We bought our used 2009 Blackberry Pearl Sport Fit at the end of last year with 4000 miles on it. Never owned a car before and have never washed one. To be frank, I was overwelmed reading all the detailing info threads and quite confused by the sealants vs. polishes. vs waxes etc etc. So I'm looking for a basic routine which can be done to effectively maintain this car's exterior without killing my arm or ruining the car's finish/

So been about 6 months and we just gave it its first wash yesterday using Meguiar's Gold Class carwash and Eagle One A2Z All Wheels & Tires cleaner. We are probably going to spray the wheels with Eagle One Keep Clean Wheel in a short while (if this crazy wind storm we've been having ever dies down...)

What to use for windshield protectant (is there such a thing?)

What to use for paint protectant? There's been so much info about sealants, polishes and waxes I don't know which way to turn. I'm not sure about doing a true wax job with a power polisher machine. I'm afraid to ruin the paint if something goes wrong. I think I should start off with something more like a spray wax? Are these decent - I've read about a Duragloss Aquawax and Turtle Wax ICE (but I can't figure out which one pple are talking about - the POLISH or the Synthetic Wax??)

So our maintenance routine is looking like this, maybe 2x a month?
1. Wash car & wheels
2. Protect wheels
3. Protect windshield
4. Protect paint

Anything else that would be easy to do?

Lastly, we found a 2-inch strip in the front side bumper where the paint is flaking off. Is there any chance in hell this would be covered by our extended warranty? Am I suppose to have received a booklet from our certified dealer that tells what the extended warranty covers?

This might have rambled on for a bit, thanks for reading!

 

i was my car once a week or more depending on the weather. if it rains, the first sunny day i wash it again. as for soaps, i use whatever i can find at the car shop that isn't crazy pricey. save that for the wax.
as for waxing the car, i use mothers. they have an 8 or more step process, but i just buy the wax and wax on, wax off. wax is all i use to protect my paint. i wax my windows too. helps repel rain.
wheels, i just wipe them down after washing, and wax them with the same wax. tires, i use turtlewax black gold or something like that. its a spray can.
personally i don't think theres a wrong way to wash your car. some people just pay more attention to other details.

correct me if i'm wrong.

 

Well, wash with a two bucket method (I recently realized this), one bucket clean water, one soapy, scrub off what you wash into the clean bucket. Clay bar the car, then wax. I've always trusted Meguiars liquid wax's and I feel Yellow 21 is good for our area. Oh, and wash once a week at least, I do 1-2 times a month during the winter at the laser wash. I don't think you need to wax 2x a month. Doing all this work sometimes gets disheartening around here, sand, salt, winter, constant road construction getting tar and shit all over. God I fucking hate driving around here!

 

Easiest will be to use 2 buckets and a No-Rinse car wash liquid like Optimum No Rinse. This way you don't even need a hose, just 2 buckets (get a grit guard for at least one of them) and microfiber towels. Don't have to bother with soapy water, and you can get your whole car washed with only 2 buckets of water (think how much water you save). I can wash my car completely in around 30-45 minutes and even professional detailers trust No-Rinse wash to work properly... a $40 128 oz container will last you well over 60+ washes.

Basic procedure with a no-rinse wash is you have one bucket with the water+no rinse, and a bucket with rinse water. Start washing the car from the top down (cleanest to dirtiest, roof to bottom). You wipe down your car with the wash water using a microfiber mitt (don't use a sponge) panel by panel. Rinse the wash mitt in the rinse bucket (with grit guard) after each panel, and you will have to wash each panel 1-2 times depending on how dirty it is. Dry the panel with a microfiber towel, then move on the the next panel & repeat. After you finish washing & drying the car this way, clean your wheels & tires with a different towel & dry as well. Once you finish everything you'll want to wipe down the whole car with a quick detailer and clean the inside door jambs, windows, etc. With a car like the Fit, this should all take less than an hour tops. Finish up with a tire gel to get a nice dark wet tires, as well as protecting the rubber.

At least once a year you can clay the car, polish it, seal it then wax it (or pay a detailer to do this as it'll be pointless w/o the proper tools like a PC or rotary)... once a month use sealant & wax, or just wax... or just seal, all depends on how lazy you are (I just go with a coat of sealant or wax depending on my mood).

I wouldn't bother with any 'spray' waxes, those can get to be a HUGE pain because the wax will dry on and you'll have to buff it off - it's not as easy as they make it out to be on the labels. Also, DON'T get the Turtle ICE sprayable claybar, that this is a huge pos, doesn't work and will not come off your paint. I'd stay away from all Turtle or off-the-shelf Meguiars products. In general stay away from any detailing products you find at Walmart/Target/etc (Turtle Wax, Eagle One, etc). Look for specialty detailing brands like Chemical Guys, Poorboys, etc, they're all very affordable and work very well. Go to autopia.org and research their forums, there's a huge amount of info about what is good and what methods work the best.

Since you have a Blackberry Pearl (I have same color but 2008), I recommend the Poorboys Natty's Blue wax. It makes dark colored cars like ours look real nice, I had good results on my old black Mustang a couple years back as well. Their EX sealant is nice too, easy on and easy off. Hell, Poorboy's just makes alot of good products, just look into them and you'll find some real gems. All you do is apply it on the car after you've washed & dried it, then wait for it to haze over and then wipe it off with a microfiber towel. Easy and will look great.

I'm planning to get a bottle of their Polish w/ Sealant... my process will be to wash (optimum no rinse with 2 buckets & grit guard) -> dry with a quick detailer (chemical guys has a really nice one, it's pink and smells like fruit punch), -> polish/glaze (PwS) -> sealant (Poorboys EX-P) or wax (Natty's Blue). Should look decent enough for doing everything by hand on a dark paint.