I found this car detailing guide on the s2ki.com website (s2000 owners really know how to pamper their rides). It's a really long read and although I'm pretty sure we know most of the stuff that's in it already it serves as a good reminder and really puts it all together quite well.

Forums -> detailing- the how tos (step by step)

the pdf is the detailing guide that you can download (it's free) and there are some videos as well

 

clay is just what its called, a bar of clay

not regular clay like playdoh but i dont remember exactly what makes it so special :S, all i know is it's a very fine abrasive and when you take the bar and go over a panel on the car (with lubricant of course) it picks up very fine particles which are embedded into the clearcoat which regular washing leaves behind

generally what you're suppose to do is wash the car, clay bar it, rubbing compound or polish to resurface the paint, and then wax

it's highly recommended to use an electric buffer to apply rubbing compound, cuz if u do it by hand you'll be there forever, and wax you can apply by hand or buff into the surface but i personally prefer to do it by hand (no particular reason)

anyways wax just adds a layer of protection on top of the clearcoat so ordinary road grime and small flying particles damage the wax coat and not the clear coat, after several months the protective wax layer is worn away and you have to strip it down and rewax (clay bar removes wax as does polish and rubbing compound iirc)

 

Thanks Bro, Great help.
Any particular brand that I should look at?

 

I recommend anyone to try Collinite Insulator wax. It holds up very well if you are lazy like me and don't want to wax your car that often.

Collinite Wax Products :: Choice of the Pros :: Auto, Marine and Industrial

Liquid Insulator Wax (No. 845)
This heavy duty liquid wax was originally developed for use by electric power companies for protection against high voltage power failure, fires and explosions. It's primary use is on the finishes of automobiles, trucks, buses and airplanes where durability, high gloss and lasting protection are paramount. An excellent choice for fleet applications and very easy to use--requires minimum rubbing or buffing. Clear coat safe.

Material Safety Data Sheet Purchase information here.

I bought mine from Advance Autopoarts.

 

i wouldn't know about the brand, i hear mothers is pretty good so that's what i use but im a firm believer that proper technique is more important than any product

there are a few things you should look for in the products though

for the car wash make sure it's a low or neutral pH solution, tap water is slightly alkaline so if you have to pick a wash that's slightly acidic

as for the degreaser try to get products made expecially for cars, that way you know they're made to be good to the finish since many products out there have acid as their main ingredient, thats not neccesarily a bad thing but over time it will degrade the finish of your car

for the clay bar and lube, just buy from a reuptable manufacturer and you should be fine, i personally dont like using homemade solutions since i buy my clay bar and lube together and the lube always lasts longer than the bar

wax wise look for something with carnuba in it, carnuba is a really really hard type of wax (pure carnuba is like rock) and is good at protecting your paint job, any product that says "pure carnuba" is a mix of pure carnuba and something else, it just means pure carnuba was used in the production process (if you used pure carnuba to wax your car you'd scratch right through the paint)

polishes and rubbing compounds ... dont use something too aggressive, you'd rather go over the area a couple more times than to permanently marr the paint job (this goes for the clay bar too, clay bars are sold at different levels of abbrasiveness, go for medium-ultra fine)

if you look at my other thread "how to take care of your car/fit" you'll find a link to download a detailing handguide (it's not actually a handguide it's 80 pages long) and that includes alot of useful information on products and technique

i can't wait till spring arrives so i can clean the fit up (soooo much road salt)

cheers

 

Thanks for the info Bro, greatly appreciated.

Kevin L

 

When I bought my Fit I purchased Xylon coating protection for it. It covers the paint and has a five year warranty on any dings and scratches. The guy at Honda really talked it up and said I wouldn't even have to wax it. I am wondering if anyone else has done this Xylon deal and whether anyone recommends still waxing it or whether it is not neccessary. Just curious.

 

How much did this Xylon coating protection cost you? It might be worth it depending on the price since the paint and body panels are warrantied. No need to spend time waxing it and if you get any imperfections you get it fixed for free.

 

Hey all you waxers,
I have seen no mention here of Pig Snot, which is available from some of the online motorcycle supply houses, such as Dennis Kirk (denniskirk.com). It might be available in paste form, but I have only bought it in liquid form. It works GREAT on my bike (a Honda Shadow), but I just got my Fit today , so I haven't had to wash or wax it yet. Pig Snot has a texture like Zymol, but it supposedly contains no cleaners. It sure makes my old Shadow look wet! Shows depth, too. The Shadow is black; the fit is blue. Anyone else tried Pig Snot?

 

I think any wax will work, however I use Zaino products. It seems to last months longer than Mothers, Eagle One, Meguiars and is very easy to apply. Check them out at Zainostore.com. It's kind of expensive but even a 15k car is worth a little extra care. With that said, I think the most important process when waxing a vehicle is to clay bar it. I'd rather use a clay bar with crappy wax over no clay bar and the very best wax. For those who have never used clay before; rub the back of your hand over your car's finish. If it feels rough, it's all the microscopic crud you can't see and simple washing won't remove. If you wax right over this, the crud gets waxed into your paint causing swirl marks and fine scratches. I've used several brands of clay too, and all seem to work well.

David - Dallas, TX
91 Nissan NX2000
00 Nissan Xterra
03 Mazdaspeed Protege
possibly a new Fit Sport Manual

 

i use the meguiars gold and its great...

 

i use eagle1. the best IMO

 

I have used meguair's wax's for years (older than most here) they have
a big choice on what wax to use on what your trying to fix ie glass,lens,
and rubbing componds from fine to course check there website and
read up on the one that u like best

 

how long your wax lasts depends more on how long your car stays outside...with most carnaube based waxes it can be as short as a week....and as long as a couple months if you garage the car alot...synthetic sealants(meguiar's NXT) last longer but also are dependant on the environment....sunlight and industrial fallout are really harsh on wax...

and i wouldn't use Nu-finish....it's actually kerosene based which the real auto care industry hasn't used in 50 years....

also to remove swirls scratches you need to generate friction and heat evenly across the panel...this is why car detailers use polishers to generate the friction they need to remove swirls....scratch-x is a good product but you need to use it correctly...take a big 100% cotton terry cloth towel(perfectly clean and never used for anything else)....fold the towel so you make a pad so that you will be able to apply even pressure across the surface....then apply some product and rub it in a back and forth motion in a controlled but strong manner....rub it in for a few minutes...then wait a minute for it to dry(it will become white and chalky)....then rub it in once more for a couple minutes.....then take a clean part of the towel and buff it out....the worse the scratches and swirls the more times you will need to do this...Meguiar's polishes usually break down become less agressive as you use them....

 

I would try it on a small spot first if you have never done this. and use their quik detailer spray between wax jobs
(man i sounded like a dentist!)

 

Granted I'm still driving my g35 coupe but I can vouch for zaino, it is the best I have ever used.

But then again I got a little carried away with it....it has 6 coats on it now

With zaino if you do the steps correctly the more layers you put on the more depth you add to the paint and the easier it is to wash cause most of the water sheets right off the cars surface.

To dry I like to use 100% cotton made in AMERICA towels with the edges and labels removed and I dry in the direction your eye would travel down a certain body panel.

 

I'm a fan of Poorboy's products myself. They're good quality products and aren't too expensive. Their Natty Blue paste wax is great and smells like bubble gum

 

This might be a dumb question, but is it ok to wax plastic parts such as the bumpers? I heard that some car waxes aren't good for plastic parts.

 

I think you are thinking about the textured black plastic that is on cars, some waxes don't take well to those materials and will almost stain the plastic till you buff it out. But as long as you have paint on the surface you are fine, hell i wax my headligh housings.

 

If I remember correctly , it's not recommended to wax a brand new car for a certain time period. However , after reading some posts here I noticed that quite a number of you have done so already.... What's the dealio ? I've got the itch to wax my fit but I'm unsure whether or not it's okay ? Someone shed some light on this !