PsyDocJoanne
New member
Hi Autopians!
I've been lurking and reading here for a while and finally decided that I need some help and advice to step things up a bit.
Some brief background:
I live in South Florida and drive a BMW Z4 roadster. I have always enjoyed taking care of my cars myself...some of my best memories are of me and my dad out in the driveway "washing and detailing" his cars (mind you, I use both of those terms loosely...there was plenty of Dawn and old t-shirts involved in those processes :shocked). As I grew up and got more savvy (I'm 33 now), I've learned to do things a lot better than that (thanks in large part to internet message boards), but I have a lot of room for growth.
My goals are to be able to competently take care of my car in an aesthetic sense. I'm not a total fanatic, but I do appreciate the process and the tools needed to achieve it (and I have a tiny bit of OCD, which helps
).
So I was hoping I could give you all my usual rundown for your open and honest critiques...be they critiques re: products, techniques, missing steps, whatever. Please keep in mind there's a lot I don't know, so feel free to critique away! At risk of being cliche, I'm a sponge for your knowledge :LOLOL
And away we go....
I try to wash my car every other weekend. I avoid car washes almost 100%, and when I absolutely have to do it (maybe once every other month), I use a touchless one. Having said that, here's my washing regimen:
Products:
Z7 Car wash
Hose (duh) & 5 gal bucket w/ grit guard
Lambswool mitt
Absorber
Raggtop cleaner for the top
Raggtopp aerosol protectant for the top
OXO brush for the top
Blackfire gel tire/wheel cleaner
Wheel brush (short handled one w/ green bristles)
Cotton gloves for the tight spots in the wheels
Cotton towel for wheels
New stuff coming in the mail this week:
Stoner Tarminator aerosol for tarry bits that get stuck on front bumper
MF towels
ONR so I can wash in the garage
So I usually start when it is as cool as possible (tough in S. Florida summers) with the top. Wet down top, spray lightly w/ Raggtop cleaner. Let sit ~2-3 min. Brush (not too hard) w/ OXO brush. Rinse off.
Then I do the wheels. Spray w/ hose to rinse off all loose dust. Spray with Blackfire. Let sit ~30 sec. Brush off, rinse, repeat if necessary. Don cotton gloves & work out all dust in crevices. Rinse, dry w/ cotton towels.
Then mix 2-3 capfuls Z7 into 3-4 gal. water. Wet down entire car. Wash windows w/ lambswool mitt, rinsing mitt frequently, rinsing each window as I go. Then follow suit with hood, trunk lid, followed by fenders & doors, ending with rear bumper, front bumper, and finally bottom panels. Trying to make sure no part of the car dries during this process.
Then wipe windows w/ Absorber, and follow w/ other parts of the car.
Wax/Protecting:
Two times per year, I Dawn wash the car, followed by clay and then a Z7 wash. Then I use several coats of Z5 + ZFX, with Z6 in between, and finish off with Z6.
I try to observe all the main no-no's...I don't put anything on the driveway (mitts, Absorber, gloves, etc.). I swear like hell if I drop the clay, but I throw it away if I do. I wash everything in between uses, no harsh detergents and no dryer, etc.
The car generally looks OK...usually a lot better than it's parking lot friends :LOLOL...but I know it can look a lot better.
Fire away!!!!
P.S. I will open to critique what I do with the interior in another post...this ended up being hella long :chuckle:
I've been lurking and reading here for a while and finally decided that I need some help and advice to step things up a bit.
Some brief background:
I live in South Florida and drive a BMW Z4 roadster. I have always enjoyed taking care of my cars myself...some of my best memories are of me and my dad out in the driveway "washing and detailing" his cars (mind you, I use both of those terms loosely...there was plenty of Dawn and old t-shirts involved in those processes :shocked). As I grew up and got more savvy (I'm 33 now), I've learned to do things a lot better than that (thanks in large part to internet message boards), but I have a lot of room for growth.
My goals are to be able to competently take care of my car in an aesthetic sense. I'm not a total fanatic, but I do appreciate the process and the tools needed to achieve it (and I have a tiny bit of OCD, which helps
).So I was hoping I could give you all my usual rundown for your open and honest critiques...be they critiques re: products, techniques, missing steps, whatever. Please keep in mind there's a lot I don't know, so feel free to critique away! At risk of being cliche, I'm a sponge for your knowledge :LOLOL
And away we go....
I try to wash my car every other weekend. I avoid car washes almost 100%, and when I absolutely have to do it (maybe once every other month), I use a touchless one. Having said that, here's my washing regimen:
Products:
Z7 Car wash
Hose (duh) & 5 gal bucket w/ grit guard
Lambswool mitt
Absorber
Raggtop cleaner for the top
Raggtopp aerosol protectant for the top
OXO brush for the top
Blackfire gel tire/wheel cleaner
Wheel brush (short handled one w/ green bristles)
Cotton gloves for the tight spots in the wheels
Cotton towel for wheels
New stuff coming in the mail this week:
Stoner Tarminator aerosol for tarry bits that get stuck on front bumper
MF towels
ONR so I can wash in the garage
So I usually start when it is as cool as possible (tough in S. Florida summers) with the top. Wet down top, spray lightly w/ Raggtop cleaner. Let sit ~2-3 min. Brush (not too hard) w/ OXO brush. Rinse off.
Then I do the wheels. Spray w/ hose to rinse off all loose dust. Spray with Blackfire. Let sit ~30 sec. Brush off, rinse, repeat if necessary. Don cotton gloves & work out all dust in crevices. Rinse, dry w/ cotton towels.
Then mix 2-3 capfuls Z7 into 3-4 gal. water. Wet down entire car. Wash windows w/ lambswool mitt, rinsing mitt frequently, rinsing each window as I go. Then follow suit with hood, trunk lid, followed by fenders & doors, ending with rear bumper, front bumper, and finally bottom panels. Trying to make sure no part of the car dries during this process.
Then wipe windows w/ Absorber, and follow w/ other parts of the car.
Wax/Protecting:
Two times per year, I Dawn wash the car, followed by clay and then a Z7 wash. Then I use several coats of Z5 + ZFX, with Z6 in between, and finish off with Z6.
I try to observe all the main no-no's...I don't put anything on the driveway (mitts, Absorber, gloves, etc.). I swear like hell if I drop the clay, but I throw it away if I do. I wash everything in between uses, no harsh detergents and no dryer, etc.
The car generally looks OK...usually a lot better than it's parking lot friends :LOLOL...but I know it can look a lot better.
Fire away!!!!
P.S. I will open to critique what I do with the interior in another post...this ended up being hella long :chuckle: