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    And now...the best way.

    First of all, there is no way to have an easy detail of your car. This information comes from a bunch of research and applications. I want to give this information out because I want to see ALL Mazda Proteges and Mazda3's kick ass when they are seen on the streets.

    -First of all, look for shade to park your car under. Park under a tree, on the side of the house in the early morning or late afternoon, or buy a canopy are examples of shade. You want to avoid waterspots due to the sun, period.
    -Within your washbucket, put of tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing detergent. I know, Dawn will strip down waxes. True, but right now, you're detailing your car and this is not a normal wash. Afterwards, I would recommend that you use a high quality car wash liquid. Anyway, dishwashing detergent does a great job in removing contaminants off your car. Also, use two buckets, one with soapy water and the other with plain water. This way, you use the bucket with plain water for rinse water only. You do not want to put dirty water back onto your car. I also use bulk terrycloth towels that you can buy at any car parts store. This is a long process, so prepare to use a whole lot of towels. Buy two sets to make sure. You will probably want to use a multiple spray nozzle as well.
    -I start cleaning my car by washing the tire wells and the bottom of the side skirts first (the car skin only). I start off by using the hose with a hard stream to remove as much dirt and oil as possible. Then I scrub them clean. Why the wells and skirts first? They have the a whole lot of dirt on them and you will have a good chance to kick dirt onto your body by not cleaning them first. I feel that it is important to wash off the soap immediately so that you do not get residual soap stuck onto the skin of your car.
    -Next step is your tires. I am staying with the lower extremities of the car because I do not want to kick dirt upwards. If you happen to kick dirt upwards, you will remove it when you wash the car later on. I use Wesley's tire cleaner for my rubber tires. You see dirt being removed on contact. I recommend using a brush to help remove dirt off my tires. To me, Wesley's tire cleaner is irritable, so be sure to wear rubber gloves when using this product. Use as directed.
    -As far as rims, I've learned that by washing your rims by hand, you can see all the dirt wash away by doing it this way. There are products out there for washing rims. They are fine, but they don't remove everything. Just go the extra step to ensure a great job on your detailing. You may want to wash each tire, one tire at at time. That way, you do not have soap residue.
    -Finally, you can wash your car. But dump out all the liquids that you used on your tires, wells and side skirtsbecause this water is very dirty. Now, start again. Use a tablespoon of Dawn liquid detergent in one bucket and fill the other bucket with plain water. With your hose, spray your entire car with a hard stream to remove larger contaminents from eventually scratching your paint. Then, use a spray mode to cover your car with water spots. This leaves a layer of lubrication so that you have less of a chance of scratching your car. At this point, you can start handwashing. I use one towel on each hand to speed up my process. I wash from top to bottom so that the dirt goes downward. I think it is important to do one part at a time to not allow the soap to dry. It is important that you touch every part of your car because if you are to see your car when it is dry, you will see the spots that you missed. This can lead to scratching your car in further steps. Now that you have finished your entire car, do a final rinse by removing the multiple spray nozzle and flow a soft stream of water cascading all over your car. This creates a sheeting action that removes water spots which makes it easier for you to dry your car
    -A detailers drying step is my next step in drying my car. I spray a mist of detailers spray while the car is wet. At this point, I pull out my Absorber (a synthetic chamois that I use because it has its own carrying case which keeps the Absorber moist), spread it out as far as I can reach across the top of my car and pull it towards me. This allows the most surface area to be contacted by my Absorber as I dry my car. Squeeze it out and go to another section of your car. Once your car is done, make sure that you open all your doors and dry your door jams. Don't forget other parts such as door handles, mirrors, under your spoiler, your windshield wipers, your grill and so on. If you want to go further, you may want to us canned air to blow out water out of your door handles. After drying your car, go back to the rims and dry them out as well. If you didn't wash your rims well before, you will see a marking of dirt on your drying cloth or Absorber. If your see spots, use the detailers spray and then use a towel or a microfiber cloth to remove them.
    -At this point, your car is clean. But, it will get cleaner once you do the next step. This step is the difference between a washed car and a detailed car. It is the...clay bar step. This step is where the most of your effort will take place. But it is worth every bit of it. You can find clay bars at most auto parts stores in the car wash section. I have three rules when using the clay bar. The first rule is - Do not drop the clay bar. The second rule is - Do not drop the clay bar. Third rule is use lots of the manufactures clay bar lubricant, which is basically detailers spray. By dropping the claybar, you will collect a rock or pebble and will scratch the paint off your car. One of my favorite things about the claybar is that it won't scratch your paint is used correctly. Anyway, claybarring is an easy but long process, so be patient and ust follow the instructions. You will notice that you will rub a section off your car and your towel will not slide easliy. Just flip your towel to the dry side while removing clay reminents off your car. This is why I suggested before that you buy plenty of towels. I think the coolest part is this step is seeing what you have removed when you performed this step. Touch your car and you will feel the car being as smooth as it can be. At this point, your car is CLEAN. Rub your car again with a micro cloth to ensure that your car is clean.
    -After you have done this, sealing your clean car is the next step. Within the past couple of years, I've noticed that all the car detail manufactures have made synthetic waxes. I can't tell you that I have tried them all but they are awesome. They go by the name Maguiars NXT Generation, Eagle One Nanowax, and Mother's FX synwax just to name a few. Easy on and easy off is what I like so much about them. I used to go through the laborous step of using polish which would mean light strokes, practically brushing my car. Screw that, this takes too damn long. I just use the product as directed and I end up with a car that looks polished and with added protection. I prefer paste over liquid for a longer protection.

    I use Mother's Back to Black on my trim. Meguiars PlastX on my headlights, taillights and license plate covers, and Meguiars Endurance Gel on my tires.

    I just hope to see a bunch of shiny Protege5's and Mazda3's out there. I dig these cars.

    late
    SHRED=SHiny+RED
    Last edited by shred; 09-13-2005, 01:15 AM. Reason: accidentally pressed submit now

    #2
    1. Dawn will also strip the protective waxes out of your tires, which are there to prevent dry rotting of the rubber. If you're going to clay or polish your car, that will remove any wax that is on the car anyway, so there's no need to use Dawn for that purpose. Plus, Dawn is very overrated for it's wax-stripping ability. It wouldn't even remove one coat of NXT from my last experience with it. Dawn will also dry out any rubber seals on your car.

    2. Using a typical car wash soap is just as effective at cleaning your car and your tires/wheels. Dawn has no good use for cars.

    3. Why bother using products that are harmful and cause irritation? Car wash soap and water works great for cleaning wheels and tires, and most car soaps are biodegradable and perfectly safe. Wheel cleaners and tire cleaners should not have to be used regularly. Apply a sealant to your wheels to make them much easier to clean in the future.

    4. Blasting contaminants off of your paint with a "hard stream" of water is not a good idea. You can scratch your paint by doing this.

    5. The Absorber (or any chamois) cannot come close to the safety and absorbency of a microfiber waffle weave towel. There is no nap to it, which means any particles of dust/dirt that may get trapped between it and the paint, will be dragged across the paint. A microfiber towel will allow that particle to be drawn into the fibers, and safely away from the paint surface.

    6. Uhh...it appears that you use the Absorber to dry your door jambs, windshield wipers, and wheels as well. You must have one dirty-ass Absorber! You're bound to get lots of stains, dirt, and brake dust on it if you use it for drying all those things as well, and you're rubbing those back into the paint the next time you dry the car.

    7. Terry cloth towels are too aggressive to use on your paint. They will scratch. Get some high quality microfiber towels to use, and get a good wash mitt for washing the car.

    8. You won't have any clay residue on the paint if you use enough lubrication. When the clay goes over an area without enough lubrication, it will stick. That's what causes that residue you speak of. So you've just broken your third rule of claying - ("Third rule is use lots of the manufactures clay bar lubricant").
    5spd Maxima SE - SOLD
    '99 Protege LX 5spd, silver

    Comment


      #3
      ummmm i just use the touch free power wash.
      .....HELLO MY NAME IS BEN...



      186.08whp
      225.94wtq
      torque monster!!!!
      dyno graph 8-10-and 12psi
      http://www.msprotege.com/members/THE...no%20graph.jpg
      http://videos.streetfire.net/player....0-C19CA06AF01E dyno vid

      blahblahblahblahblahblah

      Comment


        #4
        LOL a quick solution! They don't clean very well though, and often leave a soapy film on the car.

        Brush washes scratch your car, and touchless ones leave a film...you just can't win! Unless you wash it yourself (properly) of course!
        5spd Maxima SE - SOLD
        '99 Protege LX 5spd, silver

        Comment


          #5
          Thank you Mr. Detailer, I'm glad that someone checks what I had to say. I gave my information out because I want to make sure that every one of you that reads this knows the full process for getting a shiny car. Any remarks or comments are gladly taken.

          I like your comment on Dawn. My question to you is, how can I remove NXT wax in order to get to the clearcoat?

          As far as the Absorber is concern, I do like this drying item because it is like a chamois except you can wash it in a washing machine (but, do not dry it out) and all contaminents will be removed from it. Maguiars recently put out the woven cloth this year. I haven't tried this and maybe I should.

          I also recommend using terrycloths and not using the Absorber in door jams and around hinges. Apologies to the readers that I was not clear on this and thanks to Mr. Detailer for catching this. That is why he is Mr. Detailer. From what I have heard, the ultimate way to dry your car is to use a leaf blower. But, most communities probably will never allow the use of this, especially in California.

          Also, as far as the third rule of using a lot of manufacture's lubricant. The reminents removed should be liquid, however, you may get down to having clay sticking on the car. Just spray more lubricant and wipe it off.

          I thank you Mr. Detailer for your input to my thread. Peace out brother.

          Shred

          Comment


            #6
            If you're looking to get down to the clearcoat, that means you're looking to clay/polish/clean the paint. Any of those products will remove the NXT or any other wax. Very gentle claying sometimes will not, but you should always use a polish or paint cleaner before starting a new detail.

            I'm glad to hear you don't wipe the crap out of your doorjambs and rub it back into your paint.

            Leaf blowers are quite useful for blowing water out of cracks and crevices after a wash. Instead of using one, I just dry my car, then drive it around the block, and then dry the areas again that have water on them. The water in those cracks/crevices will find its way out while you drive the car around the block.
            5spd Maxima SE - SOLD
            '99 Protege LX 5spd, silver

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Mr Detailer
              If you're looking to get down to the clearcoat, that means you're looking to clay/polish/clean the paint. Any of those products will remove the NXT or any other wax. Very gentle claying sometimes will not, but you should always use a polish or paint cleaner before starting a new detail.

              I'm glad to hear you don't wipe the crap out of your doorjambs and rub it back into your paint.

              Leaf blowers are quite useful for blowing water out of cracks and crevices after a wash. Instead of using one, I just dry my car, then drive it around the block, and then dry the areas again that have water on them. The water in those cracks/crevices will find its way out while you drive the car around the block.
              Lucky for me I work at an oil change/carwash center, so I get to wash my car there with as much detail as I wish. True, it might be very bad on the paint, but since it's allready chipped off and messed-up, plus it's so hard to keep your paint as nice looking as you can on a daily ride in which you put 100+ miles daily that I only have to care about the interior, engine bay and exterior as a last thing.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by DJ_PaRaNoIsE
                True, it might be very bad on the paint
                Got that right!

                Originally posted by DJ_PaRaNoIsE
                ...plus it's so hard to keep your paint as nice looking as you can on a daily ride in which you put 100+ miles daily...
                It's really not that hard. Of course it would be hard to get your paint to great condition after it's been run through automatic washes over and over. The more you allow it to be molested by brushes, the more difficult it is to revive it if you ever choose to do so.

                It's very unfortunate that the previous owner of my Protege had an opinion just like yours. It was a daily driver for her, and she obviously didn't care about the appearance of it. I asked her how often she washed it, and she said every month or two, she'd run it through the car wash.
                So I had a lot of fixing to do, but it was all worth it when I look at my car now.
                5spd Maxima SE - SOLD
                '99 Protege LX 5spd, silver

                Comment


                  #9
                  clay bar, paint cleaner, clay bay, polish, wax i took red car that had turned pink and dull and my friend was sure he would have to repaint to looking newtry it in that series but to do it right it will take you all all day.
                  mods: engine: fm stroker lightened and knifedged crank, 11:1, custom crank scraper, fully p&p head and intake mani, bored throttle body, flowed and matched stock injectors, rx7 vaf, apexi safc, gude race cams, modded ecu 8200 fuel cutoff, blaster coil, clutchmasters stage 3 clutch, fidanza fly wheel and timeing gears, msp diff, custom shortram in a cold air box

                  suspension: s/r struts intrack springs and intrax sway bars 15x6.5 rims kumho mx tires 205 50 r 15

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