Detailing Guide

[Charlie]

@Maverick -

Yea, claying is prep for the wax job because the contaminants we pick up with the clay will promote better bonding between the car surface and wax. After claying, you can polish the car for example with Meguiar's 'Ultimate Polish', but if you feel your paintjob is not dull and tons of microscratches, you can just skip to wax..at least that's how I see it.

-Charlie-

[m4v3r1ck]

@Maverick -

Yea, claying is prep for the wax job because the contaminants we pick up with the clay will promote better bonding between the car surface and wax. After claying, you can polish the car for example with Meguiar's 'Ultimate Polish', but if you feel your paintjob is not dull and tons of microscratches, you can just skip to wax..at least that's how I see it.

-Charlie-

When your paint gets dull and full of microscratches, it's time to use Ultimate Compound to restore ;-)

[Messy Mitsu]

You can only restore paint so many times with a buffing compound, eventually the clear will grow thin and you will need to repaint. At bodyshops they have a tool that tells them the depth between the paint and the metal so they don't burn through, I bet they cost a ton of money though.

[m4v3r1ck]

You can only restore paint so many times with a buffing compound, eventually the clear will grow thin and you will need to repaint. At bodyshops they have a tool that tells them the depth between the paint and the metal so they don't burn through, I bet they cost a ton of money though.

Good to know, thank you for the information. Compound is indeed a last resort. Using it maybe once in 5 years, so in 15 years max. 3 times.

[Jibles]

I would say your detailing regimen is nice and thorough, but you are claying the car too much. You should only need to clay a few times a year. Claying every week doesn't necessarily cause any issues, but clay can cause micro marring in the paint.

I also agree that you should switch over to some sort of sealant. The sealant will last much longer than a standard carnuba wax. Always apply a sealant before a wax and let it cure for 12-24 hours (curing occurs after the products hazes and is wiped off). But you definitely don't need to use an overpriced dealer sealant. Chemical guys jetseal, wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant, meguires 21, klasse paint sealant. These are all excellent options that will give long term protection to your mirage. No need to reapply every week, more like every few months.

[tlstreak]

uhh i hate cleaning cars! i use a soft bristle brush and turtle wax zip wash in the bucket. i use purple power on the wheels in a spray bottle before washing and hose them down to get most of the dirt and grim off. wash with brush , wipe down with a basic micro fiber , nufinish liquid wax when i notice water spots are numerios. i just do an easy wipe down with armorall on a rag on the interior to remove dust. rubbing alcohol on windows to clean and i keep rainx in my wiperfluid year round.

[laceygirl]

Another vote for all things Meguiars here.... They're just amazing products....Best in Australia...... Here is my plan for my brand new baby girl...

I washed it with Meguiars yellow as soon as I brought it home, then I felt the bumps all over my sparkling clean car, so I jumped online and ordered a Meguiars Clay Bar kit....

When it gets here, I'm going to wash it, then Clay Bar it, then hit it with Meguiars 21, then one of Meguiars great waxes....
I use Meguiars interior wipes, I've also protected the dash with a dash mat....

For the tyres, I use, you guessed it, Meguiars tyre shine...

Should I swap the wax and the sealant around?

Many thanks...
Laceygirl... :-)

[tlstreak]

just to toss this out , i used the turtle wax color match liquid wax on my black car yesterday. it looks freaking great. i am very very happy with how simple it was to use and how it helps with the minor flaws from daily driving.

[MetroMPG]

tlstreak: I'm with you on that. I always use the colour match wax on my black Firefly (Metro). I think it's a must for dark paint or you end up with white dried wax showing up in the chips/scratches a few days later, which just draws more attention to them. Not that you should have too many chips/scratches on a new Mirage.

[deleted user]

On a brand new car, that is garaged, like mine, I just wash, with Dawn and hand wax, buff with an old cotton towel. I can tell when it needs a rewax by the "drag" on a towel after a wash.

Never clay barred a car in my life. Waxed my Mirage, which sat since it was built July 14. It took a while to get the crud out of the window wipers on the doors. Now it is cleaner than it has been in a long time.

The real work when cleaning an old car for the first time usually requires some 2000 grit paper. I could block the "orange peel" out of my paint, but I don't want to abuse the condition of the current finish.

regards
mech