come.

[02BlackOnBlackSS 1]

All this reading makes me want to give my car a nice spring detail. Lots of stuff that I don't do either. I need to go shopping.

[Supa_c 1]

Just a little bit to add on cleaning windows:

1. There is no streak free glass cleaner, EVERY one will leave a residue that you dont see until you hit that dreaded patch of sunlight that makes the windshield all cloudy. What I do is spray my cleaner on, wipe it off with a rag before it dries then i go over every single piece of glass again with a dry rag.

This "film" can be felt with the rag, it wont glide nicely over it. Once you remove it you will feel the difference. It takes some time to do but you will have super clean glass with out any residue on them.

2. When doing windows remember that when you washed them with the soap and mit there is still that pice in the door frame. Just put the windows down a crack and make shure you get that area with yur rag and cleaner.

3.Very fine steel wool cleans glass great. It takes off all the chunks and gunk you cant really get with the rag. Now im not 100% shure bit i think it will remove the cleaner residue as well.

4. Dont forget to do the side view mirrors and get the residue off them. DO NOT use the steel wool on these as it will put some really nice scratches in them.

Hopefully you all do this but there is no harm in me reminding you.

[Acidburn 10]

All this reading makes me want to give my car a nice spring detail. Lots of stuff that I don't do either. I need to go shopping.

x2 lol

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

just get your paint to look this good and then your done

[Tirefryr 1,742]

just get your paint to look this good and then your done 

Can I catch a ride?

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

if your in town I will let you drive it, as long as you promise not to melt my Yoko's, I prefer a triple digit lounge through horse farm country or non-copper infested 4-lane black top, thats where the car shines and the suspension shows why it is the way it is

[Supa_c 1]

if your in town I will let you drive it, as long as you promise not to melt my Yoko's, I prefer a triple digit lounge through horse farm country or non-copper infested 4-lane black top, thats where the car shines and the suspension shows why it is the way it is

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[Chevy350TPI 12]

if your in town I will let you drive it, as long as you promise not to melt my Yoko's,

I'm SOL there

I'd buy you a new set, though

[jntar 15]

Mr Clean auto dry car wash+ a no name tire shine

[Supa_c 1]

I must say, that Mr Clean auto dry stuff isnt that bad for a quick-o-fast-o job.

I ran out of the Mr Clean soap so im just using some cheap car soap i have, works just as well.

[Supa_c 1]

What my friend and me bought at wal mart so we can detail his car for our school car show :

Meguairs NTX cockpit shine

Meguairs NTX Tech Wax paste

Prestone Interior cleaner WITH ! Odor Neutralizer

Black magic tire wet, was no Meguairs tire shine avaliable at the time

GUNK Ammonia Free Glass cleaner ( for the tinted windows)

I already have all the other necessary items.

But WTF is a clay bar ?

I didnt see any there, maby autozone ?

[Supa_c 1]

Car will be picked up on Tuesday afternoon from the paint shop.

I bought the wax to protect the paint, fresh paint doesnt need all the steps as listed in my 1st post ( besides the wet sanding/polishing).

Question :

My friend has black painted rims, should i wax them or what ?

No, there not ghetto painted either

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

a clay bar is like really hard silly putty, remember how you could put the silly putty on a page of news paper and it would pull up the text and pictures perfectly?

well thats the same concept with contaminants and dirt in a cars paint when you rub the clay bar over it, speaking of I should clay my car this weekend if it is nice enough on sunday

[Supa_c 1]

ahh..i get it.

last time i used silly putty was a LONG time ago