pHEnomIC

iTrader: (14)

Well, I got a new car and this things paint is phenominal. I would like to keep it that way and will put all the effort into it. My Z started out with swirls so I couldnt do much about it, yet i still took great care of it. Im using Nxt products now so Ill just refer to them at the time being.

Few rules: I never take my car to carwash, only I do it, Horizontal and vertical strokes, and if I drop a rag on floor i put it for washing.

Well basically, Ill tell you what my cleaning routine will be, and you tell me if I need to watch out for something.

Wash when necessary Using Natural Sheepskin Mitt:
-Spray all the debris off of pain with jet setting on hose
-Mix water with nxt wash in a bucket
-Whipe down one panel at a time with the mitt using the soap mixture. Between panels, rinse off mitt with hose and dip it in the bucket again. I will use only horizontal and vertical movements.
-Once the entire car is soaped, rinse with shower setting on hose.
-Let it sit a frew mins for a little bit of water to evaporate/drip out of nooks and crannies.
-Towel dry with a nice clean bath towel (My mom hates when i do this)
I wont worry about cleaning rims and stuff in this post.

If I wax, usually ill wash with dawn and apply the wax with a microfiber towel.

I am a little worried about using claybar on this car. Can anyone say if this is ok or not?

If there are some water spots or bird crap, I use quick detail on that area.

If I drove in rain and car was relatively clean prior, when I get in the garage I will towel dry. (Giving the effect of freshly washed car w/ little work)

Any other tips to staying swirl free?

2K2WS6TA

iTrader: (2)

Don't use a towel to dry it, use a leaf blower (you'll get some funny looks from the neighbors) but there is no way to scratch the finish if you don't touch it. I wouldn't dry it after a rain, as you never know if you picked up some road debris, could scratch the paint if you don't notice it. Claybar, you should be ok to use it, just was the car before you use the clay (you can wash it after you clay it, but some think that's obssesive)
Dawn dish soap, should only be used for the first wash/detail of the season, after that use some automotive wash, either Megs Zaino, or whatever brand you prefer, Dawn is for dishes, not really for cars
Do you use a different wash mitt for the wheels/tires/inner fenders, might think about using one
Other than that, sounds like what I do
Your car looks pretty sharp BTW

Gipraw

iTrader: (10)

as said above .. don't use a bath towel .. usea leaf blower, and absorber, or a water blade (I use my blade for glass only, I use a leaf blower and an absorber for the paint).

as for washing Dawn, I wouldn't. use a good car shampoo, not dawn. Use the two bucket method, and a grit guard.

Claying is fine, if done correctly using a good clay and lots of lube.

I would never dry off a car after it got wet from rain.

a good rule to follow is: if it is dusty, use a quick detailer, if it is dirty, wash it. there is no way to drive it in the rain, and have it just be "dusty", it will be dirty after driving in the rain.

Get yourself a some good microfiber towels, a quite using the bath towels.

I use two mitts .. one for the upper half of the car, and one for the lower half and the wheels. I will use the mitt for the upper half once, maybe twice, then it becomes a lower half mitt. once I have used a lower half mitt once, it becomes an engine bay mitt (works great with a little simple green, or QD sprayed on it), or a wheel well mitt.

pHEnomIC

iTrader: (14)

I will consider using a leaf blower.
About the dawn, I only use that once to clean the paint off really good and get a good waxing. Then after that I use nxt wash.
I do use two mitts, one for paint and glass, one for wheels tires, engine bay, etc.

ZaneO

Cars need dedicated towels...high quality 100% made in USA cotton or high quality microfiber ONLY.

Claying will be a great thing to do once or twice a year.

This is NOT a good idea. Only touch the car when it has been freshly cleaned.

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

A tip a wise man on this board shared with me that really helped: When drying, mist a little detailing spray in the area you are about to dry. This helps keep everything damp, which cuts down on swirl marks and water spots.

Where I live, we have hard water, so if it dries on the car, I get all kinds of water spots. The natural tendency is to rub them off with the towel as your dry, but that leads to scratches and swirls. The detailing spray while drying trick helps negate the need for rubbing.


-Mike

nasty99WS6

if the car is swirl free now, being 9 years old, why dont you ask the prior owner his routine? obviously it worked well! just my .02

SmokeySS

iTrader: (7)

About the leaf blower. I had previously considered it until 2k2WS6 told me to get one, so I got one. For me it helps get the majority of the water off and is great for the cracks where panels meet, door handles, spoiler area etc. However just beware how you swing the air stream. I always need to pull back into the garage to get proper shade to dry off the car. So before I started doing this I swept out the garage. If you're outisde you could wet down the ground your car is sitting on. You wouldn't want to accidentally blast up a bunch of dust, dirt, leaves, or small animals onto your car.

pHEnomIC

iTrader: (14)

Im talkin about my 02 Trans Am. The 97 black camaro came to me already swirled.

SHINER

iTrader: (18)

I clay my car like once a month and usually wax it everytime. Is this bad? Can someone PM me a good interior routine I think my interior needs a good cleaning,im thinkin of getting a steam cleaner for carpet and some hides food for leather, right now Im using minks oil for the seats and armorall the dash but i head vinyl-x is the best for that

Gipraw

iTrader: (10)

there are about 100 products that are better for your dash than armor all.

2K2WS6TA

iTrader: (2)

Armor All isn't a bad product now, they've reformulated it, and it's not the evil concoction it once was

ThatGuySkye

iTrader: (2)

You can use a waffle weave microfiber drying towel to dry it. This is what I use (no blower) and I stay swirl free, plus a WW MF will hold a lot more water than a cotton towel.

BlackHawk T/A

iTrader: (3)

Yeah it takes some practice.

I use my Toro electric leaf blower (not gas, those could leave a film on your paint I hear) to blow the majority of the water off then finish with a hand dry. You just can't finish the car 100% with only air (trust me i've tried).

1 SIC Z

iTrader: (34)

I use my air compressor with the blowing nozzle on it to dry mine.....

John

viper1

iTrader: (1)

Regarding the Dawn, my paint & body guy said dish soap will strip the wax off and recommended I only use actual car wash soap.

SladeX

Use dish soap only if you clan to rewax the car afterwards, if not use a proper car soap. A good place to get it in bulk is costco... I ended up with 3 gallons of car wash soap. Stuff rinses very well and will not strip wax.