Topic: All the steps

[Ubi]

I am going to be making my 04 grand prix good and new again so i was wondering all the steps i need to go through. I need to remove a few minor scratches and touch up two small spots with the touch up paint that came with the car. I want to go all out with removing scratches and waxing and all. Someone please help me on all the steps i need to go through.

1. Wash and dry car
2. now i need to know what to do first. Do i touch up spots first and then remove scratches??
3. which products to go with for the rest of it and which order should i do everything in? Want to go all out on this job to make it look good so i can sell it in the next little while

[airbalancer]

check out this place http://www.autopia.org/

There was some fancy detailer who was the mod of this section, KGCCS, but he has not been here for months

[tommyhorse]

Check around on the web and it's not hard to find the usual steps:

1. Wash the car out of the sun using a car wash detergent - make sure you use a wash cloth, soft sponge or wash mit that is perfectly clean so it won't scratch your paint.  Big point - if you drop the mit, take time and effort and get it perfectly clean.  Make sure you get all the tree sap, traces of bird crap, atmospheric fall-out;
2. Carefully dry it with something absorbant that won't scratch.  You don't want to add swirl smarks.  Big point - if you drop the cloth, take time and effort and get it perfectly clean;
3. Go to the expense and effort of "clay barring" your car.  You can buy Clay Bar kits at Canadian Tire, you'll see Meguiars and Mothers stocked on the shelf.  If you won't to save yourself some money, just buy the clay bar if you can buy it separate from the liquid "Detailer" liquid that comes in the kit.  But you'll need something slippery when you "clay bar" your car - a soapy solution is what the detailer shops use.  Big point - if you drop the bar, take time and effort and get it perfectly clean by picking out the grit and folding it over.  Or discard it and start with a fresh one.  Clay barring not worth the effort?  Run your finger across a section you clay barred and tell me it's not amazingly as smooth as glass!  You won't have to clay bar more than once every few years, if that often.  But I guarantee you're be amazed at the difference on a car that's a few years old:
4. Get a swirl remover/polish and a electric obital polisher - often on sale at Crappy Tire.  The swirl remover does just that, and it's polish will give the finish an amazing sheen.  The buffer will take the time and effort out of this step - and you can't easily match the even shine and lustre doing it by hand.  Big point - if you get debris or grit on the polishing/buffing pads, take time and effort and get it perfectly clean.  And keep the cord of the buffer, if it's not battery powered, over your shoulder, not dragging on your paint;
5. Final step - use a good high tech wax/sealer.  I use Meguiars NxtGen and have great results.  Use the orbital buffer to both apply the wax, then remove and polish the finish.  Big point - if you get debris or grit on the polishing/buffing pads, take time and effort and get it perfectly clean.

Repeat the Swirl Removal step if you didn't get most of the scratches out the first time.  Or try a compound a little more aggressive - they come in a numbered series.  Professional detailers use a harsh one to "cut" the clear coat, but leave that for the professionals or you could end up damaging your finish.

You can't do a better home job if you follow this process.  Which product you use won't vary the results as much as the effort and care you use at each stage.  Got a question - you can phone the Meguiars technical help line and they'll tell you what to do.  Or you can email them, which is what I did.

[Vanguard]

I'm new to the clay bar treatment but have cleaned & waxed for years. What is the product called the clay bar and how does it work so well? Would it be beneficial for an enamal finish (no clear coat) on my 79 MGB? I appreciate the advice.

[tommyhorse]

I'm new to the clay bar treatment but have cleaned & waxed for years. What is the product called the clay bar and how does it work so well? Would it be beneficial for an enamal finish (no clear coat) on my 79 MGB? I appreciate the advice.

A clay bar isn't like clay at all - it's simply a pliable, putty type material about the size and shape of a bar of soap.  Rub it on a dry surface and it'll leave a mess - kinda like that Mono caulking material you use to insulate around windows.  But use it with a lubricant, like soap or spray-on liquid car polish, and it works like magic removing grime and particles darkening the white clay bar.  The clay bar process smooths the surface of your paint without using an abrasive.  The surface of your car after you've clay barred is as smooth as a baby's bottom, "smooth as glass" is the preferred term.  There really is an amazing difference. 

Couple of problems - the wax manufacturers package it with expensive liquid "detailer" polish then sell it as a "kit" - the detailer being the libricant so the bar doesn't stick to the surface of your car.  But a detailer told me he just uses regular car wash soap as a lubricant.  I tried it and it worked perfectly and saves money.  If you can't find clay bars sold separately from the trumped up prices of a "kit", phone around to detail shops, sometimes they work in conjunction with the shops that specialize in window tint, and ask if you can buy a couple of clay bars.  Or go to eBay - I think that's what I did.  The other problem is trying not to drop the darn thing.  If you do, of course then you've got grit stuck to your clay bar that can and will scratch your paint.  To some extent you can kneed the clay material around a little - it's a lot easier just not to drop it.

I think the clay bar treatment will work wonders on any painted surface.  If you're fussy about your car's finish, use an orbital polisher along with a clay bar, and a professional detailer would be hard pressed to do a noticeably better job.

[Vanguard]

tommyhorse, thanks for a great and detailed explanation. I will try it on the MGB black enamel finish which is highly susceptible to water marks. It will be interesting to see if the clay bar helps in that respect.

Cheers,