Ok everyone i finally had a chance to detail my car over the weekend. I was going to start on saturday but the freaking rain started so i waited til sunday. This is how i started and how it went so please give me some advice/tips for the next time.

2003 Brickyard Z. Previous owner treated it like junk. Now I wanted to try and restore it the best i could.

I started off by washing the car with Meguairs gold class wash and a chenille pad. I then dry it with microfiber drying towels and then i moved the car into the garage and clayed it. Claying it made a huge difference however I think I clayed it too fast and didn't really take enough time to make sure EVERY part of the car was super clean but it still looks much better. Maybe in about a month I'll do it again and I'll take much more time with it. Anyways moving along. After this I washed it again. Then i took it back into the garage/shaded area and applied mother pre-wax carnabu cleaner paste form. This seemed to really add a very nice wet shine to my car but I washint finished yet. I finally finished it off by using Meguars NXT tech paste wax. However after doing so the car didn't seem to have that wet look that the pre wax gave it. so i have a few questions/concerns. Now before I start to list them I did Everything i just listed back to back with no breaks in between. Should I have waited an hour or two before I put theNXT tech wax on ? Or is that just the way the product works? I also put the NXT wax on the whole car and then waited about 15-20 minutes, then proceeded to wipe off the wax with a terrry cloth/ and a microfiber. Would it have been better to just wax a section at a time and the buff it out? Should I choose a different brand of wax? Please someone give me some future advice for the next time i do this I want it done to perfection. The look that I really like is that wet/oily look like the car has been dipped in oil and its just glowing. So with that being said please give me some input fellas. Also I learnred how to do this in order from autopia.org. They said wash, clay, pre wax, then seal the wax with a wax just in case you wanted to know why i did what did.

On as a side note I would just like to say thanks to EVERYONE on this board. I have learned a TREMENDOUS amount of knowledge about my car and especially about detailing and how to keep it in top shape. The things I have learned are priceless and well I just wanted to let everyone know that I GREATLY appreciate all comments, past and presents, and also inputs that many have had on my threads.

This is my home away from home. Hell i visit this site and read posts more than I do surfing the net for ****, which as any straight male will tell is hard to do lol, so it's gotta say something for how much I love visiting this place.

 

You skipped polishing... I would say that goes a long way to giving you the look you want... especially if the previous owner had never polished before. But I'm certainly no expert. Anyone feel free to put me in my place.

Weren't you complaining about swirl marks on another thread? How bad are they after the wash and wax?

 

well not as bad. but i can't really tell b/c it was dark.

**** so i skipped polishing huh? damn, so does that mean i have to do EVERYTHING again or can i just wash and then polish?

or how about wash, polish, and then do a quick detail spray? (does detail spray act as a sort of touch up wax...just to get you by every week until you wax your car again? (which might be every 3 months or so?)

 

Again I'm no expert, so take everything I have to say with a grain of salt, but I'm pretty sure you can't polish "over" wax. You'd have to remove it and polish, then wax again.

But don't worry about it man, it's not the end of the world. Wait a few months, and the next time you were planning on waxing it, claybar it again, then polish it. In the mean time, pick up that porter-cable everyone is talking about. It makes the polishing process alot easier and more effective, and it will probably get rid of the swirl marks that I'm guessing are still lurking on your paint.

 

1)Wash
2)Clay
3)Polish (use the Menzerna process (I recommend Intensive and Final II))
4)Glaze
5)Wax

When polishing, it's very important to only do small sections at a time. I usually do a half of a panel. Make sure to use a DAMP applicator and micro fiber towel.

When waxing, I I usually break it up into four sections. I do one side including the trunk and hatch. Then I do the other side including the roof. Next I do the whole rear of the car (under the hatch release). Finally, I do the hood and front of the car. It's very important that your hood be COOL before applying any wax or polish. After I dry my car I usually let it sit for a few hours with the hood open.

You can get a lot of good info and tips here:
http://properautocare.com/

 

Another good site is: www.autopia-carcare.con

 

if you're looking for a wax that will leave your car dripping wet go with natty's blue or pinnacle souveran.

 

Best I've ever seen for dark cars!

And it's also the easiest I've ever worked with.

I use NXT in the Winter and Pinnacle in the Summer.

 

cant use souveran in the summer here, the summer heat will melt the wax right off the car. I'm going to use souveran till about may this year then switch back over to zaino for the summer.

 

From what I've read, the sythetic waxes don't give that "wet" look that carnuba waxes do. I have heard people get good results and a best of both worlds by applying a carnuba wax over their sythetic wax.

 

I've always wondered about that.

 

I've actually been doing that lately. I've been layering souveran over zaino and topping the souveran with z8 between washes. It leaves the incredible zaino reflections but you get added depth and wetness.

 

where can i purchase those products? Ihave like a million products now b/c i keep buying new stuff and its getting to be a pain. i guess thats the part of detailing and finding stuff that works for you. anyhow if i can get some good stuff at a retail store that would be easier since i dont' have to order and wait for it to arrive. i have mostly mothers/meguiars products. i do have to say that i tend to like mothers a bit more. after that meguairs wax nxt finish, it didn't look that great to me so it left a sour taste in my mouth. also i read that synthetic waxes do not/cannot duplicate the wet shine look that a caranuba wax can do. maybe thats the problem i had.

so apply the wax and how long should i let it sit before i buff it off? should it buff off to the point where little bits of "clay" are rubbed off? or should i buff off right after i put it on? (to where it feels like i'm smearing the wax over the car)?

 

I buy my stuff all over the place. But most of it can only be found online (around here)- www.properautocare.com and www.autogeek.net for most of the stuff.

I just went out to the garage and realized that I do have a lot of crap for detailing the cars.


These shelves are all of the products I use on the Z. I have a whole other set of shelves for the other car.



Two garbage bags full of microfiber towels.

 

Links and prices please. Any before and after pics?

 

Just go w/ pinnacle souveran. You can get it at properauto for like $65.

 

Another one that is excellent for dark colored cars, plus easy to apply and remove is a new product from Autoglym, "Ultra Deep Shine". I would also suggest using their "Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner". www.autoglym.com or www.properautocare.com

 

I'm actually working on polishing my car today then topping with souveran. I'll have pics up by monday sometime.