Car care ?

[watai0102]

im getting my new car soon and I was wondering how you guys keep your car looking new for years. I heard I should wax my car every 3 months and hand wash my own car instead of going to car washes, but the thing is i dont have a garage so im afraid when i wash my car and try to wax it dirts going to come back on it eating the clear coat up. what should i do to keep my paint last a long time? and how to take care of interior as well?

[VISITOR]

Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/2017-new-car-detailing-how-article-mike-phillips/111332-heres-what-you-need-get-into-machine-polishing-recommendations-beginner-mike-phillips.html)

[Route246]

There are a million possibilities but here is my approach for my daily driver parked outside. Clay, seal, paste wax. Weekly wash and use any of the popular spray waxes out there as a drying agent. I use OCW and McKees Fast Wax for my drying agent. Once or twice a year I hit it with clay and AIO (360 is what I use) followed by sealer and paste wax. You will not get wax buildup from spray wax.


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[goldenlight]

Work in Shade.. Invest in a canopy

[PA DETAILER]

https://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

[Bill1234]

Do not let the dealership touch it for washing or cleaning

[DetailKitty]

Car washes with brushes are a GIANT NO.

I would clay it 2x a year and make sure to keep a sealant and/or wax on it.
Like @goldenlight said, maybe invest in a canopy since a lot of products can't be applied in direct sunlight, and you may not have a lot of shade.
I personally keep my interiors vacuumed out and invest in a nice interior detailer for the dash, etc. Easiest way to keep an interior nice is don't allow eating or drinking in it. But if you do and a spill happens, just make sure to address it and clean it immediately.

Good luck and enjoy the new car! Make sure to post pics :xyxthumbs:

[MattPersman]

This isn’t really the forum for it, but many car washes have come a long way. Sure they aren’t hardcore autogeek level car care venues but the ones around me IMO do a good job. There is not much marring. Almost none have brushes anymore at least around here. The product they use for the LSP beads very well. Not sure about longevity but obviously you could choose that option each visit. They are costly though IMO. Much cheaper if you buy a monthly pass but only worth while if you actually use it a few times a week.

No shame on using one perhaps ask for a recommendation in your area.

On the flip side doing your own car care could be worse if you use poor technique and products. Poor quality or dirty towels are gonna mar your paint when drying worse than the automated car wash. There is a pretty significant up front investment to care for your own car but to the majority on here it’s worth it and most of us have way more actual products than we could ever use even taking care of multiple cars a day

So keep in mind first comes reading Mikes articles, then picking all the equipment and products you want to use. Ask along the way there are sun friendly products out there. Then you have to actually go out and wash the car, prep it and protect it. Then for the multiple washes a month after to care for it. Some don’t have or want to dedicate that kind of time.

Good luck to you whichever you choose


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[Eric@CherryOnTop]

I would look into Optimum No-Rinse and Optimum Car wax to maintain your car. This is what I use on customers who get a basic detail from me. If you search on YouTube for Yvan Lacroix he shows how to wash and wax your car in about an hour. Car care product technology has come a long way. The old "was your car every 3 months" adage is as antiquated as changing your oil every 3k miles.

I recommend this because it is super simple and super effective.


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[UncleDavy]

Definitely invest in some quality equipment and products. Never touch the exterior paint with kitchen sponges or cheap microfiber towels. Work in the shade and sing while you work. Enjoy the experience.

[sarahrox1980]

Definitely invest in some quality equipment and products. Never touch the exterior paint with kitchen sponges or cheap microfiber towels. Work in the shade and sing while you work. Enjoy the experience.

What is is the communities opionion on microfiber Mits?
I use one with hundreds of microfiber "fingers" it seems to do the trick nicely and my paint has remained in almost perfect condition since the purchase date. .

Also, regardless of how well you take care of the paint/clearcoat on an older car chances are someone before you ran it through a bad/cheap machine dozens of times before. How to I get rid of those swirl marks in my paint?

[UncleDavy]

What is is the communities opionion on microfiber Mits?
I use one with hundreds of microfiber "fingers" it seems to do the trick nicely and my paint has remained in almost perfect condition since the purchase date. .

Also, regardless of how well you take care of the paint/clearcoat on an older car chances are someone before you ran it through a bad/cheap machine dozens of times before. How to I get rid of those swirl marks in my paint?

I use my microfiber Chenille wash mitt all of the time. The fingers lift the dirt and the mitt gets clean with a few swipes on the grit guard.
A swirl remover with a light cutting pad will get rid of the swirl marks. I like Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover.

[Mike Phillips]

Hey great question....

Anyone that has read any volume of my posts over the last 20+ years has seen me type three words over and over again, here they are,


Abrasive Technology
Touch



And here's what they mean,

Abrasive Technology
Never use crap for compounds, polishes or cleaner/waxes on your car's paint. Never let anyone else use crap for compounds, polishes and cleaner/waxes on your car.

Your car's paint is thin. It is EASILY scratched. It takes hours to remove the scratches and removing the scratches means REMOVING A LITTLE PAINT. Paint is thin. Get the picture? If you see me use it in a write-up on this forum or showcase it on TV or showcase it in a class then you can trust it. I won't use crap product on my own car and I won't use crap products on other people's cars.


Touch
The word touch means just that - ANYTHING that touches your car's paint has the POTENTIAL to scratch it.

Your car's paint is thin. It is EASILY scratched. It takes hours to remove the scratches and removing the scratches means REMOVING A LITTLE PAINT. Paint is thin. Get the picture?

Only use the highest quality products your budget allows to touch your car's paint. This means compounds, polishes and cleaner/waxes and it also means wash mitts, microfiber towels and drying towels. These are the things that TOUCH your car's paint.

I wrote the below article to share how to TOUCH your car when washing it if it has a ceramic paint coat BUT the tips and techniques APPLY no matter what you use for an LSP.


How to wash a coated car - The Gentle Approach for Washing a Car by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions/103632-how-wash-coated-car-gentle-approach-washing-car-mike-phillips.html)



And in my opinion - the most important video and article I've written in my entire life...


Click the link.
Look at the pictures
Watch the video
Practice what I practice and teach



How, why & when to inspect your microfiber towels when detailing cars (http://tinyurl.com/ya8l4k4s)

Ha ha... I made that video with my phone. :laughing:



Hope that helps...


Or buy a silver metallic car and forget about all this stuff.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Also


I've moved your thread out of

New Car Care Products (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=14)



Which is a forum "group" for new products launched on Autogeek.com - and moved it into

Auto Detailing 101 (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=2)


Which is a forum "group" for questions about car detailing.


We don't really have anyone on this forum doing what is called,

Housekeeping


Forum housekeeping is a Moderator that sees posts posted into the wrong forum group and then without direction knows to move them to the correct forum group to have a neat and tidy forum.

My old friend Tim aka 2hotford was the best in the industry when it came to this "best practice". I do it when I can but for the most part it's low on the priority list.


:)