.. As told to you in real-time! I'm here at home about to detail Kaibutsu\'s car, and I figured it would be cool to make a step by step thing for those of you who haven't ever done a more involved detail of a car. I'll be posting as I go along, so if anyone has any questions in the meantime, I can answer them in .. REAL TIME! Oh boy, isn't this newfangled technology thing just the bee's knees?

Lots of pictures ahoy!

Topic Index - click to go straight to that topic

Exterior
I. Things You Will Need for Detailing
II. "Before" Pics Plus Commentary on Paint
III. Outline of Process and Washing the Car
IV. Claybar
V. Under-Spoiler Cleaning and Spoiler Mod - This is an optional step but still recommended
VI. Paint Cleaning and Polishing
VII. Wax, Wheel Cleaning and Windows
VIII. Final Touch-Up
IX. The End Product


Interior

In Progress


Side Commentary -
Explanation of Wet-Sanding - Also scroll down and read RooK's post
Further Commentary on Polish

Question #1

When can I get mine done by the master?

** I will edit this post later. **

The Stuff!


First off, you'll need all the car-washin' stuff to even attempt doing this detail thing. I really recommend higher-quality (read: more expensive) brands like Mother's, Meguiar's, Black Magic, Poor Boy's, stuff like that. The whole point of a detail is to get your car looking as spiffy and as new as possible, and you cannot achieve that end if you cheap out.

Waxes, polishes, etc. Mother's, Meguiar's, Zaino. I use Meguiar's three-step; it's a collection of cleaner wax, polish, and carnauba wax. Although, I skip out on the final wax part of the Three-Step and use their NXT wax, which comes in a bottle or in a paste. Some people prefer the paste. While you're browsing for waxes and stuff, pick up some applicator pads, it will make your job easier and they're washable and reusable.

Assorted waxes and stuff:


Applicators!


Car wash. Now, you could fight wars over this. Use whatever you like the most. Whatever foams up real good and gets most of the crap off your car the first go-round is definitely the best. I don't really like bucket car wash, I prefer the kind you can slap on a sponge and just go with it, but it's getting harder to find around here.

YOU WILL NEED MICROFIBER TOWELS. It is easier to do this with microfiber products, and it will leave a much better finish. Most microfiber on the market is fine; you can get a bundle of towels at places like AutoZone for pretty cheap. I have about ten or more, and I still don't have enough, if that's any indication of how many you will need.

Microfiber:


There are several different types of microfiber, some used for polishing, some for waxing, etc, and they are usually color-coded as such. I find there isn't much difference when you finally get down to it, so you don't have to be too picky or too exact.

CLAYBAR ALSO. You need need NEED claybar; it will remove all the nasty stuff in your paint and clearcoat that washing the car will not. You will be VERY surprised what the claybar will pick up. Your paint is alot nastier than it looks, trust me, especially if you live in or near a bigger city, it will be full of pollutants and airborne chemicals. Claybar is also endlessly useful for getting stubborn bug nastiness off your car. Any claybar brand is fine, I usually recommend Mother's and Meguiar's.

For rims, depending on what your rims are made of, get whatever cleaner matches. Chrome, metal alloy, etc. Do not switch one for the other and assume it will be okay, because you can damage the finish on your rims. Stock rims are made of a metal alloy, so most standard wheel cleaners are fine. Even the hi-pos are metal alloy, they are NOT chrome.

Tire shine is a touchier thing. Some of them have the tendency to fling crud off the tire when you drive the car after detailing it, so I suggect something that is spray-on, wipe-off so you're not greeted by black streaks down the side of your otherwise pristine vehicle. Most tire foam is fine, it doesn't seem to have as much of a tendency to do this, plus it's good for getting the wheel wells back to their clean, not-dusty black color. Also for doing wheel-wells, it's easier to get a stiff brush that you don't mind getting dirty and scrubbing at them. I'm not talking toothbrush.

Interior stuff is all pretty general. I don't recommend Armor-All, they're pretty cheap and they usually leave a nasty greasy film on things. I use Black Magic, it doesn't leave greasy residue behind, and it doesn't leave a cheap-looking shiny-plastic finish. If you have leather seats or any other leather parts in your interior, DO NOT USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN LEATHER CLEANER ON THOSE. You could damage the leather. For these things, Zaino, Meguiars, Mothers and the like. Zaino is pretty expensive stuff, and you'll have to know where to get it as they only sell to select authorized dealers, but it is well worth it. Mother's and Meguiar's are quality stuff also, I'm definitely not downing them.

Glass cleaner. Most people will tell you that Windex and other household glass cleaner is fine for cars. I disagree. They are intended for house interiors, not car exteriors, and most leave a greasy streak pattern behind. Auto glass cleaners are purposefully made to be used for .. well, auto glass. Use them. We're detailing, not cleaning up house for guests to come over. There is a bit of a process you can use regarding cleaning your glass, also, but I'll get to that later.

A buffer or a Mother's PowerBall will make the polishing and waxing steps a lot faster, but you will have to know what you are doing when you go looking for one and using it. You can burn through the paint if you get a buffer you don't know how to handle. For Kai's car, I am doing it all by hand so I can see exactly what I am doing and if there are any scratches in the paint or anything that I need to deal with.

Paint scratches. If you have any hairline scratches or very minor ones, you might be able to repair them with a scratch remover, but don't get your hopes up. Most scratches you will get on a car aren't repairable with that stuff, but you can get after it with some touch up paint and some effort and patience. Your paint code is on the inside of the trunk lid, you can take it to a GM dealer or to AutoZone and they can find you the matching touch-up paint.

So! Summed up, the things you will need are:
* car wash
* paint cleaner/cleaner wax
* polish
* final wax
* claybar
* detailing spray
* a big load of microfiber towels
* wheel cleaner
* tire shine
* some form of interior cleaner
* auto glass cleaner

Now, for the things that are pretty car-specific. These are all if-applicable type things:
* leather cleaner
* chrome/stainless steel polish
* touch-up paint and clear coat
* applicator pads, if you don't want to use a buffer

So yes, if you can spare the money and you are capable of handling it, use a buffer. All buffers are different, so I can't tell you HOW to use one. I can only tell you WHAT to do with it. For all intensive purposes, I am going to be taking things in the context of non-buffer detailing. Besides, if you already know how to use a buffer, chances are you probably already know how to detail and aren't reading this for help. :p

Some product lines I can personally recommend from experience are:
* Mother's
* Meguiar's
* Zaino
* Black Magic
* Eagle One
* Poor Boy's

If anyone else has some they prefer, let me know and I will add them if they really are that good. Remember, it's for detail purposes, so it has to be excellent quality.

Bring it. Just don't bring the Xbox and we'll be good.

Here's what I'm working on today. Her car has metallic paint, and there are some paint cleaners that are designed specifically for metallic paint, so keep this in mind when you go looking for detailing things. I can't recommend any at this time, as I don't have metallic paint on my car, and this will be my first time detailing one.










As you can see, very yucky. It has some paint damage that I cannot repair, so we'll disregard that for now as that is a job only a body shop professional could fix at this point. Clear coat peel, et cetera.

Major points of this post:
* Consider what kind of paint your car has and plan accordingly. Metallic and darker paints usually have products geared specifically for them.
* Remember that basic detailing will not solve major paint damage. It will only repair minor to moderate damage, depending on what kind of damage it is, and even that will be directly related to how much effort you put into it, and the quality of the products you use.

Sounds like a plan, but it'll be awhile before I can make it back up that way.

On with the tutorial!

I think Arc resorts to voodoo physics to prevent her reflection from showing. I want to see if she can still manage after the wash and shine. :p

Alright, now getting down to business. I usually go about it this way:

1. Wash
2. Claybar
3. Wash again
4. Cleaner wax
5. Polish
6. Final wax (usually two coats)

I'm not advocating that my way is the right way, or that you HAVE to do it all, and do it all in this order, but it will most likely be the easiest. For the cleaner/polish/wax part, if you are in fact doing all three, that IS the way you should do it. Paint cleaner/cleaner wax will remove any remaining crud that the claybar didn't remove, as well as getting rid of any dirt you missed without making you wash it again. Polish prepares the paint for wax and helps clear up minor swirl marks, and wax is .. well, wax. It should be done in this order lest you wear yourself out and get a result that could have been better.

For the first wash, don't get too into it, you're going to be washing it again. SlickGTP picked up some Eagle One bucket wash when he was here last time, and I must say I am pretty impressed with it, despite my earlier balking at the thought of bucket wash.



It foams up pretty good, the water turns white, which is good because that means it wants to foam up. It doesn't get diluted and watery when you finally start washing the car, which is awesome because it will clean better. Car wash works the same way as washing your hands; soaps suspends the dirt and crud particles and also them to be washed off when you get after the soap suds with the water hose. Yay hygiene!



If you're working in the sun like I am, do it body panel by body panel. Meaning, soap up the trunk and rear bumper, then wash it off before it can bake on in the sun. Then move on to another body panel and do the same. I really do not recommend washing your car in direct sunlight, as not only is it unbearable hot for you, but you'd be surprised how quickly soap can bake onto a car and make it all that much more irritating to clean. If you are lucky enough to have a tree shading your driveway, use the shade there. Unfortunately I can't do that because our hose doesn't reach that far.

Wash everything! Yes, I mean EVERYTHING! If it's on the outside of your car, SOAP IT! Windows, headlights, taillights, everything! It will get the bigger particles of yuck off of it and make it easier to finish up at the end, especially with the windows. Don't forget to get inside the wheel wells on those painted parts.



Despite your best efforts, you'll probably be left with a bit of water/soap/crud film and some bug parts, depending on the consistency of your local water supply.



Don't worry yourself over this, you'll just be getting it just as filmy with the claybar and detailing spray in a moment, which is why you wash it again. Don't wear yourself out on the first wash, we're in it for the long haul and this is just the beginning! I'm not saying get lazy with it and miss a bunch of spots, just don't agonize over every tiny thing, it will get taken care of.

Just get her cleaner than she was, and we're ready to move on.



Major points:

* The waxing process goes cleaner, polish, wax. Do not do it in any other order.
* Remember that claybar will strip wax off of you car, so don't wax before you claybar.
* Don't wear yourself out on the first wash.
* Wash everything!
* Really foamy car wash = good.
* Try not to wash your car in direct sunlight. Shade is good!

Alright, claybar.



That's one slightly used and two new claybars. A claybar is good for about two and a half GPs, if they're not really dirty. I'll probably be cracking out a new one on this car.

Claybars have a kind of Play-Doh consistency, but stickier. It will pick up crud that washing the car didn't, and it will give your paint it's smooth feeling back. If you just wash the car and run your hand over the paint, you will feel tiny bumps and irregularities that you probably won't physically be able to see. You have to feel it. These are things embedded in your paint, and you can't get a show shine with crap still in your paint. We're gunning for glass feeling!

You will need some kind of detailing spray for claybarring. Without this, the claybar just sticks to the car and doesn't go anywhere, and what we're needing it to do is glide over the paint and pick up those paint contaminants. Water can be used, but I definitely do not recommend it as it dries too fast and it is not geared towards detailing applications like detail spray is. There are detailing kits that come with detail spray, claybars and what-have-you, so it's a pretty good deal for someone who is wanting to try their hand at it.



Pretty basic stuff here, don't be daunted by claybar if you've never done it. It's easy. Do one section at a time, not by body panel. The detailing spray will dry too fast if you try to do a large area and you will end up using more than you have to. Basically just spray a small section down and rub the claybar over it. If you've never claybarred your car, odds are you'll be able to feel it picking crud up, and you might even be able to *hear* some of it.



Keep a grip on the claybar; if you hit a patch that's drier, it will most likely stick suddenly, and you could lose your grip and drop it. You'll have to get another claybar if that happens, because it will pick up rocks and crud from the ground and that will damage your paint if you use it any further. Try not to get the part that you're holding onto wet, or it will be difficult to keep a grip on; it gets extremely slippery.

After every section or so, check the bottom of the claybar to see how dirty it is.



See what I mean? I bet you didn't even know that nasty stuff was in your paint! Once it gets dirty like this, fold it over and squish it together so you have a newer surface to work with and continue claybarring. Just repeat this process until you're done with the whole car. You may find some things in your paint will refuse to come out; just work harder at it. If it still refuses to come out, it may be more major paint damage that claybar can't fix. The paint cleaner we'll be doing later MAY clear these things up and it may not, but I'll talk about that later.

Also, you may notice that there is a bit of what looks like a chip of paint stuck in the claybar in the picture. That IS a chip of paint. Claybar has a tendency to remove any looser paint you may have on your car, like overspray, paint from recent rock chips, or touch-up paint. Don't panic! It's not removing the paint under the clear coat; claybar is perfectly safe. I do advise some precaution if you have clearcoat peel or paint peel, as claybar will very readily tear off more paint in these situations. Any paint peel needs to be repaired as soon as possible, anyway.

For now, your car will end up looking like this after claybar.



And that's why we wash it again!

Major points:
* Above all else, DO NOT drop the claybar!
* If you do anyway, DO NOT USE IT. Get a new one.
* Use detail spray, not water.
* Claybar one small patch at a time.
* Don't worry, the car will get nasty again.
* Claybar EVERYTHING that has paint on it.
* Fold the clay over when it gets dirty so you can continue with a clean surface.
* Claybar will not solve most moderate to major paint damage. If you find yourself working at something that won't come out, it may be damage you cannot repair.

hey i have a question, since my grand prix was in Miami fl u know how the sun is. my bumper front and back are faded. Whats the best way to get that out. i heard that wet sanding will do the trick. Is this true

I'm not sure. Wet sanding is a pretty hardcore detailing trick that I would not recommend for anyone that has never done any moderate paint or body work as it is very easy to mess up. With heavily faded paint, unfortunately I think the best route you can take is to get it repainted. It isn't terribly expensive, and it will require alot less work than wet sanding, as that is a very labor intensive, time consuming process and you MUST know what you are doing.

I personally would never try to do it.

my cousin went to school for paint and body he will do it cause he told me i dont need to have my car painted cause wet sanding will do the trick. what i can do is get some pics on here and u could see what am talking bout.

not to hijack Arcxs thread (dont intterupt when she's on a roll)...but wet sanding will likey remove your clearcoat...and we are talking about some studious sanding with 600grit or even higher and lots of water...most show quality paint jobs use wet-sanding between rounds of paint and clear to get that deep shine, but that is used with lacquer paints...if you do successfully wet sand the car it will need a clearcoat to protect it from quickly re-fading


and now back to our regularly scheduled programming

Wet sanding won't fix color fade anyway. It will remove clear coat oxidization, but that's it. Best thing for that though is a good man at buffing and some really fine grit polishing compound. Works a lot faster and won't kill the clear coat (if you know what you're doing).

I think before I tried to wet sand the bumpers, I'd get some good polish and work it into the paint to see what kind of effect that would have. You'd be surprised how much of the color will come back after polishing. Just make sure you use A LOT of 'passion' applying it! You want to make sure to work the polish into the paint to replenish all the oils that have dried out from the sun.

Wax alone won't do it. You have to start with polish.

Arc has a good plan so far, but it's really a 5 step process ...
1. Wash
2. Claybar
3. Polish
4. Wax
5. Maintain!!

I can't wait to see the results when she's through with this car. I feel for you doing it by hand. You'll be worn out!