'08, keeping it all clean....

Post by **desantim** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:00 pm

It's winter time, and rain and such is falling left and right. I just picked up my 08, black on black 2.5SL sedan, and am loving it, but I feel so.... sad that I don't have the space or the ability to keep the thing clean like I'd like to. I paid 30k for it, I want to keep the thing as clean as I can.

What do you guys do/use to clean up the car? And specific products? I have stockers for wheels right now, but will be going aftermarket sometime next year, some 18's for sure to fill up the wheel wells a bit better.

Besides that, I have dealer tint all the way around, so it is literally black on black on black. Looks pretty good.

Any suggestions would be great. I live in an apartment complex, so it makes it really difficult to keep it washed up.

Mario

Post by **bembol** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:23 pm

It's winter, it's too late now but I always prep my cars by Waxing it (3x coats) and Sealant. I like Meguiars nXt.

During this long, dirty 6 months I use my Air Miles Collector's Points for free Ultimate Touchless Car Washes @ Shell. This is the only time I use it, otherwise I wash her on my driveway.

BTW, congrats on the Coupe!

Post by **SHIFT_COUPE** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:47 pm

I definitely recommend a pre-winter wax. Frequent washes should do you well. Even though its going to be quite cold out, make sure its dried off properly.

I'm as anal about my car as they come so I understand your pain. Just gotta keep on it.

Post by **johnny_d** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:10 pm

I never had a car that I waxed hehe, cuz it was like um... a Camry? Anyway, does anyone have a link to a good guide on how to wax it? thanks

Post by **desantim** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:58 pm

http://www.meguiars.com/howtocenter/

johnny_d wrote:I never had a car that I waxed hehe, cuz it was like um... a Camry? Anyway, does anyone have a link to a good guide on how to wax it? thanks

Saw that, might work well.

~m

Post by **MagicM** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:01 pm

Take it through the car wash at the gas station, that's what i do for everysingle car i have. Having a nice looking car is great, but some people give a little too much love to thier car to the point they should marry it.

Post by **desantim** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:40 pm

MagicM wrote:Take it through the car wash at the gas station, that's what i do for everysingle car i have. Having a nice looking car is great, but some people give a little too much love to thier car to the point they should marry it.

Is there any problem with going through auto washes? I'm kind of old school, and I know it used to be a huge no no... Has technology changed that much?

Post by **MagicM** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:48 pm

what's wrong with the touchless carwash? belive it or not, touchless car washes actually causes less damage to your cars surface paint/layer than doing it with a hand. I've been doing it for years seems to work for me. There was a test and they put two similar cars under a high powered scope, and there was alot more damage to the hand washed cars surface than the auto wash. Just make sure to dry it off quick when in cold weather.

Post by **desantim** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:49 pm

Well... I am looking forward to going to the touchless car washes then:)

Now if someone would respond to my intake/wheel thread!

Post by **generic808** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:37 am

Gas station car washes!!

Post by **D-Roll** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:45 am

Meguiars Nxt wax FTW!!

Post by **generic808** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:49 am

Turtle Wax ICE products are great!

Post by **SHIFT_COUPE** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:19 am

Gas station car washes are a big no no

When its warm out I hand wash my car. During the winter I use a completely touchless carwash by my house. Does an underbody carriage wash to get all that sand out. This gets me through the winter until I can go back to hand washing.

Post by **SHIFT_2.5S** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:40 am

SHIFT_COUPE wrote:Gas station car washes are a big no no

What about non-gas station machine washes and then hand wash follow-up?

Post by **johnny_d** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:04 am

I don't have hose hook up at my place so I had to go to those self wash places, hose it down real good, then spray the soap on (i don't use the brush cuz i think it's pretty nasty and will scratch up my car) after the quick soap spray, I rinse it off again. Not as clean as handwash prolly but i don't want to risk using the brush

Post by **LongBeachCoupe** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:12 am

Any more info on PRE-WINTER wax? I dont like to hear mcguires word.. i like the word on the street... what do you guys use BEFORE the snow... (its coming, i know it... start using aerosol cans to stop the cold and increase global warming!!) wait... ohh ok, im glad i didnt say that, it was a thought

Post by **rjdmmfl1** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:35 am

SHIFT_COUPE wrote:Gas station car washes are a big no no

When its warm out I hand wash my car. During the winter I use a completely touchless carwash by my house. Does an underbody carriage wash to get all that sand out. This gets me through the winter until I can go back to hand washing.

Tyler,I think gas station washes use to be so taboo because of those awful spining brushes they use to use... nowadays, with the touchless high pressure washes, do you still think they are as bad? Or do you think it's the actual chemicals they use at the gas station car wash joints that make them so bad?

Post by **ohjay** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:57 am

zaino.. love the stuff.. better than anything i have used in the past.. such a nice deep glossy look and nice paint protection as well.. nothing beats is.. unless you get a pro to do your car that is..

Post by **SHIFT_COUPE** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:08 am

rjdmmfl1 wrote:
Tyler,I think gas station washes use to be so taboo because of those awful spining brushes they use to use... nowadays, with the touchless high pressure washes, do you still think they are as bad? Or do you think it's the actual chemicals they use at the gas station car wash joints that make them so bad?

The gas station washes around here are grimy and use brushes etc. I don't go to any car wash where anything literally touches my car but soap and water. The high pressure washes are fine in my opinion. Car wash gas stations also probably don't use as good of quality soap or water either. They are a gas station and their main priority is gas, they just built a car wash in the back to raise their sales. A standalone car wash is more likely to pay attention to quality.

Post by **Shift_Perfection** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:13 am

when you guys hand wash it.. do u dry with regular towels? or special kinds? because i dont want to leave swirl marks or even scratches while drying..

Post by **LongBeachCoupe** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:18 am

Woahhh... we need to sticky a car wash materials thread too...

MF is MICROFIBER... use that... or might as well let the water marks just dry

The best is waffle-weave mf towels... they arent cheap, but they wont put a swirly in the paint...

make sure you got some gritguards too.. if not... wait before u wash... read up... buy the right stuff... and save urself a headache

Post by **Shift_Perfection** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:25 am

well its winter now so im gonna wait till spring comes.. but i assume drying w/ith a regular beach towel or one u use for the shower is a no no

Post by **generic808** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:46 am

Shift_Perfection wrote:when you guys hand wash it.. do u dry with regular towels? or special kinds? because i dont want to leave swirl marks or even scratches while drying..

If you're really anal, use a leaf blower

Post by **SHIFT_COUPE** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:48 am

generic808 wrote:
If you're really anal, use a leaf blower

I actually do this

I'm as anal about cars as they come

Post by **desantim** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:09 pm

generic808 wrote:
If you're really anal, use a leaf blower

This my friend is actually a damn fine idea! Now how do I get one of these to use at my apartment complex......

Post by **ABsKiLLz** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:49 pm

well I dont have my coupe yet to wash but when I do get it I will hand wash in the warmer weather. Good ol' towel washes ( will give u a nice workout too ). Winters I guess the drive in car wash will do. But for my current car (96 camry) I let the rain do the washing lol

Post by **mikemart** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:18 pm

A buddy of mine told be about something called a "California Duster" its a dust brush made specifically for dusting cars and being xtra gentle with auto paint. Haven't checked it out yet, but it sounds like a must for us folks that'll leave our coupes in the garage all the time.

Post by **bembol** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:47 pm

California Duster is amazing! I highly recommend it. Also, I use Microfiber Cloths for Drying, Detailing and 17's. Of course I have one for each job.

About the fear of Gas Station Car Washes, almost all except Petro Canada up here use Touchless.

Post by **Shift_Perfection** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:57 pm

generic808 wrote:
If you're really anal, use a leaf blower

my neighbors already think im a nut.. doing this would ensure it. cant wait till spring to try

Post by **generic808** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:27 am

The California Duster is good to keep your car between waxings. I also use the California Blade to dry my car. It's a giant squeegee which works great and cuts the drying time in half. I use it to get the large parts of water off the car, then I use The Absorber to get the rest off. Haven't gone as far as Tyler with the yet, but I was debating if I should buy one or not

'08, keeping it all clean....

'08, keeping it all clean....

Re: '08, keeping it all clean.... (desantim)

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