What To Do......

[LookingHard]

First of all I had no idea that there was something like this board, and never had an idea such car buffs existed. Guess I forgot how I felt when I got my first car about forty years ago.

At the risk of offending someone I am going to ask some basic questions......and yes I have done a bit of browsing, but the answers are much too in-depth for my needs.

I have just been given.....yes given....a great looking 1997 Honda Accord with 75k miles on it to replace my 1986 Accord with 245k miles on it. This was given to me by my best friend and I want to take care of the car, and the finish. He is a car buff in poor health but did keep the car in a garage.... which I don't have.

Now.....is the order WASH, POLISH, & WAX? Do I have to polish every time or every few wax jobs?

Be gentle, I'm new here.

Thanks,
LookingHard

[Murr1525]

Re: What To Do......

If you want to keep it simple and straightforward, look into this process:

1. Wash - Gold Class or Nxt Soap, with two buckets.
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay Kit, and I'd buy an extra QD bottle.
3. Cleaner/Wax - ColorX would be easy to find in stores.
4. Wax - A thin coat of Nxt 2.0 would top things off nicely.

5. Maintain - I like to use the Ultimate Quick Detailer after in-between washes.

As for your questions:

The proper order for a full detail is:

1. Wash - Removes loose dirt
2. Clay - Removes bonded surface dirt
3. Clean - Removes dirt from the pores of the paint, and swirls/scratches with the right product
4. Polish - Puts oils onto the surfaceof the paint to rejuvenate and add gloss to the paint
5. Wax - Seals in the polish, as well as adds some protection from the elements
6. Wax - Two thin coats are recomended

Once you detail the car, you can wash it every week or so, and use the Ultimate Quick Detailer to follow up to restore that fresh shine.

Then, every few months, you can look into doing a detail with the products mentioned above.
Here are a few basic links to check out as well:

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

How to Wash Your Car Show Car Style

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

How to correctly apply ScratchX to remove swirls and scratches

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: What To Do......

Follow what Murr has outlined for you and you will be keeping your "new" car looking great.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: What To Do......

Moving to Detailing 101

Please don't post threads in any of the forum groups in the "Information Station", if you're unsure where to post a thread you can always post it in Detailing 101 which is a catch-all for any type of questions.


Thank you!