new here

[sikcivicNH]

Whats up everyone.............im pretty happy that i found this site and hopefully will learn a lot of stuff here......i decided to look for a site for just detailing while i was just cleaning my engine and car off the other day.............so here i am.......ive been searching around on this site for about 3 days....maybe 4 hours a day.....yup imma loser ........j/k.....just really interested in learning how to detail a car.....to do it myself.........my family has three cars......my moms 2000 mlk 430(black).....my honda civic96(black)......and my sisters2001 VW jetta(some nice dark blue color)

i would love to start to clean my car up but i dont know where to begin......im definatly a rookie as a rookie can be........so this is what i do to clean the body.......{{{i wash it down with a pressure sprayer(not to hard though) maybe once every 2 weeks.....then add Eagle One Wet Car Wash to the pressure sprayer and blast away.....then i use an ordinary yellow car sponge 9shaped like a bean)and smear the white foam that comes out of the pressure washer......then i spray it off with the pressure prayer(clean water).....and let it air dry}}}..................I also have the 3 step Mothers wax system.....that ive used once over last summer, it includes the 1)Prewax cleaner 2)Sealer and Glaze 3)Pure Carnauba Wax.......i did it once by hand with the little round white pads.....and finished it with ordinary kitchen towels..................MY QUESTION IS>>> how the heck do i start preping waxing cleaning and maintaining my car the right way.....theyre everyday driven cars and i work construction so i get dust on mine a lot.........if anyone could set me on the right track to a clean car id love to hear it...............thanks guys and girls.........PS......if u make a list could u do it like mine kinda was 1)

2)

3)......just helps me understand a bit clearer:xyxthumbs :xyxthumbs

 

[Jngrbrdman]

:welcome to Autopia! That is quite the post there. Just a little tip that you can use or ignore, but you might get more responses if you use the 'enter' button and space things out a bit. Its kind of hard to read a huge block of text like that. No worries though. We've got a few guys who post like that so I'm sure people will manage. :xyxthumbs



You air dry your car?? There is one problem right there. Don't you notice that you get waterspots on your car when you do that? What condition is your car in right now? Its black so I imagine that there are swirls on it and probably some waterspot etching if you are letting it air dry. You need to look into a good drying towel and start using it. Air drying may work for dishes but it will mess up the car pretty quick.



Check out the 'learn' button at the top of the page. Look on the left side of the page at the 'Car Care Topics'. You may want to start there to find the list you are looking for. I think that might be a good place for you to start. This board is dedicated to taking people from the very beginning of car care all the way though to the point where they at least know where to go for the techniques and tools to do car show quality detailing. It can't all be taught in a list so there is going to be a little reading involved. Definitely check out the Autopia eBook to get you started. That download will answer a ton of questions for ya. Good luck! :wavey

 

[chris0626]

Jngrbrdman has give you great advice. And there are tons of great info in the Autopia Member Articles forum. Also, start playing around with the search engine. Doing searches like "wash + technique" will get you lots of really useful threads. Also, some newcomers will just read thru all threads.



:welcome

 

[Accumulator]

sikcivicNH- Welcome to Autopia. When doing all that research, I'd concentrate on good washing/drying techniques. That's gonna be the most important thing, especially with those colors. If you want a jump-start, OK:



1) Buy the following:



Good wash mitts (sheepskin or chenille)

Good MF towels, including at least two waffle-weaves for drying

Three pretty big wash buckets (one for wheels/tires, one for wash solution, one for rinsing the mitts between passes)



2) Study up on:



Two-bucket method

Perfect drying technique



3) Plan to research and do the following:



Clay while washing

Remove your swirls/scratches

Protect with [some product]



And then there's the interior, and all that other stuff....But, especially with the job site issues, the first thing is to get a good handle on washing and drying.

 

[shaf]

Hi and welcome. :welcome



I agree that washing and drying are very important and one of the primary things to learn about. Most people just wash without a pressure washer and do just fine. Personally even if I had a pressure washer I'm not sure I'd bother using it for a normal wash - I just don't see any advantage. It sounds like you could use a change in some of your detailing materials! Sponges and kitchen dish cloths are bad news...



Anyway, as said check out the Learn! links, the eBook, and the Hall of Fame for some more interesting reading. Good luck!

 

[imported_indy]

You've found the right place. I thought I knew what I was doing too until I found Autopia. I've learned more in the last couple weeks reading stuff on here than I'd learned in the past 30+ years of trying different products on my own. Be sure to wander through all the different forum areas there's tons of great info stashed throughout the site. Have fun!

 

[Klonds]

I am also new on thie forum. I thought i had a pretty good idea about how to detail a car until Pat300zx refered me to this forum. God was i wrong. Make sure to read the learn section (up top of webpage) and to download the ebook, it is amazing for all newbies. Once again welcome to the board and good luck.

 

[sikcivicNH]

Thanks a lot guys.......hopefully i can actually have a clean car....maybe really clean:bounce .....i downloaded the ebook thingy and started reading it......it has definatly given me a clue to what is going on......Thanks again for starting me off in the right direction!!!