i use sand

 

 

it really brings out the paints quality luster, i mean toyota uses some quality stuff... all kidding aside i use meguires

 

I can't speak for anyone else, but the factory paint on my car looks like it just fell out of a fruit basket. It frustrates the crap out of me.

 

I've used TurtleWax ICE Car Wash, and it's OK, I guess. I do have tiny dust particles that seem to have blended into the clear coat. Mostly in the rear flat panels such as the hatch and bumper. Any suggestions?
I do love that BlueMagic on the wheels, though.

 

You can claybar it - just don't drop the bar.

Otherwise, try using a random orbital buffer to wax it. If neither of those work, then you'll have to break down and actually use a highspeed buffer with buffing compound, followed by a new coat of wax (by hand, or with a random orbital).

 

Why's everyone hating on turtle wax. I love their spray wax and the interior cleaner cleans and leaves a nice matte finish.

 

I use a combination between these 2 companies for everything:

http://www.adamspolishes.com/default.aspx

http://www.pinnaclewax.com/

As far as rubbing/buffing compounds though I'll sometimes go with 3M.


Nothing else touches my car. Meguiars, turtlewax, mothers, etc. are all garbage IMO. At least all of the products in which they sell at major retail stores. As someone mentioned Meguiars may sell a better quality stuff that cannot be found in stores, and I wouldn't mind trying that.

 

meguire's auto tech wax, rain-x, windex, armor all for the plastic parts in the car and wheel shine.

 

In the past I've never liked Turtle Wax's wax because it has a lot of polymers in it, which can leave a pretty serious residue over time. The polymer's are the very same ones that are added to help fill in minor scratches and all that crap. Here's a tip - if you fill in the scratches with "polymers" (aka: oily plastic particles) then the scratches are just that much harder to get out when you buff the paint - and you can still see them in the sun. Just polish the damn thing, wax it, and take care of it.

That aside, personally, I don't think the soap used in the carwash makes much difference. I've never seen one that didn't leave water spots (no matter what the label claims) and the majority of the actual cleaning just comes from good old fashioned elbow grease anyways. I use a waterblade for drying because it doesn't leave swirls or clearcoat scratches like a towel or shammy does. After drying the car, I just use any quick-detailer product (it doesn't really matter because it's basically just a lubricant) with a micro-fiber towel to get rid of all the spots. Then wax as necessary. I don't have a preferred wax yet, because this is the first black car I've ever owned, and black cars require a bit of special attention due to the amount of heat the paint absorbs. In general though, I like Klasse wax.

For glass, the best thing I've ever found is winter washer fluid. The more alcohol in it, the better. Put it in a spray bottle and you can use it inside and out. I like either a terrycloth or paper towel for glass.

For rubber, plastic, vinyl... and anything else that's flexible and non-absorbant - I use Aerospace 303. It leaves a shine, but nothing too glaring, and it lasts a looooong time. I don't like Armorall because dust actually seems to stick to it. Aerospace 303 leaves a very clean, brand-new looking finish, that repels pretty much everything. In the past I've used clear shoe-polish on heavily damaged vinyl and it works great. Particularly on older, sun-damaged vinyl.

For unpainted metal, such as the exhaust tip, Nevr-Dull is amazing.

For fabric, Zep carpet cleaner (NOT the degreaser!!!) works great if you dillute it a little. Zep is a line of commercial grade cleaners that you can find at Home Depot. All of the Zep products I've tried work extremely well, although some of them (such as the degreaser) are a little too powerful... like the multi-surface cleaner that can strip the paint off your walls.

For buffing compounds... it's a little more complicated. I have an advisor for this. It depends on what type of cutpad I'm using on the high-speed buffer, and how deep I want to cut. Different produts will definitely leave different finishes, and work differently on different paints. For example, the last generation Acura Integra's had a red color option that was actually an orange base-coat with a purpleish topcoat. You can't cut that crap - you just end up with a splotchy orange and red car. Yeah - there's some wierd crap out there. A good general buffing compound is Norton Liquid Ice.