[yerffejleahcim]

Originally Posted by svache

Hopefully I can get a hose long enough from the backyard to the public road at my new home, then you can come over and wash your car at my place

Appreciate the offer buddy!

[BonanzaNLD]

Originally Posted by TEAShea

My suggested procedure for washing a car.

Yea - fanatical.

Tom

Time to take it to the next level. Washing the car is not sufficient. You want to clean the car, so claying is at least a step you might want to consider. Move your fingertips across the cars body and I am quite sure it will feel like sandpaper. In other words: your car is not clean.

Let me repeat the steps that will give you a clean car, with a better than showroom shine:

1. Water the car with a hose. . Only using water here. It will get rid of the majority of sand, polution etc. Don't use high-pressure systems, it will 'push' the dirt in your your car's top layer.
2. Take 2 buckets, one without shampoo, one with shampoo (DoDo's Born To Be Mild is a good one). Use a washmitt and clean the car (when the mitt is dirty, clean it in the bucket without shampoo, then dip it in the bucket with shampoo).
3. Time to bring out the clay! This will get rid of the contaminants that you were not able to remove with the shampoo (and yes, there is still a lot of rubbish on your car after shampooing). Just have a look at this little movie:
   
4. Now that you've gotten rid of all contaminants ON the paint, it's time to clean the insides by polishing (Poorboy's has some good stuff). You basically rub in this stuff until it gets a vaseline look. This stuff cleans inside the paint, removing contaminants.
5. Before you can wax, you have to feed the paint some glaze (also here, Poorboy's has some good stuff). You also have to rub this, softly and gently and will bring a really beautiful glaze to the car.
6. And now you can wax It will protect your car and keep the glaze that you've put into the paint in the previous step. It will also make it easier to clean the car for the next 3 months.

And let me make one thing clear: it does not make any sense to wax your car after every wash session as you do. It is a waste of time. A good wax will stick on your car for 2-3 months. You won't wash it off.

Another thing I want to mention to you guys living close to railroads, trams, etc: your car will probably be full of flyrust. You can easily get rid of this by using Iron-X. This stuff does magic. I was afraid to use it initially, but it's part of my bi-annual car cleaning sessions. It dissolves little metal parts that are stuck in your paint (brake dust, flyrust) and does a great job in cleaning your rims. The metal parts in the paint turn purple when they dissolve:

And last, but not least, a few no-go's:

• Never use a normal sponge to clean your car. A washmitt will 'absorb' contaminants, a sponge will keep the contaminants between the sponge and the paint. This will result in scratches and swirls
• Never use dishwash cleaning crap to wash your car. This stuff is so aggressive to paint, it will damage it

[Zechariaha]

Guys dont forget that claying really scartches your car and marrs the paint in some cases such as black cars you really need to go an extra step and polish the paint after clay and before wax and sealents, just saying people wonder why there cars have all these flat spots and marring, scratching etc. btw sorry for trolling on your F30's just a bit jealous. . .back to e9x land

[bananachipz]

Originally Posted by Zechariaha

Guys dont forget that claying really scartches your car and marrs the paint in some cases such as black cars you really need to go an extra step and polish the paint after clay and before wax and sealents, just saying people wonder why there cars have all these flat spots and marring, scratching etc. btw sorry for trolling on your F30's just a bit jealous. . .back to e9x land

You can in a lot of cases get away with a milder clay (Ricardo Yellow I believe is the milder one), and lots of lube. But ya, you're still asking for potential marring...

However: Whatever the clay does, doesn't necessarily need a Porter Cable to remove. A simple hand job (snicker snicker ) and a good polish will do the trick.

If you aren't going to clay, then IronX is the trick. It doesn't necessarily replace claying, but IronX + a polish is pretty good

[Zechariaha]

Originally Posted by bananachipz

You can in a lot of cases get away with a milder clay (Ricardo Yellow I believe is the milder one), and lots of lube. But ya, you're still asking for potential marring...

However: Whatever the clay does, doesn't necessarily need a Porter Cable to remove. A simple hand job (snicker snicker ) and a good polish will do the trick.

If you aren't going to clay, then IronX is the trick. It doesn't necessarily replace claying, but IronX + a polish is pretty good

Youd be giving it quite the handjob to get marring out by hand haha

[bananachipz]

Originally Posted by Zechariaha

Youd be giving it quite the handjob to get marring out by hand haha

I'm married... Let's just say i'm the "master of my own domain" LMFAO!

[DrivenByE30]

Originally Posted by bananachipz

ONR is your friend my friend check out autopia.org, people rave about it. I've used it a lot in the last little while. You basically fill one bucket with 2oz of ONR and 2 gal of water. A second bucket filled with just rinse water for the wash mitt.

You wash your car with the mitt & the ONR solution a panel at a time. drop your mitt in the rinse bucket, and dry that pannel with a waffle weave or MF towel. no need to rinse. it's much better than the spray on waterless washes.

Where does the clay bar come in ?? i supposed before this ONR process right ?

Originally Posted by mfear

Everyone do yourselves a favor and get some optimum no rinse and some optimum spray wax.

Originally Posted by mfear

Good?

It's like the milk from the breast of the Virgin Mary.

LOL, you two have convinced me to go out today and find me some ONR!

Originally Posted by txnewbie

Been reading this post, have not had a car worth caring for. Just ordered and will have the car on lease in 8 weeks (328i sport line etc..). I would like to be a person who gets the best results but with reasonable time invested(i.e. not gonna fully detail all the time). I think it would be good to do it on my own and avoid the costs of the pros who are worth paying for. I guess I am asking for as much detail as possible from A to Z. So is the general consensus wash(is this with soap, if so what kind) clay, polish then wax, twice a year or so. Or go the low water route mentioned with Optimum no Rinse. So what are the products including sponges towels etc... that you guys recommend. Also what is the difference in the results between wash, clay, polish, wax vs. ONR.

I have that same question....

can i do clay ... ONR, then polish and wax??

combining the process will make it even better for the car , right ??

[TEAShea]

Its cool ---- everyone likes different things. The only real thing I want to get advocate is don't scratch your car when you wash it.

[bananachipz]

Originally Posted by DrivenByE30

Where does the clay bar come in ?? i supposed before this ONR process right ?





LOL, you two have convinced me to go out today and find me some ONR!



I have that same question....

can i do clay ... ONR, then polish and wax??

combining the process will make it even better for the car , right ??

ONR is a wash.. so it replaces pulling out a hose, pressure washer etc. It does not replace claying. Claying your car is done to get any contaminents that are stuck to your paint (sap, overspray, brake dust - stuff that sticks and oxidizes). It will make your paint really smooth, ready to refine polish and wax.

When you clay, you need a lubricant (you can't just rub a dry claybar on your paint). Some companies make purpose-made clay lubricants, some use a spray detailer. What makes ONR great is you can mix it in a dilution and use it as a clay lubricant or spray detailer in addition to a wash!

So here's the *ideal* steps if you're claying:

Wash (ONR)
Clay (with ONR lubricant or other)
Wash again (optional. If you're using ONR as a lubricant it's not really necessary)
Polish any marring (especially on a black car. You can probably get away without it on a lighter car.)
wax/seal.

Claying should really only be done once a year or so. It's not something that needs to be done constantly.


BTW, I used ONR for the first time as a quick detailer, and it works AMAZING for that as well.

[sunmenghao630]

use wax swissvax!!!!trust me

[963mw]

Newbie Question:

Does clay remove the paint sealant layer ("The polish") of the car or only the surface dirt on the sealant? I've been postponing claying my car, as my local detailing shop told me they usually clay a car before beginning to re-polish it; use it to strip old polish/sealant. Is this true?

Thanks

[rolltidef32]

Originally Posted by 963mw

Newbie Question:

Does clay remove the paint sealant layer ("The polish") of the car or only the surface dirt on the sealant? I've been postponing claying my car, as my local detailing shop told me they usually clay a car before beginning to re-polish it; use it to strip old polish/sealant. Is this true?

Thanks

The thread lives!!!!

No, clay doesn't remove sealant or wax. To remove wax and sealant, you can purchase a Paint Prep like from Griots, or you can mix your own using ISO alcohol and water in a 1/10 ratio. The 1 is the alcohol. Put this in a spray bottle and cover the car, then wipe with microfiber towels, your paint will be clear of coatings.

Make sure you ONLY do this to a thoroughly cleaned car. Use a standard PH balanced shampoo and make at least 3 passes.

[Marty P]

Originally Posted by gator15

Great advice. Stay clear of touch-less car washes. It is much better to use a car wash with brushes because of the harsh chemicals used in touch-less. Regarding waxing/detailing, yes you definitely should wax your vehicle. If you are washing your car weekly, it needs to be waxed every 6 to 8 weeks, as the wax washes off a little after each wash. The good news is there are some great waxes and/or sealants out there that require little work in application. What color car do you have?

I have never taken my new cars to a car wash with brushes after seeing what it did to my wife's black Rav 4 The fine hair line swirl marks it left cost us $$$ to have buffed out .The brushes pick up dirt, sand and other debris and slam it across the painted surface . I have hand washed my cars for twenty years ,but my wife takes her 06 sienna to a hand wash (cars) wash to get the full treatment and they do a great job . I prefer to wash my own and I don't miss anything, My way is the right way I always say.

[ErkanTR16]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue12

my understanding is that clay removes deposits so it would not need to be done on a new car.

Incorrect..... I clayed my car after a week of purchase. There was decent amount of contamination from the paint.

[ErkanTR16]

HIGHLY recommend the below regarding Washing/Detialing etc..

Matt Money2536

http://www.obsessedgarage.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGR...HBdl2EnPphB9WA
http://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3/8...3-journal.html
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...6#post16158356
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...08#post4438508

---
Larry @ AMMO NYC

http://www.ammonyc.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/AMMONYCdotcom

[RAK92]

Claying a new car really depends on the environment it was in during shipping, etc. The best way to tell if you need to clay is put a plastic baggie over your hand and feel the paint. You will feel (and hear) all the grit, etc that is in the paint which you use clay to remove. If it feels nice and smooth, then claying isn't required.