How To Wash And Wax 458 Spider | FerrariChat
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How To Wash And Wax 458 Spider

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by lydiacc, Mar 27, 2015.

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  1. lydiacc

    lydiacc Rookie

    Feb 26, 2015
    1
    #1 lydiacc, Mar 27, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2015
    New Ferrari owner here. I know almost nothing about cars, but Ferrari has always been my dream car, so I got a 458 Spider in Rosso Corsa about a month ago, and it was the best purchase I have ever made. I thought I would regret spending $300,000 on a vehicle, but it is definitely worth it if you can afford it.

    My car got dirty pretty quickly as I drove it when the roads were still a little wet from some melting snow, so I Google-searched "how to wash a Ferrari" and found this link, <<<external link removed>>>, which seemed to have great instructions, but I decided it would be better to let a professional wash my car, so I took it in to the local Ferrari dealer. I did not purchase my car at this dealer, but they were very nice and they actually wash Ferraris for free (I tipped them, of course), so I figured it was a no-brainer to just let them handle the car washing. However, I noticed that when they were washing and drying the car, they were going in circular motions, which that link clearly says you should not do. I didn't panic, as the guy washing my car was the head detailer in a Ferrari dealership. But after just two washes by him, I noticed some significant swirling throughout the car when reflecting off direct sunlight, so I decided that I would be the only one to wash my car from now on.

    I am planning on washing the car going through the instructions in that link, step-by-step, and purchasing the products on their website, as they seem to be reasonably priced. But I just wanted to make sure that nothing was omitted from their instructions, and would like to know if there are other/better products to use other than the ones they suggest (product quality is more important to me than the price, but if two products are of equal quality, I would obviously prefer the less expensive option).

    Additional questions:
    1. How often should I wash my car?
    2. Is it normal for there to be a lot of dust above the rear license plate and on the wheels just a couple days after a wash?
    3. Will waxing the car make the swirls less visible?
    4. That link recommends using a "quick detailer spray and/or spray wax". Is it best to use both, or one or the other?
    5. Is spray wax better than normal wax?
    6. Is it best to wax after every wash?
    7. Would a foam gun provide a safer wash? If so, what brand/model do you recommend?
    8. How do I wash the engine and should I do it before or after washing the rest of the car?
    9. What kind of end should I use on my hose?
    10. I have a clear film thing on the front part of my car (I think to protect the paint from rocks to prevent chipping). Can I wash and wax that part of the car using the same process?
    11. Is it better to dry using an air blower? If so, what brand/model do you recommend?
    12. When they say you should "lightly buff to a brilliant finish", does that mean in a circular motion?

    I also met a guy yesterday that seemed to know a lot about cars and recommended some products for me to use. Do you know if any of these are good or bad to use on my car? I think these are all available on Amazon:
    Sonax Wheel Cleaner
    1z Einszett Cockpit Cleaner
    Zymol Carbon
    303 Protectant
    Chemical Guys Mr. Pink

    I probably know less about cars than any other Ferrari owner here so please be patient with me. I did not know about swirls until I went to that link. I do not know the parts of a car. I just know that I love my Ferrari and want it to stay beautiful for as long as possible, so any advice is greatly appreciated!

    I decided to post this in the "458 Italia/488" forum, as I would assume the newer models have a different type of paint than older models and may require different care. I also think I read that water can collect by the rear window of the 458 Spider, so any input on that or any other model-specific advice would help as well.

    Thank you so much for your time!!!
     
  2. mseals

    mseals Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Sep 9, 2007
    24,468
    Kuwait
    Full Name:
    Mike Seals
    #2 mseals, Mar 27, 2015
    External link removed.

    Please do not post links promoting other websites.

    Anyone here can do their own search and find what works for them.
     
  3. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 19, 2002
    19,216
    michigan
    Full Name:
    john
    #3 jm2, Mar 27, 2015
    there are several detailing websites with more information than you can ever use:
    autogeekonline is one of them
     
  4. 707

    707 Karting

    May 29, 2014
    175
    Full Name:
    Alex
    #4 707, Mar 27, 2015
    There are a couple forums on here that talks about it in detail as well. Youtube also has alot of good videos

    Additional questions:
    1. How often should I wash my car? When ever you want.....depends on how clean you like your car. Everytime you wash, you do run a risk or putting on swirls.

    2. Is it normal for there to be a lot of dust above the rear license plate and on the wheels just a couple days after a wash? Yes. do to the aero and brake dust

    3. Will waxing the car make the swirls less visible? Yes, the wax will fill but you will still see a bit. you have to polish (buff) to remove swirls. The swirls are in your clear coat.

    4. That link recommends using a "quick detailer spray and/or spray wax". Is it best to use both, or one or the other? They are the same, most quick detailer has a bit wax in it. Use detailer for a small spot. wouldn't use to wash the car. I believe the only difference is spray wax does not have micro sealers.

    5. Is spray wax better than normal wax? Depends but most likely not.
    6. Is it best to wax after every wash? Not necessary but depends on how hard you wash it. Wax is meant to protect your clear coat so it doesn't come off that easily therefore you don't have to keep waxing.
    7. Would a foam gun provide a safer wash? Yes just overall a better wash.
    so, what brand/model do you recommend?

    8. How do I wash the engine and should I do it before or after washing the rest of the car? . I wouldn't recommend you wash engine. youtube has great videos on it. you have to seal a couple places before you wash the engine or you could flood components.

    9. What kind of end should I use on my hose? whatever end fits your foam gun.

    10. I have a clear film thing on the front part of my car (I think to protect the paint from rocks to prevent chipping). Can I wash and wax that part of the car using the same process? Yes

    11. Is it better to dry using an air blower? If so, what brand/model do you recommend? Any brand is ok as long as you have high enough flow rate.

    12. When they say you should "lightly buff to a brilliant finish", does that mean in a circular motion? Buffing usually in circular motion. wouldn't suggest washing in circular motion though.
     
  5. DK308

    DK308 F1 Rookie

    Aug 13, 2013
    2,738
    Europe, way north.
    Full Name:
    AB
    #5 DK308, Mar 27, 2015
    Just because someone works at a Ferrari dealership, does not mean that they are in any way qualified to detail a car. Heck, even the guys in Maranello do a pretty damn poor job of painting, buffing and polishing to say the least.

    With all the questions you have, find someone good, I mean really good, and have him do a complete paint correction and then teach you how to keep your car in good condition. If you want to do it right, you need someone good to show you how, and you need at good base to start with i.e, a flawless finish. NO Ferrari comes with a flawless finish, most in fact come with horrible paint finishes.

    Get away from that guy with the circles who does it for free btw. and I mean, RUN, not walk. Nobody who is any good at this, details for free - you can be very sure of that.

    You can also choose to have the entire car wrapped in Xpel after correction. Many do, and it's a good way to keep your finish safe. You'll still need to wash and so on, but at least you'll only damage the wrap if you make any mistakes. And no matter what, have a film put on your windshield.

    This guy is very popular on this and other boards, and is also someone who can teach you what you need to know, and he can do the correction, wrap etc.
    Esoteric Auto Detail in Columbus, Ohio | Detailing, Clear Bra, Training, and Product Sales. | Esoteric Detail | Esoteric Car Care
     
  6. Zaius

    Zaius Formula Junior

    May 8, 2014
    863
    #6 Zaius, Mar 27, 2015
    Find a good detailer to do a correction. Afterwards wrap the entire car in Xpel ultimate and put clearplex on the windshield. You won't have to be concerned about swirls and road debris.
     
  7. Voda

    Voda Formula 3

    Oct 10, 2013
    1,808
    Seattle
    #7 Voda, Mar 27, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  8. Voda

    Voda Formula 3

    Oct 10, 2013
    1,808
    Seattle
    #8 Voda, Mar 27, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017

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