opinions wanted for new car

[phreakofnature]

Hi folks - I just bought my first brand new car - a 2005 Nissan Sentra in Jaded green. It has quickly possessed my every thought and I am wondering what you folks would use to help improve and/or maintain it`s new appearance. I drive a lot - mostly highway driving, atleast 500 miles a week. What frequency of washing/waxing would you suggest? It is housed outside and I park it in the shade as often as possible.



I have already bought 303 and applied it to the tires, trim and interior. I also bought some horrible Black Magic cleaner/shine for tires but I don`t like it because it is oil based silicone and I am paranoid about rotting my tires. I`m going to return that but I will need something to wash off the brake dust with.



From reading these forums and FAQ`s I was thinking of using an acid based cleaner for the wheels occasionally to get the brake dust off. What are your opinions? As you can see, I am



Also how do I tell if there`s swirls in my paint?



Your opinions and guidance will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[White95Max]

If you do a lot of highway driving, I`d recommend first that you use a slick sealant on the front, to aid in bug removal. And wash the front end anytime you see it loaded with bugs.



I recommend Wolfgang (WG) Tire Gel for tires. http://www.autogeek.net/wg4700.html

It`s a bit expensive though so it`s up to you. You could always pick up some Meguiars Endurance Gel locally.



I personally wash my car roughly twice a week. Since we are supposed to have nothing but sunshine for the next 5 days, I`ll probably just be using my OXO Car Duster and following with a quick detail spray (QD). I use Poorboy`s Spray and Gloss (S&G).



For wheels, I use car soap and water to clean most wheels. For bad brake dust accumulation, I use P21S Liquid Wheel Cleaner. http://www.autogeek.net/p2wheelclean.html



It can tackle some nasty brake dust...













To tell if there are swirls in your paint, just look at a reflection of the sun in your car. If you see scratches that appear to surround the sun at any given point on the car, those are swirls.

[imported_garyo]

Personally, with a daily driven car that will not be garaged I would use a sealant such as Klasse, Zaino, NXT (although personally I have not had good experiences with the durability many on here have) or a synthetic like 1Z’s Glanz Wax because they offer better durability than traditional carnauba based waxes. As for frequency that is going to depend, you will just have to become a judge of when things need to be redone.



I then would attempt to wash the car 1-2 times a week (depending on how much time you want to devote) with a good quality car soap.



I personally would not recommend any acid based wheel cleaners. Both of my cars produce enormous amounts of brake dust, however, I find a weekly (or less when I am lazy) washing with a mild soap (I use Meguiar’s Gold Class) and water will remove 99.9% of the grime off the wheels.



Enjoy your new car.

[White95Max]

Once you clean the wheels thoroughly and apply a coat of sealant to them, you won`t need to use a strong wheel cleaner anymore. Car soap will wash them right off. I reapply the sealant to my wheels every 4-6 weeks to ensure that they will remain easy to clean.

[phreakofnature]

thanks for your replies! couple questions:



the "slick sealant" to repel dead bugs does that just go on the front or does it go on the whole car? Can I apply it by hand? The sealant White95Max mentioned for the wheels - is that the same one I would use for the front of the car? I waxed it Monday but I used some liquid turtle wax I already had on hand. Sealant and wax are different things, right?



It has no brake dust on it yet but I will check out one of the cleaners you recommended in the future. That one wheel you posted - wow it`s very clean now. Thanks for the swirl pic - now I know I have no swirls! yippee!!!



I know I probably sound dumb, but that`s why I`m asking Thanks!

[phreakofnature]

what do you guys do after it rains on your car? Do you just have to wash it all over again or can you just wipe it off after it dries?

[White95Max]

Originally posted by phreakofnature

thanks for your replies! couple questions:



the "slick sealant" to repel dead bugs does that just go on the front or does it go on the whole car? Can I apply it by hand? The sealant White95Max mentioned for the wheels - is that the same one I would use for the front of the car? I waxed it Monday but I used some liquid turtle wax I already had on hand. Sealant and wax are different things, right?



It has no brake dust on it yet but I will check out one of the cleaners you recommended in the future. That one wheel you posted - wow it`s very clean now. Thanks for the swirl pic - now I know I have no swirls! yippee!!!



I know I probably sound dumb, but that`s why I`m asking Thanks!

The "slick sealant" just refers to two sealants in particular (that I`ve tried anyway). Those two are Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant (WG) and FourStar Ultimate Paint Protection (UPP). You can put them on the front or the whole car it doesn`t make any difference really. My guess is that you`ll love the slickness so much you won`t be able to resist putting it on just the front.



I use WG sealant on my wheels, and it works well and lasts a long time. There is a sealant made for wheels...Poorboy`s Wheel Sealant.





After it rains on my car (I try to have the car in the garage if it`s going to rain) I wash it. The rain is not pure, so it will leave contaminants on your car every time. See my post in this thread about rain spots...

http://autopia.org/forums/showthread...i&pagenumber=2

[phreakofnature]

Thank you Paul and Brian for your opinions. I am going to check out the Wolfgang sealant and the other stuff you mentioned.



I was outside this morning redoing the windows and my neighbors were looking at me funny. Wait til they see me waxing and sealing and staring into the depths of the paint job this weekend :woot:

[White95Max]

Originally posted by phreakofnature

Thank you Paul and Brian for your opinions. I am going to check out the Wolfgang sealant and the other stuff you mentioned.



I was outside this morning redoing the windows and my neighbors were looking at me funny. Wait til they see me waxing and sealing and staring into the depths of the paint job this weekend :woot:

What are you going to use on the car this weekend? It takes 4-5 days to get stuff here from Autogeek.net or WolfgangCarCare.com (ships from FL).



You could also check out Danase.com

They have a lot of stuff there, and I believe they`re located in lower Michigan so your order would arrive quicker.



Be sure to post pics of your car after you finish :wavey

[phreakofnature]

Well this weekend I was planning on washing and waxing it again. The only wax I have now is TW ultra gloss platinum but I was just perusing all the forum for other local waxes I might try.



I am going to order the WG sealant so that will have to wait. Other than that I will just obsessively clean windows and if the wind blows hard, I will have to rinse, lather and repeat

[markmando]

if i were ya, i`d head to walmart or autozone and pickup a a claybar and clay the whole car from top to bottom.



then head to target and pickup some Meguiar`s Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner $9 for a gallon.



then while still at target pick up some woolite regular and dillute 6 to 1 water and go over entire dash.



the car should be looking pretty spiffy by now and ready to polish and wax.



i`d pick up some Meguiar`s NXT TECH WAX or MOTHER`S REFLECTIONS WAX and some microfiber towels to wax the car.



lastly i`d hit the closest harley davidson store and pick up some S100 carnauba wax and go panel by panel till she`s gleaming.



then i`d cruize over to the local watering hole and have a well deserved beer and watch everyone check out my ride.



that`s only if i was hitting locally available products.

definetly pick up some klasse aio in the near future. that stuff rocks!



my 2¢.

[phreakofnature]

Originally posted by markmando

if i were ya, i`d head to walmart or autozone and pickup a a claybar and clay the whole car from top to bottom.

This souds like fun to do but I was under the (perhaps incorrect) impression that claying is not for brand new cars but rather cars whose paint needs some help. Don`t get me wrong - I will help my car all it wants or needs - this was just my impression.



Would claying brand new paint be a good idea?

[Accumulator]

phreakofnature - Welcome to Autopia!



Yeah, claying a new car *is* a good idea. New cars often have "rail dust" (ferrous contamination) embedded in the paint from when they were shipped. This can turn into little "rust blooms" as it corrodes. Plus, all sorts of other stuff can get into/on the paint between the time it leaves the factory and when you get it home. Claying is a good way of handling this sort of thing.



The Mother`s kit with clay, lube, and cleaner wax can be a good starting point to introduce you to "detailing".



Get some good MFs though, you don`t want to mar the paint by using something coarse on it.



And study up on wash techniques (and equipment). Washing/drying a car without marring the paint is a lot harder than most people might think.

[phreakofnature]

wow thanks! whole new worlds are opening up to me :xyxthumbs

[White95Max]

Definitely clay the paint. Every car needs to be clayed at least once. Of course if you`re like most of us here, your car will be getting clayed at least once a year. I usually clay my entire car twice per year. Once in spring and once in the fall.