Confessions of a n00b

[lokerola]

So last year was my first summer detailing using the methods I've learned from Mike, Auotgeek, and you helpful people here at AG. Frankly, I couldn't be happier; I've detailed the family cars and they have all turned out great.

But, looking at my black 2011 Dodge Charger R/T this spring, there are swirls on it that I really wasn't expecting. Lot's of swirls in certain areas. And I think I know how they got there. And it was mostly my fault......

Some background on the state of the environment the car lives in:
1. The car is a daily driver in the DC metro area. I drive through dust, construction zones, etc, on a daily basis. That's just life and I expect some impact on the paint from this environment.
2. No garage. I have a driveway, but the old carport is converted to a living space, so she gets full exposure to the elements.

Here' where the n00b confession comes in:
1. I did a crappy job in between careful washing with sloppy maintenance. I would see dust, or minor water spots, etc and I would grab a microfiber and QD and wipe down the offending area. And I would see another area and wipe it down, etc, etc. I probably wiped down the 80-90% of the car within a few minutes using this method 5 or 6 times over the last year. Looking back, I used and re-used a dry microfiber that probably had dirt or debris in it that I should have never used for this method. This is the main offense I used to create the swirls.

2. In a moment of weakness (I had a cold, work was stressful, life was stressful, it was winter, blah, blah, blah), I ran my baby through a local car wash. I don't know what I was thinking. I lost my mind for a day and ran the damn thing through the local wash. I'm sure this put some of the swirls into her and now I've got to polish them out.

My lessons:
1. Don't try and run around the car and wipe it down with an almost dry and possibly dirty microfiber! Either let it go and let the car be dirty or do a quick waterless/rinseless washes.

2. Do not take it through the local car wash! Duh!

Have you ever had a moment of weakness in maintaining your car's paint? Have you ever done something stupid to mess up the paint? I can't be the only one who has made rookie mistakes or goofed something up?

:dunno:

[silverfox]

We've all been there. You will never learn without making mistakes. That's the way life works. I know how hard it is to resist spot cleaning everytime you see an area that needs it even though the rest of the car is nice and clean. One lesson I learned the hard way...never spot clean unless it's a bird poop. In fact don't touch the car between rinseless or conventional washes. Let the car get dirty until the next wash. You will all but eliminate mistakes by inducing more swirls. Yes the car will show dust and if you use carnuba your paint will most likely attract dust. Let it go. Don't mess with it and wait till the next wash. If you have to take it to a car wash find the touchless kind.

[BobbyG]

Life is a learning and doing and now you've learned just a bit more..... Floating dust and debris from a finish is always the best way to remove it.....Glad you're enjoying detailing and your classic ride!! :props:

[Spiney]

I made my mistake a few weeks ago black car, well maintained. Got very dusty from road. I ran it through a touchless car wash. The soap was harsh and it caused some areas to turn a greyish mess.

Never again. Will do 2 buckets or car wash by hand. Spiney.

[lokerola]

We've all been there. You will never learn without making mistakes. That's the way life works. I know how hard it is to resist spot cleaning everytime you see an area that needs it even though the rest of the car is nice and clean. One lesson I learned the hard way...never spot clean unless it's a bird poop. In fact don't touch the car between rinseless or conventional washes. Let the car get dirty until the next wash. You will all but eliminate mistakes by inducing more swirls. Yes the car will show dust and if you use carnuba your paint will most likely attract dust. Let it go. Don't mess with it and wait till the next wash. If you have to take it to a car wash find the touchless kind.

Silverfox - thanks for your insight. I will be doing what you suggest, only spot cleaning if there's bird poop. Otherwise it's rinseless washing or full washing. No more spot cleaning!


Life is a learning and doing and now you've learned just a bit more..... Floating dust and debris from a finish is always the best way to remove it.....Glad you're enjoying detailing and your classic ride!! :props:

Bobby, yea I thought learning the machine polishing, wax removal, etc, etc was going to be the hard stuff. Turns out the simple (but CRITICAL) in between maintenance steps of what NOT to do was the thing I needed to learn.


I made my mistake a few weeks ago black car, well maintained. Got very dusty from road. I ran it through a touchless car wash. The soap was harsh and it caused some areas to turn a greyish mess.

Never again. Will do 2 buckets or car wash by hand. Spiney.

Spiney, I hear ya! At least you went to the touchless wash. I ran it through one of those harsh, standard, touch-my-car-with-giant-swirl-inducing-brush washes, ha-ha!

At least the Collinite 845 is holding up well. It's raining here in DC this morning and the beading off the paint is still amazing!