Ryatt's car detailing 101

[digi7al ph0enix]

First and always start on the wheels and tires. I use Meguiares Hot Wheels on cars that have a great deal of brake dust build up, however for cars with fairly clean wheels, just use a clean rag and some soap and water. I also use Westleys tire bleach, I use the tire bleach because it gets rid of the brown buildup of dirt on the tires, you can do this every time you wash the car, or every other time. It's entirely up to you. (Note: Keep any of these chemicals off your wheels if they are polished aluminum, or serious damage to the wheels finish will occur!)

Next wash the car with Dawn liquid detergent (nothing fancy just plain old fashion blue Dawn.) Use micro fiber wash mitt. Start from the top of the car and work your way down to the bottom using light to moderate pressure.
(Note: We are only using the Dawn this once to strip off all of the wax, and to condition the paint to one system of care.)

Next step, drying: You can use the bath towel or you can cheat like me and use an Absorber. An absorber is synthetic efficient and cheap. Dry the car the way you washed it, from top to bottom. Do not dry the wheels and tires with what you use to dry the car as this can cause serious problems if rocks and the like from the tires get raked across the finish.

Next step, evaluation for clay bar: Take a piece of saran wrap and wrap it tightly over your four finger tips and feel the paint surface (mainly on the hood, and deck lid and or roof if it applies) If the surface feels gritty and bumpy, you are due for a clay wash. If the surface is smooth then skip this step and move on to waxing. Follow the directions carefully, and believe them when they say that if you drop the clay bay on the ground, THROW IT AWAY!! You don't want to run the risk of dragging dirt, asphalt or whatever over the paint. Work one foot squared sections at a time. You want to keep rubbing the surface until it is smooth and the clay is gliding freely over the panel.

After the clay wash is done, it's time to wash the car again. Make sure that you either thoroughly rinse the mitt you used before, or use a different one altogether. "I prefer to use two, they’re cheap" Now is where you will be using Pantene Pro-V or Zaino wash or traditional car soap with a table spoon of Olive oil. "By the way, the hair shampoo was my thing; I didn't get that one from anywhere. All Rick, yay me!"

Time to wax: Use a soft fine terry applicator or a foam applicator. "Here is a good tip. Spray a mist of water on the applicator, just a fine mist nothing more nothing less. This helps in getting the wax moving when applying it" Do the side panels up and down and remove side to side, and the opposite for the hood trunk and or roof (wax on side to side, wax off front to back. (Note: With Zaino they recommend three or more coats, conventional waxes do not work this way, so only use one coat.) Use a Cannon or Fieldcrest bath towel (White only, no colored towels) to remove the wax, and go over the car with a spray detailer using a Micro-Fiber towel, this helps reduce rainbows and smudges that appear in darker colored vehicles due to the fact that dark colors absorb EVERYTHING!

Next clean your windows using Windex or 20/20 diluted 70% cleaner and 30% water. Do not use household Windex with ammonia, as it will stain your windows and destroy your tint. Diluting the cleaner helps with streaking, and you can use paper towels or wadded news papers, whatever you desire here.

Lastly Dress the tires, I use Zaino tire shine, and Meguiars rubber protectant. KEEP ARMOR-ALL AND 2001 AND ANYTHING LIKE THIS AWAY FROM YOUR CAR!!!! This stuff contains alcohol and will crack your tires and your dash etc.

Originally Posted By: Ryatt-Motion. Thanks for getting all this together.