Yom's Car Care Guide

I figured it was time for a thread like this, and I want to start by stressing that I'm going to tell you what works for me and the way I have come to do things to get the best results. Sometimes what I do may not work best for others. Also some things I will talk about are quite risky procedures, especially with the super thin paint on our Micras which also suffer lots of clear coat failure. So yeh, I'm not responsible for anything you do to your ride mmkay!

Okay lets begin!


Yom’s Detailing Guide:

Detailing is one of the best things you can do for your ride. The common idea of paint care is a simple cut and polish followed by wax and some armor-all to make those black parts go black again. However there’s more to making your car look fantastic than just cheap applications.

Making you car look fantastic requires effort and money. You’re going to need to spend a fair amount of money to start with just to buy the stuff you’ll need. However it lasts a long time and is definitely worth it when you look at your car in the long run.

This guide will be based around stuff us mortals can get our grubby mits on and stuff which doesn’t cost the earth but still performs reasonably.

I will update this thread with individual posts of particular aspects of caring for your car and I will also be adding pictures when we get into the tougher stages like polishing which can be quite dangerous for the inexperienced.

Washing:

Washing the car is where the most damage to your paint occurs. Here’s what you’re going to need:

-Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo or Meguires Gold Class shampoo.
-Meguiars microfibre chamois (I prefer the hard to find -Enka-fill Synthetic chamois though)
-Meguiars genuine sheepskin wash mitt (white one and will the more expensive one of the two)
-Turtle Wax Platinum Series Spray on Wax/Instant detailer
-Meguiars/Mothers Detailing/Polishing cloths (white ones x 2)
-Meguiars/Mothers/Bowden’s Own Microfibre Cloths x2
-Meguiars Hot Shine Tire Spray
-5ltr bucket

It is very important what shampoo you use as many can actually strip any protective layers (like wax) from your paint which leaves it exposed and venerable to damage, which is not good for our super-thin-paint Micras! The Gold class is good shampoo but the baby shampoo is probably better. The baby shampoo is pH-balanced so it doesn’t sting babies eyes and because of this it doesn’t strip our wax off!

First you wash your wheels. Tip the bucket out in the garden and use fresh water to wash the body. Paint should also be cool so the water doesn’t dry up quickly leaving yucky spots. Wash from the top of the car down. Do certain panels and then rinse off with fresh water to avoid the shampoo from leaving a film on the paint. Also try and wash in straight lines. Avoid excessive circle work as this can lead to nasty tiny little scratches which make your paint look horrible! Drying is pretty obvious. Still keep the car cool and only use the chamois in straight lines and don’t let it get dirty. This can cause scratches. Once the car is as dry as the chamois can get it, I use a nice clean soft lint free cloth to mop up any streaks or droplets left over. Use a separate cloth to clean your wheels. You don’t want your expensive chamois down there! Once the car is dry you can follow the directions on the back of the instant detailer to replenish the wax on your car. I have found the Turtle Wax to last the longest. The Mothers Showcar Shine Instant detailer leaves the car looking better, though. Also apply the tyre shine to your tyres. It protects the rubber and plain makes them look fantastic.

If you are washing the car in prep. for paint care, wash it at least another 3 times to ensure the paint is as clean as possible.


Stay tuned as my next addition to this thread will be about preparing your car for polishing, sealing and waxing. In otherwords, the magical Claybar.

or, in times of water restrictions, pull into a Whale car wash and cough up 30 bucks which will get you a wash, wax, laser dry, vacuum and detail and a free cappucino! Apart from doing the car myself, this is the next best/easiest way to get your Micra looking shiny brand new and smelling good too :) (Sorry Yom, you were saying?)

haharrr, magical clay bar hey > make sure you know what your doing with one of those :P otherwise you'll have a not so magical experience, like myself.

good thread Yom,

Alex

Haha yeh my washing techniques aren't very water friendly. I use tank water though which means I can use as much as I damnwell want. Hehe.

Good thread. Keep the tips coming.

I want to know about the stuff that renews the look of old glazed over headlights.

Well here goes. IF your car has lots of tar spots/grime wash it in kerosene. Kero will not hurt the paint etc and really gets rid of the shite better than anything else.
Then wash with dishwashing liquid and like the sounds of baby shampoo. Very soft cloth. If you can get hold of cheese cloth which is very open and soft its good. Use a real shammie also. Waxes? so many good quality ones, I use Mothers California Gold pure carnauba paste wax and always buff it off with good old elbow grease.
I do both cars at least 3 times/year.

White what are you doing with that yucky old manual labour wax?!?! WHen you're finished your current tin I want you to report to this thread for a full wax overhaul! You can get better results these days with so much less effort! Not to mention better protection.


Oh yeh if you're washing the car getting ready for a claybar workover use dishwashing detergent. Strips all your old protectants straight off. Fantastic stuff.

I like the exercise .
Okay I have nearly finished the tin so what is recommended oh car wash and shine Guru Yom.

Depends on what you're looking for.

If you like the exercise there's no point in changing because if you have the stamina and lack of feeling in your arms to buff the paste wax you come up with the same results that most consumer-level wax can provide.

What most people dont always realise though is that there's more to looking fantastic than just wax. The results really sit in how you prepare the surface. Almost time to post up the claybar technique.

Oh there are much higher quality waxes which provide a much better shine with less effort but the question is how much do you want to pay?

Swissol Oynx for about $100?

Claybar Cleaning:

So you’ve washed your car a few times and you’re wanting to go full steam ahead with removing the horrible toxins from your paint. STOP! Sorry but you’re going to have to wash your car AGAIN! This time with Dishwashing detergent, like Morning Fresh (don’t let the missus/mother see you steal it from under the kitchen sink!). This stuff will strip all greases and waxes that the shampoos may have left on the vehicle. It can also leave your hands nice and soft.

Here’s what you’re going to need.

-Cleaner clay. You can get this from Meguires, etc but I personally prefer the 3M Perfect-It III Cleaner Clay you can buy from most panel beaters.
-Instant Detailing fluid, Meguires Final Inspection seems to work a treat. You’ll be using a lot of this as it is a lubricant to stop the clay bar from damaging the paint with the nasty stuff it picks up. If you run out you can fill the spray bottle with water and baby shampoo if you want.

Before we start its important you understand what the claybar does. It isn’t a magical thing which makes your paint perfect. It is an exfoliating product. It gently removes containments from your paint. Depending on how often your car has been washed you could use a whole 200g claybar first time round. This claybar shouldn’t be used again, but in reality it is fine for using on your wheels or windows – it is easily the best window cleaner around. If you keep up the wax protection and the washing regularly you shouldn’t need to use a claybar again.

How do you use it? Really the best way is to follow the instructions you were given with the package. Keep the paint well lubricated and work only in small areas at a time.

The most common method which works well is to flatten the clay into the palm of your hand so you can rub it on the paint back and forth after you’ve sprayed the lubricant on. Rub the area a few times and using your other hand have a feel of the paint. If it is totally smooth, excellent (you can tell what is smooth and what isn’t by running your hand over an area of the paint which you haven’t worked the claybar over). Move onto the next area. If you can feel a few bumps still, put on a bit more spray and work the lumpy areas again. If doing repeating this 3 times doesn’t remove the lumps, it’s a problem in your paint and you’ll need to move to a highly abrasive polish to flatten it out. I don’t recommend this with the Micras. Their paint is simply too thin. We have to live with a few imperfections unfortunately.

When you’ve completed one panel, use one of your microfibre polishing cloths to remove clay residue and buff the area to a shine using another clean microfibre cloth.

Remember don’t rub too hard. If the clay is deforming under your hand as you move it across the paint, you’re either pressing too hard or not lubricated enough.

Check the clay frequently for hard particles. Remove them if you find them.
Remember to re-mould the clay regularly to ensure a clean contact with the paint surface.
After you’ve cleaned a few panels the clay will look dirty. That’s just the clay doing its job.

Here’s a Q&A Compiled by a fellow who details cars for a living. There may be a few more things of interest in here that I haven’t touched on.

Q1. I dropped my clay on the ground. Can I still use it?
A1. The safe answer is no. Clay will pick up small particles of grit from the ground that will scratch your paint.

Q2. If I use clay do I still need to polish my paint?
A3. Yes. Clay will not remove swirl marks, scratches or etching from acid rain or hard water spots. Paint polish is still required to remove these paint defects. If your paint is new or like-new, detailing clay will significantly reduce the amount of polishing required to keep your paint in good condition.

Q3. What is the best clay?
A3. What label do you like? There are only a couple manufactures of clay, and the technology is protected by U.S. patents. Clay is manufactured with different levels of abrasiveness and colors to suite different applications. There are some subtle difference in technology (plastic vs. elastic material) and the firmness of the material. In general, softer clays are safer and easier to use. A firm clay cleans better with a little more risk of scuffing or scratching. I prefer the 3M clay bar as it is very sticky and works easily to remove surface contaminants. I have found the Meguiars and Mothers products simply not sticky enoughand require very repetitive going overs to remove foreign objects and still doesn't remove all.

Q4. Is it better to use soapy water or a spray lubricant?
A4. Both work equally well. If you want to do the job fast, use a bucket of soapy water. If you want to work inside or do a thorough job, use a spray lubricant. With a spray lubricant you can wipe down each panel as you go and feel for areas you missed.

Q5. How do I store my clay?
A5. If your clay did not come with a re-usable plastic container, store it in a plastic Ziploc bag.

Q6. Will clay remove my wax?
A6. In most cases, clay will "scrub off" wax protection. Some paint sealants are hard enough to withstand being cleaned with clay, but most are not.

Goodluck! Next up I will talk about polishing and what grades of polish you should use depending on your paint’s condition.

Car Cleaning Guru. What is the best way to remove swirls from my paint??

Can i make clay pottery with left over clay?

Seriously,
How bout an easy solution to cleaning the engine bay? My bay looks like its just gone thru Rally Australia.
Tips? High pressue cleaner and a bucket of de-greaser?

Engine bay... We'll get to that. After the interior which will come after the waxing which will come after the polishing.

There's not much you can do in the engine bay without pulling everything out. Put it that way.

I'm working on the polishing post. She's pretty nasty...

Just a quick question Tom if i may, My dash has a what looks to be baked on stain.

From previous owner using dash mat and probably leaving car in the sun, it has discoloured a section that is now brown.

Any suggestions? I haven't tryed anything yet only just removed mat a short time ago

Yom can you advise me how to clean my undies after driving a T28bb equipped micra?

O.M.G. Tom....get a frigg'n JOB!!!!!!!!!!
:P

Tony - The plastics have probably infused with each other due to a chemical reaction. You'd know more about it than I would..

If it wont come off with the usual stuff or metho You're probnably going to have to live with it.

I'd be giving this a go though
http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=437

Dunno where you'd get your hands on some though.

You could also try a professional car detailer. They have to work with some really nasty things and could have an idea.

Cisco - due to health issues I do recommend you place those undies in a plastic bag, tie it up and then douse it in petrol and throw a match on it. Otherwise, go and find some adult nappies for the first few drives. Hehe.

Matty - Boooo! I'm a telemarketer as of today. Friggen impossible to find decent work which moulds around your timetable when you're a uni student!

Mabye I should just detail cars for a living while I'm at uni? ;)

Tom, any good ideas on how to get stains off the back seat? Bloody kids tipped a maccas chocky thickshake over about 7 years ago, the stain seems to be getting more prominent lately

Micragirl - I don't like the in-car fabric shampoos. Far too aggressive for my likings.

Your best bet is to pull the rear seats out (about 8 bolts if you have to remove both the seat bottoms) and wash them down with a hose.

If water won't shift the stain you'll have to spray it with one of those clothing stain remover sprays (like napisan, etc) and then give it a good old hosing.

Again if that doesn't get the stain out, take it to an auto upholsterer or a professional detailer. Its possible you won't be able to get it all out. It has been there for 7 years afterall!

303 products available from

http://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=australia

Loving this thread. Yom you should set up a car detailing business.
We await the next installment on how to glam up your Micra, inside and out.
I dunno Cisco the way he is going maybe a section on how to glam your Micra as advised by our resident Cleaning Guru.

micragirl - Yom, if you pull the back seats out, might aswell get a Vax or one of those uber-vacuums from the local supermarket that clean with water? $40 a day and you can clean your house too :) And the front seats of course.

ORBITAL POLISHER - Good or Bad?

Nah not much point Tom. Unless you're planning on steam cleaning allthe seats its probably not worth it.

Not sure if I'd want to put pressure on the glues holding the fabric to the foams either.

As for electric polishing machines - ensure it is a RANDOM orbital buffer.

www.waxit.com.au sell good quality devices with suitable pads.

I'll go into more detail with them when I go into polishing.

Just waxed my car with EagleOne Wax-as-u-dry... Its got a nice slick feel to it now and it smells *sniff sniff* so sexy. I recommend it! And at $10 per 500ml spray bottle, its pretty cheap! Wash car - Spray this on - Wipe off!

Anyway, im sure Yom has something to say about it ;D

The other thing, is bugs.
My front bumper is basically a bug harvester. I drive thru 2 swamp type areas on the way home from work, at dusk/night, so i assure you i will have at least 5-10 bugson the front of my nice clean bumper by tomorrow.
Question: Is there an easy possibly permanent solution to this? Any wonder sprays? Or do i have to wash my car twice a week?

No you can't stop the bugs from hitting your front bar but you can make them easier to wash off.

Its called using a real wax. That eagle 1 stuff isnt a wax at all. its a greasy coating a bit like amour-all.

Once I've talked about polishing I'll go into detail with waxes. I havent had time to compile information about polishing yet.

Come on Yom , we are all hanging off the edge of our Micra seats awaiting your bible on how to really shine up the loves of our lives.

Can you include a How-to for cleaning the roof? I mean, the interior. Mine is all dusty and if you look at it from a side, ts dreadful. Also, the back parcel tray!
K thx. :)~

Damp hand towel.

Never use chemicals on the roof. THey break down the cardboard.

Again with parcel tray, unless it is a plastic don't use anything but a damp cloth.

Sweet! Thanks :D

hey
my speedometer dash plastic bit is all fogy looking.. is there something i can use to get it off?
ta

Plastic polish at first. The mothers stuff is apparently very good.

hey tom. how do you clean an oil spill off the carpet in the middle of your lounge room
:-) lol

cool thanks ill give it a go :)

I told you Matty not to strip the engine down in the middle of the lounge room.
Do it in the kitchen so the sink is handy to wash parts down.

Okay well I've been doing lots of research and lots of testing things on charlotte.

I'm unhappy with pretty much all of what is available on the consumer market in regards to polishing.

Plus I feel it is quite dangerous for us to go removing deeper scratches from out paint.

Its become apparent to me that it is very possible we may accidently remove more than we bargained for. I've had a few professional details tell me the same thing with the micras.

For example, one detailer tried to rescue another micra local to me. THe owner knew what he was doing and used Meguires Mirror Finish Stage 1 (Medium-cut) polish, and then went over it with the #2 polish which was fine and restored the shine to paint as the #1 was quite harsh. Waxed it and the car came up wonderful.

3 weeks later it wasn't looking so crash hot. The Medium cut meguires (which had been applied by hand apparently) had severly damaged the poor little gold micra's clear coat.

The clear coat was actually de-laminating. Unfortunaterly this could not be repaired and the car went into the panel beaters for a full respray a few months later.

Meguires denied it was the fault of their product and pointed out that the product should have been tested in a discreet location beforehand.


So. All you micra owners with your original paint job might want to pass on removing those scratches and just head to making it look nice. Mabye use a high quality, layering natural wax to hide some of those scratches.


At the moment I'm having a go with some T-Cut Colour Shine/Reviver thingo at the moment. It is colour specific and I found some which suited my colour in a Repco bargain bin for $5 :P and so far I'm quite impressed with it. COnsidering it cost me $5. It isnt a cutting compound and I doubt it would last more than 3 months in QLD weather so I'm going to chuck some wax (bowden's own - auto body perfection) over it as well. Why the bowden's own? Its so easy to use.

I'm already impressed with my $5 polish's ability to mask stone chips in my front bumper.

Cheers

might try that bowdens stuff soon. About to use last of my AutoGlym Extra Gloss Protection. Its abit tricky to put on, I like the sound of the easy application of the bowdens :D,

Alex

Well I completed my cheap $5 bargin bin T-Cut polish.

Not a fantastic finish (it retails for $25 normally) but for $5 i'm not complaining. Its managed to mask quite a bit of the pitting in my front end.

If i don't protect it, it'll probably look dog in a month. Ah well, it was cheap. :P

well, for anyone who wants to try the autoglym stuff. It MUST be put on in a very very thin coat, (its a watery like like solution but you still must put it on as thinly as possible) otherwise you'll be there for hours getting it off...like i was :P it should easily dust off,

Alex

Wow dude with all this cleaning and things do you ever get to drive your car much as it would get dirty or wet again and then your back to the begining...lol... good work.

Micragirl, how can you spend $30 a hit to get your car washed, dried and a coffee?

We have a place like that in town which will wash, wax and drive your car for a mere $25 and they do a crap job even though we keep taking our work fleet cars there.

I just take my cars (Micra & Maxima) to Carlovers, do a $2 run around, a $1-2 vacuum then get it home and give em a good detailing with either some detailing spray or waterless wash spray, takes me a good 30-40 mins to give em a good goings over.

My wife can't see the point in me cleaning the cars each week but I enjoy it though she does like how the cars look like new afterwards.

some pics before the eternal rubbing yesterday :P

closeup

i do recall Yom mentioning his dad saying "I dont think insurance will cover a respray from you rubbing the paint off the car"

heh,

Alex

omg, i don't think i've ever seen someone polish the car like that b4.
am i doing it wrong???
i always do it bit at a time.

is that polish or something else?

Yeh thats a synthetic wax.

But he still hasnt used straight lines. Straight lines alex! Stralight lines!!!

haha, kinda straight. yeh it funny stuff matty, its gotta be left on for 1hour if you like 3-4hours, then buffed off,

i just put abit too much on this time round, still looks lush though,

Alex

Hey guess what.

All of the black plastic exterior things on blue monster were looking a bit tired and grey/dull etc.

I checked out all the different vinyl/plastic stuff available. Best bang for your buck and still from a good brand was "So EASY Protectant": $8.

Amazing stuff. Honestly. They all look shiny black now, way better than armorall rubbish. Then a few days later I washed the car. The water beaded on where the protectant was. Then when the car dried, all the protectant'd bits were still dark black. It has like left them permanently darker and looking heavily refreshed. Highly recommend this stuff. I used to use armorall, this is in another league.

Now I did the whole car, all the door and window seals, the rubber around the blinkers, and edge of the sunroof, the big black louvre thing behind the bonnet. Yay. Oh and the arial mount.

Funny you should say this cisco! I just went out a got a can of black spray paint for exterior plastics. Check out the pic. Its $20 a can, but only needs a sand and spray. Its basically a black plastic primer but designed for exterior plastic aswell. Im going to spray the wheel protector/guards next to my wheels because they look quite shocking. First is a good clean and light sand then a good coat of this wonderful stuff.

Heres the visually offending article. As you can see... Yuck.

Lower it and you dont have those issues anymore. :P

Haha I do the used car dodgey with wheel arches - I give them a quick wash with the car jacked up and i get that Car underbody paint which is quite lumpy and kind of like a sound deadener. It comes in a can and a spraycan. I usually grab a spraycan and give the arches a quick sprayover. Makes them nice and black again.

Sounds fancy :D

Ideally, those arches should have a teflon coating or soemthing so the dirt just falls off :( Tho i guess it would get chipped easy... I wonder how much spray on teflon is...

Ok, im so impressed with this. Heres a before and after shot of the plastic inner guards. How HOT is that sprayed one!!!
*drool*

Its still a little glossy looking as the paint is still wet :D I was just so excited when it went on. I highly recommend doing this. VERY easy to get them off. A Phillips head screwdriver and just turn your wheels to make room to get the screwdriver in there. Im finishing and putting them back on tomorrow!!! *Joy*

2 hours
1 can of Bumper-Trim spray paint
1 can of de-greaser
1 sheet of 400 grit sand paper

= Hot wheels!

Cant really see the inner arches, but theyre a solid satin black. VERY factory looking! Very cheap cleaning/modding job. Now whenever i clean my car, ill just have to wipe down the inner arches with some Mr Muscle or Bam!

I de-greased and very lightly wet sanded the insides of the rims too go get that original paint back. They WERE a thick dark brown from the brakes but now a healthy light grey :)

<3 it.

Massively well done on that inner guard thing mate!

I'll definately have to copy you and do the same sometime soon. Mine are pretty faded too.

Looks awesome,you can do my two when we get there Toma.

Ha. :D

Next up for this paint style is the black plastic window run off. Im guessing its going to need a heat resistant black bumper paint with a satin finish. Hmm. After than the exterior will be very very shmick. :)