Been reading the forums, and finally decided to retire going to the local car wash (25$ each trip, ugh)

Picked up the following:


Heavy duty pressure washer

Simoniz® High-Foaming Car Wash

Simoniz® Tire Cleaner

Simoniz® 946mL Rim Cleaner

Simoniz® Microfibre Drying Towel

Microfibre detailing towels
Simoniz Wheel & Tire Mitt

Simoniz® Pure Wash Mitt

Cali water blade

..And turtle wax (now i know this isnt the best but hey )


1) Rinse the car, removing all dirt.
2) Wash the car using the Zaino car wash product
3) Dry using cali water blade
4) Dry left over using the Microfibre drying towel
5) Wax using the turtle wax
6) Wash/Care tire and mags using the respected products shown above.

Is that good enough? Am i missing a step? Someone explain what exactly does cay bar do? Im really noob at this so any help is appreciated

 

Clay bar*

 

What exactly are you trying to accomplish and what results are you expecting? There's more to maintaining and upkeep than just washing and waxing.

For more info on washing, click here. As far as missing anything, see this thread.

For more info on detailing clay, click here.

 

Thanks for the informative links, appreciate them
As for what im trying to accomplish? Basically i want to wash the car in and out - then give it a nice shine. Would a simple wash then a wax accomplish this? Or Do i need more products then i have above?

Im really a noobie in this so bare with me here. I know that my mags/tires are going to come out sparkling after using the above products - but for the body of the car is wax good enough for a shine or do i need more then just wax?

 

mustiy, you didn't mention if you've had you car for some time or if it's a fairly new vehicle. For new vehicles, I would wash, clay, polish with a pre-wax cleaner, then apply a layer of sealant or wax. Most prefer a synthetic wax (polymer sealant) over a natural wax (carnuba) because of durability and longevity. If you're purchasing products OTC, I would recommend either Megs DC System and substitute the wax (3rd Step) with NXT or Mothers Pre-Wax Cleaner followed with Mothers Reflection Advance Car Wax.

Don't know much about Turtle Wax products and have read some good comments about F-21. Ice is one of their newer products and haven't seen that many reviews on it, supposedly easy to apply and remove. CCan't comment on durability. Couple of the folks have tried Black Magic and have favorable comments about it. You can read them here .

 

the mother's claybar kit i just bought comes with a bottle of carnuba wax. i should look for a synthetic wax next time.

i also bought a bottle of turtle wax scratch and swirl polish.

this weekend will also be my first wash/clay/polish/wax combo...

autopia is a very good reference.

 

If you're purchasing strictly OTC, try Reflections Advanced Car Wax from Mothers. I've never used TW Scratch & Swirl but the Mothers Pre Wax Cleaner is actually pretty decent for OTC. Have fun detailing.

 

^

so a pre-wax cleaner is AKA polish? that was what i was thinking.

i couldn't find bottles of "polish" when i was buying my stuff...