Originally Posted by
bullfrogs_M3
This sounds massively (over) aggressive, hopefully you were just joking. Wash every couple weeks with a polish and wax every couple months should be all you need to keep your glass like paint. Too much polishing can actually do more harm than good ( depending on product of course) unless you are just going to use an ultra fine polish compound.
Generally a good wax has a half life of about 1-2 months, less in hotter areas/states. The polish should last around 2-4 months. The first to get "weathered" away is wax of course, then the polish (or sealants if you use one, then polish).
Keep the car washed with a PH balanced soap will keep your wax, sealants and polish in maximum life and work. Use other soap types to strip the wax and polish off the car prior to redoing your polishing/waxing again
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Yes... I understand that much work isn't necessary. Overly aggressive might not be the right choice of words, but unnecessary definitely... I was being sarcastic. I used to wash every week and wax every 4. I learned to detail 14 years ago, and have been learning more and trying new products ever since... Honestly, I have the opinion that detailing theories change every few years, much like fashion, diet ideas, etc...
Here's the biggest thing. If the paint looks good and feels soft/smooth/glasslike (or whatever other descriptive words you choose) then it doesn't really matter what you're doing, as long as that finish maintains. Personally, people get all sorts of concerned with PH balanced soaps and all sorts of other chemical wizardry... But do you run tests on the water, or do you just use what comes out of the hose??
The last time I was on our ship, I ran a bunch of chemical tests on a variety of different sources of water. The WORST one (which tested positive for bacteria cultures) was the distilled water I purchased from the grocery store... So, again, its all essentially arbitrary. Unless of course you have a deionizing station at home...
Originally Posted by
Washburn
I will post full details of my products I plan to use later, but the polish, then sealant combo is supposed to give me about 6-8 months protection, and that's how often I hope to do a full detail
- in between, just quick/basic ONR washes and a good spray quick detailer/wax when dirty should keep up the finish...
At least that's my plan...will see how well it really works.
My personal thought?? Washing the car without using water... Why not just pull out the sandpaper... Same idea. Be really careful with the quick detailer. I only use it right after a wash/detail for removal of water spots and then once in a great while for a little spray at the bottom of the panels from the wheels. But after about 24 hours, detail spray is useless, or at least harmful... Again, in MY OPINION... I don't claim to be a pro, just going on my experience.
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