My Car!

[KJW Detailing]

I am the proud owner of an 07' Fiji Blue Pearl Honda Civic Si! I absolutely love this car! So much so, that i wash it about twice a week and i have waxed it probably around 4 times in the 3 months i have owned it.

First of all, are there any negatives aspects i need to be aware of with washing and waxing my car so much...honestly i dont thing i am going to wash my car any less but what the heck i might as well ask.

Second, i have the minor scratches that i believe are from the over washing...haha...not swirl marks...just very fine scratches. I am positive that they will come off with a green pad which is for fine scratches and polish. I was suggested from a fellow detailer that to keep my cars paint in perfect condition, i should polish it ever 3 months or so...

So what do you guys think...Whats doing to be the best for my car!?!

Also, from what i have learned my honda paint is fairly thin...true or false...what speed should i get the buffer for a good polish? work has the dewalt buffer so i think it goes up to 3000...i generally polish around 2200...

Thanks! Pics to come tomorrow!

[k20z3kid]

uh oh! another one! haha congrats on the purchase man! i had a fiji blue pearl 06 si on order, but as soooon as i saw rallye red at a different dealership i cancelled the order. the red just swept me off my feet, and boy does it glow after a good detailing. as for the car care part i would try to avoid washing and waxing that much. i mean the way i see it.... the more often you drag a towel (even if its high quality microfiber) across the paint the more likely you are to scratch it. so i say you just do it in moderation and when its needed. as for the paint it is definately soft and thats what i hate about the car. after a few months of driving i had rock chips galore on the front bumper.

[nick19]

I am the proud owner of an 07' Fiji Blue Pearl Honda Civic Si! I absolutely love this car! So much so, that i wash it about twice a week and i have waxed it probably around 4 times in the 3 months i have owned it.

First of all, are there any negatives aspects i need to be aware of with washing and waxing my car so much...honestly i dont thing i am going to wash my car any less but what the heck i might as well ask.

Second, i have the minor scratches that i believe are from the over washing...haha...not swirl marks...just very fine scratches. I am positive that they will come off with a green pad which is for fine scratches and polish. I was suggested from a fellow detailer that to keep my cars paint in perfect condition, i should polish it ever 3 months or so...

So what do you guys think...Whats doing to be the best for my car!?!

Also, from what i have learned my honda paint is fairly thin...true or false...what speed should i get the buffer for a good polish? work has the dewalt buffer so i think it goes up to 3000...i generally polish around 2200...

Thanks! Pics to come tomorrow!

There are negative things that could be on the paint, and with washing so frequently, this could turn sour pretty quick. I'd advise you to get a good QD with decent cleaning abilities and use that a few times a week. Or everyday if you need to. (I usually do)

It depends on what type of polishing your doing. If you use a compond 3x a year, you won't have much clear coat come 2008. Polishing should be done on a need-to bases. If swirls are popping up, use a light polish like XMT #1 or #2.

What "buffer" are you talking about? The PC 7424 or a rotary? I hope you're not using a rotary buffer on speed 2200!! :confused:


Also, check out this thread:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-university/4984-new-users-pc-7424-users-must-read.html






-Nick :cheers:

[nick19]

the more often you drag a towel (even if its high quality microfiber) across the paint the more likely you are to scratch it. so i say you just do it in moderation and when its needed.

This only occurs on dirty paint. If you "dust" off with a MF, not applying ANY pressure to the towel, just holding it by the tips of your fingers, you can brush off some dirt/dust/pollen etc.

You can wipe a clean MF on paint all day long without any negative effects.

[abrcrombe]

You normally don't want to polish more than 1 or 2 times a year. After a while, you will have no clearcoat. I don't have to tell you how bad that is, I am sure you understand it. Also, running the rotary that fast is not recommended. I don't know much about rotaries, but I do know that is too fast.

[k20z3kid]

This only occurs on dirty paint. If you "dust" off with a MF, not applying ANY pressure to the towel, just holding it by the tips of your fingers, you can brush off some dirt/dust/pollen etc.

You can wipe a clean MF on paint all day long without any negative effects.

oh yeah i know this. but i guess im just thinking about it in terms of avoidance. like the probability of slightly scratching the paint by wiping MF on the paint is higher then if you were to just leave the paint alone and wash it when its due.

[KJW Detailing]

first, whats a QD?

so if i shouldn't use a polisher on my paint b/c i will eat up the clearcoat rather quickly, then is a product such as Sratch X from meguiars ok to use?

i wash it b/c it gets dirty...ie rain, snows...whatever...

im not sure the name of the buffer at work but its made by dewalt and the speed range from i guess 0 to 3000 rpm...i was taught to polish at 2200rpm...it seems to do a great job on the Lexus' i work on!

when i first picked up the car i went nuts but since then i have definetly calmed down but i could see myself waxing atleast once a month haha...

...i dont undestand what could be a negative part of washing a car alot outside of sratches occuring?

[nick19]

first, whats a QD?

so if i shouldn't use a polisher on my paint b/c i will eat up the clearcoat rather quickly, then is a product such as Sratch X from meguiars ok to use?

i wash it b/c it gets dirty...ie rain, snows...whatever...

im not sure the name of the buffer at work but its made by dewalt and the speed range from i guess 0 to 3000 rpm...i was taught to polish at 2200rpm...it seems to do a great job on the Lexus' i work on!

when i first picked up the car i went nuts but since then i have definetly calmed down but i could see myself waxing atleast once a month haha...

...i dont undestand what could be a negative part of washing a car alot outside of sratches occuring?

QD = Quick Detailer

Quick detail sprays, spray waxes and spray sealants provide instant shine and paint protection! Pinnacle Crystal Mist, Wolfgang Deep Gloss Spritz (http://www.autogeek.net/quickdetail.html)

Rotary buffers can and WILL burn paint rather easy. If your polishing with a compound, anthing above 2000 rpms will likely burn your paint. Polishing with a rotary is done between 1,000 and 1,500 rpms.

The negative part in washing a car frequently, is swirls. For this, I wash or "foam" my car about every 3 or 4 days. I just let the foam from a foam gun (Foam Wash Gun with FREE BONUS (http://www.autogeek.net/foam-gun.html)) sit on the paint for a minute or two, and wash off. Any dirt that has accumulated over the past three or four days will likely come off, unless I'm doing a lot of driving, where I'll wait to do it at the end of the week.

[KJW Detailing]

Quick detailer...i have some of that...spray wax! and i use that inbetween waxes...

i wash my car with meg gold class car wash, i clean the rims and tires with green (all purpose)...then after washing the car i come back with a hydro gloss spray, then i blast the car off again. After drying i go over the car with a mf towel with spray wax.

this is my general wash...

[ScottB]

Washing a car twice a week is ok, it is the washing and drying steps that need some care to avoid swirls. Wash/dry in straight lines. Always use lots of soap, and with drying using a qd'er to lubricate. A leaf blower is a wise investment.

I would suggest you move away from the Simple Green. I have seen it damaged uncoated wheels, and really suggest using a good wheel cleaner (P21S) or car wash soap/water.

[BILL]

You normally don't want to polish more than 1 or 2 times a year. After a while, you will have no clearcoat. I don't have to tell you how bad that is, I am sure you understand it. Also, running the rotary that fast is not recommended. I don't know much about rotaries, but I do know that is too fast.


I Agree , 1200-1500 rpm's should be the norm.....even 1000 -1200:)

[BILL]

oh yeah i know this. but i guess im just thinking about it in terms of avoidance. like the probability of slightly scratching the paint by wiping MF on the paint is higher then if you were to just leave the paint alone and wash it when its due.


Try the 2 bucket wash system...it will cut down on swirls......

[Jimmie]

first, whats a QD?

so if i shouldn't use a polisher on my paint b/c i will eat up the clearcoat rather quickly, then is a product such as Sratch X from meguiars ok to use?

i wash it b/c it gets dirty...ie rain, snows...whatever...

im not sure the name of the buffer at work but its made by dewalt and the speed range from i guess 0 to 3000 rpm...i was taught to polish at 2200rpm...it seems to do a great job on the Lexus' i work on!

when i first picked up the car i went nuts but since then i have definetly calmed down but i could see myself waxing atleast once a month haha...

...i dont undestand what could be a negative part of washing a car alot outside of sratches occuring?

Here's one that happened to me. Last summer we got my wife a new Nissan. I was washing it 2+ times per week. Still do sometimes. The key fob quit locking/unlocking the doors and the security system was whacked. We took it to the dealer. They finally had to call their head office who told them that the only other time that they had seen the problem was from a guy washing his car with a pressure washer. I just use a rubber twist nozzle. They took the doors apart and dried them out. Everything works fine now. I just watch how much water runs down the windows. Who'd ever guess it.

[KJW Detailing]

well here are the pics of my car!

the first two are of my car currently and the third pic is what i hope she looks like by the end of the summer!

[P1et]

I bet that blue just SHINES after a good quality waxing! Personally, I wash my cars once a week. If I don't have time (or when it's raining) then it's once every two weeks. I live in a sunny climate and in Texas, when it doesn't rain, the cars sometimes don't get that dirty after a week of washing it.

I personally use Megs Gold Class, the ShMITT and the Guzzler to wash and dry the vehicles. Great results and no marring!

I agree with the above statements about only polishing your car once or twice a year. Actually, if you take good care of your washing and apply a good technique, you probably only have to do a very light polishing to get minor swirls out.