what stuff have you used to keep your car looking nice.

waxes/polish etc

any tricks you learned not really a big car.

 

Turbo Wax has alot of great products

 

I used today wax as you dry. Just bought the car and found some stuff that already needs to be fix.

 

the trick i learned is that unless you have a TON of time and patience, don't bother

i washed/clay/waxed today, and before i even drove the car it was dirty again. i LOOOVvvVEEEE my black car for about 10 minutes after i clean it. basically, i clean the **** out of it, stand there for 10 minutes smoking a cigarette and saying to myself "damn, that's nice" then i go take a shower, and proceed to get pissed off as i realize i wasted my time

 

meguiars 3 step paint cleaner, polish and wax. never wax or dry in circles, always push and pull water and wax, strait lines, and once you have a nice wax on the car in between waxes i use TURTLE WAX ICE

And If You Can Get Your Hands On Showroom Shine And A Fiber Cloth

 

soap and water. make sure you then take it out of the direct sun and dry it for awhile and get all the water off the car. i did that and car came out looking great. nothing fancy at all. i could see my reflection very easy. was very sharp looking.

 

i was told on a black car not to polish in circles but back and forth strokes.

i use something called liquid ice from mquires worked really well on a red truck. mirror like finish.

 

i have been using this Carnauba Cleaner/Wax from Mothers and it works great on my black car. Its easy to work in and works great. I cheated and got a 6 inch buffer/polisher for 15$ from walmart and that help a lot too.

 

X100000^^^^

I Love Ice

always push and pull water and wax, strait lines,

 

One big thing is don't try and wash it if its sitting in the sun or has been sitting in the sun cause the car gets so hot it bakes the soap and then its a real pain in the ass trying to get those spots off.

 

i need to learnthis too

 

I always use meguire's waxes and wash my car altleast twice a week to keep it clean. I have a california duster that really helps with dust , if i didnt have that it would need to be washed daily.

 

One of the best things to get is an Original California Duster. It's pretty much amazing at keeping the car clean. I keep that, and some quick detailer in my trunk at all times.

 

With the GF's SUV, TechWax and keeping it on the garage. With the SS, TechWax and keeping it in the garage.

See where I'm going here?

:-)

 

check my sticky in the detailing section.

and do not use ice

 

Moved to Show and Shine, please post in the correct section

 

Wash, then use meguire's clay bar with quick detailer, and then use there cleaner wax. I used it on all my vehicles, and it deff. worth the time. the finish it gets after the clay bar is awsome!!

 

i know EXACTLY how you feel dude. Its a bitch to keep a black car clean. Pollen kicks my ass especially. And to make matters worse, the water is real hard where I live so I have to towel dry the damn thing right after I rinse it off to keep it from spotting, and they show up something fiece on a black car.

 

I find the best way to keep my car looking best is to refrain from driving it

But seeings that it defeats the purpose of having it, I'd say keeping on top of the dirt, having a safe wash method that prevents swirls, and a general maintenance routine of claying, polishing, and waxing keeps it looking pretty good.

Personally, I use mostly the Meguiar's lineup of products. I use their Gold Class soap to wash the car, then I use one of their Waffle Weave drying towels to dry it. Follow that up with M83 on the rotary or UDM, depending on what part of the car I'm working on. I then switch to 3M Ultrafina to refine the finish to get it the the best possible clarity I can. Sometimes I'll follow that with Prima Amigo, a glaze and pre-wax cleaner, then Prima Epic, a wax/sealant product. Once that is cured and buffed off, I'll wipe down the car with a Meg's Microfiber and their Ultimate Quick Detailer to boost the shine.

That seems to get it looking pretty good. Right up until the next time it rains, or a bird flies over the car. I'm upset right now because I haven't really had time to go over the whole car to get it perfect. And I'm certain a family member drove my car through a automated car wash (ie. Swirl-o-matic) during the winter, because it was swirl free, and now there are swirls all over the car. Not that I'm overly concerned, it will buff out. But being as nitpicking to detailing as I am, driving around in a black car with swirls just annoys the hell out of me. But I'll fix that problem when I have a free weekend

 

Turbo Wax FTW!

 

Personally I use liquid Ice. Both the car wash, and then the polish. Microfiber cloths a must here! In between washes I use a California duster.

 

car cover every night, and when you aren't driving it. takes like 30seconds take off and on

 

for those suggesting certain products, post up direct sunlight pics on any surface of your car (preferrably trunk, hood, roof) por favor. we can compare and see who is on the right track

 

mine is in need of more than just a regular clay and wax, but honestly the pollen and dirt is so bad here i just can't bring myself to spend all day cleaning my car, just to have the panel i previously worked on not even look clean. it's quite frustrating.

but i used the victorias red wax, and it was awesome. i plan on doing a nice writeup about it.

 

i understand bro. trust me doing 5-6 cars a week leaves me plenty of disgust towards cleaning my own ride. its been clean for 4 days, a new record this year i think