Cleaning & Waxing Input?

Let me know what our experts say, similar situation. Previous threads have recommended california duster for the interior dash and 303 protectant. Dealer told me to wash softex with mild dish washing liquid just dampened on a microfiber cloth. But I know this board has the best tried and true answers.

 

Here's a post with my favorite detailing products:
My Favorite Detailing Products | PriusChat

 

You can go to Autogeek.net and ask the experts. Look for the Detailing 101 area, great people who like to get people in the right direction.

 

fwiw:

I always use a pure sheepskin wash mitt.
Never use any detergent of any kind unless you are preparing to take the oils out of the paint and remove all traces of previous waxes. If I did use detergent I would then clay bar the car, to prepare the car for polish like "Zaino".
I also use an electric leaf blower to get the majority of water off the finish. This works very well and minimizes the time you have to actually touch the finish.
A chamois will remove wax or polish, I always use a clean white 100% cotton towel to dry the finish.
For my money a microfiber cloth is glorified plastic material, I never use them.

Lots of great tips can be found here: Zaino Store

Good luck with it!

 

Washing-- Overall your process looks good, first thing I would recommend is a grit guard for each of your buckets, you'll be amazed how much stuff gets trapped in your wash media. Secondly, be sure to clay your car, I'd suggest mothers' clay bar kit cause it's cheap and comes with 2 bars, towel, and lube for under $20.

Chamois-- I would say use this only on glass, you will marr your paint like crazy with those things, I'll say go with a waffle weave-style towel for drying, nice and soft and dries really well

Interior-- I can't stress enough.. don't use armor-all on your dash, been known to crack people's dashes in high heat.
use a microfiber to wipe down your dash and dress it with the appropriate stuff, I personally use 303 Aero Protectent or CarPro PERL, on the seats, carpet, mats I've treated all of mine with 303 Fabric Guard, water doesn't even soak into the seats if you let it set there, lol

Waxing-- like I've mentioned in other threads, for the price and durability you can't beat Collinite 845 (liquid wax) works great on silver/white/etc and will last 4-8 months compared to most waxes twice the price

Hope some of this is helpful,
Rob

 

Worked great on my seats.. No issues as of 4 months that I've owned it. I've done all 4 of my cars using it, lol.
Collinite 845 can be found for around $15

Rob

 

Fine to wash yourself but not at the expense of the car waiting for you to do it. Better to get frequent auto car washes to keep the car clean vs. waiting until you have time and inclination which usually decreases with frequency fairly steeply as car gets to six months old.

 

I've used high quality chamois (from Griot's Garage) to dry my cars for decades, and never had any issues--and I'm pretty particular about my cars. In fact, this is the first time I've ever heard of somebody having issues like that. Of course, I thoroughly wash & rinse it after each use, and replace every few years.

 

I have used "The Absorber" synthetic chamois for years with great results. Wash and wash often but not when the paint is hot or even warm and never in direct sunlight. Remove bird droppings and tree debris immediately...yes this means a daily inspection of your car. Following each hand wash, use a spray wax detailer. Hand wax the car at least every six months.

I've found that proper care is more important than the type of car care product used after experimenting with several products available. I usually purchase a new car every two to three years and have noted that they usually have more paint finish damage from transport and sitting on dealer lots for several weeks, as they don't remove bird droppings immediately and wash cars in the direct sunlight using dirty mops.

Once I thoroughly inspected a new car prior to purchase only to experience several scratches after the detail shop obviously used dirty rags, mitts or whatever they used to clean the car prior to delivery. Dealer's should keep the protective film on cars until a customer is ready to purchase the car and take delivery, but then you're still at the mercy of the clean-up guys.

 

When I bring my car in for service I emphasize that I do not want the "free" car wash--because the "price" you pay is paint damage from the dirty rags and buckets of stuff they use.

Regarding the protective shipping film, they need to remove it within a relatively short period of time, or else the adhesive starts to adhere to the paint, creating more opportunities for paint damage as they remove the adhesive.

 

Maybe true in 1957 or if they are giving out free car wash for the high school glee club fundraiser but a modern car washes are all soft brush and detergents. Much better off frequently using car wash vs. infrequently doing the hand wash. Especially true in winter with salt and gravel on the road.

 

Modern carwash? All but 1 Toyota dealer I've used have minimum wage workers, with dirty rags and buckets of dirty stuff, doing the "washing." In fact, that's also the set up in most non-Toyota dealers I've used to service my cars. The one Toyota dealer that didn't was a huge volume dealer that had an automated car wash bay--with the spinning nylon brushes that cause all kinds of damage--not the soft brushes you refer to. And this ain't 1957.

 

Fascinating. Our dealer just gives out Ecowash tickets to the place across the street, soft brushes, recycling system, low impact detergents, blow dry. $5 for Express Wash. Dealer probably buys a book of 100 for $2 each. Couldn't even buy a bucket, much less rags and pay wages.

 

Considering most would just go to autozone or kragens to buy one, I'm just throwing it out there.. I have a nice GG chamois too but I have even nicer drying towels.. But to each their own

Rob

 

See 'my favorite detailing products' post on 06-06-09 in Gen3 forum.
Do your research.
Buy the right stuff first.

 

I recommend the California Water Blade to dry the car. Will save you alot of money as that and one microfiber towel is all you need to dry the car. Then you don't have to launder alot of drying cloths. Save water...soap....washing machine & dryer electricity. And its 10 times faster than using a cloth to dry the car.
Been using it on my 07 since new and paint looks brand new.

 

I've read (and seen pix of) many horror stories on car enthusiast forums where folks have done serious damage to their paint using those water blades. The issue is when grit gets stuck to the blade, and you end up dragging it across your paint. You seem to be one of the lucky ones.