# Lets talk detailing



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Just washed the GTO, and was wondering, what methods do you use/prefer? Products you recommend?

I did mine in steps:
1. Use a power washer (mine is a 3000psi/2.5gpm) to apply soap to the entire car and allow to soak for 2-3 minutes.
2. Apply soap again in the working area, i.e. hood, 1/4 panel and scrub with clean rag.
3. Rinse rag.
4. Repeat 2 & 3 until finished.
6. Rinse with power washer, using 40* nozzle, keeping nozzle 2-3 feet away from the surface of the car.
7. Apply Turtle Wax "1 Step Wax & Dry"
8. Dry with clean towel.
9. Apply Rain-X to all glass.
10. Apply Turtle Wax "F21" cleaner to wheels, scrub, rinse, & dry w/ clean towel.
11. Apply tire shine to DRY tires, using a tire swipe for even distribution.
12. Crack a Schlitz.


I wouldn't usually endorse a cleaning product, but the "1 Step Wax & Dry" worked extremely well (today was my first time using it), leaving no water spots, and leaving the paint/clearcoat feeling like silk. I'm a big fan of "F21" because its a non-acidic wheel cleaner.

I didn't get to the interior yet, that I'll tackle tomorrow.


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## Kirk rubin (Feb 24, 2009)

Poncho Dan said:


> Just washed the GTO, and was wondering, what methods do you use/prefer? Products you recommend?
> 
> I did mine in steps:
> 1. Use a power washer (mine is a 3000psi/2.5gpm) to apply soap to the entire car and allow to soak for 2-3 minutes.
> ...


damn, that is exactly my regimen except i crack open a pranqster belgian ale. have you ever tried the clay bar polishing kit? i cant remember but i think it was MOTHERS product, very good for a deep crystal clear shine.:cheers


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I don't know a whole lot about claybars, except I've heard they get the dirt off that you can feel but not see. I don't know how they work exactly.


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

I only use the power washer once in a while. Being garage kept it doesn't get that dirty very often so the garden hose will do. I don't plan to drive it (the GTO) in the rain. I'll drive my wife's HHR if it's raining. I use Spray Away glass cleaner on the windows/windshield, No Touch tire care on the tires, Mother Wheel Mist All Wheel Cleaner, System One X3 Cutting polish on the paint when I 'wax' it every couple of months, which also claims to 'remove the dirt you can feel but not see' and Meguiars Showtime detailer in between.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I've got this Meguiars leather conditioner that I'm going to try on the seats tomorrow. Has anyone cleaned the suede panels in their doors? Mine don't need it, but I'm scared of having to clean them.


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## formercg (Aug 28, 2009)

My detail guy says if you don't need to clean the suede then don't do it unless its absolutely necessary. He recommends just using a suede brush if you have to. The Meguiars quick detailer works well me for me in between washes. With my goat being pbm the quick detailer is a must.


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## gto_rider (Aug 10, 2009)

u gotta check this out. 

Our Products - California Custom Products Inc.

this is the best wax i've found. i just ordered some more and the leather vinyl conditioner (never tried it before). if it's as good as the wax i'll be buying it for life. trust me good wax at a reasonable price.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

I rarely wash my car as it rarely gets wet and attracts dirt. I California dust it often and apply quick detailer. 

I clay bared my vehicles and was totally amazed at the results. My 70 looked great before but afterward the paint popped. I got many compliments.

Your paint should feel as smooth as glass if it doesn't and you just wax it over you are trapping the dirt you cannot see or the contaminates under the wax which will not yield you that deep glossy look. Your paint has pores and contaminates sit in those pores and it will give a less than gloss look it could, the clay bar removes them. The trick to keeping your finish looking fresh is to dust it often and apply quick detail to it between washes.

I just wash, and detail......I use Meguiers and Stoner products. On vinyl I will also use black magic. Different tires will take different products to yield the glossy look. Depending on the tires I will use either Black Magic wipe on with silicone or Stoner's tire shine. For the bigger shows I will apply the silicone and lightly apply the Stoner, the tires are that glossy they look mirrorish and the spray is water based so it keeps dirt and dust from accumulating on the tires that have silicone. As with most tire dressings some excess will spin off on the fenders but it easily and quickly wipes off. 

Before big shows I will detail the cars good and take a lambs wool buffing pad to it and buff the snot out of the car.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

i own a power washer and there's no way i'd _ever _use it on my car. the blast will take whatever abrasives there are on it and blast them across the surface at hypersonic speeds. for the "normal wash" i soak the car well with just what comes out the garden hose and then wash it from the bottom up with a well lathered micro-fiber wash mitt and work my way up. the reason i do it bottom up (the opposite of what i've read) is that as i do each layer the water rises down over the lower ones and prevents water spots until i'm ready to dry. i don't even put my thumb over the hose end but just let lots of water flood down. i dry the car off with several large micro-fiber towels after lightly spraying with Eagle 1 "wax as you dry" if i'm not waxing the car. Stoners Invisible Glass window cleaner, Turtle Wax Tire Shine and she's done.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I've never had issues using the power washer on my cars (or my house). You just have to stand back a bit when you're using a high pressure nozzle. Its the best method I've used to apply soap so far.


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

Houses are much easier to touch up/repaint. The only time I would ever use the power washer on the car would be maybe the wheel wells, undercarriage, etc.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

step 1, step 3a,step 9a, should be the same as step 12 for maximum enjoyment of car detailing


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

No way would I ever use a power washer either other than the ones at a car wash. 2400+ psi is a lot of force on the car and trim. Even standing back the force is great enough to peel off trim and decals. A lot of trim these days is put on with double sided tape and if a force as great as most power washers are hits it just right then ya got some rework to do.... Nothing beats warm water, soap and a sponge.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

my question then is "why?". if you stand back enough that it doesn't provide any reasonable pressure it just sounds like a PITA way to put water on your car. as proven many times the simplest way is the best... and i'd get a micro-fiber wash mitt


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I guess the objective is to remove the majority of the dirt before I physically wash the car with a rag/sponge, to keep as much dirt and dust from being ground into the clear coat as possible. Swirls look like crap.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

that's the point of the micro-fiber wash mit. it holds the dirt away better than a rag or sponge. i have a black car that could show swirls probably better than any other color and nope, don't have them. just as a last thought when you blast the dirt do you think that it's just lifting straight up off the paint?


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

No, it rolls off like a hard rain, at least from what I've observed. I've used this method on my Grand Am countless times, and it never added any scratches or swirls in the burgundy paint. It was my test subject before I did the GTO. I'll look into the mitt though. I'm curious though, do you (and you other guys) wax with a buffer or by hand? I've only used liquid wax cuz I'm such a noob.


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## AlanSr (Jan 4, 2008)

I have a 2500psi presure washer and I use it weekly on my goat.
I even have vinal stripes on mine. Never had a problem (I do stand 5+ feet back from the vehicle) it's great for engines, breaks and wheel wells.

Plus it helps preserve the paint because it blows the dirt off before washing. So you don't scrub dirt into your paint.

I use clay bar usually 2x a year, use eagle 1 wax as u dry weekly, and meguires every 4-6 weeks.

I only use "Black Magic" for my tire shine because it doesn't dry and crack the tires.
Now that I live in TX with the TX heat I will be conditioning my interior weekly with Meguires leather conditionar.


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## Cooter (Aug 9, 2009)

Hand wash/Dry
Claybar - Mother's
Hand Polish - Klasse AIO
Hand seal/glaze - Klasse SG 

Awesome!

Even better with 2 or 3 coats of the Klasse SG

Looks dripping wet on PBM and lasts 6+ months before another coat of SG.


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## stealth gray goat (Sep 11, 2009)

On the pressure washer issue, me personally would not because I have seen what it does to say a rock chip or an inperfection in the paint. If you think about it this way you have a rock chip in the front bumper and you accidently get to close, that is alot of force pounding on a weak spot in your paint. Which could be a result in peeling paint and that always sucks. I definetly agree with the micro fiber mitt, I even use one on mine and I love it. Here is a tip on the engine compartment, if it gets dirty or dusty we all know the pain in that, what I do to all the vehicles at the body shop I work at is lightly mist the engine with water then take a degreaser and spray over everything, let that sit for a min or so then rinse off, and then if you really want it to look like new take a water based conditioner (ex. armor all is water based believe it or not) nothing like tire shine it is oil based and will catch on fire, but take the armor all and mist it over everything even tho everything is wet. see what will happen is when you start your engine the heat from it will dry up the water and leave everything nice and shiny like new, I do it to mine all the time.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

GTO JUDGE said:


> I rarely wash my car as it rarely gets wet and attracts dirt. I California dust it often and apply quick detailer.
> 
> I clay bared my vehicles and was totally amazed at the results. My 70 looked great before but afterward the paint popped. I got many compliments.
> 
> ...



Agree about the washing. Rarley do it either. Keep it so clean it doesn't need to be washed! 
I just brought the clay bar home and tried it on the `65 and was amazed at how well it worked. 
Here's one for you GTO JUDGE, try it on the glass. 
I don't buy the hype, that it cuts off the top of the dirt and holds it into suspension as they have you knead the clay. If it held hard pieces of dirt they would reemerge to scratch the surface.
I DO however agree it makes a great micro cleaner and polisher. Like wet sanding with the finest of grit sandpaper. 
Followed it up with a coat of Mother's Carnauba Cleaner Wax and it looks so good I don't wanna drive it!  :cheers


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

I'll have to try it on glass, but I think I'll use water to cut, not detailer.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Why water? I use the detailing spray on the glass anyway(it's better then RainX in the rain), why not with the clay bar?


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I've developed a device over the winter to wash the underbody of the car without a lot of hassle in your driveway... for now it's a basic prototype, but the dream is to come up with/finish a 3-D model (work in progress yet... because I have no boss breathing down my neck over it :lol of a dedicated part/assembly that can be molded out of plastic and sold on store shelves/TV for $30 or less.



stealth gray goat said:


> On the pressure washer issue, me personally would not because I have seen what it does to say a rock chip or an inperfection in the paint. If you think about it this way you have a rock chip in the front bumper and you accidently get to close, that is alot of force pounding on a weak spot in your paint. Which could be a result in peeling paint and that always sucks.


IMO, better to blast off the peeling paint than to have the separated paint trap dirt, moisture, and natural salts between the paint and sheetmetal.

Seriously, I should have my wife film me while I use it. It's no different than a touchless wash.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Rukee said:


> Why water? I use the detailing spray on the glass anyway(it's better then RainX in the rain), why not with the clay bar?


Detailer doesn't leave a fine greasy residue on the glass?


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

I use the Wizards Mist & Shine (with the clay bar too) and it leave no residue at all. I use it on the paint, glass, chrome, trim, rims, everything with 2 micro towles. Is the best when you pull into a show too, just spary and wipe off any road grim on the way there. :cheers


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## Mike_V (Mar 10, 2006)

There's two things that have amazed me over the years 1) being clay and 2) being Lexol

If your seats have even the slightest lines starting to show, get Lexol ASAP. At one time I just thought you could not avoid it, but Lexol is magic. Use the cleaner followed by conditioner and the seats look F'ing new.


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

i have a car duster that i use on my GTO and someone told me that the dusters accumulate dust and stick to the duster that it can scratch the paint? I got a lil worried so i stopped using my duster. i have a the original car duster but it looks very old now and dirty. i think i might just buy a new one and lightly brush it over the car.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

iwant2buyaGTO said:


> i have a car duster that i use on my GTO and someone told me that the dusters accumulate dust and stick to the duster that it can scratch the paint? I got a lil worried so i stopped using my duster. i have a the original car duster but it looks very old now and dirty. i think i might just buy a new one and lightly brush it over the car.


Dust clings to the duster, unless you are picking up stones which won't stick etc but if you get something like that lodged in there, say you drop it on the ground and don't inspect it then ya got one coming, you are not going to scratch your car by using it, that's what its made for. The California duster is used on high end cars. Why throw a dirty one away?? Wash it. Use a mild wash soap like Woolite, I use liquid tide or whatever my wife is using. Don't use granular soaps.

Wet it apply the soap scrub it in, rinse it while squeezing and scrubbing it by hand. Keep repeating the process until the water in the rinse is near clear. Hang out on the wash line til dry. Washing instructions come with the C.D. 

When it gets to the point it needs washing you may notice grease smears left behind on the paint, this is from dusting over say tire dressing that spun off on fenders etc. Once its loaded up the excess begins wiping on paint. I have 2 and they work fine even after repeated washings.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

iwant2buyaGTO said:


> i have a car duster that i use on my GTO and someone told me that the dusters accumulate dust and stick to the duster that it can scratch the paint? I got a lil worried so i stopped using my duster. i have a the original car duster but it looks very old now and dirty. i think i might just buy a new one and lightly brush it over the car.


Been using my same old duster for years and still works well. I laugh when people say that it scraches the paint. If your worried about dust scrating your paint then don't drive your car. There are more harmfull things flying off of the road surface that will do more damage to your paint than dust.


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## EP Goat (Dec 18, 2008)

Has anyone ever used non silicone oven cleaner to clean dirty engine compartment? 40 years of grime in my 69 compartment.


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## LS2 MN6 (Jul 14, 2010)

I'm a Zaino guy.

I do the whole system once a year.

Rinse car with hose
Wash with Z7, leave wet
Clay the car, rinse the car
Wash with Z7, then dry
Polish on Z5, wipe off with Z6 and a towel
Polish on Z5, wipe off with Z6 and a towel
Polish on Z2, wipe off with Z6 and a towel
Polish on Z2, wipe off with Z6 and a towel
Polish on Z-CS

I use a 100% cotton towel as my "soap sponge" and two 100% cotton towels as dry towels (one to suck up 95% of the water, the other to clean up the last bit of it). This keeps drying towel 2 dry enough to use as a buffing towel.

When I first got the car I washed with Dawn to get a clean base, and after the Clay (and wash), but before the first Z5 I put on a coat of Z-AIO.

For regular washes I only do two coats of Zaino, sometimes I add Z-CS

Rinse car with hose
Wash with Z7, then dry
Polish on Z5, wipe off with Z6 and a towel
Polish on Z2, wipe off with Z6 and a towel
Polish on Z-CS (not always)

Interior is Zaino as well on leather, and just a damp towel on other trim.

I picked this system up for the Corvette and I apply it to my dad's Z4 and the GTO. I've got something less intensive for cars that are not driven as much or that don't need to look as spiffy.


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## 06SixOhGoat (Jun 19, 2010)

Well everyone has there own way of doing something which ends up being what there looking for. Im getting stuff together for then im going to do a full detail in the fall. (full detail beginning of spring and fall). Wash dry off. Clay bar. Put in Garage. use the air hose to the grill and all the lines in the car to get completly dry. As for wax i use 3M Rubbing Compound. Then 3M performance wax. And i have the shine that i look for.


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## The Detailer (Nov 1, 2009)

I use the Adams polishes and cleaners, I highly recommend them, Out standing results when using their products, Best customer service I ever had, The Americana wax is the best I haved used to date, The show judges even wanted to know what I used for the shine, And I daily drive my car.


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