materials and strategies for detailing cars. On github? Sure, why not? Keep in mind that this is for the hobbyist that has accepted that they will spend some cash to obtain the tools and products. I am not a professional, I just needed some place to write this all down for myself and others who ask me about how I maintain my cars.
These sections are in order. I would advise against performing them in any mixed method. If you're just going for chip repair, perform the ext wash and Decontamination first. If you want to protect your car, perform ext wash, decontamination (unless caveat), polish (unless caveat), then protect. The products you will be using bind to surfaces and coatings and will not perform well outside of their conditions.
Many detailing products perform just as well when diluted, and the dilution ratio is listed on each bottle. This will make your products go further, and I recommend dilution for exterior wash products.
Now why does this have its' own section? Because not all microfiber towels are the same or designed for the same tasks. From fabric density to construction, you should learn about the differences over at AutoGeek's website. Also check out their cleaning products for these towels, as the products are one of few things that look like pure marketing cash grabs but are really not.
Check out the Microfiber Tools section for categorized and suggested towel products.
Exterior washes are typically done when you have not been able to keep up with maintenance, or need to prep for using any kind of abrasive on your paint to remove scratches, water spots, or to do some final blend on chip repair. When considering if you need to do a full exterior wash, try to estimate how many microfiber towels you would use if you were to do a waterless wash.
The tools and materials you'll need can be found in the Ext-Wash Tools section for exterior wash. With these tools, you will use much less water than you are probably used to in the past.
Keep in mind that washing does not, not, not remove wax or sealant. That's what the wax removal section is for.
2-bucket method with pressure washer assist. Direct sunlight is not your friend here.
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Prepare your pressure washer and foam canon with your favorite soap, whether it's one from the tools list or something you've been interested in or recommended. Foam canon not yet attached.
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Set up your buckets and grit guards, fill about 3/4 - 5/6 of the way full.
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Add soap to one bucket according to instructions on bottle. Use your pressure washer to mix. This will be your "clean" bucket.
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Make sure all your windows are up and with a wide pattern nozzle attached, rinse down the car. This is to remove loose dirt and debris that can cause scratches when we move to the wash mitt.
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Attach the foam cannon and get ready for my favorite part. Cover the car, top to bottom, with foam. Sweet, thick, slick foam. Glorious foam. No need to expend the whole tank of soap. I like to leave some for the mitt.
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Give the foam a few minutes to lift heavier dirt and run off the car, then pop the canon off and rinse it down again. You should have what looks like your car with a film of dust stuck to it.
Optional: Hit the Wheels section if you have no intention of removing them to clean them.
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Pop the canon back on the pressure washer and Slip your hand into your microfiber wash mitt. Give the roof of the car some foam, dip your hand in the clean bucket (bucket with soap), then gently glide your hand over the roof. Use both sides of the mitt to complete each panel, rinsing the panel when you are done. Do not apply pressure to the panel when wiping. Let the mitt do the work. Each time you have used the front and back of the mitt, dip and shake it in the bucket without soap. This is your "dirty" bucket. When taking it out, give it a squeeze, then return it to the clean bucket to pick up more soap before moving onto another panel.
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Dip a brush in your clean bucket to give your emblems and more complicated molding some love.
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Rinse the car top to bottom to remove the leftover soap.
Perform Decontamination here if you are going to be compounding, polishing, or using a DA later during the protect step.
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Dry the car with your ultra absorbent towels. I usually pull my car into the garage for drying to avoid the sun or heat doing this for me and leaving spots or residue. A spray bottle with a 50/50 mix of Isopropyl Alcohol and distilled water is great for assisting in drying.
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If you have access to high pressure air, feel free to blow out your nooks and crannies like where panels join or the side view mirror enclosures and lights to prevent the water from running out and onto the paint.
Congratulations. You've washed your car and avoided installing scratches and marring as much as possible. Have a beer. If you'd like to watch some videos on the 2 bucket method, there are tons of videos on Youtube. There are also videos talking about how horrible this method is, but they miss the point where a full wash is necessary, and your car is past the point where waterless is still a good choice.
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This is pretty straight forward. The tools are over in the Wheels Tools section.
Put gloves on and change into some shorts or go nude 'cause you'll want a shower after this. Cover the wheels (not tires) in your cleaner and go to town. Scrub all the things. Keep your dirty bucket nearby to dip the brush in every now and then to provide water to the product and allow lathering. Use a brush - NOT the brush you used on your emblems, to get in your lug nuts. If you stop to ask yourself if you need more product, spray more product and dip your brush. This is the most dirty step, and it is likely you will want to take a microfiber to the wheels after rinsing. You will wrap the brush handle in colored tape or mark it in another way as to not use it on the pain. Ever. This is also why we buy towels in different colors.
Rinse the wheels when done and hit them again if needed, then dry, keeping the towels separate from paint towels.
You will use the same tools as washing the wheels on the car, but this will be easier and it is less likely that you will end up with brake dust splatter on you. You can use a wheel sponge here if you want to go full touch, which usually produces the best results per pass. I recommend doing this once, then keeping up with cleaning the wheels during maintenance.
Rinse when done. Dry the wheels, keeping the towel separate from paint towels and don't forget to reinstall the wheels :)
There is all kinds of stuff that can get stuck to or embedded into your paint. Environmental fallout, splinters of various materials, sap, tar, etc. If you have never used a product to remove fallout and tar, I would recommend doing if you are performing all of these steps. The tools are really simple. You just need a choice product from the Decontamination Tools section, and your pressure washer.
The steps are simple, spray down your washed car with the decontamination product and wait for the product to do its work. Follow with a rinse.
Next, put on gloves to avoid staining your hands, grab your clay block or mitt, lubrication, and get to work removing the garbage that's become lodged in your paint. I like to go from one end of a panel to the other in a straight line, wiping up the running lubrication as I go and applying more. you will feel the roughness in the paint coming out and the passes will become more smooth. With either set of products, you do not need to apply pressure. Doing so may install scratches.
Here is a video from chemical guys on using their product. Other products, even the good old fashion clay bar use the same method, I just prefer the synthetics as they save a ton of time and my hands aren't in tons of pain from folding clay for an hour. Also, I can drop a clay block all day long, clean it, and go back to work.
I like to use CarPro Eraser to remove leftover lubricant, but your 50/50 IPA spray bottle will do the job just fine.
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Hands down, the best way to protect your paint is to get a clear bra installed. There is no better protection. Waxes and sealants can still be applied to them to bring out more shine and deeper color. Feel free to schedule an appointment with a local shop that is certified for the product you want to have installed.
If you went through the decontamination step, you have a DA and non-aggressive polishing pad, you can save time and product applying wax - if you are choosing to use wax - by using a DA (dual action rotary tool). Personally, I love me some Chemical Guys Blacklight with a synthetic sealant on top. If your ride is painted black, I recommend checking it out. For white cars, they have white light, though I have not used it. There are many great waxes on the market for cars, and many of the most recommended products from Reddit's r/autodetailing are listed in the Protect Tools section.
If you are not using a DA, hopefully you picked up some applicator pads, as we want to keep our towels for washing and sealant application. Apply the wax as a thin layer to all painted surfaces. Again, this is much easier to apply using a DA and non-aggressive pad. With a DA, you will also use less product. Some products like Blacklight also contain microabrasives that assist in preventing scratches while finely polishing during application.
Be mindful of application, as filling in the cracks where panels meet will lead to white wax dried up in those locations. Removing the wax is possible, just a little annoying.
Once the all your painted surfaces are covered, go have another beer, check out hackernews, or do whatever for a solid 15-20 minutes. When you come back, test the wax by laying a finger lightly on the first panel you applied wax to, and move it forward. The dried wax should come up and there should be no smearing of wet product. If there is smearing, come back later.
When your finger test passes grab a microfiber towel. Preferably one that will help with removal of product not bonded to your paint. There is one listed in the protect tools section.
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As I've said, I'm just a hobbyist. I've gained a whole lot of support and guidance from a number of places:
- https://old.reddit.com/r/autodetailing The people who post and comment in this sub are great to talk to. I've never had a disagreement there were the other person didn't have legitimate perspective that I've benefited from.
- AmmoNYC's Youtube channel I greatly appreciate the effort Larry puts into all of his videos. His explanations are always clear and reiterated in different ways to provide more understanding as well. AmmoNYC has half a million subscribers for a good reason.
- Chemical Guys Youtube channel Also a solid subscriber base. I think a lot of people start with their products because there is a video on use of every product they produce as well as combinations of products.