Jeff T.

I guess I'm old school and always used a bucket of water and a sponge to clean up the car. There was no such thing as detail spray when I was younger.

Do you clean the car before you use it? Do you use it on a dirty car??

I took the just cleaned car out and went for a drive around town tonight and the car now has very tiny little sap spots on. Do I wash it, or is this what detail spray is meant for?

Thanks.

jdvann

If had sap I would wash it... I use the foaming soap gun and a wash bucket with the grit tray when i actually wash the car.

I use detail spray when the car is a little dusty after I hit it with the California duster first or to remove the random bugs after a drive.

Pounder

Chadwick's

http://chadwickstripleplay.com/

norcalace

Zaino

kabluie

I use Meguires detail spray when the car is just a little dusty. If it's pretty dirty, bugs, and tar and other road dirt, then I wash it. Also, if the car is parked for a few days then I wash it then too. I like to use Rainx for the glass. Invisible glass is a good product to use, but I like the water beading up when it rains. Since I live on the Oregon, Coast, rain is a regular event.

nutseynut7

I use a pad i bought on ebay with my detailer its foam with a rubber side,works like a claybar it really smooths the paint

Vetteman Jack

That's what I do.

For the sap, I would use something like Bug and Tar Remover, which also works well on tree sap and is safe for clearcoat finishes.

nutseynut7

Real cold water and a rag will remove tree sap

Evil-Twin

Secret...

00Midnight

for sap use a bug and tar remover and then clay bar. Excellent results. BTW, a detailer told me that for any overspray on a vehicle a clay bar works wonders. My neighbor had his fence sprayed by an amateur and the clay bar pulled the overspray off my black Avalanche lickety split. I even found more a year later and it still "clay barred" off.

Jistari

Dont get nutz about it (coming from ten year black C5 owner ) but . . .

The halos you see when street lights reflect in the paint at night (spiderwebs....whatever you want to call them) dont get there by spiderweb fairies . . .they are the result of us wiping the car when we should be washing it.

That doesnt mean you can never wipe down a car and use detail spray and forgo a washing......but it often means just that

The trick is in whats on the car, dusty (not dirty)....yeah....best approach may be dust it off with a California Duster and then use the detail spray.

Never....ever....ever....wipe the wheels down until your done with that rag....brake dust is composed of really hard particles and although the clear on our cars is very tough.....you will put marks on the car if you wipe that across the surface. Its all about the particles, bug and tar remover....no problem....hell you can even use laquer thinner directly on the clear and it wont harm it.....particles are what put the marks you later see....

So stuff like road grit sprayed on the sides from driving through wet spots....nope.....wash that off, basically anything you can feel on your fingers....let it go until you can wash it, just dust.....duster and wipe it down.

bigcypress

wash it !!! i never detail spray except after washing car .

feeder82

Detail spray!!! I never wash mine. Many coats of zaino the sap wipes right off.

Jeff T.

I should clarify one thing about the sap. It's not blobs like you would think. It's more like pin head size droplets on the car.

My girls bought me a bottle of Turtle Wax Ice, time to give it a spin!

Pounder

bugs /// Chadwick's and used dryer sheet they come off like butter !!!!!!

RVETTE42

If you just have a little tree SAP ,bugs dust or something like that a good detail spray and a couple of soft clean microfiber towels on a cool to touch car works great been doing it on my 2002 custom miata for 14 years. When I take the car to miata car shows I am always ask how I keep the paint like new and I say I don't wash it unless it is really dirty car has over 72000 miles on it.

BlackandTan2004

Same here..... It takes minimal effort to wash these cars....

96 Vette CE

This.

JR-01

Washing a car causes swirl marks. That is where they came from before waterless car washes and they still do.

I California duster mine and then Chadwicks. Looks as good as new.

96 Vette CE

Like anything, it needs to be done correctly