fairlane292

I know exactly what you mean. ...and having a black car you will see even the littlest mark, just as you say. I can tell you with aftermarket sanded and buffed clear the finish is like a mirror; it looks wet all the time. This is even more reflective than OE clear which has orange peel to hide some minor marring. There are some basic things you can do after you have the car rotary polished to virtually avoid making these marks. I've done everything from fabrication to various types of paintingyet I thought I'd never be able to wax the car myself w/o causing minor scratches. But here are a few things that are a must to avoid marring, and creating fine scratches. btw, with many colors you won't see what you (and I ) can see in black. It's simply the darkest and most reflective color but if you are not doing any of these things I strongly suggest you consider them. I will tell you that now I can wash, dry, wax w/o creating any marring of the clear. Few things you really should do if you can:

Washing:
- Use 2 buckets; one to grab soap from, the other to rinse micro mit.
- start with roof and work top down. Dirtest parts (rockers, rims) last.
- After spray rinsing, remove nozzel and sheet rinse (you won't have much water to dry off)
- Do not use circular motion. Horizontal, and light strokes.

Drying:
- Do it insidea clean closed garage if you can.
- Do not use any circular motion.
- Do not rub, lightly drag micro cloth, chamois (I use BlackMagic ProDry Absorbing cloth) no pressure is applied, you pull the cloth over the surface. You can tap lightly around door handles and body seams to release water (I used to use air hose from compressor but will only do that once a year)

Waxing: (w/o lubrication properties of the wax you will marr/swirl the clear. This is common with wax removal)
- wax insidea clean closed garage if you can.
- Do not use any circular motion for applying or removal of wax.
- use detailers wax in between full wax jobs. I use Eagle One Nano Wax right now but there are many good ones.
- If you are using any wax that says let dry to a haze (the Mothers CA Gold Carnauba paste I use now says that) do not let it dry more than 10-15mins at moderate temp.Apply toone section, then a second. Go back and remove slightly hazed wax from first section; then remove same from second section. Then repeat this process. (I recommend Cobra green microfibre towels especially for removal, I use for application as well; they are extremely soft, [I have a few types and like these the best by far])

There are many, many more tips you can read about and these are just a few key ones. Ask your detailer about how you should maintain your car, and if you get a scratch or fine marks just bring it back to him and they'll take care of it. You establish a customer relationship with a good detailer and they will give you excellent advice and help you out w/o ripping you off.

fairlane292

+10

backinblack06

Are you +10 yourself lol......

Very goodwrite up !!! I agree

What about getting dried wax off of the plastic, I missed a couple of spots...ooops. Should I just use a plastic restorer product ?

fairlane292

That sounds good. I've only had a little bit of that on my window black trim and I used the spray Eagle One wax on it. Thought about rubbing a bit of this clear 'tire dressing' spray with a cloth but the Eagle One is clear and when it driedthere was nothing remaining, residue was gone. When I bring the car in to the detailer in the spring I'll ask him what he would recommend. As long as you don't use anything harsh you should be fine. ..no lacquer thinner, paint thinner, automotive wax remover. Actually an old toothbrush and some Dawn should do the trick. ..try a small area and just brush lightly, no need to apply much pressure. Then apply theplastic protector; which should make removal next time even easier,

Congrats on the great job you have done taking care of that black beauty!

Say, how do you like the 4.10's?

06blueovalblueGT

LOOK at "fairlane292"s car, and you decide if he doesnt know his shht,
the proof is in the pictures, that car shines.....
trust me, he knows

SOLDSHORT

the biggest issue with swirls is the way people wash their cars. the method fairlane described is the best way to go about it. you can even take an extra step and add a grit guard to your water buckets which traps dirt.

here's how to tell if the wax is ready to remove.

How to tell when a wax is ready to remove


In most cases, in most climates, this should be approximately 10 to 15 minutes after application. In warmer climates, it will hedge towards the 10 minute range, and in colder, wet climates, it will take longer and hedge towards the 15 and even 20 to 25 minute range. Other factors include how thick of a coat you applied, relative humidity and air flow.

Another way to test if the wax has set-up long enough besides measuring with time, is to perform the Swipe Test.



"Swipe Test"

The swipe test is where you take your clean finger, and swipe it briskly across the finish with the wax on it. If the paint is clear, without residue where your finger made the swipe, the wax is ready to wipe-off. If the area you have swiped is smudgy, or streaky, or there is noticeable wax in the swipe area, then the wax has not set-up long enough and you should allow more time for the wax to set-up before your remove it.

If you remove it before it has set-up, you will risk removing too much of the wax from the surface and thus leave less than engineered to remain behind on the finish.

Once enough time has passed and your coating of wax swipes clear, remove the wax using a clean, soft premium microfiber polishing cloth

06GT4RAD

I prefer the use of sheepskin mitts for washing and I also have several that I use for the car. I have one mitt for the upper portion of the car, one for the mid section and then one for the rocker panels themselves and only the rocker panels. And as they wear outi rotate them out and into the garbage. A grit guard does help and like Fairlane said the two bucket method is a must. Another tip that helps in the removal of your waxes and polishes is the use of a detail spray. Give one small misting of the detail spray on the towels and it helps in removal of the wax. and polishes. I also use it on my foam pads when using the PC with polish and wax. Keeping that small amount of lubrication on the pads and towels help reducesthechances of micro marring.


Richard

fairlane292

Thanks man!

Yeah as SOLDSHORT says bucket grit guards (two buckets)aregreat and inexpensive. I do use them and as I mentioned it's worth reading the numerous links that includes lots and lots of additional tips aswell. The only thing I will say about timing the wax removal is to err on the side of too early than too late. Too early as SOLDSHORTindicated, you don't quite get the maximum wax protection but I've seen what too late can do to clearcoat and you don't want that.

SOLDSHORT: Good info! Thanks!

fairlane292

Great point on multiple mits. Gonna do that!

06GT4RAD

Here is a link to the palce i buy from. They ahve differant colors of them so it helps and makes it easy to keep track of which mitt is for what.

http://www.sheepskin.com


Richard