First car wash; Do I need to do anything special?

[Raza]

So the car's black, new, and for at least a short time, it will be kept outside.  So I want to wash it often and make sure the car stays looking shiny and new.

I don't wash my own cars all that often, and for the last four years I had a car that looked clean even if it were caked in three inches of dirt and pollen.  On black, everything shows.

Should I do anything special for the first wash?  When should I wax it for the first time? 

I know these are stupid questions, and the answer is probably just "take it to a brushless car wash", but I really want to do it right with this car, from the beginning.  So when I come back here and ask more stupid questions, take it easy on me.

[Soup DeVille]

It's black, so you have two choices.

One is take it to the oldest, seediesty looking carwash you can find. That way you'll get over the whole problem with fretting over swirl marks. You'll have them, and they'll stay there.

Or, if you don't wish to take that piece of sensible advice, my advice is to wash it as little as possible, and when you do take extreme care that you never use a dirty towel on it.

[Raza]

It's going to be in snow a lot, so I want to wash it pretty often in the winter. 

[Soup DeVille]

It's going to be in snow a lot, so I want to wash it pretty often in the winter. 

Keep a good coat of wax on it in the summer, and never wipe it with anything until you've sprayed the salt off. Never, ever use dish soap.

[CJ]

You do need some special things.  Here's a list of what I use:

-Wheel brush and a bottle of Meguiars Gold Class wash soap diluted with water in a spray bottle.

-Tire brush removes all of the caked on crap on the tires.

-Meguiars microfiber mit, which should NEVER touch the ground EVER!!!

-Two buckets.  One for rinse and one for soap. 

-Meguiars Gold Class soap

-Meguiars Quick Detail for reducing water spots when drying

-Meguiars microfiber waffle weave towels to ensure that the paint doesn't get scratched when drying

-Meguiars alloy wheel polish.  Really brings the color out of the wheels.

-Meguiars NXT Tire Shine.  Lasts a good while and is really easy to remove from the tires. 

-Stoner's Invisible Glass.  It's tint safe and leaves no streaks.

-Any brand microfiber cloths from O'Reilly Auto Parts or some other parts store.  I get the 24 pack.  It's $19.

-Meguiars Quick Clay kit.  It's $20, but comes with two bars, a bottle of Quick Detail, and a 4 oz. bottle of cleaner wax.  Trust me when I say that 4 oz. is MORE than enough to do a whole car.  Clay the car when wet and DO IT IN THE SHADE.  Use lots of lubricant/quick detail.

-Meguiars NXT 2.0 Tech Wax.  Really adds a nice shine and great depth to the paint.  Goes on easy after the paint cleanser.  Comes off easy after the paint cleanser as well.  You don't have to completely remove it at first.  Let it cure for 10-15 minutes and remove with a microfiber cloth.  Use the supplied microfiber cloth that came in the clay kit to apply quick detail and remove any residue from the wax removal. 

-Rain-X, if you like it.


INTERIOR:

-Vacuum.

-Mequiars Quick Interior Detail.  Spray on, wipe off.  Doesn't leave any residue or add any shine. 

-Stoner's Invisible Glass.  Tint safe and makes glass really clear. 


All in all, it's about $150 worth of stuff.  And if you let a microfiber cloth get on the ground, then it's useless.  It's nearly impossible to remove the shit that gets in them.  I relegate those cloths to interior, glass, and wheels.  Also, you can use the wheel polish to polish the exhaust tip.  Use steel wool for that and some gloves.  Leaves a nice shine.  You can also apply NXT 2.0 to the wheels.  It makes brake dust very easy to remove.


With the waxes, apply as thin of a coat as possible.  And remember, use what you like and use it often.

[Soup DeVille]

I've tried that NXT wax and though it was crap. It's easy to apply, but has too much gloss on its own, and detracts from the depth of the paint.

I prefer a good traditional wax, like Mother's.

[CJ]

I like NXT.  I thought it added quite a lot of depth and a nice gloss to the paint.  I use it on all of our cars, sans Integra...it's not worthy.

[Soup DeVille]

A lot of gloss, but no depth; especially in the sun and on tri-coat paint jobs, it seems to wash out the base coats.

[AutobahnSHO]

wowsers-

I use:
a hose, bucket, sponge, and car wash soap..

Luckily my driveway now is sloped so I don't have to step in puddles of water...

[Raza]

I have an ionizer for rinsing.

[Soup DeVille]

wowsers-

I use:
a hose, bucket, sponge, and car wash soap..

Luckily my driveway now is sloped so I don't have to step in puddles of water...

And that'll work 99% of the time for 99% of the people.

[CALL_911]

wowsers-

I use:
a hose, bucket, sponge, and car wash soap..

Luckily my driveway now is sloped so I don't have to step in puddles of water...

I have a Super Soaker that looks like this:


Works well on the Subaru. Audi hardly ever gets washed because it goes bye-bye in December, and the BMW gets free washes at the dealer.

[the Teuton]

If your dealership was reputable (which I'd like to believe it was), then they detailed the car before delivery.  Wash it, put another coat of wax on it, call it a day.

[GoCougs]

And that'll work 99% of the time for 99% of the people.

I don't even use a sponge, I use brush on a stick kind of a thing, that I'm not even sure it's for cars. I washed the whole of my last car with it - for 10 years and 165k+ miles - and it looked almost like new when I finally sold it.

If one is in and out of cars every couple of years it'll probably tolerable, but anymore than that and black will be major trouble.

[Raza]

Okay, so I've had the car just over a week.  Is it too early?

And barring CJ's professional detail kit and twenty hour job, I'm still not sure what to do. 

[93JC]

Car wash?

WTF?

[r0tor]

Wash by hand if possible...

After 5 years of having a black car mine paint still looks very good except for the damn paint chips.  I wax with NXT 2-3 times a year.  Use their spray wax every 2-3 washes during the summer.  Wash weekly.  Claybar in the spring.

One hint for summer washes if your washing your car in the heat of the day - rinse it off, knock the excess water off, take a paper towel and drench it with the NXT spray and go over the whole car.  Let everything dry to a film (like a very thin wax job) and then use a towel to rub it off.... then you have a spot free wash job in the middle of a sunny 90 degree day you'd otherwise think were impossible to obtain for a black car.

[JYODER240]

I've detailed more cars than i can count over the past few years so I'll chime in. Go get yourself a good chamois, two buckets, some car wash soap and a sponge or car wash mitten. Use one bucket for the soapy water and the other for clean water. After you run the sponge over the car wring it out in the clean water bucket and then soak up more soap. Use the chamois to dry but picking up a California water blade(it's a brand of squeeges) will help and save a lot of time. That's all you need for a basic car wash.

I'd bet the dealership didn't wax the car besides a cheap showroom-shine spray. Go get a good wax, not Turtle wax and not NXT either. Get a good natural carnuaba wax. Wax it every 3months or so.

Other than that don't freak out over light scrathes, spider-scratches, paint chips, etc. You have a black car and you're driving it year-round. Those are inevitable.

[Submariner]

Wash by hand if possible...

After 5 years of having a black car mine paint still looks very good except for the damn paint chips.  I wax with NXT 2-3 times a year.  Use their spray wax every 2-3 washes during the summer.  Wash weekly.  Claybar in the spring.

One hint for summer washes if your washing your car in the heat of the day - rinse it off, knock the excess water off, take a paper towel and drench it with the NXT spray and go over the whole car.  Let everything dry to a film (like a very thin wax job) and then use a towel to rub it off.... then you have a spot free wash job in the middle of a sunny 90 degree day you'd otherwise think were impossible to obtain for a black car.

I have 3 150 watt flood lamps so I can wash at night.  Believe me when I say it's brighter that day when they are on.

While CJ has a solid method of cleaning, it's expensive and time consuming.  When I wash, I use a power washer (set on it's absolute lowest setting unless Im cleaning the wheel wells or undercarriage, gold class soap, a large amount of towels, and always make sure to rinse often.  After that, I take a leaf blower to dry it off.  A great job it does, actually.

As for the interior, I frequently vacuum, polish the wood, condition the leather, and if anything spills, I use my Bissel to suck it up.   It looks new inside and out.  I have it waxed by my dealership at least once a year.

[Byteme]

So the car's black, new, and for at least a short time, it will be kept outside.  So I want to wash it often and make sure the car stays looking shiny and new.

I don't wash my own cars all that often, and for the last four years I had a car that looked clean even if it were caked in three inches of dirt and pollen.  On black, everything shows.

Should I do anything special for the first wash?  When should I wax it for the first time? 

I know these are stupid questions, and the answer is probably just "take it to a brushless car wash", but I really want to do it right with this car, from the beginning.  So when I come back here and ask more stupid questions, take it easy on me.

Get some detailing brushes to get the wax residue out of the cracks and body joins.  Nothing ruins the looks of a good polish and wax job more than wax residue.


I wash at least two of the cars each week and polish and wax each one every 3 months or so.

I wash using a pressure washer, never held really close to the car body, to rinse off the dust and grit before I wash the car.  I use Meguires products exclusively,  I also use the pressure washer to rinse the car.  I hand wash with a hand towel and dry with large towels. 

I buy towels to be used strictly for washing, polishing and waxing.  Since three of our cars are red I buy red towels; that way any strings snagged by trim don't show up much.

Swirl marks are virtually a fact of life with a black car.

[CJ]

DO NOT GET A CALIFORNIA WATER BLADE EVER.  DO NOT GET A CHAMOIS.  DO NOT GET A SPONGE.  Those are the three worst possible things you could possibly get.  They grab dirt and they do not let go of it, putting swirls/scratches in your paint. 

[Raza]

Well, this seems rather controversial. 

[Secret Chimp]

You do need some special things.  Here's a list of what I use:

-Wheel brush and a bottle of Meguiars Gold Class wash soap diluted with water in a spray bottle.

-Tire brush removes all of the caked on crap on the tires.

-Meguiars microfiber mit, which should NEVER touch the ground EVER!!!

-Two buckets.  One for rinse and one for soap. 

-Meguiars Gold Class soap

-Meguiars Quick Detail for reducing water spots when drying

-Meguiars microfiber waffle weave towels to ensure that the paint doesn't get scratched when drying

-Meguiars alloy wheel polish.  Really brings the color out of the wheels.

-Meguiars NXT Tire Shine.  Lasts a good while and is really easy to remove from the tires. 

-Stoner's Invisible Glass.  It's tint safe and leaves no streaks.

-Any brand microfiber cloths from O'Reilly Auto Parts or some other parts store.  I get the 24 pack.  It's $19.

-Meguiars Quick Clay kit.  It's $20, but comes with two bars, a bottle of Quick Detail, and a 4 oz. bottle of cleaner wax.  Trust me when I say that 4 oz. is MORE than enough to do a whole car.  Clay the car when wet and DO IT IN THE SHADE.  Use lots of lubricant/quick detail.

-Meguiars NXT 2.0 Tech Wax.  Really adds a nice shine and great depth to the paint.  Goes on easy after the paint cleanser.  Comes off easy after the paint cleanser as well.  You don't have to completely remove it at first.  Let it cure for 10-15 minutes and remove with a microfiber cloth.  Use the supplied microfiber cloth that came in the clay kit to apply quick detail and remove any residue from the wax removal. 

-Rain-X, if you like it.


INTERIOR:

-Vacuum.

-Mequiars Quick Interior Detail.  Spray on, wipe off.  Doesn't leave any residue or add any shine. 

-Stoner's Invisible Glass.  Tint safe and makes glass really clear. 


All in all, it's about $150 worth of stuff.  And if you let a microfiber cloth get on the ground, then it's useless.  It's nearly impossible to remove the shit that gets in them.  I relegate those cloths to interior, glass, and wheels.  Also, you can use the wheel polish to polish the exhaust tip.  Use steel wool for that and some gloves.  Leaves a nice shine.  You can also apply NXT 2.0 to the wheels.  It makes brake dust very easy to remove.


With the waxes, apply as thin of a coat as possible.  And remember, use what you like and use it often.

Mother christ you have too much time on your hands. I wash at the pay-for-a-hose and wax with Meguiar's cleaner wax.

[the Teuton]

DO NOT GET A CALIFORNIA WATER BLADE EVER.  DO NOT GET A CHAMOIS.  DO NOT GET A SPONGE.  Those are the three worst possible things you could possibly get.  They grab dirt and they do not let go of it, putting swirls/scratches in your paint. 

Water blades can, sponges might if they're natural, and chamoises?  Are you kidding me?

[Danish]

DO NOT GET A CALIFORNIA WATER BLADE EVER.  DO NOT GET A CHAMOIS.  DO NOT GET A SPONGE.  Those are the three worst possible things you could possibly get.  They grab dirt and they do not let go of it, putting swirls/scratches in your paint. 

Theres a difference between those three things and this you know:

[Secret Chimp]

Theres a difference between those three things and this you know:

DUDE WHAT THE FUCK THAT STUFF HAS DIRT GLUED ON TO IT WHO WOULD DRY THEIR CAR WITH THAT SHIT ZOMG ROFL

[NomisR]

It's all about Zaino!

[CJ]

Theres a difference between those three things and this you know:

They don't let go of dirt, even when wrung out.  Just trust me on this one.  Detailing World has taught me a lot.  One of those things is to never EVER let your dealership wash the car.  EVER.  Our Accord went in for tint and a specific order to NOT wash it.  What do they do?  Move the dirt around and scratch the paint.  I work hard on that paint and what do the half wits do?  They ruin it.  I specifically put on the work order to not wash it. 

[CJ]

This is what a BRAND NEW Honda Civic Type-R looks like after dealer washes:



This is what can happen if you take your car to the dealership monkeys and have them wash it.  Delear was doing a wash and chamois for cheap.

Here's what it looked like before:


And after:


Here's a thread on good washing technique:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4637&highlight=poor+washing+technique




If you don't have time for what I layed out, then just do a simple two bucket method wash with a microfiber mit and dry with microfiber towels or a water magnet.  Not a water blade.  Those grab dirt.

[Danish]

Okay, I have no hope of winning this argument but consider this: My car is dirty so I wash it. I decide to dry it with a chamois or a california water blade. How is my car going to get scratched from dirt when I JUST washed it and there is no dirt on it?