Wash today, do the rest tomorrow??

[05PhillyStang]

What it be bad to wash my car tonight, then take care of cleaner, polish, and wax tomorrow? I did the interior last night and was going to wash today. I have some time constraints this weekend that are preventing me from doing everything in one shot.

I figured if I use some Quik Detailer before using the cleaner, it should remove any dust, pollen, or other contaminants that fell on the surface overnight.

[Boss_429]

Re: Wash today, do the rest tomorrow??

Originally posted by 05PhillyStang
I figured if I use some Quik Detailer before using the cleaner, it should remove any dust, pollen, or other contaminants that fell on the surface overnight.

That should work!

[Rockpick]

Just like Boss mentioned...

I don't see any problem what so ever with your plan. Be sure to snap a few photos to share with us!

RP

[DFTowel]

I do that all the time. I usually wash and apply polish in the evening, then buff the next day.

[gb387]

Originally posted by DFTowel
I do that all the time. I usually wash and apply polish in the evening, then buff the next day.

That is what I do... like to break the work up.

[zsoap]

I actually like to wash, dry, and apply my first coat of wax, then go to bed. Wake up the next day and add my second coat. This way the wax cures and it doesn't feel like I'm waiting around all day until I can add my next coat.

[magnus]

I did this with my Volvo over five days:

Originally posted by magnus

Just finished a long weekend of working on my new Volvo. Still have a lot to do on the exterior, but even more on the interior, but at least it is prepared for the start of winter.

Here's what I did:

Day 1
1. Washed wheels with Gold Class All Wheel Cleaner
2. Washed with Joy (no Dawn in the house).
3. Washed again with #00 Hi-Tech Wash
4. Clayed with #00 and Quik Clay System

Day 2
1. Taped off windows, lights, and black plastic trim.
2. Used my G-100a and #82 Swirl Free Polish. I chose #82 over #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish as this is a new car as of May and only had light swirling and scratches. I thought #83 would be too aggressive.

Day 3
1. Went over the whole car again with #82, as I was not happy with the results from the first pass. Did a little reading and slowed my process and worked the product until almost clear. Ended up a lot smoother and a lot less swirls.

Day 4
1. Polished with the G-100 and M-07 Show Car Glaze. I read through Mike's post on Autopia and found his method to work quite well, without hassle.
2. Waxed with the G-100 and Meguiar’s NXT Generation Tech Wax. I have a can of Deep Crystal System Carnauba Wax, but chose the NXT for durability as this is a daily driver over mostly muddy roads. Left each coat (2 total) on for 30-45 minutes (lunch break) then buffed off with Ultimate Bonnet . Approximately 4 hours between the 2 coats.
3. Pulled all tape off.
4. Washed windows with 2 terry cloth towels, one wet (water), on dry. Re-cleaned windows with Stoner Invisible Glass.
5. Cleaned all trim and tires with #39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner.
6. Dressed trim and tires with #40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner.

Day 5
1. Waxed inside of doors, deck lid, and hood with NXT.
2. Took these photos with my new Christmas present (Nikon D70):





3. Went inside and played video games for the rest of the day.

Wife is tickled pink. Now I need a vacation from my vacation!

[RamAirV1]

I never wax and polish my car on the same day that I wash it. I actually use a schedule similar to that of magnus. I may complete the process over 3-4 days sometimes. That way I can concentrate on trouble spots. And you can see from magnus' pictures the results are just as good, if not better, than doing it all in the same day.

NXT is the perfect choice for white. BTW, nice DSLR too. The D-70 is one of my favorites.

RamAirV1

[Chris Nemlich]

Your plan will be fine! Sometimes this does not work for me depending on the time of year because my car will accumulate too much dirt in the day between washing and polishing/waxing.

As long as only a light coat of dust gets on your car overnight you should be fine!

Chris