Some questions about car cleaning

[ceningolmo]

Ok... this is probably going to be a stupid thread. But, I don't know the answer so I would like to ask.

First, what do you all use to maintain your leather interior? Today, I used Meguiar's Gold Class leather conditioner/cleaner to wipe down my interior. And, I think it probably worked well. But, on the instructions it states that I should use one cloth to treat the leather and seperate cloth to wipe down excess. However, I had zero excess. So, either I am doing this wrong, not using enough, or my leather is so dry that it is soaking the stuff up as soon as I wipe it on. Hoping someone else has some experience with this.

Second, what do you guys do to keep CLEAN towels around to wax/wash/buff/clean your car with? I have plenty of basic terry cloth towels to do the job. But, once I have used one to buff out wax I don't want to use it again until it has been cleaned. So, do I just spray them down with a hose and hang them dry? Or, can I just toss them all in the washing machine? My wife might kill me if I clog up the washing machine with wax/cleaner crap off of my towels. Any suggestion?

[redmanfx]

First off I just want to say that you sure have the bug, the Q45 bug and it's good to see you find the car worth your attention. Sometimes the car can get under your skin and you just can't seem to get enough of it and then in 4 months you take a break and then 4 months after that your back on the saddle. I've spent over 10K on my Q in two years and it was worth every penny to me. You remeind me of me two years back.

Anyway, I just throw raggs in the washmachine and it doesn't seem to hurt it or leave any residue that gets left on the next loads clothes. I've bought allot of non color clothes from the autoshops and use them. I use Meguiars onestep leather cleaner, it requires you to wipe on and wipe off all at the same time. Works good as well. Folex instant spot remover is great for the carpets and floor mats. Have not found anything that works as well as it does. Gets out any and every spot!

Enjoy your car. It's great to see you involved with a Q's restoration.

red

[rob1]

Before waxing, use a clay bar like the Blue Clay Magic bar to remove foreign particles in the clear coat. You won't believe how smooth the finish is after waxing. Also, the wax actually bonds to the clear coat instead of the foreign particles interferring with the bond. Try using a polymer based product. There are lots of good products out there, but I am sold on the Automagic line- http://www.automagic.com

[Chansen]

I have tons of terry cloth towels,what I do is wait for all of them to be used then bring them to a public laundry mat.(I know ppl don't like that but my Q is more important to me than other ppls clothes)for the leather are you using the wipes or the cream?I like both but I tend to piss away the wipes quick.Well I started using the cream I like it a lil better but when i used the wipes it soaked into the leather quick I also live in a very dry areaI use Meguiars products 95% of the time mosty NXT its great ppl think I wash my car everyday its so shiny,besides NxT i use some gold class for my wheels I just use reg hot rims by meguiars.The only thing that i dont use from meguiars is window cleaner(i havent tried theres)I find Invisable glass aresol can by Stoner to be sweetOther than that you cant go wrong with meguiars i love it NXT line owns

[nuQ]

i know this will sound completely anal, but,,,,when buffing the wax/polish off the paint, use ONLY 100% AMERICAN MADE COTTON TOWELS!!! CANNON OR FIELDCREST. believe me,,,,it makes a difference. used a lesser quality cotton towel on my mothers CRV (black paint) and it actually caused swirl marks when buffing out Zaino. i'm a believer now!! especially important on dark paint. as for the leather, i bought the LEATHERIQUE KIT, and it seemed to improve the leather (at least restore the softness), but i think Zaino's Leather in a Bottle is the sh*t! tried armour all, zymol, and lyxol products, but the Zaino definitely seems to be the best. experiment for yourself. my Q's leather is almost mint,,,,but my BMW's leather needed some rehab and the Zaino seemed to be the best. just MHO

[nchopp]

zerothread?id=139371Got a write-up about detailing there.

zerothread?id=139379A review of the new NXT wax from Meguiar's.

[elwesso]

Just dont put the wax infested towels in the wash with your clothes.. itll make them smell like wax.....

Im going to get the leatherique crack filler thing and try and fix a few cracks i have in my seats.

[Falkdesigns]

I did a good write up on detailing a few months back, Kevin's detail guide lot's of similar info to Nchop's. I have detailed cars for almost 20 years.

I use only micro-fiber towels on my cars surface, and 100% cotton terry towels only for wheels, exhaust tips, under hood, trunk and door jambs. I wash them with regular laundry, and have done for years. No smells, no weirdness, and my wife does the laundry. I have about 30-40 towels I rotate.

[elwesso]

Kevin when your taking the wax off your car... how often do you change towels?

[dsagers]

I bought some stuff to use on the glass with a buffer, that made the glass really smooth and cleared up some of the pits and pot marks. Think it came from Eastwood or one those specialty shops. I can get the info if anyone wants it.

[Falkdesigns]

Kevin when your taking the wax off your car... how often do you change towels?

Well, since you're supposed to put wax on in very thin coats, one towel is all I need to remove it, but I'll fold it over itself several times to keep using a "fresh" part of the towel, then I'll buff the whole thing again with a new towel. I use about 5-7 towels per session in total, about 2 to dry it, about 2 between removing wax and buffing and about 2 for wheels/door jambs/exhaust/under hood and trunk. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Keep in mind, I use a Cal. Water-blade to quickly remove the bulk of the water first, not to fully dry, just to get most of it off. An alternate technique that works very well too, take the spray nozzle off the hose and just let the water run over the car, it will sheet most of the water off. That's what I did until I got the Blade. Both techniques make drying much quicker.

[Jesda]

I use an old wiper blade to squeegee the water off.

[Chansen]

No Chamios guys?Plz if you don't mind fill me in why for my knowledge.

Wes Nice Sig ...looks coolJesda I was rofl when I seen yours

[0wn3r]

because they're retarded expensive. lol, i dunno

it's funny i read this thread seeing as how 5 minutes ago i just threw all my car wash stuff in the washing machine

what i put in washing machine: drying towel, tire shine filled shirt, wax filled micro fiber towels, wax pads, and work clothes.

[nchopp]

No Chamios guys?Plz if you don't mind fill me in why for my knowledge.

Wes Nice Sig ...looks coolJesda I was rofl when I seen yours

I use a Meguiar's Microfiber Ultra Chamois, or something like that, along with the California Car Blade. "The Absorber" is also a great product.

Nothing wrong with chamois, I guess I just feel safer with a brand I know.

[Falkdesigns]

I think chamois are just outdated and replaced with newer technology, ie: microfiber. Chamois tend to hold and trap dirt. But it's all personal and if you like to use them, keep using them.

Personally, I know how easy it is to scratch clear coat (just ask those bastard cats :< ), yet it takes lots of work to get them out. I know that microfiber won't scratch, so why take chances.

[nuQ]

i second the ABSORBER for water removal.

[ceningolmo]

I have been taking your advice (though, small amounts) from your Detailed Car Care walk-through post.

In fact, I really asked this question because you didn't go in to a lot of detail about the maintenance/care/restoration of the leather interior.

The Meguiar's gold class paint shampoo and liquid car wax have both been great!

Thanks for the help.

[ceningolmo]

Great write up on detailing. Between you and nchopp, I should be able to get my car looking good in no time!

[Falkdesigns]

Awesome, so when you're done, show us some pics!

[0wn3r]

don't forget about using aluminum/metal polish if you've got yellow-headlight syndrome!!

[Falkdesigns]

Meguiars PlastX works great too, but you will have a hard time finding it. I order mine.