need advice on wax/spray waxes for weekly washes, new to all this

[UncleDavy]

You do have some great products on your list. I use Meguiars Gold Glass on a regular basis but based on the recommendation of many of these guys, I will probably try the Hyper Wash. Collinite 845 is a great product. It gets a bad rap from some people who have used too much product and then later have difficultly removing it. It really is no trouble if you use a little product to go a long way. It is a combination of synthetic and Carnauba wax.
Wolfgang products are also top quality. I applied their deep gloss paint sealant on my truck in October and it is still holding up well. I use their Uber rinseless concentrate for a rinseless solution and a detailer/drying aid.
There is no such thing as too many towels.

 

[JustJesus]

I WISH I had a decent self-wash coin-op place ANYWHERE near me. Just for the shade and pressure washer alone. But I don't (they're all filthy I guess, and you gotta move quick - I don't think I could bring a bunch of stuff and my own foam gun and buckets).

Me too! I have one very close to me, but the water sucks. The drains don't drain fast enough, so it tends to flood a bit, getting your shoes all wet (on those days I see it higher than I like, I skip it and come back another day). For a decent facility near home, I actually drive roughly 10 miles, passing several other coin-op places.

BUT, you can still get decent results using a crappy one. I went to the cruddy one by my home yesterday MORNING. Before people show up. I was there like at 6:30ish. All alone. Signs say "no bucket washing" - and I'm sorry - but nobody was around so I brought out a bucket. No Grit Guard. Just ONE bucket. I use multiple wash mitts (7 this time around) and I have a separate container for those. So for this last wash, container of mitts, one bucket, and bag of MF towels for drying. I think the job turned out okay

Picture showing my wash bucket and container of MF wash mitts



Picture of final results after coin-op wash and drying with MF towels on location, driving short distance home and touch-up drying of any water droplets that came from the crevices

The other thing is, I gotta get some kinda tent. The way it is now, I'm constantly wetting the car to prevent the water from drying in the sun. I try to wait til the sun is almost totally gone, which is why I don't want to take on too many other steps in washing. I just don't have the time

I used to be on the same boat. And tell you what: you can save time by doing this: Wash your car in the morning! As the sun is rising. I hate getting up too early, but the time saved from NOT having to constantly wetting the car is worth it. Plus, water friendly, since we're in a drought. Did I spell that right?

One last question: How do you deal with not being able to see the roof of your car? I mean, I can see it, but not the way I can see the hood or trunk. Just use a stool, or what?

I literally just had this issue yesterday! Normally, I'd take my little platform with me for a wash on the Kia (or other SUVs I will do). But it was being used at the time, so I went old school: Opened the doors and stood on the door sill(?) Or is it rockers? Just be careful not to slip

 

[6od]

I'm compelled to respond to nearly everything and I'm sorry.

You have made excellent posts, and never be sorry to ask. Each guy/gal on this forum had to start from scratch.
Meg's Hyper Wash is super concentrated, cleans like crazy, leaves nothing behind, and smells good. I'd recommend it over the OTC Meg's stuff from Wally world or wherever.
As for Collinite products, Get yourself a flip top dispenser cap for the 845. It is a MUST with this wax. It only takes 3-4 drops per panel, and the flip top makes it very easy to meter.
As for the 476s, it's a tin like the old-fashion waxes. I just use a foam applicator to "swipe" a little off the top, and that's enough to to a 2x2 foot section. If you feel you need a tad more, just another dab or swipe from the can.
I actually think the 476s is easier to work with, and lasts longer, but certainly not dogging the 845, which is an outstanding product.

Doesn't it come with a flip-top dispenser? Either way, I was gonna replace the cap with one of those used on wood-glue, where the nozzle clears when you close it. And I honestly don't know what I would have done without this forum. Probably still be using Armor-All products :nomore:
which appears to be the Crossley turntable of the auto detailing world. It's great making the correlations between these two hobbies. Also excited to get a headlight restoration kit eventually and also restore my Technics dustcover.

A cleaner wax is a polsih and wax in one! So instead of polishing and then waxing, you only get to do one step.

I am intrigued by this. I'll have to add this to my list of things to inadvertently spend 4-hours researching online. But first: Since I haven't had my paint corrected yet, would this be better to use than the Optimum Car Wax spray I have in the meantime? And if I do use the OCW wax over those things that need to be compounded/clayed/polished out, is that more harmful to the paint?

As others have said, you won't need to use Collinite more than every 4-6 months. Go thin with it. Very thin. If you apply it and think "that's way too thin" you're probably just about right.

Thank you for this sentence. I'm sure many people who have applied too much wish they'd heard this first. rops:

The 500's are nice towels. I am just not a fan of them for drying, spray waxes, compound/polish removal or using them on glass. They lint too much for those purposes.The eagle edgeless 350 is a better towel for those purposes. That is just my opinion. The 500's are good for someone looking to do the multiple towel method when doing a rinseless wash.
That glass towel that you linked is ok. I had some and they linted after a few uses so I stopped using them. The water magnet works pretty good on glass. I get all of my towels from the rag company and I use their waffle weave towels for glass. They don't lint and work good.
I use a microfiber detergent to wash all my towels. I wash them and dry them using the warm option.
A stool works fine if you can't reach the roof.

Thanks for the tip! I probably would've started off using the spray wax with them but what you say makes perfect sense. And you weren't kidding about the lint. This is right after I took them out of the package, and before putting em in the washer:
View attachment 63906
(I always lint roll things before washing them. As I said, I have a dog. And I firmly believe that things used for cleaning should, themselves, be clean.)
I used the Rag Company's Dry Me a Rivers yesterday and wasn't tooo impressed, but I can tell they're great on glass so I may just use them for that (I got smaller sized ones so they'll be perfect for that). I have a package of the PFM towels already on the way, so I'm sure those will be my new go to.
Common sense would dictate that if you can't reach the entire roof of a car, you should use a step-stool. I'm not sure why I even asked the question. I don't know what other answer I was looking for (apart from jetpacks, obviously).

Meguiars D110 Hyper wash is super concentrate 1:400 and smell good. You may add 1oz or 2oz to 5 gallon bucket and a gallon will last longer compare to gold class.
i'm a fan of smaller size towel and all my towels are 16x16
and yes, you may want to reserved some nice towels for spray wax only. For windows, cobra waffle weave is nice too.
If you have not purchase any rinseless/waterless i recommend either one of these:
Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash, no rinse car wash
McKee?s 37 N-914 Rinseless Wash

I have not purchased a rinseless/waterless but was going to go with the ONR (non-wax version). I am absolutely sold on the Hyper wash. I washed two cars yesterday with the Gold Class in the Foamaster II and it was LOVELY. However, I had purchased a small 64 oz bottle and I'll obviously need another soon. So I'll be getting the Hyper next. Thanks for the tip!

There is no such thing as too many towels.

Since I posted this thread, I have purchased:

• 3 Dry Me A River Waffle Weaves - 16x24 (Rag Co)
• 10 Creature Edgeless Dual-Pile 420 Blend - 16x16 (Rag Co)
• 2 Griot's Garage PFM Terry Weave Towels - 16x16

And my cart on the Rag Company's site is already pretty full. Now to get some good containers to store them... and find a place to put them.

Me too! I have one very close to me, but the water sucks. The drains don't drain fast enough, so it tends to flood a bit, getting your shoes all wet (on those days I see it higher than I like, I skip it and come back another day). For a decent facility near home, I actually drive roughly 10 miles, passing several other coin-op places.
BUT, you can still get decent results using a crappy one. I went to the cruddy one by my home yesterday MORNING. Before people show up. I was there like at 6:30ish.
I used to be on the same boat. And tell you what: you can save time by doing this: Wash your car in the morning! As the sun is rising. I hate getting up too early, but the time saved from NOT having to constantly wetting the car is worth it. Plus, water friendly, since we're in a drought. Did I spell that right?

I am NOT a morning person, 6:30 PM is more my style. But your car looks great! Once I sell/get rid of my other car I think I'll have a shadier place to put mine for washing only. It's in a yard so I can't park it there and it takes two people to get it there (one to hold a gate open, the other to drive the car in VERY carefully) so it's not a realistic parking spot unfortunately. A couple yard umbrellas might even do the trick.

Thanks again, guys. I feel more confident about all this now. I really appreciate everyone's expertise.

 

[AKT]

Hello 6od - i am no professional and my car is a daily driver. I suggest using a cleaner wax because it “deep cleans” paint and i like to preserve paint even if it has swirls instead of correcting and taking some off once in a while.

If your ride is a daily driver, i suggest the following regimen:
- weekly car wash (preferably with a wash and wax product so you can “wax” those hard to reach areas like the wheel wells and wheel barrels)
- apply optimum car wax once a month
- apply a cleaner wax (i prefer blackfire one step because it is easy to use and i have applied it on glass and trim with no issues) once every 3 months

Joining this forum, i learned one thing; it is so easy to get confused and overloaded with information. So i basically use this forum to read feedbacks about certain products that i am thinking of trying for my own. Then once i find something i like, i use that until something new comes along or until the autogeek bug bites me again

 

[6od]

Hello 6od - i am no professional and my car is a daily driver. I suggest using a cleaner wax because it “deep cleans” paint and i like to preserve paint even if it has swirls instead of correcting and taking some off once in a while.

If your ride is a daily driver, i suggest the following regimen:
- weekly car wash (preferably with a wash and wax product so you can “wax” those hard to reach areas like the wheel wells and wheel barrels)
- apply optimum car wax once a month
- apply a cleaner wax (i prefer blackfire one step because it is easy to use and i have applied it on glass and trim with no issues) once every 3 months

Joining this forum, i learned one thing; it is so easy to get confused and overloaded with information. So i basically use this forum to read feedbacks about certain products that i am thinking of trying for my own. Then once i find something i like, i use that until something new comes along or until the autogeek bug bites me again

Yeah, I'm about to start reading up on cleaner waxes. Also, I've revised my decision on rinseless washes. WhileI haven't tried it yet, I'm more open to it now based on the fact that yesterday I washed my car, and today, there's already a significant layer of dust and smattering of bee pollen on it. It's daunting. So I have a feeling my process will be something like, rinseless washes as needed, maybe 1-2x a week and then one good wash with a hose and OCW once a month.

 

[6od]

You've got great list there

i recommend Meguiars D110 Hyper Wash if you like Gold Class: Meguiars Hyper-Wash is a concetrated car wash for frequent or professional detailing. Super foaming, long lasting car shampoo from Meguiars.

As for microfibers for drying large: Griots Garage PFM Terry Weave Drying Towel

Small: Griots Garage PFM Terry Weave Towel, Set of 2

Great all purpose towel use by expert here: Gold Plush Jr. Microfiber Towels 12 Pack

You're good on Collinite 845 and Optimum Spray wax
There are many great stuff out there on https://www.autogeek.net just look around

Collinite 845 every 2 month & Optimum spray wax after every wash is completely good regimen
Mixing spray wax and hard water (drying aid?) is not a problem at all unless you mean diluting with concentrate like ONR which i prefer distilled water

ONR Wash & Shine or any rinseless/waterless wash is very economical for removing bird poop. Optimum power clean (OPC) is a good degreaser and is aggressive depends on your dilution (with distilled water).
A very nice article worth reading: How to safely remove a dried bird dropping by Mike Phillips

I believe most geeks here also play performance and have great knowledge.Nothing to be shy asking, we've been that new guy too

Peace

I reread your post. I am going to recommend getting more towels. The Meguiar's Supreme Shine towels are nice for everything but drying. They do not absorb very well. The water magnet is ok but get yourself a couple more as they get saturated fairly quickly. I would consider looking into a Griot's PFM, Gyeon Silk Dryer or TRC's Twist n Shout.

What are you looking to accomplish with that one eagle edgeless 500? Same question for that single edgeless 300?

I also did not see any towels for glass.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions. If you are looking to do this on your own it's not overly complicated. One weekend if that and you will be set in polishing your own personal vehicle. Products like Gyeon CanCoat, which is a coating lite, is a good product to start with and is user friendly. Not a full coating but a good start. Will get you close to a year of durability here in Southern California.

Hey - I just wanted to update with some of the stuff I've purchased - I'm not gonna list it all cause 1) too much stuff 2) I could've paid someone to just do it for me by now (well, paid for half at least) but whatever...

I got the 2-pk of the 16x16 Griot's PFM towels and HOLY $#!T! they are amazing. I dried my WHOLE CAR. WITH ONE TOWEL.

I did use the Meg's waffle weave that I already had to do the glass first, but then, WHOLE CAR. ONE 16x16 TOWEL. And I'm not good at that sheeting method thing. The towel was thoroughly saturated by the end, and started to leave some areas damp, so I just used the Dry Me A River towel to pick that up - after washing it again, it actually performs a lot better than it did the first time.

Anyway. THANK YOU all for your recommendations. I still have no idea what the hell I'm doing and battle a small bout of anxiety just before starting. But it's fine. I washed my car two days ago - already, it is filthy.

Now to experiment with rinseless washes. UGH.

 

[PaulMys]

Hey - I just wanted to update with some of the stuff I've purchased - I'm not gonna list it all cause 1) too much stuff 2) I could've paid someone to just do it for me by now (well, paid for half at least) but whatever...

I got the 2-pk of the 16x16 Griot's PFM towels and HOLY $#!T! they are amazing. I dried my WHOLE CAR. WITH ONE TOWEL.

I did use the Meg's waffle weave that I already had to do the glass first, but then, WHOLE CAR. ONE 16x16 TOWEL. And I'm not good at that sheeting method thing. The towel was thoroughly saturated by the end, and started to leave some areas damp, so I just used the Dry Me A River towel to pick that up - after washing it again, it actually performs a lot better than it did the first time.

Anyway. THANK YOU all for your recommendations. I still have no idea what the hell I'm doing and battle a small bout of anxiety just before starting. But it's fine. I washed my car two days ago - already, it is filthy.

Now to experiment with rinseless washes. UGH.

Keep at it, man. You're doing well!!

Never be hesitant to ask ANY question you might have. Hell, I asked a TON of them when I was learning. Well, I'm still learning...... lol

 

[dlc95]

I can only offer what I use for washing our polishes and sealed vehicles.

For the past three years I've been using ONR.

In a trigger bottle for rinseless when It's not too dirty, and traditionally in the bucket for when It's moderately dirty.

If there's a ton of dust and pollen I'll pre-soak with the trigger bottle solution, and then proceed with the traditional ONR bucket wash.

I use the fluffy blue non edged towels from that company to wipe off the solution, and use Meguiar's Supreme Shine for the final wipe.

So far my favorite drying agents are Optimum Opti-Seal, and Duragloss Aquawax.

I also like them for use on a washed and dried car, as well as Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax.

 

[6od]

I recently picked up some Duragloss Aquawax! It was so reasonably priced I figured why not.

What GSM microfibers do you recommend for rinseless washes?

As far as pollen goes, it seems from my searches on this forum that there's pollen which is just airborne - and then there's the pollen I have, which is bee pollen. That (and general dust because Los Angeles is a desert) are my main issues. Dust comes off easily - bee pollen does not.

I know degreasers are harsh, and too harsh I'm guessing for regular usage - but so far the ONR mixed as a QD is not able to easily remove the bee pollen. Is there a different ratio I should be using?
I should note that I have approx. 5 oz of it left as I only purchased an 8 oz bottle, and I ordered some WolfGang Uber rinseless from AGO which should be here in the next day or so.

Also in that order is a Pinnacle Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad, which I'll probably spend 2 hours reading up on before using it. I don't know if that's good for bee pollen removal or too harsh. I washed my car two days ago - it's already got yellow/orange/brown pollen pox.

ALSO - for those who said to keep a small bottle of QD in the car, I would love to. Really. My concern is today, when it was only 77ºF outside... it was this in my car:
View attachment 64050
Also, you can see that the "high" in the past 24 hours in my car was 129ºF. NOT IDEAL.

Is that a safe environment for QD? Because that's only going to get worse. Like when it's 100ºF outside. I'm thinking maybe I should pick up PoorBoy's QD since from what I've read, that whole line was designed for heat and usage in the sun. Makes me think maybe it can withstand higher temperatures, but really I have no idea.

 

[Ebg18t]

Also checkout the McKee’s 37 Rinse Free Wash & Wax. I use it as a Rinseless & keep some mixed up as a QD or wipe down/drying agent. It is truly awesome!

McKee's 37 Rinse Free Wash & Wax, no rinse car wash, concentrated no rinse wash, quick detail spray, waterless wash

Here’s the video with Joe:
YouTube

I use these MF’s for Rinseless Wash:

Shine & Buff Waterless Wash Towel

Regular Rinseless mixture should remove pollen. We have several hives on our property and never have an issue.

 

[JustJesus]

Now to experiment with rinseless washes. UGH.

Come by with some small bottles and I can give you some ONR, ONRWW, Blackfire Rinseless, and one or two others I might have. I'm forgetting right now.

ALSO - for those who said to keep a small bottle of QD in the car, I would love to. Really. My concern is today, when it was only 77ºF outside... it was this in my car:
View attachment 64050


I'm thinking maybe I should pick up PoorBoy's QD since from what I've read, that whole line was designed for heat and usage in the sun. Makes me think maybe it can withstand higher temperatures, but really I have no idea.

I have that same thermometer thing. Comes in handy.

Also, I can give you some Poorboy's QD. And their Spray n Wipe

 

[Dan Tran]

Records was my expensive hobby... until I found AGO! Lol...


Dan Tran
The Buffing Moose Detailing

 

[MattPersman]

Would use a MF towel soaked in 1:256 ONR and lay it on the bee pollen spots you can’t remove easily for a short time it will soften them up


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[1500canoe]

Would use a MF towel soaked in 1:256 ONR and lay it on the bee pollen spots you can’t remove easily for a short time it will soften them up


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm not trying to sound snarky, but at that dilution, what is the ONR even doing? Is it necessary?

 

[6od]

Come by with some small bottles and I can give you some ONR, ONRWW, Blackfire Rinseless, and one or two others I might have. I'm forgetting right now.
I have that same thermometer thing. Comes in handy.
Also, I can give you some Poorboy's QD. And their Spray n Wipe

I DIDN’T MEAN TO DISLIKE THIS! my thumb slipped!

 

[6od]

Come by with some small bottles and I can give you some ONR, ONRWW, Blackfire Rinseless, and one or two others I might have. I'm forgetting right now.
I have that same thermometer thing. Comes in handy.
Also, I can give you some Poorboy's QD. And their Spray n Wipe

Finally back to a computer... sorry again about that dislike - I hit like and it didn't work the first time, and when I pressed it again I hit dislike. Apparently you can't undo a dislike which is wild.
I've got ONR and WG Uber I haven't even used yet. My experimenting will mostly be in practice and using proper technique (it almost looks TOO easy in the various videos I've watched from this site). Right now I only have one wash mitt (which I use as a pad because I am not a giant) and only four 500 GSM towels. I'm still deciding which others to get.

Also that hygrometer is GREAT! I mainly got it to keep track of a humidifier that I got for my records and to use when cleaning them. Does WONDERS for static. Those two things changed my life in the past year.

Records was my expensive hobby... until I found AGO! Lol...
Dan Tran
The Buffing Moose Detailing

Does that mean you "retired" from your record hobby - or that your auto hobby quickly outspent your vinyl hobby?

I don't think I could ever give it up. I've gotta sell some records at this point because I just have too many - and my collection just keeps growing and growing. But at least I can put that money towards a proper paint correction - I'd rather pay to have my paint corrected and sealed by someone who already knows what they're doing, rather than do it myself. I don't have the time nor the space (as you know, records take up A LOT of space).

I've already sought out some quotes from reputable detailers in LA. I figure $600 is better spent paying for it to be done right once than me buying the equipment+pads+etc, spending inordinate amounts of time learning how to do it (which for OCD me, will never be enough), and even then - probably not get it to the level I want. I'm pretty good with tools, and I enjoy working on furniture - but I'll leave my car paint to the pros.

Plus, I've already spent upwards of $400 so far just for wash and regular maintenance supplies, and the next things I buy really need to be tires, brake pads & window tints. And of course, more microfiber.

Would use a MF towel soaked in 1:256 ONR and lay it on the bee pollen spots you can’t remove easily for a short time it will soften them up

That's a great idea, thank you! How long constitutes a "short time"? 30 seconds? 2 minutes? Hopefully less than a minute as I get a lot on the vertical panels as well.

 

[Belo]

I might be a little late to the party here, but you seem to be pretty anal like me and as a relative novice myself I want to add my .02. Because this can get overwhelming FAST!

Remember a lot of what you read on this site is from pros. Guys who do this for a living, on the side or have been really into it for years. And remember all cars and climates react differently. When I first got serious I was also a little overwhelmed. So many products, so many steps, soooo many opinions haha.

What I can offer is this. For basic car care, you need a good 2 bucket system, some good wash, a good mit or 2 and some wheel brushes/mits, several small and large drying towels. Most of these things they sell at the autostore and most of the basic mothers/meguiars stuff is more than capable. Just make sure you're buying mf. Add some hot wheels all wheel cleaner or similar and a tire black if you desire and you're off.

From there it gets complicated but doesn't have to be. You need to have a clay bar or mit in your arsenal and a quick detailer to accompany the bar and also for touch up jobs.
I would start with an all in one product before you spend a lot of time and money on polishes and sealants. several good products out there, but honestly i don't think you're going to go wrong with any one of them that is favorably reviewed on the website's store.

You can hand apply these, but if you really think you're going to get into this I'd recommend the porter cable combo you can buy off this site. Pick up some orange white, black and green pads with the combo deal. You can probably even skip orange and black to start. Get some whites and greens designed for aio.

Then after researching some good techniques, researching if you need to tape or not etc grab a 6 pack and enjoy the therapy of a good detail. From there you will know what else you need to do. You may step back and be blown away and happy. You may notice your water beading doesn't last as long as you would have liked. You may have some swirls and scratches that didn't come out. From here is where I'd recommend looking into different polishes and some of the more "next level" stuff like iron removers, wheel waxes, trim restore etc.

I'm fairly confident someone will pick this post apart and probably should, but I wrote this purely from a "just getting started" point of view, where a good wash, clay and AIO will really do wonders for most cars.

 

[PaulMys]

I might be a little late to the party here, but you seem to be pretty anal like me and as a relative novice myself I want to add my .02. Because this can get overwhelming FAST!

Remember a lot of what you read on this site is from pros. Guys who do this for a living, on the side or have been really into it for years. And remember all cars and climates react differently. When I first got serious I was also a little overwhelmed. So many products, so many steps, soooo many opinions haha.

What I can offer is this. For basic car care, you need a good 2 bucket system, some good wash, a good mit or 2 and some wheel brushes/mits, several small and large drying towels. Most of these things they sell at the autostore and most of the basic mothers/meguiars stuff is more than capable. Just make sure you're buying mf. Add some hot wheels all wheel cleaner or similar and a tire black if you desire and you're off.

From there it gets complicated but doesn't have to be. You need to have a clay bar or mit in your arsenal and a quick detailer to accompany the bar and also for touch up jobs.
I would start with an all in one product before you spend a lot of time and money on polishes and sealants. several good products out there, but honestly i don't think you're going to go wrong with any one of them that is favorably reviewed on the website's store.

You can hand apply these, but if you really think you're going to get into this I'd recommend the porter cable combo you can buy off this site. Pick up some orange white, black and green pads with the combo deal. You can probably even skip orange and black to start. Get some whites and greens designed for aio.

Then after researching some good techniques, researching if you need to tape or not etc grab a 6 pack and enjoy the therapy of a good detail. From there you will know what else you need to do. You may step back and be blown away and happy. You may notice your water beading doesn't last as long as you would have liked. You may have some swirls and scratches that didn't come out. From here is where I'd recommend looking into different polishes and some of the more "next level" stuff like iron removers, wheel waxes, trim restore etc.

I'm fairly confident someone will pick this post apart and probably should, but I wrote this purely from a "just getting started" point of view, where a good wash, clay and AIO will really do wonders for most cars.

If anyone picks this apart, they are not acting in the spirit of the forum.

I think this is an excellent post on how to begin, and how to approach the process.

 

[AKT]

My go-to stuff:
- ONRWW for weekly washes
- Optimum spray wax monthly
- blackfire one step quarterly

Sometimes, i use collinite 845 if i feel like it.

I do not use any tire gel. I just scrub and wipe the tires with a MF rag wet with the ONRWW rinseless solution.