What Products Do You Use To Clean/Detail Your Car?
06-01-2005, 06:16 AM
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What Products Do You Use To Clean/Detail Your Car?
Finally Got my s4 in and I never hear others talk about what soap, wax etc they use on their s4. So imi wondering, what soap do you use for the exterior as well as wax, and as far as the interior what products as well. Thanks in advance.
06-01-2005, 06:20 AM
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First.. you going to hear.. "Go to the detailing forum".. but Here's what I do...
Wash:
Menzerna car wash/polish/glaze/FMJ(wax).
Wash every 2-3 weeks... polished only once... wax after every wash
Interior:
Mircofiber towel with warm water on all surfaces
Occasionally do the Lexol cleaner and conditioner on leather(about every 4-6 weeks)
Vaccum:
Rigid industrial/shop vac... every week!
Menzerna car wash/polish/glaze/FMJ(wax).
Wash every 2-3 weeks... polished only once... wax after every wash
Interior:
Mircofiber towel with warm water on all surfaces
Occasionally do the Lexol cleaner and conditioner on leather(about every 4-6 weeks)
Vaccum:
Rigid industrial/shop vac... every week!
06-01-2005, 06:31 AM
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As discerning suggested...check the detailing forum
And do NOT post this question...search and read. People have gone through the trouble of documenting their entire regime 100 times over. All the basics have been covered, it's just a question of how **** you want to be with the car.
06-01-2005, 06:44 AM
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RKA speaks the truth! I think what I do is sufficient... here's the idea....
If it never gets too dirty.. then it's never going to be difficult to keep it clean. A first quality clean (i.e. roughly 4 hours vaccuming, washing/treating leather, windows, plastics, etc.) followed with the weekly .5 to 1 hour sessions should keep the car prestine on the inside. Most importantly though, never be affriad to tell your friend to stop chewing on his fries... or tell your wife to keep her feet on the rubber mats and no where else.
06-01-2005, 07:17 AM
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My Mistake..........
I didnt even realize there was a detailing forum so my mistake. As far me cleaning my car. I just got my s4 but my previous car i washed just about 3 times a week and vacumed it everytime etc. No eating in my car, and im not married.(only 20). I was just figuring their are some superior products out there. Ill hit the other forum now.
06-01-2005, 07:39 AM
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I believe it depends on the vehicle use....(long)...
I am absolutely convinced from 45 yrs of "waxing" that Zaino System is far and above the easiest, least labor intensive, most durable with the subjectively 'best' results.
It's not a wax but a polish/polymer. And contrary to the polish/wax systems (you need to overcoat standard polishes with wax to protect)there is no 'topcoat' of wax. You use very little, has no residue and does not buildup when reapplied. Start to finish is 2-3 hours for the exterior.
Of course, the prepping is most important. Strip the old stuff, do P21 Paintwork Cleanser (if it's a year or older), then Zaino. A good random orbital buffer, polishing pads, pure cotton towels, synthetic towels are a big step in streamlining the process. If the car is a daily driver it needs to be done more often.
Zaino answers all questions and are prompt. Carcareonline has many solutions to problem areas and are prompt to answer. I Zaino my S4 every wash, it's a Garage Queen. Wifes Passat 4Mo gets Zainoed twice a year and it's garaged. Jetta TDI sets out and it gets done 'as-needed'.
Hope this helps...enjoy the S4 as I have mine!
It's not a wax but a polish/polymer. And contrary to the polish/wax systems (you need to overcoat standard polishes with wax to protect)there is no 'topcoat' of wax. You use very little, has no residue and does not buildup when reapplied. Start to finish is 2-3 hours for the exterior.
Of course, the prepping is most important. Strip the old stuff, do P21 Paintwork Cleanser (if it's a year or older), then Zaino. A good random orbital buffer, polishing pads, pure cotton towels, synthetic towels are a big step in streamlining the process. If the car is a daily driver it needs to be done more often.
Zaino answers all questions and are prompt. Carcareonline has many solutions to problem areas and are prompt to answer. I Zaino my S4 every wash, it's a Garage Queen. Wifes Passat 4Mo gets Zainoed twice a year and it's garaged. Jetta TDI sets out and it gets done 'as-needed'.
Hope this helps...enjoy the S4 as I have mine!
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06-01-2005, 08:30 AM
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I use these... (learned from the uber porsche dealer detailer guys)
Interior:
Start out with high pressure air. Open the windows and doors, spray down the interior, vents, dash, instrument cluster. That gets rid of 90% of the dust that you would otherwise try to wipe away, grind away, or dissolve.
Formula 409 wet-wipes for dash, plastic, radio.
windex + newspaper for windows
Once a year: Lexol cleaner for leather followed with lexol conditioner, soak in for 15 minutes before wiping off. NOT on the alcantara though!
For alcantara I use a very diluted mix of simple green and a thick cotton towel. Spray it on, buff it off with the towel without letting it soak in much.
Exterior:
For a ~6 week wax I use "Nanowax" .. goes on easy, comes off easy.
Twice a year I use Macguires 3-Step Crystal system. I use step one once, step two twice in a row, and followed with step ... 22? 17? "High Tech Yellow Carnuba Wax" .. whatever # it is. Use a random buffer for putting it on in any flat areas you can will save a lot of time + effort. A lambs wool pad works great for removing wax from most flat and curved surfaces. Step 2 is where all the polish comes in, so however much effort you do with step two will determine how "wet" the paint ends up.
Once a year to every other year I'll use Mothers Clay-bar on the front half of the car. Anywhere you rub your hands on the paint after a wash and feel "roughness" needs it, but you have to wax it first.
Wheels:
Once a year I take the rims off, clean them inside and out, and wax them with a nice thick coat. Brake dust comes off easy with just soap and water afterwards. If you like to use wheel cleaner, don't bother with this step because it'll strip the wax off on the first shot.
Tires:
Every few car washes- spray on Wesleys Blech-White. Let soak until it turns a dark brown. Hose off immediately. This takes out all the absorbed crap like brake dust and exhaust and dirt and makes your tires have the "wet" look without being shiny and also without attracting dirt.
Final detail on the car during drying and/or after waxing:
I use a thick terry cotton towel and fold up a corner, and wedge that into every crevice I can find on the car, running it down the whole length of the line. This gets out the wax from the edges, dirt, etc. You'd be amazed at how much dirt you'll remove when doing this and just how nice it'll make the lines look.
Particularly important areas I wash/clean:
open the doors- inner door jamb area, door hinge area. sponge/wash/clean. use disposable cotton towel to dry because there'll be so much dirt on the towel when you're done you don't want it touching any other area of the car. Same on the rear trunk or hatch areas- open and scrub thoroughly during washing.
Odds and ends:
Windshield wipers: Wipe down with Oxy skin alcohol wipes. Stops them from chattering.
Hinges: lube with "Poly Lube 250" .. available at your local audi dealer. Same used on all hydraulic hood/trunk assists.
Windshield wiper hinges: Lube with light silicone oil. Same used in door lock cylinders.
Most important: All door seals and underhood seals have a thin layer of "Di-electric silicone grease" found in the ingition tune-up section of your local auto parts store. Put it on with your finger, wipe it off with a rag so it's shiny. This will cut all your wind noise in half and gets rid of the squeeky interior seal noises.
These are all the things we did to the best and most well taken care of Audi's at the dealer. Typically the S series.
Start out with high pressure air. Open the windows and doors, spray down the interior, vents, dash, instrument cluster. That gets rid of 90% of the dust that you would otherwise try to wipe away, grind away, or dissolve.
Formula 409 wet-wipes for dash, plastic, radio.
windex + newspaper for windows
Once a year: Lexol cleaner for leather followed with lexol conditioner, soak in for 15 minutes before wiping off. NOT on the alcantara though!
For alcantara I use a very diluted mix of simple green and a thick cotton towel. Spray it on, buff it off with the towel without letting it soak in much.
Exterior:
For a ~6 week wax I use "Nanowax" .. goes on easy, comes off easy.
Twice a year I use Macguires 3-Step Crystal system. I use step one once, step two twice in a row, and followed with step ... 22? 17? "High Tech Yellow Carnuba Wax" .. whatever # it is. Use a random buffer for putting it on in any flat areas you can will save a lot of time + effort. A lambs wool pad works great for removing wax from most flat and curved surfaces. Step 2 is where all the polish comes in, so however much effort you do with step two will determine how "wet" the paint ends up.
Once a year to every other year I'll use Mothers Clay-bar on the front half of the car. Anywhere you rub your hands on the paint after a wash and feel "roughness" needs it, but you have to wax it first.
Wheels:
Once a year I take the rims off, clean them inside and out, and wax them with a nice thick coat. Brake dust comes off easy with just soap and water afterwards. If you like to use wheel cleaner, don't bother with this step because it'll strip the wax off on the first shot.
Tires:
Every few car washes- spray on Wesleys Blech-White. Let soak until it turns a dark brown. Hose off immediately. This takes out all the absorbed crap like brake dust and exhaust and dirt and makes your tires have the "wet" look without being shiny and also without attracting dirt.
Final detail on the car during drying and/or after waxing:
I use a thick terry cotton towel and fold up a corner, and wedge that into every crevice I can find on the car, running it down the whole length of the line. This gets out the wax from the edges, dirt, etc. You'd be amazed at how much dirt you'll remove when doing this and just how nice it'll make the lines look.
Particularly important areas I wash/clean:
open the doors- inner door jamb area, door hinge area. sponge/wash/clean. use disposable cotton towel to dry because there'll be so much dirt on the towel when you're done you don't want it touching any other area of the car. Same on the rear trunk or hatch areas- open and scrub thoroughly during washing.
Odds and ends:
Windshield wipers: Wipe down with Oxy skin alcohol wipes. Stops them from chattering.
Hinges: lube with "Poly Lube 250" .. available at your local audi dealer. Same used on all hydraulic hood/trunk assists.
Windshield wiper hinges: Lube with light silicone oil. Same used in door lock cylinders.
Most important: All door seals and underhood seals have a thin layer of "Di-electric silicone grease" found in the ingition tune-up section of your local auto parts store. Put it on with your finger, wipe it off with a rag so it's shiny. This will cut all your wind noise in half and gets rid of the squeeky interior seal noises.
These are all the things we did to the best and most well taken care of Audi's at the dealer. Typically the S series.
06-01-2005, 08:34 AM
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What's your experience been with the GEPC and Zaino?
Have you used GEPC to clean the paint, then washed and Zaino'd, or have you layered the Zaino right over the GEPC, and if so, any detrimental effects on longevity? (let's assume we're not talking about the garage queen, rather one of the other two cars)
That's one thing I don't like about Zaino, they don't have anything that's specifically made to clean the paint. GEPC is great and easy to work with, but it definitely leaves something behind, and I'm not sure how much that will impact Zainos ability to stick to the paint.
That's one thing I don't like about Zaino, they don't have anything that's specifically made to clean the paint. GEPC is great and easy to work with, but it definitely leaves something behind, and I'm not sure how much that will impact Zainos ability to stick to the paint.