on vehicles i want to save time on i will give them a full detail and apply a base coat of sealant (usually zaino or duragloss 105/601 combo). after that, simply boost the protection with a spray sealant after each wash.

spray products worth trying: duragloss aquawax, ultimate paint protection spray (UPPS), zaino z8

.02

 

i've been doing a thourough wash and wax every sat for the last few months. Seems excessive, but I like a clean car and mainly cause i have to park in the sun at work (no other option-trust me, im pissed), which is out all the time here in phx, so i wanted a health coat of UV protectant.

Despite all the waxing, my paint feels a bit rough, kinda like a even light spray of tree sap or something.(you cant see it, just feel it) It looks shiny like a freshly waxed car should, water beads fine, but no matter how much i wax it, i cant get a perfectly smooth feel on the surface.

How can i fix this?

 

Try using a clay bar after you wash the vehicle next time. Basically you spray some clay lube over a small area and glide the bar side to side. It picks up micro contaminates that are tightly adhered to the clear coat or stuck in the clear coat's micro ridges. This will help your paint feel a lot smoother and cleaner. I typically recommend the Clay Magic Fine Grade 200 g Clay Bar and the Poorboy's World Spray and Wipe for a clay lube. To read more about how to use the Clay Bar please read our Detailing Guide - Clay Bar. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

 

Since I last posted, I found this guy here in Atlanta who has his own washing/waxing operation and comes to your house or work or wherever and cleans your car. I was noticing the same things you mentioned after I waxed mine (still wasn't smooth).

I let this guy do a wash/polish/wax job on the car and interior detailing for 80 bucks and now the car looks awesome! It shines like glass and it is as smooth as can be. btw, the guy's business is called "Obsessive Compulsive Detailing" (OCD) and I highly recommend his work.

 

Did the clay bar thing on sunday. Holy, talk about some work.

1. wash car.
2. dry car
3. squirt lube and rub tiny clay bar around till paint is smooth
4. wash car
5. dry car
6. wax car
7. remove wax

Results were great though. Accomplished my goal and now the paint is like brand new.

Also polished exhaust with never dull. It took forever to get the insides of the tips shiney and clean. Is there a trick to get out the black soot thats cooked on there? I spent about 30 min on each tip and my hand was cramping up. Sucked. That schit is really tough to get off.

 

i was actually wondering how to go about cleaning the exhaust tips. i was going to buy some chrome polish, but i was afraid i would screw them up so i thought i would hold off and wait til someone told me the best stuff to use.

any thoughts? he mentioned "never dull" above. is that good stuff to use? if so, where do you get that stuff?

 

Any good metal polish like the Never Dull will work on your tips. I prefer the P21S Finish Restorer and a two sided microfiber polishing towel myself but both should work on tips with light build-ups. Just wipe it on and buff off until clean. The key for me is the microfiber towel which helps remove everything from the surface and it's safe to use on chrome. I'm constantly amazed at how much contamination they remove. Make sure you use a clean cloth or applicator so you don't' scratch up your tips. Good luck!

Greg @ Detailed Image

 

Greg,

Will that stuff "eat" the black residue that builds up on the inside of the exhaust tips? Or do you still have to rub the schit outta it till it gets back to looking like shiny metal instead of black.

I hadnt cleaned the inside for prob 20K mi....whoops! mainly cause i didnt know what to use so they were pretty black. Going forward i'm going to stay ontop of it so it doesnt get as bad...hopefully it wont be such a pain next time.

 

It does not eat through it, in the sense that it will not instantly dissolve the build-up. However within a couple minutes it should look like new again. If you prefer a spray on product you should try the P21S Total Auto Wash. This product is a citrus degreaser that you can use before washing to help loosen stubborn build-ups on your entire exterior, most of the engine bay and most fabrics. The citrus formula is very safe and effective. This should save you from some scrubbing, but to get the tips very clean you'll probably have to do some rubbing. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

 

here are a few kinda crappy shots i just snapped, so you can see what im trying to get off.

the second shot was taken upside down with a flash, 3rd without flash. it shows the part i didnt take the time to scrub cause my hand was feeling abused after getting the bottom part back to shiny.

i'll look into picking up some stuff from you greg...looks like some great products.

ps-sorry bout the thread jack! fairladyz47597 <--its his fault!

 

Scott from Obsessive Compulsive Detailing is polishing my car as we speak. Thanks for the tip on him, and I'll report back with his work.

 

awesome! glad you tried his work out! i thought he did an excellent job on my car! i don't know if i posted pics, but here it is after he washed, polished, and waxed it...

 

it's cool, man. i have gotten a lot of helpful tips from your questions as well.

 

more...

 

Car looks sharp fairladyz47597!

Here's my end result from the day of the claying/waxing/exhaust polish.

oh ya..washed it again yesterday, so it look like this now too!

 

is that a spec of dirt i see on the fender???

jk

looks very clean. nice job on the exhaust. i haven't washed mine for 2 weeks now and it's looking horrible. in fact, yesterday someone wrote "wash me" on the back of my car in the dust. I hate letting it go, but we are in a drought and there is nowhere to wash my car. guess i'll have to just wait it out.

looks great, though.

 

haha! its a reflection I swear!

Those are some nice photo's you got. Looks like a pro took those shots.

someone touched your car? I'd feel violated. Specially if they rubbed dust into the paint. that sux man. Plenty of water here in the desert...wierd.

Get a California Duster from autozone or somewhere!

 

thanks for the compliment. i just took the pics when the sun was setting so the light was pretty nice. i've noticed that my silver car looks the best when it is twilight.

i like your wheels btw. are they any special kind?

i did feel violated when someone touched my car. at first i thought it was some of my friends at work but then i realized that it was some stranger which pissed me off, but i got over it. no big deal. i will check into a california duster to get some of that ugly dust off the car. meanwhile, i'll pray for rain. i'm sick and tired of this frickin drought.

 

thx.

5zigen FN01R-C brushed 18 inchers. nothing too special. They're light and reasonably priced. They look cool too, if you look closer, the inside edges are powder coated a darker grey. Got em cause I had the BBK up front w/ stock rims originally, which was kinda goofy. The stockers cleared w/ no probs by about this | | much! lol.

I love the tires on em more than the rims though!

 

well they look great. i hadn't noticed the powder coating, but it does add a nice touch. the wheels give it a mean look. i can't tell what kind of tires you've got. i have plain ol' bridgestone potenza RE050As...nothing special, but i paid dearly for them...long story.

i'm thinking that maybe sometime i might get some different stock wheels for mine. i really like the way the 06 and 07 stock rims look. mine aren't bad but there is always room for improvement...