Slammed-am

Ok all of you car cleaning buffs, my time has come. I need to revitalize my car.

My car has ALOT of swirl marks and some scratches.

My main goal: Remove all swirl marks and make the car very shiney. (And not spend an arm and a leg.)

I know what I am doing is wrong, but here is how I clean my car now:

1.Use Dawn (all the time)
2.Wash with cheap terry cloth sponge and microfiber sponge.
3. Dry with ordinary towels.

I know my current methods result in the poor condition of my car. I need some help. I am looking to spend around ~ $60-$70 bucks to buy some products.

I currently have:

-A sears 9" orbital buffer (with a foam pad and terry cotton pad)
-Cheap $10 Zymol
-Claybar

I really need you guys to recommend products for MY situation. I want to boot the SWIRLS, protect the paint, and make my car gleam in the sun.


I need you guys to recommend:

-A product that ELIMINATES swirls

-A product that protects my handy-work (sealant)

-A good sealing/protecting wax

-A product to wash my car regulaly with (like a gallon of car wash)

-Some products to WASH my car with (Mitts/sponges/rags/towels/brushes)

-Some towells to dry the car with

-Some pads for the Sears Buffer to apply/remove polish and wax




I would very much appreciate any help I can get. I don't wanna buy a Porter Cable or $150 worth of Zaino. I guess I'd like to just order the certain products for my needs.

Thanks,

Matt

99FormulaM6

iTrader: (21)

well. i only use meguiars products. i have gallon of wash, cleaner wax, gold class wax, nxt, and then the quik detailer spray. as for the pads for your buffer, im not sure. for drying i use a squeegie i stole from a gas station a long time ago, and microfiber towels. and im happy with the way my car looks. i dont have tons of time to spend waxing it so i dont always use all of the waxes, but it still looks good.

ellessone

iTrader: (1)

http://www.autopia.org/

Tailwind

You're not going to get the swirls out with a cheap buffer. Even with a PC you might not get them all out, since it's just a random orbital (although a very nice one.)

You'd need more than $70 to get the job done right, but nearly all of that cost lies in the proper tool, be it a good random orbital (like the PC 7424 as mentioned,) or a rotary. Next, you'd need a couple foam pads ranging in aggressiveness to match with the your polishes.

The polishes themselves are next. You'd need an aggressive one to take off a layer of the clear, which would remove the swirls. Next, you'd need a fine polish to even out the surface and increase the gloss, which you'd use with a less agressive foam pad than the first.

Lastly, you'd top with the wax or sealant of your choice (it really doesn't matter, because if the prep was done correctly, it'll look gorgeous regardless of what you put on top.)

That's just the EXTREME basics. You'll have to look up details on www.autopia.org on your own, but you'll find a ton of helpful people and guides there to guide you through the process.

After you've done the detail job, maintaining it is key. A chenille or wool wash mitt works wonderfully in washing, and DO NOT USE DAWN. Go to AutoZone and pick up a dedicated car wash...any one will do the job. The Meguiar's washes are pretty good for the price, and so is the Eagle One brand. When you wash the car, be sure to rinse out and re-sud the mitt often. Also, do not "scrub" the car with the mitt. Swirls are created by rubbing dirt over the surface, and most of that is done during washing. Use a gentle motion, keeping your mitt clean, and you'll be fine. Make sure that your wash bucket is clean before you start, too.

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

-A product that ELIMINATES swirls

Menzerna Intensive Polish with a medium-cut pad and Menzerna Final Polish 2 with a low-cut pad. Klasse All-In-One might work well here as well. I haven't used it personally, but 6][9 swears by it (as do numerous others).


-A product that protects my handy-work (sealant)

NXT, Zaino, or Blackfire are good choices. NXT doesn't last as long as the others, but it works well. Just don't expect it to layer as well as the others.


-A good sealing/protecting wax

Any quick detailing companion product of the above will work here. I'm not a big fan of the NXT spray wax, which isn't really a detailer.


-A product to wash my car regulaly with (like a gallon of car wash)

Meguiars Gold Class works great. Zaino car wash is excellent too.


-Some products to WASH my car with (Mitts/sponges/rags/towels/brushes)

Get yourself a lamb's wool mitt for the body and a brush and sponge for the wheels. I usually do the wheels first, then dump that water out and get a fresh bucket. There's no good way to get all that brake dust out of the bucket, and dragging it all over your care is a bad idea. Don't use your wash mitt on the wheels. Rinse often, and wash in the shade, if possible. Do one section at a time and rinse. When you've washed the whole car, take the sprayer off the hose and do a strong stream of water and rinse the car off again. This will minimize water spots.


-Some towells to dry the car with

Pakshak has some good package deals on towels. I got a package from properautocare that came with a bunch of various-sized stuff and it was good oveall, but had some microfiber applicator pads and tire shine applicator pads that I don't have much use for. The one towel I really love is the waffle-weave microfiber drying towel. Remember, just because it's microfiber doesn't mean it's a good towel. Also, just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's the best. I have bought some surprisingly good microfiber towels from Autozone and Walmart.


-Some pads for the Sears Buffer to apply/remove polish and wax

Not sure here, because my experience is with a PC. You might check into the bonnets available from properautocare or autopia car care. Those might work for what you're after.


-Mike

Billfold

great site for some help. I'm a member there. Ok, it is going to be difficult to reduce swirls by hand, or even with that buffer. Also use good Microfiber for detailing work, and a good chenile wash mitt for washing. Use 2 buckets! If you just want to get a kit that has a lot of everything you need, goto
http://www.tropicarecarproducts.com/customer/home.php

then get their TC-3 swirl cutter. That should pretty much have everything you want. You need to stop using dawn to wash your ride, and use a specifically made wash for cars. Here are the basic steps to do it. And always remember that prep work is what matters, not the wax or sealant.

1. Wash with any car wash
2. Clay bar the entire vehicle, and use some Quick detailer for lubrication (some dry the car first and some do not.
3. wash car again ( if you are not going to be using TC-3), if you will be using a polish, then don't worry about washing again.
4. get a spray bottle and go over the car with a 50/50 mixture of water and rubbing alcohol in order to remove any oils left from polishing.
5. apply wax or sealant per manufacturers suggested use
6. go over with the Quick Detailer.
7. take pictures, and enjoy

Do not forget to detail those FM-5's either, or I will hunt you down sucka!
Investing in a PC 7424 or 7336 is a very wise investment once you have the funds to do so. You can normally get the 7336 for about $90 at Lowe's. Same thing as the 7424, the only difference is the 6" counter weight in the 7336, which is what some people add to their 7424. Then get some good pads, and you polish like a mad man!

00firebird

iTrader: (3)

U cant have one without the other, I had my car professionally detailed for $150 with a rotary and PC and i still have swirls, just not as many. It'll prolly need to be detailed another 1 or 2 times to completely remove all of them. learning to wash ure car is most important, because if you dont ul just be putting the swirls back in the paint.

i learned all this the hard way, this is my car :
http://autopia.org/forums/showthread...threadid=50684
he used menzerna with a rotary (i wouldnt recommend using a rotary unless you know what you are doing), then SSR2.5 then SSR1 with the PC, and sealed it with EX.
u can throw down some money for all the stuff or just have it detailed like i did, go ahead and make some posts on autopia.org, its prolly the best detailing forum you can find

6']['9

iTrader: (2)

Although detailing can make a dramatic improvement it cannot remove some defects, even with a rotory. But some here and there isnt really that bad.

ZaneO

Hmm...in your situation, I would pay someone to buff it, and then you can wax and maintain it yourself. I can recommend a good detailer in the Houston area. You can contact him through Autopia: http://autopia.org/forums/member.php...o&userid=12425

Meguiar's NXT car wash is very nice (64 oz. for $6). Eurow sheepskin mitts from Wal-Mart are also nice ($6). I get my towels from www.pakshak.com - I'd get a couple of waffle weaves and a couple of ultra fine towels (PM for a discount).

Your process is the most important aspect of having/keeping a good finish. Read up on different techniques here: http://autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html

P.S. I might have a couple of products I could send you samples to use. PM me.

6']['9

iTrader: (2)

Ill try and answer your ?'s as good as i can
A product that eliminates swirls~Menzerna,3M, Poorboys, Meguiars
A good Sealant~ Zaino, EXP, Meguiars 20.
Agood carwash~ NXT wash, Poorboys wash, QEW
Carwash Accessories~ sheepskin mitts, 2 buckets, 2 brushes for tires wheel wells. NO rags, towels MF only fine, ultra fine, ww towels are good.
Drying towels~ i use an absorber and dont have any problems with it, but you can use a WW drying towel as well.
Pads for sears buffer~ Honestly i wouldnt use a sears buffer IMHO.

Now you can remove "some" swirls by hand. the only reason i know is cause ive done it, and for the first timer i wouldnt recomment doing it unless you want to spend all day doing it. Your not really going to be able to buy much even with $70. Maybe menzerna IP/FP & some wash and maybe a sealant and theres your $70. That doesnt even include towels buckets, and such. I dont think you can get much done but if you work the product very well and do like the instructions say you should be fine. Be aware cause most of the polishes i use need to be used with a rotory or a pc. Regardless if i can still use them by hand i wouldnt but that doesnt mean you cant get good results. You may not even be able to get the results by hand, its almost impossible! Just find some one in the area to do it for you. Ive actually been to houston and did a few for around that price range but even then you still have to buy the products to maintain the vehicle your self.

Im not too sure you can get anything done the way you want even working by hand cause if you induce more swirls going by hand, then what are you going to do? Id save up for a pc to be honest with you. But good luck anyway.

Phoenix 5.7

iTrader: (7)

i would get a pro do do one really good job, claybar and everything. then get real car wash stuff, NOT DAWN, i like the Meguiars 3 step waxes, and wax it every 4-6months. for bugs, i use mothers bug and tar wipes. my car isn't in the greatest shape right now, im getting a pro once that has a very good rep(he does a local rich guys lambos, vettes, porches etc.) YOU better keep up them rims. dunno what, but for that amount of money, i would use the best you can buy on them

skewba98z28

iTrader: (14)

Man I just did mine. It eliminated almost all my swirls. Of course I washed my car real good first. With Eagle One Wet car wash. (used sheepskin mit) Then I always dry it with an Absorber. After the car was completly dry I used Mother's Clay Bar. With Microfiber towel's from Advanced Auto. Take your time on this step. Make sure to keep the bar and your paint good and lubed. Do about a 2ft square at a time. By taking your time I mean I took about 2 1/2 hrs on this step. After I finished claying I used Mother's cleaner wax. Then I put a coat of Mother's Reflections on it. Just remeber to take your time, always wax with your paint cool, never in direct sunlight, and just use light pressure. To give you a time prespective I spent about 6 1/2 hrs on my car and did it all by hand no buffer here and of course I drank about 7 beer's to.

6']['9

iTrader: (2)

you can use some products in direct sunlight with Poorboys, Clearkote products.

Phoenix 5.7

iTrader: (7)

only 7, in that time a 12 pack would be gone. it does take a while

Slammed-am

I frickin' love this forum.

Thanks alot for your time and detailed responses.

When you recommend products, could you please clarify what the full name is and what it's best/intended use is? (There are SO many, I'm getting confused)

Please keep em' coming!

(P.S.-I don't skimp out on the Fikse's! They get the most TLC, claybar, wax, etc.)

skewba98z28

iTrader: (14)

That's the first time I've heard of that. Cool

skewba98z28

iTrader: (14)

Yeah I know I'm a slow drinker when I'm working on my car.

BTW I forgot to mention this earlier. I spent about $50 on the Claybar, 6 towels, car wash, mit, and the reflections. The cleaner wax came with the claybar.

2K2WS6TA

iTrader: (2)

Ok here's my regimen

1) wet car down (knocks the loose dirt off)
2) wash with Dawn and a lambs wool mitt (done on the first wash after winter, after that omit this step and wash with z7 only)
3) rinse then dry with electric leaf blower
4) clay (mothers claybar) entire car (zaino z7 wash, about a capful, in a spraybottle filled with distilled water, I do this about every 3rd wash)
5) rewash with z7 wash
6)rinse and dry with a leaf blower
7)apply 2 coats z5 (foam pad dampened with water)
8) buff with micro fiber towel(s)
9) [optional step] top coat with meguires gold class (I think it makes the shine look warmer rather than the sterile shine of zaino)
10) wheels and tires are done with a seperate bucket and mitt, but are also coated with the z5 and meguires
I've taken some of the advice from sites like autopia, LS1.com LS2.com and here, and tried to incorporate the information into a method that suits me best, and gives me the results I like
The leaf blower is probably the best investment I made, keeps the scratches and swirl marks from the cheap towels from occuring in the first place. FWIW I'd get yours proffesionally detailed to get rid of as many swirls as possible, then concentrate on keeping it as swirl/scratch free as possible in the future, the key is to use the least abrasive products, the micro fiber towels, the leaf blower, the lambswool wash mitt, as you can get
As you see it works well