Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

[Detailing by M]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

Although Opti-Coat will provide some scratch resistance, it can still scratch/marr.

Opti-Coat is harder then Clear Coat paint so especialy in this case it will be night and day between this soft paint and Opti-Coat.

[Motorsports-X]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

i have had a car or two that did this. no matter what, swirl marks just happened.. i ended up going to an adams wash pad (sorry megs) and also completely 5 stage washing, polishing, waxing the car. 2 coats of NXT allowed to dry a day each, and the problem was gone. i use ulitmate wash/wax to wash all my cars, and use the water magnet as well. follow with quick spray wax. I also use Filtered water so that might help a bit as well.. more or less i think it was the 2 coats of wax that helped the most.

[GoZoner]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

If you've kept it waxed then the flood rinse, with the car on a bit of a slope if need be, will remove nearly all of the water. After that I set an Absorber on any remaining wet spots - no motion, just set and lift. After that, Megs Ultimate Quick Wax with a microfiber towel.

[Xzotik]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

Using the Meguiars towels? Or other good quality ones?

Could use some white vinegar in the rinse to help soften.

CAUTION: Vinegar will REMOVE wax!

[Top Gear]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

waxyboard, I agree with many of the tips above. I have water spot problems big time, and the drying is the biggest problem in maintaining my car, as it makes scratches and smears, requiring more wiping. I try not to wash the car, basically. I use the Meg's 3-step system of correction with Ultimate/Gold Class, then on a regular basis use Gold Class QD & QW with MFs and a duster. When it does get dirty enough for a water hose rinse, or a full wash with two buckets, I let it drip dry as much as I can stand before putting MFs on it using QD & QW. This prevents me introducing new scratches, and of course, keeps a freshly waxed feel to the paint

[ffboy]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

Maintaining a black car is very, very difficult but not impossible. I guess, one just has to live with some swirls (some can be very minor) on dark paint.

[Blueline]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

A few times, I have noticed what I thought were a few swirls in my black paint, only to find it was "swirls" in the wax. Really!!!!. A spot re-wax (not a filler wax) and a little more care, and the "swirls" were gone. Probably not what the OP was writing about, but with a black car, in the wrong light, any and everything will look ugly if not perfectly waxed.

[Top Gear]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

Right, most of the swirling is in the polish and wax layers, not the actual paint or deep into the clear coat. A full correction can fix them, but the trick is to not let them happen in the first place, which is what I've learned about from this forum.

Yesterday, I finally got myself a Whirlpool water filter for the garden hose I use to wash and rinse the cars. It cost $20 plus a few brass pipe fittings and a two-pack of the "2 micron" premium filters, or about $40 total from Lowes. I've only rinsed once using it, rinsing off a huge amount of pollen dust, and rain came in last night and today, but I did see some air drying before nightfall and I think the filter pretty much eliminated or greatly reduced the hard water spots I was getting. I could barely notice a small reduction in water pressure. I also got a small electric leaf blower to push the large beads off the top surfaces where the water spots were the worst (the "flood" method with the hose does not work for me, as the GC wax beads just as strongly).

So, this means I'm washing/rinsing less often, wiping far less when I do, thus detailing is much easier, creating fewer spiderwebs in the process, which then requires less work to correct

[Top Gear]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

Yes, I'm bumping this old thread, 2 years on (instead of starting a new one), because it's still an impossible dream, I think

I've learned a lot from this forum while trying to keep a DD black car looking nice. I've gone from a novice duffer to being intermediate and perhaps advanced in some areas of detailing. In real life, people ask me all the time how I keep the car so beautiful. I often say, "Meguiar's" However, some solutions I've discussed above and elsewhere on this forum over the last few years turned out to be all wrong in some situations, yet perfect in others. I've learned that my paint/clear is not as delicate as I always feared, but also that a swirl-free finish is never "perfect" for long, and could be one wipe down away spider-webbed. You all know what I mean.

Often, as soon as I've got something figured out, some technique or solution to reduce the workload, the weather patterns change. I once raved on here about going months and months without washing, but then the rains came and that Southern California ideal went right out the window. I once raved about QD and QW as solutions to everything I was encountering, until I noticed residue buildup, wipe holograms, and growing swirls to be hidden with another wipe down. I realized I was fooling myself - I wasn't "maintaining" a swirl-free finish, but rather, I was just wiping a decent correction right off the surface. How maddening!

So, maintaining a new correction can be a bigger challenge than the correction itself. I've discovered that balance in multiple approaches is better than doggedness to any one technique. So, I'm QW'ing less and shampooing more, I'm correcting more often and expecting to maintain it for less time (3 full corrections already this year). Mainly, this is because it's been a wet couple of years where I am, it's generally humid anyway, and I'm not garaged. While the rain itself is not a problem, everything it creates is - washing, drying, wiping. I'm even starting to think about a cheap car cover just for temporary periods at home, something I never considered before (due to mold, keeping the cover itself clean, theft, etc).

Just the other day, I finished what I think is the best correction I've done yet, the closest I've come so far to the pro-level work some of you display and make look so easy. It was 6 hours of work since I didn't clay or compound the whole car. The weather was dry for a few days, so I could just enjoy the pretty much perfect finish with only some very minor dusting to keep it clean. However, today, it just rained again, and although I haven't driven in the rain, since we're nearing the end of the pollen season, there's a bit of pollenized and tree-sapped film over much of the car. So, what do I do? Wash it? Wipe it down with QW? Both? Or, just leave it alone for a day or two, semi-dirty, since it looks to rain again, and decide then? That's the daily decision process of maintaining anything close to show car quality with a black non-garaged DD in any area where rain and dust are frequent, not to mention grime and bugs and rock chips from actually driving the car

Don't get me wrong. Detailing work is therapeutic, and it's great to drive what is likely the nicest head-turning black car in my area, or certainly one of a few. In a way, I'm saying thanks to Meg's for maintaining a forum where we can all effect self-help, group therapy, discussing and pursuing the impossible dream of that perfect black show car

[Eldorado2k]

Have you tried Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere?^
If not, you should. And if you like the results you get from it you could then invest in a gallon of D115.

[Top Gear]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

Oh, I use Gold Class Quick Detailer, which is great. I match post-wax finish products to my regular wax, Gold Class Liquid. So, I use GC QD mostly as an APC, very much like any given "waterless wash" spray product.

The problem with waterless methods on a non-garaged DD in weather comes over time. With too much wiping to counteract the humidity, rain, dust/pollen, etc, and regardless of the product, I'm just wiping away the correction. The surface starts to need QD/QW more and more to hide the increasing spiderwebs. Also, there's residue build-up from the product, even with clean rags, and the residue attracts dirt and humidity condensation, no matter how well I buff it. Not fair!

So, since I have a fresh correction, I'm experimenting with doing waterless methods less, washing more using Gold Class Shampoo. Washing with GC is much more gentle on the surface, but is more work, because I have to blow it dry as well, or else there will be spots. I also have to accept that some days the paint will not be perfectly clean, and that other people do not notice it like I do

[Eldorado2k]

Yes, I know you use Gold Class Quik Detailer.. I've read your posts. My question is if you've used Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere or D115. Because judging from what you describe as towel holograms and product buildup, it doesn't seem to produce the best results for you..

If I'm not mistaken, havn't you been hesitating on fully correcting your paint for a long time? I believe you mention being the least aggresive possible since you got your DA?

Why not try something different? Fully correct those swirls and try something new.
Just my 2 cents.

[Top Gear]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

No, I haven't used them, because they don't match the GC "look", and they have to be wiped off just the same, if I'm not mistaken. So, same difference.

Yeah, in 2013 I went almost the whole year on one correction/DA wax application. It was fine for a while during the unusually dry Spring/Summer that year, which was almost like living in SoCal, but then by Fall, the weather went back to normal and I pushed the idea too far. Last year, I did two or three corrections with better maintenance (shampooing more), and this year I've already done three, trying to do less maintenance (duster, QD/QW).

Trust me, the problem is not the products, but the weather in the South/Southeast. We have high humidity much of the time, wild humidity swings are normal, lots of rain from Gulf moisture, pollen and airborne tree sap from the forests, and then the industrial grime from farms, trucks, etc. The rain is not "acid", but it can sometimes be laced with contaminants. Imagine that light oily residue you might get from driving behind a smoking vehicle and you've got an idea of what every day can sometimes be like during rainy/humid periods in the South/SE. Waterless methods just don't always work, and sometimes make more of a mess than just being dirty, or create more work than just whipping out the wash bucket and leaf blower.

[Eldorado2k]

What do you use, when you correct the paint with your DA?

And I hear what you're saying, but you're comparing a quik detailer to a stand alone waterless wash & wax.. Quik detailers are only recommended for light dust.. And you already know the rest.. Which is why you might see a positive difference in the results.

Also keep in mind that you can dillute D115 to fit the weather conditions a bit. I know they recommend up to 20:1 for better results in direct sunlight. Maybe you can find a dillution that works for you. Autodetailingsolutions sells 32oz. trial size bottles of it.

[Top Gear]

Re: Impossible dream of maintaining a black honda accord

It looks like I've confused you, Eldorado, so I'm sorry.

My point is that it doesn't matter what I spray on, including water. If it has to be wiped off, wiping is the issue, creating more swirls and removing more polish/wax over time, because this is a daily thing, you see. This is why I've said I sometimes get great results by heavy rinsing with the water hose (without washing), and then blowing dry. By contrast, a regular wash with GC shampoo and a blow dry does produce a clean and dry surface even when it's humid out, but it's more work, and has to be done every day sometimes. Either way, come sundown the moisture in the air still condenses on the surfaces, and that condensation can either contain contaminants, or attract them. Overnight, the car is no longer clean. Next day, same problem. The only times this is different are during long dry periods when the prevailing winds are coming from the North/NE, the Appalachians or the Atlantic, rather than up from the Gulf of Mexico.

D115 may very well be a better cleaner than GC QD, so I'm not arguing with you on that. However, it's irrelevant, because what is contaminating the car every single day is not super dry desert dust, but often a humidity-infused film that requires wiping regardless of product. Occasionally, sure, I can dust the car off just like you would in the Southwest, or WW a bird dropping off, etc. However, many other times, these simple actions can create more work, because of the above. So, I have to wash it or wipe it all down yet again, and that means more touches every single day if I'm going to stay clean. The only way out is to bucket wash and blow dry every day or every couple of days, but that also means I'm washing away the wax and polish layers that much faster, and I still might need to do a QW finish which means wiping. So, maybe you can see the vicious cycle...

As for my correction products, I've been using Mirror Glaze foam pads (burgundy, yellow, beige) with UC or ScratchX, UP, and GC, now with the PC on 4-5-6 (max), rather than 3-4 when I started. To remove the GC, I use an MF in one hand and a chamois in the other.