Car Wash and Detailing!!!

[Scrubbin]

Alrighty fellas, I just got done washing my car a few hours ago. I was thinking about what all the zilvias might use to wash and detail there cars. Im talkin car wash soap, tire shine, wax, dash wipes, All and everything. I like to use Mothers & Meguairs products. ICE is a sweet quick detailer.

SOOO, What do you like to use!?!?!?!?!

[mowgli 240sx]

i wash my car at those self serve car wash for like 1.75
then use armorall dash wipes and black magic tire shine
dont forget the little tree air fresheners ha

[Lukasss]

I dont clean my car. I just spray paint over the dirty spots.
If my bumper gets dirty i just take it off.


I thought thats how most 240 guys do it.

[Scrubbin]

I cant stand driving a dirty car if its nice ouut. I like my s14 to be clean haha

[s14tan]

I'm the manager at Classic BMW here in Tx and I use nothing less than 3M products (buff and wax) on MY cars and customer cars.

For everything else, I use Auto Magic.

[Walperstyle]

I like using the search engine. It links me to old threads back to 2003 when all of this was discussed. :p

[Scrubbin]

I like using the search engine. It links me to old threads back to 2003 when all of this was discussed. :p

Things change in 8 years Bro!

[Flicktitty]

I use pretty much nothing but wizards products for the most part.
Shine Master | Mist n Shine | Wizards Wash | Crud Release | Shine Master | Etc.

I usually stock up on these products every year or 2 at car shows when they run specials.

here is their site.
Thanks for visiting Wizards Products! (http://www.wizardsproducts.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1)

[CaptainVlad]

I use water supplied to me by the City of Chicago, and whatever dish washing soap is in the house.

[Mishkin_707]

^ lol, very true, all the chlorine in chicagos water is perfect for getting the tough marks out and dawn dish soap takes care of the grime and grease, best tire shine In my opinion is the armor all in the orange bottle with the foam applicator, shines really nice and lasts almost a month even in the rain and it doesn't get dirt stuck to it, for wax I like to use meguires (dunno if thats spelled right) next gen tech wax, never leaves white residue goes on and comes off easily and creates an awesome shine, as for car soap I usually get what's cheaper, for interior shine I have some stuff I get from the dealership that's a protectant shines and smells good for week, it's made by permaplate

[blueshark123]

I use pretty much nothing but wizards products for the most part.
Shine Master | Mist n Shine | Wizards Wash | Crud Release | Shine Master | Etc.

I usually stock up on these products every year or 2 at car shows when they run specials.

here is their site.
Thanks for visiting Wizards Products! (http://www.wizardsproducts.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1)

i love wizard products i cant stop using there metal polish that looks like cotton candy lol shit shines everything up like new

[FaLKoN240]

i wash my car at those self serve car wash for like 1.75
then use armorall dash wipes and black magic tire shine
dont forget the little tree air fresheners ha

Enjoy that cracked dash.

Armorall lacks agents to keep your dash moisturized and will most likely dry it all out to hell.

[Brentbohn]

3m owns meguires now and their quality went to hell, if your going to get the good stuff look for 3m professional grade. lol if you dont believe me try meguires dash glaze, its crap.

[n8RPS13]

I like Meguires products and use this stuff called perfect spray for the interior that I got back when I detailed in college. Its great, barely any residue and has a nice shine that is not overkill like AA. Meguires gold class is a good soap as well and it smells great! I REALLY like the new Meguires Ultimate line of waxes! I just used the ultimate quick detailer to clay bar the car and then finished with ultimate liquid wax. They both work awesome and the liquid wax smells amazing! I have had a bottle of Meguires endurance tire gel for almost 5 years now and have only used half of the bottle. It smells like grapes, only thing I dont like is that it is really freaking hard to get off your hands and applicator pad(I usually just throw the pad away)because its so water resistant, but that makes it last. Hope this helps I used all these products on my cars and bike as well.

[n8RPS13]

Enjoy that cracked dash.

Armorall lacks agents to keep your dash moisturized and will most likely dry it all out to hell.

+1 for you Falkon! You couldn't be more right!

[n8RPS13]

3m owns meguires now and their quality went to hell, if your going to get the good stuff look for 3m professional grade. lol if you dont believe me try meguires dash glaze, its crap.

I tend to disagree with you bro. Although I haven't used the dash glaze, so you might have me there. 3M is really good! I just dont think that Meguires has gone to hell though! The new Ultimate stuff is REALLY GOOD! I have before and after pics on my phone that I will try and transfer here.

[jakez]

Is there a wax that won't come off when washing my car or something I can wash the car with that won't take off the wax?

I'm sure the products I used are the problem, but fyi I am using turtle car wash soap and the turtle shell wax. As soon as I wash the car the wax is gone and the body feels all grippy again. :(

[n8RPS13]

It depends on the wax...if it is a quick spray on wax its only going to last MAX two weeks and thats if you are parking in a garage and only driving at night, but any wax you use will only protect for a certain amount of time and washes. With a good paste or liquid wax you are looking at two to three months if you dont clay bar before, but I tend to wax every three to four washes depending on the time of year. I usually clay bar my cars every 3-4 months as well. A lot has to do with where you live as well. Florida it rains everday during the summer and there are a ton of bugs, out here in San Diego it almost never rains and there are no bugs, but both states are considerably hot which has a lot to do with damaging clear coat on paint(especially red cars).

[n8RPS13]

Is there a wax that won't come off when washing my car or something I can wash the car with that won't take off the wax?

I'm sure the products I used are the problem, but fyi I am using turtle car wash soap and the turtle shell wax. As soon as I wash the car the wax is gone and the body feels all grippy again. :(

That grippy grit feeling is built up residue from old wax and natural toxins in the paint. Go buy a clay bar kit, Mothers or Meguires off the shelf at your local AutoZone is fine. Again I REALLY like the new Meguires Ultimate waxes. They also make a Ultimate clay bar kit that comes with everything you will need. Make sure that you finish off with a good wax after because the clay bar is literally a big eraser for your paint and will strip off all wax and toxins that are on your paint surface and in its pores. Hope this helps..also always wax in a cool shady area, if you have to do it in sunlight wax sections of the car at a time.

[jakez]

I just claybarred my entire car like a week ago lol, and waxed afterward, then 4-5 days later I wash the car and it no longer has that smooth thick clearcoat wax feeling (but it's still smooth as glass from the claybar). Maybe I should use less soap in the bucket and just give it mostly water?

[n8RPS13]

Its the wax then....the only thing I've ever liked from Turtle wax was their platinum line and they stopped making it because it was to expensive for their name I guess. It was really good though.

[jakez]

Its the wax then....the only thing I've ever liked from Turtle wax was their platinum line and they stopped making it because it was to expensive for their name I guess. It was really good though.

Ok cool, knew I shouldn't have cheaped out on wax but it was right before my next paycheck and I was broke lol. So if I buy like a $15 bottle of the expensive stuff the turtle car wash shouldn't strip it off when I wash the car? Or maybe I need to buy some expensive soap also..

[R33E8]

It depends on the wax...if it is a quick spray on wax its only going to last MAX two weeks and thats if you are parking in a garage and only driving at night

Not necessarily true.. Meguire's Ultimate Quik wax lasts months, I tried it on my car and it was parked outside EVERYDAY... It's one of the longest lasting spray waxes out there.. If you want a cheap wax that is almost undefeated in durability, try Collonite 845.. It's a liquid wax that lasts over 6 months OUTSIDE all day.. Collonite 476 is the paste wax version that is harder to apply, but lasts even longer... If you want something more permanent (make sure you get your car detailed first to remove all swirls and such), try Opti-Coat.. It literally puts a permanent wax like coating on your car that lasts years...

Another way to make sure your wax stays on when you are washing your car is to mix the soap right.. If your soap to water ratio is too high then you will definitely strip off the wax... Read the instructions on how much soap to add per gallon of water..

[Maximamike]

3m owns meguires now and their quality went to hell, if your going to get the good stuff look for 3m professional grade. lol if you dont believe me try meguires dash glaze, its crap.

Hi, Meguiars has come out with some of the most ground breaking products since the 3M buyout. I don't think there is a company out there besides Optimum that comes out with as many new products that actually work. I use Meguiars products(Professional Line) every day and chances are they will never be replaced in my shop.

For the original poster, try searching a website that focuses on professional auto detailing. Most of the recommendations on sites that do not deal with this on a day to day basis make me laugh. If you would like a simple approach that you can buy at any store. Wash: Meguiars Gold Class, Tires/interior vinyl and plastic: 303 Protectant, Wax: Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0. These are all available at any auto parts store and for the regular consumer will handle most of your needs. Make sure you follow the directions, the reason most products dont work is failure to follow the directions or overusing the product.

[Scrubbin]

My dad has his own shop in Washington, i grew up with him teaching my how to detail and what to use. But I am always open to try new things. Its all about learning!

[95BoostedS14]

Luckily I work at a car wash so I used meguiars products on my s14. I handwash it once a week and wax it about every two months. Nothing like driving a clean 240 around.

[MidwestMyriad]

Wash wheels=rest of car looks clean

[BJManies]

MALCO > All. Sorry fellas.

[lg54]

Meguiar's NXT tech wax 2.0! amazing shit.

[Tempo]

constantly bought armor all spray bottles for the dash/trim but it dried out too quick , switched to meguires and it works 10x better than amor all and lasts longer , microfiber cloth for the windows , and for wiping down the dash/trim.