Two questions actually:

1) I recently have been using some Quick Detailer and was wondering if using it every other day is too often?

Since the S is my only car, thus daily driver I try to keep it looking clean but with bugs and dust it seems I need to wipe it down nearly every day to keep it looking new.

2) I notice that i have a couple "Spec like" scratches/nicks in the low part of the bumper. Almost like little peebles flew up and hit the bumper. Since my car is white they are not noticeable unless you are less than 1 foot away and I think these are from freeway and high speeds but wondering if there is anyway other than not driving the car to avoid those nicks ?

I know being a daily driver it probably wont look as good 3 years from now as an S that is a weekend car only but I try to keep it reasonably as good as possible .

 

In terms of #2, while it may not totally prevent, but it should help, you can get a clear bra. One more layer of protection before things hit your paint. Downside of that is they may yellow over a couple of years.

 

I thought about that initially then I figured if the bumper really gets bad enough I could just have it repainted and it might cost a little more but not too much.

On my previous Integra i had to have the bumper repainted when someone hit me in the parking lot in its third year and the color matched perfectly.

 

I don't think it will hurt to use quick detailer every other day. Do you use a california duster before applying the QD? I am guessing you go through a lot of towels every week. Also, with the duster, and applying QD, try not to use too much pressure or too much QD.

What brand of QD do you use? I use meguiar's myself, and they are now selling it in an areosol can.

 

have used them as often as every day... no problem as long as the car is relatively clean- as above, dust the car and then detail spray it-
most important is to use clean microfiber towels. thats the main trick to avoiding swirls... that and "go with the flow" (wipe as the air flows over the car)

 

I need to get one of those california dusters. I have been currently just using Meguiars with the Micro Fiber towels. I just wanted to make sure that I couldn't overdo it with the detailer. I have tendency to get a little compulsive when it comes to keeping dirt and bird poop of the paint.

Thanks,

 

All of the above advice is correct. But understand that all spray detailers are not the same, and do not serve the same purpose. Some of it is heavily wax laden -- so much so that buffing it clear is about as big a PITA as waxing with some waxes! Others are mainly cleaners and contain little, if any, wax. This last type adds shine by basically removing a thin top layer of your wax which may have become dull and dirty, leaving a "fresh" wax layer exposed, and adding a little "spit shine" to it. This last type of spray detailers actually makes the car look the best, but "subtract" a little from your wax coating every time you use it. Frequent use of this will cause only one problem -- you wax job just won't last quite as long.

 

Which ones are heavily wax laden? My favorite, Meg's Final Detail (not Final Inspection), which isn't made anymore had carnauba in it. It never streaked nor was it hard to get off. It was the preferred detail spray of many detailers for years before all the new "super sprays" hit the market.

Details sprays are mostly distilled water with a few chemicals added to provide lubrication. A detail spray's job is to remove light dust or dirt. Many new ones contain polymers to actually lay down another layer of protection and add to the shine. I have yet to seen one that contains solvents or anything that would remove wax.

I detail spray my car every time it is returned to the garage. That may be as much as twice a day.

 

Turtle Wax "Wax as you dry" is heavily wax laden. Some of the other Meguair's detailing sprays are fairly wax laden. Eagle One Ultra Gloss has little or no wax content.

 

You can try poorboys S&W, It's supposed to be really good and does not contain waxes. You may want to try ONR (optimum no rinse) waterless wash, It can be used to wash your whole car or as a QD.