Nino's Car Wash, Waxing
and Detailing Tips/Tutorial
 Let me begin by stating that I am in no way an auto detailing expert. I don’t claim to know everything; I am just putting down stuff for consideration. This stuff you'll read about is what works for me. I am sure that there will be some that disagree with portions or this entire tutorial. I figured I'd share what I know and you can pick and choose what you want to use. These tips are from personal experience, FAQ’s I’ve read and tips I’ve gathered from friends or acquaintences in the industry of Professional Auto Detailing. Here's my ride: From my first vehicle (65 pony edition mustang) to my current (2003 Cobra) I have always had a "clean freak" mentality. , I wash and wax a minimum of 2 times a month. I usually do once a week since I live in WAY South Texas (8 miles from Mexico/US border) and the weather is always warm to HOT. I am a pretty horrible perfectionist and will go the extra mile to keep my car clean. Imperfections", “Dirtiness" and "Cleanliness" are all relative. That means, what I may consider filthy, you may consider only moderately dirty. A lot of how you take care of your vehicle's finish centers upon how much time you plan to dedicate to it's maintenance, how much you are willing to spend, and how much you want it to shine.
Be sure to spray as much of the dirt as you can off before
you begin to wash. Use a bucket and a 100%
cotton cloth or some other cloth/mitt
that has alot of knap to it so that the dirt can settle into whatever
you use to wash instead of your car's finish.. The thicker the cloth,
the better because when you pick up dirt as you’re washing, it
won’t be held on the surface and will in turn, keep away from
your precious car finish! I prefer the wash mitt
because they're easier to handle and clean. Do NOT use dishwashing soap unless your intention is to strip the wax. I use dishwashing soap to strip the car of wax when I'm going to put fresh layers of wax. Depending on how thick your wax is applied on your car, you may have to wash it multiple times to strip the layers of wax off.
Before you begin drying, be sure to rinse your car correctly, doing so can save you time in drying. Use no “adapters or nozzles” on your hose, just let the water flood out. Start on top and work your way down. You’ll notice the water will sheet off nicely. This will be ESPECIALLY noticeable if your car is correctly waxed. Be sure you use a thick towel; preferably the nice bath towels. Make sure they're 100% COTTON! The purpose for this is that the dirt or dust has a place to go (inside thick towel) should any be left on the car. If you use a chamois, a synthetic chamois or a thinner towel, the small particles of dirt or debris are left on the surface of them and will drag across your finish and causes swirl marks. Even if your car is 100% clean, you still run the risk of dust that leaves those "spider web" looking marks. Cotton towels help this. Wash them after each use. Just toss them in the washer and you don't even have to soap them. If your car has a spot or two of "dirt" that you forgot, don't be lazy, just go wash it and rinse it off...THEN dry it.
After you wash your car, run your hand over the paint, it should feel really smooth. If you feel stuff on the paint, it probably needs to be clayed before you wax. If you lightly run your fingernails over the finish and you "catch" stuff, these are the little imbedded things I'm talkinga bout. Also, if you have road-tar or bug guts, this stuff will get that off better than any cleaner. Claying is what makes a good paint job feel/look great. When you’re done, it will feel like glass, NO imperfections. Don't worry about not claying your car correctly. Any one with 1 eye and 1/2 sense can do it. Just spray the area with lube and rub. Easy. What the clay does is (in a nutshell) pick up the embedded impurities and debris from your cars finish and suspend them in the clay. It doesn't remove any of your car's finish. I have never seen a car that's never been clayed that wouldn't benefit from being clayed. I clayed my parent's Maxima the day after they brought it home and left the trunk "un-clayed" just to emphasize the difference. Boy they freaked out when they ran their hands over the clayed/non-clayed sections. Most clay bars you get will come with a "lubricant" or some sort of spray stuff. If you run out or it doesn't come with any, just buy any "quick detailing" spray or clay while your car has soapy water on it (be sure the area is washed and clear of dirt first). This is a necessary part of claying. Clay is sticky and won’t work without lube. Try to provide just enough lube to keep the clay sliding nicely on the car's surface. You’ll feel the clay “stick” when you don’t have enough. Mist the area well and with the weight of your arm/hand, work the clay bar as though you were waxing the vehicle. If it needed to be clayed, you'll *HEAR* and *FEEL* it as you cover the area. It makes a sort of a scratching sound & feel. You'll also notice that the clay gets dirty, even after a fresh wash!! You may have to go over the same area a few times (each time kneading the clay to get a fresh surface). When you can't hear or feel scratching anymore, that means it's clean. Run your hand over the area if you don’t feel anything, you are done with that section! While cleaning, be sure you knead the clay often. I usually knead in-between sections (hood, door, roof, etc). The amount of times you have to stop and knead the clay depends on how dirty your finish is. DO NOT clay an un-washed car. DO NOT use the clay if you dropped your clay on the floor. If you notice only a small section that's diry after dropping it, pinch it off and toss it. if you don't, all it will do is turn your clay into a sanding block. Bad news! When you’re done, you can buff the lubricant to a shine. I choose to let it dry on the car because I wax it afterwards anyway. If you don't plan to wax it, do a section at a time and make sure to hand buff the quick detail stuff to a shine. I only have to clay my vehicle (assuming you wash it a minimum of 2-3 times a month) about 2-3 times a year depending on how dirty the car gets and how long the dirt sits on the finish. If you've never clayed your car, you'll thank yourself. It does WONDERS!
This is the one of the most debated part of car finish maintenance. To be honest, unless you absolutely demand the best finish from your car, most of the mid-grade waxes will perform just fine. I suggest any paste carnauba wax or polymer based "synthetic" wax. I used Meguiar's NXT before switching over to Zaino. Neither contain any actual carnauba wax, they're polymer based. When I feel up to the task and want to REALLY go all out, I use multiple coats of GOOD carnauba PASTE wax. They go on and come off very easy. Don’t forget that mirrors, windows, and chrome can benefit from wax, but use the cheaper stuff for it, you’ll be surprised at how it works! Waxing is one of the most important things you can do to keep your vehicle looking good. Think of it as “car sunscreen”. Initially you don't need it, but after a while, it *will* affect your paint. “Waxes” can be broken down into 4 basic sets. 1. Cleaners 2. Polishes 3. Waxes
4. Quick Detail/Spray Waxes:
More on waxing: Apply your products in warmer weather out of direct sunlight and when the car is cool to the touch. The shade helps you so that you can stand back and see what’s waxed, if there are streaks, and if there are any swirl marks…etc. Evening waxing is made hard as the air is cooler and moist. Same goes for early morning. I try to stick to the afternoon. It makes removal easier. The wax will cure faster and there will be MUCH less of a chance for “streaking” because of the “dew” in the air. Apply with a decent applicator in straight lines. For the top of the car, I go front to back or back to front. For the sides & rear, I go top to bottom or bottom to top. This helps bring the shine out and keeps scratches/swirls (should you happen to have dirt on your applicator) less noticeable. I use those cotton covered foam applicators (Square or round). Plain foam applicators are fine as well, but they don’t hold up as good. You can also just use a piece of cotton towel. If you drop the applicator and it’s already moist, toss it aside or rinse it off VERY well. You don’t want to scratch your paint as you are applying the wax. Remember, unless your car is a show-car that gets tailored to and from places, you're GOING to end up with swirl or at the least the "spider web" marks. Don’t kill yourself trying to keep them off. Especially if the car is a daily driver and/or you don’t have a garage. What do YOU use? As far as how often to wax, it's a personal decision. I usually gauge this by how well the water is repelled by the finish. The truth is, thee is no definitive way to tell exactly WHEN your car is ready for a new coat. The way I'll do it is by flooding the car with water from top to bottom. If it sheets off nicely, I know that it’s still got a decent coat of wax. If not, then I'll apply another.
Tires: To dress the tires, I use the tire gel and just give the tire a good wipe. I don’t like to go overboard with the “shiny black” stuff on my tires. I prefer the clean look rather than the “dripping wet, slobbering tire” look. If you like that, then tire gel is the way to go just don't wipe it much after application. I prefer the tire gel because it lasts much longer than conventional spray foam. Be sure to wipe up any excess on the tire, as soon as you start driving, it will throw it all along the side of your vehicle if you don't. The best way to keep your rims looking good/new is to not let them get too dirty. If they MUST get really dirty, don't let them stay that way long. Hot brake-dust particles can embed themselves into the wheels paint/clear-coat and you can just use a clay-bar to remove this nasty stuff. After that, just soapy water. I stay away from wheel cleaners because most off-the-shelf stuff is acid based and can etch some pretty nasty designs into your wheels' finish if you let it sit too long or if it dries. If you MUST use a wheel cleaner, just be sure it's not acid-based. "Don't let this product sit for longer than 15 seconds" is a good indicator that it's acid based. Most "non acid" based ones will indicate so. I can’t tell you how much of good investment a good tire brush and wheel brush are. They make the work of cleaning your wheels/tires so much easier. They will last as long as you rinse them off after use and store them properly. (ie: out of direct sunlight)
I find that the Meguiar’s NXT Tech Protect stuff works great. I use a cloth/foam applicator pad and go to town. This stuff makes your plastics shine like there’s no tomorrow. Bumper parts, grilles, anything under the hood, mirror housings, interior and just about anything else plastic/rubber will benefit from this! If it's plastic or vinyl, it gets a coat of this stuff. Apply with caution though, it is goopy and very “oily”. It's the sort of stuff you DON'T want on your windows. I would suggest spraying it outside and down-wind of your vehicle when putting it on your applicator pad. On the other hand, I don’t particularly care for the Tech Protect on for the items that my body comes in contact with (console, door, seat…etc). It’s a bit too oily for my tastes and gets all over your arms/legs. I suggest using just good old Son Of A Gun protectant. It doesn’t give the shine of the Tech Protect, but it sure is a lot less oily! For the exterior, I like to use BACK TO BLACK trim restorer. If you have faded black/dark trim, this stuff will bring it back to life. If it's really bad, I like to use peanut butter on the trim. Yes, peanut butter. The oils are fed into the plastic and the black stays black longer after you use back to black or whatever plastic trim restorer use. That was a nifty little tip I picked up from a pal.
If you have dirty leather, I suggest using a bucket of water, a rag and some old fashioned saddle soap. It’s not harsh and it tends to get the every day soiling out safely. If you have heavily soiled leather, then I suggest using a stronger product. I use a cotton towel to scrub with. Rinse often when cleaning. You'd be surpised at the crud that comes up on the towel while cleaning! For maintaining leather, I have always been a believer in Lexol. This stuff works wonders for leather. I first learned of it through my x-wife & mother-in-law. They use it on re-conditioned purses they sell on Ebay. Lexol transforms old leather into new, supple, vibrant leather and keeps new leather looking new. You can also use it for ANYTHING leather. A little bit of this stuff, goes a LONG way so use it sparingly.
I like my car smelling good. I can't stand foul odors. I use the Medo scent cakes/stones and the Medo Can-O-Scent with the scented brown things inside (not the liquid stuff). I like these products because I can sort of “control” how much scent is released and therefore stretch the lifespan of the product. I usually open them only part way and then later on, fully un-package or open them. I stay away from sprays because they build up after a while and make things sticky. I have also had luck with those Glade plug-in's. I use the inserts, the GEL types, not the liquid stuff. The scent releases itself as though it were in the plug in because it's hot all year round and the car is usually pretty warm. Maintenance & Tips:
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