Frequency of detailing regime...

[Keith]

Hi there

I'd like to say thanks to everyone on the forum for converting me from a person who washed their car weekly using the wrong products and techniques, to an 'evangelist' for Meguiars products and the correct techniques to use

Eventhough I been visiting this site quite often, this is my first official post...

Two and half months ago I took delivery of a black BMW whcih now means we have two metallic black cars in the family. My current regime involves washing my car twice a week using the following products...

• Clean the wheels using Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner.
• Wash the car using the two bucket method and Meguiars Gold Class Car Shampoo with two Meguiars Chenile Wash Mitts (one for the upper half of the car and the other for the lower half)
• Dry (using the blotting technique) with Meguiars Water magnet after removing excessive water using the sheeting method
• Give the tyres a coat of Hot Shine Tyre Spray
• Apply a coat of KwikWax with an applicator and remove with microfibre towels. Once a month I use this same process, but I use the Gold Class Liquid Wax instead.

This has worked for me since I received the car. However, a month ago I was at a shopping centre parking lot and was admiring the car when the sun came out behind some clouds and gave me the shock of my life. Swirls, Swirls and more Swirls
BTW. It is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, so the sun is not out very often.

I always knew the dealer had given me an extra free option on the car (DIS), but I wasn't aware of how bad it actually was I then bought myself a halogen lamp and some Meguiars ScratchX to see if I could remove some of the swirls. It worked amazingly well on the hood and the trunk, but I couldn't see myself applying it to the entire car.

After reading posts on this forum and others, I recently decided to purchase a Makita BO6040 DA polisher to make my life a lot easier. I've also ordered some Meguiars Polishing and Finishing pads, a Meguiars backing place and some M80 Speed Glaze.

My new process would be as follows...

• Clean the wheels using Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner.
• Wash the car using the two bucket method and Meguiars Gold Class Car Shampoo with two Meguiars Chenile Wash Mitts (one for the upper half of the car and the other for the lower half)
• Clay the car using the Meguiars Clay Kit
• Wash the car again to remove any residue
• Dry (using the blotting technique) with Meguiars Water magnet after removing excessive water using the sheeting method
• Apply a coat of M80 Speed Glaze using the DA with the #8006 pad and work it in on speed setting #4 or #5. Clean with microfibre towel.
• Give the tyres a coat of Hot Shine Tyre Spray
• Apply a coat of Gold Class Liquid Wax using the DA with the #9006 pad on speed setting #1 and remove with a microfibre towel or bonnet.

I know following this site, that my current process can be done as often as I want to, but how often can I follow this new process? Some people on other forums say that you should only perform this every six months otherwise you might wear down your clearcoat. I suspect that this might be due to the products they use (like Zaino or Zymol, etc.). As I'm only using Meguiars products, is this still true?

[Tim Larson]

Re: Frequency of detailing regime...

As often as necessary.

I know that seems vague but that's because there is no standard answer regarding how often you should wax and do your car care cycle. Many variables influence how often:

Type of paint
Condition of paint
Local environment (normal conditions and extraordinary events)
Number of hours exposed to outside conditions
Quality and type of wax applied
Quality of wash solution used to wash car

Another factor to consider is your personal desires for how your car should look.

If you always want your car to look like it just won a car show,
then you can and should apply a pure polish or premium wax often.

Meguiar