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Old 09-12-2012, 08:32 PM   #1
coogs
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Default omg, detailed my car today

so today was the first time i took the time to really clean, clay, and wax the car. Its been cleaned before, but never clayed and waxed by ME. I was hoping it would take away some of the critters and bird poo left on the car for waaaaay to long, but to no avail. so i spent all this money and time on this venture while still feeling :sad banana:

How do you guys do it? How do you keep your cars meticulous when there's all these things out their just waiting to hurt the paint? Are you guys inspecting your cars every day for new scratches, dings, bird poo, etc.

uts on flame suit:
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Old 09-12-2012, 10:51 PM   #2
d0ugch0i
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some people have garages to keep their cars in so that helps alot. wiping down your car once a while is also helpful. and yes we inspect our cars everyday (or at least i do) to make sure that no idiot tried to eff with my car.
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Old 09-12-2012, 11:16 PM   #3
ThunderousProduction
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Very specific products and techniques as well as timing with the products and a lot of meticulous detail is needed. It's an art that is very hard to keep perfect without constant going over.
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Old 09-12-2012, 11:28 PM   #4
OrionX180
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I've got OCD when it comes to detailing and keeping my car clean.
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Old 09-13-2012, 01:03 AM   #5
brent06wrxlimtd
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It cost money and patience to keep your ride clean,especially if you care about.
never half a$$ it, do it right the first time and every time.

1.wash your car in the shade without hard water(the water that has calcium and shi% in it also leaves spots), try to do it while its been in the shade for awhile(cool to the touch)

2.use a good wash mit and soap with wax combined in it. i use Meguiars wash and wax.
Work your way from top to bottom that way your not bringing dirt where it hasn't been yet.
Have a rinse bucket and a soap bucket, once you wash an area rinse it, soap up again. really good tip.

3. use microfiber cloths to dry well or leaf blower.

4 I use Meguiars spray wax as well every time i wash my car and proceed to getting it professionally waxed and or clayed once a month. hope this helps, someone throw in some other tips if they think i missed some tips and pointers. goodluck!
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Old 09-15-2012, 12:59 PM   #6
Smoke
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To keep my car nice, I keep a microfiber towel with Meguiar's Ultimate Detailer in my trunk.

You just have to get in the rhythm of it and it will become habit.
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Old 09-15-2012, 06:46 PM   #7
Tripperfx3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoke View Post
To keep my car nice, I keep a microfiber towel with Meguiar's Ultimate Detailer in my trunk.

You just have to get in the rhythm of it and it will become habit.
I was like this with my Evo, but ever since my wife screwed up my car while I was at boot camp/A school I've got to much body work to do til its worth getting that anal over my car and unfortunately the Navy doesn't pay well enough so its going on almost 2 years since my front bumper and hail damage has been present :/.
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Old 09-15-2012, 06:51 PM   #8
going4speed
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ONR (optimum no rinse) is what I use between major washes. The car still gets a major wash and wax twice a year and a daily check over for bird carp.
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Old 09-15-2012, 09:29 PM   #9
rkl303
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Wrong forum post.

Last edited by rkl303; 09-15-2012 at 10:09 PM.
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Old 09-18-2012, 02:46 AM   #10
lude4life13
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Two pieces of advice to maintain pretty paint.

1. Keep one or two clean micro fiber towels along with some form of quick detailer or liquid wax in your car at all times. Any bird crap, liquids, etc, that get on your car should be removed ASAP using these.

2. I personally also keep an automotive duster in my car and I dust it off about 3 times a day (this is after its been waxed etc). This will keep the dust from becoming dirt and will keep the paint looking awesome for about a week or two. **If the car is actually "dirty," don't use the duster since it will catch pieces of dirt in it which will cause micro scratches in the paint when you use it again.
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Old 09-23-2012, 12:27 AM   #11
CHUonthis
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good luck! Hope it turns out for the best! I usually like to detail my car myself to make sure that it is up to my standards!
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Old 09-23-2012, 03:26 PM   #12
Gregor91
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Go to Walmart and get you a 40 dollar car cover it will help with bird **** and other debri. Also pretext it from the sun
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Old 09-23-2012, 05:50 PM   #13
HoboBob
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ThunderousProduction View Post
Very specific products and techniques as well as timing with the products and a lot of meticulous detail is needed. It's an art that is very hard to keep perfect without constant going over.
Its true. It takes practice, skill, and knowledge of what products to use to get the paint looking its best.
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Old 09-24-2012, 05:32 PM   #14
dbrunone
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I wash my car about once a month (you have to dry it afterward also!). Then a few coats of Zaino every 4-6 months, and touchup paint in any chips before each wither. After 6 years it still looks fabulous. But yes, quickly cleaning off bird crap and other nastyness is key to keeping the paint looking new.
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Old 09-24-2012, 08:36 PM   #15
pgood609
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbrunone View Post
I wash my car about once a month (you have to dry it afterward also!). Then a few coats of Zaino every 4-6 months, and touchup paint in any chips before each wither. After 6 years it still looks fabulous. But yes, quickly cleaning off bird crap and other nastyness is key to keeping the paint looking new.
Not to hijack the thread but any tips on applying touch up paint to chips? Just picked up some touch up paint to get ready for the winter but i've never done it before
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Old 09-24-2012, 08:55 PM   #16
BigRob74
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lude4life13 View Post

1. Keep one or two clean micro fiber towels along with some form of quick detailer or liquid wax in your car at all times. Any bird crap, liquids, etc, that get on your car should be removed ASAP using these.
this is good advise i do it as well. i just gave my car the pre winter prep, just a quick clay and wax. will redo again in march.
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Old 10-01-2012, 01:35 PM   #17
RVA_Ninja
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I second having a set of Micro Fiber towels and quik detailer in the car at all times. This helps with keeping the contaminates off of your paint while not causing swirls in your paint with a "dry wipe"
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Old 10-05-2012, 02:23 AM   #18
WRBlueJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pgood609 View Post
Not to hijack the thread but any tips on applying touch up paint to chips? Just picked up some touch up paint to get ready for the winter but i've never done it before
Don't use the brush that comes with the touch up paint, go out and buy a finer brush from an art supply shop or wherever you can find one. Try to use enough paint to fill the chip without it spilling over; nothing looks worse than a bunch of paint globs all over your hood- that's why I recommend buying a finer brush. You may have to apply and let it dry and then apply again to fill the chip more evenly.
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Old 10-05-2012, 07:51 AM   #19
cineris
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I love cleaning my car top to bottom. I'll spend hours doing it. But oddly enough, I don't care if/when I find damage on there. I used to freak out, then I realized I was cursed or something, so I stopped caring and just repair whatever comes my way.
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Old 10-05-2012, 11:45 AM   #20
chet24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pgood609 View Post
Not to hijack the thread but any tips on applying touch up paint to chips? Just picked up some touch up paint to get ready for the winter but i've never done it before
I fill it to completely cover the chip/scratch. Sand with some 2000+ grit sand paper, being very gentle (slow but firm, don't be afraid, it will buff out) and back and forth strokes. no circles. Then use meguiars ultimate compound and a microfiber brush drill attachment that came with a headlight restoration kit I bought ($20) and buff it out. follow with a wax and it looks brand new.
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Old 10-05-2012, 07:22 PM   #21
wrxdaily
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pgood609 View Post
Not to hijack the thread but any tips on applying touch up paint to chips? Just picked up some touch up paint to get ready for the winter but i've never done it before
Did you get drcolorchip? What brand of touch up did you get?
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Old 10-05-2012, 08:42 PM   #22
STiFab4
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^^..it really seems Sti's..or at least my 04 Obp,has weakkk paint/clearcoat.
but Lucas speed wax is pretty good stuff to keep around to help out with this..
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Old 10-05-2012, 08:52 PM   #23
pgood609
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrxdaily View Post
Did you get drcolorchip? What brand of touch up did you get?
I ended up getting touch up paint from the dealership and ordered the langka paint chip repair kit.

Think i'm gonna try to repair a few chips on my girlfriends car as practice first ha
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Old 10-06-2012, 12:56 AM   #24
Subarufan76
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I'm ocd when it comes to my car. It has to be immaculate. I try to wash it once a week and wax it every now and then.
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Old 10-06-2012, 12:11 PM   #25
cohland
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Quote:
Originally Posted by STiFab4 View Post
^^..it really seems Sti's..or at least my 04 Obp,has weakkk paint/clearcoat.
I've got a 2011 Forester and a 2013 WRX, both of which have been kept waxed and clean, and both of which have some sort of weird paint "burn" from bird droppings. The Forester is dark metallic gray, so the mark shows up clearly, the WRX is silver so it's not so obvious.

One really dumb question: do these cars both have clearcoat?

Is this sort of damage common with Subarus? I've seen it on an older Miata I had, also. Is there any cure other than repainting? I've buffed it with cleaner wax but I'm hesitant to use anything that's more aggressive.

Chris
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