Originally Posted by
modernbeat
So, here's how I wash my car. Did the "major" wash this afternoon in preparation of a road trip to Austin this weekend. Takes about an hour and a half once you start doing it regularly.
First, the buying list.
Hardware store
Water hose and trigger spray nozzle
Shop Vac (for interior)
Leaf Blower (to dry car)
Wheelwell and chassis brush
Porter Cable random orbital buffer (Lowes)
Three 5-gallon buckets
Wenol metal polish for polished aluminum
Online - Detailer’s Domain
Two Grit Guards
Wheel spoke and face brushes
Menzerna Power Finish
Detailer’s Domain buffing pads and backing plate for Porter Cable buffer
Online – Rag Shack
Rag Shack microfiber application towels
Majestic Solutions Ultra Gloss Car Wash
Online - Werkstat
Acrylic Jett Trigger
Online – Roadsters.com
Gibbs penetrant
Home Depot
Three Spray bottles for ZEP citrus, WD-40 and alcohol-water mix
Masking tape – green (blue 1.5”x180’ $7.87)
Foam paintbrushes for trim, interior, engine, etc
Dry paintbrush (for dusting interior)
WD-40 (gallons) ($14.97 gallon)
Denatured alcohol (15.29 gallon)
ZEP citrus cleaner
Grout sponges (approx $2 each)
Sprayway or Invisible Glass aerosol cleaner
Target
Target "Vroom" label microfiber drying towels
Woolite foaming upholstery cleaner (for interior)
Dawn Dishwashing soap to strip all finishes
WalMart
Autoglym High Definition Wax (on sale for $20 per pot, may not be there much longer)
PepBoys
3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover
Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care OR Vinylex by Lexol for trim, plastic, engine, interior
Meguiars Final Inspection instant detailer
Claybars
Parts washing brushes
Costco
General Purpose Costco cheap yellow microfiber towels for dirty areas (30 towels for $15)
The sequence to follow:
Clean under the hood and the differential with WD-40 and towels. Hit very bad areas with ZEP citrus all purpose cleaner followed by a rinse and WD-40. Apply rubber-vinyl dressing to plastic and rubber parts using a foam brush and microfiber towel. Apply Gibbs penetrant to raw aluminum parts.
Use ZEP citrus all purpose cleaner, rinse bucket and brushes to clean the wheels, tires and exhaust tip. Rinse.
Use ZEP and a brush to clean the wheel wells. Rinse.
Polish the exposed aluminum lips, center nuts and exhaust with Wenol metal polish.
Use an applicator to apply Gibbs penetrant to the polished areas of the wheels and exhaust.
Apply vinyl/rubber dressing to all unpainted black trim and rubber seals on the car using a foam paintbrush (edges of taillights with the trunk open, wiper cowl, fog light housings, exterior radiator cowl, weather-stripping, front and rear window trim, hardtop edging trim, antenna base, wiper arm plugs, side mirror joints, door top trim, headlight door cowls and rubber flaps)
Using the two buckets with grit guards, mix up a solution with Dawn dishwashing soap and wash the car with sponges. Dry it with a leaf blower.
Use clay and Meguiars Final Inspection to finish cleaning the paint.
Mask difficult to clean areas with blue tape. Use the Porter Cable and a variety of pads and Menzerna Power Finish to buff the paint. Clean up after the buffing with the alcohol mix or Final Inspection quick detailer.
Wipe down chrome details with alcohol mix (door handles, hardtop latches, antenna).
Use newsprint and glass cleaner on all the glass and mirrors.
Use microfiber towels and Acrylic Jet Trigger to seal the paint.
Use microfiber towels and Autoglym High Definition wax to bring out more depth.
Use applicator pads or microfiber to dress the tires with rubber dressing.
Done.
For intermediate cleanup.
Wash the wheels and wheelwells using the same procedure.
Apply dressing to the rubber and plastic parts.
Wash the paint using Majestic Ultra Gloss.
Touch-up using the quick detailer.
Dress tires.
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