wanna see it?

 

It looks clean .. but it isn't very shiny

 

how do i fix that?

 

Polish and wax

 

ugh... i figured it was about time to do that. i'm afraid to use any kind of rag on the car to wax it because i'm afraid i'll scratch it. that's why i haven't waxed it or polished it. any brand of wax or type of cloth you find safe and effective?

 

Just use a proper applicator pad and a good polish and then wax. Also buy some microfiber towels to wipe it off. I fold my towles in half one way and then in half another way. I then start to wipe off until a side becomes "used" and unfold or flip to a clean side.

I've been using Meguiars and Zaino for a long time and trust both. I've heard great things with other polishes and waxes too.

 

Get some microfiber polishing cloths, and always make sure they're clean.

More info here:
http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/

 

BTW, use different applicator pads for your polish and wax.

 

IMO, I wouldn't use a wax ... I'd just use Zaino. Layerability + Durability FTW. (Edit: BTW, Zaino is neither a wax nor is it a polish ... its a "Sealant" ... I'd recommend Z-AIO and I'd recommend a couple of coats of ZFX+Z2Pro on light colors or ZFX+Z5Pro on dark colors ... though, either light or dark will benefit from coats of both)

For towels, I'd get 100% Cotton - Made in the USA. Just make sure that it's TRUELY 100% Cotton... some towels get away with saying the FIBERS are 100% cotton, but the backing will be a synthetic fiber and scratch the paint o_o. Microfiber towels seem to work pretty well, too.

 

awesome. i'll be buying some polish and wax this week and some applicators.

tonight, though, i just wanted to get the car clean. last weekend, it rained and i parked underneath a crack in the parking deck and got all this white sh#t on the car with long drip streaks. it was bugging the crap out of me and i had to get it clean.

 

HA! beat me to it. i was about to ask you what the difference was between zaino and regular wax.

 

thanks for the tips. i guess the only thing you have to worry about when waxing and polishing is to do it out of the sun right?? otherwise i guess there isn't really anything else that can go wrong unless you use a bad cloth.

 

Pretty much ... but there's nothing wrong with doing it in the sun ... it just makes it more difficult because it dries on you too quickly

 

i don't have to worry about that anyway. i can pretty much only wax my car in my apartment parking deck anyway so it'll be covered.

 

Cool

Good luck and post some more pictures when you're done

 

 

i'll do that. i can't get to it this weekend because i'm taking a trip to savannah to go to the beach....(gotta drive the Z all the way from atl... )

anyway, i plan on polishing the car early next week. it's def. due for a good shining.

 

looks clean, but you need a wax

 

how did you know that i need to wax the hair on my back?

 

nice!