How many of you detail your cars and trucks??

[ruking77]

The tack I have taken is to establish a very high base line and only do the detailing it takes to maintain it.

One of the best detailing tools is a 4 sided closed and insulated garage

I can sometimes go 1-4 months without washing with every day use. I use the California duster when it is appropriate.

I use a lot of the Zaino system parts, and use #40 Meguairs rubber and vinyl cleaner and rejuvenator. If you have the car garaged you can get away with polishing once a year. The recommendation is every 6 mo or twice a year. The other trick is to use 100% cotton toweling and or the high quality synthetic toweling and touch the finish as little as possible. It doesn't take much to put a swirl in, but takes a lot to remove em. Keep in mind the total paint thickness is approximately that of a brown paper grocery bag!

[ August 08, 2003, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: ruking77 ]

 

[Al]

I kinda really slacked off. I was never really serious but when I got my new Sentra almost 3 yeqars ago I was pretty faithful with Meguiar's #26/3M Imp Hand Glaze. I also used the Perfect It and Colinite Fleetwax. After a while I just found my self spending too much time keeping a vehicle that once out on the road a few days didn't look much better than the average car.

I still keep the vehicle mechanically perfect and the engine compartment looking like new though

Bottom line once a year on the wax stuff and once a month on the interior.

 

[joee12]

I wash both cars and clean the interior once a month. I wax the Integra every three months. -Joe

 

[Mike_dup1]

Bumper stickers I have seen.

"A clean car is a sign of a sick mind"

also on the same car,

"On a quite night you can hear a Ford Rust"

 

[Patman]

I'm very good about keeping my car clean, it gets washed two or three times a week, basically as soon as it gets dirty, I wash it the very next morning before I leave for work.

As far as waxing goes, I've been slacking off and usually only do it maybe 3 times a year at the very most, more often only twice though. I use Zaino Z2 for that (and the Z7 wash in between)

Interior wise I usually take my cars in twice a year for the $40 vacuum and windows package at the local detail shop, which also includes shampooing the mats (and a car wash too)

 

[Ken42]

Clean? The last time I cleaned my car was ?????
I think when a oil bottle leaked in the trunk.

 

[oilpan49]

I classify myself as an enthusiast detailer, I run my own business here at my garage at my house and IMO, nothing better than a clean ride in and out, engine too

I usually give my truck the good once over twice a yr. Wash, remove bugs & tar, oxidation, polish the finish out and top it off with a nice wax, my favorite is S100 paste Wax, awesome stuff!!

What do you guys do when you detail your rides and how often do you do it?????? AR

[ August 08, 2003, 12:06 PM: Message edited by: Airborne Ranger ]

 

[pscholte]

AR,

We usually wash our cars every 1-2 weeks...wax 2-4 times a year using some form of Turtle Wax...used to use Meguiars but got away from it...the Turtle seems to work really well...especially their "Extreme" wax. My wife is FAR more attentive to inside detailing then I am. Cars are garaged.

 

[3 Mad Ponchos]

I get my car professionally detailed once a year in the spring and then remember to wash it maybe twice more before winter hits.

I know, I suck.

Cheers, 3MP

 

[HOndaGuy]

i usually do mine 3 or 4 times a year. I used to use mothers sealer and glaze then meguiars #26 on mine, then i used blackfire 2 for awhile. Then i used klasse all in one, then bf2 for a topper, now im using klasse all in one and klasse sealant glaze. s100 is a great wax also, i use it on my gf's car and my rents cars. It was #2 on the wax test only losing to zaino, which I will eventually try in the future when i have time.

 

[ALS]

I detail the car twice a year. Usually in April/May and Oct/Nov. I clean the engine,
de-bug, de-tar, touch up the nicks and apply a good coat of paste wax. In the spring I shampoo the interior including the mats and rug. I also pull my intercooler and reverse spray with a hose the intercooler, condensor and radiator to remove the road garbage that has acummulated in the fins twice a year. I do wipe down the dash, windows and door jams every time I wash the car.

 

[oilpan49]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ken42:
Clean? The last time I cleaned my car was ?????
I think when a oil bottle leaked in the trunk.

---

Kenny Kenny Kenny!!!!! you have been a bad monkey, lol j/k dude

I"ve been really wanting to try out Zaino on my truck, problem is I look at my truck, look at my bank account and ask myself, is it really worth removing the swirls, getting a DA Polisher for the prep work, yada yada yada, prep supplies, polisher and Zaino, it adds up. Someday,,,,AR

 

[Judd]

Count me in the "Do it yourself detailers" club. I can spend 3-4 hours at a time on my Firebird or Mustang no problem.

 

[bubba]

does driving through the free car wash when i get a fill up count as detailing?

 

[Starbreaker666]

Both my 02 dodge QC 1500 and my wifes new 03 Sonata are taken to the Prison I work at and let the inmtes detail em for nothing once a year. For being convicts they do a **** of a job. We wash em 2x a month.

 

[sprintman]

Just had both done at A$187 each. i HATE cleaning cars!!

 

[dham]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mike:
Bumper stickers I have seen.

"A clean car is a sign of a sick mind"

---

I would fall under that category if you asked my friends.
I do a full detail on my car every 2 months or so, a new coat of wax every couple of weeks or whenever I'm bored, it gets dusted down with mother's showtime quick detailer and microfiber towels at the end of EVERY day that I drive it, and I use a car cover every night, even some days in the summers when I get to put her in a garage.

 

[Toy4x4]

I usually do a once a month waxing and also do...uh...oh, you mean my vehicle! Used to do it twice a year but have gotten behind and am now paying for it. Oxidation has set in on the hood and cab so I'm going to have to compound the whole truck and then polish it. I rushed a waxing one day by not letting the truck cool down enough before applying. It seemed to go downhill from there.

 

[eldawg4100]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ruking77:
The tack I have taken is to establish a very high base line and only do the detailing it takes to maintain it.

One of the best detailing tools is a 4 sided closed and insulated garage

I can sometimes go 1-4 months without washing with every day use. I use the California duster when it is appropriate.

I use a lot of the Zaino system parts, and use #40 Meguairs rubber and vinyl cleaner and rejuvenator. If you have the car garaged you can get away with polishing once a year. The recommendation is every 6 mo or twice a year. The other trick is to use 100% cotton toweling and or the high quality synthetic toweling and touch the finish as little as possible. It doesn't take much to put a swirl in, but takes a lot to remove em. Keep in mind the total paint thickness is approximately that of a brown paper grocery bag!

---

yea i get the rejuvanator from work its pretty good, but I prefer some stuff we have called MOC power shine, I think its a little better with scratches and swirls. for dark cars i use black gold.

I usually wash my car 3-5 times a week. the includes interior also. Sunday is a full detail day, cept I never have to shampoo carpets often etc.etc.

I also detail peoples cars as a side job.

 

[Robbie Alexander]

Originally posted by eldawg4100:
[QB]

Originally posted by ruking77:

I usually wash my car 3-5 times a week. the includes interior also. Sunday is a full detail day, cept I never have to shampoo carpets often etc.etc.

---
I use to before I converted my girl-friend to my wife/woman.

Now, It's a wash three or four times a year, usually back to back. It gets so dirty, I usually have to go through there several times at the Mr.Carwash express to get the dirt off.

I hardly ever had it waxed.

When it was new I washed it every day for a month
cause it was FREE! :-}