Nice Ride

I like two bucket method. I use a high quality but non harsh car soap. Use very light pressure on wash mitt to avoid rubbing any loose grit into paint. Go over real dirty area a second time rather than trying to rub it clean with first pass. Remember less friction between car and mitt is a good thing. Rinse mitt frequently. I usually dry the car with a leaf blower.

AdventurePoser

Oh, you did NOT want to see the before pix. What a mess....

Vetteman Jack

Good advice and should make your car look great.

AdventurePoser

Zymurgy, claying can be done by hand, correct? Guess I need to hit up YouTube and get schooled on "how to clay a car."

Thanks for your input and help.

Steve

AdventurePoser

No worries about washing here, or probems with water shortages...at least the pounding rain loosens the dirt, right?

Zymurgy

By hand is the only way to use a clay bar. Make sure you use a spray lubricant and use it generously. Clay bars and lubricant spray are often sold as a "kit".

Autogeek (forum sponsor) has the following information/instructions: http://www.autogeek.net/detailing-clay-bar.html

n8dogg

I have to chuckle, the OP asks how to get the dirt off his car and then jumps right to a dual bucket washing system.

Skip the dual buckets and start with the basics. Forget about polishing, and buffing until you learn how to safely wash your car.

To get your car clean this is all you need:

1.) Hose- no explanation needed
2.) Car wash soap- no explanation needed
3.) Car wash mit- no explanation needed
4.) Big microfiber towel- to dry the car after washing

To clean the wheels and tires, this is all you need:

1.) Hose
2.) Wheel cleaner (I recommend Eagle A2Z wheel cleaner)
3.) Dedicated microfiber towel OR soft bristle wheel brush

Once you get the basics done ask about waxing/polishing

n8dogg

At a detail shop that I used to work at, we had a 6" clay bar "pad" that fit on an orbital polisher. It worked surprisingly well, but you went through a ton of spray detailer.

ronkh57

And with the car wash "system" you just told him to do, he will need to polish/wax a lot sooner.

Most marring comes from bad wash/dry technique.

Follow Glen's instructions. Simple as that.

hisvett

1. Pressure wash wheels and inner finders at the Coin-op unless you own or have a friend with one; then jack it up and catch the bottom of the car.

2. Clay bar ALL the paint. I do this twice a year.....get all the tree sap, road gunk and anything else that's sticking to the paint. You will not believe how much smoother the painted surface will be when finished.

3. Opinions very here; I use ReJex to protect the paint....it isn't a wax, its a sealant and works quite well. If you still feel the need to wax, do that first then Rejex over it.

BTW;

Stingray front grille;


Z06 Grille;



Sorry, I don't have any good shots of the two seats offered.

n8dogg

People go way too crazy about washing their cars. Most people don't realize how hard Corvette clear coat actually is.

There is nothing wrong with a very basic car wash procedure as long as you keep the mit and towel clean. I've been working primarily with Corvettes, in all aspects, for over a decade. No reason to over complicate things for the OP. Learn the basics, if he gets micro abrasions or sees the need for polish or paint cleaning, then he can learn the next steps.

wgood

What I would do is run it through a touchless car wash then go to the do-it-yourself car wash and finally find a petroleum-free car wax !!! Wayne

Glen e

These detail threads always morph out of control.

want easy? follow what I said in my post #3: wash with dawn and spray on some quik wax...

now if the guy wants to properly protect his car my "system" is still easy - it's wash, clay, polish and seal..all taking about 3 hours. Now you are done for 6-8 months.

but the OP needs to follow ONE METHOD...and that's what I wrote up, with what tools to use, and how to do it, down to what pad and technique. The only time I've heard from people that had failure was guys who "mixed and matched" advice, technique and product and listened to too many people here and took a bit from each (FAIL)

from mike phillips at autogeek (his is essentially same as mine)

Steve_R

Yup. But not nearly as bad as the Zaino vs Rejex threads in C6 Gen; those got heated.

My C7 is my DD unless it's snowy/icy (like right now) and it's a Chevy. I don't obsess over it or use the "two bucket" method. I do clay bar it twice a year and use a slightly-modified Glen e method. It's a mass produced car with a mass production paint job; don't get too obsessive over how to wash it.

n8dogg

This is ridiculous. People need to wake up. The internet is a great place to get bad info and get embedded with fear. First off, these cars are mostly garage kept and driven on only sunny days. Hand washing and going over the car with spray wax every once in awhile is enough to keep these cars looking good (I didn't say great). Look at the majority of car owners in the world, they see harsh machine washes and rarely or never get waxed. The flow chart you posted is a good guideline only if you are an enthusiast/border line extremist and really want your car looking its best at all times. If you maintain your paint with cleaner wax and a good wax or sealant and quick detailer or spray wax between washes then you will never need to clay bar, buff, polish, glaze, etc...

Clay bar is a good tool, but not completely necessary. If your car is garage kept, you can get away with waxing the car with a cleaner wax and kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

Moderate imperfections will likely still require compound.

Swirl removal is avoidable if you avoid harsh chemicals and dry your car properly or never put a machine to your paint. Again, maintain the paint from day 1 with cleaner wax, spray wax between washes and a good wax/sealant every 3 to 4 months.

Very little difference between finishing polish and glaze. Both only fill in imperfections but will wash out and fade with time. Once you put a machine to your paint, you will never ever fully remove swirl marks and micro abrasions. You will have to use polish or glaze regularly to hide them. I don't care how good you think you are at buffing, if you are knowledgeable you will know this. The closest exception would be if you were to spend hours and hours and hours hand buffing, swirl removing and polishing a car.

Prewax cleansing polish- waste, waste of time, waste of money

Glaze- another waste UNLESS you have a dark colored car and are entering a car show. Use glaze like a quick detailer. It lasts all of about 1 day.

Paint sealant/wax- yes, important to use.

Spray wax- yes also important to use, but primarily for maintenance like in-between washes and waxes, at cruise nights to get the dust off, etc... Also good to spray on the car while drying after a wash, helps remove/prevent water spots.

Quick detailer- just use a spray wax, does the same thing except the spray wax gives it a more polished look.

You can easily avoid the majority of things on this chart assuming your car is garage kept/doesn't see bad weather/bad ambient conditions. Avoid clay bar, compound, swirl marks, and polishing by using a paint cleaning wax 1 to 2 times per year. After using the cleaning wax go back over the car with a paint sealant or high quality wax. Then use spray wax between washes and to remove dust etc...

You will find that with regular use of spray wax, you'll end up smoothing and polishing the paint little by little without even knowing it.

The flow chart posted above is good info for people that want to get the absolute best looking paint finish possible or if someone has a car that they bought used, has seen poor conditions, has overspray, paint contamination, etc...

Glen e

There's a lot of stupid stuff that is ridiculous in your post but I don't argue on the web
good luck with your method

n8dogg

Your chart was designed to sell products. It's as simple as that. Ever since the introduction of the internet and forums there has been a huge surge in new detailing products. Fear is greatly used in sales tactics, especially with the automotive industry because most consumers don't know any better.

The market is saturated with junk. saying that, most of the steps in your chart are great if someone knows what they are doing and want their car to looks it's absolute best, but it's a total waste for the majority of car owners who have no idea how to properly buff a car.

Look how many "expert" buffers have surfaced on the internet because they bought a DA orbital. Your chart is geared towards those people, they think they know it all and they want to tell their buddies about how they 3 step buffed and polished their car after their dual bucket washing system and complete clay bar/paint decontamination. It makes them sound knowledgeable and important. The truth of the matter is they likely are ruining their paint that had 0 swirls in it and now they put swirls in the paint with their DA orbital and have to hide the swirls with regular polishing.

Your best bet to achieving the absolute paint finish is actually to almost start backwards with your chart. Obviously wash the car first, but try wax or polish before you go an put micro abrasions in the paint with clay bar and compound. And yes, clay bar does put micro abrasions in paint! That's why they come in different levels, or grains if you will. Medium is noticeable to the eye in dim lighting. Fine is noticeable under the sun. Try the least invasive first. I always recommend cleaner wax before claybar. Too many people scratch their paint with claybar.

fsvoboda

Some owners get a lot of pleasure out of detailing their cars, some don't. Decide which guy you are, and if you're not going to spend a lot of time on it, just follow the above--or even just pressure wash occasionally.

joemessman

All I know is the more you touch a car the more likely it is to get swirls and scratches. Keep them clean with a reasonable routine.

n8dogg

Exactly