Self Cleaning/Waxing 101?
 

Hey guys,

Just grabbed my FRS about 2 weeks ago and its the first car I've owned that I actually care about the appearance and want to do all the washing, cleaning, etc. myself.

What I'd like to gather from the collective knowledge on the forums is a short list of either "must have" or necessary products for proper maintenance of both the inside and outside of the car.

While I will spend some time on the outside, inside, and wheel/tire appearance I doubt I will get to claying and proper detailing. Sort of looking for a starter kit to avoid the carwash and get me out in the Cali sun!

I already gathered I'll need some of the following:
* 5 Gallon Buckets
* Soft cotton / microfiber clothes
* Soft brush / wheel cleaner

If anyone could provide a short list of products that'd be great! Looking to keep it under $200 for starters. Hopefully I can pick these up at target / local hardware store unless buying online will save me a bundle.


Appreciate the help!

Not sure on products personally, but this video should help you quite a lot:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Sqi1lAj1A"]Audi R8 BLACKBIRD: Basic Car Wash Techniques - DRIVE CLEAN - YouTube[/ame]

shows that in addition to what you have, you can pick up this cool thing that attaches to your garden hose that sprays out a mixture of the soap and water onto your car. It's just like one of those things for the pressure washer. Also should get various brushes of different sizes, and what you should and shouldn't do.

Or you could just opti coat the whole car and never bother waxing your Car again.

There is a st bay area group buy on the opti coat sometime in july

I'm opti-coating mine soon, but in the meantime I picked up Meguairs Quik Detailer, Quik Wax, and Interrior Cleaner along with some microfiber cloths. I've used the detailer spray and it's really good to polish off bugs, dirt, and all that.

For glass, Stoner's Invisible Glass spray cleaner.

Good advice thus far, don't think i'm in the market for an Opticoat just yet.


Wiped down the interior with some ArmorAll Wipes today, what is the consensus on those? I've heard the cleaner part is not much better than a good wet towel, but I want to be sure i'm not doing anything destructive to the car with any product (or misuse of a product)

i have a list of equipment im considering to buy for mine when it comes in, and i plan on testing it out on my crappy car that i have now. not sure if i want to spend $400 for it. i dont really have a choice because i cant find a place here that does opti-coat professionally.

Look at the YouTube opticoat cuts. You can dyi step-by-step, easy, $50, keep $350 for your time.

lol the $400 would be spent on buying the equipment i need to prep for opti-coating it myself. autogeek has frees hipping today so i decided to just buy car wash/care stuff for $100 and leave the detailing and coating to the professionals(if i can find one)

Really, I did it; not a technical matter with a new vehicle and fresh clear coat finish. It is, however, important that the vehicle not be brush washed or waxed beforehand, and that a close inspection of the surfaces be made to detect any area for correction - which is quickly and easily accomplished with fine 3M compound and a light hand buffing - then completely cleaned up by hand and thoroughly wiped down with alcohol solution. The Opti-Coat application is an easy hour for application. What ever you finally decide don't think this is too difficult, because with ordinary care, it is a dyi matter.

ill have to look into this some more. did you have to do any paint correction? ive been watching tutorial videos on car detailing and it doesnt seem too hard. the part im iffy about is the polishing. not quit sure what pad to use and what to apply. Also im very nervous about missing the high spots when im opti-coating since im not sure exactly what to look for, or if i have good enough lighting in my garage. i dont want to risk messing up my brand new car :cry: then again i would really feel accomplished if i do it myself. did you have any detailing experience prior to doing yours?

Polishing: utilize very fine grade and apply/buff out by hand. I like 3M.

Opti-Coat is easily applied in a smaller, say a 2x2 foot area, then lightly wiped with a microfiber waffle towel. As you gain confidence you will move to each adjoining surface.

Have a strong light source on an extension cord to constantly inspect during the process. Your eye will quickly become trained. Take your time, don't get rushed - don't work against any kind of deadline. Enjoy what you are doing. Take breaks; drink fluids and eat food as you normally do. Walk around the block, or do something else for 5 minutes every 30-45 minutes.

My experience has also included aircraft and boats, which in comparison to the FR-S seem almost too much to ever finish, or finish well. Any size surface is just a series of 2x2 foot areas you work at your own speed.

A professional detailer is good because he works at his craft patiently, at his own speed of comfort, and frequently pauses to inspect the work in process. You can do this.

Not requiring a machine buffer would save me lots of money. depending on the condition of the car paint when it comes in i will try to do the coating myself, Thanks for the pep talk!:thumbsup:

As much as I am interested in the discussion of the Opti Coat option, nobody has really taken a stab at the real question I posed.

Meguiars, Turtle Wax..? What list should I have in hand when I go shopping

i would also like to know. ive compiled a list on the detailing collection thread, but no one told me if it was any good. im hoping autogeek will have free shipping again on july 4th so i can buy the rest.

What's an efficient method of removing dead bugs constantly??? I want to start wiping off the front bumper of my car each night after I get home from work so it's fresh for the next day.
I was thinking Meguiar's Quik Detailer + a microfiber cloth. And to be efficient, wash the cloth once a week or maybe biweekly. What do you guys think?

Meguiars NXT wax is pretty good, but I use Prima Epic which is a great synthetic wax and easy to use.

I find the liquid turtle wax works fantastically... I've tried mothers, and it doesn't compare to your basic turtle wax with regard to covering scratches and swirls etc...

Great, what about products to wash, rinse, foam gun!? etc. Not detailing a $100K ferrari here so its not a spare no expense job, but I would like to have quality products.

Meguiar's Ultimate Car wash is great, feels very slippery when washing and dries nicely. About $10 a bottle and lasts about 15 washes.

Gave it a quick first wash, using Meguiars Wash n Wax formula, wheel cleaner, tire cleaner and polish, and some brand new microfiber clothes.

I think it looks OK. (had the benefit of using a neighbors power washer)

Optimum no-rinse is a god-send

The best thing you can learn to do is to properly wash your car so you don't create swirls. Two bucket method works well, grit guards if you have em.

Machine correction isn't something that needs to be done often, since you have to remember that you're removing layers as you do it. It's a tiny amount, but if someone were overzealous enough to do it all the time, eventually they'd be working the bare sheetmetal. :D

However, it's not something to be scared of at all. Any of the popular random orbital polishers (Porter Cable 7424XP, Griots Garage ROP, Meguiar's G110v2) will get the job done and won't harm your paint if you do it correctly. And you don't have to spend a ton of money on different products to get started. I started off with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish, and Ultimate wax on their 7" polishing pad. After doing a handful of cars I have not yet felt the need to step up to M105/M205, but it's there if I have to.

If you haven't ever seen any of Junkman's videos on Youtube, I suggest you take a look at them. Lots of good stuff on there.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Junkman2000

just as n2oinferno said,the best thing you can learn to do is to properly wash your car so you don't create swirls..totally agree..

One question, how often should I wring out the soap mitt (or how big of an area should I attack)? This might be semi dependent on how dirty the car is.


Also, what is the best way to attack bird poop. Clearly, NOT with scrubbing of any sort. Almost created some scratches on my car that way.

I don't have a foamer, so I tend to rinse out pretty often.

I divide the car up into sections: Greenhouse, hood, trunk, rear bumper, one side, other side, front bumper. I'll rinse the mitt out every panel/window, and twice for the roof/hood (due to size), and twice for the bumpers (due to dirt).

Yep, divide in sections. They really can't be too small. Wash using two buckets. One with the good soapy water, one to rinse the sponge in. Look into "Grit Guards" for the buckets. I just got some, and they are totally worth it

Not an expert. After a proper wash and wax/sealant spray some quick detailer on the area and wipe off with a microfiber towel. the idea is to do this ASAP before any etching in your paint happens.