New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

[jojellybean]

I wash my 2016 black Mercedes GLA250 using a wash mitt, 2 buckets, grit guards, using Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo.

After washing when I have to dry, i would dry the car using Meguiar's Water Magnet Drying Towel only.




My question is: Is it wrong that I am drying the car using Meguiar's Water Magnet Drying Towel only because I hear that I have to use a microfiber towel afterwards with Meguiar's D15501 Last Touch Spray Detailer?


IMPORTANT ***My friend said that I scratched my car without noticing already because I didn't do this afterwards... Great :/. I did notice some lines but I think that was just the water that evaporated and dried and the towel movements on the car because it quickly dried off. Do you think that is a scratch or a stain that can come off? *** IMPORTANT

2nd Question: While drying, I noticed that there were bubble like dots or pimple-ish dots on the car. Some went away but it seemed to be underneath the paint and it did not look good. I think it was from the dealer like that. Do you think it was from the shampoo? I did not leave it to dry for a long time and rinsed it off. :/


Would a clay, polish, and wax remove any blemish on the car? If so, do you recommend I give it to someone to do it so I check or I can do it on my own?

Thank you for any responses!

[exploreco]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

Welcome to MOL!

I don't think it is wrong that you are drying your car with the water magnet towels. I have at least 10 of them in the garage and dry my wife's Black Venza with them all the time, when I don't blow dry it. Yes, it is possible to introduce some scratching during the drying process, and being that you have black, you will notice it the most. It may not have been anything you did, but might have been there prior. I personally wouldn't not use last touch for after wash. I use M135. Last touch is fine, but M135 is better. I use it almost every wash and D156 at least once a month. Sounds like you are on the right path here.

The question now is, should you take it some where or do you want to do it yourself? Well, that all comes down to you? With me, I knew I didn't want other people working on my car, didn't want to spend the money, and since we had gotten a black car I needed to learn how to care for it. So, I came here and learned all I could. Spent a good amount of money in the process getting set up, but now that the initial cost is spent, I haven't had to re order for awhile. Only when I want new stuff, lol.

I would do the steps you outlined, wash, clay, polish (Megs UP is good), and wax (Megs UW is good for that too).

You can polish by hand or machine (DA), but the machine is the way to go. Far better results and much easier on your body. I was nervous about using a DA at first, but after using one for a couple of times, I quickly learned there was nothing to worry about. You just have to watch a few you tube videos to get yourself familiar with it and you are good.

I polished the wife's black 2014 Venza a couple of months after we got it and have not needed to polish it since then. With proper wash and dry methods I have kept it from getting swirls.

Good luck to you in what ever you decide to do with it. Throw up some pics of any concerns you have or when you get done!

[WT Taggart]

Try this next time

What I like to do is is lightly spray my car lightly with my favorite detail spray and dry with a moist microfiber towel. They MF towel wouldn't harm your finish and the detail spray acts as the lubrication.

[jojellybean]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

Welcome to MOL!

I don't think it is wrong that you are drying your car with the water magnet towels. I have at least 10 of them in the garage and dry my wife's Black Venza with them all the time, when I don't blow dry it. Yes, it is possible to introduce some scratching during the drying process, and being that you have black, you will notice it the most. It may not have been anything you did, but might have been there prior. I personally wouldn't not use last touch for after wash. I use M135. Last touch is fine, but M135 is better. I use it almost every wash and D156 at least once a month. Sounds like you are on the right path here.

The question now is, should you take it some where or do you want to do it yourself? Well, that all comes down to you? With me, I knew I didn't want other people working on my car, didn't want to spend the money, and since we had gotten a black car I needed to learn how to care for it. So, I came here and learned all I could. Spent a good amount of money in the process getting set up, but now that the initial cost is spent, I haven't had to re order for awhile. Only when I want new stuff, lol.

I would do the steps you outlined, wash, clay, polish (Megs UP is good), and wax (Megs UW is good for that too).

You can polish by hand or machine (DA), but the machine is the way to go. Far better results and much easier on your body. I was nervous about using a DA at first, but after using one for a couple of times, I quickly learned there was nothing to worry about. You just have to watch a few you tube videos to get yourself familiar with it and you are good.

I polished the wife's black 2014 Venza a couple of months after we got it and have not needed to polish it since then. With proper wash and dry methods I have kept it from getting swirls.

Good luck to you in what ever you decide to do with it. Throw up some pics of any concerns you have or when you get done!

So should I dry up the majority of the water using the Water Magnet Drying tools and even when there is still a little water, use the Meguiar's M135 with a microfiber towel since it is hydrophobic and it will be a last final touch? I will be waxing and polishing soon but I want to really understand the core of this first! Thank you so much for the tips.

Also, I just started out and I may have used the drying towels on places I shouldn't have and it got dirty (This can scratch right? How would you go with washing it in the laundry?) I'm an 18 year old guy and that area of expertise is what the women do while the men do the cars and such lol

[burns_erin]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

I've actually been using Ultimate Quick Wax (D156) as my drying assistant. If it's really super wet I'll blot with the magnet towel, and then spray the UQW on the still damp car and wipe then buff with the shine towels. If the water's mostly sheeted off I don't even bother blotting. It's probably not giving me as good of wax protection as it would if I'd completely dried it first, but I can't imagine it would be better trying to wax on top of a less lasting polymer from a QD, and frankly I'm too lazy do do it both anyway. So far on my car it's been fine, and with my almost black car if notice otherwise.

As far as price goes, D156 and M135 seem to go for about the same price and use rate seems to be the same.

[The Guz]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

If you haven't already done so, watch the video in this thread.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?41790-Meguiar-s-Quik-Tips-Video-Series-Washing#quRTD2MKFVaGXQzu.97

Follow proper washing and drying techniques and you can limit the number of defects. Defects are going to happen the more one touches the paint. The idea is to use proper techniques to limit them. Try blotting versus wiping.

How old are the water magnets? They tend to get harder as they age like most waffle weaves. Another option is to invest in a plush microfiber drying towel. Places like the Rag companies offer some.

Drying aids work as well. Any QD will technically work. A spray wax will leave protection behind as a drying aid. Search on the forum for D156 or ultimate quik wax as a drying aid. Drying aids will add a little lubrication between the paint and the towel. It will also help with water spots which it sounds like you are experiencing. Of course washing in the shade or out of the sun is best.

[jojellybean]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

If you haven't already done so, watch the video in this thread.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?41790-Meguiar-s-Quik-Tips-Video-Series-Washing#quRTD2MKFVaGXQzu.97

Follow proper washing and drying techniques and you can limit the number of defects. Defects are going to happen the more one touches the paint. The idea is to use proper techniques to limit them. Try blotting versus wiping.

How old are the water magnets? They tend to get harder as they age like most waffle weaves. Another option is to invest in a plush microfiber drying towel. Places like the Rag companies offer some.

Drying aids work as well. Any QD will technically work. A spray wax will leave protection behind as a drying aid. Search on the forum for D156 or ultimate quik wax as a drying aid. Drying aids will add a little lubrication between the paint and the towel. It will also help with water spots which it sounds like you are experiencing. Of course washing in the shade or out of the sun is best.

I got one water magnet. It's fairly clean but there is some light black spots on them and I'm thinking that can cause more scratches and swirls in the long run so I'm thinking about buying new ones and making sure I completely wash my car better to avoid dirt on my drying towel. How many do you think are typically needed? I notice that 2 drying towels dry and absorb quite a lot but by the other end of the car, it's still damp even though I rinse it out and it just wets the car and then the water evaporates so I feel like I want to just buy 4 new ones. 2 for one side and the hood and roof, and the other 2 for the other half plus the back. I'm spending a lot of money on this stuff though. I'm still very confused on what the Meguiar's M13501 does and what the D15601 Synthetic Wax does.

Do I use these whenever my car is mostly dried but still has some water left and I put this on since it's hydrophobic to really dry it up?

[burns_erin]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

I got one water magnet. It's fairly clean but there is some light black spots on them and I'm thinking that can cause more scratches and swirls in the long run so I'm thinking about buying new ones and making sure I completely wash my car better to avoid dirt on my drying towel. How many do you think are typically needed? I notice that 2 drying towels dry and absorb quite a lot but by the other end of the car, it's still damp even though I rinse it out and it just wets the car and then the water evaporates so I feel like I want to just buy 4 new ones. 2 for one side and the hood and roof, and the other 2 for the other half plus the back. I'm spending a lot of money on this stuff though. I'm still very confused on what the Meguiar's M13501 does and what the D15601 Synthetic Wax does.

Do I use these whenever my car is mostly dried but still has some water left and I put this on since it's hydrophobic to really dry it up?

D156 is an actual liquid wax, spray on wipe in then buff off so it leaves protection. M135 is, well it is more like a lubricant only type thing, it is good for not scratching paint when you are wiping, whether that is blotting off bird poop or drying your car.

[The Guz]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

I got one water magnet. It's fairly clean but there is some light black spots on them and I'm thinking that can cause more scratches and swirls in the long run so I'm thinking about buying new ones and making sure I completely wash my car better to avoid dirt on my drying towel. How many do you think are typically needed? I notice that 2 drying towels dry and absorb quite a lot but by the other end of the car, it's still damp even though I rinse it out and it just wets the car and then the water evaporates so I feel like I want to just buy 4 new ones. 2 for one side and the hood and roof, and the other 2 for the other half plus the back. I'm spending a lot of money on this stuff though. I'm still very confused on what the Meguiar's M13501 does and what the D15601 Synthetic Wax does.

Do I use these whenever my car is mostly dried but still has some water left and I put this on since it's hydrophobic to really dry it up?

I'm an advocate of having lots of towels that are ready to use. Pick up a few more. A nice coat of wax or sealant will make you use less towels just as an FYI.

M135 is a quick detailer vesus D156 being a spray wax. The biggest difference is that D156 will leave longer lasting protection. Both are maintenance products and will not be as durable as a stand alone wax or sealant. This is why I am recommending you get some sort of durable protection on the paint first and worry about the maintenance products later. I also advise you again to attend a Thursday Night Garage or a Saturday class as they are free at Meguiar's headquarters in Irvine.

Both products work on a wet and dry surface. They can be used on a semi wet surface after every wash. D156 will have better properties on dry paint from personal experience.

[Tempest]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

I'm not a big fan of M135. Cleaning is pretty good but lubricity is low. I would recommend purchasing D156 as a drying aid, and superior protection.

[jojellybean]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

I want to apply a wax on the car but it just keeps on getting more confusing! I will try to attend one of those classes.

The problem is that I live in an apartment and take my car to the self-wash. I take it around 5 and finish drying it up by 6. Now, if I were to even begin the waxing, it will be too late at night and I won't be able to see anything. :/

I feel like my only solution is to drive back home after washing and drying the car and then doing the wax but that brings up another problem as well because the car will have accumulated some dust and dirt on the road which I will then put the wax on -.-.

Maybe I'd need to go home after washing and drying at the self wash, clean any picked up dirt and dust using Meguiar's D15501 Last Touch Spray Detailer,and then wax?

I would also like to polish my older car to remove swirls so for that car, I'd have to clay, polish, wax and the same problem erupts again.

If I were to do it in the morning, the sun would be out by the time I finish and either way I have to drive back home to polish since the self-wash does not have any electric sockets for the polishing machine.

[Tempest]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

I would look into using D114 for your washing needs.

[jojellybean]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

My parents went out to clean the new car when I wasn't home because you know, it's a new car so they get excited. With their way of thinking, they used like 4 or 5 year old dish towels that were so dry and rough they probably did more damage than harm on the new car so it is what it is honestly. It was worth a shot at preventing swirls and scratches for 2 weeks while it lasted, I don't care at all anymore lol.

Thanks for al your advice and patience brother.

[mcleod52]

Re: New to Detailing/ Car Washing and I think I messed up?

That's the attitude ....