I really want to clean the hell out of my car and get rid of all of my swirl marks and make it look new again... Being red it shows EVERY one of them. I've heard of all these waxes, clay bars and everything but I still don't know how to use any of it. I don't want to screw my car up by using something I shouldn't...

The reason I'm concerned is because when I was younger I wanted to wax my first car... I put all the wax on and waited. I went to take it off and saw a buffer. I figured it would make it easier if I used that so I stuck a towel on the end of it and went at it. I scratched the ENTIRE car up with swirls... It never came out. (It was a civic btw)



So what I want to know is what I need to buy to get started. I want to get amazing shine and get rid of the swirls.


What wax, soft top cleaner, leather cleaner, how do I clean my headlights, car soap, wheel cleaner, and clay bar should I get?

I also use a Mr. Clean to auto-dry my car. (is that bad?)

Thank you guys for all the help and I am sorry for the long boring read,
Nick

P.S. Can I put wax on wax or can I only have one layer at a time? And if I do put coat on coat how long do I have to wait in-between layers?

P.P.S. Also, if you want to just link me to other threads that answer these questions that would work as well

 

lotsa good questions... i am gonna just take a few of them:

mr. clean is good for the filter and thats about it- use it if you want, but you should still dry the car with a good microfiber (like big blue) towel.

you can put wax over wax as long as each coat cures. and actually wax does better over synthetics. again, let each coat cure (several coats of synthetic with one final coat of carnuba is my recipe)

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a sorta simplified over view towards the bottom:

http://www.bettercarcare.com/

and this one is more thorough, and includes one of our memebers:

http://autopia-carcare.com/inf-perfect.html

and from the top of our board:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=221878


a suggestion that i have gotten a lot of good feedback from:

post up in your local forum that you want to learn to detail your car. offer to provide products & refreshments if someone can provide the machines (porter cable, vacuums, etc.) and know-how. you can learn to detail this way, meet some great folks and have the products that you need to detail for several cars (or several times on yours).
win/win in my book!!


and be sure to take pics of your process and post them up here!

 

Here is my answers to your questions. Its long, so here we go . . . .

Wax - I would say skip wax and go for Zaino or Klasse ( I myself might be switching to Klasse), obviously this would be after all your swirls are eliminated.

Soft Top Conditioner - Raggtop Vinyl protectant
Cleaner, just clean with soap and water like the rest of the car to remove and dust or dirt which has settled.

Leather - I dont use a cleaner, i use a wet clean microfiber towel, wipe down the seats to remove any dirt or dust, then treat afterwards with Lexol, and then I go over with a light coat of Zaino Leather conditioner, to give it that new leather smell. Others have recommended using a Yankee Candle Leather airfreshner as well for the new leather smell.

Headlights, I dont have too much experience here so I will pass on this .

Car Soap - Top of the line Bubble Bath, I just got this a week ago, great stuff, I have to finish my review in my other thread about this soap, but its great stuff and not expensive.

Wheel cleaner - I just wash my SSR GT'3s with soap and water and then fully dry them.

Clay bar - this is a necessity, before applying zaino or klasse, clay the car, it would make the process so much easier and you will get that super smooth paint surface. Sounds like you car is not brand new, so this will be your first step.

Drying - Get the PakShak super blue microfiber drying towel, best towel to dry. Super soft microfiber will not scratch or cause swirl marks on the paint.

By the way for the swirl marks, your going to need a porter cable buffer, dont worry, unless you are putting extreme pressure or using sandpaper pads, its almost impossible to damage the surface of the paint. Basically your going to use the buffer with a yellow or white buff pad and some polish. I think others can help here in recommendations, my pick would be Mezerna products.

Below are some links to the different products I have listed above.

pakshak - micro fiber towels and drying towel (big blue), i think there is still a coupon code that works , i think its 350zx.
http://www.pakshak.com/

zaino bros - zaino (my favorite car polish)
http://www.zainobros.com

top of the line soap - bubble bath (Great stuff)
http://www.topoftheline.com/topoflinbub.html

raggtop - convertible top protectant
http://www.topoftheline.com/raggtopp...rotectant.html

lexol leather conditioner
http://www.topoftheline.com/lexleatcon.html

That should cover all the basis. Clay bar , basically any clay bar is good. Any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

OK let me thank you guys SO much for all of the help but there is alot of stuff I don't understand.

Wanabe:
What's the point of drying it again if it already looks dry?



What is curing and how long does that take?



What are synthetics and why carnuba?



Pikkashoe:
Why those, and I thought that wax took the swirls off???



Why does the type of soap really matter? Also, do I just spray it in a bucket with water?



Do I clay bar before washing it?



Why shouldn't I just use the Mr. Clean auto dry?


And does it matter if I use hard wax, liquid wax or another type. What are all the different types and how would I apply and remove Zaino since it's a liquid?

Thank you guys so much for all the help, honestly!
-Nick



Also, you guys listed all these web sites but they all offer 10 different types of the things you guys suggest. If it's not too much trouble could you type EXACTLY what I want to buy so all I have to do is click add to cart because this is very confusing to me.

 

Seriously, you have a lot of questions which is great. However, typing up an answer to post here would take weeks because basically you want to know everything there is to know about detailing.

The best thing you can do is read through the "how to" articles in the link Wanabe posted. You'll find a lot of the answers to your questions there. Here it is again . . .

http://www.bettercarcare.com/

 

Thanks . Links are just as useful Keep them coming

 

OK. Spend some time here . . . autopia.org and here . . . DetailCity.org and here . . . Meguiar's On-Line

 

Nick, here you go.

Zaino is generally regarded as one of the best polishes around. Its main advantages are that its a synthetic, so it will stay on your car for alot longer than a wax will. Also its optical properties give a better overall shine and depth compared to waxes. Some guys here will actually layer a carnuba over the zaino for even more depth. Zaino's main benefit to me is how long it stays on your car. Also the more coats you put, the deeper the shine you get. Its a great site, if you go on any car site which has forums, you will likely see people raving about zaino. Zaino will do nothing for swirls and neither will most waxes, Zaino has no abrasives in it, only cleaner waxes will have abrasives, but not enought to effectively remove swirls. For swirls u will need either a swirl remover or a polish such as 3m Fine Finesse It II (polish), 3M swirl mark remover for light car (swirl remover), and Menzerna Intensive Polish (polish) . Polishes being the more aggresive of the two.

Soap matters, some soaps are stronger than others, I had been using NXT by meguiars and i was noticing my zaino was not lasting as long as before. The soap I have now is alot less prone to strip the wax or polish, also its much slicker for easier washing and it keeps it suds and foam throughout the entire washing.

You wash first, with dove or some strong soap to remove any old wax or polish you have on the car. Then once the car is washed and dried, clay bar the entire car. Usually you will only have to really work the horizontal surfaces like the hood, roof and trunk. Those you will find have the most contamination.

Nick, i have no idea what mr clean auto dry is, so i cant answer this question. I have always used the big blue microfiber towel to dry my car.

Zaino has a certain process you follow to apply. Its on their site, basically you start with an undercoat of Z1, then you apply Z2 and let it dry for an hour or so, then using a microfiber towel you remove the product. Really simple. Dont put too much on, or its a pain to get off, you just want light even coverage over the car.

 

Generally regarded by who? Most likely people who use Zaino. Let's be honest here. There are just as many people who hate Zaino as there are who love Zaino. Also, as choosing car care products is 99% about personal preference there is no such thing as "best."
Yes, Zaino is a synthetic sealant and synthetics last longer than natural waxes. However, if you ever started a post over on Autopia that a synthetic offers better shine and depth than a natural wax you would be flamed until only cinders were left.

The other 1% of choosing a detailing product is about compromise. If a product is more durable than chances are it produces less depth, wetness, and optical clarity and vice-versa.

 

MikeyC,

You are correct, most people who love Zaino use Zaino. It does have a large following, but like you said in regards to compromise, there are those who hate it as well. I think all products that are recommended will be like this. There is no single on product that is better than others, and you put it best, its all about personal preference, ease of use and application, durability and shine. Zaino is a very popular product though.

That fact that Zaino lasts longer than natural waxes is good enough for me. Different people have different criteria to judge products by. I dont think I really stated you get a better shine, just a different shine. But if I did, I am sorry. I have read on several sites including autopia that Zaino is optically perfect, so it brings out the shine in a vehicle better than a wax would, where as a wax sort of gives you a softer look. Anyways, based on my experience, I prefer Zaino for basically the durability and the shine it gives, needless to say after several coats.