I have no idea what I'm doing and need some help! [washing, detailing]
 

Hello everyone - I've had my 2014 FR-S for a little over a week now. I absolutely love the car, and I want to take the best care of it that I possibly can. I would be very appreciative if I could get a basic run down of the process I should go through when cleaning my car, and specifically what brand of products I should be using.

My previous car was a beater that got washed few and far between, and when it did get washed, it was at the local car wash or with dish soap on a sunny afternoon :slap:

Although I've done a lot of research through reading forums and watching a few videos on YouTube, I feel almost paralyzed to try to put any of it into practice myself - given my lack of experience and how much the car means to me.

If there is anything that I've learned from all of the research I've done, it's that you can easily mess up your car - even while trying to do a nice thing for it - without the proper product(s) and technique.

I am even less familiar with any sort of detailing, so again - any advice, anecdotes, or product recommendations would be a tremendous help to me.

So far, I should be doing something like this (I think?):

rinse > wash (top to bottom - 2 to 3 buckets (one for the wheels?) with grit guards > rinse again > dry (with cloth? or let it sit?) > clay bar > sealant and/or wax (this is extremely unfamiliar territory for me)

I love my car and right now I am extremely obsessive about preserving its condition as much as is possible to the best of my abilities. Also, any aside information is appreciated too, e.g. should I use a foam gun? etc.

Thanks all!

TLDR; please tell me, step by step, how to wash my car, which brand(s) and product(s) to use, and - if possible - why you use or would recommend those products over similar ones.

Congrats on the new car! one thing i like to do is have a good shop put a few coats of wax on our cars to help protect the paint. ask them questions and they will give you advise and some time show you the ropes, from there we wash them. some thing you will need.
1)micro fiber cloths
2)high quality products (we use Meguiar's ultimate product line s suggested by our detailer)
3) two buckets (one for the body and one for the rims and tires. Dont use the same sponge of cloth touch the bottom or the ground. it they do us a different one, ote we have black so if they touch the ground they get replaced)
4) wash top to bottom with wipes in one direction
5) quick detailer and a California duster help keep the shine between washes. a few minutes with the duster daily and as quick detail makes a big difference
6) traveling detail box in the trunk =)

i know there will be some more experienced in this topic but this is just a start for you

You have done some excellent research. DAMotorsports is giving you some solid advice too. Microfiber is a must. Because your paint is so new, I would skip the clay bar and I would just do the wax. Now get out there and apply your new found knowledge. I'm positive you will do an amazing job...might even surprise yourself.

Meguiar's all the way.

Welcome! For how to wash your car, I strongly recommend the double bucket method. Many videos on YT explain this method. I DO NOT recommend any dusters for your car as this would actually mar the paint.

Things you would want/need to protect your car from getting marred or scratched:
2 5gal buckets.
2 Gritguards for your buckets
1 Well rated car shampoo. (Meguire's or Optimum No Rinse)
2 Microfiber Mitts (1 for the top half of your car one for the bottom)
2 Microfiber Drying cloths or Waffle Weave
1 Soft wheel brush.
X amount of Microfiber cloths (for detailed wipes)
1 Quick detail spray

2 bucket method how I do it WITHOUT a pressure washer explained:

How it is done is 1 bucket for your car shampoo mix and the other bucket is for rinsing your wash mitts before dunking your mitts on to the shampoo bucket. The reasoning with this is when your mitt absorbs the dirt and grime from your car, you wouldn't want that mixed on to the shampoo mix where you'll be contaminating the "clean" mix with dirt. You may not see it but those tiny dirt is the reason you get swirls on your car.

How I do the wash:

1. I make sure there are no contaminants in my buckets by rinsing them before starting the whole wash.

2. Place the Gritguards in both of your buckets and fill up both with water.

3. Add the appropriate amount of shampoo in 1 of the buckets.

4. Rinse the car and start washing the car from TOP to Bottom.

5. To start washing, I use my lighter colored microfiber mitt to dunk in the rinse bucket rubbing both sides on the Gritguard then dunk it in the shampoo bucket and wipe 1 panel per side of the mitt.

6. Once you have wiped 2 panels, dunk your mitt on to the rinse bucket and rub both sides of the mitt on to the Gritguard to remove the dirt from the mitts.

7. Continue the process and use the 2nd mitt on to the lower part of your car WITHOUT the wheels.

8. Once the whole car has been covered, use the remainder of the shampoo bucket to brush lightly on the wheels then rinse the car.

9. To dry your car, use the drying microfiber cloth or waffleweave. DO NOT wipe the cloth on to your car but spread out the cloth and DAB the whole car. This would not completely dry the car but this soaks up many of the water sitting on your car. Same rule applies when using the drying cloths; 1 top half 1 for the bottom half.

10. Now use your Quick detailer spray and a clean microfiber cloth to fully dry the car and ensure it is streak free and you're done. If you're planning to wax, this step is where you start your claybarring process then wax.


Hope this helps and enjoy!

I want to thank everyone that has responded in this thread - you have all provided me with helpful information that I'll definitely put it into practice once I pick up a few products this weekend!

One little detail I'd like to note. Wash in a back and forth motion, and not in circles. It'll help keep the swirls that you create to a minimum.

Lots of great tips here. I love the videos Larry Kosilla of AMMO NYC has up for free on his website. Very informative, and he has printable PDFs to keep in your garage as reference when you're working.
http://www.ammonyc.com/

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43574

Garry Dean 1 bucket with Optimum No Rinse.

I use ONR and still do the double bucket method as many micro grime is the reason you mar the paint. But I agree that this wash is the most cost effective as you can use it to wash, quick detail, clay bay lube, and engine detail all in one solution. Just make sure you follow the ratio for each purpose.

For car wash it's 2 bottle cap full per 2 gallons of water. Or 1oz per every 2 gal.

For quick detail is 1.5 oz per gallon

For clay bar lubricant is 2oz per gallon.

If you plan to use it as the spray, use distilled water or use softened water to ensure no calcium builds up in your spray bottle.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4

The GD 1 bucket method uses multiple micro fiber towels that you discard after each use so there is less of a chance of marring than the 2 bucket method.

Quick detailer mix is 8 oz per 1 gallon, or 1 cap per 16oz spray bottle.

http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html

i wash it with 2 buckets and a micro fiber cloth. I dry it, than use quick detailer with another micro fiber cloth. And sometimes if i feel like it, i would use that turtle wax BLACK detailer.

Dude you sound JUST like me. I bought my car 10/31 and have been obsessed with washing it. Do you have a touchless car wash in your area? One of the car washes that just use water and soap? I do that in between washes and my car comes out great, I won't take it to a car wash with brushes ever....

I bought myself one of those microfiber mits, the one that looks like someone chopped off cookies monsters hand...lol I use that and it works really, really well. I use Meguiars products almost extensively as well...

I also bought a really great blackwax/protector from turtle wax, it takes forever to go through the 4 steps on the box but it works incredibly well.

I use a different sponge for the wheels and I always do the wheels last I don't really do the separate buckets thing, should I be doing that? Seems like overkill and I'm pretty OCD as well.

My biggest flaw is probably using a cotton towel to dry the car. I don't really know what else to use. Chamois are expensive and the ones I've seen are too small.

Do you have any recommendations?

That is not true. The GD 1 bucket method you are using high quality microfibers that you "discard" as in not using it again for the current wash. Gary Dean even mentions that. You can actually put used microfibers in a bucket and soak it with a rejuvenator like this, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garage-11078-Micro-Cleaner/dp/B004UQQSSI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384631188&sr=8-2&keywords=microfiber+rejuvenator"]http://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garage-11078-Micro-Cleaner/dp/B004UQQSSI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384631188&sr=8-2&keywords=microfiber+rejuvenator[/ame] or throw it in the washer on and air dry. They will come out as new, its amazing.. lol