What products/clothes/techniques do you guys use?

I go to the coin op carwash (only way to wash your car IMO) and i noticed i couldnt get around fast enough to clean off the water bubbles on my car so on a black car it looks like crap (I Spent about 30-40 minutes wiping down the entire car after the wash with my sheep skin cloth to get rid of all the dirt/dust that was left over)

I started the wash with general spray, get that crap off, then use the brush+soap, then use general spray again to rinse it off, then i do the spot free wax or whatever, then i pull out slowly and give the car the good ol rub down.

Just wondering if theres any other types of cloths that would be better for windows, body, etc.

Thanks guys!

 

Microfiber!! Look areound here tons of info.


http://detailcity.org/

 

I use "The Absorber" which costs about 9-10 bucks from Autozone/Advanced Auto Parts. It is a really good shammy in my opinion

 

Thats what my buddy was saying, he says it works WONDERS on his car... and doesnt stink like sheepskin

 

My Car Show Prep:

Thourough wash with generic soap with a Pressure Washer and a Sponge. Then, when I get to the event, I touch up the wash with a waterless car wash kit (bugs and waterspots), then I finish it with a thourough wax job at the event.

Microfiber and 100% cotton is godly

 

Nope they dont and they come in many differnt grades and sizes.

 

also, input on armor all window and car cleaner. Yea its pretty generic but is it decent stuff?

 

Yeah. Washing and drying black cars is a very time consuming thing. I spend a million hours going back and drying the freaking car because it ALWAYS leaks from the rear window side thing. Then I drive after leaving it sit for awhile and have to rub it down again because of the random water that falls out of the lights.

 

On black cars... i used my California Water Blade.. just do a yahnoo search and it will pop up

 

First and for most before you do anything, what are you using to wash the car w/ and what are you using to dry it with? The first biggest misconception about washing a vehicle is that "any ol sponge or mitt will work since it's covered in soap" and that is totally wrong. I highly disprove of any "sponge" being used to wash the exterior of your vehicle as most are too harsh on your clearcoat despite what the packaging may say. Stick with 100% chenile (sp), genuine lambs wool, or microfiber wash mitts...they will do the best job of evenly spreading the suds on your vehicle. And speaking of suds..you definitely want a high quality car wash soap. Don't ever ever use dish soap unless you want to remove any wax and polish to re-apply a fresh layer of the aforementioned stuff. The best "store bought" soap hands down is Meguiars Deep Crystal Carwash or their NXT line up car wash. They have an adequate amount of suds and decent cleaning agents.

With a mitt and car wash out of the way the next important factor is the bucket. May not seem like much but when while you're lathering your car you're basically lifting the dirt off the paint and the majority of it goes into your mitt. What usually happens is people just dump the mitt into the bucket and then re-use it on the paint. The problem is when the mitt goes into the bucket the dirt sinks to the bottom of the bucket...and so does the mitt. So basically you're mitt becomes even more contaminated with dirt particles. And that alone is the biggest reason why you get micro-marring (spider webs and swirl marks) in your clearcoat. There is a nifty thing called a "grit-guard" that you can buy online and it'll keep your mitt from sinking to the bottom while still being submersed in the water to get most of the dirt off. Understand though that you will always, always do some kind of micro-marring to your clearcoat...there is simply no way to completely avoid it. You can minimize it by using the grit-guard...or if you prefer not to pay for it you can use the Two Bucket method. Basically you take two buckets, fill one w/ the soap and water mixture and the other one you fill to the brim with water. So now whenever you're done washing a panel (yes wash a panel at a time, always working top to bottom) simply put the mitt into the water filled bucket and shake it around to get rid of the dirt (make sure it doesn't hit the bottom though). That way when you put the mitt back into the soap bucket you've eliminated the majority of dirt particles from the mitt. Always try to wash in some kind of shaded area. This prevents the suds and water from drying on your paint and causing unsightly water spots; the sun also warms up your paint and clearcoat making it more susceptible to micro-marring than when it's cool.

*phew*

Okay, once your done make absolutely sure you have some high-quality micro-fiber drying towels or 100% Cotton waffle-weave towels. Again Meguiars offers some great drying products if you prefer purchasing your stuff over the counter. There are tons and tons of towels out there and 99% will dry your car and 90% will also leave nice swirls on your clearcoat too. High quality products are definitely the way to go as far as drying goes. Another useful but not necessary tool is the california wiper blade. It'll help sheet off the water making it easier to dry, and the "gel" portion that makes up the blade will not scratch your clearcoat (provided you've washed your car correctly).

Now to answer your question:

Whatever brand you use is really your own preference as they will all look good as long as you apply it correctly. The difference between high-quality wax/polish/glazes and over the counter stuff is minute...but noticeable if you are as **** about the appearance of your vehicle as I am lol. I personally use Sonus/Pinnacle and Poorboys products because I think they all work wonderfully on Chevrolet's clearcoat and provide a very very nice, deep, wet look when applied correctly.

I also use the Porter Cable 7242 Orbital Polisher w/ lake country polish pads...it cut down my polish/wax time in half and it's insanely easy to use vs. a circular buffer that can really damage your paint if you don't know how to use it.

Here is a comparison between an "over the counter" brand polish/glaze vs. some Sonus products I used back when I had my Cobalt:





Anyway, that's just touching the very very tip of the iceberg...there is much more to it all.

I would strictly use black-magic/turtlewax/meguiars for wax/polish/glaze and meguiars ONLY for your accessories like drying/wheel scrubbing etc. etc. if you do not want to go online and buy the stuff I mentioned.

Anyway, hope this Bible of a post helps out lol.

 

I own a black Cobalt LT. When I was mine, I usually have like 3 towels handy and like he stated above they are high quality towels. Not some towel you grabbed from the side of the pool or from your mother's shower. The reason is when I wash my car I do panel by panel, drying the panel after every wash. Takes a good amount of time, but the car turns out great looking.

Also to keep your BLACK cobalt looking cleaner, I would invest in a california duster. Some may disagree saying that it can leave scratches or swirls, but I have never had a problem with mine.

 

Wash with Microfiber and Car Soap.

Wax Dry

Buff Off With Microfiber

 

For the love of God... do NOT use the brushes at the car wash!

Tofu said it all. Very nicely written.

 

I use a microfiber wash mitt, microfiber apillicator pads, and microfiber towels to dry the car and then take off the wax. THE BEST $15 BUCKS I'VE EVER SPENT. You can get a 6 pack of microfiber towels for 8 bucks or less, and the mitt is like $4 and the pads are $3. I have a black car too and cleaning a black car is a bitch and I always had soap spots because I used to go to the touchless places, but handwashing with these microfiber products is AWESOME and the only way I've gotten my black car clean and spotless. I'll post some pics when I get home (im at work). I use Armorall Liquid Gel and Meguiers Cleaner Wax. The Armorall rocks because u just squirt some on the mitt or the car when its wet and it lathers real nice, NO BUCKET NEEDED! lol. Just wash the mitt off with the hose every couple times you reapply the liquid gel. The Meguiers looks amazing on the black paint. I got all of microfiber stuff from Autozone. The company is like ZIPP or ZAP or something like that.


BTW:

TURTLE WAX ZIP WAX CAR WASH SUXXXXXXXX!!!!!!

 

werd, never will again, lesson learned lol

 

I only use Zaino

 

That is a very good read definitely going to change the way I wash my vehicle.

 

check out the california water blade.

its medical grade silicone so its super flexible. aslong as he car is clean this this works great.

you will need a little towel for the tiny corners. but this thing is fast. works amazing on glass.

 

bad bad bad bad bad bad! Of course I was beaten to the punch a lot but it bears repeating.

I use a coin-op car wash that I have a card for, so no dropping coins, just a monthly bill.

Then do the inside.

- Solo

 

I have it but Be 110% Sure that there is NO DIRT on the car..

It will gouge the paint.

 

good step by step!

what type of towels/cloth do you guys recommend for windows? I hate streaks lol

i bought some microfibre and went last night and the body looked great but got the occasional streak on the window (essentially used 5 towels,
did 1 half of the car with:
1 towel for doing initial dry, 1 towel for going over it again and picking up any left over water
did other half of the car with same routine, 2 new towels.
then used a fifth towel to go over the entire car again to get rid of any bubbles or dust that i may have missed.

looked hot, ill post pics when i get home tonight.

 

Heck for windows I use microfiber or newspaper works great as well. Just use a ammonia free glass cleaner youll have better luck.

 

i always use the brushes at the car wash, however i only use reputable car washes and i make sure to power wash the crap out of them before i use them, and to dry the car i use my
ABSORBER it is the best, a microfiber will never hold as much water as one of those get one you wont be dissapointed. I might have to try those Sonus products, I use Meguiars TECHWAX now but it always leaves smears all over i have to rub it off like 3 times to get it all off. I also have the new ICE by Turtlewax (i think) and it works pretty good.

 

I use an absorber. Its fun. Then I always wax to remove small water spots if visible.

 

where can i buy this "Absorber" ?