Minimal exterior detailing

[buck91]

Always been a clay and wax type of guy for my personal vehicle. Tried compound and polishes a couple times but between the labor intensity and time required its just too much. Well even doing the claybar and wax is going to get to take too much time up with work, family and a new addition on the way.

If you were me, and dealing with the below listed truck which is in fairly excellent cosmetic condition (excepting a large, filled and painted, scratch on the passenger side which has yet to be sanded down and buffed) woud you opt for a 1 step "AIO" product like Megs cleaner wax for the cleaning/polishing benefit or would you stick with a sealant- I use Megs UPW- to minimize reapplication requirements. I tended to use a variety of car washes but I try to stick with megs UW&W or Gold Class followed by their D156 synthetic spray wax.

In the best of times the wash and spray wax happens weekly, but typically it stretches out to once every couple weeks. I will be lucky to have time for two honest hand waxes this year....

 

[qwertydude]

Do you have a machine?


https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=202166&Number=3099907

If you're hand waxing a truck you definitely can machine wax it and get better results faster with less physical exhaustion with even AIO type products. Even if all you can get is a cheap 6" wax spreader you can effect some very good correction. Much better and more consistent than what you can achieve by hand.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-compact-palm-polisher-90219.html#.UzT241fviSo

The above polisher costs less than many decent waxes and will definitely save your arms from so much wear and tear trying to hand polish or wax a truck. You may find it easy enough to actually wax the truck more often because you're not dreading all the effort.


My polisher's original foam backing wore out after 10+ years and I peeled the stuff off down to the plastic plate, had to dissolve the really sticky glue with gasoline, and glued velcro on it and now use the 6" pads I use for my DA's.

http://www.highperformancepontiac.com/tech/hppp_1006_ryobi_orbital_buffer/viewall.html

The mod is similar to what was done above. I can say that using a decent cleaner wax like Meguiars NXT 2.0 is an absolute breeze, even easier and faster than using a DA because of the light weight and compact dimensions of the cheapy polisher. And with the cheapy polisher because it'll spread the wax thinly and really work it into the paint. And NXT 2.0 can actually somewhat correct some light swirling using a finishing pad and going slowly with my cheapy wax spreader modded with a foam pad.

I'll definitely recommend NXT 2.0 over Meguiar's pretty old school cleaner wax. The results even by hand will surprise you and the application and removal is much easier than Meg's Cleaner Wax. And machine applying it only improves the look as it will actually do some correcting. It's very limited, you're not going to get rid of anything more than very light swirls but it'll improve the look quite a bit when you really work it in by machine.

 

[The Critic]

I would not bother with any of the above options.

I would use CarPro Hydr02 on the car every 3-4 washes. Application takes about 5 minutes.

If I had no plans to coat the car, I would just use Hydr02 on a regular basis and not worry about hand-waxing the vehicle.

 

[qwertydude]

The thing is with those coatings eventually the finish will deteriorate. Though it'll be protected from oxidizing and fading it will start swirling up over time. And that's what regular use of cleaner waxes help with, it helps reduce the look of swirls with every application.

The OP doesn't seem like a person who will wash his car every week with the utmost of care especially considering newfound family issues. This is like the majority of people who own their cars.

While the protection from deterioration with CarPro Hydro2 is without a doubt better than most any wax, unless the OP really has a very good wash routine it's my thinking the car will swirl faster than the Hydro2 protects since Hydro 2 doesn't help repair swirls and cleaner waxes will which is what the OP is after, a true all in one solution. Hydro 2 is more like a very easy to use LSP in which case a separate polishing step is needed and that's beyond what the OP is willing to do.

In which case good cleaner waxes applied regularly will both protect the car and keep it looking good. It's sorta the philosophy with Zaino AIO. Use it regularly enough and it'll just about work miracles. With every application paint defects are reduced and eventually you get a very good finish.

I know from experience that perhaps the least amount of effort along with being pretty darn foolproof while still maintaining a very good looking car is just a cleaner wax applied by machine every couple months and a claying once a year. No other products necessary and nothing too exotic or having special application needs.

It's what I've prescribed to friends and relatives who like shiny cars but certainly want something easy and foolproof and one step to keep their daily drivers looking good. While their cars' paint isn't as consistently amazing as my cars, with just regular cleaner waxings applied by machine their cars easily beat most any other cars on the road in terms of looks.

 

[jimbrewer]

I like the Collinite I put it on in mid-November. Still going strong. In fact, I'm wondering how I'll get this stuff off when spring rolls around. I'm quite certain I could get by with twice a year waxing.

I'm an acolyte of the rinseless washes. I happen to do the "Garry Dean" method where you slap one Sam's Club microfiber towel after the other saturated in rinseless wash on the car and swipe it a couple of times. [you can youtube up a full description]. Its not actually faster than a regular wash, but more convenient. You can do it at night in your garage during the weekday, or in inclement weather. That's huge. Your little ones are down, you don't feel like watching another stupid talent show, you go out in the garage some weekday evening and take care of the car. One less thing to do that weekend. I got a lid for the bucket. I wash the towels, mix up next weeks batch, put the towels in with the lid on it, and put it in the garage for next week. I use the Duragloss rinseless product which has spray wax already in it. That only saves ten minutes, but every little bit helps. If you are just interested in experimenting. the Turtlewax product available over the counter in many places (or through Wal-Mart.com) is as good as any of them.

So its an hour some weekday night, plus washing of the towels. That's reasonable. If the car is really dirty, you have to kind of hose it off either in your driveway or at the coin-op car wash, but that's reasonable, and an opportunity to get the undercarriage, which should be a big deal in the salt belt.

P.S. For a truck you need three gallons of rinseless, not two.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: qwertydude

While the protection from deterioration with CarPro Hydro2 is without a doubt better than most any wax, unless the OP really has a very good wash routine it's my thinking the car will swirl faster than the Hydro2 protects since Hydro 2 doesn't help repair swirls and cleaner waxes will which is what the OP is after, a true all in one solution. Hydro 2 is more like a very easy to use LSP in which case a separate polishing step is needed and that's beyond what the OP is willing to do.

In which case good cleaner waxes applied regularly will both protect the car and keep it looking good. It's sorta the philosophy with Zaino AIO. Use it regularly enough and it'll just about work miracles. With every application paint defects are reduced and eventually you get a very good finish.


As long as the OP keeps the car clayed periodically and protected regularly with Hydr02, I wouldn't even worry about the swirls. Any LSP is going to have a slight filling effect, and Hydr02 fills a lot.

I think he would be very satisfied with the appearance if he just kept the paint cleaned and protected.

 

[gofast182]

The more I see folks use them the more I think Megs/Mothers cleaner wax are the devil. When I first got my S2000 5 or 6 years ago I tried to use it both in the door jambs to remove water spots and then on the exterior finish to polish the car. The door jamb, while free of water spots, had noticeable swirling (and does to this day). When I got to the exterior I quickly discovered I was making the fender where I started worse. I promptly took the car to a professional detailer who made the whole car a jewel. Since then I've endeavored to learn the products, tools, and techniques so I can take care of it all myself and keep the car looking like a jewel. All because cleaner wax messed up my car.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: qwertydude
Do you have a machine?


https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=202166&Number=3099907

If you're hand waxing a truck you definitely can machine wax it and get better results faster with less physical exhaustion with even AIO type products. Even if all you can get is a cheap 6" wax spreader you can effect some very good correction. Much better and more consistent than what you can achieve by hand.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-compact-palm-polisher-90219.html#.UzT241fviSo

The above polisher costs less than many decent waxes and will definitely save your arms from so much wear and tear trying to hand polish or wax a truck. You may find it easy enough to actually wax the truck more often because you're not dreading all the effort.


My polisher's original foam backing wore out after 10+ years and I peeled the stuff off down to the plastic plate, had to dissolve the really sticky glue with gasoline, and glued velcro on it and now use the 6" pads I use for my DA's.

http://www.highperformancepontiac.com/tech/hppp_1006_ryobi_orbital_buffer/viewall.html

The mod is similar to what was done above. I can say that using a decent cleaner wax like Meguiars NXT 2.0 is an absolute breeze, even easier and faster than using a DA because of the light weight and compact dimensions of the cheapy polisher. And with the cheapy polisher because it'll spread the wax thinly and really work it into the paint. And NXT 2.0 can actually somewhat correct some light swirling using a finishing pad and going slowly with my cheapy wax spreader modded with a foam pad.

I'll definitely recommend NXT 2.0 over Meguiar's pretty old school cleaner wax. The results even by hand will surprise you and the application and removal is much easier than Meg's Cleaner Wax. And machine applying it only improves the look as it will actually do some correcting. It's very limited, you're not going to get rid of anything more than very light swirls but it'll improve the look quite a bit when you really work it in by machine.


Can the palm polisher listed above from HF damage paint if used incorrectly?

 

[qwertydude]

In my experience, not really, short of using some really old school rocks in a bottle rubbing compound. I mean DA's are pretty tough to damage paint with and these have barely a tenth the power of those.

I'd also avoid using wool bonnets except for heavy correction.

Modding it for foam pads really does fix the majority of its shortcomings as foam bonnets tend to rip after being put on and taken off a bunch of times.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: gofast182
All because cleaner wax messed up my car.


The applicator or towels used to buff off the wax could have caused it as well. Trust me I've learned this the hard way.

 

[SatinSilver]

What about using the terry and polishing bonnets that it comes with? The reviews seem to be very positive on it. Esp from guys that used to use heavier more expensive polishers. I hate applying an AIO by hand. This would be great to use and should yield much better results. What a great price as well.

 

[buck91]

Picked up the 6in today at Harbor freight for $13 after sales and coupons. Looks decent, bonnets look pretty flimsy but the material has a nice feel. I will probably use the supplied bonnets while they last and then convert to a velcro and foam pad setup.

 

[qwertydude]

I would use the cotton ones only for applying AIO type products. It will definitely increase the cut. But make sure you're working with clean paint that's been clayed.

Cotton is not very forgiving to micro-particles dislodged from the paint.

Microfiber is actually very good for applying liquid waxes. It will apply it very thinly, almost invisibly but that's a good thing. Thin application is the best application. To test if you're applying wax still, press the polisher against glass, if it leaves a waxy stain you're still good to go. A proper thin coat of wax is nearly invisible and looks pretty much like a smeared fingerprint. This also makes removal a breeze, just light wiping turn to a clean section and wipe again much easier and faster than having to muscle dried wax off, no heavy buffing.

It's the heat and friction the machine generates that really helps to bond waxes onto the paint and the extremely high surface area microfiber has makes sure the wax is thoroughly worked into the finish meaning you also use less wax. One thin line of wax across the face of a microfiber bonnet ought to be enough to do a whole panel, and likely then some.

After waxing one panel with a microfiber bonnet it's a good idea to "spur" the bonnet with another clean microfiber to clean out the spent paint the polishing action of an AIO tends to do on a machine.

 

[qwertydude]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: gofast182
All because cleaner wax messed up my car.


The applicator or towels used to buff off the wax could have caused it as well. Trust me I've learned this the hard way.

Also like I've said cleaner waxes can clean paint quite well but if there are large bonded contaminants in the paint that weren't removed by claying they can potentially cause severe swirls or gouges especially if cotton applicators are used. Microfiber applicators helps to avoid this or minimze the effect but claying is the best to avoid this happening.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: qwertydude
In my experience, not really, short of using some really old school rocks in a bottle rubbing compound. I mean DA's are pretty tough to damage paint with and these have barely a tenth the power of those.


As always, this is very user-dependent. It is now much easier to damage paint with the newer long-throw DAs compared to before. Especially if they're paired with MF Cutting Discs and something like M101...

With any tool, you need to be careful and understand its intended operation. Detailers like to experiment by using products and tools outside of their intended applications, and this is when bad things can sometimes happen.