Need Advice New 05 GT3 - Black

Moogle

New member
Hey Everyone!



Anyways, i just got a 05 GT3 a few weeks ago, havent had much opportunity to drive it, the weather is terrible.



I'm new to the whole 'wash your own car' thing, ive been taking my previous cars to an automatic car wash... (uh oh an angry mob is forming!)



I don't own anything related to a carwash except an old hose...



can any of you recommend some things i can buy to get me started, as well as a process?



nothing too complicated, lets just start with washing the car (exterior). mabye in a month or two i will wax it.



what are the defacto products to use for something as simple as this? (i hope this doesnt start an argument again :) )



i will need wash/dry towels, some kind of exterior soap, and some product to rinse it all off. also, where to buy - the best would be a store, not online, i hate waiting :)



finally, is MR. clean auto dry car wash a good device? looks like that may get the job done in one simple step.



Best,



Tom



Edit:



here is a pic:



DSC00131.jpg
 
you could try and find an autopian detailer around the NYC area.



Isnt GSRStillez around that area? or NJ?



Anyways, heres a link to get you started

http://autopia.org/kb/



Ive used MR Clean and am not impressed. To avoid spots, always wash in the shade and while the surface is cool.



You can buy most products localy. I buy the chennile sponge, soap and MF towels at walmart. (the new MF towels there dont scratch, ive tested them on black) The rest I buy online, because of price and availability.



oh, and post more pics :)
 
Welcome to the forum. Looks like you have a nice stable. :)



Everyone has their favorite products. Meguiar's NXT Car Wash is a good product that you can find at Auto Zone, Wal-Mart, etc. You should also be able to find a Eurow sheepskin wash mitt at Wal-Mart. As far as towels go, I order all of mine, and haven't found anything comprable in stores around me.



*I* don't like the Mr. Clean thing, but that's just my opinion.



Here is a good article on washing/drying your car: http://bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=9
 
sick car... since you say you want to get stuff @ a store, i would recommend any of the meguiars nxt gen products, for ease of use, and results. stay away from that mr. clean thing.. its horrible.. specially on black cars.. you should have seen a black escalade that my neighbor decided to use it on. where in nyc are you located?



does that thing come with the racing harnesses? or did you put those it? :up
 
C'mon Moogle you mean you haven't been seduced by the Rennlist Rejex fanatics? Congrates on getting the car!



Forget washing and waxing. That takes way too much time away from driving it :D



Some practical advice:

1. Do a search on the 2 bucket method of washing (this will help to minimize washing induced marring).



2. Since online ordering is out...Stores like Pep Boys and Autozone have a wide variety of products too choose from. The Mequairs products in general are good. You will want a couple of wash mitts and some waffle weave micro fiber for drying.



3. If you want to order online your possibilities become endless.
 
Moogle- Welcome to Autopia.



You might want to check out THIS THREAD on washing.



[warning, more of Accumulator's Autopian Heresy follows :o ]



But to be perfectly honest I'd take vapore0n's advice and find a good pro. Black is a tricky color to "learn" on and you wouldnt want to mess it up. FWIW, most owners of such vehicles that *I* know would rather spend their car-time driving them as opposed to detailing them.



Oh, and the Mr. Clean gizmo has a reputation for leaving a nasty film on the vehicle. Washing a GT3 with one of those would be analogous to washing a custom made, sea-island cotton shirt with a washboard and ironing it yourself. You could do it, but it's really not appropriate. Just as I don't iron my own dress shirts, I dunno whether everybody really needs to detail their own cars in order to fully enjoy the ownership experience.



Sure hope the above wasn't off-putting; I'd like to see somebody who has a ride like that stick around here at Autopia!
 
wow a fantastic car, and you own each of the others in your sig too

05 Turbo S Cabriolet

05 GT3

03 Boxster S

04 M3



... man you must have a fantastic job :)
 
hey thanks for all the helpful advice guys!



i've read what each of you said with great interest



i would be open to shopping online from some big retailers, i dont like dealing with little stores, as it is usually a PITA when it comes to returning something/etcetc



like i said before, nothing complicated, just wash the cars



if the day is nice enough to wash em, its nice enough to go drive em. :)



also, thanks for all the kind comments about the cars



the turbo S should be here by the springtime, and theres even more surprises coming :) i can't take em all to the carwash, so thats why i thought i'd start doing it myself.



PS: navidra: the harnesses were installed by the dealer before i took delivery of the car, they are porsche OEM, but are not stock.



http://gallery.rennlist.com/gallery/moogle



DSC001500.jpg
 
www.autopia-carcare.com is a great place to order from with great customer service (along with many other great places we'd be glad to direct you to).



Honestly, if you don't want to put too much effort into caring for your vehicles, I would suggest having one of the Autopian detailers in your area come by your house or business and take care of them for you. I know there are several in your area.



If you have any specific questions about anything, please feel free to ask.



:)
 
oohh i just did the Meguiars Online recommendations thing



I think i will go with meguiars products, hearng many good things about 'em.



it suggested:



For Washing:



NXT Generation Carwash

Goldclass Carwash/ Shampoo/Conditioner?

Soft Wash Gel



which of these three is better? price is not an issue



i assume it comes with instructions on how to use



do i just use a hose? or do i get some kind of filter?



what process should i use?



towels, when to use/which ones



price is not an issue.



Tom
 
Meguiar's products are nice, but don't limit yourself to them.



I have great success with the NXT wash. You can use your water hose with a nozzle on it. Home Depot, etc. sell inline water filters if you feel the need to use one.



I use a process similar to the one in the article above.



Waffle weave towels are great and safe. I get mine from www.pakshak.com with a great discount.
 
Like the others have said, you can get alot of basic car wash and mits at local stores. But i would get the microfibers online.



I have some walmart micro's, and they are not too bad, but i wont use them more then 3 or 4 times for drying off my car.



When you get a new micro, wash it, and let it air dry, no softeners.



If you ask around here, there are quite a few online retailers who have some of the best customer service in just about any industry.
 
Moogle- If price is not an issue (and I'm glad you said that given your stable of cars ;) ), get a foamgun (a quick search will bring up places that sell them) and use the technique in the thread I linked to. It's been the only way I've been able to wash without marring and I've been at this for decades. Using the foamgun is sorta fun too. Chenille mitts (100% cotton) and microfiber ("MF") ones work best with this method. Others have successfully used wool mitts with the foamgun but they use a slightly different technique (you might ask Bill D how he does it). This different technique is a bit more user-friendly than what I do.



For drying, get some waffle-weave microfibers ("WWMF"s). I especially like the gray ones from AutoFiber, they're *very* soft. Wash them (and other MF stuff) in MicroRestore. When drying, try to "blot" as opposed to "wipe".



I'd check out Griot's Garage- I *really* like their Car Wash. About $30/gallon plus shipping. Others do like the NXT. But if you want to use Meguiar's, I'd get their #62. I found the Gold Class to have insufficient lubricity (which makes marring more likely) for my taste.



I know I'm making a big deal out of "just washing and drying the car", but that's how most of the damage (scratches, swirls, other marring) usually occurs. Fixing such stuff is a real pain. And man-oh-man would I want to be careful with that nice black paint! Heh heh, I'm this fanatical with *silver*!



Any hose will work, but bigger diameter is better. Ditto for water volume and pressure. As for the filter, it depends on your water. I use "softened" water (but I use potassium chloride in the softener instead of regular salt) and two 5-micron filters. FWIW, like you, I wasn't too worried about the cost; I wanted to do it right. So I had the water system for the "detailing garage" set up specifically the way I wanted it (slightly different from the one that supplies the house). I even got a booster pump/holding tank setup installed to give me the pressure I wanted. Money well spent.



Get quick disconnects for the hose/nozzle(s)/foamgun. They save a lot of time and hassle. Another time/hassle saver is to have redundant systems for each side of the car so you don't have to drag the hose/buckets/etc. around as much. IMO, if you're gonna do it yourself, you might as well a) do it right and b) make it as easy as you can without compromising your results.
 
tdekany said:
Just find NYdetailer on this forum - let him take care of these cars. I am sure that you can afford him.



Beautiful cars btw.



Sounds like Moogle wants to do this himself...but yeah, if *I* lived there I'd probably send some business NYdetailer's way myself!
 
as mentioned, when you dry, blot the water, dont wipe it off. Then you can use some quick detailer if needed, for removing any water stain left.



Wash MF towels with MF conditioner or white vinegar in teh rinse cycle.
 
Well, I don't know about the states, but here in the UK our BMW dealers sell a car shampoo that is fantastic - so a quick wander to your beemer dealer should sort you out with a great car shampoo. A good wash mitt if you can get one, a synthetic chamois (the most important process in washing a car IMHO) a bucket and your away - damn they are nice cars that you own :)
 
Looking at your cars in the garage, the first thing that makes me "cringe" are those POLES. Get something wrapped around them to protect your doors!
 
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