Prepping a really dirty car

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verplankfan

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First off hello to all, I am new here and have been reading posts for a few weeks and learned a ton. I only clean my own cars for fun and thanks to the forum my usual $30 of supplies has been blown away with a $280 order from Autogeek:) .

My question is I want to detail my father in laws 2000 Lexus RX300, the car is a mess it has been parked outside under trees since they bought the car. It is also driven up and down I70 here in southwest Pa and is in really bad shape. When I wash the car can I do the whole car with mineral spirits then rewash before claying to remove all the tree sap and road tar.

I have Wolfgang products for the detail, prewax cleaner & sealant. I also have Meguirs #9 swirl remover. Thanks to the forum I also have A PC and pad kit which I used on my new minivan with the 2 Wolfgang products and it really came out great, the PC for polishing was super easy to use.

Thanks in advance for any help

Bob
 
Hello, and welcome!
Might get varied opinions, but...
Wash
clay
rewash is neccessary
polish/swirl remove
seal
*not sure if the prewax cleaner will be neccessary if you polish...someone will chime in I'm sure.
Good luck and have fun!
 
welcome to the forums Bob! Glad you've decided to join our little family here. :) As for the mineral spirits, I truly don't know, but I'm sure somebody else who does know will chime in soon. But I do remember Killrwheels saying that adding some Poorboy's Bug Squash to your wash water can give your wash soap extra cleaning power for sap, bird bombs and bugs. The #9 will clean the paint thoroughly. It actually squeaks. ;) Sorry to hear about a Lexus being such a victim of birds and neglect, but I'm sure after you detail your father-in-law will see the error of his ways. What color is the car? Does he have any other place he can park it? Maybe you can talk to him about how dangerous bird bombs are to the paint and you can maybe persuade him to use a car cover? I'm sure after he sees how beautiful his car looks, he'll be more motivated to keep it that way. Lots of luck and welcome again. :)
 
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Oh did I miss something? Is the car horrible with brid stains and a normal wahsing won't get that gunk off so you can begin the detail? If so, I would start with a wash, paint cleaner first, Megs makes a decent otc one you could get. Yeah oyu want all the crap (literally!) before beginning. I imagien clay woudl take most of it off, but I would think that would wate through and mess up the clay too quickly.
Not sure of mineral spirits, but alcohol/water mix is used to strip layers of sealer, wax, etc. Might be worth a shot, try high percent ISo, then do a 70/30 mix to try on the crud.
 
And definitely pre-soak the car to soften them up. Did you get a foam gun? That would be best, you could mix all your stuff in the canister and foam the car with a pre-soak. Then rinse it with the hose and then wash the car with a mitt. I'm sure the pre-soak would loosen those bad boys up. I'm sure Neothin or Killrwheels will be able to tell you precisely what to do when they come online. :)
 
Thanks for the responses,Floridanative, the car is a light gold. Parking outside is the only option, they have two other cars(Acura MDX & Mini) and the property is filled with trees.

Scooter its more the tree sap and road tar the droppings problem is minimal.
 
Yikes, for tar I use generally use a cheap otc bug/tar remover, spray, let it soak a minute and use (gasp) a cheesecloth or simialr to agitate. I'd try theis and if not, use a small piece of clay and be prepared to have to throw it away after using it.
 
I like to use Poorboys bug remover watered down 3 -1 and spray over the car then wash as normal.
If your using an abrasive polish then the paint cleanse probably isn't needed
 
Jonboy said:
I like to use Poorboys bug remover watered down 3 -1 and spray over the car then wash as normal.
If your using an abrasive polish then the paint cleanse probably isn't needed
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I agree. Poorboy's Bug remover is excellent. Water it down as above and spray on , let it soak which combined with the water will losen up and breakup the crap and dirt. I would say get a foam gun with a good soap like Poorboys SSS. Otherwise with just a normal wash, I'm picturing swirl/scratch city:D

If not, I'm not sure what soap your using but if you need something OTC. Grab some Duragloss wash which foams like crazy and has great cleaning ability, better then Meg's. Just be careful if the car is that filthy and your washing it like a normal 2 bucket/mitt method etc.
 
light gold... ugh. light metallics and I just don't agree on any level (read: I hate working on them).

anyways, a general APC, bug squash, etc etc should be used as a presoak on the entire car. rinse it off. If the stuff still feels caked on, reapply as necessary. Wash 95% of the stuff off, don't forget that you still have to clay the whole car so that will get off the last little bits
 
Great, now I have to make another Autogeek order:) . I'll give the Poor Boys Bug Remover a shot. I have been using Meguir's car wash, prior to stumbling onto the Autogeek site I always used Meguiars products. After spending about an hour reading posts here and paruesing the Autogeek store I realized I was not completly doing things correct I always used just a on step proces wax, since doing my Town and Country and Explorer with pre wax polish and then sealant the cars paint look much better.
 
If you make another order I highly recommend a Foam Gun and Poorboys wash (SSS) and their Bug Remover. Maybe pick up some Natty's Blue wax from them as well since you already have WG Sealent which looks great as is, and will only look better with a wax.

I have a Mountaineer as well (same as Explorer), love my V8 lol.
 
Surfer said:
If you make another order I highly recommend a Foam Gun and Poorboys wash (SSS) and their Bug Remover. Maybe pick up some Natty's Blue wax from them as well since you already have WG Sealent which looks great as is, and will only look better with a wax.

I have a Mountaineer as well (same as Explorer), love my V8 lol.
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:iagree: with Surfer. The Poorboy's bug squash removes bugs and tar. If you get the foam gun you can mix it with water right there in the canister and spray the whole car and let it soak. Then you can mix a batch of soap and water and wash your vehicle. The Poorboy's Super Slick Suds is a great one for the foam gun if when you place your order the new DP foam gun soap is not out yet. Neothin also did a review of the new Optimum wash and said it was just as good as the PB SSS. Just don't forget the clay too if you don't have it yet. Enjoy your detail and I'd seriously talk to your father in law about a car cover. Just my 2 cents. Take care Bob and good luck. :)
 
Surfer said:
If you make another order I highly recommend a Foam Gun and Poorboys wash (SSS) and their Bug Remover. Maybe pick up some Natty's Blue wax from them as well since you already have WG Sealent which looks great as is, and will only look better with a wax.

I have a Mountaineer as well (same as Explorer), love my V8 lol.
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Oh my gosh ...... he is correct again !!! Well up until the Nattys Blue part (I swear he is Steve from Poorboys in disguise). I would highly suggest going with the foam gun, the Poorboys Bug Squash, and Poorboys EX-P. A sealant is what is needed on your parents car to keep them in reasonable shape until the next detailing session.
 
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