Car detailing and tires/wheels help

[georgebushmoron]

While I was cast out I bought a car... a car I actually like this time.

So I need some help from you kind folks. I'm an ignoramous when it comes to cars, but I want to keep this car looking pristine and nice. I want the paint to look glossy and deep, and the tires/wheels to look new.

What products do I have to buy for the body/paint? Do I need to polish, and what kind? What about those clay bars? Will they hurt the paint? What about wax? What about those rotary buffing machines I see on late night k-tel ads?

And about the leather, what do I do to keep it supple and new looking? How about shoe polish?

And tires, how do they stay black and shiny?

I got the car with 19" alloy rims on performance summer tires. A buddy told me that I should get winter tires on 17" or 18" rims. I thought maybe stick with the 19" rims and go all-season. What do you guys recommend? I don't want to blow loads of cash on tires/wheels as it is.... the rims this came with are nice enough. Where do I get good deals on tires/wheels? I thought about getting these wheels: http://kxwheels.com/productdetails.cfm?productid=625&catid=181&&detailid=0 with the set of tires package. Cooper tires.... they told me these tires are not bad. I'm not into racing and want the tires to last a long time. I never heard of Cooper tires. Are they any good?


Man... it pays not to poon too much. This car is my new GF!

 

[tedsweettangv]

Man... it pays not to poon too much. This car is my new GF!

Does the BJ attachment plug into the cigarette lighter?

 

[gravitas]

Do I need to polish, and what kind? What about those clay bars? Will they hurt the paint? What about wax? What about those rotary buffing machines I see on late night k-tel ads?

I decided a long time ago I'll never own another new car. I'll take a three lease, change the oil, run it through the esso automatic car wash every other fill and maybe 4 times a year take it to a detailing shop to have a group of young offenders and other felons clean the inside.

The only vehicle I baby now is the motorbike and have always had good luck with meguiars products.

 

[delta9]

The best is to have it done professionally first. Find a place that is good - call around ask the usual questions - even take a drive by their place. What kind of cars do other clients bring in - if u see a lot of exotics/expensive cars probably a good place. Talk to them and they will give advice on how to keep it looking good. I wouldn't recommend power polishing yourself - there is a skill involved - unless you want to practice on an older beater if you have one.

I have a summer only car and I take it in to be detailed, waxed and polished once every spring and I end up waxing 5-7 times thru the summer to keep it looking new. There are different waxes out there - some strip the finish more than others - check with the detail shop to get the right one for your car.

 

[hitrack]

I would definately get some steel 16" rims and some Crappy Tire snows to throw on. Nothing will be more harsh on yer new chrome rims as all the salt & sand Vancouver likes to throw down at the first cunt hair of frost and continue through till May. Let the steelies take the shit and abuse. Then use the winter to polish up your 19" chromes for spring.

I use a product called 303 protectant (looks like milk) on my black leather and plastic interior parts. Looks and works awesome.

This is a brand new car?? No need to polish a brand new car. Just wax. Mcguiars hi-tech yellow wax is waht I use. Crappy tire and lordco sell the shit. Professional wax for sure. If you have a buffer, cool. Use it.

Check out a site called http://autopia.org/ for car detailing info. I have 3 vehicles. A Dodge Ram Dual axle bad boy, my daily driver and a hobby car my grandfather left me and all get the same treatment and the finishes look mint.

 

[Azcanuck]

GBM,

I think you have to be careful with the clay bars. You will need to lubricate the paint as you clay the vehicle.
Hitrack mentioned autopia as a good site. You may also wish to check out detailcity.com(or. org or .net??). As well there are really good car detailing forms on 2 BMW enthusiast websites: e90post.com and bimmerfest.com. They contain great info on detailing including a complete claying process.
My new car is a month old so I'm still learning what I like and want to use. The Meguiars products are really good.
BTW, what kind of car did you buy?

AZC

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

GBM,

I think you have to be careful with the clay bars. You will need to lubricate the paint as you clay the vehicle.
Hitrack mentioned autopia as a good site. You may also wish to check out detailcity.com(or. org or .net??). As well there are really good car detailing forms on 2 BMW enthusiast websites: e90post.com and bimmerfest.com. They contain great info on detailing including a complete claying process.
My new car is a month old so I'm still learning what I like and want to use. The Meguiars products are really good.
BTW, what kind of car did you buy?

AZC

You use a clay bar on a new car???? The entire point of the clay bar is to remove contaminates and oxidation that has built up on the finish over time. With that in mind, a clay bar is simply mad overkill on a new finish.

 

[Azcanuck]

You use a clay bar on a new car???? The entire point of the clay bar is to remove contaminates and oxidation that has built up on the finish over time. With that in mind, a clay bar is simply mad overkill on a new finish.

Nope, didn't say that I use a clay bar. Reading other forums, lots of guys use the bars on their first detailing of their new vehicle. I thnk their main concern is build up of rail dust during shipping. I probably wouldn't trust myself with a clay bar! You're right about overkill though. On one of the BMW forums, I read where some guy clays every 2 months!
My buddy owns a detailing shop so I had him put a sealant on after I bought it. So, for now, I just wash it and use a quick detailer on a regular basis. The biggest pain for me right now is the build up of brake dust on the front wheels.

AZC

 

[LonelyGhost]

While I was cast out I bought a car... a car I actually like this time.

!

1. for paint, consider diamondkote ... lots of dealers do it, some aftermarket
detailers will too ... it is a paint 'sealer' which is a fancy (and expensive)
way of saying it is an additional layer of a harder 'clear coat' than is put
on most cars ... the paint won't fade or oxidize as much ...

and YES, you still need to wash and wax it once in a while.

2. take the fancy rims off now, back on in the Spring ...

3. you won't need a clay bar for about 10 years ... use it on your cuticles
for now.

 

[Azcanuck]

For my rims, I use Meguiars Hot Rims. It does a great job of getting rid of all that brake dust that builds up.
For tires, maybe just use a foam cleaner like Armour-all. You just spray it on and walk away.

AZC

 

[hornyitalian06]

I have a 1986 Camaro IROC-Z and have detailed inside and out every second year and it is in mint condition. I drive it only in the summer time. My other vehicle is a toyota truck and I get it detailed every spring. It will help when you when sell or trade in your vehicle.

 

[Maury Beniowski]

I use a claybar. It's fast (30 minutes) and it brings back the original showroom smoothness to the finish. You can also use it on the glass surfaces and plastic light covers as well. I even use it on the wheels to remove burned-in brake dust. I use a 10% dish detergent solution as a lubricant; don't use the claybar directly without the lube. Meguiars sells a lubricant, but it is overpriced and doesn't work any better than Ivory. Don't use wax as the solvents will dissolve the clay. Claybars will not remove swirls or scratches. Cut polish will do that, but it needs to be done very carefully, especially on corner surfaces, as it is very easy to overheat the paint and produce friction burns on these areas. My car is two years old, is garage kept every night, and it really needed the claybar. There are so many contaminants in the air nowadays that unlike years ago, polishing with car wax alone just doesn't cut it anymore.

 

[hardup]

Use a quality paste wax on the paint.....do not use an orbital buffer, use a microfibre cloth or cotton diapers and on the leather use nothing but a MILD soap and water and be careful not to get the seats too wet.

Almost all the leather care products have some sort of alcohol in them and that's leathers worst enemy

 

[wilde]

A buddy of mine introduced me to Autoglym products a while back. Now I get everything from them. They are not sold in stores but here is a link to a Canada site: http://www.carcaresmart.com/page/c/ctgy/autoglym. I was told that a lot of detailing shops use this stuff.

.

 

[SexMachineGun]

If your looking to maintain your car the easy way
Call the Local AutoMagic dealer and buy the following. all of which you can apply by hand.

-Fine-Grade Clay Bar its blue in color. a one time purchase for the rest of your life this is a Professional grade clay bar it will last your over 200 uses trust me I used to be a professional detailer.
- Body Shine - its purple liquid used as a detailing spray and as the lubricant for the Clay Bar.
- New Car Glaze
- 1 tin of the Paste wax as your finisher.
- 1 bottle of Hydroshine

now head on down to crappy tire grab a jug of car wash soap. use a little bit less than what the directions say and you'll be fine.
buy a Microfibre Wash Mit.
head down to Costco and buy a package of Microfibre Towels to dry your car.

wash the car .. dry the car .. Clay bar .. new car glaze .. wax in that order

 

[SexMachineGun]

The hydroshine is the best Wash and Wax i've ever used. This would be the one item you use when you dont have any major scratches to take out and you just want to put a bit of protection on and get a nice quick shine.

Wash the car. while the car is still wet. Spray a little bit on. and then buff it till dry with a clean microfibre towel or terry towel ( not terry cloth those are ruff ) the shine from Hydroshine lasts longer than a lot of the waxes they sell in Crappy Tire. and the stuff is cheap at $18 a bottle good for 30 applications

 

[hornyitalian06]

I found alot good information about products out there to use on your car. I might just decide to use some of those products and I will do my own car detailing this year.

 

[Horse99]

You might want to check out Zaino products as well....

 

[ristretto]

I second the Zaino products as well - the shine and lustre is ridiculously deep. It takes some time but you'll only need to apply the stuff twice a year while washing with thier Z-7 car wash - which can also be used as a clay bar lube. The only place I know to get it is at Downtown Autospa though.

 

[hornyitalian06]

Thanks, ristretto and Horese99 for the information on Zaino products . Can you tell me where I can find Zaino Products Is there a website for this product?