Need some help on my Blackalac! Cleaning and waxing!

[nickc50310]

Ok guys, heres the deal. As many of you know I have a Black CTS. As I have stated in the past, I have a love hate relationship with the black. I love it when its clean and hate it 20 minutes later when its dirty again!! Needless to say, every TINY scratch/chip/stain shows up on it.

When I first got it it had lots of swirl marks and tiny scratches. Beings that my leg was broken at the time I decided to get it detailed and waxed/polished/whatever. The guy got most of the swirls and tiny scratches out.

Well, in the past year my car has devloped these tiny scratches and swirls again. I suspect it to be from my washing technique. I usually take the car to the local hood wash. I spray it down and then use the foam brush on it. After that, I run it through the touchless and then dry it with my absorber cloth. I think the brush might be causing the scratches and swirls.

My question is, what method should I use to wash it? What equipment do I need? I want the best wash possible! I get alot of dirt and grime so I need to know what to use to scrub also! Whats the best way to dust the car?

Now, as for waxing/polishing/scratch removal- I need to do something to get rid of these swirls and tiny scratches. I also have several bug/birdshit stains that I need to fix. I need to get this done to determine what I need to have repainted. After I get the scratches/swirls/stains out as best I can I need make this bitch shine!! WHats the best method to get that awesome shine I see some of you guys with??

I could use a buffer Im sure but I have never even turned one on! Im no dumbass so Im sure I could figure it out. Also, I have never even waxed a car!! I guess I really need help! What equipment do I need to get all this done? Is there a website with instructions? Whats up with that Zaino stuff?? The only detailer I trust charges about 100 bux for everything including the wax. Should I just call him?

Thanks in advance for any help guys!!

[RobertCTS]

Nick,
Go online to the Zaino Bros. Get the clay bar, scratch swirl remover and waxes. Pricey but really good stuff.

http://www.zainostore.com/

[mocts]

have you tried the 3 step meguiars process. works pretty well and the results are good.

[itspac]

I definatly wouldn't use that brush at the car wash. It traps dirt which will scratch your car.

Best deal is a good ol bucket of soap and a nice soft sponge. I would rinse all the loose dirt off the car first. (maybe use that sprayer at the car wash). Then using the sponge start at the top of the car and work your way down.rinse your sponge as needed. (there is usually more dirt at the bottom. you dont want to spread that over the rest of the car) Rinse the car down well. (maybe that car wash sprayer again) Use a soft chamois to dry. If you dont was it well the dirt will scratch your finish during drying too.

That megiurs 3 step is good, but I like the 3m equivalent better. I think its right around the same price.

The clay bar mentioned above should be used for larger imperfections.
Just remember alot of the "scratch" removers work by removing a thin layer to even out the scratches. you will want to wax afterward.

I used meguirs cleaner wax then meguirs gold class. i've lways hand waxed my car, but used a buffer with the scratch remover type of stuff.

I havent owned one, but i've seen a california car duster in action. you may want to use that to dust.

If that sounds too overwhelming. Call your guy that charges 100 bucks.

[ChicagoCTS32]

Zaino is good stuff, I use the stuff from Gary on the detailing forum here. http://perfectautofinish.com/
Easy to use, like zaino, not cheap, but it works like magic. ALWAYS use a claybar if you're going to wax. It removes everything that is embedded in the clear coat of your car. Start with Dawn or a weak solution of simple green. I agree with the above posters, run it through a touchless wash first to get the worst of it off, then go with dawn and use the "two bucket" method. One bucket has your soap in it, the other bucket is used to rinse your sponge. Dip in the soap, wash wash wash, rinse in the rinse bucket. When your rinse bucket looks grey, dump it out and get new fresh rinse water. You don't want to put dirt back in your wash bucket. After you think you have it washed pretty good, break out the claybar. Take a little bit of dawn and put it in a spray bottle with water to use a lubricant for your clay bar. Spray the car with the dawn solution, rub the car with the clay bar. When it feels like glass, that section is clean. Work in small sections, about 1 square foot at a time and cover the entire car. After that, wash again using the two bucket method (this shouldn't take very long the 2nd time around). Next, make sure your car is in the shade, and apply the swirl/scratch remover/polish with a wax applicator and work in small sections to polish the surface. Wipe clean with 100% cotton towels or micro fiber towels. Next, apply your wax or sealant, allow to set in for 45 minutes to 8 hours, wipe clean with your CLEAN towel. Ta da! Glorious black, and it only took you 8 hours on a saturday.

[Flyin-Ryan]

Hey Nick,

1. Never use the brush at the car wash...how do you know if the guy before you didnt just drive his rusty muddy rocky work truck through there?

2. If youve never used a clay bar, just go get a mothers clay bar. That will amaze enough for now.

3. Mothers swirl and scrach reducers work great.

4. I use a new type of wax a lot! I have found latly that the “Tech” wax makes my car look the most slick.


Shoot the power is about to go out here, Ill write more later

[MJDART]

I used to have a new '79 black Corvette and I was set up by a couple of Vette owners who knew how to handle a black car. First a power buffer wheel can do wonders, but it can also burn in a heartbeat. Practice on another less valuable car if possible. They used a product called Liquid Ebony and also corn silk powder. Then they would finish with Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. I still use the Collinite on my CTS. Picture of me waxing that '79 Vette in Spring of 1980.



Do a search on Liquid Ebony, you'll see it still generates a lot of hits 25 years later.


A site with lots of goodies
http://www.autogeek.net/swreandpo.ht...FSM6SgodflSacQ

[TagApl4]

Nick go to the V forum i saw a thread yesterday about caring for black. some guy just got a pc buffer

[nickc50310]

Thats where I got the idea for this thread. The thread in the V forum was not very helpful.

[TagApl4]

Yeah, I didn't read it b/c b4 u know it V guys are talking shit and posting off topic pics to riddicule. there are some serious egos in there.

[FL01SS]

First off, like said above, Never ever, ever, ever use the car wash brush on your car!!!!! You also shouldn't use a sponge! All the tiny holes in the sponge can trap sand/dirt and then you scratch the paint when you wash the car. A micro fiber or lambs wool mit is the way to go. You should also concider buying a "grit guard" I never even knew what it was until I bought my Black Camaro. That little piece of plastic is SO FREAKIN GREAT! You just drop it in the bottom of your bucket & it traps the dirt at the bottom & keeps it from getting back onto your wash mit & scratching your car. The two bucket method is a good idea too. Less chance of scratching the paint.

One thing to remember about waxing you car is that the MOST IMPORTANT STEP is the prep!!!! If you just throw a coat of wax on the car once a year with out prepping the paint first, you'll actually make the finish look worse because you're trapping all the contaminants in the fresh coat of wax. You need to get rid of the dulled coat of old wax & all the contaminants BEFORE you apply wax. Another thing to remember is that scratches show up A LOT MORE when the car is dirty because the dirt actually settles into the scratches & makes them stand out! So the cleaner the car is when you apply the final wax, the less scratches will show!

I can't remember if there's Pep Boy's in Iowa or not (been a while since I've been home) but if there is, they stock Meguiars' professional line called "Mirror Glaze" It comes in tan bottles & is a numbered system that's real easy to use. There's over a dozen different cleaners, polishes, glazes & waxes that are number in order of application step. You start with #00 car wash & finish with #34 "Final Inspection" Now of course you don't have to use every product in between, (or #00 or #34 really) but the numbers help you to understand what step comes after the next.

I would suggest you first wash the car with Dawn *Disclaimer* ONLY do this WHEN YOU'RE DOING A COMPLETE STRIP & RE-WAX! Dawn will assist in removing contaminants as well as the old coat of wax, so if you're not going to re-wax the entire car, use a car wash, NOT DAWN. Next, clay the car. You can either use some of Meguiar's "Final Inspection" spray, or just some soapy watter like mentioned above. Then wash it with Dawn again to get rid of any clay residue that may be left on there. Then hit the car with a medium to fine scratch remover. This is where it's great to have a buffer.

A buffer is a great tool to have, but you can do some serious damage to your paint if you don't know what you're doing. I learned on a hood I bought from You-Pull-It for $40. You can also use a random orbital polisher instead of a high speed buffer, which doesn't doesn't do quite as good of a job because of the lower speed, but makes applying wax/cleaner a lot easier. You still need to be careful with one of those too. There's all sorts of different pads available for both. Foam seem to be most popular right now & they're quite a few different types of foam pad as well. They're kind of like different grits of sand paper, they all have different amounts of "bite" You want to use a more abrasive pad for the cleaning/scratch removal stages & a less abrasive for the polishing/glaze steps. I personally always apply the final way by hand. It just seems in my experience you end up removing some of the polish/glaze if you apply the final step with the machine. Maybe it 's just me though.

After the scratch remover, apply a polish/swirl remover. The polish will actually fill in the tiny scratches that can't be removed with the scratch remover & create a smooth finish. Follow that up with as many coats of Glaze as you want. You can build the glaze on top of itself to increase the final gloss & shine. Lastly, a good coat of high quality wax & you're set!

There's lots of different products out there & you can achive similar results with most of them. You don't necessarily have to buy the most expensive stuff to get good results. OH! You might want to check out O'reilly's Auto Parts! I know that you have have those in Iowa, I worked at one in Creston. Anyways, they carry (or use to carry anyways) 3M professional paint care products! That's some good stuff! They don't put it out front for everyone to buy because it's really only stocked for body shops, so you'll have to ask someone to let you go back by the paint supplies & pick out what you want. They carry a product call "Pink Fill-N-Glaze" which is absolutely WONDERFUL! 3 coats of that stuff followed by a coat of wax & LOOK OUT! You'll be blinding people all over town!

OK, essay complete. Hope it was somewhat helpful! Good luck!


I had saved this vid a while back & knew it might come in handy. Showcargarage.com has LOTS of good info about taking care of your car.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...sh+a+car&hl=en

[FL01SS]

Oh, and I'm not a Pro by any means, but I have had some training & have worked at a shop buffing cars, so I know a little. Enought to keep my cars looking pretty decent anyways. There's about as many opinions on how to take care of paint & what products to use as there are opinions about blondes or brunettes. But the basics are the same & remember that good prep will result in a good final product.

[ChicagoCTS32]

good info FLO. I would suggest not using any high speed buffer, especially if you're not planning on doing this a lot. A little elbow grease will do a good enough job. If you do want to get into using electronic gadgets, only use "dual action" or "random orbital". A plain high speed buffer only moves in a circle and can burn in VERY quickly. Professionals use DA or RO buffers, not circular ones.

*edit* FLO is definately right, do not use Dawn or Simple Green if you're not going to apply wax immediately. You will strip all the wax and leave a raw unprotected clear coat surface open to the elements.

And another plug for perfect auto finish, the same "paint sealer" that the dealers use before they deliver your car and charge you $600-$1000 for, is what Gary sells as his paint sealant for $15 or $20 a bottle.

[FL01SS]

Originally Posted by ChicagoCTS32

If you do want to get into using electronic gadgets, only use "dual action" or "random orbital". A plain high speed buffer only moves in a circle and can burn in VERY quickly. Professionals use DA or RO buffers, not circular ones.

OH ABSOLUTELY! Never use just a normal high speed buffer! That's a fast way to ruin your paint! DA/RO designed for polishing/buffing cars is what you should use! (good catch Chi)

[tommer]

I bought a microfiber spounge at wallyworld that does a great job. always start at the top of the car and work down and wash the wheel wells and wheels last with a different spounge.