Just wanna see what types you guys use..includes waxes, soaps, any particular chamis (*spelling??) recommondations...etc....

Our first NEW car, dont wanna mess up the nice white paint! :wink:

Thanks In Advance all!!

I go crack crazy with Zaino products. Rather than drying my cars, I use a Mr. Clean AutoDry religiously.

Oh, and it's spelled chamois. :wink:

Andrew

Mr clean auto dry rocks. :P

Zaino and a leaf blower.
The two best things for washing and drying.
I have too say that the mr clean thing leaves my car not looking it's best.
I think it leaves a haze on my car after drying.

Zaino and a leaf blower.
The two best things for washing and drying.
I have too say that the mr clean thing leaves my car not looking it's best.
I think it leaves a haze on my car after drying.

Ooh, a leaf blower. And you're seeing things.

cmdxb, I detail cars for people whenever I have time, so I know quite a few different products and how they perform. :wink:

Andrew

Be warned about Mr. Clean! If you use it correctly, it will work excellent and has your car looking very nice. However, feel your wax on your car. You will notice that it has been stripped off! I did not beleive my friend when he said not to use Mr Clean, so I did it for myself. Washed and waxed my car, 4 days later had to wash it again. (Sucks having dark colored cars!) I felt the wax was nice and smooth before the wash and then I Mr cleaned the car and presto! No more nice and smooth. It was all stripped, bah! Gave Mr Clean to my parents, and btw it gussles soap extremely quick so be ready to buy bottles of soap faster then you refill the gas tank.

Thats my take on Mr. Clean...

And also, why the heck couldnt they just put 1, 2 and 3 on the stupid nossle, there is nothing like sitting there holding a translation manual of the dumbass pictures that look all the same on the nossle. So while there is neighbors watching you use this funky ___ looking thing, you are sitting there like a jackass playing picture matching.

My last detail:

1. Wash with Zaino car wash
2. Use an Absorber to dry her off
3. Claybar w/spray detailer
4. Leafblower is a great idea to get water out of cracks/crevices
5. One coat of Z1 (Zaino)
6. One coat of Z2 (Zaino)
7. 30-minutes later remove with a micro-fiber towel (NEVER use anything but micro-fiber unless you like swirl marks in your clearcoat).

I'm in the process of re-applying the Z2 each week for about 5-weeks, then maintaining each month with another coat if Z2. With Zaino done properly, you won't need to clay bar the car for quite a while and the paint will look deeper each time you use the Z2.

car wash - i love how eagle one sudsing soap cleans.
to dry - use a california water blade followed by a VERY VERY clean slightly moist chamois
then - if u have an air compressor laying around, get an air tip with a trigger and blow out the cracks/jams
for wax - depending how new it is - BRAND NEW (less than two weeks or well well well taken care of) i like this stuff called ardex clear coat sealant otherwise, i swear by mequires gold class liquid wax. oh ya if possible, do ALL of these steps inside, out of the sun to ensure a perfect turn out

so far i have used meguirs and its great stuff for everything, though not cheap.

Zaino all the way!

I use the products offered by a company called " MALMS" - My wax costs 145.00 !

meguiars gold class 3 clean/polish/wax, or zymol works for me...

Maybe you guys can help. My now less then 2 weeks old lava has a scuff/scratch in it. It's long and 99.9% of it looks like it just hit the clear coat. I know it will buff out, just not sure what I should use.

There is also, what looks like, some white paint in it. Any recommendations on what I can use to clean this up when I go to wash/wax it this weekend?

Try a claybar system. If that doesn't work, get some rubbing compound.

Andrew

Be warned about Mr. Clean! If you use it correctly, it will work excellent and has your car looking very nice. However, feel your wax on your car. You will notice that it has been stripped off! I did not beleive my friend when he said not to use Mr Clean, so I did it for myself. Washed and waxed my car, 4 days later had to wash it again. (Sucks having dark colored cars!) I felt the wax was nice and smooth before the wash and then I Mr cleaned the car and presto! No more nice and smooth. It was all stripped, bah! Gave Mr Clean to my parents, and btw it gussles soap extremely quick so be ready to buy bottles of soap faster then you refill the gas tank.

Thats my take on Mr. Clean...

And also, why the heck couldnt they just put 1, 2 and 3 on the stupid nossle, there is nothing like sitting there holding a translation manual of the dumbass pictures that look all the same on the nossle. So while there is neighbors watching you use this funky ___ looking thing, you are sitting there like a jackass playing picture matching.I use the Mr Clean system and it does'nt take off my wax. I use Meguires gold series wax and detailer.

honestly i would suggest taking it to the local detail shop or take it to toyota....they can at least look at it and tell you how bad the damage is.....i wouldn't suggest buffing without at least a bit of experience.....it's easy to swirl paint and when it swirls it looks like crap....

for those of you using the Zaino products, do you use the ZFX and the Z2? Which of the products do you recommend?

honestly i would suggest taking it to the local detail shop or take it to toyota....they can at least look at it and tell you how bad the damage is.....i wouldn't suggest buffing without at least a bit of experience.....it's easy to swirl paint and when it swirls it looks like crap....

I wouldn't be doing the buffing. I have a close friend who is a body man. He said it would be easy to buff out but I could probably fix it easier with other products. Haven't sat down with him yet to see what he recommends, thought I'd ask some people who have dealt with toyota paint, is why I posted. :) Every car companies paint is a bit different, some are fragile (ford) some aren't (honda, VW).

Try a claybar system. If that doesn't work, get some rubbing compound.

Andrew

I'll give this a try. Any place imparticular to pick it up from? All we have around here are the generics (Pep Boys, Nappa, AutoZone, Nopi) and Wal*Mart.

I go crack crazy with Zaino products. Rather than drying my cars, I use a Mr. Clean AutoDry religiously.

Oh, and it's spelled chamois. :wink:

Andrew


lol...thanks doode....so is it the concensus then that Mr clean auto dry is cool? ...im pretty lazy..so the idea truly appeals to me..haha :lol:

annnd ill have to look into the zaino products...sounds like the are pretty good!..thanks all!

honda paint is more fragile than you think, especially red....everytime i buff a red honda, the red paint comes off on the pad.....it's annoying and for some reason, honda/acura bumpers seem to soak the paint into itself it's strange

Try a claybar system. If that doesn't work, get some rubbing compound.

Andrew

I'll give this a try. Any place imparticular to pick it up from? All we have around here are the generics (Pep Boys, Nappa, AutoZone, Nopi) and Wal*Mart.

Nah, just get a name brand claybar, like Mothers.

Andrew

for those of you using the Zaino products, do you use the ZFX and the Z2? Which of the products do you recommend?

Z5.. Running 5 coats right now. Black shows fine scratches, so I don't use Z2.

Andrew

I go crack crazy with Zaino products. Rather than drying my cars, I use a Mr. Clean AutoDry religiously.

Oh, and it's spelled chamois. :wink:

Andrew

Zaino is the SH!$ used it on my show car for 3 years.... has never failed me

I bought my Polar 2 weeks ago. And the first thing I noticed was my paint was rough when I ran my fingers along the surface. Not to mention the dealer didn't buff all the wax off the roof. But I use to be on couple forums and a lot of people have had great result's from using Meguiars Deep Crystal System. (1.Paint Cleaner, 2.Polish, 3. Carnauba Wax). So I went with Meguiar's Deep Crystal system, including the car wash. Now my baby is smooth as glass. 8) Too bad it's white though, just doesn't shine as good as the darker colors. :roll:

Use dawn for the first wash to get any old wax and stuff off.

clay bars are awesome to get any bugs/tar/road grime off they smooth out the paint and get any stuck-on dirt that doesn't come off when u wash i just use the shiz we have at work

Hell... I am still trying to figure out how do i clean the top of my Scion without a ladder.

I have been using Eagle 1 for about 2-3 years and I love it ... they clean VERY well and shine very well ... they are also easy on the wallet when purchasing!

Hell... I am still trying to figure out how do i clean the top of my Scion without a ladder.

Open the doors and stand on the seats.

Andrew

Hell... I am still trying to figure out how do i clean the top of my Scion without a ladder.

Use goldline springs and armoral car wash concentrate in the bucket of water. I have been using car wash concentrates for my car washes for a long time and everyone in nor-cal can tell you that my car shines at every meet we have. :D

for those of you using the Zaino products, do you use the ZFX and the Z2? Which of the products do you recommend?

It really depends on your needs, i.e. the condition of your car. Go to the Zaino site for complete instructions: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

The ZFX is just an accelerator for the various Zaino waxes. Highly recommended unless you want to wait several hours (depending on the temp) for the wax to dry. The Z-2 is for normal clear coat. Several coats make quite a difference. If you have swirls, use Z-5 first.

What's great about Zaino, is that it last much longer than normal wax. Now just about 15 minutes with the detailer, Z-6 (which I dilute about 3-1), and the box looks great. Oh yeah, be sure to prep your box before you wax with Dawn and the clay bar.

I use an old rusty bucket handed down to me from generations before, 1/2 oz. of Dawn, 6 oz. of Acetone, 12 oz. of french fry grease, and 36 oz. of water. Then I wash with a wire brush to get all the stuck on gunk off and get into some hard to reach areas. When it's all done, I dry it with a box fan and a t-shirt, then I wax it, but I use Jergan's moisturizing lotion, that way the car always has a "wet" look.

Actually I use Mr. Clean AutoDry and Mothers. Although the "AutoDry" wasn't completely true, I did have to hand dry a few areas, no big deal though.


-Z

Actually I use Mr. Clean AutoDry and Mothers. Although the "AutoDry" wasn't completely true, I did have to hand dry a few areas, no big deal though.


Then you need a new filter. I've never had water spots on my Black beetle, even in 90* temp and direct sunlight.

Andrew

Umm....no, I don't need a new filter, and I don't have water spots. I've only used my AutoDry twice since I bought it. But water tends to build up on certain spots on a box, I know you wouldn't know anything about it with that rounded Beetle. On the rear bumper I had several small puddles that needed to be hand dried, not necessarily b/c they would "spot," but b/c I was ready to wax and 2 hours after I washed my car there were still puddles. I like the AutoDry, it's spotless, but when I'm ready to wax I'm going to hand dry, not sit and watch it.

-Z

SOAP IS YOUR WORST ENEMY....only use soap when your car is EXTREMLY dirty as it will wear your wax right off and dull your paint....water and a cap or tow or liquid MOTHER"S wax and a soft cotton towel is all you need.

Umm....no, I don't need a new filter, and I don't have water spots. I've only used my AutoDry twice since I bought it. But water tends to build up on certain spots on a box, I know you wouldn't know anything about it with that rounded Beetle. On the rear bumper I had several small puddles that needed to be hand dried, not necessarily b/c they would "spot," but b/c I was ready to wax and 2 hours after I washed my car there were still puddles. I like the AutoDry, it's spotless, but when I'm ready to wax I'm going to hand dry, not sit and watch it.

-Z

I wonder who ____ed in your wheaties this morning. :roll:

Andrew

I have a hangover....sorry.

-Z

I just tried the new turtlewax plat detail spray and was surprised with the results. 4 days later, still no dust. looks as if it was just washed and buffed.

Somebody mentioned Eagle-1 products earlier... I've tried most of their products and they are garbage. Inexpensive, yes... but you get what you pay for :?

i've never had a problem with the eagle one sudsing car wash soap. that's about the only eagle one product i use other than the tire shine....if u brush it on it stays for weeks

everything else is trash....their interior detail spray is horrible kinda greasy in my opinion. just overall not a very good company