Black 2012 Mustang - Years of disappointment in detailing has lead me here

[clawlan]

Hi all, new to the forums here. I have been lurking for some time and I am considerably overwhelmed after reading many of the how-to articles.

I consider myself a "car guy" and have owned several over the years. Every time I get something new (new to me at least) I enthusiastically go out and buy a bucket full of detailing products ready to make the car sparkle...and every time I am terribly disappointed at the results. This has lead me to absolutely hate exterior detailing, especially waxing. After stumbling on this site, I figured out that I was drastically under educated and the most likely cause of my issues was being uneducated on proper exterior care and the purpose of different products.

I recently purchased a black 2012 Mustang GT (~600 miles on it so far) and I really want to keep it looking good. But as mentioned earlier, I am so overwhelmed at the variety of techniques and products here that I have no idea what to buy and where to start. Also worth noting that the front end of the vehicle is covered in VentureShield.

Here are some of the products that I have been looking into:

- Optimum No Rinse wash (for washing)
- P21s Total Auto Wash (for getting the bird crap and bug stains out of the clear bra)
- FK 425 (quick detailing between washes)
- Still need a wax? or polish?

A big thing for me is I'm not ready to invest in a lot of machinery, and I'd like products that are relatively easy to use. Since The car is new, I shouldn't have to get too crazy I wouldn't think.

Can anyone recommend a reasonable care regiment to keep the black nice and glossy and reduce those swirls?

[Jomax]

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2000 Black DRW F-350
2012 pearl white Focus

[monito]

You just bought a very expensive car. $200-$300 in detailing gear should make your investment better.

A weekend get away will cost you more.

p@

[Hoytman]

If you don't want to invest in tools, and the time to do your own polishing, I'd recommend taking taking that new car to a reputable detailer near you...someone coming highly recommended from this forum...and let them take a look at your car.

Here's why I recommend that.
Many people here have posted photo's of new cars with the dealer installed swirl option.

If you take the car to a local, reputable detailer, they can help you find any flaws that the dealer may have inflicted, and they can remove them if you so chose. Myself, considering your just now educating yourself, I'd let them remove any prior markings, because you're also going to have to learn what to look for to keep your car pristine. Your detailer should be happy to help educate you a bit.

Meanwhile you can continue to educate yourself, both here on the AGOnline forum and through your detailer of choice, on how to maintain the now corrected finish. Both parties can help you learn how to properly wash and dry the car is what I'm saying.

Also, by going to a detailer now and letting them look at your car, perhaps do a minor correction on it, you'll be buying yourself alot of time to learn what products are good and which ones you want.

[CEE DOG]

I'll try t get back at lunch to give my opinions on the answer to your question but just wanted to say welcome to AG :buffing:

[wgilles]

Just my .02

If you do want to do the detailing yourself really dig into some of the tutorials on here. It may be very overwhelming, but after you start reading more it will all fall into place.

I think a lot of people get swamped by the amount of products you can purchase and get "star struck" When it comes to high quality products like Black Fire, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, etc it really comes down to personal preference.

Try this...pick a brand (throw a dart at a board if you need to) and read the application guides and reviews for some of the different products that brand offers. If you like what you see, buy a couple (get samples if you can) and try them out using the techniques other members show in their reviews, etc.

I guarantee if you follow the advice of the reputable members here you will be happy with the results.

[Setec Astronomy]

Welcome to the forum. I'm going to take a guess about why you dislike waxing so much, and why it's pretty much unavoidable to have those problems until you join a forum such as this.

First, you were using a wax that you bought at the auto parts store. Virtually every "wax" available at retail is a cleaner wax of some sort. And the second problem was that, like all of us at one time, you applied the product much much much heavier than you needed to. The result is a thick layer of gunk that was difficult to buff off, with residue stuck in all the nooks and crannies of your car. I'm sure your experiences were bad because you don't even want to wax anymore!

The best way around this is to separate your cleaning from your waxing. You do need to understand the 5-step process (wash, clean, polish, protect, maintain). So you should do a thorough wash, use a mild clay (since you won't be machine polishing afterwards). If you just want to work by hand, I'd recommend using something like Optimum Poli-Seal, which will do some cleaning and very minor swirl removal (if you really want to do swirl removal by hand you will need a lot of time and arms like Popeye). Then top with a nice pure wax (THIN is IN) or use something like Optimum Opti-Seal or the new Blackfire Clear Seal...er...Crystal Seal, that's a Wipe-On, Walk-Away sealant.

[clawlan]

You just bought a very expensive car. $200-$300 in detailing gear should make your investment better.

A weekend get away will cost you more.

p@

You are right. I guess I should say that I am not opposed to spending money and buying power tools, i am just afraid of spending the money and having it be a waste because I just won't get the hang of it or whatever.


If you don't want to invest in tools, and the time to do your own polishing, I'd recommend taking taking that new car to a reputable detailer near you...someone coming highly recommended from this forum...and let them take a look at your car.

Here's why I recommend that.
Many people here have posted photo's of new cars with the dealer installed swirl option.

If you take the car to a local, reputable detailer, they can help you find any flaws that the dealer may have inflicted, and they can remove them if you so chose. Myself, considering your just now educating yourself, I'd let them remove any prior markings, because you're also going to have to learn what to look for to keep your car pristine. Your detailer should be happy to help educate you a bit.

Meanwhile you can continue to educate yourself, both here on the AGOnline forum and through your detailer of choice, on how to maintain the now corrected finish. Both parties can help you learn how to properly wash and dry the car is what I'm saying.

Also, by going to a detailer now and letting them look at your car, perhaps do a minor correction on it, you'll be buying yourself alot of time to learn what products are good and which ones you want.

This is actually what I was thinking of doing. Taking it to a local detailer to get the car in top shape, then using what I am learning here to maintain. I have heard that Ed with HighEndDetail is a great choice, as well as Bryan of Peach State Detail.


Welcome to the forum. I'm going to take a guess about why you dislike waxing so much, and why it's pretty much unavoidable to have those problems until you join a forum such as this.

First, you were using a wax that you bought at the auto parts store. Virtually every "wax" available at retail is a cleaner wax of some sort. And the second problem was that, like all of us at one time, you applied the product much much much heavier than you needed to. The result is a thick layer of gunk that was difficult to buff off, with residue stuck in all the nooks and crannies of your car. I'm sure your experiences were bad because you don't even want to wax anymore!

The best way around this is to separate your cleaning from your waxing. You do need to understand the 5-step process (wash, clean, polish, protect, maintain). So you should do a thorough wash, use a mild clay (since you won't be machine polishing afterwards). If you just want to work by hand, I'd recommend using something like Optimum Poli-Seal, which will do some cleaning and very minor swirl removal (if you really want to do swirl removal by hand you will need a lot of time and arms like Popeye). Then top with a nice pure wax (THIN is IN) or use something like Optimum Opti-Seal or the new Blackfire Clear Seal...er...Crystal Seal, that's a Wipe-On, Walk-Away sealant.

You are right about this. I did try many different brands but they were from the local auto parts stores. Like i mentioned above, I am not really opposed to getting the power tools, especially if that is going to keep away those swirls. I always had it drilled into my head that power tools = swirls (im not sure where that started).

Again, my biggest concern is purchasing all this stuff, and just not knowing what i am doing, getting poor results, or doing more damage than good. I need to read up more on the 5 step process and what types of products are involved in each step, and what products complement each other. Maybe start with a Kit from the store here?

[Setec Astronomy]

Swirls don't come from machines (well, they can), swirls come from poor wash/maintenance practices. A machine won't keep the swirls away, it will only remove them once you have created them during a different process.

A black car is the best showcase for the damage created by rubbing minute abrasive particles against the paint. If you are really serious about not getting swirls in your black car, you have to be fanatical about how you touch the car, your process and the media (wash media, drying towels, wiping towels, car covers), and the cleanliness of that media, that touch the paint.

[SkateForGirl]

If you don't want to invest in a Machine like a Griots Garage Polisher or a Porter Cable then its going to make your job SO much harder.

Polishes and Compounds I find the easiest to work with are Mequiars #105 and #205.

Best wax to start of with for a smaller price I found was Pinnacle XMT 180 Carnauba wax. For 35 bucks its a very nice wax. Very easy to apply and wipe off. If the paint is prepped properly this really brings out a nice gloss in your finish. I also find Opti-Seal by Optimum is a great sealant if your open to that. Creates a nice slick surface and super easy to apply as a protectant.

[Kaban]

If you have access to a normal water source, I'd really suggest against using ONR as your main way of washing the car. I know some people might argue that ONR can be used safely without inducing swirls into the paint, but that's really only the case if the car is not heavily soiled. If you go more than a week or two between washes, I'd really consider at least getting a foam gun to soak the car before doing a regular wash. If you do stick to using ONR, get a good sponge like the Lake Country blue sponge.

[clawlan]

If you have access to a normal water source, I'd really suggest against using ONR as your main way of washing the car. I know some people might argue that ONR can be used safely without inducing swirls into the paint, but that's really only the case if the car is not heavily soiled. If you go more than a week or two between washes, I'd really consider at least getting a foam gun to soak the car before doing a regular wash. If you do stick to using ONR, get a good sponge like the Lake Country blue sponge.

Yea water-less washes kind of freak me out, but I had read some good things about the product.

[tw33k2514]

If you have access to a normal water source, I'd really suggest against using ONR as your main way of washing the car. I know some people might argue that ONR can be used safely without inducing swirls into the paint, but that's really only the case if the car is not heavily soiled. If you go more than a week or two between washes, I'd really consider at least getting a foam gun to soak the car before doing a regular wash. If you do stick to using ONR, get a good sponge like the Lake Country blue sponge.
I just washed freakishly salty car yesterday, that hadn't been washed in over 3 weeks.

Guess what I used?

No swirls what so ever were added to the paint.

[Setec Astronomy]

I just washed freakishly salty car yesterday, that hadn't been washed in over 3 weeks.

Guess what I used?

No swirls what so ever were added to the paint.

As we know, it's going to come down to technique. You can swirl the heck out of a car using a traditional wash and a foam gun if you continue to use bad technique.

Which brings us back to that the OP needs to understand that road dirt is minute pieces of rock, asphalt, concrete, etc., which is highly abrasive. Other kinds of atmospheric fallout on the paint can also be highly abrasive (brake dust, leafblower dust which is dirt as above, pollen). The technique needed is to not rub those abrasive particles against the paint while cleaning, which requires blasting them off (pressure washer) or various pre-soak techniques, as well as good media, light touch, and frequent rinsing/turning of the media.

[clawlan]

So Looking at this 5 step process, is my understanding correct:

1) Wash - Car wash soap
2) Clean - Clay bar? Cleansing polish?
3) Polish - swirl remover, polish
4) Protect - Wax? Paint Selant?
5) Maintain - Quick detailers