Caring for my new car ('s appearance!)

BlochWave

So yay, first new car ever a couple of weeks ago. It has leather seats, also a first for me. Are there any particular care tips for those?

Second: Car washing! When I read about car washing on google, all the premier advice seems to involve total DIYing in the driveway, but I have neither hose nor space to do such at my apartments. In the past I've just used the pressure hoses at those car wash places, slapped some soap on there, sprayed it off, and just let it air dry. In the past I also didn't care too much how my car looked. Are those pressure sprayers bad for the paint of the car or anything? Can I get a satisfactory car wash from those?

TyrantCow

My dad once told me never to dry a wet car with a towel, unless that car has been thoroughly washed. as, if you leave the dirt and grim on there, get it wet, and take a towel to it you're just grabbing all the crap in the towel and run the risk of scratching the crap out of your paint.

I have leather seats, and I didn't take care of them, the car sat in the sun a lot (no garage) and the seats are pretty cracked and split to all hell now. the car is 15 years old (a testament to Nissan craftsmanship) though, so fuck it.

i've heard bad things about pressure sprayers and about brush washes - i think that one's a toss up.

TexiKen

Pressure sprayers can be bad when applied real close. Especially on the lacquer on the alloy wheels, but that is after a few years. Those gas station car washes aren't the best to use, if you can't do it yourself go to those places like Mr. Car Wash or Bubbles (the kind where the car is washed by machine but dried by hand.

With the interior, use McGuire's or Mother's leather care spray every month or so on the leather, especially to keep the moisture in 100 degree heat.

What I would suggest, and this can be done at your apartment easily, is to buy a clay bar kit, which comes with a liquid spray that you spray, rub the clay bar over, then wipe with a shammy. You just go bit by bit on the car. After you do that to the whole car, apply some wax. Waxing your car every quarter or so is good and can protect the car when you run it through those big car washes.

TyrantCow

is there a way to wax a car that doesn't suck?

TexiKen

It's a pain but it's worth it. Just make sure you do it when the sun goes down or early in the morning or under shade.

SideAffects

Here's what I do. Most people would probably find this overkill, but my car literally looks like new

Beginning of Summer:
Wash with car shampoo
Air dry
Claybar
wash with car shampoo
wax

and then within the next week, wash and wax again. Then I wash and wax once at the end of the Summer.

So yeah, I wax twice at the beginning of the summer. Most people would find that overkill, but year-round I can see the water from rain bead up beautifully on my car, so I know it works at least. I only claybar once per year - any more than that and you could start damaging your vehicle. If you live in a snowy climate, be sure to wash your car every other week or so.

I only use touchless car washes. Anything with brushes or pieces of plastic that slap against your car just do more harm than good.

Hopefully your car isn't black. If so, you are in for a world of anguish. In my and many other peoples' opinions, it's the sharpest looking color when clean, but also the hardest color to keep clean

Good luck!

KidDynamite

Just to also throw this in, I usually just use water and a microfiber to clean the dash/plastic. Those products like armor-all can lead to problems in the long run. Meguires like someone said every couple of months will leave it soft. Also, my car is black leather interior, and dark gray outside, I think the best investement is some of those fold out sunshades, and tint on my other windows. I don't die (so bonus) and it probably helps prevent sun damage.

If its really dirty, someone recommended to me Baby-shampoo (it's ph balanced i guess) and some elbow grease.

I good wash/wax quarterly is recommended. My thing with the brushes at the car wash places is that I've seen jerks cleaning rims and even barbeque grills with those. I do like the pressure hoses though, I just don't use the foam brush.

Also, don't just use one bucket when washing by hand. You can basically be putting all of the dirt back on the car, and scratch the paint.

For about $100 you can get it detailed, and it seems like a lot, but you will be happy with a CLEAN car for a while. MAybe every year.

firewaterword

Second on the clay bar advice - those things are magic.

If you want to really get into it, check out http://www.autopia.org/. Pretty much dedicated to detailing, and should give you far more than you'd ever want to know.

SideAffects

Also I recommend keeping a microfiber rag and a recycled bottle of water in the trunk of your car. Clean off bird crap ASAP, and just throw the rag in the laundry. Bird crap baked in the sun will ruin your paint.

JustinSane07

If you have nice rims, don't take it to a car wash. The potential for fucking them is astronomical.

firewaterword

Another tip is to get a spray bottle of instant detailer - I use the Mother's stuff, but any brand will work. Helps to keep things nice and shiny between waxes. I've got a black car that I'm obsessed with keeping fucking sparkling. I'm a bit of a slave to it :?

Count Funkula

I used to try to keep my car looking nice, but after getting a few door dings and scratches from careless idiots in parking lots, I just don't care anymore. I just run it through the local automatic car wash once every few months, vacuum the rugs and wipe down the interior. Once in a while, I will hand wash it in the driveway, but I don't do any wax or anything.

Otherwise, Meguiars makes really good car care products that work really well.

BlochWave

So I got Meguiars leather cleaner/conditioner wipes, and decided to try wiping down the seats, but it left them kinda goopy. I tried towling it down with a microfiber towel but that didn't help much. It's been a couple of days and they're a little better, I guess it'll soak in or dry out or whatever eventually, but is there anything I can do to speed up the process or fix that? Is that normal/good/bad?

Djeet

I use Lexol to condition the leather, because I've found a lot of products leave residue as you're experiencing; if the leather is puncture-finished I'd try to minimize the amount of product that gets into the punctures. I'd just use a lot of clean towels to try to blot it off.


You can do the sponge/mitt/bucket wash at a pressure wash place, and it's a better wash for your car then the pressure washer. Take your supplies to the wash. Put soap in the bucket and fill with water from the rinse cycle. Then use the rinse or soap cycle to wet the car a few times and loosen surface dirt. Then run out your time by using the tire/wheel clean cycle on your wheels/tires.

Then you proceed to soap the car with the mitt/sponge, top to bottom. Stop when you're 2/3rd to 3/4ths down the side of the car and use a different sponge/mitt for lower door panels, rocker panels, side skirts, airdams/spoilers. Repeat the soaping as much as you like, though leave an inch or two of water in the bucket as there will be gunk at the bottom. Then rinse the soap with the pressure washer rinse cycle.

When using the pressure washer make sure to keep the nozzle about 2 ft or more away from the car. I've actually blown off flakes of paint where the pressure washer spray got in at a paint chip.

Another thing you might do is rainex (Rain-X?) your windows. If you do that regularly you don't need to use wipers ever and your windshield doesn't get slightly etched/polished from the use of the wipers.


Edit: Also, before you wet the car spend some time cleaning your mitts/sponges, clean them with soap and water til they wring clear. You'd be surprised how much dirt clings to them. Last time I washed the car I spent more time cleaning the mitts then washing the car. Also only the first big wash/wax and your quarterly or biannual wax should be multi-hour jobs. If you do a quick wash every week or so you can keep your car sparkly with minimal effort (5-10 minutes), unless it got real muddy.

BlochWave

Yah rain-x is awesome

I'll go ahead and point out that I'm not precisely sure what puncture finished leather is. Do you think it's anything to be greatly alarmed about? (in other words: it's hot as balls outside and it's about to start raining, should I brave these things to go towel the seats off RFN or am I probably good?). Since I did just, ostensibly, condition my leather seats, goop or no, would it be bad to just head out right now and buy some Lexol and try that, or should I wait a while?

Thanks for the advice on the cleaning!

Zombie Nirvana

I think he just means perforated (lots of little tiny holes).

BlochWave

It's kinda streaky now on the seats, I'd like to get it off but the towel isn't cutting it. Any ideas? Am I being paranoid in using the microfiber towel? It doesn't have much "grab" to it but I don't wanna mess anything up

TexiKen

try dipping a washcloth in hot water, and then cleaning it up with another washcloth. It shouldn't be streaky, it should be a bit slippery to where you feel it when you sit in the seat but it goes away after a day or two.

Djeet

It's not anything to worry too much about. I'd be more concerned about buildup getting on my clothes then hurting the leather (which it's meant to protect). A towel in warm water, mostly wrung out, and then wipe off the excess product. If you leave moisture wipe up with a dry towel. I'm thinking that's what TexiKen was saying.

Don't scrub, you may damage the finish. And pay attention to creases/stitching as that's where product will collect. As for re-conditioning with Lexol, it's not necessary, but if you use it you really don't need to use very much. Use it if you like when next you condition. I only do the whole seat once every few months, a bit more frequently during the summer.

I don't think it matters much what type of towel you use for interior detailing so long as it's clean, though I would try to get one of a color that not hugely different from the upholstery so that lint left by the towel does not show up as much (e.g. don't use white towels on black interiors).

And yeah I meant perforated, my vocabulary wasn't working well.

Arasen

If you got about 150-200 depending on where you are get your windows tinted (make sure you know whats allowed in the area you live in). Tinted windows block most of the UV rays that will damage your seats. That and a sun visor for your windshield. You can also buy leather cleaner designed for cars. Use it about once a month to keep the leather from drying out.

1ddqd

I'm a member here: http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/

It's a fantastic resource for beginners and there are some real pros. Here is an example of not ever caring about where you wash your car: the owner hates his Z06

And a BMW

THAT is why you MAKE DO with washing it yourself in a parking lot. I use a two bucket method (one soap, one clean water, used for rinsing your sponge) with a squeegee, to expedite a rinsedown. If you have a car-port available in your complex, it only takes about 30 minutes to wash, about 15 to rinse down.

For the love of god, people, stop going to those brush-power-washer car washes.

firewaterword

1ddqd - those photos are making me really want a Porter Cable. The shit those guys can do with paint blows my mind. I spent a day on the long weekend washing/waxing my G35, but now after looking at those pics, I feel I need to do more!

teopeht

couple tips:

if you are going to wax your car you should use Dawn or some other dishwashing soap prior to the waxing. you want to strip the old wax off and regular car wash soap isn't going to cut it.

i dont really recommend meguiars wipes and you dont really need a MF towel to do the leather interior. just any old rag will do, although they do sell interior detailing brushes for a couple bucks.

if you dont care about swirls or have an easy color of paint (gray) feel free to go at it however you want. otherwise its all about the waffleweaves, microfibers, and plenty of soap so you dont scratch the paint.

BlochWave

Thanks guys, you're all being very helpful!

Apparently greasiness is a common complaint with the meguiar's wipes, so I'll look for something else in the future (and probably research it before I buy and apply next time). The advice on car washing is really good, my entire family has always been pretty low on the car pride, so I never learned these things

If you got about 150-200 depending on where you are get your windows tinted (make sure you know whats allowed in the area you live in). Tinted windows block most of the UV rays that will damage your seats. That and a sun visor for your windshield.

Done and done. I've lived in Texas my whole life and this is my first time having tinted windows, incidentally. God bless it.

teopeht

also if you have trouble with foggy/streaky windows i recommend Stoners Invisible Glass and a good glass microfiber towel. your windows will look brand new

firewaterword

Forgot to mention it before - get a California Car Duster. Just run it over the car when you get home and it will stay much cleaner for much longer. They're really pretty awesome, and not that pricey.