Hello From DC!

WaltJabsco

New member
Joined
Dec 13, 2011
Messages
59
Reaction score
0
Hi,

I found the AG website while looking for a place to buy detailing supplies. I'm new to this. I picked up some tire shine after a hand wash at a local car wash and then realized I'd probably be happier taking care of everything on my own. And now I've splurged on supplies. I'm not sure if there's an end in sight right now as I recently found out about a place that will teach me how to properly wax the car with a buffer. I'm going to head over there in March, I think. I haven't even started to think about what to do on the inside aside from frequently vacuuming and dusting.

I own a silver 2011 Subaru Forester with 10k miles and it's garage kept in the evenings. We don't have access to a hose so I'm using the two bucket system in our building's garage. I plan to wash it at least once every two weeks. Probably once a week. I'm a bit worried about causing swirls and scratches but I'm reading up on what I need to do to prevent that from happening. There are some tiny, tiny scratches on the paint. I'm not sure how long they've been there. I've taken the car through an automated wash about 4x, through a tunnel wash with guys hand-washing in it 3x, and had it professionally detailed 2x (they're down the street from me and considered to be excellent). I'm not going to worry too much about small scratches though. I've got a roof rack on top and during the spring, summer and fall it'll have kayaks and a cargo carrier up top. So my goal is to keep the car clean.

I washed it this past Monday. After using ONR, Endurance tire spray, and Meg's QW my car still smells good.

I need to order some quality microfiber cloths soon. I'm thinking about the blue waffle weave for the windows, the Cobra 530 for exterior QD (fk425?), and the 600 Lavender for applying and buffing the spray wax products I'm using. I bought the guzzler and used it to blot the car dry. Any advice in this area would be appreciated.


Thanks,

Barry
 
:welcome: To Autogeek Online Barry! :props:

This is actually a great time of year to invest in some detailing supplies. Autogeek runs many specials throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas season so stock up now!
 
Welcome to AG Barry, from the DMV also. I think once you get a nice paint correction job and a nice protective layer, your worries about the paint will be no more. Hmmm...maybe all of the detailers in the DMV could get together and kinda do like what Mike does down in Florida and have a detail day on someone's car. Anyone up for that?
 
Welcome to AG Barry, from the DMV also. I think once you get a nice paint correction job and a nice protective layer, your worries about the paint will be no more. Hmmm...maybe all of the detailers in the DMV could get together and kinda do like what Mike does down in Florida and have a detail day on someone's car. Anyone up for that?

The last detail I had was a thorough washing / waxing, etc. but did not include the paint correction. It's strange - the scratches are in certain areas but not others. Also, they're not swirls really, they're more just straight lines. What seemed odd to me is that there are no scratches on the hood. There are plenty on one section of the hatch. I'm not sure if I could even photograph these scratches but I'll try. I can't say if I put them on there or not as I never checked to see if there were any scratches before I washed the car. I used the two-bucket method with ONR and the pro-line tile and grout sponge. I did a pre-rinse with diluted ONR and was as gentle as possible.
 
There are plenty on one section of the hatch. I'm not sure if I could even photograph these scratches but I'll try. I can't say if I put them on there or not as I never checked to see if there were any scratches before I washed the car.

Are you a married man Walt?
 
I am down to meet up...i have a 98 cobra that i use for my test my products. I am in the Fairfax area....
 
Nope, no ring. I wonder if there could have been a tiny bit of grit in the microfiber cloth that either I (or the guys at the car wash) used.

Barry

Well, there goes my theory...

A lot of times ppl that wear rings, nick/scratch their doorposts when exiting the vehicle

I'm afraid I'm going to need to see some :Picture: before I can give you further instruction
 
They're probably too hard too see and not enough to worry about. I tried taking a photo yesterday but the scratches on the door panel do not show up. I took this one at max resolution with my iPhone. I really think that in order to show this in a photo I'd have to use macro mode on my camera.

This image is at full resolution - here's a link:

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n595/lmpdskflr/sunsubaru.jpg

I'll see if I get another photo. Thanks for your help!
 
Stopping by again. I haven't been able to drive for just about a year now. I underwent surgery on my pelvis for a malignant tumor. As a result I'll need hand controls for my car. I'm going in for my driving test this Wednesday. My instructor is really nice. She set up the driving program at Walter Reed and has since retired from the military. She now has her own adaptive/driver rehab driving school which has received lots of media attention. She's helped a lot of veterans get their independence back. I'm not a veteran but I am disabled and getting back on the road is such a great feeling.

Sold my older Subaru to my sister so after I pass I'm going to buy a new Subaru Forester Touring XT either white or blue. Haven't made up my mind.

I'm treating myself and plan on taking it to a well-known local detailer (here too, I think) for either an Opticoat Pro or Opticoat Pro Plus treatment. The Subaru blue would look great with this coating. The detailer has been in business for a while and have been doing this longer than anyone else in the area. I'm going to ask them about basic exterior maintenance. I guess it should be minimal with the coating though. I live in a condo and won't have access to a hose or buckets all that often - at least I don't think I will. So I will probably go the waterless wash route, I guess. Opti Clean and then a quick detailer of some sort might be best.

I'm looking forward to participating again.

Edit: I just realized I could buy a 4-gallon battery powered sprayer. That would probably work well with a no-rinse wash if I have trouble lugging my buckets around.
 
Back
Top