Your daily detailing ritual....... - Page 3

User24 · 08-16-06, 06:25

Here goes... Every day before heading indoors for the night, I spend 30 minutes quick detailing and then throw a car cover on. 16 surfaces get cleaned with NXT window cleaner: all glass, all lights, and all mirrors. Then of course quick detailer spray to get rid of the daily dust collected and any other items. The length of ownership for the black vehicle has been 1 year, although 6 months of that year was storage. So you could say I've done a quick detail each day for 6 months so far. As far as my washing habits go, I only wash in 1 of 3 circumstances: changing to a different brand of wax, doing a semi-annual clay, or cleaning brake dust. Otherwise there's no need to spend 1.5 hours washing and drying; the vehicle stays too clean for bird poop and dirt to accumulate. Negatives include the spiderwebs seen in direct sunlight... however many of them were caused during my no-car-cover days+california car duster days+lower quality microfiber days. For product selection, I am currently using ICE wax and ICE detailer due to ease of use, and ability to be used in direct sunlight, and no opaque marking of plastic. Previously, NXT wax and NXT detailer eventually wore me out. NXT is more sensitive to humidity among other issues. I detail at night under streetlights, and there is often more moisture in the air than NXT can handle. I have ordered Zaino, after finding out that it had its own detailer spray. I figure it can be worked into my daily routine, adding a coat every day for the next 6 months. I hope to build up a layer of Zaino that can be detailed and hence spiderwebbed, but smoothed out again the next day with another coat. I hope to be able to not cause marring on the actual clearcoat again.
Sidestory: (Using NXT, windshields fog at night sometimes while green Windex never did, but the optical clarity is better. I'm just not using Windex now because I had to use the bottle when I could not make it to the bathroom in time, and it was the only sizable bottle that could be screwed off!)

a.k.a. Patrick · 08-16-06, 09:38

Every Day????

jasonmac · 08-17-06, 04:50

Ding check, bird bomb check. I keep a small container of Griot's Speed Shine, Invisible Glass and some MFs for emergencies.

QD once or twice a week, wash weekly (usually).

a.k.a. Patrick · 08-17-06, 08:01

Man im lucky to have time for a quick detail. Although I'll admit, I will QD for the first couple/few days after a wash, but If I miss one day? Forget it. It has to wait until the next wash a couple weeks longer.

mikebai1990 · 12-25-06, 08:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by User24

Negatives include the spiderwebs seen in direct sunlight... however many of them were caused during my no-car-cover days+california car duster days+lower quality microfiber days.

The spiderwebs are the result of your daily QD'ing of dust particles and using the car cover as you stated in your other post. These processes are constantly marring the surface of your vehicle. If I were you, I would try to use ONR (as recommended in the other thread) so that the dirt particles can be encapsulated when you wipe it off with your QD.

Also, about that building Zaino up one layer each day for 6 months... I think that's unneccessary. For Zaino, even 10 layers or so in 6 months will be MORE than enough. Any more is really pointless...

paul34 · 12-25-06, 08:50

I'm terrified of inducing extra marring, so after I wash, that's it. Nothing else happens, except maybe the glass if something bad has happened (like bug suicide/murder, bird attacks, etc).

Other than that, just a quick check, and of course a nice appreciate of the work I did, depending on the LSP hehe

oh, and seeing how well my tire dressing is holding up

mikebai1990 · 12-26-06, 06:41

I don't do any daily cleaning either. I leave everything for the next wash. Even if the glass is dirty, I end up waiting till the end of the week to wash it clean. I have a good 2 layers of Collinite and I've started topping it with Aquawax, so it's all good

Nobuff2tuff · 02-13-07, 08:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by a.k.a. Patrick

Man im lucky to have time for a quick detail. Although I'll admit, I will QD for the first couple/few days after a wash, but If I miss one day? Forget it. It has to wait until the next wash a couple weeks longer.

Me too....QD body and rims, dress tires, wipe dash, etc.
Rain or too many miles with bug splat = foam gun wash.

Charisma · 02-14-07, 08:37

Too cold for me right now. But I normally check for bird poo or other contaminants. Dents/Dings/Scratches.

I have a lot of kids who 'hate' me, they all go to my GF's school. So I tend to be aware of **** like that in case I ever find one of those kids tampering with my car. It happened with my old BMW, but nothing with the Lexus yet.

a.k.a. Patrick · 02-14-07, 09:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charisma

Too cold for me right now. But I normally check for bird poo or other contaminants. Dents/Dings/Scratches.

I have a lot of kids who 'hate' me, they all go to my GF's school. So I tend to be aware of **** like that in case I ever find one of those kids tampering with my car. It happened with my old BMW, but nothing with the Lexus yet.

LOL, why do they hate you?

DieselMDX · 02-14-07, 12:20

depends on weather, I have a garage but no sense doing any cleaning when the car will get dirty in 2 seconds

But in summer after EVERY drive I QD the paint,wheels and clean windows and if it needs it apply tire shine

Tasty · 02-14-07, 08:48

My detailing lately here in Houston with rain frequency approaching the likes of Seattle, is to watch the road grime, from just enough rain hitting the highways to mix and make "road diarrhea" as I call it, accumulate on my car in ever thickening layers. I absolutely have been unable to keep my cars clean for about the last 3 months here in Houston. The weather guy said the other night that we had something like 2 months with 3-4 precipitation free days. This sucks.