what do u recommend?

[Silverbullet08]

im kinda on a budget (college student) but want to wash and detail my car pretty much every week. i know i want some microfibers but anything else im open to suggestions. thanks

 

[shadow11]

You are going to have to be super careful washing that car since its black and to avoid getting swirls. I use the two bucket method when I wash and you really should too with a black car. One bucket for clean soapy water and one bucket for rinse water. And then you will need some wax for when you are done. I like paste waxes cause they last longer. The spray waxes can be really hard to wipe off on a black car. Then you will need some glass cleaner, quick detailer, tire shine ( I don't use tire shine very much cause it slings up on the side of the car so I only use it every once in a while. Does your car feel very smooth when you touch it? Even though its new it probably should be clayed because the car probably sat for awhile on the lot and when it was delivered it got rail dust on it. If you lived closer I could buff it for you and it would be so smooth. I know you are on a budget but I have found that the more expensive products do work and last a lot longer so don't just buy the cheapest wax and soap cause you probably won't be happy with it. My job is detailing at Lexus so I know quite a bit about it lol

 

[AF_Hemi]

I know you are on a budget but I have found that the more expensive products do work and last a lot longer so don't just buy the cheapest wax and soap cause you probably won't be happy with it.

^^^this. play to pay. get what ya pay for. all those cliche's apply just as much if not more to detailing than anything else. Rather than try to cover all your bases with cheaper stuff to fit in your budget, start building your arsenal with one high quality product at a time. I recommend starting with your washing situation. 2 bucket method, grit guards (very important), PH neutral soap as a bare minimum. Separate washing mitts are very important too (one for top half of car, one for bottom half of car, and something else for wheels/bumper plastics). the whole trick is not contaminating clean areas with dirty water/rags

Start with the washing stuff because thats where the vast majority of swirl marks are created.

 

[Silverbullet08]

i know u gotta pay to play. i want to get the good stuff i just cant afford it all at once. so yea i should prob start building my car wash system.

and caleb when im drive down there. im gonna get it buffed lol

 

[RubberFrog]

Eric will take car of you. He has everything you need at the best prices.

 

[AF_Hemi]

^^this

 

[[email protected]]

These guys are right on. Start with the proper washing equipment and techniques. You need to sit down and watch the Junkman Videos. You can find the videos on adamspolishes.com or on YouTube.

If you're trying not to spend a lot of money, I recommend getting two Grit Guards, Gal of Car Wash Shampoo and a quality wash pad. You should also go to your least expensive hardware store and buy a leaf blower and two 4-5gal buckets. Bring the Grit Guards with you and make sure they sit snuggly in the bottom of the buckets. The blades should touch the bottom of the buckets. Use the leaf blower to dry the vehicle. Drying towels should only be used for the small drips. Your goal when washing the vehicle is to remove all the dirt and contact the paint as little as possible.

Email me and I can help you out. [email protected]

 

[Silverbullet08]

i know i want a washpad and some microfibers for when i wax it. thinking about the other stuff

 

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Good luck. I swore I would never own a black vehicle...then my wife fell in love with a black Journey.

 

[AF_Hemi]

These guys are right on.

Where do you think i learned it? :********: you and the junkman taught me almost everything i know. all im doing is regurgitating it so you dont have to

 

[Silverbullet08]

i like the black dont have a prob with it

 

[The Assassin]

I'd tell you what I suggest...but I don't wanna step on Eric's toes. He is the pro.

 

[[email protected]]

i know i want a washpad and some microfibers for when i wax it. thinking about the other stuff

Grit Guards are a must. If you don't have em, get em, they're a lot cheaper than repainting a fender cause a small stone lodged in your pad and you drug it all the way across the fender.

 

[[email protected]]

I'd tell you what I suggest...but I don't wanna step on Eric's toes. He is the pro.

Don't worry about stepping on my toes. It's good to hear different opinions and techniques, even from different MFGrs. I learn something new every day.

 

[The Assassin]

Don't worry about stepping on my toes. It's good to hear different opinions and techniques, even from different MFGrs. I learn something new every day.

Cool, well in that case:

Grit guards, two of them..you'll want to use a two bucket system
All purpose cleaner...you will use this a few different places
Green wheel cleaner for the wheels...duh, winning!
Buttery wax...i'll tell you my method for this in a bit
In and out spray...for the hard to reach black plastic areas
VRT..dash, tires, etc
And last but not least detail spray. This stuff ROCKS!

Ok so onto the waxing. I use it on EVERYTHING! It doesn't take long for this stuff to dry. To remove it, I actually spray the detail spray on the wax. I've found two things a, it makes the wax much easier to remove and b, it ands depth!

The only other things id suggest would be clay, but at this point your car shouldn't need it...and also the window cleaner is great. But if you're on a budget use the detail spray on the windows.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

 

[AF_Hemi]

The only other things id suggest would be clay, but at this point your car shouldn't need it...and also the window cleaner is great. But if you're on a budget use the detail spray on the windows.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

I'm gonna disagree with ya there. New cars need it every bit as bad as older cars. There is all kinds of contaminants sitting on the paint from transit (i.e. rail dust) that gets embedded into the paint. You'd be SHOCKED how dark the clay is after claying a brand new car!

 

[The Assassin]

I'm gonna disagree with ya there. New cars need it every bit as bad as older cars. There is all kinds of contaminants sitting on the paint from transit (i.e. rail dust) that gets embedded into the paint. You'd be SHOCKED how dark the clay is after claying a brand new car!

Eh...point well taken. OK, add the clay to the list!

 

[[email protected]]

I drove down to Delaware about a month ago to help a customer out. He had a brand new white Camaro SS. The car was covered in rail dust. It actually started to rust and you could see the rust on the white paint. We washed it and clayed it and the paint came up perfect, but if we had not clayed the paint, the rail dust would have rusted all over his car.

I agree, some new cars need to be clayed. Use the bag test to see if you need to clay.

 

[DeputyDipShizz]

What's the "bag test?"

-TapATalkAholic-

 

[The Assassin]

What's the "bag test?"

-TapATalkAholic-

This is the test to determine if you need to clay bar your vehicle or not - and ultimately to show customers the difference if they are skeptical about clay bar (lots of people think it's a scam.)
Wash your ride - you want to do this on a clean surface (to prevent scratches.)
Feel your paint with the back of your hand. Always use the back of your hand to prevent leaving fingerprints and smudges.
Now put your hand inside a clean sandwich plastic bag, ziploc, whatever - just plastic - and feel that same spot you felt with your naked hand.
HUGE DIFFERENCE HUH?! The bag is creating a barrier so you can now feel every single imperfection.
Now spray a liberal amount of Detail Spray on a two foot by two foot area - the more Detail Spray the better.
Take a quarter of your clay bar and mash it flat in your palm or against your glass windshield.
Begin rubbing the clay bar back and forth, left and right on the surface you've lubricated with Detail Spray, adding more if necessary.
You'll initially feel something grainy and you might even hear what sounds like sand paper.
Work the clay bar till it glides smoothly, effortlessly, and you feel absolutely zero abrasives. Remember, clay bar will make your paint feel like glass and that's the point!
If you are claying and see that the side you are making contact with on the paint is changing color and getting dirty don't panic, it's working! Simply fold it over, kneed with your fingers a new side, and get back to it!
Dry the area with a microfiber towel (never your cotton shower towel you just pulled out of the hamper).
Grab the bag and perform the same test. Rub your now clayed surface - amazing huh?

Don't forget to clay your glass and wheels! Remember if you drop your piece of clay throw it away! You don't want to risk picking up a small rock or metal fragment and scratching your paint! If you clay your wheels DON'T use that piece on your paint, brake dust is scratchy!