keeganuhl
05-09-2011, 06:03 PM
First of all, had a blast on my first real detail, our 3 year old Altima Hybrid. NEVER had anything done more than a drive thru car wash every couple months. Lots of nasties stuck on and the paint stained in more than a couple places.
I did the following:
1. thorough 2 bucket wash with Optimum Car Wash
2. scrubbed some bugs off the front with a bug sponge
3. clayed it with Adams clay bar, Optimum No Rinse as lubrication. AMAZING the amount of crap that came off this car. Mostly this nasty brown color (same color as the smog here in LA).
4. Washed the clay residue off with ONR.
5. Sealed it with Menzerna Power Lock Polymer Sealant.
6. Windows cleaned with Stoner Invisible Glass
7. Wheels and tires cleaned with Adams All Purpose Cleaner.
8. Tires sealed with Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel (tried the foam applicator route, but was much easier to dilute it 1/1 with water and spray on, wipe off)
There were some bug stains and bird crap marks that wouldn`t come off. Whats the solution for this? Would I need to polish down the paint to get rid of these? Also, swirls and small scratches galore from drive thru car washes and 3 years of life. I assume the best way to avoid this stuff is to wash regularly and not let bird crap or bugs sit on the paint for more than a week or so, right?
Hoping this is a good base to start taking better care of the car. All of this was prompted by my new VW GTI, which I did all the research on how to clean and detail so I could keep it nice (and immediately noticed how much work my wife`s car needed! Tested everything out on hers, will do the new GTI tomorrow).
This ONR stuff is awesome. Low water usage, seems to work great, just gotta rinse frequently so your not pushing grime across the paint I guess. That will probably be my go-to wash, unless something gets super muddy.
Cheers.
http://mkeeganuhl.com/GTI/DSCF1515.JPG
http://mkeeganuhl.com/GTI/DSCF1519.JPG
http://mkeeganuhl.com/GTI/DSCF1522.JPG
http://mkeeganuhl.com/GTI/_DSC8220.JPG
I did the following:
1. thorough 2 bucket wash with Optimum Car Wash
2. scrubbed some bugs off the front with a bug sponge
3. clayed it with Adams clay bar, Optimum No Rinse as lubrication. AMAZING the amount of crap that came off this car. Mostly this nasty brown color (same color as the smog here in LA).
4. Washed the clay residue off with ONR.
5. Sealed it with Menzerna Power Lock Polymer Sealant.
6. Windows cleaned with Stoner Invisible Glass
7. Wheels and tires cleaned with Adams All Purpose Cleaner.
8. Tires sealed with Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel (tried the foam applicator route, but was much easier to dilute it 1/1 with water and spray on, wipe off)
There were some bug stains and bird crap marks that wouldn`t come off. Whats the solution for this? Would I need to polish down the paint to get rid of these? Also, swirls and small scratches galore from drive thru car washes and 3 years of life. I assume the best way to avoid this stuff is to wash regularly and not let bird crap or bugs sit on the paint for more than a week or so, right?
Hoping this is a good base to start taking better care of the car. All of this was prompted by my new VW GTI, which I did all the research on how to clean and detail so I could keep it nice (and immediately noticed how much work my wife`s car needed! Tested everything out on hers, will do the new GTI tomorrow).
This ONR stuff is awesome. Low water usage, seems to work great, just gotta rinse frequently so your not pushing grime across the paint I guess. That will probably be my go-to wash, unless something gets super muddy.
Cheers.
http://mkeeganuhl.com/GTI/DSCF1515.JPG
http://mkeeganuhl.com/GTI/DSCF1519.JPG
http://mkeeganuhl.com/GTI/DSCF1522.JPG
http://mkeeganuhl.com/GTI/_DSC8220.JPG