Tofu

I kind of wrote a guide on it a couple of weeks ago in a post:

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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.
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If you're going to purchase wax over the counter I would get the black magic stuff. It got the top rating in Consumer Reports last month for being the best looking, most durable and best cleaning ability of all the store bought waxes.

If you've done the washing and drying part correctly, then waxing isn't too difficult because you've eliminated 99% of the dirt. Basically you just want to try and wax in the shade so the wax doesn't harden or it will be difficult to take off and all the effort to take it off could damage your clearcoat (Swirls). Try to get Meguairs applicator (usually at Autozone, pepboys) pads as they are the softest pads available in stores, if you can't find them then just make sure you use either microfiber or 100% cotton applicator pads. When applying the wax first get the pad slightly slightly damp w/ water to soften it up (just another swirl preventative) then put only about a dime sized amount of wax on the pad. Apply pressure but not too much, working in either a circular motion or front to back. Be sure to work each panel at a time waxing it, then buffing it out (with a microfiber towel). Work the top areas first then move to the areas like the sideskirts and lower front/rear bumpers last. That's usually where most of the dirt build up is so if there is any left on the paint you won't transfer it to the rest of the car by waxing it last.

JonyyB

Thanks for taking the time to write this out. I really appreciate it. You may want to chage the title so this helps out others as well

Tofu

Done.

116Fanatic

I knew I had seen this soemwhere, I was looking for it. Your car shines brighter than the sun! . I bought the California Water Blade($20) and it works really well...can it replace other drying tools all together though? I noticed that I get a lot of water spots that it doesn't take off(then again I hadn't read to wash in the shade). Oh, and I was wondering, I saw a bottle of car wash at AutoZone that waxes as you wash. Is that any good? cause I'm kinda lazy :S...It was called Caranuba or something.

Apex

where can i buy one of those california wiper blades?

116Fanatic

I bought mine at AutoZone

Karla

i would be careful using black magic wheel cleaner, if you use the spray dont spray it directly on your wheels, it will get on your rotors and rust them. super quick.

Tofu

The wax while you wash stuff is pretty good in a sense that it does do what it says. It will wax your car while you wash it. The only problem is the wax base is minimal in the product and probably won't last more than a few weeks at most.

stotte20

man tofu that is one awsome write up. but you when using them channile and microfiber wash mits you alwyas have to chek that particles are not stuck in them that could scratch your paint. also the microfiber may get split ends that could aslo scratch. but if you dont have one of them buckets with the grit guard. you can use the 2 bucket wash system it helps out alot to. and the california wiper blade can pick up deberis under it and scratch the paint also. so as long as you are carfull it will be a great thing to use to dry.

e to the x

I went shopping last night and got me some nice new cleaning toys. Got myself a washmit, and 2 nice new buckets and a California Wiper blade. I'm also a big fan of Meguiars wax so I went ahead and bought a new can of the gold line along with their soap and wax applicator pads. Of course Armor all tire shine was in the mix as well as a tire scrubber, wheel cleaner and tire shine applicator.

Mmmm I love my new car.

PenguinPIE

iTrader: (5)

hey tofu

everytime i wax the car i cant seem to buff the wax off completely. theres always some wax swirls left on the car no matter how much time i spent buffing it off. what am i doing wrong?

Stealth06LT

Great How To Tofu!
.I love the microfiber towels for taking off the wax, I got the Absorber the other day and its phenominal how much water it dries/soaks up. I used my new Meguiars NXT Tech Wax and I'll never use anything but Meguiars again. Its such a deep deep shine ( my cars is black) and it took away A LOT of swirls. Its pretty sweet when you can see your own reflection and pretty much read the small print of a news paper in the reflection of your car. Its INSANE. Meguiars its the SHIZNITTO-BAMM-SNAP-SNAP-SNAP-A-ROO. (Anyone ever seen Half Baked? lol). I'll post some pics.

Stealth06LT

That means you didn't get all of the wax off, it happens to me when I rush it, just get the microfiber towel out and turn to a clean side and rub it off, usually when there is too much wax buildup it doesnt clean it all off, just keep folding the towel to clean sides.

PS> Sorry about the double post.

CobaltKids

wow that was good, I think when I get home im going to go pick up some of that stuff to make my car shine pretty

Vette Jr.

real nice write up

marerick007

I've been a big fan of Meguiars Gold Class ever since a buddy showed it to me a few years back. I threw out the Finish 2001. I convince everyone to switch to Meguiars. The shine is definately unbeatable! As far as the spray wax, I was a non-believer till I tried it. Again, Meguiars is the product of choice; its called Quick Wax. You can use it on either a wet or dry car. I've never used it on a wet one. I always like to dry mine first. Granted, it might not leave as heavy a coat as the Gold class paste, but its damn close! The amount of time it saves you though is worth it....ttrust me!

Also, I highly reccommend Meguiars Mist & Wipe Quick Detailer. Its meant to be used between waxings and actually restores and removes buildup. However, with the quick wax now though, I will probably use less of that.

roccobladr

i just used the Meguiars NXT next gen wax. i love the way my car turned out!

e to the x

The problem with the quick wax though is that you get it on your windshield so you screw with your wiper blades ability to clear off water and leave a clear field of vision (parents use Turtle wax soap w/wax in it and this always happens) so you end up needed to replace the wiperblades and then clean the windshield with a glass cleaner that can remove the wax. Just wax your car by hand is my opinion.

snowbred

best thing ever... use the meguiars polish before the wax and the car will look beautiful.. did that yesterday took me a good 3 hours. I beat the sun just in time

roccobladr

hmmm...ill have to try that next time. thanx!

marerick007

I never had mine spray on the windshield...just be careful where you aim. If you are that worried, just spray some on the rag whne you are near the windshield.

I hate having a dirty windhshield, so I change my wipers about 4 times a year anyway, LOL!

e to the x

Aren't you supposed to change them every 3 months anyways?

marerick007

I have always read every six months, and if I'm not mistaken, the owner's manual says the same. Some people do it every year. Maybe if its garage kept I guess. I know with as much as I clean my windshield, I go through them fast. Course I buy the cheap ones anyway. Ive tried all the expensive ones and they all last about the same.

Stealth06LT

Whats the best wiper blade to buy, because I've been using the RAIN-X windshield washer fluid and it leaves streaks like crazy, I was thinking it was the RAINX but now Im thinking its my wiperblades because I use them a lot and they've been in a few tropical storms down in FL, lol. They've definately been abused. I've had them for 7 months (since I bought the car) what is the best brand and where can I find them cheap?

e to the x

I like the Bosche windshield wipers. Use them on my civic and they work great.

I think that using wipers in the rain is not very detrimental to them. I think its more when they sit in the hot sun all day, everyday where they start to deteriorate. That plus lotsa of dirt can't be all to good for them. Mine usually last between 3 to 6 months but I change them as soon as I start to notice they are not doing their job anymore.