Washed my car

"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
05/29/2014 at 11:40 • Filed to: None

When I hit it with the hose I noticed the water was not beading up whatsoever. I think this is an indication the SHO is in desperate need of a wax, am I right? I think I am. Any particular product you guys like to recommend?

Also the front of my car is covered in bugs stuck to everywhere. What's the best way to get these stubborn fuckers off?

Also is there a way to get birds to stop shitting on my car? Haha.

Pictured: Not my car.

DISCUSSION (42)

CalzoneGolem > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 11:42

Are you sure that's not your SHO in that picture?

I've never waxed a car in my life. They come into my ownership to work not be pampered!

Brian, The Life of > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 11:46

Meguire's #26 is really good. It's a carnauba/synthetic hybrid.

Kinja'd!!!

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > CalzoneGolem
05/29/2014 at 11:47

Kinja'd!!!

Rico > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 11:48

Before you wax it use a clay bar to remove any contaminants including dead bugs, Meguiar's or Griot's Garage is good. Amazon sells a Griot's Garage Clay bar kit that comes with clay, speed shine (which is clay lubricant/quick detail wax for in between washes) and microfiber towels.

As far as stand alone wax, which you should use after claying, I like Meguiar's Quik Wax spray. It's well known goes on easy and looks great.

Sn210 > Rico
05/29/2014 at 12:01

Kinja'd!!!

I can vouch for the Griots Garage clay kit, it really does make a difference. Especially on a black car.

Squid > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 12:06

Give it a good wash, then a good clay bar treatment, then I like Meguires ultimate paste wax. It goes on nice and smells good and is easy to wipe off. I haven't been happy with the spray waxes I've tried. You may need a couple of coats to get good protection where a spray wax can keep up the maintenance. Really depends on how much you want to do and how much you care about the finish.

Jayhawk Jake > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 12:12

If it's not beading or sheeting, it's probably time to wax.

Collinite 845 is a very good wax apparently, but you pretty much need a DA to apply it. I'm hoping to do that at some point

Until then I do a combination of two things: Every few months (2-3 months or so) I do a full clay bar and wax using Meguiars Ultimate Wax . It works very well and generally lasts at least 2 months before it really needs to be redone.

In between applying that wax I like to use Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax . It adds some extra shine and goes on super easy, and provides decent protection. In the past I've used Mequiars Gold Class Carnuba as the second layer, and that looks a little better IMO but not enough better to justify the extra effort.

Jayhawk Jake > CalzoneGolem
05/29/2014 at 12:15

I don't pamper my car but I like taking care of it. For ~2 hours of washing and waxing I get a fantastically shiny car. Plus when it's waxed properly, cleaning it is super easy.

Kinja'd!!!

Jayhawk Jake > Squid
05/29/2014 at 12:17

Spray waxes are only good as another layer on top of paste/liquid waxes IMO. They aren't enough on their own but add a little more shine and some extra protection on top of the paste wax layer. They're good for a quick wax after a quick wash.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Rico
05/29/2014 at 12:18

I've always thought of the quik wax sprays as something you use to maintain a recently waxed car, would you agree?

Rico > Sn210
05/29/2014 at 12:19

I bought the kit but some googling showed me that you should clay your car like twice a year so I am trying to determine when I should do it.

CalzoneGolem > Jayhawk Jake
05/29/2014 at 12:20

Yeah, that's pampering. My car gets washed when it rains.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Squid
05/29/2014 at 12:22

Yeah I figured I need to do a wax and can then keep it up with a spray wax.

Is a paste wax just as easy to work with as a liquid?

Rico > Brian, The Life of
05/29/2014 at 12:23

This looks really cool.

Sn210 > Rico
05/29/2014 at 12:27

yeah that's probably what I'm going to do. I did it once already at the beginning of spring and I'll probably do it again in the fall. I'm going to wax each season though

Rico > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 12:32

Well it depends see Quik Wax from Meguiar's is actually liquid wax. It may not offer as much protection/"reflectivity" as a dedicated liquid wax like their Ultimate Wax or it's paste version but it's still liquid wax.

Meguiar's has their Ultimate Quik Detailer which is what they would suggest to use in between washes/get bird shit off/remove some bugs in between washes, it is almost exactly the same thing as the Griot's Speed Shine. I'm sure you could easily use their Quik Wax as an in-between washes/waxing application.

Rico > Sn210
05/29/2014 at 12:38

I'll probably clay/few coats of wax before the winter then after it, seems the most appropriate for us North Easterners. Each season for waxing seems about right with the quik wax/detailers in between. I keep some speed shine in a bottle in my car for when I get bird shit on it after parking by trees.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Jayhawk Jake
05/29/2014 at 12:41

Thanks for your help!

I was looking at Meguiars M26 wax, would you recommend the Ultimate over it? I figure I start out trying this by hand and see how it goes. I polisher does sound like it'd make it a quicker job, but does that also involve more skill to apply it?

What would you recommend I carry in my car for spot cleaning birdshit and stuff of that nature?

MazdaMonkey > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 12:42

Any bug and tar spray remover should work wonders on your front end. You can also try claying them off if you don't wwant to get a dedicated remover.

I used Meguiar's wax for a decade but switched over in the past couple of years to a high-quality sealants. You pay a bit more for a bottle, but I find that the sealant lasts at least six months if parked outside and even longer if you keep your car in a garage. I also find them a lot easier to apply than wax.

Here is my preferred brand: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00…

Squid > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 12:42

Yeah, I have found that I like the paste better. The meg ultimate stuff is pretty nice for what it is. It leaves a rich deep shine and has excellent beading properties. I haven't tried the liquid version of that wax but I end up using too much and get lazy and just squirt it on the car instead of applying it properly. So now I just use the paste since I don't have a DA polisher.

Sn210 > Rico
05/29/2014 at 12:49

sounds like a good plan! Keep that shiny new Merc shiny!

Rico > MazdaMonkey
05/29/2014 at 13:06

I want to use a sealant but I don't have a garage and you shouldn't use it in the sun or so I've read.

Rico > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 13:09

Quick question, what car wash soap are you using?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Rico
05/29/2014 at 13:22

I'm no actually sure which brand it is anymore. I bought it about a year ago. It's orange, if that helps, lol. I imagine a whole nother post could be dedicated just to soap? Haha.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Rico
05/29/2014 at 13:25

Yeah I may give this one a try, I like what I am reading about it.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Rico
05/29/2014 at 13:26

Yeah, I park on the street every day, I have an outdoor-always car. Lol.

chuck07 > CalzoneGolem
05/29/2014 at 13:28

That is his SHO and those are his 2 girlfriends.

Jayhawk Jake > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 13:30

I've never used the M26 wax, but honestly I suspect it's similar if not the same.

I've never actually machine polished, but it doesn't seem TOO difficult. Waxing would be no more difficult than waxing by hand, but actual polishing/compounding takes some skill.

For quick cleaning I'd recommend any quick detailer from Meguiars or Mothers. I haven't noticed a difference besides the aroma: Meguiars smells sweet and delicious and mother's smells like cinnamon. I honestly don't carry it around all that often, if a bird shits on the car a bird shits on the car, I'll clean it off next time I wash or when I get home. I'm not convinced that carrying around a microfiber and using it to clean occasionally is a great idea, it'll get dirty and that leads to scratching and swirling the paint.

Jayhawk Jake > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 13:32

You'll want to remedy that next time you need soap.

I have a gallon of Meguiar's Hyper Wash now, it works so much better than the neon green walmart stuff and smells amazing . It was something like $20 on Amazon and will last a long time, I've done close to 10 washes with it and I've probably still got 3/4ths of a gallon or more left.

Rico > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 13:35

Get yourself some Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss it works well and isn't all that expensive. Another cheaper alternative that I've had good results with is Meguiars Gold Class Wash and Wax, you can find it in a big jug for like $10.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > CalzoneGolem
05/29/2014 at 13:50

Believe it or not, I zoomed in on the picture and found out it was a Chevy Captiva, a Captiva! Of all things...

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Jayhawk Jake
05/29/2014 at 13:51

Ah thanks for the tip!

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Rico
05/29/2014 at 13:53

Awesome, I've got an Amazon cart full of all kinds of products you guys recommended.

Is something like this good for applying wax?

Rico > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
05/29/2014 at 13:58

Maybe I'm not the best person to answer this, I've only used Meguiar Microfiber shine cloths to apply wax and buff it after. Foam applicator might be easier to use though! You better post some before and after pics!

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Rico
05/29/2014 at 14:19

Right on, I will give it a try. Hopefully sometime in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for all your tips!

OkCars- 22k Crossroads > Jayhawk Jake
05/29/2014 at 15:12

What does people mean by beading or sheeting?
I dont know those words.

MazdaMonkey > Rico
05/29/2014 at 15:35

Rubbish. I have never heard such a thing, and never had a problem with my own sealed cars parked outside. The only issue I could see would result from water sitting on the flat surfaces for long periods of time following rain storms, but the same thing happens with an unsealed car as well.

Rico > MazdaMonkey
05/29/2014 at 15:53

I'm sorry my original post was unclear now that I've re-read it. I meant that I've read it shouldn't be applied in the sun. That the car should be in a cool place, not in direct sunlight especially while curing. Now if this is untrue then I will be ordering some sealant for my C300!

Jayhawk Jake > OkCars- 22k Crossroads
05/29/2014 at 16:02

The way the water beads up on the paint or flows off in sheets on a properly waxed car

MazdaMonkey > Rico
05/29/2014 at 16:05

They say the same thing about washing your car generally. Same thing with wax. You should always wash your car in the shade! That being said, I have detailed my car plenty of times in the sun. Stuff just dries much faster in the sun so you have to be more mindful of that. Maybe wait for a cloudy day or start at the beginning/end of the day when the sun isnt in full force.

OkCars- 22k Crossroads > Jayhawk Jake
05/29/2014 at 17:03

Oh thaaat!
yes ive seen it when i have my car waxed.
Mine totally needs one. but i think polish first, because the paint is full of those circles you see on the reflection.

Rico > MazdaMonkey
05/29/2014 at 21:41

Okay now I'm interested in this sealant I've seen Wolfgang branded car products raved about, can you tell me a bit about your experience using this? Do you hand apply it or use a powered buffer? Do you wax it after?