Average Joe Exterior Maintenance

RWC32

RWC32

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Outside of proper car wash technique, what would you recommend to the average Joe for protecting his paint.


  1. He doesn't have DA.
  2. May wash his vehicles 2-4 time a month
  3. He knows about proper washing (thanks to me) but will uses the car wash 50% of the time
  4. Hates waxing, but does it two times a year, on two of his family cars
  5. Both cars are daily drives with good paint. One car is in good condition and the other is 1 year old)
  6. Both cars are silver / gray and from Japanese automakers
  7. Would never consider claying his cars
  8. Won't spend money on professional detaiers
  9. Wouldn't be found on any car care site (I will direct him to Autogeek for products)

I was thinking Klasse AIO?

Your help is greatly appreciated.
 
A simple cleaner wax. Something that cleans the paint and leaves protection behind. I know Meguiar's has multiple cleaner waxes in both pastes and liquid.

I wonder how McKee's 360 works by hand. I've used HD Speed by hand in door jams, but longevity would be an issue when only applied biannually by your friend.
 
That's why I was thinking Klasse AIO. Not sure how that holds up on its' own though...
 
Regular washes and Hydro Blue - can't get easier than that. I know you mentioned you won't Clay bar the car but that is one thing I would try to talk you into at least once - before your first Hydro Blue application.


ScottH
 
Get a good detailer to take care of his cars. That's where you plug yourself! ;)
 
I too was skeptical of claying till I tried it and was quite impressed with the smoothe surface it left. Klasse AIO twice a year should be fine. If he balks at that offer him a price. Don't offer a freebie. He sounds like a lazy person who doesn't want to put any effort into car care. That's all you can do for him.
 
RWC32 said:
That's why I was thinking Klasse AIO. Not sure how that holds up on its' own though...
Click to expand...


Here's my take.... it's the same take I have on chemical cleaning only paint cleaners.... here you go...


For all the time, work and energy it takes to apply a non-abrasive cleaner/wax (Klasse AIO), you might as well apply an abrasive cleaner/wax and get more benefits like the removal of shallow swirls, scratches and water spots.


Klasse AIO is a chemical only cleaner/wax. Nothing wrong with that but to hand apply to an entire car will take hours. For all that time and work there are some great one-step cleaner/waxes that use safe abrasive technology that will do everything Klasse AIO will do and more.


Any consumer line cleaner/wax from Meguiar's or Mothers would be a good choice. 3D HD Speed, Menzerna 3-in-1, McKee's 37 360, Backfire Total Polish & Seal, Wolfgang Uber All in One, Optimum Poli-Seal, etc.


Just as important as using a quality product is HOW you apply a cleaner/wax by hand. Unlike a finishing or non-cleaning wax where you apply a THIN coat, a cleaner/wax is just the opposite, you apply a thick coat or a WET coat, that is use an ample amount of product and only tackle SMALL sections at one time.

The reason why is you need plenty of lubricants, chemical cleaners, abrasives on the surface working for you. A thin coat will do squat unless the paint is already in great shape and if the paint is already in great shape then you probably don't need a cleaner/wax.


Make sense?

Also, get some high quality microfiber applicator pads. Meguiar's offers them and so does SONAX.


For all the work it requires to apply to an entire car, and considering a person is going to do this more than once, a simple machine like the Griot's 6" DA is a good investment.


:)
 
The advice I gave to a guy was to take a piece of masking tape and pick a direction (clockwise /counter clockwise). There's six points on the car: R/L under hood and trunk and both door jambs. At least once a month go as far as you choose with a cleaner wax/sealant (I think I told him to use Optimum Poliseal) and move the tape. Wipe down the rest with Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer. Oh, and I had him get a Polishing Pal.
 
dcjredline said:
HydrO2, McKees Hydro Blue.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this from how the guy sounds. I once used mothers paste cleaner wax by hand and it almost ruined me from ever waxing a car again. Then i stumbled on to Autogeek (i wasnt afraid of spending a bit of money to make life easier) after i bought my Ram and now enjoy the paint correction/lsp process.

jesse
 
Thanks guys

This is my neighbor, who sees me busting my ass, and likes my results, but doesn't want to put in the effort. He simply wants to protect his investment with as little time and money as possible. He doesn't need "show room" results as he calls it. He just wants a decent shine and some protection from the elements. I'm not going to do it for him, as I am not in the business and he's cheap. LOL He's a good guy, an "Average Joe", who want to spend time with his family and not his car. Plus he brings me beer!!!
 
RWC32 said:
Thanks guys

This is my neighbor, who sees me busting my ass, and likes my results, but doesn't want to put in the effort. He simply wants to protect his investment with as little time and money as possible. He doesn't need "show room" results as he calls it. He just wants a decent shine and some protection from the elements. I'm not going to do it for him, as I am not in the business and he's cheap. LOL He's a good guy, an "Average Joe", who want to spend time with his family and not his car. Plus he brings me beer!!!
Click to expand...


Lots of people like you describe...

When I detailed this old 2-door Dodge,

Review: - LC HDO Foam Pads - Makita PO5000C - Supercharged Dodge Yellow Jacket


While I appreciated having the car for the "cool factor" to showcase some cool products, I also asked the owner to come lend a hand with the work if he could carve out some time. To his credit he did carve out some time and came and helped me out.

I gave him pre-inspected microfiber towels, as explained in this article,

How, why & when to inspect your microfiber towels when detailing cars


Then as I did the machine work he removed residues, starting with the glass cleaner residue as a clay lube for the SONAX Claydisc, up to the polishing step when he had to cut out. As a part of or time spent together I asked him some questions as he told me he had a background in car detailing for a dealership. As he talked, I could gauge his experience and I could tell from our conversation there were a lot of new tools, pads and products that had been introduced since he detailed cars.

Point being, by letting him help me detail his own car, I was able to share with him some new products, how to techniques and general car detailing information. I could tell he was interested and paying attention. Most of all, I think he had a new found appreciation for the work and knowledge required to detail cars the correct way. The last thing a person would want it to attempt to detail a car like this,


CC36_HDO_Mak_021.JPG





And screw it up.


I'm the last person to help someone that doesn't care or appreciate the craft or car detailing, I've learned it's a waste of my time and theirs.

I'm a huge fan of flaming a spark and watch it grow into a fire.

The key is being able to know or judge which is which, that is which is a time-waster and which is spark.


I'd say your neighbor has a good neigher, (you). Taking the time to post a thread on our forum to help him out was more than most people will do. Heck I get so many e-mails from people asking me for help and I turn their e-mails into threads on this forum for them because I don't answer questions via e-mail any longer, it's simply not a good leverage of my typing time. When I send these people the link to the thread I created for them and my answers to their questions I also include the link to join the forum where they can then INTERACT with me and everyone else here and the majority of these people never join. Proving to me.... they only care about their time... they don't care about my time and thus I am vindicated to take their e-mail questions to the forum where at least theres's some enduring benefit for the time I invest into these people.


Chances are good you've judged him fairly, but maybe sometime in the future if it works out, let him help you detail your car and in so doing you'll show him what's involved and fan his tiny spark into a tiny flame. And hey... he brings you beer!


Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax, this one,

image868.jpg




This would be a good product for him. It's pretty much bubba-proof as long as he doesn't apply it to pebble textured black plastic trim. Show him how to apply to a small section at a time and "work" the product. About the size of a microfiber towel, 16" x 16" squarish. Then when moving onto a new section, overlap into the previous section a little.

Do half the hood on his car, the driver's side half. Then let him finish the other side. If he only does the three horizontal panels, hood, roof and trunk lid his car will look new and also wash and dry faster.

Then stick a fork in this project and call it done.

:)
 
Thanks Mike, I'll give that a try.
 
RWC32 said:
Outside of proper car wash technique, what would you recommend to the average Joe for protecting his paint.


  1. He doesn't have DA.
  2. May wash his vehicles 2-4 time a month
  3. He knows about proper washing (thanks to me) but will uses the car wash 50% of the time
  4. Hates waxing, but does it two times a year, on two of his family cars
  5. Both cars are daily drives with good paint. One car is in good condition and the other is 1 year old)
  6. Both cars are silver / gray and from Japanese automakers
  7. Would never consider claying his cars
  8. Won't spend money on professional detaiers
  9. Wouldn't be found on any car care site (I will direct him to Autogeek for products)

I was thinking Klasse AIO?

Your help is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Since he doesn't want to clay, I would talk him into using a product like Iron-X to at least do a chemical decontamination at least twice per year.
And since he 'hates waxing', I'd recommend he follow up the Iron X with an easy to apply finish/sealant like Meguiars Ultimate Fast Finish 2-3 per year. Bonus is that UFF can be found anywhere and is affordable. ($12 for probably 2-3 years worth for both cars)
I'd then advise him to follow that up with a spray wax like D156 ($23/Gal) or the OTC version UQW after every (other?) wash. Again, these Meguiars products are affordable and can be found anywhere from Walmart, AAP, Meijers, etc.. and are super easy to apply. Dare I say damn near foolproof. Not to mention they work great.
 
Meguiars Car Wash Plus +.
This soap will obliterate most things stuck to the paint. If he won't clay the panels, this is the next best thing.

Suggest him to use a "Wash and Wax" type soap, for regular maintenance washes. It will add a little protection, that won't hurt.

Lastly, just add a spray wax to his routine during drying. A gallon of Meguiars D156 will go a long way, where he won't need to traditionally wax, if he squirts this on after every wash. Primo Hydro Max, Rupes P808, or Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer if he wants something more stout.


Otherwise, let it ride. If he gets a wild hair and wants to get detailed, or wants to get help - he knows who to talk to (you).
 
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