DKS
Wax on, Wax off.
Here's a few things to consider when detailing your car. Especially if you have a black car that shows micro scratches and swirls easily
Most of the damage to you paint is done by improper washing. If you are rubbing a gritty, dirty sponge all over your car when you wash it you are doing more damage than good.
I use one of the microfiber jobs from Walmart with the stringy things on them. They have a cheap blue one or the Orange turtle wax ones. I use the blue since they are the same but cheaper. These trap more dirt and have more surface area then a sponge so they trap more grit and hold more soap.
Start with a good car wash. I use Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II because it's very slick and very sudsy and smells great. It doesn't strip wax or sealant and that is super important. The good Maguires wash is good also, but doesn't suds nearly as well.
If you have access to a pressure washer, use it to first spray the car with soap then rinse with high pressure to get as much of the dirt and grit off as possible before touching the car. (this is very very helpful to keep from scratching the paint from a dirty sponge)
You need a Bucket (or 2) with grit guards in them. The grit guard sits in the bottom of the bucket and traps grit and dirt so it doesn't get back on the car and do damage. You can use a rinse bucket first then the soap bucket to make double sure to get all of the grit out of the sponge.
Agitate the sponge against the grit guard to work the grit out each time you put put it in the bucket to get more soap.
Wash the car in straight lines, not circles to prevent swirl marks.
Rinse the car then dry using one of these methods. . .
You can either use the sheeting method to pre-dry the car. To use the sheeting method you use a hose with no sprayer on the end so it's free flowing. Start at the top of the car and fill the top with water so it's running off the sides. Bring the hose down to the edge of the top and move it back and forth to "catch" the water and slowly work it down to the bottom of the car. If you do it correctly it will sheet the water off the car and be almost dry with just a few spots left.
At this point you can just use a Microfiber drying towel to blot (not rub) the little water that is left.
OR My preferred method is using a leaf blower to just dry the car off which will also get water out of the nooks and crannies that the other method will miss. I do this because in shows I can't have water spots inside my gas cap, trunk, etc. Plus, the less you touch a car's paint the less chance you have of scratching or streaking it.
I try to never touch my paint if I can help it. If I have just dust on my car I would rather pressure wash it and leaf blow it than to try to use a microfiber and quick detailer, which will scratch the hell out of a car. You notice it on a black but maybe not on another color.
When you have a car with a mirror shine like mine you can really see when you screw up with using car dusters, microfibers and quick detailer, etc.
Never ever just spray a car off and then dry it with a towel. If it's just sprayed off, even with a pressure washer there is still dirt and dust on it and the towel will rub it around and scratch the heck out of it no matter how careful you are.
If I think of more I'll post later. I hope this helps guys. I am very passionate about my car's paint and I'm constantly getting compliments and scoring very high on my finish.
Once you get a good wax job the last thing you want to do if screw it up the first time you wash the car. . .
Most of the damage to you paint is done by improper washing. If you are rubbing a gritty, dirty sponge all over your car when you wash it you are doing more damage than good.
I use one of the microfiber jobs from Walmart with the stringy things on them. They have a cheap blue one or the Orange turtle wax ones. I use the blue since they are the same but cheaper. These trap more dirt and have more surface area then a sponge so they trap more grit and hold more soap.
Start with a good car wash. I use Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II because it's very slick and very sudsy and smells great. It doesn't strip wax or sealant and that is super important. The good Maguires wash is good also, but doesn't suds nearly as well.
If you have access to a pressure washer, use it to first spray the car with soap then rinse with high pressure to get as much of the dirt and grit off as possible before touching the car. (this is very very helpful to keep from scratching the paint from a dirty sponge)
You need a Bucket (or 2) with grit guards in them. The grit guard sits in the bottom of the bucket and traps grit and dirt so it doesn't get back on the car and do damage. You can use a rinse bucket first then the soap bucket to make double sure to get all of the grit out of the sponge.
Agitate the sponge against the grit guard to work the grit out each time you put put it in the bucket to get more soap.
Wash the car in straight lines, not circles to prevent swirl marks.
Rinse the car then dry using one of these methods. . .
You can either use the sheeting method to pre-dry the car. To use the sheeting method you use a hose with no sprayer on the end so it's free flowing. Start at the top of the car and fill the top with water so it's running off the sides. Bring the hose down to the edge of the top and move it back and forth to "catch" the water and slowly work it down to the bottom of the car. If you do it correctly it will sheet the water off the car and be almost dry with just a few spots left.
At this point you can just use a Microfiber drying towel to blot (not rub) the little water that is left.
OR My preferred method is using a leaf blower to just dry the car off which will also get water out of the nooks and crannies that the other method will miss. I do this because in shows I can't have water spots inside my gas cap, trunk, etc. Plus, the less you touch a car's paint the less chance you have of scratching or streaking it.
I try to never touch my paint if I can help it. If I have just dust on my car I would rather pressure wash it and leaf blow it than to try to use a microfiber and quick detailer, which will scratch the hell out of a car. You notice it on a black but maybe not on another color.
When you have a car with a mirror shine like mine you can really see when you screw up with using car dusters, microfibers and quick detailer, etc.
Never ever just spray a car off and then dry it with a towel. If it's just sprayed off, even with a pressure washer there is still dirt and dust on it and the towel will rub it around and scratch the heck out of it no matter how careful you are.
If I think of more I'll post later. I hope this helps guys. I am very passionate about my car's paint and I'm constantly getting compliments and scoring very high on my finish.
Once you get a good wax job the last thing you want to do if screw it up the first time you wash the car. . .