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See the attached flow chart to determine what course of action to take for your car. I wont go into detail on products to use because that could be a 10 page essay requiring thousands of dollars/hours that I don't have to test various products.
These youtube channels can give you more info than you need. Obviously they pedal their products, but the infois universal when it comes to fundamentals.
https://www.youtube.com/user/AMMONYCdotcom
https://www.youtube.com/user/chemicalGuys
Try to avoid washing your car in direct sunlight. If you let unfiltered water air dry on the car, you will probably get spots.
The washing step:
-Wash the rims.
-Rinse off entire car to remove loose dirt.
-Apply foam or soap. A pressure washer with a foam canon works best, but isn't required. Just make sure you get it good and soapy with as much lather as possible.
-Use soapy sponge or mop mitt with light pressure in straight lines. Avoid circles because you can cause swirls which are ugly. Keep it good and sudsy. A two bucket system helps keep the dirty water separate from the wash water.
-Rinse soap off entire car.
-There are a few methods of getting rid of water spots. You can dry right away or rinse again with filtered water to get rid of water spots. I am putting together a filtration system that I'm hoping will work to get rid of spots. I've seen some sprays that are supposed to help with spots as well.
If your paint isn't smooth because it has some stubborn residue on it, hit it with a clay bar.
You may want to wash again if you used a clay bar, but don't have to.
If your paint is bad you will need to make some paint repairs. I'm not going into that here. We'll assume your paint is in good shape for this.
Glazing is supposed to fill in very minor imperfections like swirls and gives the car a nice shine. It is optional and I have found some debate about if you should do it before or after sealing. I'm not planning to glaze because I'm not sure it does anything that the seal/wax wont. As far as I can tell, you spread it on like wax and wipe it off.
Sealing or waxing is not optional. You can seal, wax, or both. If you do both, be sure to do the sealer first. If you seal, follow the instructions for your specific product, as many sealants are applied in different ways. Waxing is also generally dependent on the type of wax you use. Just type your wax/sealant into youtube and you are sure to find the right way to apply it if you aren't sure. Usually, you will need to let the sealant/protectant cure for a while before waxing if you do both.
Quick detail is a waterless quick wash type of thing that you spray on and wipe off for a quick easy wash as long as your car still has a good coat of wax/seal.
These youtube channels can give you more info than you need. Obviously they pedal their products, but the infois universal when it comes to fundamentals.
https://www.youtube.com/user/AMMONYCdotcom
https://www.youtube.com/user/chemicalGuys
Try to avoid washing your car in direct sunlight. If you let unfiltered water air dry on the car, you will probably get spots.
The washing step:
-Wash the rims.
-Rinse off entire car to remove loose dirt.
-Apply foam or soap. A pressure washer with a foam canon works best, but isn't required. Just make sure you get it good and soapy with as much lather as possible.
-Use soapy sponge or mop mitt with light pressure in straight lines. Avoid circles because you can cause swirls which are ugly. Keep it good and sudsy. A two bucket system helps keep the dirty water separate from the wash water.
-Rinse soap off entire car.
-There are a few methods of getting rid of water spots. You can dry right away or rinse again with filtered water to get rid of water spots. I am putting together a filtration system that I'm hoping will work to get rid of spots. I've seen some sprays that are supposed to help with spots as well.
If your paint isn't smooth because it has some stubborn residue on it, hit it with a clay bar.
You may want to wash again if you used a clay bar, but don't have to.
If your paint is bad you will need to make some paint repairs. I'm not going into that here. We'll assume your paint is in good shape for this.
Glazing is supposed to fill in very minor imperfections like swirls and gives the car a nice shine. It is optional and I have found some debate about if you should do it before or after sealing. I'm not planning to glaze because I'm not sure it does anything that the seal/wax wont. As far as I can tell, you spread it on like wax and wipe it off.
Sealing or waxing is not optional. You can seal, wax, or both. If you do both, be sure to do the sealer first. If you seal, follow the instructions for your specific product, as many sealants are applied in different ways. Waxing is also generally dependent on the type of wax you use. Just type your wax/sealant into youtube and you are sure to find the right way to apply it if you aren't sure. Usually, you will need to let the sealant/protectant cure for a while before waxing if you do both.
Quick detail is a waterless quick wash type of thing that you spray on and wipe off for a quick easy wash as long as your car still has a good coat of wax/seal.