Best practices to maintain a correction and detail

[Spiney]

Last question of the night. I'm still a pretty newbie and have the worst color to maintain, gloss black. Once you correct the paint and protect it with sealant and or wax, what are the best practices to keep from reintroducing swirl marks or scratches? This summer I was able to correct the top 1/2 of my black car using the Meguiar's MF DA Kit. I then sealed it with Ultima Paint Guard Plus. I always wash using 2 buckets with grit guards. 2 MF Mitts, I used CG or Meg's car wash with some ONR In it. Most times used a foaming wand attachment. Dried with a leaf blower followed up by a large MF drying towel. I stopped using store bought MF cloths and bought some Cobras and some Meg's. I quick detail in between using UQD. I feel like I'm doing my best and yet I still seem to re- introduce swirls. Am I too picky, is it just inevitable? The car is not a DD. And I don't want to have to repeat correction too many times at the risk of depleting my CC.

So what do you suggest I do different? Thanks, Spiney-Dave

[silverfox]

I think that minor spider webbing is inevitable as long as anything at all touches your paint. No method of washing and drying is fool proof in my opinion. You can reduce the risk at best.

The Gary Dean wash method makes the most sense to me of all the methods I've tried. Using his method and drying with a metro blaster is what I've finally determined is the current best ways to reduce introducing new swirls. All it takes is one dirty MF towel that you think is clean to undo everything. Also I've stopped touching the paint between washes. That helped the most. If the car is dirty after a day or two so be it. It stays that way until the next wash. I'm not anal anymore about having a perfectly clean car

[BobbyG]

Hi Dave,

John's pretty much hit this nail on the head....

As you drive, airborne particles swirl across every surface of your car creating microscopic defects. As time marches on and the protection degrades, these defects become more noticeable and at some point a choice must be made; live with them or do something about them.

Maintaining your finish faithfully will greatly prolong any major corrective work. Using hard coatings as a permanent hard barrier is another alternative to slowing down the onslaught of time and mother nature.

Mike Phillips also has some helpful information here...

How to maintain a freshly waxed car

[Bunky]

Also I've stopped touching the paint between washes. That helped the most. If the car is dirty after a day or two so be it. It stays that way until the next wash. I'm not anal anymore about having a perfectly clean car

I was also agree that the quick details in between washes are the highest marring risk activities assuming good wash/dry techniques.

[swanicyouth]

What really works for me is foaming the car dry, then pressure washing off the foam very slowly with water. After that, I pressure wash the car with water a few more times. I do this before every standard / rinseless / waterless wash.

This helps because its removing the MAX amount of dirt and grit before I touch the car. By the time I get to it with a mitt, the only thing left on the finish is "traffic film".

IMHO, the best detailing investment I've made is a pressure washer. You don't have to spend a lot either. Mine was $130 from Wal Mart and has worked flawlessly. I can actually see the water remove dirt from the wheels, as they go from brown to silver as the wand passes over. Hose pressure isn't enough to remove much dirt.

If you corrected an area in the summer and its already showing light swirls already (and the car is garaged and not daily driven), - something isn't right in my opinion. I corrected my daily driver a year ago when I bought it used (2001 Pathfinder). It's kept outside 24/7 and washed / rinseless washed / waterless washed frequently and it's showing no signs of swirls. If your car is a garage queen / weekend driver you should be able to maintain a swirl free finish for quite a while. Maybe try the pressure washer to get the paint as clean as possible before you touch it.

Keep in my this is just my experience and my opinion. I lot of people will tell you swirls are inevitable. Maybe my paint on my two vehicles is just hard paint.

[silverfox]

I have discovered that a conventional two bucket method using grit guards is not nearly as effective as using fresh, clean wash media on every inch of every panel. Think about it..even with a grit guard you are using the same wash media for the entire car. Do you honestly think a grit guard removes 100% of the dirt? Well it doesn't. Only using perfectly clean wash media for every panel eliminates that problem altogether. I use the GD method for both conventional and rinse less washing.

[swanicyouth]

I have discovered that a conventional two bucket method using grit guards is not nearly as effective as using fresh, clean wash media on every inch of every panel. Think about it..even with a grit guard you are using the same wash media for the entire car. Do you honestly think a grit guard removes 100% of the dirt? Well it doesn't. Only using perfectly clean wash media for every panel eliminates that problem altogether. I use the GD method for both conventional and rinse less washing.

Good point. The other thing that helps is to not let your vehicle get very dirty / or frequent washings. If your starting with less dirt to begin with, there is little to track back on the paint. I was about every week or two and always check the bottom of the wash water before I dump it out, it's always pretty clean.