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What do you guys do when at the car wash?

8K views 40 replies 22 participants last post by  Stinger9 
#1 ·
So i have no idea about what clay bar does ect. But how can i restore my car's paint smoothness because my whole cr is smooth but my fender is not, so what is it that you guys do when you take it for a wash?
 
#8 ·
Bought my car new in '04 and after a couple of years learned about claybar, got one, and used it. Took off lots of roughness so the paint felt clean & smooth when I ran my hand across it. Curious thing to me is after many more years I wash the car and try to use the claybar again, but the car stays smooth and claybar picks up nothing.
So I know my car was real dirty from the first time, but can't figure why it never needs the bar again.
 
#38 · (Edited)
How is a clay bar able to do this? Is it a lipid?
Ya Stinger's quote is right on, here's another site with some nice pics and explanation.

http://www.hotbodywax.com/ClayBars.html

PS - Anyone watch Modern Marvels on the History channel? They had an episode I watched the other day called "waterproof" and one segment was on this new Simoniz product called Liquid Glass. 4 min long clip, very interesting.

http://www.simonizprofessional.com/business/DealersUpdates/newsView.asp?NewsId=409683
 
#14 ·
I am one of those people who struggles to do the simplest mechanical task. But by reading the forums, watching Youtube videos and practicing on an old car hood I got from the wreckers, I became quite good at detailing. Washing correctly, removing grease, wax and tar stains, claying and machine polishing, followed by waxing has made a huge difference to my car.

However, to do my car properly as a beginner took me at least 8 hours work. If you have to buy a polisher and all the other products, it may be cheaper to just pay a detailer.

Of course, buying the stuff means you can do your car and other cars again for very little cost except for your time.
 
#18 ·
Detailing your paint is really not hard, but it is a lot of manual labor and most people get tired and half ass it. It is also something that costs a lot if you screw it up and mess us your paint job...

So if your really willing to learn and put in the work, you can restore your paint job but it takes hours if not days, and you need to be very careful that you know what your doing beforehand.
 
#19 ·
I was lucky when I found my car. The paint is in amazing condition. When I brought it home I washed, claybared and waxed it the next day. The hood had a few places where it looked like the rain was a little on the acidic side and bad water spots. I wash it usually every friday and when I dont wax I use meguiars quick detialing spray to help the wax out.

I havent been able to wax it since about march cause I just had pretty much my whole front and passenger side replaced because of a deer. Hood, passenger side fender, front bumper and both passenger side doors all replaced. The paint is beautiful but Its killing me that I cant wax it yet:ben::banghead::banghead:. But Im deff keepin it washed and I dry it off as soon as I cant to help prevent water spots.
 
#26 · (Edited)
How can u tell if the detailer did a good/bad job?
Same way I know if the milk man did a good job or not. . .I check to see if my girlfriend smoked a cigarette.


Anyway couple things.

1. I am definitely in the wait 30 days post any paintwork to do any waxing/polishing, etc. to my paint. I've worked with automotive paints before (not the most state of the art stuff) but in my experience anything that is not flash cured in a medium temp oven, like at the factory, takes about 4 weeks to fully and completely cure.


2. For the OP, a couple people have mentioned clay bar, and for less than $10 I agree wholeheartedly. It takes maybe 30min and you will get some seriously nasty stuff off your car.


3. If it were my car (and any car over a few years old, not just one with a funny feeling fender could benefit from this) I would get a mildly abrasive polish like "Meguiars Ultimate Compound," (careful there are many with similar names, this is one of the lightest ones) it costs about $10 for a bottle. This is safe to use by hand, you don't need an orbital or rotary buffer, and it will abrade the skin off the clear ever so lightly. This tends to bring back some luster to your paint now that it has a fresh layer of the clear exposed.


After you use a compound it is imperative that you wax with a good carnuba wax, or even a two step cleaner wax / final wax, since you will have stripped the paint of many of its protective properties.

Also it can't hurt to invest $10-$15 in some brand new foam applicator pads and microfiber towels to put on and take off this stuff. I do have a set of rags I reuse for things, but I wash them each time then categorize them when they are clean as to what they are now suitable for depending on what has been done to them - this is because I am a crazy person. Anyway, most people reuse crappy stuff to put on and take off car care products and its silly, you can totally damage your paint.

HTH, just my $0.02

PS - if really only one fender feels weird to the touch, it's quite possible it got some less than terrific quality paint work (at a repair shop). I'd still do the steps above, but if it doesn't make a difference on how that fender feels, you really aren't going to be able to make an impact in it even by wetsanding. The funkiness you're feeling probably started in bad preparation of the panel or its underlying paint layers, and is manifesting itself in a rough feeling on the top layer - but it didn't start there.
 
#27 ·
I started detailing about 3-4 years ago, pretty much right after I got my E46. It's not that hard to do, but it's not easy or cheap to do either. If you invest the right amount of time in both practice and research, you can do a very good job. If you have issues with paint overspray, required wet sanding, etc then consult a pro. If you have some swirls and scratches, it's totally possibly to DIY.

To the guy who said $50 for the whole kit, you are insane. I have a jar of wax alone that costs $50. My detailing kit right now is probably valued at ~$500+ and I have a very basic one. I detail on the side and do my own and my family's cars but that's about it. I find it soothing and relaxing to do the work myself.

For the people who want to try it out, get a quality dual action polisher and some light compound/pad, Meguiar's 205 with black pad, and have at it. You won't and can't damage the paint with this combination. Doing this gives you an idea of the right techniques and hand motions required to do a good job without chances of damaging your car. Also, read, read, read, and then read some more. That's the best way to learn.
 
#28 ·
To the guy who said $50 for the whole kit, you are insane. I have a jar of wax alone that costs $50. My detailing kit right now is probably valued at ~$500+ and I have a very basic one. I detail on the side and do my own and my family's cars but that's about it. I find it soothing and relaxing to do the work myself.
After noticing my spending habits on car care products, and those of other similarly minded people - I'm convinced that those already crowded shelves at Autozone still have room enough for me to invent products and get filthy rich. That's one of the few areas in life that you actually do shop on price, the higher the price the better you assume the product is. No one buys the Turtle Wax paste in a green plastic can for $4! Thank god it's pretty much the only place I throw caution into the wind!
 
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