Washing your own car
 

First off let me say, no i am not just posting this without looking at other posts. None really have satisfied what I'm looking for.

The reason i am now asking is because I'm looking to get a new paint job for my accord. If i do that, I DO NOT want to scratch it at all. Now some of the "solutions" are to, use microfiber towels, use a leaf blower, use a hair dryer, use a normal bathroom towel. The problem i have with all of these is this.

The microfiber doesn't always work because if you get a single piece of dirt on it, your going to end up scratching the car.
The leaf blower is a better idea but it doesn't dry fast enough. Meaning, we live in arizona, where it's hot. My car will dry faster in the shade then i can blow it off.
The hair dryer thing is just like the leaf blower but worse. Doesn't dry fast enough.
And then the normal towel leave scratches as we all know.

So I'm wondering, what can i do to insure that i don't have scratches?

hmmm
 

how about 120mph on I17 that works for me :D

honestly dude youd have to do it on a pretty chill day wheres its not too hot then wash the car
use armorall wet obsorbent towel thats why i use on my 08 fit and it works wonders, wax your car too

Manny gots the right idea. Spot free rinse and some armorall wet towels. Plus clay bar wax polish everything helps fact is the paint will get scratched just driving in az because of dust. Washing your car on a day without any wind will also help.

or you can be a clean whore like me and do the following
wash the car thouroghly
clay bar the entire car
wash the car once again
Wax the car]
fall in love

Well i know that it's winter you can find these calm chill days but in summer it's almost impossible?

So i am a bit new to what your saying, i don't understand what you mean when you say "Clay bar."

Any other suggestions? Like what stuff you think works better? Trying to understand and get more in depth with car maintenance lol

1st. Wash the car i always recommen mothers they have done wonders for me

some of the best washing supplies EVER

2nd.mothers clay bar basically cleans off any unwanted debris, basically anything that wasnt on the car from the factory you know?


its just clay and you spray the lube in order for the clay to eat the clear coat off the paintjob

3rd. wash again

4th. i love meguiars direct wax paste (i have yet to try mothers)


and use microfiber cloths after you wax

repeat every so often i for example do it every 2 weeks in order to keep thecars sexiness at top shape =) hope this helps

clay bar is like wet sanding safely i guess you could say. its just a bar of clay and a spray. makes the surface smooth. and alot of people use alot of different things. some are harder to use then others. i personal use black magic wet wax, mother clay bar, meg. #7, and alot of time as for soap whatever is on sale or at the local spray wash.

i hate you manny always gotta beat me to the punch lol.

HA! detailing is my field man =)

haha get some #7 show glaze that shit will change your life no joke. put that stuff on and then i saw "holy shit i have a honda"! lol

#7??? whats this product? wax?

meguiars #7 its a glaze.

Microfiber sponges that you take care of and only use for certain things. I have 3 diff sponges. two for the body and one for the wheels. And then I use GOOD microfiber towels and use wax as you dry by Eagle One.

wash car with 2 bucket technique and grit guard
start from the top down cleaning sponge frequently (use a foam gun first if you have one)
rinse thoroughly
have one person start using leafblower while the other uses a detailing spray and waffle weave towel
leave the windows and use invisible glass on those
303 aerospace protectant on black trim and tires
wax every month or every other month and make sure you clay, wax, seal
i always have a friend help and we do my car then we do his

Use dear skin to dry the car.

No matter what you do or what you use, especially for dark color cars you will always get swirls in your paint.

My car is Flamenco Black or SI black but since I do paint work I know good ways to reduce swirls and basically how to remove swirls through polishing but they do come back and always will.

This may be expensive for you but I would highly recommend purchasing a multi speed DeWalt professional buffer. Then buy the attachment to use velcrow pads, this makes life really easy.

Depending on how anal you are you can buff your car out anytime you wash it might be a little crazy but 3M makes a special polishing wax and a special pad that I mean eliminates swirl and makes the paint look like glass. The polish is 50 bucks a quart and the pad is another 25, but I will not give the name up, you can research on your own.

Anyway you would need to practice using this buffer so you don't mess up and cut through you clear but this is the best way in my opinion, this is the same buffer used when wet sanding and buffing. It is a professional machine and costs a little over 300 bucks, but well worthi it.

if you have it waxed, it takes alot for something to scratch thru that wax to your paint job, thats the point of the way, to protect your paint job and clear coat.

Shamwow!!

^^ shamwow has been good for meee

Just like they mentioned earlier in the post since I detail on the side,

Pre-rinse and utilize some type of two bucket system with grit guards
Wash from top to bottom using one wash mitt for top section and another for the bottom half of the vehicle
Dry the vehicle using some type of detail spray that neutralizes the pH, helps eliminate water spots

That should help eliminate swirls in the paint but everytime ANYTHING touches the paint, swirls are added wether light or severe. This is where paint correction comes in and that can be a little more in depth but helps out in keeping dark vehicles swirl-free. PM me if you have more questions.

Soo, how much for someone to detail my car? ;) lol

^I charge $199 for a complete exterior detail. It will require around 8hrs minimum with your vehicle and depending on the condition, maybe a day or two so that I am completely satisfied with my work.

^^^ Dang this guy sounds hardcore lol. Good shit man, I worked three years of detailing(car dealerships and mobile detailing). It takes a good amount of time to make that shit clean. Most people just see the obvious but people with a good sense of detail will realize the amount of work hardworking detailers put into it.

So true man. Ive seen bad detailers before charge an arm and a leg and half-butt the work involved.

kinda late but


mucho respect to this guy^^

2 bucket method + blotting.

make sure you cloths are clean, quality towels, touch lighter, and have a coat of wax on there(cant do for a fresh paint job).

^Thats one of the creators of Autogeek. Great guy and company.

NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO YOU WILL GET SCRATCHES! Your best bet is to give it a legit wax every couple weeks. Waxing will make your paint last longer and will fill in all of the little tiny scratches. Waxing will also help to protect your paint from the sun. Just wax it! lol Meguiars is my personal favorite. Get the real wax too. Not that spray on bullshit!

I just used meguiars on my car this weekend^ lol

Use soap made! for washing a car.
I actually dry the car with a damp towel. No joke.
it takes longer (ALOT LONGER) but still works really well
instead of sweep drying the car, by running the towel over the paint, pat dry it. your not gunna scratch your car unless you have a wrench in your hand at the same time and pounding your car like your girls ass. Just pat dry it.

ALSO! in the az heat, I wash the car in the driveway. start it. soak it down really good then pull it into the garage and shut the door. that right there solved all of my drying problems.