Auto Detailing Secrets? What's Your Secret?

[Ornery]

Now that I have a car worth washing again, I'd like to get a protective coat of wax on before winter. Actually, I have two different finishes to deal with. The Town Car has a clear coat on it? After browsing the web a while, I'm seeing different methods of dealing with that. I've gleaned the fact that it should NEVER be "rubbed out", because that would only scratch the coating. Am I merely going to be "cleaning" this surface with some kind of polish/cleaner, and letting it go at that? I see there are sealers available for it, but are they really needed. Does a clear coat "breathe" like paint does? Needless to say, this is new to me.

The 1999 car has a factory paint finish from Mercury. Not sure if there's a clear coat or not. Doesn't seem to be. What wax would you use to apply and remove by hand? Would you also use a sealer? I'm not fanatic, just want protection from the winter elements and chemicals. Would you use the same wax on the chrome? What would you do to protect the alloy wheels. There's some kind of coating on them, but corrosion is creeping under by the wheel weights.

Thanks!

 

[Evadman]

it has a clear coat.

 

[Ornery]

Well, that settles that, thanks! Guess I don't need any fancy wax at all, which is great! So, would I "seal" that in some way, or is that just some kind of hype? What's the nicest product for cleaning it? For years I've used Westley's Polish, but I just finished the last bottle and it's no longer available since they were purchased by Blue Coral. The thing I LOVED about it was that I could apply it to the WHOLE car, windows and all, then remove it easily all at once. Only took 45 minutes to do any car... by hand! Anything on the market like that right now? Particularly to handle this clear coat finish?

 

[notfred]

the 1999 Mercury definitely has a clear coat.

All a clear coat is, is clear paint. You dont want to rub it out cause it's thin, and if you go through it, the colored paint underneath isn't shiny.

 

[Mutilator]

Autopia. Go there. Read for hours.
After you read threads there for a while... buy yourself some Zaino.

 

[vi edit]

I just bought a bottle of Meguiars Liquid Gold wax this weekend. Got it at walmart for $10. A little pricey, but after using it, I've come to the conclusion that it was worth it. Went on very easily. Took about 15 minutes to dry, and then buffed off very nicely. Left a great finish on the car. I applied it by hand with the small foam applicator that it came with.

I also recommend clay baring the front of the hood and the bumper, and maybe even the A pillars, side mirrors, and front edge of the roof above the windshield to remove dead bugs, tar, and misc other debris before waxing.

 

[Ornery]

Hmmmm, are you guys in agreement that clear coat is to be treated like any other paint finish, except for rubbing it? Same wax used on clear coat as lacquer or enamel finish?

This reminds me of furniture finish issues. You have all these products claiming they're some type of exotic oil that's "good for the wood" and yadda yadda, yet most furniture has a polyurethane on it. You're really cleaning and polishing polyurethane, not wood! Is this the same type situation? If a clear coat is "just paint", what's the point of using it? Should it be handled the same or not. Guess I'll poke around Autopia and see what they say...

Thanks Again!

 

[Ornery]

OK! After hours of research, I've decided to go with Mutilator's suggestion of:

• Z-1 Show Car Polish LOK Pre-Cleaner and Gloss Enhancer
  Z-2 Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Finishes

That's mostly based on this test of these two popular waxes. Should I take before and after shots? You KNOW I will!

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: Ornery
If a clear coat is "just paint", what's the point of using it?

I believe the pigments used in traditional paints are pretty toxic. However, they can make a primer type paint that's not shiny, but is much less toxic. So, they spray the car with the environmentally friendly primer coat, then spray over it with a shiny, pigment-free (and therefore, better for the environment) clear coat.*

*Note: this information may not be entirely accurate, but I think it is.

 

[Ornery]

Sounds good to me. Kind of moot, now that I've found this wondrous Zaino stuff. I find it pretty amusing that it contains no wax at all, carnuba or otherwise! From what I read, it's just what I was looking for, and available at Walmart at a price I can afford!

 

[Mutilator]

Actually Ornery lemme make a suggestion.
Skip the Z1 and get some ZFX. That way you can do 3 coats per day instead of 1. Makes life much easier.
Oh and get some good microfiber towels to buff it off with... that will minimize swirls. You can get some from JT International. His email addy is probably on Autopia somewhere.
And you can't get Zaino at Walmart... it's mail order only/you have to find a local distributor. Email Sal Zaino at wet@zainobros.com and ask him if there are any local distributors in your area.
It's not a wax and it's not a polish like other polishes.. it's a polymer sealant I believe. I've been using it for years w/great results. About to strip it all off and do my fall/winter treatment once the weather cooperates.

Also when you order your Zaino, get the Z7 carwash too. It actually makes the car shinier when you wash it.
Z2, Z7, ZFX. Good starting point.

Basically here's what you'll want to get started. This is just the bare minimum:
Car wash bucket - Walmart
Soft sheepskin mitt - Walmart - NO SPONGES. :|
Atleast 12 Microfiber towels from CMA, JT International, etc. Pick a place. DO NOT use the ones (nic-sand) from walmart on your car. Use good high quality ones. I got I believe 25 from JT - about $2/each.
Zaino ZFX, Z7, Z2
Good hose nozzle.

You can look around Autopia for step by step instructions on how to actually wash your car... top, hood, rear, sides. Top to bottom. Rinse at the end and then california water blade/towel dry.
If you want you could even spend the $12 to buy the autopia e-book. It's great for a newbie.

I'm gonna stop now... I could go on for hours.

 

[Spac3d]

I have tried many many differnet brands, and I found that the Zaino is the real deal.

Highly reccommended.

Spac3d

 

How to properly detail an engine ;

(1)Run engine till warm (Not hot)
(2)Spray engine bay with Gunk engine cleaner and Castrol Super Clean
(3)Scrub engine bay with old toilet brush
(4)Blast engine bay with hose
(5)Drive vehicle until engine is dry
(6)Soak engine with Armor All

When done, the engine/bay will look like it just came off the assembly line.

 

[Ornery]

Oh damnit, it's Zymol that's available at Walmart!

OK, so I'll order from Zaino and get a free Custom Polish Applicator! I was reading about the ZFX and I was wondering whether you can just add it to the 8oz bottle of Z-2 or not? In other words, mix them together, polish a car or two, then put it on the shelf mixed for several months? Believe me, if I get a couple coats on each car before winter, I'll be happy. BTW, it said I should use "Dawn" dishwashing detergent before applying the D-2/ZFX polish. let's see:

• $12.95 Z-2 8oz Zaino Bros' Show Car Polish for clear-coated paint
• $19.95 ZFX 2ml Zaino Flash Cure Accelerator Additive for Z-2, Z-5, Z-3
• $ 7.95 Z-7 16oz Zaino Bros' Show Car Wash (concentrate)
• $ 6.95 S&H
• $47.90 Total

You do know I'm unemployed now, right?

Thanks for the engine cleaning tip, Roger. I can skip that for now, because both car's engines were done before I brought them home. They'll need it at some point in the future, though.

 

[Mutilator]

Ornery ZFX is a mix-as-you-need-it product. The ZFX kit will come with 4 small 2ml bottles that you squirt the zaino into... then you add 5 drops of zfx per ounce and shake it up. You have to use that within 6 hours. If you don't it'll start to expand and climb out of the bottle heh... I left some in a bottle overnight one night and that's what happens. After 6 hours it's not possible to remove all of the zaino from the bottle so you have to throw it away. ZFX basically is an accelerant makes the zaino cure instantly (within 30 minutes) instead of over 24 hours.

Yes you should use Dawn before you use the Zaino to make sure there is no old wax on the paint... this will allow the Zaino to bond to the paint better. 2-3 coats should last you a good 6 months... but you'll probably find out how easy it is to use and apply it more frequently then that.
Well atleast once it warms back up in the spring.

 

[Ornery]

Oh, I wondered about that. Thanks for the info. This whole system sounds really great. I tried to call this evening, to see if there was a local distrubutor, but they were closed. I'll try tomorrow.

Thanks loads for the tip!

Edit: Speaking of tips, I ought to add one myself. Um, my favorite was to use a product called "Tire Black" for everything but the tires! Any black rubber trim got a coating of this stuff. Really spiffed up the final job. I just ran out of it the other day, so I went looking for more. Well, I couldn't find that particular stuff, but I was pleased to find there are quite a few brands of products that do the exact same job now. I grabbed a 16oz bottle of pure silicone from Blue Coral/Westley's Black Magic called Trim & Tire Shine. That's four times as big as my last bottle, which lasted years! Now I don't have to be so stingy!

 

[mithrandir2001]

I've been tempted to go Zaino, but it's too expensive (and time-consuming) with all these Z-1,2,3,4,5,6, etc. polishes and applicators. I bought Zymol Natural polish on clearance at Target for $4.88.

 

[Lvis]

I can tell you that liquid wax holds up just as long as paste does. At least it does on boats. It rubs off much easier as well. As a painter (again boats, not cars) I can tell you that you really don't want to rub on a clear coat too much. Imho the object of a wax job is to keep the water beading up, and make it harder for dirt to stick to the finish.

Excessive rubbing, compounds etc. just wear down the clear coat.

 

[Ornery]

$4.88, wow! Zymol came in a close second on that test. I hope you bought more than one! Hell, that's sure worth a try at that price!

L vis, I'm with you on the excessive rubbing part. I just want a couple coats on for protection from winter. These cars are daily drivers and we're in Ohio, so this is important. If it happens to put a mirror finish on in the process, so much the better!

 

[vi edit]

These cars are daily drivers and we're in Ohio, so this is important

Unless you wax the undercarriage and wheel wells, I'd value a good $5.00 carwash that sprays down the bottom of the car any day over detailing to get excess road salt off.

 

[Ornery]

Good point, I'm still trying to figure out how to address that. I'm kicking around undercoatings, but I'm not sure if I should. The '94 did have undercoating and it's held up REAL well. I'd also like to have some way to hose them down here with hot water and good pressure. It would be so nice to have a lift in the garage with hot water and a good drainage system. By the time I could afford something like that, I would be able to buy a new car every couple years anyway!

 

[vi edit]

From the info I've read, garages are actually *worse* in the winter than just parking your car outside. Reason: it's not until the snow and gunk under the vehicle starts to melt that it starts causing harm.

Basically, if you are driving down the road in 20 degree weather, and all the snow starts accumulating in the wheel wells and under the bottom of the car, it can stay there as long as it wants as long as it doesn't start thawing. When it starts to thaw is when the salt starts to actually be corrosive. If you keep your car outside, and keep it "frozen" for a month straight, it isn't that harmful. What does take a toll on your car is when you drive it to work, build up all that salt and snow, park it in your garage overnight and let it melt since your garage is a nice 40 degrees or so. (hence the piles of crap left on the garage floor the next morning)

I've read that it's better to park outside and just let the stuff hang on there than it is to park in the garage and let it melt off.

{edit} This is assuming you aren't spraying the salt and gunk off on a regular basis.

 

[N8Magic]

Two detailing tips for you Ornery:

1. You wanted something that restores the black to faded and/or dried out plastic? Mother's Back to Black can't be beat.

2. I've found the best way to clean all of the little crevices inside the car... use a small paintbrush. The bristles get into all vents and other tight spaces, and the bristles also have the added advantage of attracting dust. Makes detailing the interior much less time consuming.

 

[badluck]

1. You wanted something that restores the black to faded and/or dried out plastic? Mother's Back to Black can't be beat.

I 2nd that....$5 bottle.....it smells like nail polish, but does the job!!!

 

[Ornery]

I've heard that same thing from a guy who undercoats cars on the side. It won't see the garage much and not likely to get hosed off too frequently. I hate going through car washes and having God knows what brushed against the finish.

Dang, I already have a pint of this Trim & Tire Shine stuff! Hell, that will last me 20 years!

That paint brush sounds like a good idea. You don't apply ArmorAll with it ,do you? What about the carpet? I ordered new factory floor mats for my car, but they just called to say they're discontinued. Where can I get similar mats for a decent price? The only reason I went to the dealer, is because his mats were only about $20.00 more than decent mats I found online. Looking at close to $70.00 for a set of four. In the mean time, the carpet is getting messed up. I'd hate to shampoo it and have it all wet in there. Any secrets for that?

Hmmm, I don't really have any more tips myself. I don't do this very often. I find that when I'm done wiping the Westley's Auto Polish off with a bath towel, it's nice to use that same towel to wipe off the interior windows. The dried polish residue wipes the windows spotless really quick. After wiping the silicone onto the black trim, it sometimes smears on to the freshly polished finish. Again, that same residue covered towel is perfect for wiping that up quickly. No big deal. It's just that I try to blow these things out as quick as possible. 35 minutes to wash and dry the car, 40 minutes to wipe the polish on and off. 5 minutes to do the whitewalls, 10 minutes to hit the black trim, clean up the smears and get the inside windows. Any more than that is too fussy for me!