What to buy to wash/wax ?

[imported_matthew]

Alright, I`ll admit it. I am a newbie to car care. I spent a while saving up for my brand new 2002 Pathfinder, and after owning it for a few months, taking it through the automatic car wash, lets just say I am less than satisfied.



I am going to go to pep boys today I think. Like I said I am a newbie, so I have no idea what to buy for it or anything. The color is black, so as you can imagine everything shows on it!



Can anyone here give me some recommendations on what to buy? I have nothing right now that would be helpful to wash it, other than a hose :)



I really don`t have much of a limit on what to spend. I am guessing right now I`ll buy 2 buckets, one for clean water, one for soapy water. I also need some kind of cleaner, some kind of scratch remover, and some kind of wax. Also something to wash it with, mittens or something, I don`t know. Whets the best thing to use to wash the surface of the car?



I guess I am asking for a list of what I should buy, and maybe some tips on how to do this all. I am prepared to spend hours to get it looking nice, the 15 minutes it takes to drive to the car wash, go through and come back just doesn`t cut it for me and my new puppy :)



Thanks for helping me out, and I sure hope I don`t bore some of you guys with all my questions!



Matt

[mercedesfanatic]

If you do a search you should be able to find a lot of information on this. Since you said you have no price limit what I would recommend is that you skip your trip to Pep Boys and instead go to www.properautocare.com Anything you need for car cleaning is there. I personally would recommend you check out the Pinnacle line!

[imported_matthew]

Thanks. When I said no price limit, I mean`t resonable. Spending $100 on supplies is not going to kill me.



I am searching around here, and coming up with items. It seems Zaino is pretty good, although maybe i am stupid, or can`t read, but i can`t seem to find any wax on their website. all i seee is polishes, and i am pretty sure people said they use Zaino wax...



i think what i am looking for in this thread more than anything else is just a list of supplies i will not need, but not neccersarly specfiic product recomendatoins.



for instance, i might need buckets, hoses, mits, towels, etc, etc, but i`m not sure on the things such as what kind of towel to get.



thanks!

[imported_Tony]

Pep Boys carries several of the Mother products. Suggestion #1: use Mothers 3 step system Cleaner/ Sealer glaze/Carnauba also pick up some Mothers QD quick detailer called Show Time. Suggestion # 2. IHG Imperial Hand glaze and S100 paste wax. Pep boys has IHG, you will have to go to a motorcycle shop Harley for the S100.



For a car wash go by Target and pick up a gallon of Meguiars gold class shampoo about $8 .BTW everyone is looking for a good wash mit. Oh yes the most important thing is some good MF micorfiber towels for drying and polishing/buffing. You can use a mf to wash in an emergency.





Then order the E-Book.



Welcome

[imported_matthew]

Thanks rightlane.



I was just buy pep boys (read this when i got back). I did not purchase anything though. I have to order these MF Cloths online, as the only thing pep boys had were 100% cotton terry clothes made in pakistan or china.



I was going to buy the Meguiar`s gold car wash, and their polish and wax. Shoudl I go with mother`s instead? I really don`t know !!!



What do I use for the washing itself if I use the MF Clothes for buffing and drying (do i use them for applying polish and wax, or use something else)



Thanks for answering my newbie questoins!

[imported_Tony]

If you are willing to wait then I highly recommend a polymer. The polymers shine well and last much longer. I am a Klasse user but I suggest you review this thread and decide.



http://www.autopia.ws/forums/showthread.php?threadid=13746

[KCPreki11]

Originally posted by matthew

Thanks rightlane.



I was just buy pep boys (read this when i got back). I did not purchase anything though. I have to order these MF Cloths online, as the only thing pep boys had were 100% cotton terry clothes made in pakistan or china.



I was going to buy the Meguiar`s gold car wash, and their polish and wax. Shoudl I go with mother`s instead? I really don`t know !!!



What do I use for the washing itself if I use the MF Clothes for buffing and drying (do i use them for applying polish and wax, or use something else)



Thanks for answering my newbie questoins!



Use a MF, Cotton, Sheepskin, or Chenelle wash mitt. Use MF towels for drying and buffing (small for buffing, WaffleWeaves for drying) Use foam to apply polish and wax.



I thought you were going to go with Zaino?

[imported_matthew]

Originally posted by KCPreki11





Use a MF, Cotton, Sheepskin, or Chenelle wash mitt. Use MF towels for drying and buffing (small for buffing, WaffleWeaves for drying) Use foam to apply polish and wax.



I thought you were going to go with Zaino?



Thanks. I might go with Zaino, but I got confused by the site. What I was reading was people use it as `wax` but on the site it is mentioend as a polish. That confused me....

[shaf]

Originally posted by KCPreki11

Use a MF, Cotton, Sheepskin, or Chenelle wash mitt. Use MF towels for drying and buffing (small for buffing, WaffleWeaves for drying) Use foam to apply polish and wax. I agree with everything here except about the wash mitts. It`s almost impossible to find "100% cotton" mitts from a store that actually are 100% cotton. Unlike with towels, "Made in USA" doesn`t help in this. I`m using my sheepskin until I find a real one (do a recent search for a couple on-line sources).



I think if you go with either Meguiar`s or Mothers 3-step system you probably can`t go wrong, although I haven`t used either (just parts of Mothers :p). I would personally lean towards the Mothers sytem because it includes a "glaze", just like IHG.