binary_10essee

I've never had any luck trying to wash my TL by hand. I hate spending $8 for an automatic touchless car wash regularly. And I really don't think it's all that effective.

I've tried washing by hand, using every kind of wash mit, sponge, towel, etc., that I can find. Every single one of them has left ridiculous amounts of swirl marks in my paint. When I got the car, the paint was in wonderful shape. Now it's sort of dull and has swirl marks throughout. So I haven't touched it by hand (just automatic washes) in a long while. It's BLACK -- so it's all pretty noticeable.

What techniques do you all recommend for not only washing, but also drying? What materials do you use? I would love to be able to wash it by hand and wax it and so on, but I don't feel comfortable with that until I can polish the swirls out. They're not SCRATCHES, just swirl marks. I know buffing them out should work.

What kind of sponge do you use?

What sort of drying towel? I've tried a chamois towel, I've tried a "soft terry cloth", and countless other towels. They all say "LINT FREE", but every single one of them leaves nothing but LINT BEHIND. And on top of that, they never DRY the car. They just streak all the water around, and they stick to the surface.

Any suggestions? Also, what's the best technique to remove swirl marks? Meguiar's has a Swirl X compound, but is that recommended?

ErickUa5

I think you're better off here : https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/
Wash and Wax section

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

dont use anything but microfiber towels.

no sponges, no squeegees, no chamois towel, soft terry cloth, NO NOTHING!

except for micro fiber towels.


then use the two bucket method with grit guards.
this ensures that your microfiber towel will not have any debris on it.
1 bucket for rinse, 1 bucket full of car shampoo for wash.

DO NOT USE ANYTHING butt a waffle weave microfiber towel to dry.


if wash media touches ground, get a new one.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

in order to remove swirls, you'll need the PC7424XP machine polisher.
some pads
and some polish product.


Beware this hobby gets expensive quick!

MBP 03

Our cars have a very soft clearcoat, so it doesn't take much for scratches and swirls to show up in the paint. The black color just makes it that much worse because it shows every little defect.

You basically want to minimize the amount of contact that you make with the paint and the amount of dirt in your wash mitt.

I use a pressure washer and a foam gun to get the bulk of the dirt off first and then I follow that with a hand wash with a microfiber mitt and the two bucket method with grit guards in both buckets. I use a leaf blower to get most of the water off the car and then a waffle weave microfiber towel to dry any remaining spots.

binary_10essee

Ah, nice. Thanks for all the info!

fsttyms1

When polished and clean keep a good coat of wax on the car. It will help minimize the amount of stuff stuck to the car and will allow more to be rinsed off before you even start washing.

HairyMonkey019

iTrader: (7)

You should detail the car at this point.

But to prevent swirls and what not use MF towels only.

I personally don't use the 2 bucket method, but it's good practice. One of our members(who is an experienced detailer) uses 1 bucket and an egg crate cut to the shape of his bucket to use as a grit guard.

To dry off, use a WET MF towel, that way it will absorb the water faster and wring oh so often.

This is how I wash my car and people think I've had the car resprayed.

TLZINE99

Clay bar iz what u need.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^meh. claybar will not get swirls out.

if he gets a proper detail done, of course clay is a must...
but for now, he'll need to practice his washing techniques.

making sure his wash media(microfiber cloth) is clean and free of debris every time it touches the panels.


Also, I wash my cars in the morning or in the evening.
Never at peak sun!
this will prevent water spots.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

here's my Kia freshly detailed last year.



took me about 8-12 hours.

process:
wash and dry.
clay bar
rinse
using PC7424XP and a polishing compound, went to town polishing out all imperfections.
wash and dry.

Nicks2001tl

Here is the effort of 4 hours.
Wash (2 bucket method) Super dry.
3m rubbing compound with random orbital (or by hand)
Meguiars cleaner wax.
Polishing compound
Meguiars liquid wax (2 coats)

binary_10essee

I'm wondering if I should just get a new paint job, honestly. I would still like to get my current finish back to decent shape until then. However, when I bought the car, there are a lot of scratches in various places. None of them are necessarily deep, but they're all over the place. And there are chips in the paint (about half the size of a dime) in 2 or 3 spots.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

its not cheap to do a great paint job.
to the tune of $3k-5k for a great one that will last.

binary_10essee

There goes that plan! What about a touch up job?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

show us some pics of your car.

binary_10essee

http://imgur.com/a/SZl1N

6 images that show the worst of the paint defects. None of those scratches, with the exception of the one showing a bit of rust, can really be felt. They're very shallow. Surface scratches, I suppose.

Nicks2001tl

Those scratches and chips are not easily repaired by anything over the counter. A professional needs to take a look at it and give you an idea or estimate on repairing.


Note: Try and get a couple to 5 quotes before doing anything. Hopefully someone can give you a low cost option.

3.2TLc

Hey Binary_10essee, chances are with the age of the car and the black color......the clear cote is showing signs of distress with all the years of poor care. You could try a special filling glaze such as a 3M product. Check with your local detailer or body shop for advice on possible options on touching up the blemished surface.

usdmJON

Most comments are great so far.

Too add what I didnt see...

*When washing car at end of day try to take it out of the sun for an hour or so before starting. Hot cars dry too quickly and create water spots.

*When you are done with your final rinse, rinse again. Take the hose nozzle off for a constant heavy stream and go over the entire car. This beads water easier. Spray will leave much more water on the body of the car.

*top to bottom. one panel at a time. I go roof > front rear windows > side windows > hood one side at a time > doors top half one side at a time > trunk top and rear.
Once those sections are cleaned I put that microfiber down and pick up a new one for the grimier areas.
Then I do the front bumper > bottom half of doors > rear bumper > saving splash guards for last doing.

*Before washing I clean the wheels and apply tire shine. I save drying them off until the entire car is done then I hit the tires again with the same applicator I had tire shine on but I dont apply any chemicals the second time.
This way the chemicals never dry onto the tire and any amount that does is pretty diluted.

3.2TLc

^^^ Yep, great advice for a newer or well kept pristine car......but apparently in the original post, the op's black finish has been neglected and probably too far gone. Sorry, but IMO it's too little ...... too late, for any better washing techniques in his case. The damage is done.