Wash & wax information wanted

[northpaul]

I've spent the last 2 years slowly getting the mechanical aspects of a 1948 Plymouth Deluxe into road worthy shape. Now that that is done, I'm ready to work on the outside of the car, namely washing and waxing it.

I do not know the last time the car was washed/waxed but it looks like it's been a long time. I've read about and seen videos on the use of a clay bar. Would a clay bar be harmful to the original Cruiser Maroon paint?

Also, what about the wax: liquid or paste?

Any and all opinions and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

[chopt50wgn]

Using any of the brand names like Meguiers etc car washes will be fine to get the initial dirt off.

You can use a clay bar on older paint. They are meant to remove oxidation and fine dirt particles that a wash mitt might miss.

Now you have lots of choices when it comes to waxes. There are the carnuba paste types that work well for protection and the newer synthetics that go on easy and come off just as easy.

You want to stick with brand names like Meguiers, Mothers, Surf City etc

make sure you also do the waxing in the shade.

[White Spyder]

I agree with the above regarding brand names. Mothers has a 3 step wax system that I used with great success. Labor intensive but great results. Below is a shot of the difference in one panel to the next after I did all 3.

[desoto1939]

Do not and I again say Do Not use any cloth such as a tee shirt to wax or even remove the wax on a car. These items have polyester fibers and they will scratch the paint.

I ahve attended several lectures of car detailing. All details are now using Microfiber towles and wash mits. They also state to cut off the tags that are attached to the items that statge the materials that the item is made from. These small tags also will scratch the paint.

Use a car wash product do not use your wifes dish soap. The dish soap has a grease cutting agent to remove the grease from your dishes, but if you use the dish soap it removes the wax from your car.

Also get a 5 gallon bucket and then look into the Mcquire products line and then get an egg crate platic insert for the wash bucket. This goes into the bottom of the bucket and has holes in it. What happens is that the egg create permits the dirt to settle to the bottom of the bucket and then you wash mit sits ontop of the egg create so you then do not pick up any fine dirty and put it back into the wash mit and then when washing the car it stops you from scratching the paint again.

Clay bars are great to remove contaminates from the paint. wash the car and dry with a microfiber towle. If you have a local Walmart you can get these towel at a very cheap price. You a detailers spray such a mcquires as the wetting agent. This has a liquid wax or polishing agent in the product. Spray this on the car ins samll section. MAke a small flat piece of the bar in the palm of your hand and then rub it in circles on the wetted surface. Then dry it off with a microfiber towel. The paint surface will not be as smooth as a new borns babies butt. You just removed the sap and other containates from the paint. Continue to do the entire car. You now also have put on same wax. If you want to finish the job then wax the car and use microfiber towels to put ont he wax and take off the wax.

Sucggest that you look at Mcquires, Mothers, Groits Gargae and any top grade waxes. The new Tech wax are great to use and are easy to put on and remove.

Do not use a chamois to remove the water ont he car. Get a California Blade. This looks like a squeegee and has soft rubber. after washing and rinsing the soap off the car then use the blade to remove the excess water from the body. Now you have very little water on the car and then use the Microfiber drying towels to wipe the car down to get the remaing water off the car and now you will have very few water spots on the car.

I have gotten all of these tips while attending the AACA conventions that are held in Phila in Feb, they have seminars on car detailing.

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Young Ed]

Why don't they have you using chamois? I use one on my car all the time.

[austinsailor]

What I learned from all my boat work is that carnuba wax is great for cars, it just doesn't last but a few weeks. If you're going to wax it frequently, it'll be fine, but if you only want to do it once or twice a season like a boat, a different type of wax might serve you better.

At this point I won't recommend what wax, as I'm more familiar with boat waxes and that probably isn't the best choice either.

[desoto1939]

Why don't they have you using chamois? I use one on my car all the time.

The chamois is just an animal skin and has to be wet to be pliable. This is old school technology. The mircofiber is a fiber that has been split many time is more absorbent and not as hard on the body and paint finish as the chamois.

A good chamois has to be given speail care to keep in in good shape and has not that good of drying action as microfiber.

I did use chamois in my younger years but I have found that the large microfiber towels do a better job and they dry very quickly after I hang them on the line where as the chamos takes a long time to dry gets brille and then leaves small piesces of the chamosi on the car.

If you are happy witht he chamois then continue using them. I am just stating from what I have learned from my lectures that I have attended and not stating that the old school is not correct but this is what all of the major detailers are doing with the cars that go to the major shows like Hershey and Pebble Beach so why not do what they do to eliminate scratch and swirl marks.

Rich Hartung

[mfccwhite]

I am not a fan of waxing, prefer to polish. Many years ago I had a car that the paint checked and at the time I would only wax a car. Now I use a product called Renew 3000 for my travel trailer and tow vehicle. (My '47 Plymouth is far from polish material, but be reassured I will use Renew 3000 when the time comes). I hope this helps.

Edited August 31, 2012 by mfccwhite

[Young Ed]

Rich you got me curious about what I've been using. I've been using the absorber. Which I thought was a chamois. This is what their website calls it:

"The absorber® is NOT a leather chamois. Nor is it a terry cloth towel. But it’s probably the best drying tool you’ll ever discover. The absorber® is made of a unique material called PVA (Poly Vinyl Alcohol). "

Guess I was a little higher tech than I thought! I'm still using my first one that I bought almost 10 years ago. Store it damp in the tube it came in as the directions state.

[Plymouthy Adams]

may not be the favored of some folks but I like this stuff..

[desoto1939]

Rich you got me curious about what I've been using. I've been using the absorber. Which I thought was a chamois. This is what their website calls it:

"The absorber® is NOT a leather chamois. Nor is it a terry cloth towel. But it’s probably the best drying tool you’ll ever discover. The absorber® is made of a unique material called PVA (Poly Vinyl Alcohol). "

Guess I was a little higher tech than I thought! I'm still using my first one that I bought almost 10 years ago. Store it damp in the tube it came in as the directions state.

Young Ed: I have seen these in the stores and also at swap meets. Have never tried one but this is a high tech item and another good quality product. Like I said in my prior posts I am not a prof detailer but just passing along info that I have acquired. This is why I like the forum. We get to see what other car owners are using and get feedback onthe pros/cons.

Good product and if it works for you then keep using it. Thanks for the input Hope you have a great Labor Day holiday and get eh car out this weekend.

Rich HArtung

[Young Ed]

Good product and if it works for you then keep using it. Thanks for the input Hope you have a great Labor Day holiday and get eh car out this weekend.

Rich HArtung

Ha it currently has no differential axles driveshaft etc etc. I do hope there will be some test driving later on in the weekend.

I agree its nice to see what others are using. My pickup which has 1 repaint on it from a long time ago was getting quite faded. I bought some mequires polish and then followed up with their wax and it made a big difference. That was last summer and it still looks good.

[BobT-47P15]

I like Meguiars products also.

As the convertible leaks in various places when caught in the rain, or

washed with a hose......I normally just dust it off, then wax it without

washing. Works for me anyway. Haven't used microfiber cloths....

just the old T shirt type of stuff and old bath towels. May try the micro

once the new

paint job gets done. Appreciate the tips offered above.

[greg g]

The conventional wisdom when dealing with "Original Paint" is to wash the car, then go at it with wet sand paper and rubbing compounds. Which is great until you buff through the fragile finish and expose primer or bare metal. The paint is oxidized, dried out and soft. You need to clean off the oxidized layer and nourish the paint beneath. Some folks even warn against washing the car, as the water will carry the detergents from the soap into cracks and leave a residue. They recomment using a dry cleaning product. then proceeding to the polishing abrasives.

But counter intuitively, you should start with the least agressive product first. So at a minimum rinse the car, and use a wash mitt to knock off the surface grit and grime. then take a trip to the grocery store and get a can of (on no here we go again) Bon AMI house hold cleanser (or Bar Keepers Friend) this is a feldspar based product not like the other silica or aluminum oxide based stuff.

Now as far as procedure is concerened, get a windex or similar spray bottle and fill it with water and add 2 or 3 drops of carwash soap. Now spray down a foot square area, then sprinkle on the Bon Ami and scrub it with a wet micro fibre cloth. Keep it wet and use more cleanser as needed. With a water blade, dry the spot and check it surface. You will see lots of paint color coming off on the cloth, so rinse the cloth and use more cleanser as you go. when you are satisfied move on to another square foot.

Its lots of work and when its done you need to then go over the car with something like macquires #7 or similar mothers product when your finished scrubbing. Then I finish up with a Detailers final finish rather than wax.

Try this on a small spot like th bottom of a fender, I think you will be pleasently surprised.

[JerseyHarold]

I wouldn't start cutting or waxing before washing the car to avoid grinding dirt into the paint.

One point I picked-up a few years ago is to use two buckets for your washing. Dunk your sponge in a bucket full of clean suds and wring out the dirty stuff in a second bucket. This way, you're not washing fresh areas of the car with dirty suds. My cars come out much better since I've gone over to that system.

[Plymouthy Adams]

ah come on guys...you defend patina on one hand but yet oppose it on another..if you do not use abrasives how you going to get that original aged looked glorifying it a sruvivor without getting patina along the way.. ...I am confused by these posts...