Washing and Waxing a Car

[Yanks0114]

This tutorial favors meguiars but you can use any product.

GIVING YOUR CAR THAT "WET LOOK" SHINE

I. Purchase the following items:
A. Eighteen of the thickest white, 100% cotton terrycloth towels that you can find.
B. A thick wash mitt.
C. Eighteen terrycloth covered foam applicator pads.
D. Meguiar's No. 00 Hi-Tech wash.
E. Meguiar's No. 9 Swirl Remover.
F. Meguiar's No. 7 Show Car Glaze.
G. Meguiar's No. 26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax.

The Meguiar's products are from their "Professional" line. They come in beige plastic bottles. Some of the larger auto supply stores may carry them, but you'll probably have better luck finding them at body shop supply stores. Each bottle will have a big bright yellow product number on the label.


II. A few basic guidelines that apply to all finish care products:
A. Always detail your car in the shade, and when the surface is cool.
B. NEVER use liquid detergent to wash your car. It will strip off any protection that you do have. Use only products made especially for washing cars.
C. When washing or applying and removing a product, start with the top of the car and work your way down, horizontal surfaces first.
D. Forget what dear old dad taught you. Never wash or dry your car, or apply or buff out a product by moving in circles. Always move in straight lines, parallel to the length of the car. Here's why: No matter how carefully you detail your car, you will make miniscule scratches. What makes them visible is light reflecting off the edges of them. Circular scratches reflect light from any angle, while straight ones only reflect light from two angles (perpendicular to the length of the scratch).
E. Do not use the same applicator to apply, or towel to buff out two different products. Use a fresh applicator to apply each product, and fresh towels to buff it out.
F. Turn your applicators and towels often. When applicators get dirty, throw them away. When the towel starts to look dirty, turn it or get a fresh one
G. Wash your towels separately from anything else in hot water with no bleach, and NO FABRIC SOFTENER. Fabric softener reduces the absorbency of the towels.


NOW FOR THE WORK:

III. Washing:
A. Fill a clean bucket with cold water and add 1 ounce of the No. 00 Hi-Tech Wash per gallon of water.
B. Rinse the car off with the garden hose. Don't use a nozzle or put your thumb over the end, just use a nice stream.
C. Wash and rinse the car one section at a time, starting at the top and working your way down, horizontal surfaces first.
D. Dry the car with the towels in the same sequence, turning them often. NEVER use a chamois. Any small pieces of dirt caught between the chamois and the paint will cause scratches. This is why the towels are best. The dirt will be trapped in the "pile" of the terrycloth, away from your paint.


IV. Initial cleaning:
A. Apply the No. 9 Swirl Remover. Work it until it's almost dry, then buff it out with a fresh towel.
1. This only needs to be done about once a year, or if you have swirl marks or shallow scratches, and never on new paint.
B. Using a fresh towel, go over the whole car once again lightly to buff out anything that you may have missed.


V. Polishing:
A. Apply the No. 7 Show Car Glaze. Use Sparingly. A little of this stuff goes a long way.
B. Buff it out with a fresh towel. Buff until you hear the towel "squeak" as you move it back and forth.
1. As Jerry Lee said, "That's when ya know you got it".
2. Notice that deep mirror shine that you've produced.
C. Using a fresh towel, go over the whole car once again lightly to buff out anything that you may have missed.


VI. Protecting:
A. Apply the No. 26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax.
1. You don't have to "rub it in". Just apply it lightly and let it dry to a haze.
B. Buff it out with a fresh towel, then use another fresh towel to go over the whole car once again lightly.


VII. Admiring:
A. Take a fresh towel, fold it into fourths and throw it across the roof or the hood. Watch it sail across and fly off the other side.


VIII. Gloatting:
A. Sneer at the peasants in your neighborhood and at your job whose cars look like junk heaps.

[Fletch]

Interesting tip about moving in parallel lines with the car when washing and drying. Just to clarify, do you use this technique with the wax products also?

What do you think about the water blade? I guess a piece of dirt or sand could get caught between the water blade and the paint, resulting in a scratch.

[Yanks0114]

Interesting tip about moving in parallel lines with the car when washing and drying. Just to clarify, do you use this technique with the wax products also?

Yes also use this technique for waxing.

What do you think about the water blade? I guess a piece of dirt or sand could get caught between the water blade and the paint, resulting in a scratch.

STAY AWAY FROM THE WATERBLADE.It scratched my paint up so much. It worked great until I noticed all the scratch marks.

[happy_aggies]

After wash, Clay Bar ur car to remove oxidation n rough surface.

[Guest]

very good advice yanks.

i own a 99 red mustang vert ;)

i saw pretty much this same tutorial on stangnet.

i used mothers california gold car wash(about 1 oz per gallon). but i dont use the same mitt for the whole car. I throw about 10 terry cloth towels in the bucket, wash 1 section of the body, and put that towel in a seperate basket, not to be used again untill it is washed. This was you never drag dirt/other harmful things onto other body panels.

i then put it in the shade, and proceeded to dry it with terry cloth towels, repeating the whole proccess of only drying 1 body panel per towel.

Next comes the mothers california gold clay bar system. Spray down a 1-2 sq foot section with the detailing spray and rub the bar over the section lightly. there is no need to apply much pressure. you will hear a light rubbing noise, rub until it goes silent. Wipe off excess detailing spray with a terry cloth towel. Roll up the clay bar and flatten it out after every section so any dirt gets trapped inside the clay. Finish whole car.

Next comes Meguiars Show Car Glaze #7. Use a foam applicatior pad. Buff off with a terry cloth towel. Change towels frequently.

Finally use a seperate foam applicator pad to apply Mothers California Gold Carnuba Paste Wax. (I prefer solid waxes to liquid waxes). Buff off with....you guessed it...a terry cloth towel.

When you're finished with all this, take your t-shirt you took off because you were so hot, and throw it on the hood, and watch it fly off.

I use this method, and i use about 45 terry cloth towels for the whole process.

[Mole]

this will take an approx eternity.



too bad you cant wax the inside of your car. ugh.. the feeling of doing all those applications makes me cringe. i've done it twice before.

[Guest]

yea, it gives you some pretty nasty tennis elbow.

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

Yep, I've been following the same technique minues the Meguiar's No. 9 Swirl Remover! Next time....i'll be sure to include that to my collection...
I esp like this comment from yanks...so true...

VIII. Gloatting:
A. Sneer at the peasants in your neighborhood and at your job whose cars look like junk heaps.

[solara_man2000]

I don't think this was mentioned yet and most of you probably already know but this trick just blew my mind.

I spent so much time and money buying window cleaners and towels trying to figure out how to get those STREAKS and SPOTS off my windows. Then someone mentioned an easy way that costs NOTHING and REALLY WORKS!!!

1. Get an old newspaper (that's right LA TIMES or similar will do).
2. Crunch it up.
3. Spray some Windex on the window.
4. Wipe with crunched up newspaper.
5. The dryer the newspaper, the better.

Wear some gloves so you don't get the ink all over yourself. Works like a charm!

For those spots on the window that the sun burnt in use a wad of steel wool and gently with circular motions rub the spots out. Be careful not to press too hard. Use very thin gauge steel wool.


Enjoy the beauty!!!

[happy_aggies]

Or you can grab Exxon/Chevron Paper Towel (Blue color)
Those are the best to clean ur window.

[HKSV6SLE]

heheh...good tips...sounds..like a science experiment...too bad its too hot right now..to wash and wax myself....maybe in septermber....

[JoeB]

Anybody else have trouble with rock chips on the front end? Is there something in the cleaning/polishing procedure that can minimize the appearance of these blemishes? I have used the matching touch-up paint from the dealer but it still leaves a rough spot and when I wax it, the wax tends to collect there and not wipe off. Any ideas? -JoeB

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

News paper on glass works great...I remember doing that for hours at our vacation home when i was little It works GREAT.

For front bugs, just get the invisible bra or something like that (use the search button you'll see what i mean).

[lupous]

the best part about the whole process is when you drive out...down the 700 or so foot drive way...oh yeah DIRT driveway, and the whole process is distroyed

makes it all worth while

[solara_man2000]

If you wax your car then it's easier to wash the next time. Takes half the time to wash and dry.