Tips and Tricks to add?

K

Klownicle

New member
I wouldn't consider myself a car nut, I barely know anything about cars. But I enjoy keeping my SUV nice and clean; hate to see it dirty. Owned my car for 7 years now, had it repainted about 2 years ago with a nice candy blue. Anywho



My cleaning process is as follows;



0. All Fresh MicroFiber/Wash Mits

1. Wash Vehicle with Maguriars Car Wash (Pink Bottle) from Top Down starting with Hood.

2. Dry vehicle with Air. (Shammy the little drops that remain...)

3. New Mit, Wash Wheels with either Maguriars Wheel Cleaner/or Car Wash Soap (depends on mood).

4. Dry off rims with Air and Shammy.

5. Wax vehicle with, Autoglym HD.

6. Depending on my mood, I may use Amour All Wheel Protector or Wax the rims instead. I usally use Maguriars Tech NX on my Rims if I do. Not Autoglym HD.

7. Depending on my mood, Gel/Foam Wheels and Running Boards.

8. Detail the Black Trim with a Silcon Treatment of some sort, (Back to Black/Gel etc).



I repeat this process every 1-2 weeks, 2 weeks I wax. Florida sun. Heh



I don't know much about detailing, but I consider taking care of my car a Hobby. Any thoughts id love to hear them! I don't mind spending the money on a product that is better longer lasting etc, hence the Autoglym HD that someone recommended to me. Perhaps a step to preform after or before the waxing?



If your bored, feel free to run by cardomain, http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2982219 .



Thanks for looking!
 
Wash the wheels first. Don't use anything made by Armor-All, with the possible exception of their interior wipes.



EDIT: Looks like I might be talking out of my ***. The Wheel Protectant they make supposedly does a very good job.



On the other hand, my brother-in-law used to use their tire shine and had premature cracking in the rubber.
 
The only thing you could also do for regular washes is to mist panels with quick detailer before you dry them. I use FK425 and it leaves a really slick surface.



As for sealants/waxes, there are a gazillion choices and Autoglym HD is a great hybrid wax. I am certain others will be able to add some to the list but I currently love Blackfire Wet Diamond. In the end, Autoglym HD should be fine too - depending on how often you want to rewax. I suspect that the HD really makes the paint sparkle. I have noticed that on my car, Autoglym HD really makes the paint sparkle.
 
Looks like a solid plan. Are you using the 2 bucket method? This will help reduce jacking your paint up during your weekly washes
 
Get rid of the chamois and use a MF WW towel for drying. Also you might want to clay the car occasionally.
 
454Casull said:
Wash the wheels first. Don't use anything made by Armor-All, with the possible exception of their interior wipes.
Click to expand...



Eh, nothing wrong with Armor All IMO, at least not if you're OK with the look (and cutting it with water can allow you to tweak that). I know Armor All gets bashed all the time, and I'm not a big fan of it, but it's OK.



I'm currently using up some *OLD* Armor All I inherited from my dad (and it was pretty old when he died 8 years ago), and it's still OK.



I used it back in the '70s-'80s when people said (the original version of ) it would caused damage, but it *never* caused any problems for me. IIRC, Scottwax still uses it too.



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia, Klownicle! I too would ditch the chamois in favor of a WWMF, and I used chamois for years.
 
454Casull said:
Wash the wheels first. Don't use anything made by Armor-All, with the possible exception of their interior wipes.
Click to expand...



I find it I wash the wheels first I get spot that are make it harder to shine the wheels up. I feel I have to do the wheels twice when I do them first. And in regards to Armor-All, I only use that Wheel Protector recently becuase breakdust seems to show up instantly after the first drive. I found this and its workin wonders except for the streaking that shows up if its not laid down absolutly perfect. Everything else for detailin is Maguriar products.



I sometimes use the Maguiars quick detail, or quick wax after a wash if I don't wax. Im not sure what the "chamois" are?



I don't use the two bucket method, ill have to pick up some buckets and give it a go.



Whats the best thing to remove stubburn stains on my chrome rims? Its like I may have some "rust" looking marks or faint areas were it looks like a water stain. I tried a chrome polish I've had sitting in the closet for awhile. But it didn't seem to do anything. There not bad, just annoy me.
 
Klownicle said:
I find it I wash the wheels first I get spot that are make it harder to shine the wheels up. I feel I have to do the wheels twice when I do them first. And in regards to Armor-All, I only use that Wheel Protector recently becuase breakdust seems to show up instantly after the first drive. I found this and its workin wonders except for the streaking that shows up if its not laid down absolutly perfect. Everything else for detailin is Maguriar products.



I sometimes use the Maguiars quick detail, or quick wax after a wash if I don't wax. Im not sure what the "chamois" are?



I don't use the two bucket method, ill have to pick up some buckets and give it a go.



Whats the best thing to remove stubburn stains on my chrome rims? Its like I may have some "rust" looking marks or faint areas were it looks like a water stain. I tried a chrome polish I've had sitting in the closet for awhile. But it didn't seem to do anything. There not bad, just annoy me.
Click to expand...



Blackfire Metal Polish
 
I sometimes use the Maguiars quick detail, or quick wax after a wash if I don't wax. Im not sure what the "chamois" are?



Klownicle, chamois is the proper spelling of what you called a shammy.



Whats the best thing to remove stubburn stains on my chrome rims? Its like I may have some "rust" looking marks or faint areas were it looks like a water stain. I tried a chrome polish I've had sitting in the closet for awhile. But it didn't seem to do anything. There not bad, just annoy me.[/QUOTE]
 
If you're looking for tricks, try treating the rubber and plastic before you wax.

That will prevent the wax from possibly staining the rubber and will keep the gel off your paint.
 
[quote name='454Casull']

EDIT: Looks like I might be talking out of my ***. The Wheel Protectant they make supposedly does a very good job.

QUOTE]



I disagree. I used it and 3 weeks later, when I was able to rewash my truck, my back wheels (where I get LESS brake dust and crap) looked like absolute dog crap. Now they grime and dirt washed away nicely, however it DEFINATELY didn't keep anything off of them like it stated. I'm going to wait another few days and rewash my truck and use the rest of the bottle on all four wheels and see if just going OVERBOARD with spraying helps. If not, it's a complete waste of $5.00. I'd sooner spend that on the 32oz bottle of megs QD or their soap. Just my .02
 
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