.. 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!

That's it for now, it got dark on me. I took the spoiler off and went to go get some hose washers and it's too dark to do anything anymore. The rest tomorrow.

/\ /\ /\ /\ What he said.

i have detailed for side money for 4 years, i usualy use a wheel but for not useing a buffing wheel( takes some practice so u dont burn your paint) this is an amazing guide

I performed a:
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Cleaned a little, then Wax 10" and 6" buffer.

Mine looked awesome. However, I am very interested in the steps after your claying.

This thread gives me some inspiration to clean up my car this weekend. Last time I clayed my car I dropped the clay on the driveway. Dirt bits in the clay FTL.

This is a very good point. Putting forth the effort to maintain a car is vital to it looking and performing as it should. Most everyone knows that of course you have to take care of mechanical things or the car won't run. On the appearance side of things, people seem to let this slip more, and whenthey do this and it comes time to sell it or trade it in, it's going to look like crap and the price people offer for it will reflect that.

Besides, doing what I am talking about here will make it A LOT easier to do the next time around as most of the years and years of grime will be taken off this first time around. It will make it tons easier to do a simple wash and wax the next time the car needs it, also, because the dirt will slide right off.

Speaking of maintenance!

Now that we've gotten this far into detailing, if you check your spoiler, you may notice that around and under the edges, there is probably still some grime and soap scum, as well as maybe some old wax residue from earlier cleaning. If you want to scare yourself, take it off.



Yikes! And you all know how much I bust my butt on keeping my car clean! Don't worry, they're all going to be like this, and it's best to go ahead and do this extra step just so you can save yourself the trouble later on. Depending on the climate that you live in, you may also find rust under here, which needs to be dealt with ASAP. You'll obviously need to wash it first, claybar it too, it will need it. Then find yourself some touch up paint, which I talked about in a previous post, and touch up the parts of the lid that have chipped paint. It doesn't have to be perfect, no one will be seeing under your spoiler.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to put a little bit of clear coat on these touched-up spots as well, just as a kind of sealant so that it doesn't chip off again.

If you want to raise your spoiler at this point, there is a guide here . This will prevent your trunk from leaking from the seals you probably broke getting the spoiler off, as well as raising it to where water will go underneath the spoiler instead of pooling in front of it, and all preventing any further paint damage from debris getting caught underneath.

If you DON'T want to put forth the effort to raise your spoiler, you don't have to. Get some RTV or other similar sealant and put it around the bolts underneath the trunk lid when you put the spoiler back on. This will prevent it from leaking water into he trunk. Also, if you choose to do this, redo the under-spoiler-cleaning regimen at LEAST twice a year. If you found rust, you MUST keep an eye on it and get it repaired if necessary.

Lovely...

sweet write up so far, Arc. Maybe a link to this thread could go in the FAQ?

Great write-up! Makes me want to get mine looking that nice!!

Great guide Arc. I do recommend to anyone reading this that if you do take off your spoiler to clean underneath it to use touch-up paint to hide the chips and scratches. Don't skip doing this, I did because I didn't have any paint when I did my spoiler and now it's 100 times easier to see the wear marks at the edge of the spoiler without any dirt to cover them up.

Sorry for the delay everyone, getting the bugs off this car was more of an undertaking than I thought it would be.

But I digress, on to paint cleaning!

* Make sure you have washed the residue off your car from the claybar! * If you don't, your applicator for the paint cleaner will get very unnecessarily dirty.

Whatever paint cleaner you get will undoubtedly have instructions for use. Follow them. The bottle I have is wipe on, wipe off stuff. Sounds simple? Mostly.

This is where you will wear yourself out if you don't have a buffer. I don't think the individual cleaners will make you use anymore than this, per area that you do:



With applicators, it really is enough to do a substantial area. Take the claybar approach and do a bit at a time, and really put all your effort into it. Go back over the area you've done more than once, and really rub the cleaner into it so it can do it's job to clean that paint really good. Like someone already mentioned, it puts the depleted oils and 'life', if you will, back into your paint, so really have at it. It can be pretty oily stuff, and you may find it soaking through the applicator and into your hand.

Hopefully it smells good at least. I know mine does.

If you have particularly noticeable swirl marks, get a cleaner/polish that will help fill those in. You'll have to put your back into it to work on filling in swirl marks, and make sure none of the things you use to wipe your car with have any debris on them, or you'll negate all your work.

Once you think you've scrubbed that stuff in there good, depending on what the instructions advise, do that. Mine is just wipe off immediately kind of stuff, so this is where the microfiber comes in. Use that to get the cleaner off, and get it ALL off. If there are streaks, go back and get it buffed out. You will need to fold the towel often and begin with a cleaner spot, or the stuff on the towel itself will begin to leave streaks.

Repeat process until the whole car is done.

Your paint should be looking better by now, with some depth and more color to it, especially if you haven't ever, or rarely, clean your car to this extent.



See how it is starting to reflect well! It may look a little mottled like in the above picture, but polish and wax usually takes care of that.

If it doesn't, you may have some deeper paint problems. The effect on this car went away a bit after polish, but not completely. It's been repainted on this side before, so it may be caused by inferior paint or general crap paint job.

That's pretty much all there is to it for paint cleaner! Have fun wearing yourself out and building up some arm muscle mass.

Polish -

Basically the same process as paint cleaner unless otherwise directed by the products that you bought.

You can probably step back up and do it panel by panel again, just remember to put effort into it; it needs the same kind of tenacity that the cleaner did. Most basic polishes will help repair minor swirl marks, oxidation and other such minor paint damage, so get after it! If you have more serious swirl mark damage or oxidation, you'll need to use a more abrasive polish designed for it.

Have a different microfiber towel for this, DON'T use the same one you used for the paint cleaner, or the two will mix and could leave some stubborn streaks or funky stuff behind. Again, when the towel starts getting dirty and gummy on the side you're using, fold it and start using a clean side.

Polish, wipe, repeat until the car is done! Keep up with the 'get everything' motto here, everything with paint on it needs to be maintained and protected! It may just be paint in your wheel well, or under the rear window weatherstripping, but if it starts to peel or crack because of poor maintenance, you'll have a potentially big and expensive problem on your hands.

Main points:
* Use a different towel for different steps. Don't mix them up!
* Wear yourself out and really work at these particular steps, this is where all the real paint work happens.
* Remember to keep folding the towel and use cleaner sections when it starts getting dirty.
* If cleaner and polish don't solve some of your paint issues, it may be a deeper issue that could require more professional tactics.
* Get everything that has paint!
* If you have swirl marks, make sure you have a cleaner/polish that is designed to fill them in, and really work the stuff in to get the best results.

makes me want to do all those steps of cleaning and the spolier this weekend since I have an extra 30 bucks to my name to spend on cleaning stuff.

Sweet!

Man I need to detail the GP before the winter.

Even though it makes people want to wash their cars, there is one problem, seeing it is going to take a week for this procedure, I find it hard for some here to go through the process! LOL

It wouldn't take me so long if I didn't have to go to school in the morning.

We also wasted a lot of time looking for rubber washers for spoiler raising.

I really advocate doing this at least once, for any car. It will protect it for a loooong time, and the next few times you wash it, the dirt will practically fall off because it doesn't have anything to stick to.

Not to mention it has the odd tendency to continue looking good even when it's starting to get dirty again.

I updated my previous post to include polish, it really didn't need a post of it's own since it's so similar to paint cleaner.

I was just giving you crap!

Haha, it's okay, I know! It doesn't bother me. :p Sorry if I seemed defensive or anything, I was dirty and tired and had just come inside from some semi-final detail things.

Just explaining why it's taking so long this time, as it has never taken me this long before. To be honest, I don't want to see this car again for a loooooong time.

on to the interior?

Wax and other final stuff!

If you've never waxed your car before, I cry for you. Waxes come in several different forms, but for the purpose of this guide, I'm going to give the spotlight to the basic liquid bottle stuff. It's basically the same process as cleaner and polish, with one difference. Most waxes will advise that you let the wax dry for a few moments before you wipe it off, unlike the wipe-on wipe-off approach to the other things we've done so far. This isn't true for ALL waxes, so be sure you read the bottle. If it happens to be the kind that you do let dry, then you can wax some pretty large areas before you wipe it off, so get to it!

You really want to preserve that shine you've finally gotten, so more than one coat of wax is definitely advisable. And stay in keeping with getting to every place that has paint on it!

Once you're through with that, congrats! You're done! .. With that part at least. :p

There's a couple of last basic things before we start focusing on the things that really make a detail what it is. And the first thing is .. wheel cleaning!

Depending on the form of cleaner you got and what your rims are made of, how you go about this may be different, so I won't say too much. If your rims are REALLY bad, arm yourself with a toothbrush and make that brake dust go crying for its mother. If you're trying for a real show quality detail, go ahead and jack the car up and take the rims off.

If you don't clean them like this regularly, you'll find the insides are probably caked in brake dust.

[img]http://www.theunknownbrewer.com/gallery2..._serialNumber=2[/img]

If you have rims made of cheaper and less refined material like I do (stock alloy five stars!), getting some steel wool and LOTS of water will take care of the brake dust inside the rim. I DO NOT advise this method be used on the visible parts of the rim, and ESPECIALLY not on the hi-po versions. For that stuff, you're better off with a finer-grade rubbing compound or a brush. Not a toothbrush; I don't want you to kill yourself. Now remember, this is ONLY talking about the inside, or if your rims are really ridiculously dirty. If this does not apply to you, then you'll be fine with whatever wheel cleaner you got.

On the outside, visible parts, just follow the directions on whatever wheel cleaner you got. Once again, do not do this in direct sunlight, as the cleaner can bake into the finish of the rim and ruin it completely. I cannot stress enough that all products are different, so you MUST read and follow whatever directions are given to you.

[img]http://www.theunknownbrewer.com/gallery2..._serialNumber=2[/img]

There is finish under there! If you have the wheels off, now is a great time to scrub the insides of the wheel wells with a stiff brush. Get all that road grime, dirt and dust off the insides. Once you have them somewhat clean, take your tire foam to them, it will do a good job of restoring them to a clean black color. Look twice! TIRE foam. Switching products on you! If you get any on the paint, wipe it off ASAP. It's best to always have a towel on hand to clean up your inevitable messes.

If you don't take your wheels off, it will be a little more difficult to reach in the wheel wells to do this, especially if you're lowered and have bigger tires, but it can be done with some perseverance. And ingenuity.

[img]http://www.theunknownbrewer.com/gallery2..._serialNumber=2[/img]

Once you've got everything looking nice, it's a good idea to put the wheels back on.

Yay! Most exterior things are done now! The only thing we have left is window cleaner, which is very self-explanatory. There was a method I read about some time ago that was pretty involved and used RainX, but I'll have to find it again. If you've ever seen the effect of RainX on windows, you'll know the extra effort will be well worth it. Pretty much the only tactic I can advise that might not be obvious is, you can be lazy on the windshield and sit inside the car and just clean it with the windshield wipers and fluid.

If you're not liking the window cleaner you have, you can use wiper fluid on the windows. Just make sure that if you have to dilute it, that you do. I also can't really recommend using it on the inside as I'm not sure what it could do to anything it dripped on. Dry the windows and mirrors off with a microfiber towel to minimize any possibility of streaks. You might have to clean them more than once to get a good result.



Once that's done, woo! Your car is clean! .. On the outside. Mostly. Now we start focusing on the details.

Very nice write up... Looking forward to the pictures.

You didn't see if your key would unlock it first?

I did, actually! It didn't work. I really hoped it would since it seems to work for some people, and since it's PassKey that really does all the work .. but I didn't get lucky this time.

Is there pictures of the finished ride?

seriously...Herc or Bobby...I think this needs to be added to the FAQ section or linked to a DIY page...the girl did a bang up job

some finished pics would be sweet tho :rolleyes:

Just a few little touch-up things left.

Whatever wax residue is left by now has probably dried and turned white, leaving little deposits of junk in the crevasses and crannies of your car. You need to remove these; don't leave them there, because they can bake into the finish and become difficult to impossible to remove.



For this, I recommend some sort of detailing pen made specifically for this kind of application. Black Magic makes a three-pen detail kit, the one you'll be looking for has a rubber tip. I'll get a pic of mine later.

Please, do NOT use your fingernail, anything abrasive or anything with a hard edge to remove these things. A detail pen will remove it completely with no effort whatsoever, and trying to remove it with aforementioned other ways can damage your paint. So don't do it!

Take care of all those little things, be picky about it, this is all about making the car look it's best. Give it another one-over will a clean microfiber towel or polishing cloth, just to buff it out and get any places you missed.

Once you've given it The Eye and are happy with it up-close, you can step back and let the whole picture come together.

Trust me, when you've spent this much time on it up-close and personal and pored over every little detail, the sum of its parts will come together and make it VERY worth the time.

Take the time to refresh yourself on what the car looked like in the beginning .


And this is what it will look like now that you've cut yourself, dropped things on your toes, bled over it, cursed at it, wanted to cry everytime you found a dent, rubbed your knees raw and agonized over every little thing to the point of tearing your hair out ..

She drove it to work before this, so anything that looks dirty isn't my fault. X( I don't see anything though, so ignore this block of text if you desire.








Sorry for quality on this one.

Interior guide in the works! Haven't had the time yet, probably won't this weekend, but I promise I haven't forgotten!

I've heard, haven't searched yet, but should I use a specific wax for dark cars specifically black ones? Planning on doing my buddies dad's 2003 Z4 the is black and has tons of swirl marks from his crappy wax job awhile back.

dammit...thatlooks HAWT!

An awesome job as usual!

Great reading so far!! I've used polish and wax on all 3 of my cars, even my ex-wife's BF (before divorce) with excellent results.

But I'd never used a clay bar because I never knew what the heck it was for, or how to use it. Where do you get the detailing spray that you use with the clay bar?

Also never used a cleaner. I honestly didn't know there was a difference in a cleaner and polish, thought it was the same stuff named different by different manufacturers.

So it's:
1. Wash
2. Clay bar
3. Wash
4. Clean
5. Polish, get all the swirl marks out.
6. Wax and wax, and then more wax.

Right so far?

The detailing spray usually comes in a kit with the claybar. I know the Mother's clay bar kit which I've used is only like $15 at WalMart.

Yeah, it comes with it, and they also sell it seperately. You can probably find it at most auto stores like AutoZone, OReillys and the like. Can't guarantee places like Walmart or anywhere else, because it depends on their size and their stock as to whether your local one will carry it, but they may.

You process is correct, also. .. Of course, if you wanted to wash it more, or do more than one claybar, it's not wrong to do so! Depending on how dirty your car is, it might be a good idea.

About the black paint. There are cleaners, polishes, waxes, etc, made specifically for black, yes. I haven't had cause to use them yet, so I can't advocate one way or the other, for which I apologize. My mother has a black truck, so I should know, but I don't. .. I can see cleaners and polishes working with black paint specifically, but wax I'm unsure of, since it normally only works with the clearcoat layer of paint and not the actual color. Dunno.

But just answering the question, yep, there are things specifically for black, just like there are for metallic.

You may have to look for stuff to use online, though, depending on what the stock at your local stores looks like. Since what you're looking for is so specialized, they might not carry it.

I'm just knocked out by the quality of your writing, how much detail you've gone into (no pun intended) and the pictures you have posted!

I can't wait to get started on my car, because when my sister had it I polished it once a year and waxed it twice a year, and that was it.

I did use high quality polish and wax, however, and the wax seemed to stay on for a good 5 months or longer.

Would you run by me one more time, when you get a chance, the difference between the cleaner and the polish?

I have a great big old power buffer that I used to restore the paint gloss on my old Ford truck. It looks great now. Is there anywhere in this process I can use it on the Grand Prix, or should I stick with a goodly supply of 10w30 elbow grease.

And another thing, that was the pen you used. Can you tell me what it's actually called and where I might obtain one?

Last but not least, there are some small corrosion pits in my original honeycomb '97 GT wheels along the outside of the bead. Is there anything I can do to either stop that from spreading, or correct it entirely. Not unsightly, but I know it's there and it's driving me nuts. I haven't tried anything more abrasive on it than regular McGuire's car wax.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to share all of this information with those like me that thought a twice yearly coat of wax would keep the car looking nice. Well, my car looks nice, and all that, but after seeing what you've acccomplished on the car for this write-up, I'm stunned to think my car might have a showroom finish on it again.

Now, I'm off to the body shop to see what it'll take to fix the crack in the lower chin from where I smacked the opossum at around 70 mph.

Oh, and the spoiler thing was scary, too. I'm almost afraid to take mine off...

Oh man i'm so scared to take off my spoiler... i dont think im going to unless i dont get this trans am im looking at...

Hm, it's been awhile since I wrote this and I apologize if any of it is incorrect or misleading, I was still learnin' at the time.

But anyway, if you guys need any further evidence that all that hard effing work pays off, check this crap out.

I have not washed my car since Fall TMS in October (?) of 2007. DON'T JUDGE ME. The last thing I did was a full detail as usual, after a history of just giving it a full detail everytime it got dirty enough. It has never seen an automated carwash in the time that I have owned it. Anyway, this is how it sat after I came home from work today.

Avert your eyes if you're sensitive, it's not pretty.



Pretty bad huh?

Well since previous to that I had worked my tail off keeping this thing pristine, a simple soap + water + bucket + twenty minutes + halfassing it = resulted in this. I haven't even touched a claybar or a wax yet. I haven't done anything tire-wise so just disregard that part.



Even I was surprised. I expected to have to spend hours out there. Hard work pays off, dudes. If you bust your tail keeping things in shape, it'll make it easier the next time around.

Even if the next time is a year and a half later, haha.

holy crap... it makes my eyes hurt looking at that first picture

I know, I'm sorry you had to see that.

i think i just cryed a little, but hey @ least you washed it now

It's time to start modding that thing.

This is a great write up! Big prop's to you!

Not bad write up. In 5 years of own this car. I never claybar it but I always wash it often if need. Maybe I will have to try claybar to make it more shiny. Maybe this weekend depend on weather.

I think if Palsut's car ever got that dirty, we should all just give up hope.

D: More?

To be honest, I have a ton of stuff sitting in a closet in the garage. It's just stuff like I can't do at my house by myself, either because it's too complicated for one person or it needs specialized stuff like a spring compressor.

That and money. Always the root of the issue, that money.

I promise I won't lock the keys in it like I did to the blue GP.

I just noticed I never finished the interior part. TO BE CONTINUED THEN, I guess.

so... does that mean your going to be sticking around for a while ??

That would be great.. I thought i was good at keeping mine clean but you took it to a whole new level.. Learned alot of things i didn't know.. Really look foward to the interior

This should be stickied. I spent around 4 hrs cleaning up my vehicle today, turned out good I think. I did wash, clay bar, wash, dry, cleaner wax, wipe down, final wax, wipe down. Album here: http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q76/Zalfrin/car/clean/





Tomorrow I'm going to work on the interior and glass.