Car Maintenance

[w0ngster]

I am wondering what procedures would be necessary to keep your car in great clean condition for the average joe? (before your next waxing sessions that is)

In addition I live in SOCAL and the it rarely rains down here.

Would washing your car once a week followed by some scratch X touch ups here and there be enough?

My biggest enemy in socal for me.. is definitely the tree sap!

Thx,

W

[Zaris]

Re: Car Maintenance

There are several factors unmentioned here that prevents a straight answer. Like, is this a daily driver car you're talking about where it's driven everyday? Is your car kept in a garage regularly or parked outside and exposed to the elements? Depending on your answers, some cars will need more frequent care and maintenance than others.

Washing your car once a week is good to follow if you can. What with the water shortage and everything here in LA, I try to extend the time between washes as possible. ScratchX is one of several paint correcting products and while it will help get your paint looking better again after a scuff with a shopping cart or something, there are additional car care steps to follow such as claying, polishing, and waxing.

I highly recommend you take a read through Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle to really get an idea of what's involved. I find that, living here in Pasadena as well, claying and waxing are important, but you also gotta maintain the paint regularly too. See the article and you'll know what I'm talking about.

[Ravi_1992]

Re: Car Maintenance

Read through the 5 step paint care cycle, your car will be looking great if you follow those steps.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Car Maintenance

If you have just light dust, fingerprints etc. You can certainly use a qd product regularly.

I believe a while back, Mike Stoops had a thread on one of his cars. He had not washed it for something like a year.

[w0ngster]

Re: Car Maintenance

I always build up grit on the front and rear fenders. Its hard to clean that stuff off...
So what i HAD in mind is just washing the car once a week (jjust soaping it no wax or anything) I also had in mind to use some m135 during the week to clean off dust...pollen and tree sap

In addition, im going to start my detailing session off this week with the whole shabang.

Products:
Gold Class car Wash
Smooth Surface Clay Kit
M105
M21
M26
M135

Equipment:
Foam Gun
2 - Bucket Wash method w/ GritGuard
Terry Cloth
Micro Fiber
DA - Yellow + Black pad

[FinalTouchDetail]

Re: Car Maintenance

I assume you will be using the M105 on both the Yellow Pad and then following it up on the Black Pad for finishing polishing?

If you only plan on using M105 on the Yellow pad I can guarantee you will have significant marring remaining because that is a VERY aggressive combination even when used by DA. You'll really want to follow up the M105/yellow combination with either 105 on a lighter pad or a finishing polish like M205.

[akimel]

Re: Car Maintenance

w0ongster, take a look at this article: Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen.

If you are battling tree sap, the best stuff I have found is Stoner's Tarminator, which one can often find at the local NAPA store (or they will order it for you). Be sure to re-wax the area you spray it on.

Pick yourself up a bottle of Ultimate Quik Wax. Use it as a maintenance wax between regular waxings. It's easy to use--just spray on and wipe off.

If you're are is under water restriction, then order a jug of Optimum No-Rinse. No need for a hose to rinse off your car. You'll be surprised how easy ONR makes washing your car.

[BobbyG]

Re: Car Maintenance

In addition I live in SOCAL and the it rarely rains down here.

I think there's a song here somewhere....

OK,

A planned routine maintenance is the key to preserving the finish on any vehicle. To do so requires washing and removing as many contaminates as possible and applying a protective layer such as a sealant and or wax.

There are many fine products to choose from to remove scratches, swirls, and similar defects. Many opt for Meguiar's M105 and while this is one of the best out there it should not be considered a must.

Your first task will be to evaluate the finish conditioin to determine the appropriate starting polish. I prefer to start off too fine and go courser if necessary, not the other way around.

Finishes on today's vehicles are very thin and it's very easy to wear through them using an aggressive pad and compound. I'm not saying not to use them because in many instances the condition warrants their use.

Another aspect of maintaining a surface finish is to set realistic goals and expectations. While we'd all love nothing more for or daily driver to be completely swirl and defect free it's pretty much impossible to achieve considering the environment.

These are the steps to bring the cars finish to a maintainable level.

• Wash
• Clay
• Correct Paint Defects
  • M105
  • M205
• Seal
• Wax

Routine maintenance

Wash
Seal or Wax

[FinalTouchDetail]

Re: Car Maintenance

Finishes on today's vehicles are very thin and it's very easy to wear through them using an aggressive pad and compound. I'm not saying not to use them because in many instances the condition warrants their use.

That statement would not be correct if working by DA Polisher.

I have (as have others) used the LC Purple Foamed Wool Hybrid pads with M105 via DA without ever hinting at any issues.

[Matt Majeika]

Re: Car Maintenance

w0ongster, take a look at this article: Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen.

If you are battling tree sap, the best stuff I have found is Stoner's Tarminator, which one can often find at the local NAPA store (or they will order it for you). Be sure to re-wax the area you spray it on.

Pick yourself up a bottle of Ultimate Quik Wax. Use it as a maintenance wax between regular waxings. It's easy to use--just spray on and wipe off.

If you're are is under water restriction, then order a jug of Optimum No-Rinse. No need for a hose to rinse off your car. You'll be surprised how easy ONR makes washing your car.

Beautiful summary.

[BobbyG]

Re: Car Maintenance

That statement would not be correct if working by DA Polisher.

I have (as have others) used the LC Purple Foamed Wool Hybrid pads with M105 via DA without ever hinting at any issues.

Shawn,

You're correct and there is truth to your statement.

My intention was to raise caution to the novice and beginner that improper or overuse of a heavy duty compound such as Meguiar's M105 could result in accidental premature wear of the finish. Start fine and work toward course.

I use M105 with my Makita rotary with a purple, yellow, or orange Lake Country pad. Because of its rotary action it makes short work of small scratches and swirls. Another component is the heat naturally generated due to the rotary action, compound, and pad that breaks down the protective clear coat.

The clear-coat on todays auto's is applied by robots which apply as little as 0.001 of an inch of product. While this may save the automobile manufactures allot of money it also makes the protective coat scary thin and vulnerable to well intentioned but over aggressive correction.

Another unknown is the actual condition of the finish by the original poster. I don't know if it's been damp sanded or how many times it may have been corrected without actually seeing it.

I've used Meguiar's M105 with my Flex 3401 and it does allow a much longer correction time than my rotary because the machine action is much less aggressive and does an outstanding job. A DA polisher in the hands of someone less experienced is always preferred as the likelihood of accidental damage is reduced greatly and it chance of success increased.