Is this a good starter kit?
02-07-2015, 11:02 AM
#1
Is this a good starter kit?
Adam's Polishes Basic Car Care Kit K-BASE - Nutrend.com
Would this be a good start for DIY car washing? I have a new car and I want to start caring for it myself. Thanks
Would this be a good start for DIY car washing? I have a new car and I want to start caring for it myself. Thanks
02-07-2015, 11:33 AM
#2
3G TL/2G MDX Owner
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there are a ton of products out there.
first, you need a two bucket system to minimize marring your new paint when you wash.
as far as caring for the paint after the wash to bring out the shine and depth of your paint, you could go with almost any product you feel comfortable with. adam's has some good stuff. i've never used their stuff but i've read some good reviews.
i've got my go to's for what i use on my cars. it really depends on how much you want to spend, how much time you want to invest into caring for the paint, and how anal you want to become. detailing can be an addicting hobby.
detailer's domain, autogeek...both have products and a ton of info as to how to care for your new baby.
be sure to keep your car away from auto washes if you want to avoid marring. also keep your car away from the dealer car wash guys...
first, you need a two bucket system to minimize marring your new paint when you wash.
as far as caring for the paint after the wash to bring out the shine and depth of your paint, you could go with almost any product you feel comfortable with. adam's has some good stuff. i've never used their stuff but i've read some good reviews.
i've got my go to's for what i use on my cars. it really depends on how much you want to spend, how much time you want to invest into caring for the paint, and how anal you want to become. detailing can be an addicting hobby.
detailer's domain, autogeek...both have products and a ton of info as to how to care for your new baby.
be sure to keep your car away from auto washes if you want to avoid marring. also keep your car away from the dealer car wash guys...
02-07-2015, 01:16 PM
#3
Pro
I wouldn't worry too much about the name on the label as a beginner. Read up on washing and detailing methods, as you don't want to add on swirls and scratches. Examine your car and see how bad the paint is, as that'll give you an idea of what products you'll need for paint correction (compound, polish, wax, sealant). Remember you want to use the least abrasive chemical to get the job done. Weather plays a large role in the chemicals you use. There are forums galore regarding carnuba wax vs. synthetic polymers. Carnuba gives you a deeper shine, synthetic lasts longer.
I started with over the counter Meguiars from WalMart, moved on to Poor Boys, Chemical Guys, and Klasse, but always return to Meguiars for compounding and maintenance of other people's cars.
As you get more serious into detailing, I would look into getting a DA polisher to save your arms.
I started with over the counter Meguiars from WalMart, moved on to Poor Boys, Chemical Guys, and Klasse, but always return to Meguiars for compounding and maintenance of other people's cars.
As you get more serious into detailing, I would look into getting a DA polisher to save your arms.
Last edited by ulrblitzer; 02-07-2015 at 01:19 PM.
02-08-2015, 09:35 AM
#4
Suzuka Master
To me that kit doesn't cover at all what you need to be concerned with for car washing outside of the soap.
If you would like I can post a write up I did a while back and its pretty simple and would give you everything you need prolly for less.
If you would like I can post a write up I did a while back and its pretty simple and would give you everything you need prolly for less.
02-08-2015, 10:27 AM
#5
there are a ton of products out there.
first, you need a two bucket system to minimize marring your new paint when you wash.
as far as caring for the paint after the wash to bring out the shine and depth of your paint, you could go with almost any product you feel comfortable with. adam's has some good stuff. i've never used their stuff but i've read some good reviews.
i've got my go to's for what i use on my cars. it really depends on how much you want to spend, how much time you want to invest into caring for the paint, and how anal you want to become. detailing can be an addicting hobby.
detailer's domain, autogeek...both have products and a ton of info as to how to care for your new baby.
be sure to keep your car away from auto washes if you want to avoid marring. also keep your car away from the dealer car wash guys...
first, you need a two bucket system to minimize marring your new paint when you wash.
as far as caring for the paint after the wash to bring out the shine and depth of your paint, you could go with almost any product you feel comfortable with. adam's has some good stuff. i've never used their stuff but i've read some good reviews.
i've got my go to's for what i use on my cars. it really depends on how much you want to spend, how much time you want to invest into caring for the paint, and how anal you want to become. detailing can be an addicting hobby.
detailer's domain, autogeek...both have products and a ton of info as to how to care for your new baby.
be sure to keep your car away from auto washes if you want to avoid marring. also keep your car away from the dealer car wash guys...
I wouldn't worry too much about the name on the label as a beginner. Read up on washing and detailing methods, as you don't want to add on swirls and scratches. Examine your car and see how bad the paint is, as that'll give you an idea of what products you'll need for paint correction (compound, polish, wax, sealant). Remember you want to use the least abrasive chemical to get the job done. Weather plays a large role in the chemicals you use. There are forums galore regarding carnuba wax vs. synthetic polymers. Carnuba gives you a deeper shine, synthetic lasts longer.
I started with over the counter Meguiars from WalMart, moved on to Poor Boys, Chemical Guys, and Klasse, but always return to Meguiars for compounding and maintenance of other people's cars.
As you get more serious into detailing, I would look into getting a DA polisher to save your arms.
I started with over the counter Meguiars from WalMart, moved on to Poor Boys, Chemical Guys, and Klasse, but always return to Meguiars for compounding and maintenance of other people's cars.
As you get more serious into detailing, I would look into getting a DA polisher to save your arms.
I just finished washing her by hand for the first time... Honestly my car wasn't too hard to clean. It's my girlfriend's Malbec Black Q50 that scares me lol.
02-08-2015, 02:36 PM
#6
Suzuka Master
Washing & Drying Cars
Washing
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 ..The Wonders Of Woolite 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.
Washing
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 ..The Wonders Of Woolite 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.
The following users liked this post:
BlueAc (02-08-2015)
02-08-2015, 06:28 PM
#7
Washing & Drying Cars
Washing
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 ..The Wonders Of Woolite 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.
Washing
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 ..The Wonders Of Woolite 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.
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