Car Detailing for the Lazy Car Owner - Part 1

"VW Fan Boy" (VWFanBoy)
10/08/2013 at 10:45 • Filed to: oppositelock

There was a time I loved washing my cars. Really, I did. I used to have wash days with friends who were car fanatics as well and we’d whip out our 3 Stage Meguiar’s Polish & Wax (Yes, this is before clay bars and single high end waxes went mainstream) and spent all day washing our cars. If I told my wife I was going over to a buddy’s house these days just to spend the day washing our cars…. well, those of you who are married probably know the response I’d get. I just wanted to put together the few tips I’ve learned recently to save time and keep your car in acceptable condition.

Disclosure: I know ZERO about detailing so if I endorse something that is incorrect, please publish a response and correct me please. Also, I have ZERO preference in brands. I’m a cheap ass so I like whatever is cheap, but sometimes, there are certain products you cannot skimp out on.

Exterior Washing Tips

So throughout this article I’ll start with the basics of each part of the vehicle. I will skip things like windows because…well…just get a wet microfiber towel, then a dry microfiber and voila!! So, that being said, onto the exterior…

I know many people who believe that the soap you wash your car with is a make it or break it deal; some use soaps that are $30/gallon. Honestly, I live and die by Meguiar’s Gold Class soap. It has enough cleaners to make the job easy, enough Carnauba to leave a nice shine in between waxing, and it’s cheap enough that you can use a good amount to get a good lather going. Wash your wheels first; wash your body first…it really doesn’t matter. Just DON’T SHARE THE SAME WATER. If you must save on soap and water, wash the body first then the wheels. Brake dust remnants are not something you want to be spreading over your clear coat. Try to steer clear of using harsh detergents on your wheels as well…EVEN THOSE ADVERTISED TO BE MADE FOR WHEELS. They eat through the clear-coat on painted wheels and ruin the finish on chromed/polished wheels.

I use a microfiber glove to wash the body and I imagine microfiber sponges work just as well (I use one for the wheels). I would recommend steering clear of towels, rags, and those “paint safe” brushes. I compare the body of my car to that of a woman and I’m sure a woman would not like being brushed…well at least most women but that’s a whole other conversation. I live in South Florida and at my home shade is scarce, so I do sections at a time rinsing quickly to not allow the soap to dry. If the car is really dirty and I’m feeling really froggy, I may wash it twice…but as the title might suggest I don’t remember the last time I did that.

For the wheels, I like to use a soft brush to get into the crevices and a microfiber sponge to get the rest. Sorry guys, I don’t clean the back part of my wheels….SUE ME. I do however get the front faces real clean and using that same brush I try to get my brake calipers as clean as possible. One thing I do use degreaser for is the wheel wells in order to remove grime and road dirt. I hate Armor-All, but it does work great to spray into the wheel wells when they are dry to reduce future build up.

Exterior Drying and Protection

Up until now you’re probably thinking “Dude, this is nothing out of the ordinary…stop wasting my time”. Well, hopefully here is the part where I help the other lazy folks maintaining their cars.

Once the vehicle is completely washed, I dry using a combination of a synthetic chamois (The Absorber is what I buy) and microfiber. Real chamois work great also along with some newer microfiber towels designed to dry vehicles, however the synthetic chamois are my preference. Once the vehicle is nice and dry, I dive straight into cleaning and protecting the paint. I used to think clay bars were gimmicks and were wastes of money, and some cheap products may be that exactly. However there are some great products that completely clean the finish of your clear-coat, have distinctive properties, and varying degrees of aggressiveness. I am hear to report to you I have only used Meguiar’s Gold Class Clay Bars but I’ve seen some of the better stuff from Autogeek.net used on friend’s cars and it seems to work pretty well. I am new to the clay bar thing so I don’t know if brand impacts performance. I CAN tell you that a decent clay bar really does remove the imperfections from your paint and leaves it clean as a baby’s bottom...after a changing of course.

After the paint is cleaned with the clay bar, it is the perfect opportunity to address imperfections. Think of it as a clean slate to work with so you can address scratches, road grime, etc. I recently had the pleasure of dealing with greasy handprints my car came with from Car Max. I thought I was doomed and needed a re-spray on those panels, however a friend of mine is a huge Autogeek.net fanboy and pretty much has every product in their lineup. He had some of this product: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! which is nothing short of amazing. I just let it sit for 5 minutes then wiped clean and they were gone. Whatever special cleaners, polishers, clay bars you decide to use are applied, it is a MUST to wax. Some will go as far as washing again…but this is an article for us lazy folk so let’s keep it simple; a quick rinse and dry should do the trick. I will not be discussing clay bar technique or polish technique because it varies on each product and I’ve linked some videos from Autogeek that cover this in detail.

Waxes are where I would suggest spending the most money on product and actually using your products are a MUST. This is the stuff that is going to protect your vehicle’s paint from elements, small road debris, and that big burning star called the Sun. Again, you can go all out and get clear coat polish, then seal it, then wax it, you can even apply 2 coats of wax! (Now Biff, I want to make sure we get two coats of wax, not just one!) The important thing to remember here again is consistency and using a decent product. The recommendation is waxing at least once a month and cleaning the clear-coat 3-4 times a year. I can tell you I do not wax every single month, however I step my game up on those months in South Florida when it rains EVERY SINGLE DAY. The northern states may want to do the same in the winter, even if it get’s dirty the next day…it’s important to protect. California…I hate you and your beautiful weather.

When waxing, technique can be the difference between working smart or working hard. Additionally, it is IMPERATIVE to keep all your equipment free of contaminants. This means all applicators, towels, etc. need to be nice and clean. I like to apply my wax with a microfiber applicator and remove with a pair of microfiber towels. Again, I won’t get into technique as I’ve linked some videos that should help, but just remember that the cooler the surface of the vehicle and the better the product the easier it will be to remove.

Lastly, take care of your wheels. Yes, they need love just like the body of your car. Tires for the most part are okay as long as you scrub them often. Tire dressings are optional and, sometimes, cheap dressings can do your tires more harm than good. If you have polished/chromed wheels, use a product each time you wax the body to polish the wheels. If you have painted wheels, believe it or not clay bar and wax DOES APPLY. Not only will it keep them looking ‘fresh’, it will do wonders helping them stay clean and deterring brake dust.

Summarizing Part 1

I have not kept any of my vehicles for more than 4 years, and although some were old when I purchased them, I cannot say without doubt that these methods will work 100% 15 years down the road. Let’s just agree that after that time, even if you use a garage, you’ve gotten plenty of use out of that paint on a daily driven vehicle and it may be time to invest in new paint. I hope some of these tips work and if I’m doing anything COMPLETELY wrong please provide some feedback…I’m always open to learn new lazy tips!

Here’s a link to some of Autogeeks How-To videos: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

And here’s their ‘University’ link for those who want to read and get even more technical !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

_Part 2 will be coming soon to cover the interior… _

DISCUSSION (10)

Sn210 > VW Fan Boy
10/08/2013 at 11:10

I used clay for the first time ever this past summer. My wife's car was the guinea pig; a 6 year old black car that I only had the opportunity to wax once or twice before we got married. She spoiled me at Xmas with a Griot's Garage kit so she got to go first. I washed, clayed, polished, then waxed and the finish came out sooo good. Holy crap what a difference it made! A few weeks later I did the inlaw's Volvo S80 and I skipped the clay and polish. I was so upset with the way it came out I did most of my work over again. Clay has ruined detailing for me, in a good way. I recommend trying it at least once.

WhatDaFunk > VW Fan Boy
10/10/2013 at 14:20

Nice write up! I can't really comment on anything you said because I don't have any experience with this stuff, but it does inspire my lazy ass to give my car some extra love.

Nothing > VW Fan Boy
10/10/2013 at 14:41

Save some time and use a DA polisher instead of application with a towel. I did everything by hand for a long time, but as some of my vehicles got larger (Tundra Crewmax), if I were to do it by hand, well, I'd still be doing my first full detail that I started last September. The Miata is a quick and easy deal, although mainly because the paint is currently in horrific condition.

VW Fan Boy > Nothing
10/10/2013 at 14:51

I've been considering doing so as the wife's vehicles continue to grow in size. For my Golf R, I can still manage.

The DA's have always intimidated me for the most part. Funny, I don't have any hesitation pulling a head from an engine but putting a polisher to my paint gives me the willies lol.

valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option > VW Fan Boy
10/10/2013 at 15:01

Clearly our definitions of 'lazy' are very different. I might give this a shot this weekend if the weather holds.
My car is currently dirty and received a nice big present from a bird the other day. I should take it through a car wash before attempting this? The wash has a luxury option for some sorta shine guard... should I skip that on purpose? (I have so many Esso points that these washes are basically free)

Nothing > VW Fan Boy
10/10/2013 at 15:01

DAs are really easy to use. If you apply too much pressure, the pad stops, there's no burning through any paint or swirl marks, etc. I was nervous when I finally decided to try one. Give one a shot. I've had my Porter Cable for a while and really like it. Funny, because I always thought that doing it by hand was "better". Not sure why I thought that.

VW Fan Boy > valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option
10/10/2013 at 15:08

Don't do it!!! Don't! Do! It! lol

I'll admit if I had a DD I didn't really care about I'd take it through gas station car washes and be uber lazy. But I'd never put any of our current cars through that.

I guess to each their own. I do pay every now and then for a hand car wash if I don't have time to do it on my own but I try to avoid machine wash.

valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option > VW Fan Boy
10/10/2013 at 15:13

I mean, I can go straight to the Meguiar's soap? Or, car wash before the wash?

VW Fan Boy > valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option
10/10/2013 at 15:31

Ah...I didn't understand the question. You can go straight to the Meguiar's soap. If you have a lot of road debris, oils, or any other crud and you completely and totally are committed to waxing the car afterwards, you can try something more aggressive like dishwashing soap. It will help you get the grime out, but remember it also removes wax and dries your finish so it is a MUST to wax afterwards.

EpicDumps > VW Fan Boy
04/04/2017 at 11:55

Where is Part 2!?!