For the life of me I can't get the swirl marks out of the WRX (its the subaru blue color, and the swirls really show up when you are close).
Plus, the previous owner let it sit in the sprinkler during the summer one day, and there are several water spots on the clear coat as well. Tried using vinegar on the water spots (they are usually calcium carbonate or something, so the vinegar can dissolve them at times...but it didn't).
I've got the swirl/scratch removers from McGuire's, etc., and used them. They don't get the light swirls out, although they do help with the bigger scratches a bit.
I'm tempted to have the fucking car repainted (there are some rock chips on the hood I want fixed too).
Car people answer me a couple questions:
1) Will paint/body shops just fix all the rock chips, etc., using a buffer/paint match/whatever?
2) Places like Maaco advertise those horribly cheap paint jobs (like $240 for the whole car - I can't imagine that would look too good). What sort of $$$ would I be looking at spending to have my car repainted its current color (again, its that shiny blue you see a lot of WRX's in)? Will a shop do the clear coat and all that as well?
Waxing and polishing a car
It's basically a little bar made of clay, and takes EVERY impurity off the paint. What I did (and what the instructions said) was take one bar, a spray bottle with a little bit of soap (Zaino soap) and water, and spray/lubricate the paint with the soapy water spray bottle. Then rub the claybar back and forth over the entire car, re-kneading the bar everyonce in a while (i did that for every body panel). Then wash it again to clean it off. This leaves the paint very bare and unprotected, so wax it RIGHT AWAY after you wash it.Nightshade wrote:Good thing.
Say, explain this clay bar thing. I've never used one, just cleaners and waxes, etc.
some tips or 'things i do to keep it looking good':
-NEVER TOUCH THE PAINT WITH YOUR FINGERS OR CLOTHES OR ANYTHING. It keeps scratches and marks to a minimum. Never wipe down the car with a rag when there is dirt or dust on it, you are just making it worse by putting small scratches all over the paint.
-USE A GENUINE SHEEPSKIN WASH MITT. Don't use one that has been dyed, or one that is fake. Don't use the same mitt that you used on the wheels, since the brake dust will stay in there and scratch up the car. I change out the main one every few months and just use the last one for the wheels/tires.
-USE MICROFIBER DRYING TOWELS AND NOTHING ELSE TO DRY IT!!! This is probably the most important thing. Don't use a chamois, they suck nuts compared to microfiber, and microfiber towels will NOT scratch up your paint. Of course, you have to use the good ones and not the cheap shit ones at the auto store. I use these: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwdt-2.html
When I first got them I could dry the whole car COMPLETELY with one towel. They are kinda old now and i have to use both, but they still work great.
-ALWAYS WASH/CLEAN ALL THE EQUIPMENT YOU USED BEFORE YOU USE IT AGAIN. take the wash mitt in the shower and completely rinse it there. Throw your drying towels in the next load of laundry. Don't EVER use dirty equipment to clean your car..... how are you going to clean dirt with dirt?
-NEVER WASH IN THE SUN. Everyone knows this. Find some shade that will completely cover the car for the length of time it takes to wash it. You will be glad you did!
-NEVER WAX IN THE SUN. You'd be better off waxing with mud than waxing it in the sun. If you can do it indoors, do that!
-ONLY USE 100% COTTON OR MICROFIBER TOWELS TO BUFF OFF THE WAX. Anything else and you're just asking for it.
yes it may cost more to you good products and take a while longer, but it's better in the long run. these tips may seem a little anal, but my car is black and I have to be like that to keep it how I want it. After a good saturday detail, It looks better than new inside and out.
-
Nightshade
- Posts: 17020
- Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2000 8:00 am
-
Dark Metal
- Posts: 5496
- Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2000 8:00 am
-
+JuggerNaut+
- Posts: 22175
- Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2001 7:00 am
-
Kills On Site
- Posts: 1741
- Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2003 7:00 am
Well I really need to clean the cars, both need it horribly and both have tar spots from repaving the road last fall. Unfortunately the climate up here allows for no good car wash time in the winter. Actually it is snowing right now. I definately need to pick up a clay bar and a couple of wash mitts. I wish I could pick up a PC 7336 and some Meguiar's 83, but money is tight.
[size=92][color=#0000FF]Hugh Hefner for President[/color][/size]
-
+JuggerNaut+
- Posts: 22175
- Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2001 7:00 am
-
Underpants?
- Posts: 4755
- Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2001 7:00 am
...and then after all is said and done, some fat, nervy twat pulls her mexican condo-sized SUV up right against your lonely whip at the far end of the parking lot and gouges the living motherfuck out of it with one careless swing of the door. she then trudges pudgily toward starbucks without even giving a second thought to the wasted countless life-hours dedicated to keeping your shit straight.andyman wrote:It's basically a little bar made of clay, and takes EVERY impurity off the paint. What I did (and what the instructions said) was take one bar, a spray bottle with a little bit of soap (Zaino soap) and water, and spray/lubricate the paint with the soapy water spray bottle. Then rub the claybar back and forth over the entire car, re-kneading the bar everyonce in a while (i did that for every body panel). Then wash it again to clean it off. This leaves the paint very bare and unprotected, so wax it RIGHT AWAY after you wash it.Nightshade wrote:Good thing.
Say, explain this clay bar thing. I've never used one, just cleaners and waxes, etc.
some tips or 'things i do to keep it looking good':
-NEVER TOUCH THE PAINT WITH YOUR FINGERS OR CLOTHES OR ANYTHING. It keeps scratches and marks to a minimum. Never wipe down the car with a rag when there is dirt or dust on it, you are just making it worse by putting small scratches all over the paint.
-USE A GENUINE SHEEPSKIN WASH MITT. Don't use one that has been dyed, or one that is fake. Don't use the same mitt that you used on the wheels, since the brake dust will stay in there and scratch up the car. I change out the main one every few months and just use the last one for the wheels/tires.
-USE MICROFIBER DRYING TOWELS AND NOTHING ELSE TO DRY IT!!! This is probably the most important thing. Don't use a chamois, they suck nuts compared to microfiber, and microfiber towels will NOT scratch up your paint. Of course, you have to use the good ones and not the cheap shit ones at the auto store. I use these: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwdt-2.html
When I first got them I could dry the whole car COMPLETELY with one towel. They are kinda old now and i have to use both, but they still work great.
-ALWAYS WASH/CLEAN ALL THE EQUIPMENT YOU USED BEFORE YOU USE IT AGAIN. take the wash mitt in the shower and completely rinse it there. Throw your drying towels in the next load of laundry. Don't EVER use dirty equipment to clean your car..... how are you going to clean dirt with dirt?
-NEVER WASH IN THE SUN. Everyone knows this. Find some shade that will completely cover the car for the length of time it takes to wash it. You will be glad you did!
-NEVER WAX IN THE SUN. You'd be better off waxing with mud than waxing it in the sun. If you can do it indoors, do that!
-ONLY USE 100% COTTON OR MICROFIBER TOWELS TO BUFF OFF THE WAX. Anything else and you're just asking for it.
yes it may cost more to you good products and take a while longer, but it's better in the long run. these tips may seem a little anal, but my car is black and I have to be like that to keep it how I want it. After a good saturday detail, It looks better than new inside and out.
-
Underpants?
- Posts: 4755
- Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2001 7:00 am
-
Underpants?
- Posts: 4755
- Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2001 7:00 am