First of all, tho this disclaimer seems unnecessary, I will include it for the sake of fitfreak.net and myself...

...This is my personal experience with this product and should you have a bad experience with it neither fitfreak.net nor myself will be responsible. Use it at your own risk.

Now that that's out of the way...

...I'm the happy owner of a 09 Fit Sport Manual Black/Black, and since I got it I've been doing my best to treat it right. Now I'm not the type to mod my car or use any non OEM products (not on my Fit, I did a bunch of stuff to my old Civic Si), in fact I don't think I've ever even waxed a car before (I neglected my poor old Civic Si and she still treated me well).

So I wanted to put a coat of wax on the car, but don't have the luxury of washing it at home, in my driveway, so I went to a drive up spray wash bay. Today I did the following and had great results:

1. Car wash high pressure spray soap the car and wheels.
2. Car wash foam brush the wheels.
3. Clean microfiber sponge the car with the remaining spray soap still on it.
4. Same microfiber sponge the wheels with the remaining foam brush soap still on them (wanted to do the wheels after the car since I was using the same sponge).
5. Car wash high pressure spray rinse the car and wheels.
6. Clean microfiber towel dry the car.
7. Clean microfiber rag(s) to apply the spray wax.
8. Clean microfiber rag(s) to buff off the dried wax.
9. Clean microfiber rag(s) all exterior glass and lights.
10. Clean microfiber rag(s) all interior glass.

Did not use any wax on the glass, lights or plastic license plate covers (i.e. any transparent/translucent materials). When I was finished the spray wax bottle seemed to still be quite full, so it seems I'll be able to use it a bunch more times before it runs out.

The whole process took about 30-45 minutes and was relaxing and enjoyable and when I was done the car looked better than any car I've ever owned.

As soon as I was done it was raining so when I pulled out of the spray wash bay I was able to verify that the spray wax did a great job of beading up the water.

Below is a link to the spray wax I used, which cost me about $10 at Canadian Tire.

Mothers® FX Spray Wax

If you're like me and don't want to mod your car or spend a lot of time tinkering with it, but you are willing to put in a bit of time to preserve and maintain it, I think you'd enjoy the results and ease of use of this spray wax.

P.s. I'm not affiliated with the wax company in any way, I simply had a good experience with the product and thought I'd pass the info on.

 

yeah i wanna wax my car as soon as all this pollen goes away. right now all i can do is rinse it off with water cause i know its gonna be covered in pollen in a day or so. its bad to buy a car during pollen season cause you don't really get to see it shine. i might wax it the traditional way to start off and if that gets tiring or old i'll do the spray wax.

 

Thanks for sharing! I use Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax with excellent results. Smells great too! -Stimpy

 

I hear ya skeezy, I park under a tree which is always dropping stuff and seems to be inhabited by some well fed birds, so I thought the wax was a good idea.

The conventional wax method seemed like a hassle (tho I've never done it before), so I tried the spray wax, and as I said in the original post I was quite pleased. The mirror shine on the lovely black paint was impressive, and when I pulled out into the rain it beaded up really well. Great stuff.

 

Good to hear the Mothers products are giving you excellent results too reako.

I had a bottle of Meguiars spray wax in my hand, but noticed the Mothers bottle was much bigger for $1 or $2 less... more for less sounded good to me so I went with the Mothers. I'm glad I did.

 

Mothers has a very bad reputation in the detailing world.

Also using the same sponge on your wheels and on your paint is a very big no no, using any kind of sponge in general is a very big no no.

I understand your trying to help out, but just wanna inform you theres better products/techniques to washing a car.

I highly recommend using a product called Optimum spray wax. You can find it online. I use it as a final step after an authentic carnauba wax to get rid of any remaining residue that I mightve missed and give it more protection/gloss. Its very easy to use and doesnt stain plastic.

Also for those that prefer locally bought items check out meguiars ultimate quick detailer (black bottle). I use it daily to get rid of bugs that way they dont eat through the clearcoat. If you do a once over the car every other day or so it will maintain the car from accumulating dirt and grime. It also adds a very fine layer of synthetic protection on the car each time. It can also be used on headlights and windows. Works really good at repelling water.

Check out the details in my sig

 

Wow qbmurderer13, now I'm glad I put that disclaimer in my post, and I'm glad I made it clear I'm a car polishing noob. Clearly you're a pro and take it to another level!

As for the sponge, it was brand new when I used it on the paint, and as I said in my post I only used it on the wheels AFTER the paint. As for no "sponges in general" I didn't know that they were a no no... what would one use to wash the car, if not a microfiber sponge?

I see the impressive work in the detail threads in your sig and will definitely take your advice and look into some Optimum spray wax when I run out of the Mothers. Thanks for the info.

I understand that when the finish feels "not so smooth" to your hand it's time for a clay bar, and I'll try that when it's time (I've only had my car for a week or so). As I said in my post it was fun and relaxing to pay a little attention to my Fit today, and hopefully I'll continue to keep up with regular washings and spray wax, perhaps also a clay bar and polish when required.

I still stand by what I said in my post, the Mothers spray wax was easy to apply and did a great job, I'd never post misinformation. I suspect my noob car finish standards simply aren't as high as yours.

Another question if you don't mind, as you seem to be the right person to ask... I'd like my interior surfaces to be a bit more dust repellent but NOT shiny or greasy. I just want them to look like they do now (brand new) but maybe resist dust and scratches a little better, can you recommend a product/technique? Thanks in advance.

 

Well its not that its bad but theres better products out there. I recommend a genuine lambs wool or sheepskin mitt, they release particles better. And of course use 2 buckets if you can with grit guards.

Theres an overwhelming of information out there. Check out www.autopia.org I highly recommend spending a couple hours on that site, you can never learn enough.

For the interior look up a product called 1Z Cockpit premium. Leaves a very nice matte look and just makes look it clean rather than greasy and shiny like armor all. Armor all attracts tons of dust.

Dont feel bad about the mothers thing. Its still a decent product. I guess its just my nature to always use the best possible product out there. Im happy more people are taking pride in their fit and trying to maintain it better

This is also a very good site. http://autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

 

Interesting stuff...

...thanks for the links.

 

About the sponge, I agree that it's a no no. A washmitt is the way to go. I have always used sheepskin but recently switched over to a Microtex microfiber mitt. I think it's even better than sheepskin.



Great thread topic. I'm sure to add more later. Right now I'm still half asleep.

 

+1 to the Microfiber mitt plus use a good ph level car washing soap. Dishwashing soap is a big no no...

Dry with a microfiber towel as well.

My added two cents (next step) Clay bar.... Then apply a nice one step polish (such as poli-seal) esp. for newer cars that don't have many/deep imperfections (fine surface scratches) in the clear coat. Apply with a portal-cable dual action polisher w/ a green pad (orange if there is light swirl marks (Orange cuts better in clear coat)). Then finish up with Opti-seal to help protect. Your paint will look like glass after this...and will hold up alot longer as well.

Autopia Car Care - Top Car Detailing Supplies, Car Wax, Car Polishers, and Car Care Products is my bible....

 

Smartwax for their car wash,smart detail, and smart wax. Also their rim wax is really awesome but its such a pain to wax the rims. Microfiber mitt for the car, microfiber wrapped sponge for the rims. Clay bar once or twice a year.

What does everyone use for tire dressing? I don't like the smartwax gel, or armorall stuff.

 

you want ease, use this product:

 

This man knows what he speaks. Seconding the references to Autopia and Autogeek.

As for me, I usually use Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer every other day or so, followed by Adam's Brilliant Spray Glaze. I use Meguiar's Interior Cockpit cleaner, clean the wheels and dress the tires with Optimum Tire Gel.

Takes about 30 minutes total and keeps my car always looking showroom quality (although ironically it was the dealer that sold me an initially swirled car).

Every couple of weeks I will use the two bucket Optimum No Rinse method to actually "wash" my car. Usually followed by Optimum Spray Wax.

No hose required for any of this, and I could do it in my garage if need be.

 

this is wat i use. Prima HYDRO

nothing can beat it. i get it by the gallon.

Detailers Paradise: Premium Car Care Products, Auto Detailing

 

Thanks for all the great feedback and info folks.

I was also thinking about using a product on the exterior glass (and possibly right on the wiper blades) to bead up the water and increase visibility in the rain. At Canadian Tire all I could find was Rain X and Wynn's... neither seemed too impressive, and neither said it was OK on the wiper blades. Plus I don't know if an exterior glass treatment is a good idea or not so I didn't get any.

1. Is an exterior glass treatment a good idea?
2. Anybody willing to post some good/bad experiences?
3. Anybody willing to post some product warnings/recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

 

The best glass cleaner ive used stoners invisible glass which can be found at walmart. I have about 6 bottles in my closet from when I found em at buy one get one

I HIGHLY recommend aquapel. Aquapel Glass Repellent & Cleaner Kit, glass sealant, rain repellant, glass cleaner, windshield sealer, glass protectant

Ive ran this on cars that I have removed my windshield wipers in. Anything over 20 or 30mph that water just flies off. It works soooo good. Prevents waterspots too and lasts a really long time. Amazing price too. $12.99 for the cleaner and repellent. Rain-x is a great alternative but this one lasts way longer and is easier to apply.

 

Very good advice. And VERY good choice in products. I love optimum stuff. I always use no rinse followed by optimum spray wax every month or so. I use optimum spray wax on all my details as well. Same with optimum tire gel.

Sucks about the dealership selling you the swirled car. They are very imcompetent, especially when it comes to washing cars. Upon taking delivery of my car I told them to do me the favor of NOT giving me the pre-delivery detail. They fought but I took my car home with the plastic and swirl free Just take a look at their cars in the showroom and check out all the swirls underneath the lights. Please dont let anybody at the dealerships touch your car.

 

qbmurderer: Do you use a foam gun? What do you use to dry? Waffle weave mf? Everybody recommends it but I feel like it's going to streak on me.

 

I sure do use a foam gun I use the Gilmour foammaster. Its under 40 bucks at amazon. I usually foam the entire car and let it soak for about 5 minutes to get rid most of the grime and big particles of dust. This reduces the chance of swirling as water alone can not get rid of this stuff. After I do a pre-wash rinse with the foam gun I do each panel at a time soaking the whole panel then spraying some on the wash mitt and scrub as normal. I only have 1 bucket which is full of plain water and a grit guard to keep the mitt clean. I also use it as clay lube, as it cleans and lubricates while I clay. Makes claying and washing easier. Amazon.com: Gilmour 95QGFMR Foamaster II Cleaning: Home & Garden

I use a leaf blower to dry MY car. It works well if it has a nice coat of wax on it. The water just flies off. I can also dry my wheels and tires without ruining a towel. Also I get the water out of the mirrors and door handles so they dont drip after you finish drying. That used to piss me off

That way whatever little water is left I 'blot' with a waffle weave towel. You have to use the right one and blot the water instead of dragging. Dragging it across will streak most of the time if the car is really wet.

Best waffle weave I have ever used: MICROPAK 16" x 27" Ultra-Soft Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Towel Theyre a bit small but one is enough to do the whole car. Buy a couple and keep them clean.

Here is the shop vac I use for my interior details as well. The motor detaches and has an attachment that can be used as a leafblower which is what I use. Totally worth it, its so versatile. Craftsman 16-gal 6.5-peak hp Wet/Dry Vac with Detachable 265 mph Blower - Model 17066 at Sears.com