Help me with my new car and waxing products towels etc.

[xmx250]

I have a 2007 Civic Si. I`m planning on keeping this car for a very long time. Therefore i want to maintain my paint for a long time. I dont want to swirl it all the time then have to take it to detailers to get it polished out. I know the clear is thin and i dont want my clear coat getting burned through by the third of fourth year of ownership.



Anyway the car is about to be three months old and the weather is gonna improve to the point where i can wax it soon. I have the worst luck in the world...... i have a true fear that after I wax and take a step back swirls will be everywhere from the process. It seems that any contact whatsoever with paint causes swirls. There is already swirls in the car and i`ve been using a sheepskin mitt,two bucket method, car wash soap, and I blot dry with an absorber(i dont drag the absorber over the paint). I`m assuming that the light rubs from sheepskin mitt caused a few swirls. This leaves me thinking that when i apply and remove wax the swirling will be even more severe? i hope theres a way to prevent this.



I`ve heard that the CD-test is a good way to tell if your towels and such will marr your clearcoat. I took a brand new blank CD with me to autozone and every single product they had swirled the CD. I bought products from exceldetail.com, and those products also swirled a brand new CD. So i`m confused as to what products i should use to wash and wax my car.



Can you autopians please lead me to a site where i can truly buy quality products that are so soft that they will not swirl my paint. I`m mainly looking for wax applicators and something to remove the wax. I would also like towels to dry the car because the blot dry method with the absorber takes forever, LOL. I`m planning on using P21S wax because i`ve heard its easy to use, i`m not sure if this is a good decision.



Thanks a ton everyone. heres some pics of the car that i took about two weeks ago after washing in freezing weather, LOL



http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b154/xmx250/Picture008z.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b154/xmx250/lflflflone-1.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b154/xmx250/Picture013z.jpg

[xmx250]

bump for fixed post

[coupe]

Your supposed to act like the CD is your paint as your doing whatever task your trying to do. Would you wash your car with a dry mit and no water/soap? If no, then why would you test a CD like that?

[xmx250]

Well i assumed............... I guess i`ll try it wet but then that leads to complexity. I wont be able to dry it with anything cause then i wont know what caused any marring? I could let it air dry i guess, and no i`m not gonna get a blow dryer to dry it. Man this stuff could get complicated, lol. c`mon guys i`m a newb help me out.

[BMW335i]

Well i assumed............... I guess i`ll try it wet but then that leads to complexity. I wont be able to dry it with anything cause then i wont know what caused any marring? I could let it air dry i guess, and no i`m not gonna get a blow dryer to dry it. Man this stuff could get complicated, lol. c`mon guys i`m a newb help me out.



The meguiars water magnet shouldn`t scratch the CD. Towels from PakShak dont scratch CD. You have to be gentle with the CD just as you would paint. You don`t need water just lightly rub.



I wouldn`t get overly worried with what scratches the CD. The sheepskin will probably scratch it but it is the tool of choice here. A CD is much softer than your cars clear.

[thesacrifice]

I bet you used a burnable cd huh? those things scratch if you breath on them before brushing your teeth....



Some have invalidated the test, as clearcoat is (hopefully) a bit more resistant to a CD

[Eliot Ness]

Well i assumed............... I guess i`ll try it wet but then that leads to complexity. I wont be able to dry it with anything cause then i wont know what caused any marring? I could let it air dry i guess, and no i`m not gonna get a blow dryer to dry it. Man this stuff could get complicated, lol. c`mon guys i`m a newb help me out.Try to keep it simple. Spray some QD (Quick Detailer) on a CD and lightly buff it off with a MF towel like you would on your car...... you could even use water if you want. If it comes out OK then you know the MF is safe. Next try out your wash mitt and dry with the MF you know is safe from the previous test. If you see marring then it most likely came from the wash mitt.



A CD is pretty small and after you try out the wash mitt you could just shake it dry enough, or use a blast of compressed air, to examine under a light for marring. Exceldetail sells some good products so they should test out OK unless you are rubbing them with excessive pressure.



Or you could wash in one direction (up and down) and dry in another direction (left to right). There you go, between the three methods mentioned you should be able to test your new stuff.



The Exceldetail Monterey (http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29280&pd=133820) WW (waffle weave) towel is one of my favorites for drying..... it is super soft and absorbent, so I`d get at least two of those. Also get some of his Elite Polishing Towels (http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29279&pd=95550&recview=11) for buffing off wax and QD`s. A typical yellow foam applicator is usually fine for applying wax, and Excel also carries those along with MF applicators. I know the towels I just mentioned will pass the CD test because I have done it with them myself. Most of the vendors mentioned here like PakShak (http://www.pakshak.com/micro-fiber-towels.html) and Danse (http://www.danase.com/mito.html) also carry very high quality MF`s.

[xmx250]

Thanks a ton everyone, especially the above poster for the vendors and restoring my faith in excel stuff! I will try the CD test with water and i will try rubbing lighter. I knew the products from excel was supposed to be good stuff thats why i was surprised.



Also, should i be applying wax with a wet applicator? or dry?



Oh and the sheepskin mit was one of the things that scratched the CD the most (cd-r) but then again everyone swears by it so.........

[Eliot Ness]

......Oh and the sheepskin mit was one of the things that scratched the CD the most (cd-r) but then again everyone swears by it so.........They are a lot softer when wet (you have to let them soak) and loaded with a good car wash solution. You really shouldn`t have to use too much pressure at all, just let it glide over your paint. For stubborn spots let them soak for a bit, or if needed use some clay or bug/tar remover instead of being tempted to rub harder to remove.



The bug/tar remover will strip your wax so be prepared to reapply in those areas. The clay, depending on the type and how aggressive you use it, may also remove or compromise your wax.



As for the applicator pad being wet or dry, I just follow the instructions on the product label. If you do use it wet then wring it out well so it is just barely damp.

[Accumulator]

xmx250- With a little work you oughta be able to turn that bad luck around and keep your Honda pretty marring-free.



Yeah, CD-test your stuff the way you`d use it. I use wash solution to test my wash media and even my boar`s hair brushes (BHBs) pass the test. You`ll be able to see the marring OK without drying the CD off, or you can just blow on it with your breath. Give it a try and you`ll see how well this test works and how easy it is. You can test your MFs/etc. on the CD wet or dry, shouldn`t matter. The time spent testing stuff like this is nothing compared to the time it takes to polish out marring ;)



I`m not a big fan of P21s wax and in your case I`d recommend something that`s a) more durable (thus you`d be "doing stuff" to the paint less often), b) "heavier" so it`ll hide some marring and provide a really durable "sacrificial layer" of protection and c) somewhat "self cleaning", meaning that stuff doesn`t stick to it so you can be more gentle when you wash (less chance of marring that way). My usual recommendation is Collinite, either their 476S paste or their 845 Insulator Wax liquid. Both will look good on your paint, don`t get all caught up in the "this wax looks better than that wax" stuff...that`s a tiny % of how a car looks.



IMO most marring comes from the wash, specifically dirt getting pressed against the paint and then being moved *across* the paint. I use a foamgun when I wash, the constant flow of suds provides lubrication and flushing (washes the dirt away so you don`t have to "scrub" it away). Be gentle! When using mitts *without* a foamgun, try filling the mitt with wash solution (hold it underwater in your shampoo bucket). Hold it shut by grabbing the cuff and then whisk it across your paint while the shampoo drains out.

[xmx250]

Accumulator thanks alot. I just tried the Cd test again, this time it was with one of the unused WV drying towels from excel. I tested it dry and with no pressure, just gliding it did not marr the CD, but with any pressure at all, it did leave slight marring. Its alsmot like theres nothing in existence that wont marr a cd-r, LOL.

whats sites do you order your products from? if they sell really good stuff i`ll just buy the wax and all my wax removing towels and applicators there.



Also what car wash do you recommend, i guess something real slippery and sudsy would be best.

[DM101]

Ok, nice car. Here is my favorite MF towel....

Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detail Supplies : CHEMICAL GUYS WHOLESALE AUTO DETAILING SUPPLIES CAR WASH PRODUCTS PROFESSIONAL CAR DETAIL SUPPLY FACTORY DIRECT (http://www.chemicalguys.com/product_p/mic_501_12.htm) These are awesome towels. As for the waxing part I would go with the Zaino line up. You are assured of getting a quality sealant job if you follow his system.

[xmx250]

Zaino always seemed so complicated. I`ve also heard its very expensive... i`ve never looked into it myself though.



BTW what does everyone think of that poorboys nattys blue wax? is it any good? is it easy to use and durable?

[thesacrifice]

people mostly think highly of Natty`s Blue......

[klumzypinoy]

Zaino always seemed so complicated. I`ve also heard its very expensive... i`ve never looked into it myself though.



BTW what does everyone think of that poorboys nattys blue wax? is it any good? is it easy to use and durable?



My friend keeps telling me to buy Natty`s Blue, and his friend loves it. I`m thinking of getting one later as well, but I have some waxes that aren`t finished being used yet =(