Tweet
Looking for a Practical Strategy (Part I)
I am slowly becoming an enthusiast. We have two cars in our household--my wife's daily driver, a 2002 silver Taurus, and my gorgeous sweetheart, a 2007 black S2000 (named Luthien). Our recent move to Virginia has enabled us to garage both of our cars. In July I had my S2000 professionally detailed, and ten days ago I spent ten hours washing, buffing, and waxing the Taurus. I now want to develop detailing strategies for each car. I will focus on the S2000 in this thread and will create a new thread for the Taurus.
I have been trying to take particularly good care of my Luthien. She is not driven as frequently as a daily driver, but she is driven more than a garage queen. And so I use UQD on her when she gets dusty, and I wash her once a week or every other week, depending on her condition and on my schedule. I am committed to waxing her once a month.
What is not clearly to me is how often I should do the full five-step routine. I want to devise a strategy that is practical and realistic for me and for my S2000. What do you think of the following schedule:
(1) Wash weekly or biweekly. Quick detail as needed.
(2) Wax once a month using my preferred wax. It also occurred to me that every other month I might want to consider doing a two-step Cleaner Wax/preferred wax process (do you agree?). I have been using Gold Class on her, but I intend to try out NXT next month.
(3) 5-step paint care cycle (wash, clay, clean paint [M80 and, if necessary, M83], polish [optional], and wax [two applications]) every four months. I will be using a G110 for polishing and waxing.
Does this sound reasonable? Should I do the full five-step cycle more frequently? Even after reading through the MOL archives, I am still unclear how often one should do the basic surface prep. I suppose one should clay whenever the surface begins to feel "rough," and if one is going to clay one might as well always accompany this by paint-cleaning, and if one is going clay and clean, one might just as well do the full five-step routine.
I want Luthien to look good. She is a joy to me. I won't be taking her to any shows, but I do like it when I'm stopped at the light and others look over at her and smile. I intend to keep Luthien a long time--hence I am also concerned that I not threaten the integrity of the clear-coat through over-aggressive cleaning and polishing. (Is over-polishing a legitimate concern for a rotary-less person like myself?) Though I tend to perfectionism, I have mellowed a great deal in my old age. So I want a strategy that is practical and realistic.
I welcome all criticisms and suggestions. I suspect that other beginners reading MOL will also find your suggestions helpful. I am also interested in hearing about the strategies others have adopted. Thank you!
Al
I have been trying to take particularly good care of my Luthien. She is not driven as frequently as a daily driver, but she is driven more than a garage queen. And so I use UQD on her when she gets dusty, and I wash her once a week or every other week, depending on her condition and on my schedule. I am committed to waxing her once a month.
What is not clearly to me is how often I should do the full five-step routine. I want to devise a strategy that is practical and realistic for me and for my S2000. What do you think of the following schedule:
(1) Wash weekly or biweekly. Quick detail as needed.
(2) Wax once a month using my preferred wax. It also occurred to me that every other month I might want to consider doing a two-step Cleaner Wax/preferred wax process (do you agree?). I have been using Gold Class on her, but I intend to try out NXT next month.
(3) 5-step paint care cycle (wash, clay, clean paint [M80 and, if necessary, M83], polish [optional], and wax [two applications]) every four months. I will be using a G110 for polishing and waxing.
Does this sound reasonable? Should I do the full five-step cycle more frequently? Even after reading through the MOL archives, I am still unclear how often one should do the basic surface prep. I suppose one should clay whenever the surface begins to feel "rough," and if one is going to clay one might as well always accompany this by paint-cleaning, and if one is going clay and clean, one might just as well do the full five-step routine.
I want Luthien to look good. She is a joy to me. I won't be taking her to any shows, but I do like it when I'm stopped at the light and others look over at her and smile. I intend to keep Luthien a long time--hence I am also concerned that I not threaten the integrity of the clear-coat through over-aggressive cleaning and polishing. (Is over-polishing a legitimate concern for a rotary-less person like myself?) Though I tend to perfectionism, I have mellowed a great deal in my old age. So I want a strategy that is practical and realistic.
I welcome all criticisms and suggestions. I suspect that other beginners reading MOL will also find your suggestions helpful. I am also interested in hearing about the strategies others have adopted. Thank you!
Al
Comment