mohsinkhan35

So basically i got a really good deal on my 07 TL EXCEPT, the previous owner didn't give a crap about the car, and it is DURRRTYY inside out!

Exterior has grease spots all over so doesn't matter how many times i run it through car wash, as soon as i drive a bit, the spots attract lots of dust. It has swirling marks, and minor scratches.

Interior needs leather care and carpet needs to be washed and vacuum.

I have spent some time on these forums, also on forums like Meguiars, I am still confused on how to start restoring my TL.

For exterior, how about those grease spots? And would it be better to use polish or compound?

If any experts out there can lay the steps, or refer to a a thread, it will be helpful and I can start reading up on it.

When it comes to minor repairs and detailing, i can work with my hands, but in this case, would it be better to bring it in to a detail shop?

Jesstzn

If it has grease on it wash it with Dawn dish soap then dry and follow with a wipe of 50/50 rubbing alcohol & water.

Swirl marks & scratches your not going to deal with by hand .. your going to need a PC or a Griots R/O buffer .. proper pads and polish and the time/ dedication to do it .. there is no simple quick fix. Do some reading in this forum .. the procedure has been covered ..

mohsinkhan35

Thank Jesstzn for your input. I am not looking for quick fixes, as i have my own garage, and lots of time. Basically where to start?

There are hundreds of products out there, each forum, each video recommends different products (one video mentions not to use turtle wax products, while the other recommends using it??)

For instance, after proper car wash, clay-bar treatment is recommended, what's next? polish or compound? Thats the stuff m kinda looking for. Once i have these steps laid down, i will get proper products for each step. m done lol

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^right, these steps are out lined in EVERY thread/forum.

wash
clay
polish
seal

as for products...
people are creatures of habit. they generally stick to what they know works.
so, buy a few products and stick with one that you see results with.

Literally THOUSANDS of threads with this same basic info.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Seriously, I didnt know anything about detailing/washing cars.

I read a few threads.
Picked up a PC7424xp,some pads, a few bottles of product and went to town on my car.

Jesstzn

Your going to need to pick up a PC or Griots R/O polisher, 5" backing plate, 5.5" pads ( 2 yellow , 4 orange ) Compound & polish ( I recommend Optimum line for ease of use and noob friendly ) and you will need a sealant , Duragloss #105 is a good noob friendly one.

Then you will;
1) wash
2) Clay bar
3) Use the yellow pad and the compound to address the scratches etc.
4) Use the orange pad and polish to do the rest of the car.
5) Wipe with a 50/50 mix of IPA & water to remove polishing oils etc and inspect. If happy then go to 6.
6) Apply #105 using a proper foam applicator by hand .. small circular motions and thin. Remove with a soft M/F towel.

Then leatn how to wash & dry properly to maintain it.

What I'll do is give you a run down of a weekend wash on my own cars.

1)I spray the tires down with Awsome APC and let it sit to do its job. <-- available at the Dollar Tree stores
2) I give the interior a wipe down with the Woolite solution to pick up light dust etc. Instead of me explaining look here ..http://www3.telus.net/jesstzn/Woolite.html . Vacuum if needed. I have a central vac outlet by the garage door and I use it.
3) I mist the tires with water and scrub with a stiff brush, rinse .... no sense dressing dirty tires .. they look like hell.
4) Using a decent car wash soap, Turtle Wax soap will do .. or Meguiars Gold Class I wash the car using a sheepskin mitt and a wash bucket that has a grit guard in the bottom. The sheepskin mitt is used because it easily releases any grit picked up and it won't marr the paint. I have an old dedictaed mitt I use for the wheels. Wash a panel or 2 and rinse.


5) Once done washing I rinse the car using a gentle stream of water from the hose with NO nozzle. A gentle stream will rinse away grit where a blas t can just blow it around and also dislodge grit from cracks and door jams etc.. The gentle stream will also pull about 85% of the water off a well waxed car.
6) I break out the leaf blower and blow off a lot of the remaining water but more to blow water out from all those places it hides. Just make sure the area around the car is wetted down so you don't blow crap up on the car.
7) I use Waffle Weave drying towels to dry the remainder. I fold the towel in 1/4 and wipe the windows first then hood/roof/trunk then the sides. Always dry in straight lines as the air flows over the car not in circles. Reason being is if micro marring does occure its optically harder to see then circular swirls. I use this motion for everything I do in the process of detailing with the exception of applying wax/sealants.
8)Dry the door/trunk/hood edges and under the gass filler lid. I have a separate old m/f drying towel for this. I also give the engine bay area a wipe while I have the hood up.
9) Dry the wheels/tires. I have a dedicated soft bath towel for this.
10) Apply dressing to the tires.

Wala .. done .. If I don't do the interior or use APC on the tires its 40 minutes.. The TL seldom needs those steps cuz its not driven a lot .. The Civic needs it more often ... add 15 min more.

Drying

Here is a couple of hints to make your drying easier , I use 2 WW towels 24 x 36"

1) After you have washed/rinsed the last panel of your car ... remove the nozzle frome the hose and starting at the top use a gentle stream of water to rinse the car.. this will not only flood out any remaining particulate that can mar but it will pull about 85% of the remaining water off a waxed car.

2) Fold one towel in 1/2 so its 12 x 36" and holding it by the fold corners start at the hood and lay it across 1/2 the hood and pull it towards the windshield.. then over the windshield, roof, rear window, across the trunk, over the other 1/2 of the rear window and back to the hood etc.

3) Take the same towel and go down the sides , around the back , down the other side and around the front. This will remove a lot of the water.

4) Take the second towel and fold it in 1/4 and holding it flat dry the windows then hood, roof, trunk and lastly the doors, fenders and bumpers. Flip & refold the towel as needed.


All in all this takes less than 10 min.

Thing is with WW towels you need to use slower strokes in the final drying so you don't leave moisture trails and never use then scrunched up.


Others have suggested patting the car dry so not to swirl it .. WW towels will NOT swirl anything if they are clean and the car is clean. They also then suggest using a QD spray for final touch up ... thats because the patting doesn't do a good job of drying and in some cases where you have hard water you will get water spots. Not only that the QD will clog up the towels.

To wash your drying towels don't wash then with anything else as they pick up lint ... don't use fabric softener.

I wash them in the washing machine using Blue Dawn dish soap. Then hang to dry or dry in the dryer. If you have a HE front load washer then wash them with a non-perfumed soap etc.

In reality if your car is clean and you don't wipe down dirty stuff you won't need to wash them very often.

I have 2 cars and they are washed a total of about 3-5 times a week and I wash my towels a couple times a summer. I also don't use them on the wheels/tires .. I have a dedicated cotton plush towel I use for that.

Ruby

For the grease I would stray away from using dish liquid on your car. Dish liquid excelerates oxidation and is bad for your finish. Use a quality car wash soap such as Meguires. Using dish liquid on a car is one of the biggest myths of car care.

Jesstzn

Dawn used on a one time basis as a detail prep will not accelerate anything .. continuous use is a little hard on the rubber and I'm not recommending that. A "quality" or any car wash soap isn't going to cut the grease at all. If you read the wash instructions I posted you will see there I recommend a car wash soap for regular use. He is already trying the soap at the car wash ( which by the way is harsher than any OTC car wash soap ) and its not removing the grease.

mohsinkhan35

I really appreciate your input, Jesstzn, Ruby and Justnspace. Alot of useful information here so i bookmarked it.Going to start over the weekend, and will post pics on the progress in gallery thread.