August 26th, 2000 - dinanM3 aka SVTNate?s Car Care Tips (revision#1)
A few changes since the original article...First, this will be written step-by-step rather than in essay format. It makes it easier to skim through to find the section you need, and easier for me to be very thorough. Second, I have given up on using machines on my finish. I have replaced the Griot?s Garage 3-stage polish using my Porter-Cable random orbital buffer with a simple Claybar treatment. I feel it works better, and consumes far less time and effort. However, it CAN damage the paint if used too often. I recommend once every 6 months to a year, if needed. I will get into more detail later. Also, I have stopped using my Honda pressure washer on the cars. Though I never had a problem using it, there is the chance that the force could grind dirt into the paint. I play it safe with a hose and adjustable nozzle, though I miss how easily the washer blasted the wheels clean! And no, with no further ado...
STEP *ZERO* - WHAT?S THE WEATHER LIKE?
In sunny, hot Southern California, you either start early in the morning or in the evening. If you can park your car in a garage large enough with room to work, you have more options. The sun is your enemy when it comes to car care, so stay cool and shady. Definitely start early in the morning if you need to detail the car (wash, clean, wax, interior, the whole enchilada). You will need most of the day.
STEP ONE - GOTTA GET THE PRODUCTS!!!
Every product I mention here can be had from Griot?s Garage (
www.griotsgarage.com), or Car Care Online (
www.carcareonline.com). Between these two companies you can get anything you could ever want for your car, and all their products are top-notch. Now, time to clean your car...
STEP TWO - WASH THE CAR
Simple enough, right? Wrong. Anyone can clean their car, but can you do it safely, without scratching your paint? Start with a quality wash that won?t strip the wax. I use Meguiar?s Mirror Glaze #62 Shampoo & Conditioner. Thick suds, even smells really good! Very gentle on the paint. Use warm water, and apply the soap to a wet, rinsed car using a 100% cotton towel, wash mitt, or use what I use - Griot?s Garage Boar?s Hair Brush. It works very, very well and the dirt comes out of it just by submerging it in your sudsy water and giving it a couple shakes. Problem? It costs $70 bucks, so it?s definitely optional. Make sure you get the wheels wells, exhaust tips...to be thorough you have to get way down there (you might even have to bend over and do some leaning...) Rinse, and move on to Step Three.
*NOTE* - The more gentle, the better, I use a nozzle on my hose, some guys just use the hose (no nozzle), some Concours winners just splash the water on the car from big buckets! I gave up my pressure washer for safety?s sake, you should too.
STEP THREE - WHEELS, TIRES
The biggest pain in my butt on wash day, they involve lots of scrubbing and bending. You could use one of those spray-on rinse off cleaners, but they are very harsh and will eventually eat through wheel clearcoats. I just use the leftover sudsy water and a cotton towel, but a gentle cleaner like Griot?s Garage Wheel Cleaner is excellent and may save you some time. Use some rubber cleaner on the tires and scrub them well, Griot?s Garage Rubber Cleaner is great stuff. Rinse them, rinse the whole car one last time, and (ideally) move the car back into the garage to keep going!
STEP FOUR - DRY THE CAR
COTTON ONLY. Only use 100% Cotton towels, Made in the USA. Other countries use cheaper cotton. Even if the towel has a tiny, tiny bit of polyester, don?t use it. Some guys love their chamois and California Water Blades, but I don?t trust the stuff. Only cotton towels for me. Griot?s Garage sells nice drying towels where even the stitching is pure cotton, but they are pricey. Just find your nearest Linens & Things, 3D Bed & Bath, or wherever you can find yourself some nice, thick cotton towels. Get inside the doors, and inside the hood and trunk as well. Waterspots? If they are ?temporary? spots, just some Meguiar?s Quick Detailer, Griot?s Garage Speed Shine, or similar product will do the trick. Of course, a wet rag works, too. If this is just your usual wash day, you can stop here and park the car. If you want to ?detail? the car, read on.
STEP FIVE - CLEAN THE PAINT
This is where you need to decide what to do. How gritty does the paint feel? Are there little white flecks on the paint, even after washing? When was the last time you detailed that thing, anyway? First step is definitely optional, and that is the Clay Bar. As I said before, I use this now instead of a machine polish. What the clay bar does is drag along the surface and remove a tiny bit of the paint, along with all the crap on it. Use it only when necessary. My Contour SVT is almost never in a garage, and that car only needs a clay bar treatment once a year or so. The better care you take of the car, the less you?ll need to use harsh products like the clay bar. Anyway, spray the paint with some quick detailer type stuff (mentioned earlier), keep the clay wet with the same stuff, rub the paint with back and forth strokes until there is no more friction. Your paint is clean!
If your paint is in pretty good shape, skip the clay bar and use some good paint cleaner. I love 3M Imperial Hand Glaze,
www.carcareonline.com carries it. Apply with cotton cloth or foam pad in back and forth motions, let dry, buff off. This is safe to use often and I use it every time before applying wax. Now your paint is very, very shiny and reflective. It is silky smooth to the touch, and makes a nice ?squeak? sound as you buff the paint cleaner off. It is also ready for wax.
*NOTE* - Make sure absolutely ALL the paint cleaner is off the paint before you apply wax. Since I have a tendency to use way too much of every product I put on my car, even after buffing the Hand Glaze off well the paint is still hazy. I pull it out of the garage, hose down, pull it back in the garage, and dry it again. This always does the trick.
STEP SIX - WAX TIME!
Now it?s time to protect the finish. There are several nice waxes out there. Griot?s Garage waxes are nice, Zymol waxes are too. I use One Grand Blitz Wax with great success, it?s great stuff and the guys at
www.carcareonline.com agree. You can use whatever you like, just make sure it has plenty of carnuba in it. Anything that says ?100% Carnuba? is lying, that?s impossible. I can?t remember the exact number, but only 30-40% of a wax can be carnuba. Carnuba is solid and very hard in its natural form. Also, only use paste waxes. Liquids don?t bond to the paint as well and have less carnuba. If it has an infomercial, WARNING. The best waxes aren?t on TV, and aren?t at your local AutoZone. I don?t like Mother?s or Meguiar?s...Blitz Wax, Zymol, Griot?s. Those are my picks. Anyway, you can apply it with a cotton cloth, applicator pad, or even with your fingers. Don?t use too much or it will be tough to buff off. Keep it off your plastic parts...did I mention that Blitz Wax won?t stain your rubber and plastic parts like some waxes do? (hint - BUY SOME) Let it dry on there really well, wait at least 15-20 minutes after applying to buff it off. Reapply, two coats will last you months. I go 3 months on the Contour, which sits outside. If your car is always garaged, then this may only take up 2-3 days out of your year (that is every 4-6 months, Einstein!). Use cotton swabs and a careful eye to get wax buildup out of the cracks and crevices. You can also use the same wax on your wheels, they will look great and brake dust will wash off easier! At this point, your car will look as good as mine (if you?re lucky!). Wipe the sweat off your brow, grab a beer (or a Coke, for you kiddies), and drool at what you have created. Just keep your drool off the car!
*NOTE* - Make sure your garage is well lighted. I keep the door open for ventilation (some of this stuff smells awfully strong!), and to let natural light in. Also, a couple strong overhead lights won?t hurt.
STEP SEVEN - BEAUTY IS IN THE DETAILS (TIRES, UNDERHOOD, ETC)
Time for everything else to shine. Use ?Black Again!? on your black plastic parts outside the car and under the hood - it also works wonders on your black rubber hoses, and tires. Of course, make sure the surface is clean before applying, and get it from
www.carcareonline.com. It has great UV protection, and really lasts. After treating your tires with the Black Again, use some Meguiar?s Mirror Glaze #40 Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner to really make them look great. That Meguiar?s Endurance Tire Gel is good too, but the stuff builds up on and around raised lettering and is a pain to get off. Clean under the hood with a wet rag or some quick detailer, I do it every week so it is never very difficult for me. If you have lots of buildup, Griot?s Garage Engine Cleaner works very well. Some diluted Simple Green and a hose works, too...just be sure to cover your electronics and spark plugs!!! If the car doesn?t start when you?re done, you didn?t do this step right
Use some metal polish on your polished stainless steel exhaust tips (you do have big shiny tips on that beast, don?t you?). Meguiar?s and Griot?s Garage both have nice metal polishes. Meguiar?s Clear Plastic Polish will make your lights look great, it also works nicely on the carbon fiber sail panels on my Contour (panels just behind the rear windows). Use a quality window cleaner inside and out, Griot?s Garage Window Cleaner is the best I have found. It is safe on tint (Ammonia-based cleaners wreck tint), and doesn?t haze or streak. Do this in the shade (or in the garage), and only on cool windows. For the anal-retentive, Griot?s Garage sells pure linen wipes for lint-free window cleaning. I think a cotton towel is just fine. Ready to do your interior, and call it a day?
STEP EIGHT - INTERIOR
Start by vacuuming. Get the floor mats, under the mats, under the seats, in the trunk, everywhere. I use a wet-dry vac, so I practically suck the carpet right out of the car. If your floor mats are really dirty and stained, rent a carpet cleaner and go to town. They only cost 20 bucks a day to rent, and you can use it in all your cars and in the house. Use a good plastic/vinyl cleaner on door panels, dash, console, everything. I use Vinylex, it has UV protection and will really last. Also, it doesn?t have that cheap shine like Armor-All and other cheap products, just a nice gloss. Apply with a cotton cloth or foam applicator. For leather, I use Lexol cleaner and conditioner. It goes on greasy but dries quickly, leaving a protective coat on the leather. It smells nice too! Carpets can be spot cleaned with Resolve Pro-Care and a little elbow grease. For cloth interiors...uh...ask someone else. I have never had one, so I don?t know how to clean cloth covered seats.
STEP NINE - CONGRATS!!!
You are finished! It probably took you all day, but now your car is ready to get some pictures taken, post ?en on the Internet, and brag to everyone like I do! If I left anything out or you need further assistance, e-mail me at oxylove@onebox.com. For inspiration, here are a couple links to pictures really showing off the job I did on my Contour.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=259888&a=8368919&p=27021773&Sequence=0 http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=259888&a=8368919&p=27021779&Sequence=0 http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=259888&a=8368919&p=27021904&Sequence=0 As Joe (jsmonet at
www.ClubSi.com) says - ?Keep your cars clean and your minds dirty!?
-Nate
------------------
aka dinanM3, black '99 SVT Contour with new goodies arriving all the time
My Photopoint Gallery
