Shopping for cleaning materials...

[krillin]

well, i just got my msp (black) about a week ago and it's been raining since then but finally stopped today. i want to keep this car as new-like as possible so i wanted to be sure to buy the recommended materials for washing a car.

i'm gonna head out to kragen's or pepboy's to buy some items. was wondering what i should be buying, like sponges and what to use for drying (terry cloths, etc). i just don't wanna end up getting the wrong things and end up having a lot of swirl marks on the clearcoat. i know this is probably gonna happen anyway but i want to try to prevent this as much as possible.

also, i was wondering if there were any stores that sell rubber plugs for bumper holes. i took my front license plate off when i got my car and wanted to fill the holes. anyone know where i can get plugs? thanks

 

[Yello_Pro5]

Hi,

If you are very crazy about your car buy 3 washing mitts. 1 to wash the top-end of the car ( from the top to the moldings). 1 to wash everything below that. The reason is that the lower part of the car will get more dirt and grime. The third one is for the wheels and tires as you don't want to use the same mitt on your wheels/tires and on the paint. Always use clean water and a CAR soap. Leave the dishwashing soap under the sink.

For the car you can actually use only one mitt as long as you wash from top to bottom. If you do so, be sure to wash your mitt thoroughly before the next wash.

To dry the car, there is something called "The Absorber" which supposedly makes wonders. Keep the terry cloths for the waxing.

If you wax the car, this is my suggested procedure: use a lightly humid terry cloth to apply the wax. Do not put too much since it will just be longer to buff. Wait until it dries 5-10 min. depending on brand. Never wax under sunlight, or whenever the car is hot for that matter. It will "cook" the wax and give bad results. Buff the wax using a DRY terry cloth. (You will actually need 2-3) for the whole car). Try to do it in a sideways pattern instead of doing it in circle, that will prevent swirl marks.

For the wheels: if they are very dirty you can use some wheel cleaner (Meguiar has one that works great will all finishes) spray the wheels from BOTTOM TO TOP. Never use any abrasive material on the wheels.

For the products to use I recommend Car Brite stuff but I'm not sure where you can buy them (that is what we used at the dealership I worked). Meguiar's product also work great and are available mostly everywhere.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Simon

 

[krillin]

thx simon for the tips. i noticed that when my mom washed her car she used one mitt for everything. so i'll keep those multiple mitts in mind.

you like using the mitts? have you ever tried those natural sponges?

this is where i'm at right now. it's a new car and it's been raining for the past week. there are water marks all around the car and i also noticed some tiny scratches on the clear coat already(no idea if it was already there or what. i just wanted the msp at the time and may have overlooked them).
i want to wash the car well and get rid of those clear coat scratches. i also want to do something to protect the outside of my car as it's normally sitting out in the sun while i'm at work from 12pm-8pm. that's about it. i wasn't sure if i had to go through a huge process like wash, dry, wax, clay bar, polish, wax, etc. <--this is what someone in another thread told me to do. he mentioned it would take 6-10 hours. i'm going out tomorrow to actually buy the materials. thanks again.

louie

oh btw, you know if anyone sells rubber plugs to cover screw holes for license plates?

 

[cjstringer]

The best way I know of to wash the car (detailed) is get Meguiars 1,2,3 system. Wash it first with their gallon car wash soap, then use steps 1,2, and 3, then if you are really anal (like me), use Meguiars Gold Class (Is that right?) Show car shine wax. You'll be amazed at how good it looks. Yes, I have been known to spend 8-9 hours washing my car before, but it's well worth it, and I only do it about every other month that detailed. Usually I spend about 3 hours on it. Worth every minute in the long run.