Best way to protect the paintwork on a new car

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DravidDavid

1892 posts

Uber Geek

# 1397331 30-Sep-2015 13:13

bazzer:
DravidDavid:
bazzer:
clevedon:
MikeB4: I wash and rinse small areas at a time starting from the bottom of the car working my way to the roof, this allows the dirt to easily rinse off over the clean non stick surface.

It is universally recommended to always start washing at the top of the vehicle and work your way down.

I guess not "universally".

How do you do it?

Bottom up. You?

1. Engine bay first (if required)
2. Door jambs if they are particularly dirty/moudly. (separate colour coded cloth so I know what it's for)
2. Wheels (if I'm using chemical wheel cleaner and definitely with a separate cloth/brush)
3. Roof downwards with my wash mitt.

I usually vacuum the interior first to prevent electrical stuff getting wet on the ground.

If you start from the bottom, you drag road dirt/grit/tar and other problems to the top. You risk scratching the paint with the extra stuff in your wash mitt. Even with the two bucket system, you can still pick up grit from your rinse bucket (which is why it's recommended to get a grit guard) so avoid touching the bottom of your bucket with the wash mitt. :)

The preferred method is pressure washing majority of the grit and tar (in the nicest possible way) and washing with a wash mitt from the top down. This allows the clean suds to wash down the vehicle breaking up any dirt that you will be wiping away later which also helps prevent scratching. It also prevents stuff like mud from getting in to your wash bucket early on and scratching the rest of the car.

If you are doing a cut and/or polish, a clay bar is a must. Some vehicles you can get away with claying the car to remove anything your wash mitt couldn't. If you don't clay your car, the cutting pad will absorb the fine imperfections left after a wash and scratch creating more swirls and scratches.

If you don't have a pressure washer and want to start at the bottom to remove stubborn dirt, perhaps use a separate cloth and bucket after hitting it with a hose so it does not contaminate the wash mitt you use on the rest of your paint. :)

Sometimes what you don't get is a blessing in disguise!

Coil

6615 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

# 1397384 30-Sep-2015 14:53

Jase2985: http://www.ocdetailing.co.nz/protective-coatings.html

C Quartz is one of the best. not cheap though.

+1 for OCD, Best guys in the business. Take all my cars there and suggest them to everyone.
Say you know me and Sam will give you a discount.

Cheers

nzkiwiman

2273 posts

Uber Geek

# 1397393 30-Sep-2015 15:13

MikeAqua: Grit on the sponge/chamois is often the culprit.

nzkiwiman:

Somehow I have managed to scratch the bonnet in two places using a sponge/chamois - not really sure how that happened
Mildly annoying but I get over it :-)

I thought I would have noticed, and considering I do the bonnet last ..
Anyone have experience with those pens?

DravidDavid

1892 posts

Uber Geek

# 1397538 30-Sep-2015 19:39

nzkiwiman:
MikeAqua: Grit on the sponge/chamois is often the culprit.

nzkiwiman:

Somehow I have managed to scratch the bonnet in two places using a sponge/chamois - not really sure how that happened
Mildly annoying but I get over it :-)

I thought I would have noticed, and considering I do the bonnet last ..
Anyone have experience with those pens?

I wouldn't bother with the pen.

It will probably just be a surface scratch that can easily be buffed out. Wash and clay the bonnet. Take it to a car groomer who will probably machine the bonnet for you with a light correctional compound for 50 bucks. :)

Sometimes what you don't get is a blessing in disguise!

blakamin

4431 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

# 1397566 30-Sep-2015 20:07

I wash mine (2 bucket method, clay barred it when I got it) and then spray with turtlewax "ice", wipe/polish with microfibre cloth.
2 coats, 30 minutes apart.
Comes up mint.

I never touch the mrs mazda 6 wagon... I hate that car.

(spray painter)

Dynamic

2668 posts

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# 1397600 30-Sep-2015 21:04

Have had a new work car for about 8 weeks now. Treat it better than my own. 3 carpark marks already. NOT flaming well impressed.

"4 wheels move the body. 2 wheels move the soul."

“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams

DravidDavid

1892 posts

Uber Geek

# 1397683 1-Oct-2015 00:35

Dynamic: Have had a new work car for about 8 weeks now. Treat it better than my own. 3 carpark marks already. NOT flaming well impressed.

A new one pops up on my MR2 every flaming week!

I actually have no idea how they happen. I park miles away from everyone else. Although, sometimes I come back to someone parked directly next to me, even though there are 10 to 15 parks either side of me.

The Pak 'n Save has cones in the middle of the parking lot for some reason. I park next to them and temporarily relocate them for the duration of my visit. It's been working well so far.

Sometimes what you don't get is a blessing in disguise!

clevedon

1013 posts

Uber Geek

# 1397705 1-Oct-2015 06:55

DravidDavid: I park miles away from everyone else. Although, sometimes I come back to someone parked directly next to me, even though there are 10 to 15 parks either side of me.

I find the same thing, park well away from everyone else when available to avoid dings and scratches, come back and you can almost guarantee one car will park right next to you - what's up with that?

dclegg

2706 posts

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Trusted

# 1397760 1-Oct-2015 08:25

Dynamic: Have had a new work car for about 8 weeks now. Treat it better than my own. 3 carpark marks already. NOT flaming well impressed.

Yeah, not looking forward to our first one. Our other car is riddled with scratches and dents, as was the one we traded in when we bought the Mazda. It sucks that so many people no longer have respect for other peoples property any more.

In fact my wife has decided not to drive our new car to her work. She works at a primary school, and the carpark there is particularly bad for people opening doors onto cars. The ironic thing is that the car park is meant to be off limits to most of the offenders (parents dropping off kids).

alasta

4438 posts

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# 1397767 1-Oct-2015 08:50

I very rarely use the car around town, but I usually drive to Pak N Save every week and haven't had any damage there.

I had my last car for 3.5 years and the only imperfections were a tiny ding on one of the rear wheel arches which I suspect happened when it was parked at the airport for a few days, and a small but deep scrape caused by a stone on the lower section of the driver's door which I had to touch up.

The car I had prior to that unfortunately fell victim to zombie kids who seem to be attracted to wing mirrors to the point where they feel the need to smash them to pieces. That was an expensive repair.

TonyR1973

199 posts

Master Geek

# 1404891 13-Oct-2015 11:29

The best thing you can do for your vehicle's paint is don't wash it all the time. Regularly dragging the dust and grit over the paint (or more accurately, the clear coat) is what does the most damage. I used to be an almost OCD car washer but I found better things to do with my free time.

Dynamic

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# 1404912 13-Oct-2015 11:35

TonyR1973: The best thing you can do for your vehicle's paint is don't wash it all the time. Regularly dragging the dust and grit over the paint (or more accurately, the clear coat) is what does the most damage. I used to be an almost OCD car washer but I found better things to do with my free time.

This reminds me of my father-in-law who had a late 90's Land Cruiser that was his pride and joy. He bought at at around 3 years old ex-Japan with front corner damage that was not too severe, and fixed it himself. In the 8-ish years he had it, he managed to polish the black paint off the metal around the windows in the doors.

"4 wheels move the body. 2 wheels move the soul."

“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams

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