Simple DIY detailing advice?

OMG you guys are too much, the OP sounds like he doesn't even WANT to WASH his car, and you've got him buying foam guns and using an iron remover...from his first post: "At the end of the day, automobiles...aren't a hobby of mine".

I stick by what I originally said the OP should simply invest in a grit guard and a couple of buckets, and a rinseless wash that provides some protection. Let's not scare him off before he even gets started.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
OMG you guys are too much, the OP sounds like he doesn't even WANT to WASH his car, and you've got him buying foam guns and using an iron remover...from his first post: "At the end of the day, automobiles...aren't a hobby of mine".

I stick by what I originally said the OP should simply invest in a grit guard and a couple of buckets, and a rinseless wash that provides some protection. Let's not scare him off before he even gets started.
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Reread his post.... as he was looking for help regarding washing and polishing. I stand by my post. The OP was even talking about getting a pressure washer and you think he may not want to even wash his car? In short, you are overreacting and should get back on point or just watch.

Also, relative to the fact that so many people cared to respond, which is something that has been discussed before as a STRENGTH and VALUE-ADD in this form, I am relatively certain he is an adult and has the capacity to apply whatever feedback resonates with him. And you think feedback is going to "scare" him? Maybe... just maybe... he may even ask a clarifying question or two??? Do you think?

Man alive, I'll respectfully bow out of this thread. Maybe you can contact him via PM and take care of him 1:1 Setec. Go to his rescue quick before he drinks the iron remover.
 
Starting to get like driving on ice up in here yo.

Lots of good advice has been offered. I agree that starting with the basics makes more sense than detailing overload, but I also agree that the OP should be encouraged to look at the wide range of options. Unless something prohibits its use, I think most people will agree that a two-bucket wash system for a daily driver is a good place to start, maybe with a simple wax or sealant process, too. If the OP wants to go further down the detailing hole, they'll have lots of help along the way.
 
As a complete newbie to this level of appearance care, this is one of those classic "You don't know what you're asking for" scenarios. I truly had no idea there was so much to this before I asked. True that there is a lot of variety in the responses here. People have offered numerous products and methods for cleaning. Some simple, some very detailed. I like having all the options. I want to feel educated enough that I can pick & choose what I want to do.

I might end up never doing the thorough clay->polish-> wax routine. I may not ever go with a soap gun. For now I just want to try to wash & wax. Claying, maybe. I want to do a minimal investment in this to see if I can keep it up (kind of like trying to stay motivated to go to the gym each week). I'll adopt more steps and be more thorough depending on how I feel about it.

I want to see if I end up enjoying this. I do love my car, after all, even if it isn't a hobby. I do really appreciate everyone's feedback, I've gotten more here than I could ever ask for. I haven't even gotten through all the videos and articles yet (whew!).

Some information I'm still waiting to learn from videos/reading:

- How to visually divide a car into panels for cleaning. front and back doors make sense. But what about the hood/back/front?
- Window cleaning: Do I use the same mit on the body and windows? What if I need something rougher for the bugs/pollen/sticky stuff (or will the car shampoo chemically eat it off)?

Thanks again everyone.
 
Glad you received a lot of good info here! Have fun with it. Driving a clean car you love is even better than just driving a car you love.

The thing to remember if you're trying to keep things simple is to use the same product for different purposes. We didn't even touch on interior, but if you get a gentle all purpose cleaner (I use optimum power clean), you can use this to clean bugs off the paint, tires, wheels, interior upholstery/coated leather, dashboard etc. Then a protectant like Chemical guys silk shine, 303 protectant, or Meguiars natural shine, etc can be used on your interior, exterior black trim, and tires.

I answered your questions below inside the quote box.

voidpointer said:
Some information I'm still waiting to learn from videos/reading:

- How to visually divide a car into panels for cleaning. front and back doors make sense. But what about the hood/back/front?

I break it down like: half the hood & front quarter panel, half the roof, front door & window, back door & window, half the trunk/hatch & rear quarter panel, then the other side, then the windshield last.

- Window cleaning: Do I use the same mit on the body and windows? What if I need something rougher for the bugs/pollen/sticky stuff (or will the car shampoo chemically eat it off)?

I use the same mitt for both. For bugs, I spray waterless wash solution or a diluted all purpose cleaner on them and let it dwell, then wipe off. If you keep the car waxed, they're usually pretty easy to remove. They also do, of course, make dedicated bug sponges. For sticky stuff (tar/sap) you can buy a dedicated product or use hand sanitizer gel on the spot, rub gently, then remove completely.

Thanks again everyone.
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I didn't know what a front quarter panel was so I googled it and saw this image. Does this mean you save the bottom panels for last? Or is the image wrong and you actually go further down?

Also (unrelated), I can't find the video anymore but one of them briefly touched on washing jambs. The jambs on my car aren't that dirty yet since it's so new, but they do get "dusty". Is it sufficient to just wipe them down with a wet rag after washing? Or does it need to be more thorough? Places I'd clean are: under the gas lid, trunk jambs, all 4 door jambs. Maybe this is borderline interior cleaning phase, and you do it during interior cleaning?
 
voidpointer said:
Also (unrelated), I can't find the video anymore but one of them briefly touched on washing jambs. The jambs on my car aren't that dirty yet since it's so new, but they do get "dusty". Is it sufficient to just wipe them down with a wet rag after washing? Or does it need to be more thorough? Places I'd clean are: under the gas lid, trunk jambs, all 4 door jambs. Maybe this is borderline interior cleaning phase, and you do it during interior cleaning?
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I consider it part of the exterior cleaning, and many of us would include some of the underhood area with the jambs you mention. The beauty of rinseless washing is that you can use the same wash media (perhaps different drying media) for these areas that you use for the rest of the car.
 
voidpointer said:
I didn't know what a front quarter panel was so I googled it and saw this image. Does this mean you save the bottom panels for last? Or is the image wrong and you actually go further down?

Also (unrelated), I can't find the video anymore but one of them briefly touched on washing jambs. The jambs on my car aren't that dirty yet since it's so new, but they do get "dusty". Is it sufficient to just wipe them down with a wet rag after washing? Or does it need to be more thorough? Places I'd clean are: under the gas lid, trunk jambs, all 4 door jambs. Maybe this is borderline interior cleaning phase, and you do it during interior cleaning?
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That photo is right but each car is different. If you look at my avatar pic, if you drew 3 vertical lines down the car (1 in front of the front of the front door, 1 between the doors, and 1 behind the second row door) those are my "sections", plus the roof & windshield. Wheels & tires are done separately. And yes, I forgot to mention I do the bottom part of the entire car (I have a molding that goes around) when I do the tires/wheels since it's usually dirtiest.

I wipe down the jambs, gas tank and hatch at the end too, after I've dried the car. Mine are pretty clean already so I just spritz it with waterless wash solution and use the drying towel (that is now damp) from drying the car.
 
So I detailed my car this weekend. I put a link at the bottom to an album with pics showing the result. Took me about 2 hours and was exhausting. I'm not quite used to the process yet.

I did a 2 bucket wash around the car, dried, then clayed a little. I didn't clay the whole car, just the roof, hood, and top of the trunk. Those were the only spots that had that "grit" feeling when I ran the clay across it. Sides felt smooth already. At the end I applied wax to the whole car.

I did have some trouble with drying. I used an absorbent microfiber towel. I used 1 towel for the whole car (just the paint & windows; separate towel for the wheels) and rang it out when it got full. When I first started using it (towel was completely dry) I noticed it was leaving behind water streaks. It didn't give me a complete dry surface like you might expect with a squeegee. It seemed to just smear the water instead of absorb it. This was especially bad on the glass. Normally I'd expect this for an already-wet towel, but not a brand new fully dry one. Am I doing something wrong?

I do have a few water stains on the windows, they look like smears from when I dried the car. It's not very noticable though but I really want to improve the drying process. Feedback is welcome (harsh or good). Thanks again for everyone's advice, I had a blast.

https://goo.gl/photos/1F3J5kSFF7sM8sSi9
 
You need more drying towels it seems..
To minimise try and sheet water when you rinse ie no fitting on the end of the hose..and let the water flow a dos the surface... This leaves les .s beaded water siting on the paint...
now use the drying MF towels ., I use them flat and open and lay them on to the panels... Make your way around the car and when the towell is wet I move to the next....
3 large 60x60 towels will dry my estate c class easily...

You may want to use some ONR or spray detailer to help reduce smears when drying....

This is crazy hard to achieve in direct sun and warm temps as the water dries on before you can remove them t...plan the wash accordingly ...

All the best...
 
Overall, I think you did a great job considering this was your first time. Are you happy with the results of your first real wash?
 
Did you wash the towel first? Please read on how to wash microfiber before cleaning your MF towels, etc. Also, some folks find that wetting the towel aids in the drying process(?)!
 
voidpointer said:
Is it reasonable to save washing the wheels for last? That way I don't need to waste a bucket of shampoo & water. Most of what I'm reading says people empty the bucket used to wash the wheels before washing the body. Is there a specific reason people do them first?
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To each their own,everyone has a system that works for them and the reason why they do it that way. I'm in the wheels last camp with the soap left from washing the body. I have not tried ONR procedure yet,probably never will. I'm happy with my current process so I see no reason to change. Maybe in the future if SoFlo has drought that restricts car washing I may have to try ONR or similar product but it's been a while since we've seen that. Best of luck figuring out your process & welcome to your new addiction! We meet here on an as needed basis to get our fix and the AG store to get the supplies to support our habit.
 
I always wash my wheel and tires first with the appropriate cleaners dedicated for that purpose.
 
Dmb5450 said:
Overall, I think you did a great job considering this was your first time. Are you happy with the results of your first real wash?
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Thank you! And yes I'm very happy with the result. I feel like I take too long and am still kind of inefficient, but hopefully as I do it more I'll get better at it.

The claying/waxing wasn't that fun but fortunately I only have to do that a couple times a year.

Overall I liked the power washer on my car, even if it wasn't all that dirty, because it gets the soap off quickly. The big downsides are that it causes water droplets (since it's really misty) and is kind of a pain to get setup. I may try just the hose next time with no attachment and see how that goes.

I used to think this way of washing was silly and obsessive but now that I've seen the results I don't think you guys are crazy anymore lol.
 
voidpointer said:
Thank you! And yes I'm very happy with the result. I feel like I take too long and am still kind of inefficient, but hopefully as I do it more I'll get better at it.

The claying/waxing wasn't that fun but fortunately I only have to do that a couple times a year.

Overall I liked the power washer on my car, even if it wasn't all that dirty, because it gets the soap off quickly. The big downsides are that it causes water droplets (since it's really misty) and is kind of a pain to get setup. I may try just the hose next time with no attachment and see how that goes.

I used to think this way of washing was silly and obsessive but now that I've seen the results I don't think you guys are crazy anymore lol.
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I'm glad you are please with the outcome, I have a pressure washer and love using it, but I agree it is time consuming to set up, now 90% of my washes are a rinseless or waterless. If your looking for speed and efficiency, that may be your way to go. I save the pressure washer for after a drive on heavily salted roads during winter.

Also, we are all crazy on here, I think we can all admit me have issues. For me at least, it is therapeutic task. Just wait until you get a complement from a stranger or have someone ask who details your car. You might become even more obsessive! Keep enjoying your Mazda!
 
Glad you are having success

Next time you wash.... go for a quick dry off drive. Doesn't take much and your goal is reduction more than complete removal.

I generally just have to spot dry front/rear bumpers and windows/mirrors as well as a quick wipe of any tire splash. I use a quick detail spray + microfiber.
 
To learn simple diy advice you need to learn how to do things properly. What your dad did was way off and completely wrong and will definitely damage your paint.

You should be getting wheel cleaning products, brushes only for wheels and tires and things and grit guards. Do not use a brush for paint unless its boars hair.

Then go to claying and decontamination products and then waxing.
 
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