Below are some pics of the car after I detailed the exterior. I just got this car, so it was my first time detailing it. I listed the procedure and products that I used, any suggestions to improve my methods would be welcomed.

1. Wash car with Simoniz car wash gel

2. Dry with microfiber chamois

3. Used Mother's Clay bar and the Showtime spray that came with it. I did this in sections, and dried with terry cloth.

4. Polished with Meguiar's Deep Crystal Polish. Applied with terry cloth, and buffed with terry cloth.

5. It started to rain really hard! I quiclky parked it in the garage to finish the job.

6. Waxed with Meguiar's Gold Class Clear Coat Wax. Applied with the included applicator pad, and removed excess with a terry cloth.

7. Buffed exterior with terry cloth.

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

In the pictures it looks perfect, but in person you will see tiny scratches, which are typical for a 6 year old car. I also have some paint specs which I'm working on removing.

How often should I wax and polish? What should I do to maintain the car from now until I wax it again?

If you switch to a sythetic like Klasse, Zaino, or Blackfire, or high-end carnuba wax like P21S/S100 or Sourverign<sp?> you will get a much deeper shine out your black paint.

Well the good thing is you used multi-steps. The bad thing is you used a cleaner wax (and gold-class on top of that).

Deep crystal polish isn't bad. There are better products out there, but overall it's OK - removes most oxidation and deposits, but doesn't really touch scratches and swirls. If your car's in good shape scratch wise, it's decent to use.

Swap waxes. Gold class has a durability of about a 3 weeks on a daily driver parked outside. If you want to stay Meg's, go at least to #26. It'll last at least twice as long. If you're not picky and want to stay Carnuba, I'd go S100 or P21S wax. Use their paint cleaner before and you'll be amazed with the results.

Back to the first question - if you're using carnuba, figure waxing every 4 to 6 weeks. Most waxes just aren't going to have the depth of protection after that. If you go synthetic (Klasse, Zaino, etc). You should be able to go 3 to 6 months. Polish as needed, but no more than once a quarter, probally half a year unless you're really on the road. Also instead of using terry, try using microfiber for everything. It will reduce the chances of scratching the car further.

Thanks, those are great tips!

What is a cleaner wax? And it seems that you think gold class is a bad product, why is that?

Cleaner wax - product that both strips wax and cleans paint WHILE it adds a layer of "protective" wax.

Sounds like a contradiction in terms huh? Pretty much cleaner waxes will stain your moldings white. Good quality waxes will not stain. If you read the back of the Meguiar's label of Gold class "NOTE: KEEP OFF RUBBER AND NON-PAINTED SURFACES." Yes, it's in big capital letters. Really makes me think it's a cleaner wax even though it's not marketed as such. A wax shouldn't stain and you should be able to put it on non-painted surfaces.

Common consensus is that gold class while it gives you a very good reflective surface, but the durability sucks. Think of it like crack wax for your car...you gotta keep putting it on to keep the car looking shiny. Try S100 or P21S - it's about the same price (might even be cheaper IIRC) and it looks ALOT better. S100's available at your local Harley dealership and it's a pure wax - you don't have to worry about getting it on moldings or anything. As a matter of fact, I usually wax my moldings and trim pieces with S100 just to protect them.

Now if you want to go synthetic....that's another story. IF your paint's in PERFECT condition, I'd go zaino...Reason why those CAPS are there is because zaino is an optically pure polymer. It shows all defects in your paint. Swirls and scratches seem magnified. Carnuba is alot more forgiving on the initial prep.

Thanks so much. I am definitely going to switch waxes. Now, since S100 or P21S is not a cleaner wax, what should I do to make sure it is all clean first. I used a clay bar, so I think that gets the surface pretty clean.

As for polish, you seemed to think Meguair's Step 2 polish was just ALRIGHT. What do you think is a GREAT polish to use. It takes a long time to polish the car, so I want to do it right the next time I do it.

If you're picking up S100 or P21S wax, pick up the cooresponding cleaner - it's marketed as a gloss or shine enhanceing paint cleaner. It's a mild chemical polish, meaning minimal abrasives. It's good for everyday use, but remember to wax afterwards.

As for scratches/swirls, there's a multitude of products out there. If you like Meguiars, try their swirl mark remover v. 2. If you like 3M, they've also got a SMR as well. I believe the 3M one is slightly more abrasive. If you just clayed the car, that should have removed any particles that were stuck in the paint, but it doesn't actually remove any scratches (usually it increases the number of microscratches if you don't fold the clay properly). Either one of the SMR's should be fine. Follow that up with SEC or GEPC from S100/P21S and you should have a very good surface for waxing.

After that just normal waxing and the occasional SEC/GEPC when needed (ie bird bombs, sap, bug/tar, etc) about once every 4 to 6 weeks. Now if you're addicted to detailing you can do it more often, but you run into diminishing returns....(course there's that argument of Zen and the art of detailing....)

Great. I'm going to try all of this the next time I get a chance to do a full detail.

Cleaner wax - product that both strips wax and cleans paint WHILE it adds a layer of "protective" wax.

Sounds like a contradiction in terms huh? Pretty much cleaner waxes will stain your moldings white. Good quality waxes will not stain. If you read the back of the Meguiar's label of Gold class "NOTE: KEEP OFF RUBBER AND NON-PAINTED SURFACES." Yes, it's in big capital letters. Really makes me think it's a cleaner wax even though it's not marketed as such. A wax shouldn't stain and you should be able to put it on non-painted surfaces.

Most carnauba waxes aren't meant to be used on rubber or non painted surfaces because of that white residue they leave on those surfaces. S100/P21S is a carnauba mixed with other waxes and chemicals and is formulated to go on without residue. Zaino is different because it is a synthetic polymer sealant and can be used on just about any area of the car.

Cleaner waxes are great for removing oxidation and minor scratches. I've used the 3M Medium Oxidation Cleaner Wax with a Porter Cable buffer to take out swirl marks, scratches and oxidation on my aunt's car. It works really well. The protection it leaves is minimal though compared to a non-cleaner wax or a synthetic like Zaino, so I will usually throw on another coat of carnauba over it to keep the car protected.

?????

Can u splain that to us one more time ...???

Who... and I mean "WHO" wouls wax thier rubber ...?

We arnt talking about backyard car detailing techinique's here... this is a professional board discussng proper tecknique's...!!

There are basically 3 mythods (aproaches) in dealing with car exterior.....


... Klasse/Zaino/Blackfire/Pinnacle systems..... all else really doesnt matter... no ..??

the ONLY question is betwen Klasse & Zaiono camps... !!!

Originally posted by WebDev
Cleaner waxes are great for removing oxidation and minor scratches. I've used the 3M Medium Oxidation Cleaner Wax with a Porter Cable buffer to take out swirl marks, scratches and oxidation on my aunt's car. It works really well. The protection it leaves is minimal though compared to a non-cleaner wax or a synthetic like Zaino, so I will usually throw on another coat of carnauba over it to keep the car protected.

Don't confuse 3M Cleaner Wax by machine with a product like Meguiar's Cleaner Paste Wax. 3M products are, for the most part, designed for machine use, and give good results because of that. Most cleaner waxes will actually PUT scratches in the paint if it's not perfectly prepped. That's why 99% of professional detailers use a two or three step method as opposed to a one-step method such as cleaner wax.

I love 3M products but Rupes doesn't have a PC and as such he shouldn't be using cleaner waxes. I don't use them at all, because you will never get the same result with a cleaner wax that you will by doing it in two or three seperate steps.

Originally posted by Garrett
?????

Can u splain that to us one more time ...???

Who... and I mean "WHO" wouls wax thier rubber ...?

We arnt talking about backyard car detailing techinique's here... this is a professional board discussng proper tecknique's...!!

There are basically 3 mythods (aproaches) in dealing with car exterior.....


... Klasse/Zaino/Blackfire/Pinnacle systems..... all else really doesnt matter... no ..??

the ONLY question is betwen Klasse & Zaiono camps... !!!

Nonporus rubber and plastic surfaces take waxing very well. Actually, they respond even better to Klasse AIO.

Hal knows his shit. He knows professional T E C H N I Q U E S.

Synthetics are great, but require more prep time. Most people who detail in their spare time or as a hobby don't necessarily want to put that prep time in, so they are better off sticking with the carnuba route.

If you want a professional detailing board, go to www.autopia.org. This is really just a "backyard" detailing board compared to Autopia.

And please, please work on your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Thanks.

Originally posted by Ben Carufel
Hal knows his shit. He knows professional T E C H N I Q U E S.


Tat right....I gots Skilz....:biglaughb

Actually Ben, I'd make the argument that synthetics are for people with new or almost new paint...If you're picky enough to want Zaino, you're not gonna want to see all the scratches and such that an older car has acquired...Note: I'm saying ONLY Zaino, no toppers or other products.

How many people there use Zaino, then top it because it's not deep or wet enough huh??

Personally, I'm leaning towards a hybrid setup - fully carnuba (S100) prepped on top and high side surfaces, Klasse or DPS on lower side surfaces, back and front topped with S100. AIO/SG on rims. Now I just have to figure out what to use on tires and glass works best in Florida. I may go back to a AIO/S100 on the hood, just to see if I can get some more protection against road debris...

Originally posted by WebDev
Most carnauba waxes aren't meant to be used on rubber or non painted surfaces because of that white residue they leave on those surfaces. S100/P21S is a carnauba mixed with other waxes and chemicals and is formulated to go on without residue.



All carnauba waxes are mixed with other waxes and natural oils. Pure carnauba is hard as a rock.

Originally posted by hal9000
Personally, I'm leaning towards a hybrid setup - fully carnuba (S100) prepped on top and high side surfaces, Klasse or DPS on lower side surfaces, back and front topped with S100. AIO/SG on rims. Now I just have to figure out what to use on tires and glass works best in Florida. I may go back to a AIO/S100 on the hood, just to see if I can get some more protection against road debris...

I'm a hybrid person myself. I'm just finally figuring out the nuances of Klasse SG and I'm beginning to like it more and more...

Today I detailed a '97 Alpine White III Z3. I started off with 3M SMR for dark cars, and that took care of the majority of the swirls. If necessary I would have moved to 3M FI-II Machine Polish, but thankfully I didn't need to.

Then I hit the car with Klasse AIO. I know many people think that AIO is just a surface prep and if the paint is clean enough, you can skip it and go straight to SG, but I believe that AIO helps SG bond.

I followed the AIO with a coat of SG, and let that sit for about two and a half hours.

After buffing the SG out I topped it with S100. The car looks awesome!

FWIW, I did the wheels with AIO/SG as well.

Wow you guys really know your stuff.

Where is the best place online to buy S100? I was unable to find it in the local shops in Toronto.

No Harley Davidson dealerships up there? Try autogeek.net. They just added it recently IIRC

Originally posted by Garrett

Who... and I mean "WHO" wouls wax thier rubber ...?



Rubber and plastic break down over time, just as paint clearcoats do. Taking care of them when you detail the rest of your car, will extend their longevity as well. But wax isn't the best thing to use on them, but only because they don't adhere that well to the rubber and plastic compounds as well as other products tend to do.

Let's face it, Bimmers have a lot of trim pieces that need tending and the Zaino products (as well as a few of the other synthetic materials) do a good job of sealing them and protecting them from UV rays and other conditions that can break down the compounds over time and neglect.

If you're serious about detailing your car, you detail the whole thing, not just the painted parts. Glass, plastic, rubber and leather.

They sell car products in a Harley Davidson dealership?

Unintentionally, yes ;)

S100 is the "motorcycle" line of P21S car care products. S100 carnuba wax is absolutely identical to P21S carnuba wax, only its $10 less per jar. Save your money... buy the S100.

Originally posted by rupes001
They sell car products in a Harley Davidson dealership?

Yep, clearcoated paint is clearcoated paint. They also carry good metal polishes and wheel cleaners. I'm trying out their quick detailer as well....

Cool, I'll go pick up some wax, and sit on a harley!

Originally posted by hal9000
Yep, clearcoated paint is clearcoated paint. They also carry good metal polishes and wheel cleaners. I'm trying out their quick detailer as well....

Hal, what do you think of the S100 quick detail? I was going to pick some up but figured I'd check around and see what people thought before I did. Your thoughts?

Rupes, just be careful not to knock shit over! :)

I was sitting on a brand-spanking-new Harley that was *all* carbon-fibered out (we're talking CF tank, fairings, headlight surround, instrument surround, front fender, rear fender, seat back, etc) and the salesman was looking at me like a hawk...

*gulp*

So far I'm not impressed. Spray pattern sucks (yes, I turned the can upside down to blow out anything that may have gotten stuck in the nozzle).

I need to try it on a car that wasn't recently waxed in order to form a good opinion. Everything I tried it on this weekend had been washed and waxed within 2 weeks.

Thanks for the tip Ben :). I wouldn't want to lift one of those suckers up, let alone pay for the damage.