What color is your car?

For drying I use an electric leaf blower-that gets about 95% of the water off and most importantly will allow you to blow out the water in the can't reach places like the mirrors and rear tail lights. Then I use a microfibre towel for anything left. I usually used the microfiber with quick detailer as it adds a little lubrication.

The other product I recommend is a Wipe-On-Walk-Away sealer. I've used Ultima Paint Guard Plus but there are others out there. I have to believe they are all comparable but work very well and can be applied in less than 5 minutes to the entire car. It is so easy I do it ~once/week right after a car wash.

 

One other option if you dont have a blower is to use a shop-vac in reverse mode. One other area that seems to retain water.....open your doors and blow under them, but in where the hinges are, especially down low. What you may have seen after a drive is water running down right by that area (front fender/door) where some water has been trapped and highway speed pushes it out.....leaves nasty lines....

 

I’ve been looking for a chance to share information about Mother’s Wheel and Tire Foaming Cleaner. This is the first Mother’s product I’ve tried and it works amazingly well. I shy away from most wheel cleaners because they are TOO harsh. I gave Mother’s a shot because the application instructions didn’t seem too bad. Spray on; allow to work for 1 or 2 minutes and rinse. The smell wasn’t bad and 2 minutes later most of the brake dust rinsed right away. Mother’s seems like a perfect compromise between strong industrial clearers and others that are so mild they don’t work. Big thumbs down for Griot’s Wheel Cleaner (too mild).

+1 303 Aerospace for interior, moldings and tires.

Zaino is nice for exterior on light color cars. It doesn’t hide imperfections on dark paint. Use a great detailer for the first application or two. Zaino can be difficult to remove until a good base coat is developed.

Zaino Leather Protectant smells a bit strong for me.

 

I've been a long time satisfied user of Zaino products, particularly their clear coat polishes and detailing products, and have not had any of the application problems that others have mentioned. Follow their directions to the letter. I recently started using Turtle Wax "Ice" car wash and a microfiber wash mitt. It makes great suds and doesn't streak. Get yourself an electric leaf blower to blow off the car after washing; it's 'no touch', gets the water out of the cracks and crevices and cuts your drying time in half. It works especially nice on getting the water off the brakes and roters and practically eliminates the dirty brake dust drips on the inner wheel section after driving your "clean" car.

 

Tri - I suggest going to autopia.org and spending some time there. I also suggest using that site to find the best mobile detailer you can, have him/her come out and put on a good protectant and wax. While they are on site pick their brain on products and materials and most importantly show you how to properly wash your car to minimize scratching and rids.

 

+1 on checking out autopia.org It was the place I went when I bought my car and promptly laid another $500 in detailing supplies.

I do think the best use of a professional detailer is to remove swirl marks, minor scratches and the like. If you use a high quality wax it should it should go on and come off pretty easy. If your car is brand new this shouldn't be an issue.

As noted above the #1 most important thing to do is wash your car properly with good car wash soap. I use a grout sponge-a trick I learned on autopia. They are really cheap at Home Depot. They have a very fine cell and will not trap in dirt/crud like other wash mits may. If you accidentally drop it they are cheap enough to throw away if you like but better yet you can easily see any grit and it washes off with a hose or wringing it out will get dirt particals off.

I've heard a lot of positive regarding the CR Spotless rinse products as well but haven't tried them yet.

 

Wash with P21S Bodywork conditioning shampoo using a mitt and a grit guard at the bottom of my bucket

Then I prepare the surface for waxing with:

Clay with Pinnacle clay bars

P21S Paintwork cleanser

Once the paint is prepared for waxing:

Wax two times with P21S 100% carnuba wax( wax once, wait 24 hours and apply a 2nd coat). This stuff is so hard, you need to heat it in your hands before you apply it (with your hands).

For plastic bits I use Klasse. Never use anything on the tires, dont really see the point. They stay pretty clean on their own. I may try this though: Swissvax Pneu Never done anything with the leather as it doesn't appear to need anything. Probably just use a simple leather conditioner eventually.

Once the wax is applied, I try not to let my car go too long before I just wipe it down with Pinnacle Carnuba Quick Detailer. I usually dont have to ever wash my car if I wipe it down once a week.

The turbo wheels have a dark painted surfaces and dont really need much maintenance. Just wipe them down once a week when I use my Pinnacle quick detailer.

I am also fortunate to live in sunny SoCal and if it does happen to rain, I just drive my VW SUV.

Good luck!

Steve

 

Bit of a threadjack - How do you guys use an orbital polisher and wax when you have a clear bra? I wouldn't think to hit the clear bra with the orbital, of course, but I have the bra covering only half the hood and fenders...

 

Yes, I read a lot on Autopia.org too. The guy wrote something called the perfect shine some time ago and it works for me.

 

ryem3,

Just like you I'm a Griot's Garage fan and have been for a long time. I have both the 3" and 6" orbital machines. I've had the 6" machine for many years now but picked up the 3" machine only recently. It comes in very handy for the front and rear bumpers and also around the sun roof since it is easier to control. I have the 3M clear bra and I have used Griot's Machine Polish #3 and Best of Show Wax with perfect results. I just purchased their new Paint Glaze product and I'm extremely happy with it but haven't had the chance to try it on any of the bra areas yet.

If you have Venture Shield you may need a different solution as their film is different. I did a lot of research into this before deciding on which clear bra I wanted and I chose 3M purposely because it was "buffable" just like a paint finish. One piece of advice I can give you is to spend the extra time carefully removing the polish and wax from the "lines" of your clear bra. A little Griot's Speed Shine really helps with this. If you wait or if you miss spots you can apply some Speed Shine to a micro-brush and remove it from your bra "lines" that way.

 

On-a-side-note........ want something for doing the wheels that is excellent....

Head to a CVS or Walgreens and get a boars hair shaving brush (the short fat stubby one).......... very soft, gets into the corners nicely. Now granted it will not get behind the wheel but for the exterior surface very very safe on the finish and faster than you might think.

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/sh...ump&navCount=3

 

It's kinda funny. I used to be an obsessive detailer, for years!
Then I got into the cars themselves, and spent all my efforts on exterior modifications. With my current car, a 997SC, I've focused nearly entirely on performance, which at this point, and 530HP, I've maxed out.

So I'm back to detailing, LOL!

Welcome to the worm hole, Alice:
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ur-detail.html

The key to proper/ perfect detailing is: 80% technique/ 20% products.
That said, it would take too long to go into technique here, but here are some of my favorite products:
-Menzerna compounds and polishes
-Optimum compounds and polishes (I prefer them because the "dust" less)
-P21S wax, unless you want to spend more go for Souverain, especially on black or Red
-Meguiar's ultimate detail mist is a good cheap daily product
-souveran Crystal Mist is a great spay/ QD with carnauba
-Zaino tire dressing
-Pakshak microfibre towels
-Poorboys leatherstuff
-303 aerospace protectant
-Einszett Gumi-Pflege
-Klasse AIO
-Stoners invisible glass
-Eagle one Keep it Clean
-P21S wheel and tire gel
-NeverDull metal wadding polish

Take that to the bank, my friend. Took me years to come to that list.
CATTMAN

 

Cool! I've got my eye on the 3" machine as well. SO, do you polish right up to the clear bra edge and then clean the edge with Speed Shine? I do have the Venture Shield. Thanks!

 

Been using products for over 10 years. Awesome product and probably the best shine in the business!

 

ryem3,

I do now that I have the 3" machine. If I'm in the mood I will tape off the edge with blue painters tape which saves the trouble of cleaning it. The micro fiber towels do a great job of cleaning the bra "line" if you do it as soon as the wax dries. I use a combination of micro fiber towels from Griot's and the kind they sell at Target. Both do a great job but I like the feel of the Griot's better as they are much thicker and softer.

If you check Griot's sale section I noticed they are closing out their older 3" machine at an excellent price. I didn't notice that at the time or I would have gone that route myself. I have the older 6" machine (it's actually the Porter Cable branded one) and it's excellent. I don't see the need to upgrade it.