OK, I have a white 98 Paint in 'good' shape for being 11 years old.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm new to detailing a car, Not to digress, but my first vehicle was a Ford Bronco that looked the best covered in mud. As I read through the threads I get more and more confused about the whole detailing process. I'm unsure about claybars because I have never used one. Nor a polish/glaze for that matter. I want more than that wash and wax look.

I'd greatly appreciate if someone could shed some light on the complete detail process for me. Such as order, and instructions. Also would you claybar every time? or only sometimes? and how often?

One more thing, what would be the best idea for a new car as well?
My buddy wants to detail his 2 month old black mazda3.
I know black can be ruined by swirls, but that is the extent of my knowledge.

Thank you, and yes, i know I'm a n00b.

 

Detailing is a lot more than just wash, clay, wax.... But if that's what you're thinking of.... Wash the car, clay bar it... The WHOLE thing... Wash it again... Wax it. Only do small portions at once because if you let the wax dry for more than 5 minutes it's a huge pain to get off.

I would advise going and buying an orbital buffer.

Simple... And I only clay bar my car twice a year.... And I paste wax it every 3 months.

It's not HARD to do... Just very time consuming

 

go to detailcity.org they have lots of information about what to do and they are very helpful if you ask questions, you can also buy professional detailing supplies from there

 

Check out this link http://www.adamspolishes.com/t-videos.aspx

I do pretty much the same thing. I can give you a quick rundown of how I detail the exterior of my car though.

1. Make sure the car is cool and preferably is coverd by some shade
2. Rinse off your microfiber wash mit and the inside of two wash buckets
3. Put suds in one bucket and water in the other
4. Rinse off your car from top to bottom (and spray under the undercarriage too)
5. Wash from top to bottom (be sure to do the rocker panels, under parts of the body panels, and tailpipe tips if you have cool looking chrome ones like me ) and regularly rinse and wring out the wash mitt in the bucket of water
6. Use a California Water blade from top to bottom
7. Dry with a large microfiber towel
8. Dry door jambs, wheels and tailpipe tips
9. Put on tire shine and use detail spray on any water spots/ places where water runs.

If you want to do more, have about 5 hours to kill, and want your car to look good here you go.

1. Wash car
2. Use a proper paint cleaning product
3. Use a polishing compound ( use a more abrasive followed by a less abrasive on areas with heavy imperfections)
4. Claybar (Mother's makes a good claybar kit, be sure to knead the clay and use a lubricant. Claybarring should only be done at most 1-2 times every 6 months.
5. Wax. Be sure to use a carnuba wax, and not a cleaner wax
6. Detail spray over spray. Detail spary is also good for using after washing and for in between cleaning, polishing, and waxing.

As for brands of products, I use Adam's, Mother's, Zaino, and Meguires, you can't go wrong with either of them.

 

I guess I'm pretty slow haha, it takes me about 2 hours just to rinse, wash (with car wash soap), rinse again, and dry. By then I'm too worn out to claybar and wax it... I need to get in shape.

 

Oh yeah man, same here. Gotta get in all the nooks and crannies. Rarely do I ever do the whole procedure because it kills me and takes up my whole day.

 

Yeah same. You know what's really impossible is cleaning the inside of the windshield - it's like playing twister lol

 

Yeah, detail spray and a fine microfiber cloth works for me. Pretty much no streaking if you do it when its not extremely hot. You pretty much have to do it in the right type of sunlight too so that you know where you've already wiped. I forgot to add something to the detail instructions. When washing your car before doing a clay, polish, and wax job you should wash your car with a dish wash soap like Dawn. Soaps like that help remove grease and take off your old coat of wax. That way your paint will be perfectly prepped and have better results.

 

I detailed my car today. Heres a link to the thread with pics.

https://camaroforums.com/forum/showt...516#post340516