Before I shut down my Vette for the winter, I always detail it for several days, maybe 10-12 hours in total. What would you do first, second, etc.? I'm curious as to what the serious detailers do and also in what order. I'm hoping to pick up something I'm not doing and learn something new.

Why do I do this every year? I like taking the cover off, waking it up and driving a brand new 1997 Artic White Corvette every Spring. Thank you for response in advance.

 

Where are my buddies who detail their cars?? I'll start with a wash, then clay bar, polish, then wax before the other 27 items!!

 

clay (if needed) during wash, compound (if needed), polish, wash, ceramic coat

 

If I'm really going to town, I start with changing the oil, cleaning the engine bay (wash, dry, apply Stoner's Trim Shine, wipe excess trim shine off), then exterior paint wash (I have a professionally applied ceramic coat with 6 year warranty and have an annual inspection with maintenance detailing), wash and ceramic coat wheels (remove from car to make it easier to clean barrels), then interior vacuum and wipe down hard surfaces with Aerospace 303 wipes. Add cotton ***** with peppermint in various places, hook up battery tender, cover, and wait until spring. I run my car late into the season (still being driven daily), The engine bay and wheels wait until spring if I get caught by the cold and snowy mayhem. No heated garage ATM.

I acquired a C8 this year. In addition to the above, I swap wheels to get the summer tires into a controlled environment (temps go well below zero F) The C8 is already hibernating.

 

1. Clean and detail the interior first
2. Clean the wheels, calipers and wheel wells
3. Wash the car then claybar it
4. Polish Lake Country HDO CCS Orange pad then polich with a CCS HDO black pad (depends on your polisher whether or not you need HDO or SDO)
5. Seal it with a good sealer, I use Jescar Power Lock*

* I ceramic coat it next System X Max rather than use a sealer but I usually only need to do this every 2 to 3 years

 

I rarely change the oil because I don't put many miles on it. I usually try to use most of the fuel and refill with ethanol free marine gas and a bottle of Techron. Add a battery tender and a cheap indoor car cover and wait for spring. (except now I'm in Florida with the endless summer)

 

I generally keep my car paintbcorrdcted year round not when I park it only.

Wash
Rarely Clay it is not needed.
Use a Griots G9 polisher and 3M Micro polish
Follow up with Chemical Guys Black Light Glaze
Top it off with Chemical Guys Pete’s Black Pearl wax

Note this is all my paint needs. If you need more work. You may need to use Clay, 3M Machine Polish, then the 3M Micro Polish. Even some compound if you are doing Paint Correction.

I match the Polish with the right foam Pads the Colors are code for aggressiveness.

I finish it With Chemical Guys Happy Ending Microfiber Towels.

I light detail the engine per it is clean.

Sweep interior and really treat the seats to Leather treatment to retain moisture.

Polish exhaust with Borla Polish

treat the floor pan to Bones Chemical Guys under body detailer.

I slowly have been using Napa Aluminum cleaner yo clean the aluminum suspension and chassis parts. Can’t get it on the painted surfaces,

Change Oil if needed. Treat the Fuel fill it up. Air up tires to prevent flat spots. Battery tender cover. Start it and go up and Dow the street and get fully up yo temp if weather is right,

Garage is insulated and heated. Also have a humidity control system to reduce humidity.

Now I may not polish out now but later as with heat I can work all winter a panel at a time on both of my cars.

I plan to pull the Vette wheels to polish with the Green Chemical Guys wheel polish. While off I will repaint the brake calipers.

Note I have many little details here and there I do. We sell many products at work and with my discount I can test out new products.

I love to detail. To me it is relaxing and exercise. Note too once you have a car detailed to a high level it is not hard to maintain. It is where if you dot his once or few times a year it become real work. My mother in laws car is a mess after a year and then she will want me to clean it. That is hard work. I offer to do it more often but she refuses.

Also make sure to use proper tools. I have several polishers that take the polish to the next level with 1/4 the effort.

I do this even to my daily driver truck.

Also use a good cover made specific to the vehicle and conditions you store it in.

Stable in the gas now and. Techron in the spring once I fill with fresh fuel. Keep the tank full to keep air and moisture out.

Everyone does their own thing. Some have lower expectations than others. I show cars do I keep things to a high level. That is just the way I do it. I find new products I add or replace them. It never ends but I enjoy the process.

 

I like the ceramic coat idea!!! Which one do you recommend?

 

Thank you!!!!!

 

Great details!!!! Thank you.

 

Thank you, for what ever reason I started with the outside first today. I need to do all the inside yet and decide which polish and sealer to use. I have it covered tonight in the garage. I'll research Jescar!

 

If you do Ceramic do your homework. True Ceramic does not come in a cheap spray bottle.

It is expensive and comes in a glass bottle. You wipe it on and it needs to have a paint corrected surface. It is wiped on and has to be even. You need to care for it to get full life with it too.

The cheaper products may contain ceramic material it is not a true ceramic coating. You see this in brake pads. Some will say they are carbon fiber pads at $25. They may have a bit of carbon fiber in them but not like true pads would have at a much higher cost. There is no regulation how much material it has to have to make the claim of said materials to claim it is or is not a true product with full levels of that material.

Some of these cheap sprays may work ok gor the buyers expectsyions but for someone who knows the true ceramic would be left disappointed.

Also if you lack good body detailing skills In would pay to have done gor best results.

When reading what people do you must consider what is a finishing point for some is a starting point gor others. Manybseecwater bead and they think that is as good as it gets.

Also posted photos on the web are miss leading. Often I see cars that look great on the web and in person I’m left disappointed. The web makes all cars shine bright.

My Pontiac is black and is over half original GM factory paint. I recently took a best paint at a large Pontiac show where some had paint jobs costing more than my car, my Vette is red and it is just as clean but red hides flaws vs black hides nothing.