Ok guys, a lot of people have been asking me the bare essentials to car care. I decided to write this article to explain my personal suggestions as to what I think you should look into buying. With this being said, they are my own personal opinions; everything I am suggesting I have used and worked with. I would never suggest something that I think is cool or any other matter of that sort. I’ll only offer my normal suggestions. I’m not going to directly link websites on where you can buy products. I will always support forum sponsors before anything else.
Wash:
Washing a car is the bare essential of getting your car clean. Many people associate washing with using a grout sponge, some Dawn soap, and a bath towel to dry your car. Everyone has done it at some point, including me.
Washing is where the majority of your swirls are produced, proper washing of your car can help prevent and eliminate these risks.
Buckets:
When I wash a car, I use 2 buckets. This is usually known as the two bucket method. Both are 5 gallon buckets, and both have grit guards in the bottom of the buckets:
You don’t need two grit guards, but the OCD in me always wants them. More is better than less.
In one bucket, is where your soap is going to sit. The other bucket is for clean water (This is where the Grit Guard will sit). The purpose of the grit guard is to help release dirt particles that are stuck on your mitt. After to wash a panel of the car, you will put the mitt into the clean water, scrub the mitt against the clean water, and then dip into your soap and continue to wash.
Mitt:
Many people think grout sponges are the proper washing tool to use. Not true. A sheep skin mitt or microfiber mitts are much better alternative, mainly because they don’t trap and hold dirt. In addition, they are soft on the paint and can sud up the soap a lot better, providing more lubrication and reduce swirls.
I use a Cobra MF Mitt:
Soap:
Soap is a critical step in the washing method. You need something that can provide enough cleaning power to get rid of all of the dirt on the paint, while getting the crucial lubrication needed.
I really like Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss. When diluted to ½ ounce per gallon, you can use it as a normal soap for general washing. When you need to strip existing wax or sealant, dilute it to 2 ounces per gallon:
Drying:
I won’t go into this very much, because there isn’t much to be said. Using bath towels are too rough for your paint, and induce swirls. Waffle Weave microfiber towels are the only proper way to dry a car. I don’t like chamois or the jelly blades, because both can trap dirt and scratch the paint as you spread them across the car.
Some people can say that scratching the paint can happen the same way on the MF towels, but with the plushness of the towel, it is less likely to trap the dirt and spread it.
I use just a general MF Waffle Weave Towel:
Clay Bar:
For general waxing, most people like to skip this step because they don’t think it applies to them. What they don’t know, is that this is the second major step that can contribute to swirls. Simply spraying quick detailer and rubbing clay bar will help lift the embedded containments.
I like the Clay Magic Kits personally. You can pick them up at any local auto store.
Sealant:
Sealant is something that is usually never known, or overlooked. Sealant is your base protectant. While it doesn’t usually contribute to major depth and gloss, it can help protect your paint for up to 6 months. Applying is as simple as to taking a foam applicator pad and simply rubbing it on your paint. The goal is to create a thin layer of sealant. More is NOT better in this case.
I love Wolfgang 3.0 Paint Sealant. It’s the easiest sealant I have used, and the longest lasting (not to mention it does help create some depth). You need to apply this sealant and let it DRY for 1 hour. Remove with a microfiber towel and before you do anything else to your paint, you need to let it cure for 24 hours. By letting it cure, the sealant bonds to the paint, creating this long lasting protection:
Wax:
Wax is the second step in protection for your car. This is where you get most of your depth and gloss (from protection products). This form of protection can help protect your car for about 3-5 weeks, depending on weather conditions. Applying as well, you can use a foam applicator pad. You can apply by hands as well, but it gets a little messy. After you apply (which should happen when your car is in a cold, shaded place) let the wax go to a haze, and simply wipe it off with a MF towel.
I really love Dodo Juice. Many people ask why I prefer paste wax over liquid wax. The only reason why liquid wax is liquid is because of the Carnauba content. Carnauba in its natural state is hard as a rock. So by making it liquid, less carnauba is needed. This also limits the amount of protection and depth you can achieve. When in doubt, invest into Paste Wax.
I use a combination of Dodo Juice Waxes. It seems overkill, but I really appreciate the results:
Dodo Juice Hard Candy:
Dodo Juice Rainforest Rub:
A cheaper alternative could be Poorboys World Natty Waxes. I’ve used these for about a year and a half and had fantastic results:
Towels:
Microfiber towels are essential to keeping your car swirl free. You can really go any direction with microfiber towels, just make sure they are plush and from a reputable place. The autozone towels are not actual microfiber towels, trust me. I use Cobra MF towels:
Wheel Care:
Wheels can make or break a car, we as enthusiasts know this. The proper ways to wash wheels are critical to have them nice and shiny for years to come.
Degreasers:
Wheel degreasers are a major factor in washing wheels. Some can cause permanent damage to wheels while other can never clean simple dust off it.
You want to stay with a neutral PH wheel cleaner. Cleaners at autozone are highly acidic. While they do great at washing wheels, they slowly chew away at your finish.
For stubborn wheels, Sonax or P21s are the best cleaners on the market, hands down. They are highly expensive though, so use them only when needed.
Right next to the P21s wheel gel is the wheel brushes. Especially for you ZHP guys, you absolutely need these brushes. It helps agitate the degreaser and scrub away at wheel dust. It’s perfect for any wheel, especially close spokes.
I use Meguiars D104 APC Degreaser always for general wheel cleaning. Diluted 10:1, it’s great for general upkeep for general dusted wheels:
Maintaining your wheels is the next step to helping them look shiny for weeks, even with OEM dust! I like Poorboys Wheel Sealant. With a melting temperature of 400+ degrees Fahrenheit, it’s impossible for this sealant to fail. Most of the time, all that is required is a simple hose of water to wash off the existing OEM dust.
Exhaust:
Exhaust tips usually never look right when you look at someone's car. They are always dirty, and never shine when you see the factor pictures. Cleaning exhaust tips is one of the easiest, and cheapest things that someone can do. Using steel wool is the easiest way to clean your exhaust tips. It's important to use the correct steel wool.
You want to look into #0000 Steel Wool. This is the finest steel wool you can get. You won't scratch you tips, a common misconception, but you will actually polish them; while removing all of the grime. Combine this with some metal polish on the steel wool while you rub away and it will become perfection. Sometimes it does take work to get the more stubborn grime off. I use Blue Metal Polish, you can pick it up at any autozone/automotive store. It's non-abrasive, so no need about another polish to finish it up
To protect your newly polished tips, apply the Poorboys Wheel Sealant as well to the exhaust tips. It will make cleaning alot easier next time around.
Trim:
Faded trim makes any front end dull and boring. Repairing your moldings can make any car's appearance come together. I use to use back to black by mothers, but that was all liquidly, messy, and a pain to apply. To add on top of that, it was faded after one wash. I personally like Black WOW. It's a gel like substance that sticks to the molding and can last past 6 months before re-applying. It's still alittle messy, so I suggest either taping off the surrounding area, or taking the trim completely off. It's not cheap, but well worth it
I’ll stop right here. I’ll add little nib bits like interior cleaning, etc when I have more time. This is a quick write-up for some people that have requested it.
Thank you for your time,
Kyle
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