How To Safely And Effectively Wash And Detail Your Car

It's virtually impossible to keep a car clean these days. Even stored inside a garage, my classics get coated with a layer of dust and pollen thicker than the mascara of a typical Cure concert attendee.

Washing cars is important for looks and longevity. Dirt, bird droppings and acid rain adhere to and break down paint and fabric, making way for rust and mold. Owners, however, oftentimes do even more damage when cleaning with inappropriate products and aggressive techniques.  And with all due respect to those who operate automated car washes, there's no middle ground between the brushes that damage the paint and the brushless systems that leave your car almost as dirty as it went in.

So for the best and safest results: do it yourself!

The first rule of washing and detailing cars is: to everything there is a season... and for every automotive surface there is a cleaner.

Wiping a dry, dirty car causes scratches, so start with sudsy washing of the car’s exterior. While cars have been made in brass, wood and even stainless steel, I’m not aware of any made of china or clay, so don’t use dish soap. At the very best dish soap will strip the existing wax, and at worst damage paint and clear coats. Car wash solutions are inexpensive, so use one that creates the most slippery suds.

Wash from top to bottom and forward to back, leaving the dirtiest parts of the car for last. Use a separate bucket to rinse dirt from a wash mitt before putting it back into the suds bucket. Thoroughly rinse the car and dry immediately with a chamois or California Water Blade.

If you're going to be taking your car to a show, don’t forget to clean the engine bay and undercarriage, because someone will inevitably ask you to pop the hood or look under the car. Cover air intakes and wiring before spraying engine cleaner. Natural products like Simple Green and Griot's Garage Engine Cleaner are safe for the environment, but some engine cleaning sprays and foams are terribly poisonous, so read the directions regarding safe disposal.

Clean wheels to completely remove corrosive brake dust. Wheel cleaners are abundant, but I tend to just use car wash most of the time. Read wheel cleaner labels to make darn sure it is safe for the metal and finish of your wheels. Clean the entire wheel, including the inside if the pattern allows a hand or brush to fit. For most wheels, applying standard carnuba wax protects and shines -- just check to make sure that wheel center caps are still securely fastened.

Before continuing, get your car inside or into a well-shaded area. Sun is the enemy of car detailing. Only detail a cool surface.

A clean painted surface should feel smooth like glass. If it is still feel bumpy, you’ll need to use detailer’s clay. Detailer’s clay removes bonded contaminants like sap, dirt and bugs from paint. Griot’s Garage and Mother’s offer similar products. Spritz a bit of detailer’s spray (I’m addicted to Griot’s “Speed Shine,”) and rub the clay against panels until the paint is smooth as a politician’s request for campaign donations.

If you own a DeLorean this is the time to start rubbing with a Scotch-Brite pad, but for all other cars, minor scratches and oxidation should be removed with a random-orbital polisher and fine machine-polishing compound. Polishing by hand takes too long! Rubbing compound should only be used on non-clear coat surfaces or with a standard polishing wheel after wet-sanding to remove orange peel. Avoid burning through paint by moving polishers side-to-side then up and down across panels. Never allow polish to dry before wiping-off completely with detailer’s spray. View panels from different angles and light reflection to ensure all scratches are removed.

Time to wax. Some say Meguire’s is best, others Zaino, and a vocal minority scream Zymoil. Since Pebble Beach Concours winners swear by Tacoma-based Griot’s Garage Best of Show and Carnuba Wax stick, these are the products I happen to use. Support your local car business, and win a show in the process, I always say!

Use a foam pad and work a thin coat of wax over each panel. My favorite process is to leave the first coat of wax on the car for an hour to dry, then apply another thin coat directly over the dry wax. An hour later, I buff the whole car, leaving a thick, hard shine to protect for at least three months. A good trick to make it easier to remove wax is to coat the surface with a spray-on wax liquid (again, I use a Griot's product called "Spray-On Wax".) The wax content of the spray loosens the cured wax.

Vacuum the interior completely, including seat seams and creases, carpet, convertible tops, and fabric package shelfs. Using a soft, clean paint brush will get dust off of air vent bezels and from the small spaces around buttons and switches.

Use only a good leather cleaner and then a conditioner on leather upholstery. Clean vinyl and weatherstripping with a general interior cleaner and then treat with a low-gloss UV protectant. Never use slippery Armor-All-like treatments on steering wheels, pedals or driver’s floor mats, as this can be dangerous.

Armor-All also turns tires brown, therefore apply a real tire dressing. Use too much, and at 15MPH excess product will coat fenders. Apply glass cleaner to windows, mirrors, lights, reflectors and gauge bezels. Treat bumpers, exhaust tips and grills to chrome polish.

All that’s left to do is to get your keys and show-off your beauty with a drive around town.

published 2 years ago

sbarer

229 points