few detailing questions from semi-newb

[kevinf]

i have been detailing my car for a bit now and am thinking about changing some of what i am using. currently i use Meguiar's gold class car shampoo, which i probably will stay with. For clay, i am using Meguiar's clay bar kit that includes the quik detailer and clay bar. are there better alternatives? For wax, i use Meguiar's carnauba (sp?) wax. I might be changing to a paste wax since the liquid wax doesn't last as long, but if you guys have any recommendations, feel free to post them here. also i am looking for a good polish that might help buff out some small hairline scratches. do you guys have any recommendation for those? i would also like some recommendation on some good interior cleaners and leather conditioners.



also whenever i am claying, i do see brown residue on my clay after i am done with a panel, but aside from that, i am not sure if i am actually claying correctly. it is hard to tell the difference before and after claying. I just basically spray some of the quik-detailer onto the panel and rub my clay in a gentle motion right? and then wipe it off with a micro fiber cloth.



another question is should i be claying every time i wax? if so, then how often should i wax? i usually clay AND wax every two or three weeks. is that too much claying?



thanks for taking the time to read and answer these questions

 

[kevinf]

can anyone help?

 

[VanityDetailing]

Wax should typically last a lot longer than 2-3 weeks. You're basically doing way more than you need to.



For light scratches, some Meguiar's ScratchX or even SwirlX will work fine. Without seeing your paint, it's hard to say what it needs. Yes, clay should be used before wax, but you're going through a lot of it. You're making things harder on yourself than you need to. If EVERY time you claybar it, and it's filthy brown, it sounds like you're in an area with a lot of industrial/railroad fallout. You might want to consider getting a more aggressive claybar. The Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Mild Claybar will work well for you, or if you plan on polishing, bump up to the Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Aggressive Claybar.



I have a regular client, with a white '06 Evo IX MR, that lives 3 blocks away from a freight railroad. I only have to claybar his car once every 2-3 months, and it's meticulously cared for... he does light detailing on it every week, and brings it to me every month for it's monthly full detail, and a thin coat of wax, if it needs it.



Hope that helps.

 

[Accumulator]

i have been detailing my car for a bit now and am thinking about changing some of what i am using. currently i use Meguiar's gold class car shampoo, which i probably will stay with. For clay, i am using Meguiar's clay bar kit that includes the quik detailer and clay bar. are there better alternatives?

Depends what you mean by "better". If the current clay regimen is cleaning stuff off (which it apparently is) and isn't marring the paing (which it apparently is not), the you could just stick with it.



There *is* something to be said for very gentle clays (e.g., Sonus green Ultra Fine) that hardly affect the wax (much less mar the paint) yet still clean OK.

For wax, i use Meguiar's carnauba (sp?) wax. I might be changing to a paste wax since the liquid wax doesn't last as long, but if you guys have any recommendations, feel free to post them here.

Meg's sells a lot of different waxes that could be called that, not sure which one you're actually using. IF you want a good, durable wax, the short answer is Collinite.

also i am looking for a good polish that might help buff out some small hairline scratches. do you guys have any recommendation for those?

Meguiar's Swirl-X and Scratch-X should work OK. If you want to hand-polish the whole vehicle, I'd be somewhat inclined to recommend 1Z Paint Polish instead.

i would also like some recommendation on some good interior cleaners and leather conditioners.

I use Griot's Interior Cleaner and Sonus and/or Leather Masters stuff.

also whenever i am claying, i do see brown residue on my clay after i am done with a panel, but aside from that, i am not sure if i am actually claying correctly. it is hard to tell the difference before and after claying. I just basically spray some of the quik-detailer onto the panel and rub my clay in a gentle motion right? and then wipe it off with a micro fiber cloth.

Sounds OK. The clay *is* cleaning off the "brown residue" so I'd say it's doing its thing. BUT maybe a paint cleaner/etc. could do the same thing....still, that's no real reason IMO to try fixing what's not broken.

another question is should i be claying every time i wax? if so, then how often should i wax? i usually clay AND wax every two or three weeks. is that too much claying?

Claying before you wax cleans things up so you don't just wax over dirt. As long sa the claying is removing that brown residue, and not marring the paint, and you don't mind doing it, then I say "why not?". The only way you'd "overdo" the claying is if it mars the finish.



But sheesh, that's a lot of work on a regular basis. I'd rather wax with Collinite/etc. and not have to do it so often.



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia!

 

[kevinf]

thanks for the help. i don't really live near a railroad, the air here is usually pretty good. How often do you suggest waxing and claying though. also how do i know if the clay is marring the paint. alright, i'll get some swirl-x or scratch-x for scratches.

 

[Accumulator]

How often do you suggest waxing and claying though.

I clay when it needs it (is the clay doing anything, like cleaning off dirt/etc.?) and I rewax whenever some characteristic that I value changes for the worse (e.g., beading, slickness).



Generally, you should be able to refresh wax now and then without needing to clay as long as things are getting clean when you wash.

how do i know if the clay is marring the paint..

"Marring" = swirls/scratches/etc. If the clay is causing this you oughta be able to see it (and it'd mean that something...the choice of clay, your technique..is wrong).

 

[kevinf]

is there any way to see if there are swirls. it;s pretty hard to see in silver color paint. i don't have one of those big flood lights either.

 

[Accumulator]

is there any way to see if there are swirls. it;s pretty hard to see in silver color paint. i don't have one of those big flood lights either.

In an otherwise dark shop, inspect under incandescent light.



You can buy incandescent trouble lights (with wire clamp-on handles) at Lowe's/etc. for ~$25.



But at some point you're gonna need some good lighting if you want to get serious about detailing



OTOH (warning, Autpian Heresy follows), one might argue that there's no need to go looking for problems to solve and that if the paint looks OK to you then the paint looks OK period since nobody else's opinion oughta matter to you.

 

[kevinf]

so i usually do clay and wax once a month and at the same time. so it will be ok to wax occasionally without claying?

 

[Accumulator]

so i usually do clay and wax once a month and at the same time. so it will be ok to wax occasionally without claying?

Sure, though I still wonder why you'd have to wax that often unless you're using something incredibly short-lived like Souveran.

 

[kevinf]

i just like the slickness that i get from the wax. should i change to paste wax? wouldn't that last a bit longer?

 

[tquill]

I also have a newb question... should old wax always be removed before applying new wax? I was wondering if I should wash my car with dawn before every new wax.

 

[akimel]

I suppose that claying the car every 2-3 weeks means minimal contaminant build-up on the surface. I imagine the task doesn't take very long to do. But I admit that I would never clay that frequently. Twice a year is sufficient for me. And it's not necessary, by the way, to clay every time you wax.



There are lots of good waxes out there. By all means give Collinite 845 a try. You ought to get a couple of months durability from it, and if you want to boost the shine periodically, you might try using a maintenance spray wax, like Megs' Ultimate Quik Wax or Duragloss AquaWax. For my personal car, I like to wax every month, whether she needs it or not. For my wife's car, every two months is sufficient. My favorite synthetic sealant is Blackfire Wet Diamond. Choice of protectants is all very personal.



I came up with a daily driver wash & wax regimen for the guys over at the Meguiar's site. Take a look and see what you think. Substitute your preferred products. I like the idea of periodically using an AIO cleaner wax: not only does it provide a layer of protection, but it cleans dirt and stains that a claybar might not remove. You don't have to use the cleaner wax every time you wax--maybe just a few times a year--but it does make a difference. ColorX is a good OTC cleaner wax.



The important thing is to devise a regimen that works for you and then to stick with it.

 

[Accumulator]

I also have a newb question... should old wax always be removed before applying new wax? I was wondering if I should wash my car with dawn before every new wax.

Sometimes you can have "dead wax artifacts", like the "wax buildup" (that I think people overstate), so then you probably oughta do something. But I dunno how much of an issue it'll really be.



Sometimes you oughta clean the paint. Always cleaning the paint would probably be optimal, but I don't think it's remotely necessary in real life. It's another one of those "gee, it just depends..." things where sometimes you oughta and some times there's no need to bother. That said...



Heh heh, I'm the guy who's always claying, but generally *NO* I don't think you need to clay or otherwise do much of anything every time you wax. I'd try to do as little as possible and see what you can get away with.



As Akimel alluded to, if you make your regimen too involved there's a greater chance you won't stick with it anyhow.