How to Properly Detail Your Ride!

I don't know of any Thread on here that Teaches you how to Properly Detail you Ride or not but this Method will keep the Shine for 6-12 months. Depending on the Weather and How often you drive the Car or Truck :D with that you will still need to wash your ride to keep it clean of course lol.. <-- disclamer lol

Regular washing is important, but to keep your car looking good, you should detail and wax it regularly. Even if you've neglected your car's finish, making it look almost-new isn't really all that difficult.

What you will need:
What you'll need depends on the condition of your car's finish. If your car has been regularly washed and waxed, you will probably only need a few detailing products:

1. Microfiber towels (the more, the merrier!)
2. Black-trim treatment
3. Spray-on detailer
4. One-step polish/wax
5. Wax applicators or orbital polisher

If your car hasn't been waxed recently or has a neglected finish, you might need to call in the heavy artillery: :D

5. Clay bar
6. Mild polish or pre-wax cleaner
7. Wax


Step: 1. Wash the Car/Truck

This may seem pretty obvious, but I'll say it anyway: Wash and dry the car thoroughly before starting your detail work. Washing the car gets off the "easy" dirt so that the cleaning products you'll be using later on can take care of the hard stuff.

Step: 2. Treat Black Trim

Doorjambs tend to collect dirt, but they won't get cleaned during a normal wash. Before wiping down the doorjambs, spray them with a between-wash detail product such as Mothers Showtime Instant Detailer. Unpainted trim and weather seals are usually made of rubber, vinyl or some other type of plastic, and will get brittle, stained and oxidized over time. Mothers product called Back to Black on car's black trim is a good product. The Mothers staffers recommend wearing gloves when using Back to Black.


Step: 3: Claying the Car

Clay is used to remove deep ground-in dirt and stains without damaging the car's finish. This is especially important on newer cars which use clear-coat paint. Mothers sells a clay kit that includes a clay bar, detailing spray (which is used as a lubricating agent for the clay), and wax (to seal that nice clean surface). After claying the car, the surface should feel noticeably smoother.

More info about the Clay:
Claying is incredibly easy: Spray the area with detailer then slide the clay back and forth over the paint. The clay basically pulls up the dirt and shaves it off. Periodically flatten and fold the clay to expose a clean surface. There's one major caveat: Don't drop the clay! Dropping the clay renders it useless, as it will pick up dirt that can scratch the car. The detailer you'll be spraying on the car makes things slick, Consider spreading out a beach towel beneath the area you're working on.

Step: 4: Polish

Clay removes both dirt and wax, so you'll need to re-wax after claying. If your car's finish is in good shape, you can use a combined polish/wax product, but if the finish is in bad shape, a two-stage polish and wax process is better.

Polish smooths, clarifies, and cleans the surface of your car. Polishing will remove some small scratches, but it can also remove paint, so if you polish by hand, be careful to use light pressure. Using power tools to polish a car used to require finely-honed skill to avoid paint damage, but today there are electric orbital polishers that make the job easy and virtually foolproof. Mothers sells a kit called the Wax Attack, which includes the orbital polisher plus bottles of wax and polish. A less expensive alternative is Mothers Powerball 4 Paint, which attaches to a cordless drill.

Step: 5: WAX

Wax doesn't just make your car look nice -- it provides a coat that protects the paint underneath. Though many people swear by carnauba wax, which is made from the leaves of the Brazilian-grown carnauba palm, modern synthetic waxes work just as well and are more gentle on the elbows -- they require less effort to remove than carnauba wax. Also, synthetic wax can be used in direct sunlight if need be, which carnauba wax can't -- though waxing in the shade is always preferable.

Wax can be applied by hand, but an electric orbital polisher/waxer can save a lot of time and effort, and is a sensible investment for large cars and trucks. Apply the wax directly to the applicator, not the car, and work on one small area at a time. Be careful not to get wax on black plastic trim; it will stain. Allow it to dry. When the wax looks hazy, run a finger through it. If it breaks apart ahead of your finger, it's ready to come off. Buff the wax off gently with a microfiber or cotton towel. If using a power polisher, be sure to use a new pad.

Step: 6: Wax Clean-up and Maintenance[/B]

You're almost done! Use a microfiber towel or a detail brush to clean out any wax that may have accumulated around trim pieces, emblems and badges.

Once that's done, give yourself a pat on the back! Your car is not only clean, but you've applied a protective barrier that will protect your car's finish.

You should continue to wash your car regularly as weather permits; re-wax in six to twelve months or when water no longer beads on the surface of the paint. For between-wash touch-ups, a detailing spray like Mothers Showtime will give your car that just-waxed look.



Caliber

How to Properly Detail Your Ride!
Caliber

Caliber, great advice on detailing... thanks.

One thing to add. If washing a particularly dirty vehicle (i.e. mud/debris on quarter panels or vehicle that hasn’t been washed in a while), recommend using the 2-Bucket Technique. Both buckets filled with soapy water (car wash soap only). With hose rinse off as much dirt as possible, especially dirt on quarter panels. Use first bucket to wash lower third of the vehicle including wheels and quarter panels. Use second bucket of clean water to wash top, glass and remainder of vehicle. This avoids using dirty water on upper sections of vehicle and prevents small scratches (dreaded swirl marks) from developing on paint (especially hood and trunk). Have used the techinque for years and works great at preventing swirl marks on dark paint.

I am Unable to Figure out how to Edit my post and add this to the top before you Detail your Ride but this is the Process to Properly Cleaning your Ride before you of Course wax it and everything.. Like I said it's an 8 hour job or less :(

How to Wash you’re Properly Ride :D

What you will need:
1. Car wash soap. Don't use dish soap! Dish soap is hard on rubber components, plus it can remove your car's wax coat.
2. A wash mitt made of sheepskin or microfiber cloth. Both materials are designed to pick up and hold dirt. Sponges work too, but a wash mitt makes the job easier and is kinder to your car's finish. Don't use towels; they merely push the dirt around rather than pick it up.
3. Two buckets.
4. A drying cloth. Chamois (natural or synthetic) is the traditional choice, but it can scratch your car's paint. An absorbent waffle-weave drying towel makes the job faster and easier. You'll also need a few extra microfiber detail towels.
5. A shady location. (Direct sunlight will dry the car prematurely and leave spots.)
6. A dirty car. :D

Step 1:
Pre-Treat Stains

If your car has bird droppings, dead bugs, sap, or other hard-to-clean stains on the paintwork, apply car wash soap directly to these stains. The guys at Mothers use a spray bottle filled with undiluted car wash soap

Step 2:
Wash the Wheels

If the wheels are really dirty -- and they probably will be -- wash them before the rest of the car. Don't wash the wheels if they are hot, as the heat will evaporate the cleaner and cause spots. You can use regular car wash soap, but a dedicated wheel cleaner makes the job easier.
Spray the wheels with a hose; consider wearing eye protection, as you never know what sort of gunk will get flung up. A soft brush is the best way to clean wheels, but if you are going to use a mitt or a sponge, don't use the same one you'll be using on the rest of the car! It may pick up dirt from the wheels that could scratch the paint. Use an old, dirty wash mitt or sponge. A detail brush or an old toothbrush is the easiest way to clean out small openings. Rinse thoroughly. Once you're done, take a step back -- it's amazing how much better a car looks with just clean wheels!

Step 3:
Initial Rinse

Rinse down the car, starting at the roof and working your way down. Pay special attention to the area around the windshield wipers, as leaves and dirt tend to collect here.
After rinsing, open up the hood and trunk and clean out any accumulated leaves and dirt. Spraying water with the hood open is not recommended, especially if you have some place to go that day; if the engine's electrical bits get wet the car may not start, plus the hose pressure can damage rubber seals that may have gotten brittle with age. The best way to clean these areas is to put on latex gloves and scrape out the dirt with your fingers.

Step 4:
Use Two Buckets

Why two buckets? A separate rinse bucket will remove the dirt that your wash mitt picks up. If you use a single bucket, you'll be depositing all that dirt into the soapy water, loading it back onto your wash mitt,and rubbing it all over your car!
Fill one bucket with car wash soap and water (mixed as per the instructions on the bottle) and the other bucket with clear water. Dip your wash mitt in the soapy-water bucket, wash a small section, then rinse your wash mitt in the clear-water bucket before reloading with suds.

Step 5:
Scrub!

Scrub your car from the top down. Don't press too hard on the mitt -- you want to avoid grinding in dirt that could scratch the paint. As you wash, it's important to keep the car wet, especially when you get to difficult patches such as bird droppings and sap. Use your hose to mist the car as needed. Sap can be removed with gentle thumb-nail pressure, but be careful not to get over-zealous and scratch the car.
Don't ignore small cracks and crevices, as these are places where dirt loves to collect. The wash mitt allows you to apply finger-tip pressure to many of these spots, but some areas may require a detail brush or a bit of improvisation. Be gentle when using a detail brush -- you don't want to scratch the paint or damage old, brittle seals
After you've scrubbed down the entire car, give it a quick once-over with your sudsy wash mitt. This will help avoid water spots -- most car wash soaps have an anti-spotting agent. (Dish soap doesn't, another reason not to use it.) Remember to rinse and reload the mitt frequently and work from the top down.

Step 6:
Final Rinse

For your final rinse, remove the spray nozzle from your hose. Rinse from the top down, using a gentle stream of water to flood the surface of the car and allow the suds to cascade off. Keep the hose close to the car; extend your index finger or thumb just past the edge of the hose to avoid accidentally scratching the paint.

Final Dry

It's important to dry the car quickly to avoid water spots. We used Mother's waffle-weave drying towel, which is designed to absorb ten times its weight in water. You simply spread it out on the car and drag it across the surface, and it will pick up most of the water without scratching. It's much easier than using a chamois and less likely to scratch the car
Use microfiber detail towels to remove any excess water. Open the trunk, hood and doors and use a microfiber towel to wipe out the doorjambs and other hidden areas; otherwise water will drip out and leave spots.
That's it, you're done! If it's been more than a year since you've waxed your car, or if your rinse water didn't bead up (form distinct round droplets) on the surface, it's time for a coat of wax (and perhaps a deep cleaning)

Nice write up, there is info about this in the detail section of the forum

Nice write up, there is info about this in the detail section of the forum

My Mistake.. Im still rather new to this site.. if it's at no bother I guess move this thread to the write area or delete it. :o

Bump!!

would love to see some pictures of the process and outcome the next time you detail your car :)

Friendly addition: After washing, before claying, etc, use bug and tar remover on large tar areas. Personally, I use SEM Solve . It removes everthing bad, including rail rust and paint overspray.

would love to see some pictures of the process and outcome the next time you detail your car :)

Sounds good.. Prolly be in about a year tho lol.

any recommended clays, waxes, etc? I know that meguiars, turtle and other brands have these already in walmart.

evois, get some Zaino and you'll never look back. The best clay and "wax" I've ever used. Go to www.zainstore.com or talk to hcvone.

Ur link is broke
I think u need a zaino

Ur link is broke
I think u need a zaino

www.zainostore.com

:crowded:thanks! will do that!

I will personally attest to the superiority of Zaino!! I am a repeat customer of Carl (hcvone); you will never go back to wax once you Zaino your car/truck!!