Best budget maintenance for new car

[Drashnar]

Hey everyone. Circumstances have forced me into getting a new daily driver. Should anything be done right after picking it up? (I pick it up Wednesday or Thursday next week) Due to not having any sort of covered or enclosed structure to keep the new car in, with winter coming, what is the best way to maintain the car to keep it looking nice (I'm slightly south of Cleveland)? The only times I've been through a winter is with a car that either already looked bad, or I didn't worry if it started looking worse. Thanks!

[The Guz]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car

Congrats on the new car. You will have to judge the condition of the paint. Check to see if it needs to be clayed. Polishing is completely up to you. If you are satisfied with the look then use a sealant like ultimate wax, NXT or paint protect. These will out last a carnauba wax. Paint protect is supposed to last 1 year. Ultimate wax is around 6 months.

[allenk4]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car

Depends on what your "Budget" is for maintenance of the vehicle

How much are you willing to spend to protect this vehicle form the elements?

[Drashnar]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car

I don't have an exact figure since getting this has come as a surprise and shot what savings I had. As I re-balance myself going forward I'm not afraid to spend money to maintain a new car. But that being said, I still have other responsibilities that may need to come first. So as a general rule, I'm looking for the "Best bank for the buck" mentality. My main worry is no protection at all (not even a car port )when the snow stars coming down.

[ffboy]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car

Meguiars offers many products to suit every need. For me, the best way to go is to start with "entry level" product line up.

My idea (I'm no expert in the prices here) for the "budget" maintenance is:

1. Deep Crystal Car wash
2. Clay kit-Maybe pricey at first, but this is a must and with proper paint care, you might not need to use it again for a relatively long time
3. The orginal consumer megs cleaner wax-the best compromise, cleans, polishes and gives decent protection at a great price
4. The quik detailer and quik wax (the ones in maroon sprayers)-for light dust removal recharging the wax previously applied.

There will be more inputs/ideas here, but I think this can be a good starting point.

Hope this helps!

[davey g-force]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car



But I'd personally replace the Cleaner Wax with the new(ish) White Wax. It's not expensive and it's superior in every way (except the smell) IMO.

[The Guz]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car

Are you looking for long term protection?

[Murr1525]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car

It would be nice to get a coat of Ult Wax or 365 Wax on top of the White Wax, Cleaner/Wax, etc if possible.

[Drashnar]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car

Long term would be best, but with the new car in the drive, I've since made every Saturday morning "car day" (we will see just how long that holds up when snow starts falling). I have several Meguiars Products already including Ultimate Wax, Last Touch (got a big bottle of this if I remember right), and several others, assuming it being in the basement hasn't hurt it over last years winter. In my case, I'm looking for easy & quick. Since my move from L.A. I have a lot more on my plate than I used to. Also as per my other thread, shown here, I no longer have access to a hose, which means a normal 2 bucket wash & rinse is out, I don't have anywhere near enough microfiber towels to try a single bucket, and I haven't priced the rinse-less wash yet (or fully researched the technique). I suppose you could say I'm worried about the fact that I'm in a completely new situation that I'm not prepared for. I know that the single best thing I can do for my car is to start maintaining it right now, and build up a good habit, so that is what I want to do. Ideally, I want this car to look as good in 10 years as it does now. As a part of that, is there any special habits (good OR bad) that I need to watch out for in regards to snow/ice? What about my snow brush to get the snow off the car? That's the most obvious one that I can think of, but it's been years since I've lived in snow, and I didn't care about my car's looks then. Sorry that I seem to be a bit scattered, this is my very first fully brand new car purchase, so I'm a little anxious. I know I'll make some mistakes, but I want to know as much as I can so I minimize those mistakes, and take good care of this car, under the hood, as well as ascetically. Thanks!

[Murr1525]

Re: Best budget maintenance for new car

Long term would be best, but with the new car in the drive, I've since made every Saturday morning "car day" (we will see just how long that holds up when snow starts falling). I have several Meguiars Products already including Ultimate Wax, Last Touch (got a big bottle of this if I remember right), and several others, assuming it being in the basement hasn't hurt it over last years winter. In my case, I'm looking for easy & quick.

Doing something like
Wash
Clay as needed
a cleaner/wax, like ColorX, White Wax
Ult. Wax

is a great quick detail, and Ult. Quick Wax can be used after future washes to maintain things.

As a part of that, is there any special habits (good OR bad) that I need to watch out for in regards to snow/ice? What about my snow brush to get the snow off the car?

I use a brush, but just leave a skim coat of snow behind, dont touch the paint with the bristles.