SweetJazz

OK, now that you have your paint looking great how do you keep it looking great on a daily basis? Hopefully, this thread will help those of you who have a difficult time maintaining the paint on your car in between details. Daily maintenance is a topic that is often forgotten but is probably the most important phase of keeping your ride looking at its best. If you follow the procedure you will have an excellent chance to keep your paint finish looking new for as long as you want. The goal here is to minimize swirls and scratches, reduce the amount of wax applications, and maintain compliments from your friends and co-workers. I understand that many of you have your own daily maintenance system but this is the system that absolutely works wonders for me. It does not take that much time but you have to be consistent like brushing your teeth.

Step 1: Where do you live?

Evaluate your driving habits and parking situation. If you commute like I do then you are bound to get more gunk on your car like tar, bugs, flinging morning dew from the car in front of you, and the dirt clods from those dirty monster truck looking pickups to name a few. If you park outside then you will have to put forth more effort in keeping your car clean. If you have a garage then it is obviously much easier to maintain the finish. If you park outside then I try to never park under a tree. Removing bird poop and tree sap can be a very painful and time consuming process. As an alternative, tinted windows and/or a custom sun shade works great instead.

Step 2: Washing

The more you wash your car the greater chance you have to create swirls and scratches in the paint. I will not get into too much detail since there are several threads that explain how to properly wash a car. I always cringe when I hear people say they wash their car once or twice every week. Personally, I HATE washing cars. It takes too long (2-3 hours on average) and an unexpected rain shower or standing water in the road can erase all of the effort. This is why I have focused on mastering a daily maintenance system to keep my cars clean and minimize washing. I live in Northern CA and the weather is really good all year so I do not need to wash my car very often. During the non rain months I may wash my car only once every 2 months. I would definitely increase washing frequency for those of you who live in areas that have all 4 seasons. Note that I think you still should keep washing to a minimum.

Step 3: The Car Duster

This item is the most important tool in my daily battle with dust and pollen. This is also the most misused tool in my opinion which has created some unnecessary negative press. People mention streaking and scratches caused by their dusters. The car duster is not 100% perfect but if used correctly it is 99.5% fool proof if you follow my guidelines. If your paint is in poor shape then I suggest that you get your car detailed before reading on. I cannot vouch for how the duster will perform on poor paint. Purchase a real CA Car Duster with the wood handle. The CA Car Duster with the plastic handle is CRAP in my opinion. I am not sure why, but I have never had good success with the plastic handle version. I also use a Brinkmann Dual Xenon flashlight as an inspection tool throughout this entire maintenance process. I purchased mine on eBay for about $25-30. It is also invaluable for locating scratches, swirls and streaking when the sun is not available or you are in the garage.



Before using the duster for the first time there is a curing or “air out” period that must take place since the mop bristles are coated with a paraffin wax that needs to dry out a bit or you will get streaking. Remove the plastic around the mop bristles and get a few pages from some old newspapers. Make sure the mop is secure to the wood handle. Vigorously shake out the duster, with the handle in a vertical position, for about 5-10 seconds and lay the duster on one side on the newspaper. The duster should be in a moderate temperature location like the garage or even inside the house. After 24 hours, shake out the duster again and lay it on the opposite side for another 24 hours. You will probably see some stains on the newspaper from the paraffin wax and this is normal. Now the duster is ready to use.

Always store the duster in the vinyl cover when not in use. Never let the duster bristles touch anything other than the car. The duster will remove a fair amount of dust or pollen but it has its limitations. If you use the duster and you still have visible residue (not streaking) then you should probably include a quick detailer step. Common sense should also prevail. If your car is filthy with dust or pollen the duster will probably not help you. You will only clog up the bristles and make the duster less effective.

I usually start with the half of the hood and brush from the front edge toward the windshield in an arching motion. I vigorously shake out the duster in a vertical motion after dusting each panel (hood, door, trunk lid, etc.).



I also make sure that the mop bristles are uniform before dusting. Simply hold the handle horizontal and rotate a couple of times so that it looks like this.



The only part of the duster mop that touches the paint is about the bottom 1.5” inches. This is where many people mess up. The majority of the dust mop should never get dirty.



The duster should just lightly glide over the paint. The bristles should be vertical when the duster is in motion.
(Correct!)




If the handle is too close to the paint then you are using way too much pressure and you will have streaking or worse. Remember, only the tips of the bristles should touch the paint.
(Wrong!)



It will take some practice to get the motion correct. Vertical panels are the most difficult since the mop bristles will want to point to the ground.




If held properly, the mop is thick enough to dust the vertical panels without causing streaking. Just make sure that only the tips of bristles touch the paint.




Step 4: The Quick Detailer

I will not get into too much detail since everyone has their favorite detailer spray. I personally like Mothers Showtime and Megs Ultimate Detailer. The Mothers product has great lubricity and the Megs keeps the protected surface beading water like I have never seen before. I add the quick detailer step if I notice that the duster is not as effective at removing the dust. Over the course of the week, other surface contaminants will find their way onto the paint which cannot be removed with the duster alone. Important note: I ALWAYS used the duster before I use the quick detailer. You want to get rid of the loose dust and pollen prior to wiping the paint with the quick detailer. Remember we are trying to minimize swirls and scratches. I always use two MF cloths for the quick detailer application. One MF cloth is for application and the second is for final wiping. You should always perform the final wiping with a clean dry MF cloth. Otherwise you can get streaking. Before I started using the single MF cloth method I would use one side for application and the opposite side for final wiping. After completing a couple of panels the MF would begin to get saturated with the quick detailer and the final wiping would start to cause streaking. I then started using the two MF cloth method with fantastic results. Spray the panel with the quick detailer using about two squirts for a 2’ x 2’ work area. I use the application MF in a horizontal wiping motion and I use about a 45 degree angle when doing the final wipe. I have observed better results if I use two different directions for the application and final wipe. Finally, I use the Brinkmann light to inspect my work after completion of each panel. It is frustrating when you get out in the sun and the paint looks great until you see that one panel that has streaking.

It has been 7 months since I detailed the TL-S and it is still 98-99% swirl and scratch free. I almost forgot to mention that I will use a spray wax every 1-2 months to give the wax/sealant a good boost.



No swirls!!!



Good Luck and Happy Detailing!!!

GTSX-05

iTrader: (1)

Great article, definitely a good read, with my NBP MDX, I would normally spray it down with QD and give it a good wipe down, causing significant swirl marks. Time to pick up a CA Duster.

Thanks SweetJazz

exceldetail

We need to school you GTSX!!
Great read Sweet!!

Jesstzn

When I had my black polished out VW B5.5 I washed sometimes 3 times a week and never swirled it ... I'll repeat never swirled it ..

Bad washing practices and and use of the wrong wash/drying media will swirl it.

The dirtier it gets increases the chance of swirling.

I have also induced more swirling correctly using the CCD ( your method, which BTW is the correct method ) than I have with regular washing ..

I still apply the same wash methods on my current TL as I did with the back VW and at the end of the season last fall in full overhead or low evening sun it showed no swirling. None detected under 1000W halogens or in a dark garage under a flash light.

I'm not disagreeing with your CDD and QD methodology ... just the washing statement.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

SweetJazz...that is just terrific. Thanks for writing this. I'm actually having trouble finding a California Duster with a wooden handle. Any suggestions?

SweetJazz

Agreed, proper washing should never create swirls or scratches. Unfortunately, most people do not know how to properly wash a car. I used to do some pretty stupid techniques back in my earlier detailing days. I really dislike washing cars so I try to minimize the act if possible. If you are still living in the BC area then I can understand why you would need to wash your car more often. We are pretty spoiled here in No. CA.

SweetJazz

I would try Exceldetail first since he is our official forum expert and detailing retailer. He has fantastic customer service and quick delivery. If he does not have any dusters then check out one of the online detailing sites. PM me if you are still having trouble finding a store.

Jesstzn

Ya I am ... washed the car just after lunch ( Dried with Exceldetails WW towels BTW .. and yes he has super customer service ) and it snowed this afternoon.

Can I blame you for the weather?

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/..._metric_e.html

12C = 53 F ... -3 = 26F

SweetJazz

Low 40's and a high of 66F today. If it makes you feel better it is supposed to rain Wed..........maybe........

exceldetail

Wed:
High: 62°F RealFeel®: 61°F
Breezy with considerable cloudiness; rain in the afternoon
Same here Sweet...........

Jesstzn

I could sure deal with a low of 40 .. with the mountain valley I live in we get the sun late so we might hit 40 by 1 PM.

padway

amazon has it. I just checked.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the Amazon tip. I would love to purchase from ExcelDetail because of the AcuraZine website. But I looked and didn't see any on your website. Did I miss it ExcelDetail?

SweetJazz

Sent you a PM.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

so does walmart...i saw them there the other day...

Macruz19

Nice write up. When my car is not too dirty, I'll use the duster, and then a MF and QD to remove the dust. I usually can do this at least 3 or 4 days out of the week when there's no rain.

GTSX-05

iTrader: (1)

Sweet Jazz care to explain why the CA duster with the plastic handle is bad? whats the difference between the wood handle and plastic, I can only find the plastic handle at my local parts and automotive shops.

SweetJazz

GTSX-05: Good question. I do not know why the plastic handle version is different other than it is cheaper. I have purchased a few and all of them have been sub par in my opinion. I have never had any issues with the wood handle version. I usually buy the wood handle CA Duster from an online detail store. I'll send you a PM.

GTSX-05

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the PM.

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the great write up! Would you mind sending me a PM with a link to that store...thanks.

SweetJazz

Sure. Check your messages.

triton3k

I gotta get me a new duster asap.

GTSX-05

iTrader: (1)

I have been wash free for almost three and a half weeks now; the CA duster not only saves time but effort, and washes which in return is saving me money! Best money ever spent.

SweetJazz

Welcome to the club. I have not washed my TL in over a month. This is normal as long as you are diligent about keeping dust and dirt from building up.

808havok_tsx

looks like i can use some expert advice.

i got a CPO 07' cgp tsx in march. previous owner did NOT take care of the car at all. hair line swirls and scratches everywhere...

my question - i live in hawaii. loose dust looks to be manageable if i use CDD and QD. but we often get tradewinds that carry very light rain and sometimes there's morning dew as well. since i park outside, such rain will just bunch of loose dirt and make my car look really dirty. do you guys have any daily maintenance tips for such cases? would the CDD/QD still work? is there something else that can be done? or am i just SOL? thanks in advance!

exceldetail

I think your pretty much SOL. BUT..........you may need to improvise somewhere between a QD and traditional wash for satisfaction. Consider Optimum NRWS for safe and quick cleaning.

808havok_tsx

oh well. that's why i end up washing my car almost every week or at a minimum once every 2 weeks. ayeayeaye... i should've gotten silver or white...

808havok_tsx

i must say, i came away impressed with the ccd+qd method. i was able to keep my car looking good for several days before an evening downpour ruined everything. haha. it took about 12 minutes to do the entire car. looks like i need to get up 15 minutes earlier now so i can clean my car!