Well...here's my exterior detailing guide (56K = death)

[cobravenom39]

Your the best Spree. Now what you really need to do is make a video of you using SSR2.5 and expunging swirls. There is far too much ambiguity on the method and length of which to do this. Pics and detailed synopsis simply can't convey the proper technique.

 

[spree]

Now what you really need to do is make a video of you using SSR2.5 and expunging swirls.

There are no more swirls left for me to expunge :-D

Maybe I should go run my car into a pole again... :lol:

 

[icu812]

There are no more swirls left for me to expunge :-D

Maybe I should go run my car into a pole again... :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Fast Willy]

I've never seen a black car lok soo good.

 

[cpu77]

oh...and a cool beading shot I got while I was washing it (I had put CMW and S100 on it about 2 months ago, so the wax was still holding up real well)

Do you have a procedure for getting rid of light scratches?

 

[spree]

Do you have a procedure for getting rid of light scratches?

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2099384&postcount=1

basically the same stuff as above but use ssr2.5 + cutting pad on a PC.

 

[turbocake]

i used to detail cars professionally (still do my mustang, of course).

I recommend using MANY more towels. The microfiber are cool, sure, but nothing beats a perfectly clean towel. It seems that the whole point of much of this is to remove swirl marks on dark colors.

I recommend the synthetic cheapy wash mits because they're so much more volumous and able to trap dirt in their innards. The fact that they are synthetic is actually the key. The action of the mit is to move dirt from the car's surface, up into the body of the mit. The easier that dirt moves along the fiber, the less it is compressed to the surface of the paint as you wipe.

Flipping often and rinsing well is also key. Take a look at your dirty wash mit pic and look at the buildup of dirt (the abrasives that create your swirls) on the edges of the pad vs. the center area. These mits are nice and fuzzy when soft, but have far more traction when wet than a synthetic mit. Sucks that people pay more for something that actually does a worse job, but that's part of life, I guess.

Anyway, as far as applying those products, right on, that's all good stuff... I only mention the intentional bulk usage of towels because of the reality of their benefit for this specific thread. Costco sells big wads of towels for like 13 bucks. Go buy two of those and keep a large laundry bag around for keeping the clean supply in. Every time you wash/wax the car, you constantly have perfectly clean towels for any use. The best is for glass cleaning. Once done drying the car, wipe them off with one towel per front and rear glass, then side glass, one per side. You can feel the film get raked off and the glass will be smooth once done, especially with some rainex, for which lots of clean towels is also a great thing.

Think of a clean white towel as an ultra-sponge for everything you want to keep off of your car, whether dirt, dried wax, or swirl remover. Terry cloth's loops lift dirt off and keep it up better than straight fibers (but are a lame marketing gimmic compared to "microfiber" towels. I wonder if nanofiber towels will be next).

Use the hose to sheet the water off the car before trying to dry it. I use a new black and decker leaf blower to get all the tough spots completely dry (mirrors, lug holes, F/R bumpers, etc.) then go back with a "water sprite" (<--- brand name of the best detailing tool you can possibly buy, look it up and order the biggest one you can, wash it 5 or 6 times with the towels and it will then be in optimum performance condition. Makes drying your car a breeze and the wax will last many times longer vs. using any sort of towel.)

Doesn't simple green have an "old man" smell to it? I think so, but either way, it works great for the engine compartment. I wax my valve covers and anything I want to stay clean(er) because of good wax filling up the pores before the dirt does - which also works well for painted wheels (or the painted part of a wheel) but don't even think about it if you have the machined finish cuz that will stain them.

EDIT - I don't want to come across as dissing the MF. I'd love to pay 50 bucks for a giant bag of them, but I don't think the GP would bring it down that much For the speed of completion I need, lots and lots of clean goes further than far less number of moderately, at best, longer lived units.

Ok, there's more stuff but too much to type, hope this helps y'all.

 

[turbocake]

I've never tried NXT, so I wouldn't be able to tell you. Based on what I've heard though, the durability isn't that great.

Personally, I don't think I'll ever go back to using a synthetic sealant on a black car. Nothing beats the look of a good carnauba based wax on black.

Totally. It's all about the carnuba. Hard to put on, hard for the elements to take off.

 

[spree]

Flipping often and rinsing well is also key. Take a look at your dirty wash mit pic and look at the buildup of dirt (the abrasives that create your swirls) on the edges of the pad vs. the center area. These mits are nice and fuzzy when soft, but have far more traction when wet than a synthetic mit. Sucks that people pay more for something that actually does a worse job, but that's part of life, I guess.

I know. I did that on purpose for illustration purposes only. I wanted people to see just how dirty a mitt can get, even on a car that "looks" clean.

 

[iwanastang]

Spree- What do you do to wash your microfiber? Just machine wash? May sound like a dumb question but my towels never seem to get clean. :shrug:

 

[spree]

Spree- What do you do to wash your microfiber? Just machine wash? May sound like a dumb question but my towels never seem to get clean. :shrug:

Pinnacle Micro-Restore. Does a pretty good job.

 

[spree]

ttt

 

[Martinrulz]

Excuse me if this was mentioned in the previous pages but what is the best way to get rid of water spots? Both on the body and the glass. Every dang time I wash my car I end up with them. Is it cause I don't rinse off entire car enough during the wash or is it being in the sun or what? Help please :shrug:

 

[spree]

Basically, water spots occur when you get impure water (water that's not pure H2O) on your car that then dries up. If the sun beats on your car, it becomes worse. The chemicals and all that other gunk in the water etches onto your paint.

One of the least abrasive ways to try to get rid of them is to use a 1:1 mix of distilled white vinegar and water, and dab it onto your car. Let it sit for a few minutes (without letting it dry), and rinse it off completely. Follow that up with a polish (if your swirls are bad, go with an abrasive polish...if they're not, a mild polish should do the trick), and wax it again (the vinegar strips the wax).

There are instances where that won't do the trick and where you will need a rotary to remove them. It really depends how severe the problem is.

 

[Martinrulz]

"Tip: When you are done washing the car, "sheet" the water off your car using your hose (if you using a special nozzle, remove it). This will make life easier when drying your car."

Spree does this mean to take off yor nozzle then put your thumb at the end of the hose to make it "sheet" the water from the hose?

 

[spree]

Spree does this mean to take off yor nozzle then put your thumb at the end of the hose to make it "sheet" the water from the hose?

nah...it means take off the nozzle and let the water flow freely over your car. It will then sheet off. If you put your thumb on it, you'll get raindrops forming on your car.

 

[Martinrulz]

Spree maybe thats what is causing my waterspots to persist and never go away, cause I'm not sheeting the car while I am rinsing it off? Also do you wash the whole car first then rinse or do a section, rinse, another section then rinse? Thanks.

 

[Martinrulz]

ttt :rockon:

 

[spree]

Spree maybe thats what is causing my waterspots to persist and never go away, cause I'm not sheeting the car while I am rinsing it off? Also do you wash the whole car first then rinse or do a section, rinse, another section then rinse? Thanks.

Well...the water spots will form if you let water stay on the car, then have the sun dry out the water and beat on the car for a bit. Sheeting the water off makes the drying process quicker, which results in your car staying out of the sun for less time. Additionally, sheeting the water will prevent the water from forming beads on the paint.

I wash the whole car in one shot...if it's a hot day, I'll pull it into the garage to dry it off.

 

[Evenflow]

Figured I would bump this thread as it originally got me in the market for a PC.

And today I ordered the PC Kit from Tropi-Care and its going to be here next weekend! Went to order some PoorBoys and Clearkote from SMP but they were closed