A few general questions about taking proper care of my car?

[terentius]

Hello All from lion city :)

Some Quick questions

How often do you guys work on your ride - Hand/Machine

Good Condition Paint

Weekly
1. Wash
2. Spray Wax ( Do you spray wax before QD or after)
3. Quick detailer

Quaterly
1.Clay Bar
2.Prewax Cleansing Polish Anyone doing everymonth / every 2 months
3.Paint Sealant or Wax




Feed back please
Thanks
Terentius

[Mike Phillips]

Hello All from lion city :)

Some Quick questions

How often do you guys work on your ride - Hand/Machine

Good Condition Paint

Weekly
1. Wash
2. Spray Wax ( Do you spray wax before QD or after)
3. Quick detailer

Quaterly
1.Clay Bar
2.Prewax Cleansing Polish Anyone doing everymonth / every 2 months
3.Paint Sealant or Wax




Feed back please
Thanks
Terentius


You're going to find people all over the spectrum on these types of normal preferences, it just depends upon the person, the car and what the car is used for.

When I owned my 1966 Chevy Milk Truck I washed it once a week to keep it shiny and clean because it sat outside all the time and I was obsessed with keeping it looking good.

My current daily driver also sits outside all the time and since it rains here in Florida all the time I wash it a lot less often.

I do try to clay the paint when needed and buzz over it with some type of cleaner/wax about once month to keep the paint shiny.

I'm a big fan of spray waxes but they're really only good if you already take regular care of your car's finish, if that's the case then they're a great way to restore that just waxed look that looks like you spent all day waxing your car when in reality you spent about 20 minutes.

As for doing any paint cleaning and polishing, if you're car is a daily driver and you wash it often then it helps to run over the paint with a fine polish to prep the paint for wax or a paint sealant. A fine polish will remove any light or shallow scratches and perfectly prepare the paint for wax and maintain that showroom new look.


What are you working on?
Do you keep it parked in a garage when not in use?


:)

[Julesh]

I wash about once a month and spray seal with wg spritz after washing (my cars are sealed with wg sealant) and I wipe with qd every few days. But I am always afraid that wiping with qd will slowly scratch the finish. I would rather keep the car protectants on the finish than let it wear off and then have naked finish with no protectant from pollutants. I think if I do this I wont have to clay very often. Im garaged most of the time anyway. Every few months I put on some wg exterior trim on the plastic/rubber and I reapply wg sealant by hand.

[weavers]

I wash my car ever 1 to two weeks. I use optimum no rinse. Its a rinseless car wash so you don't need a hose, just a bucket with 3 gallons of water. ONR also has some polymers and gives a "just waxed look." Its more like a sealant and give some protection. I would say 1-2weeks here in California.

I clay and wax my cars every 4-6months or with every oil change. I perfer long lasting waxes like collnite 845 or 3m performance finish. Both are cheap, look great, easy to work with and really do last +6months. I apply wax with my DA, the griots grage DA has been such an amazing investment. I could never go back to working by hand.

I polish/compound when I am tired of the swirls. ONR can cause swirls so do my towels. I am not spending money on a foam cannon, a preasure washer and spending 2 hours to wash my car. I can live with some swirls. I am trying out opti coat, its a coating that last for +2 years and you don't need to wax and it reduces swirl marks.

I don't like QD or spray waxes. I have ONR for that. I see little benefit in QD and spray waxes. I know some people wax there cars every month and spray wax every week. I am not one of those. I don't use cleaner waxes either. I do an IPA wipe down(rubbing alcohol 1:1 in distilled water)

[zkeeper]

Mike is spot on. You can find more opinions than people on here, LOL..but that good. It allows you to do your due diligence on many things. Personally, I do not wash much unless the cars have acquired "roadyfilm"--otherwise its waterless wash, and the superfluffy green MF's from Griots. Clay twice a year, but I keep the car clean and so dust does not settle into the hot wax and brings on the "roughies" BUT that also means paint is sealed properly, & several top wax layers, with the Griots Spray on Wax [love that stuff--it works and lasts] used very often as a sacrifice barrier. Any swirls that have "settled" in, are basically in the wax..not the paint--it takes very little work to get it all back in fine mettle.

My personal counsel would be to find a routine and process, and then the products that work for you; affordable, and used enough to find out whether you like them or not, and if they bring the results you want. Otherwise you will be running from pillar to post, trying new products and not mastering the process. Its like golf. There's always a new product--but most folks do not master the techniques. Just a thot as you start out...now having said that--I need to call AG again and run up my monthly bill --it's addictive.:props: