Newbie '14 458 - How often to detail and best products??

Forgive me if this question has been addressed multiple times. I recently purchased a '14 458, 8k miles and pristine condition. I keep it in good condition but after about 6 weeks I began to notice those webs in the paint and had it detailed. I have a good friend with an older 430 spider and he swears he only washes it once, maybe twice a year, The rest of the time he sprays P&S Gloss Spray and shine, wipes down with microfiber rags then buffs with fresh rags. The condition of his paint is amazing but I'm hesitant to take that advice. Is there any kind of best practice here? I'm driving the car lightly on the weekends and have it covered during the week. A full traditional detail every 5-6 weeks seems good for me.

Also, thoughts on ceramic treatments?

Thank you!


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Nice, enjoy that beauty.

Some folks are using/swear by a self healing paint protectant, either leading surfaces or a full wrap. This keep stone dings to a minimum but can get pricy.

The biggest cause of swirl marks are cleaning rags or sponges. If you use 100% pure cotton (not from China/India, I find "100% cotton made in USA" on the label as a minimum, stay away from cheap) to wash and dry your car you should eliminate a large percent of that problem.

Wash car from top to bottom, don't reuse soiled rags/towels, wax with good quality products, consider paint protectant if not installed, don't let bug splatter remain after a long drive, keep dusted, and use a spay-on quick detailer then yeah, if you don't drive in inclement weather, you should be able to get away with washing your car once or twice a year. Watch the build up of grime on the bottom side of the cover.

You can find lots of best practices on maintenance if you search F-chat. A full detail is a once every few years thing if well maintained. Every 5-6 weeks? I appreciate some don't like washing their cars, but your detailer must love you.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login Congratulations on the beauty. Additionally, I recommend investing in paint correction, ceramic coating, then clear wrapping. The ceramic coating adds clear coat basically. With that applied, you can almost just spray the car down and wipe. I still wash mine though. Some only wrap the front and side skirt. It protects against rock chips. I swear by it.

 

Jason -

Nice car and welcome. EC has some great advice. I wash my car usually once per week. I utilize the three bucket method and use the highest quality microfiber towels for drying I can find. I also have a coating on my car which helps in removal of bug splatter and it also makes the surface hydrophobic. Why is this important - After I wash my car, I use a dedicated leaf blower to dry my car. Then I take my drying towel and simply lightly dab the remaining water off. Swirls are introduced when you have dirt present and it is dragged along the surface by a towel, so the less you touch it, the better off you are. Here is a greet video by Todd Cooperider at Esoteric Detail. Well worth watching (BTW there are A LOT more videos that may interest you) -

 

Jason , I had my car completely covered in Suntec clear film. First it was color corrected then film and Creanic Pro over that. This way I can wash anytime no issues ever. No muss no fuss and really easy to maintain. Best , Kirk

Ps. Nice rig bro !

 

+1

 

detail and then clear bra the entire car.

 

Oh, and to your question, the clear covers the little tiny scratches that will occur no matter how fanatical you are washing and drying.

 

Meguiar's waterless wash & wax and Zwipes waffle drying towel. I used that combo on my 458 for two years straight and it always looked amazing. I think in the two years I owned the car, I only washed it at a car wash (spray it yourself) once. Otherwise, the waterless wash & wax keeps it looking amazing.

Ray

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most pricey solution is full clear bra for full protection, next is partial clear bra and the rest ceramic coat. The coating makes it much easier to clean and stuff wont stick to the surface so there's no scrubbing, often times u just need to rinse and foam and all the dirt will be gone. Finish with flow dry for a touchless wash.

for a more economical solution, do the correct wash method with premium towels and apply sealant once a month. Spray on Quick detailers with no water for in between time gets the job done. Ultimately you will still get surface scuffs over time, so probably still need a detail once every 2-3 years....certainly a lot better than once a month

 

oh, I forgot to mention that I wax the car and hand polish it (once it hazes over) using this stuff. I've had pretty decent luck waxing maybe once every 6-8 months or so.

Ray

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