AcuraZine - Acura Enthusiast Community - New Car Care suggestions/advice.

Im constantly inundated with emails and private messages regarding folks who just bought new used, or brand new
vehicles, and are asking for advice of proper car care, and/or products to use with their new baby. I have no problem answering these questions! However having to repeat the same information gets a little duldrum. With that said, Im going to go ahead and put together my best choices available to you through the exceldetail.com website,
for your position. We can talk technique on an individual level if you care to.
All vehicles need washing on a frequent basis. Once a week, or once every other week, they all get dirty, all the time. Exposure to the elements is the first area we need to combat, and it starts with proper washing. Contaminants
bombard the vehicles surface the moments it steps out of the garage. Brake dust is airborn, sap from trees, industrial fallout and the cursor of them all, U.V. radiation. Oh, dont forget bird bombs as well.
I've heard the stories about using dishwashing soap, and I see no benefit to using them. Other then it cleans, well
so does car wash soap. Leave it for the dishes, even its manufacturers don't recommend using it for auto washing. "Well is strips the old wax off." So does a polish.
Any over the counter soap, provided its a name brand, I can just about vouch for. The only differences you may see
is its rinsability. Some soaps, if not rinsed immediately, may leave a film. This film can be removed with water or a
quick detailer and microfiber. Some of my personal favorite name brands, available at exceldetail.com, are Four
Star, Duragloss, Optimum and einszett (1Z). All of these rinse extremely well.
One of my favorite medias to wash with, is of course a genuine sheepskin washmit. I find there softness superior to anything else available, be it synthetic or natural. A genuine sheepskin for me, is really the way to go. They won't scratch, are extremely gentle, hold debris its its abcesses, and then rinse cleanly. Add a bucket capable of a few gallons of water, and a Grit Guard, and your about ready to begin the process.
Another word on Grit Guards. If you care, spend the $10.00 for a lifetime of security knowing the debris you just
removed, stays settled on the bottom of the bucket. It's a great little accessory for washing, and truly valuable.

Theres also a very popular product called Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine. Add a couple/few cap fulls to each
bucket of water (2-3 Gals) and you have superior lubrication, polymers, and debris encapsulation. No other soap is
needed, theres no sudsing, and no rinsing. Just wash, and dry. One of the decades best products has come to the
market, also available at exceldetail.com, in 3 sizes.

Paint cleaning/polishing.
Paint cleaning is accomplished in two ways. One can either cleanse the paint with chemicals, or one can cleanse
and polish the paint, with light abrasives. Here's the differences. Paint cleaners clean, using a makeup of
chemicals. This makeup is designed to remove dead paint, which in turn, brightens colors, and enhances gloss and
reflection. It can be applied and removed by hand or machine, and it's often the choice for new paint, or paint which has been well maintained, and/or free of discernable swirls or scratches. It's also used on surfaces which need to
be "stripped" of existing protectants, to apply a new "layer" of protection. Some examples of products we sell fitting
this category would be Danase Pure Polish, Four Star Pre Wax Cleaner, One Grand Special Touch to name a few. Swirls can be removed with paint cleaners by selecting the proper machine and polishing pad. The process is reliant upon the pads ability to "cut".
The other form of paint cleaning involves using very light and safe abrasives. This process can also be performed by
hand or machine, but is much better addressed with a machine such as the Porter Cable Random Orbital
7424/7336 or Ultimate Detailing Machine, produced by Porter Cable. Polishes use chemicals and diminishing abrasives. The diminishing abrasives start large, and through the process of attrition, "roll" themselves out.
Through this process, they clean the paints surface, and abrade vertical edges on scratches and light reflecting
swirls. Abrasive polishes are most often used on paints that have been neglected, or on paints which have swirls
and holograms or ghost images. Abrasive polishes come in varying degrees of aggression, from very light (Optimum
Polish, 1Z Metallic Polish and others, to very concentrated, larger abrasives (Optimum Hyper Compound, einszett
Pro Intensive Paste, einszett Extra Paint Cleaner and others). Then, there's everything in between. Sort of the
midrange polishes if you will, like Duragloss SMR, Four Star Scratch & SMR, 1Z Paint Polish just to name a few.
There are also other polishes which clean and protect, with and without abrasives. These polish/protectants are
known as "all in ones". Duragloss 105, 101, 111, One Grand Clean N Wax, Optimum PoliSeal, 1Z Metallic Polish.
These are terrific products for car owners looking for quick cleaning and protection. They do often lack the stay
power of a dedicated protectant though, but, are very worthy products under certain circumstances.
Protection:
There's really no use in polishing or paint cleaning, if you don't take it the full 9 yards. Protectants come in various
forms, be it light liquids, cream liquids, pastes, or sprays. It's really up to the end user, to discover which one is
suitable for them. Most, if not all, can be applied by hand or machine. I prefer machine simply for its ease and
uniformity, as well as time and labor savings. Protectants should be applied with the lightest foam available, which
is Red if you shop at Exceldetail.com. Carnaubas have been the choice for many years. Actually, "Nuba" pastes
were about the only sort of protection available for quite some time. Creme liquids grew from that because they
provided greater ease in application, but slightly less durability. Carnaubas are a natural product, which is refined
with petroleum products, to make it usable. They offer wonderful appearance and protection, and are much easier
to use then the days of passed. Within the last decade plus, synthetic waxes, or Polymer Protectants have really
exploded on the market and autopart store shelves. These are a replica of Carnauba products, which provide better
durability, and greater ease of use, as well as the ability to stack layers of protection atop another. Sort of a short
stack of pancakes if you will! The Polymers will actually crosslink and bond to a clean, painted surface, as opposed
to "floating" on the surface. There are also hybrid protectants which contain a mix of synthetics, with natural
carnauba content. Sort of the best of both worlds. Again, appearance and ease of use, is very subjective. This
decision of which is best, is totally up to the end user. Criteria which should be considered should be, ease of use
(If its not easy to use, your not going to use it no matter what it looks like, or protects like), appearance (Does it
leave a unacceptable amount of oil, which attracts dust? Some products will leave a layer of oil, which is easily
removable once its thinned out in the sunshine. It will also wash away after your first wash, but it is not indicative of
lost protection), also consider cost (there are products out there that costs $1,000's of dollars, stay away from them!
I would dare to compare one with anything I sell! Some of my synthetic recommendations: Four Star Ultimate Paint Protectant with Polycharger, Optimum OptiSeal, Surf City Nano Seal, Danase Sealant, Duragloss 105, 111, 101, Hybrids: Optimum Car Wax Spray, Duragloss AquaWax, 1Z Glanz Wax. All in Ones: Optimum PoliSeal, One Grand Wash N Wax. Carnaubas: One Grand Blitz Wax, Collinite 476, 845, Clearkote Carnuaba MooseWax, Surf City Barrier Reef Carnauba.

Maintenance
I really highly recommend the use of Spray Waxes in the quest for perfect car care maintenance. You wash, you
dry. It's not that easy, or is it. Well it is if thats your M.O. But why not take it to the extreme, with just a quick inbetween step, that takes no longer then the time to change a radio station? Spray waxes can be applied to wet surfaces, or dry surfaces. The only difference being it loses some of its effectiveness/concentration, when used on a wet surface. But, if you can add to the base coats protection, with a few simple spritzes while drying, why not? It's really
a no brainer! You wash, you float rinse. You lift the hood and rear deck. Grab your Monterey and Riptide Waffle
Weaves. Spritz the roof with Duragloss AquaWax, Optimum Spray Wax, or Four Star Ultimate Spray Wax, and
proceed to wipe dry. Instant added protection. Do the same on the door panels, then hood and rear deck, and your
good to go!
Quick detailers are good for just about everything inbetween. Bird bombs, smudges, light dust, water
spots, or for just a general quick shine, use a quick detailer. Quick detailers do not and should not replace conventional, or NRWS methods. Spray wash cleaners have their place as well. Just use common sense when walking the auto parts store isles, and when in doubt, trust your intuition, or call me! Manufactures tend to make something, for everything these days, and the marketing depts., have gotten pretty clever. So shop with caution.
Machine polishing and pad selection:
Im going to be real brief with this one. If you dont have one, really consider getting one. You have just spent 1000's
or 10's of 1000's of dollars on a car. Is it really going to put you in the whole if you drop $150.00 on a machine that
will cut your maintenance time down to 1/2, and increase the results at least 100% vs. performing the same function
by hand? If you can operate a cordless drill, chances are you can operate a machine. Just do it for cryin out loud,
and quit making excuses for not getting one. You have come this far, read all of this, you must care enough!
If your that opposed to PC ownership, or its just not in your finances at the moment, consider the Excelerator Hand Polishing System, from exceldetail.com. Same foam compounds, but made for hand use.
There are several pad manufacturers, but I will deal expressely with Lake Country Mfg. Now, I could sit here and
explain PPI (pores per inch), density, and thickness and widths, but Im not. Decide what level of aggression you
need, then figure out what size you want to work with. Here it is in simple, laymen terms:
Yellow = Aggressive, use for serious defects, scratches, and swirls. Normally requires follow up with a lighter pad
and polish.
Orange = Semi Aggressive, use for light to moderate defects, scratches and swirls. May require follow up with
lighter pad and polish combinations. One of the most versatile pads made, can be used after yellow pads for
marring removal, and can also be used for finish polishing on light colored vehicles.
White = Light aggressiveness, use for light defects, scratches and swirls. Normally doesn't require follow up with a lighter pad and polish. Can be used with a wide variety of polishes for differing situations and circumstances. May
be used after Yellow and Orange pads for additional marring removal, or used as a final stage with a light polish.
Black = Non aggressive, use with glazes, all in one products, and sealants on light colored vehicles. Larger pores
then Red.
Red = Sealants only
Always make sure your pad supports your products being used. Results will obviously vary according to user
techniques, and paint surfaces. Weather conditions (relative humidity, surface temps, sun vs. shade can also play a
role). Always try working in the shade, some products are sun safe, but as a general rule of thumb, try to keep all
work in the shade.