I need to wash my car already! Any reccomendations

[windstrings]

Originally posted by priusenvy@Jan 20 2006, 11:14 AM
It sounds like longevity is the overriding concern, especially since your vehicle isn't garaged at all.  In that case, even though your car is red, I would recommend Zaino.  It's what I put on my SUV.  The thing is too damn big and too much work to regularly detail, and I only put a couple hundred miles on it per month, and it sits outside all the time.  So I put the longest lasting product I know of on it, and for now, that's Zaino.

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Isn't there a couple of different types Zaino to choose from?..... Which one would you use to start with a new car.

[Walker1]

[quote]
Ok my car is ready for it's first wash. I have never had a car nice enough to need to be washed. (no use washing a rusty car)

So do you have any reccomedations on what products I should use to wash the car? Or do I just go through one of those automatic car washes with the brush. Or the car washes with the hoses?

Also can I could use some help to wash my car too

I'm not silly to be asking about car wash products am I? I don't know a thing about that stuff. IF you think I'm asking a silly question please remember I'm a blond

So there is 3 ways I know of to wash a car:

1. In the car wash with the brushes
2. In the car wash with the hoses
3. With my garden hose at home (In my bikini......NOT!)

I also want to wax my car to.

Are do I just go to Wallyword and grab the first car wash wax I see????

Help my car is dirty! :P Tracy

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I always wash my vehicles either by hand or using my pressure cleaner. I won't let a car wash touch them as they use recycled water. As to wax I use McGuire's liquid wax every 3 months. I also live on a FILTHY dirt road which I hate! If you want to get a car dirty fast live on a dirt road. I'll NEVER do that again!!!!!!!!!

[priusenvy]

Originally posted by Walker1@Jan 21 2006, 05:09 AM
As to wax I use McGuire's liquid wax every 3 months.

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Ah yes, McGuire's. Made by Barry Meguiar's long lost Irish cousin.

[priusenvy]

Originally posted by Dripps@Jan 19 2006, 09:06 AM
I would LOVE a recommendation.  I'm so confused!

1) I have a brand spankin' new Barcelona RED
2) I would love to keep car looking like it did when I picked it up a day ago
3) As much as necessary and as little as possible
4) I mostly park in the garage - live in Northern NJ

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I've seen that new red, someone at work has an '06 that color.

That color can benefit from something better than Zaino, if you're willing to put up with somewhat less longevity.

Right now I like Blackfire for a sealant that has some of the depth and richness of a carnauba wax, but with the longevity of a synthetic sealant (it will last 2.5 or 3x longer than Pinnacle Souveran at least). The matching polish (Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish) is extremely mild, it's almost more of a glaze than a polish. So I'd go with the GEP, followed by two or three coats of Blackfire All Finish Paint Protection. Hit it with the matching quick detailer (Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray Sealant) every other week when you wash it, and you should be good for three months. After three months, just apply two or three more coats of All Finish Paint Protection. I don't know what the winters are like in New Jersey (other than what I see on the "Sopranos"), but you can probably get away with applying GEP once per year, when winter is over, since your car is garaged.

Zaino would give you maybe 30% more longevity, but I don't think the Barcelona Red would look nearly as good as it would with Blackfire.

By the way, your car would look WAY better after this than it did on the day you picked it up.

[SW03ES]

Oy vey...

Good luck with this crew priusenvy LOL

Seriously though, I'm not around here much, but to everyone on PriusChat, priusenvy knows his stuff when it comes to detailing, this is obvious. LISTEN TO HIM!

[Mystery Squid]

You know, having owned a few performance vehicles in my time for which I took meticulous care of, I've gone though this a few times, and have come to the following conclusion:

Unless you have a collectible, an exotic, something for which you only drive when it's dry out, and keep garaged most of the time, it's a lot of wasted time.

A daily driver only stays "perfect" for about a day, two or three, if you're lucky, and that's under ideal conditions.

Of course, if it is the first car you've ever owned worthy of a lengthy cleaning, it'll probably be fun for a while, so by all means enjoy yourself!

Nowadays, I just run it through the carwash while I'm up here in New England, and when I'm in FL, where there are tons of "full service" wash/wax places, I'll just shell out the $20-40 to have someone else do it.

Part of the reason I got my Prius is because, for once, I wanted something low maintenance within that respect.


As a side note, I did notice the Toyota clear coat seems to be pretty damn good compared to other cars I've owned. It's more like a nice, hard, protective "shell", than a coat...

[Dripps]

Originally posted by priusenvy@Jan 22 2006, 12:46 AM

Zaino would give you maybe 30% more longevity, but I don't think the Barcelona Red would look nearly as good as it would with Blackfire.

By the way, your car would look WAY better after this than it did on the day you picked it up.

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Thanks very very much for your recommendation. After all the reading I had been doing I was only able to come to one conclusion.....PRIUSENVY will know what to do! I have taken your advice and ordered the Blackfire stuff. As soon as it arrives I will get to work. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks again. My Barcelona Red GIZMO thanks you too.

[Godiva]

For those interested in more on such things as cleaner/waxes, layering etc. there's an interesting post on the Meguiar's online forum by Mike Phillips, who has been detailing cars for decades.

Layers and layers

Go about halfway down the page to find the post that starts:
"
Because whether or not a product is capable of layering is such a hot topic in the online detailing communities, I think it's only natural that the discussion takes place, and what better place than here.

I know that layering is possible at least to the degree of creating a layer with a uniform density.

I think that layering is possible if by layering you mean increasing the thickness of a layer of product, at least to some degree.

But I believe that at some point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in."

A significant point is made here:
"A surface, such as an automotive paint, can only hold so much product before all you're doing is removing all subsequent coatings applied to the surface.

That is to say, after the first, second and in some cases a third application/coating, any more product applied to the surface is merely removed when you wipe the excess off after waiting for the product to dry or cure.

At this point you've reached a plateau, (or limit), as to how much wax, (natural or synthetic) a surface can hold. Once you reach this plateau, all further applications of wax simply become excess that will be removed (and thus wasted), during wipe-off because it has nowhere to attach and layer."

Basically, if it's a daily driver (as my car is) you're never going to maintain a show room finish. I just want to do the best the can with what I have under the conditions I have. At least I have a garage. And I know how take care of my car so I don't intentionally make it worse, but can try to protect it as long as possible.

[bbianchi]

Originally posted by priusenvy@Jan 20 2006, 01:12 PM
You might have some credibility if you said you'd tried Klasse, 4 Star, Blackfire, ClearKote, Pinnacle, P21S or PoorBoy's.  As such, all you've done is compared Zaino to some crappy auto parts store brands.

Also, you have a white car.  Light colors aren't capable of showing off the differences in depth of gloss and liquidity of different products like a dark color can.  Light colors also hide swirls and other defects.

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For clarification I have tried Blackfire as well as Pinnacle.

Also priusenvy don't be so fast to jump to conclusions.

This prius is my eigth car. The past 4 have all enjoyed Zaino.

One grey, one silver, on cyber green, and one black. Now the white Prius. Also my fathers 2002 red thunderbird looks damn nice with it as well.

[Godiva]

"Find something you like and use it often"