A couple of detailing questions

Tough to answer without some more info. What's on the car now and what color is your car? Jet black and Navy are unforgiving and they require specialized care and procedures or you will make a huge mess.

For wipe downs after a drive on a lightly dusty car, I use Poorboy's Spray and Wipe, Limitless car care waterless wipe, or ONR (Optimum No Rinse) mixed to rinse less wash strength ( I overdue it bit bc I like extra lubricity over economy).

Pollen is sharp, Google a picture of it and you will think twice about dragging it across any car you remotely like. I would wet wash pollen and I would foam and hose it before washing it.

Since my cars are coated, For Detailing spray, I have been using Polish angel Hi Gloss or washing with Gyeon Bath + that has some coating refresher /top-off material in it or spraying permanon Platinum after my final wash to up the beading a protection.

If you list the product you car is protected with, I may have a better answer for you.

 

You're not going to have dust on the car after a drive, you're going to have dirt. Wipe the dirt, and you scratch the paint. All those fine scratches are what causes the paint to lose it's luster.

A thick coat of Carnauba wax is best. But you still have to wash the car properly, or you will scratch the paint.

 

If you are wanting to use a dry wash you will have to take your time and proceed with caution. I would recommend only using it if the car is "lightly" dirty. That being said I love using a product called Ech2o (echo 2 as we call it). Spray it heavily and use light pressure only. Purchase some very soft and plush microfiber towels as well. Mixed 5-1 it is the best and only true dry wash I'll use. I've tried some of the others out there but they just felt like a quick detailer and I wasn't sold on them. The towels and dry wash can be purchased at Carpro-us.

For a rinseless wash I would recommend ONR as Jsf721 mentioned. Great product but water is used to fill the bucket. Purchase at autogeek.

And for a quick detailer I like to use Ech2o at 10-1.


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Jason is spot-on. I have a black 348 (soft single stage paint) that I've never washed. I only use waterless wash on it and I can assure you that the paint is **not** harmed in any way by the process, but choosing the correct product & towels is absolutely mandatory, as is developing a good technique. Using a quick-detailer from the corner parts store will almost certainly not yield optimal results.

I quite like Ech2o-- it's the only product I've tested that compares well to Smartwax One (which I still use most of the time on my black car because it's a little easier to get a good shine and I think the gloss level is slightly better than Ech20): https://www.amazon.com/Smartwax-20105-SmartONE-Waterless-Sealant/dp/B0028SH6PE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491950235&sr=8-1&keywords=smartwax+one

No doubt there are a number of decent towels to use (plushness is of paramount importance) but of the ones I've tested these are hands-down the best: https://www.detailersdomain.com/collections/microfiber-towels-applicators/products/special-buy-10-pack-uber-quick-detail-microfiber-towel

Fold the towel into quarters, use *very* light pressure on the first pass and wipe in straight lines initially. Keep turning the towel frequently-- I use at least one towel per body panel-- and use plenty of product to ensure lubricity. Even if you use a bunch of cleaner and a washer load of towels it's still cheaper and better than water washing.

Learn to maintain your microfibers correctly. Never reuse a towel that's been dropped on the ground! Wash them by themselves several times in warm water with dye-less, scent-less detergent after each use. Dry them by themselves on low heat and never ever use dryer sheets.

Oh, and as Spicedriver said, a good layer of paint protectant really helps keep microscratches at bay, no matter how you clean your car. I've got some blingy waxes but to be honest I think two coats of Menzerna (now Jescar?) Power Lock followed up by a sturdy carnauba wax offers the best protection and gloss for the $$ and time expended.

Search the archives in this section-- you'll find plenty of responses to the very same question.

 

I am sooo hooked on gliptone aerosol sprays
One is called spitshine
The other is a cleaner wax bike and body

All gliptone products are well executed.
No need to look further

https://www.google.com/search?q=gliptone+spray+wax&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=svin&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJ45-MwZ3TAhUKgiYKHUrpCskQ_AUICSgD&biw=320&bih=460#imgrc=TdvUrpZQuAa2IM:

https://www.google.com/search?q=gliptone+spray+wax&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=svin&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJ45-MwZ3TAhUKgiYKHUrpCskQ_AUICSgD&biw=320&bih=460#imgrc=OOTpQ4hVyeGREM:

 

Oh, and as to easy-to-use maintenance waxes I've found Optimum Spray Wax to offer incredible durability for a spray but it's not easy to get a streak free shine so I only use it on light colored daily drivers, where longevity matters the most: Optimum Car Wax is a spray wax made with real carnauba and synthetic paint sealants for protection & shine! high-grade carnauba wax and silicone

On my black car I use Blackfire Midnight sun on occasion after the Smartwax One (since both are carnauba based): BLACKFIRE Midnight Sun Spray Wax, spray car wax, aerosol wax

Blackfire dries like a typical paste or liquid wax so it's easy to obtain a streak free finish.

 

Insulator Wax » Collinite

OMG, this for wax. Nothing I've ever used goes on (and more importantly) wipes off as easy as this and you don't use much at all. Put it on thin. I can do the whole car in 15-20 min's (okay the Ferrari a bit more). I'm a detailer but I hate waxing cars - not at all with this! Just started using it last year. I have 5 cars so I need a good wax that stays on and that is easy/quick to do.

 

Now you tell us, what year.
94 F Cars are all single stage..
If the dictionary , under " Soft Paint " is a picture of your car..
Do not wipe any surface if it has contaminants on it.
Wax is of no consequence..
POLISH Matters...and a random orbital sponge machine.

 

Mothers makes a very good wax, just be sure your not using their cleaner wax, that's the smaller can, the larger is the better product. Waxes are good protection and good looks but poor on protection and durability. Is your car a DD or a garage queen. If its not daily driver wax can last, but for me, the wax lasted 4-6 weeks less in the summer heat.

For the amount of time it take to prep the car, it was too much work for the time frame it lasted.

You need to learn to polish, or take it to a pro and once coated, its so easy to take care of.

 

Couldn't agree more. Almost mentioned it earlier but figured it wouldn't be considered blingy enough by this crowd, even though it's beaten some pretty blingy waxes in my own tests. There's a reason why this stuff is so highly rated by so many people on detailing forums-- I've never seen a wax based product that lasts as long or protects as well. On top of that it's cheap and easy to use (as long as the bottle is warm). And it has another plus-- it cleans tire marks fairly easily so it means I can skip that step on the track car and just remove the black marks by using a little Collinite.

It works great by itself but when I have the time I've started using a combo that a lot of the guys in the rust belt use on their daily drivers to protect them from salt all through the winter: two coats of Menzena Power Lock followed by two coats of Collinite 845. Believe it or not Power Lock is actually easier to use than 845 on clean, freshly polished paint. The only downside to that combo is that each step requires a waiting period to allow the coat to fully set up before applying the next coat. But I don't think you can find more robust and durable paint protection anywhere other than coatings, which are in a class by themselves.

BTW, if you'll maintain it with one of the spray waxes I mentioned earlier it'll last indefinitely. I experimented with a number of products and did a ton of research in order to come up with a process that offers great protection with minimal work but in the end it was worth it. Just not sure what I'm gonna do with all the blingy waxes I bought thinking $$ mattered. ;-/

 

My advice is to take it to a professional. I use to think washing a car was a simple task. But after I was educated on the matter I no longer wash my vehicles and just take them to my detailer. Most all paint defects come from improper washing techniques. Since I have stopped washing my cars I've noticed their luster and paint depth tends to always look better. But then again my detailer uses really high end products. And the difference is night and day.