On detailing and car waxes

[FC]

-I'm never detailing 2 cars back to back. And I mean, wash, dry, clay, wash, dry, apply/remove polish, apply/remove wax. My back was killing me.
-Polishing/waxing a white car BLOWS. It's freaking impossible to see the residue.
-I used an old, leftover bottle of Meguires Golc Class liquid wax on the V70R (from my 190E days). That stuff is a breeze to apply and more importantly, to remove. In contrast, Griot's Best of Show wax sucks pond water. I almost threw it out. But I don't plan on using it again. What a PITA. The Gold Class stuff feels far more slippery too.
-Why can't you just buy clay at stores? They all get bundled with kits of detailing spray and MF towels. Grrr.
-Mothers detailing spray sucks. I like Griots and Meguires better.

I may get around to taking some good photos of the 987S today. Sometime this week for sure.

[John V]

I don't mind that the big chains have bundled clay / detailer. The clay usually lasts longer than the detailer does for me.

I absolutely despise detailing cars. I like the result, but the work itself I find miserable. I'd rather be wrenchin'.

[FC]

I absolutely despise detailing cars. I like the result, but the work itself I find miserable. I'd rather be wrenchin'.

:+1

[Rob]

Best of show wax is a pita, no doubt. But you can take most of it off with the orbital and the result is on par with any of the high end finish lines. I can't comment on your slipperiness comparison test, but I would be interested to hear how each held up over time. Godl Classic is a decent product, but I haven't found many liquid wax products (caranuba based, anyway) that hold up as well as Best of Show.

But the key to happiness for me (now that I have kids that actually want attention on the weekends) is the once a year sealer and spray on wax after every (more or less) wash. The sealer is not too bad to apply and the spray on wax takes 10 minutes.

How much time did it take to do two cars back to back? For the regimen you described, i would need a weekend for each I think. Certainly two very, very long days. Maybe you cut corners on the Volvo. :) Oh, I never bother to dry before a clay, either. The water just helps with teh lubrication and you are goign to wash it again anyway, so water spots don't matter. Saves 10 or 15 minutes.

[FC]

Best of show wax is a pita, no doubt. But you can take most of it off with the orbital and the result is on par with any of the high end finish lines. I can't comment on your slipperiness comparison test, but I would be interested to hear how each held up over time. Godl Classic is a decent product, but I haven't found many liquid wax products (caranuba based, anyway) that hold up as well as Best of Show.

But the key to happiness for me (now that I have kids that actually want attention on the weekends) is the once a year sealer and spray on wax after every (more or less) wash. The sealer is not too bad to apply and the spray on wax takes 10 minutes.

How much time did it take to do two cars back to back? For the regimen you described, i would need a weekend for each I think. Certainly two very, very long days. Maybe you cut corners on the Volvo. :) Oh, I never bother to dry before a clay, either. The water just helps with teh lubrication and you are goign to wash it again anyway, so water spots don't matter. Saves 10 or 15 minutes.

I took last week off. I had to spread the work over 3 days as I was also hosting many canadians for my kids 2nd B-day.

Yeah, I should not have dried in between.

I apply by machine, but remove by hand, which made BoS wax a royal PITA.

[Rob]

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+care/car+waxing/orbitals+and+car+waxing+tools/three+wax+removal+bonnets.do

They work . . . ok. Better than not having them to use. But you need a handful. With as much work as you were doing, you never would have had enough.

[Terry Kennedy]

How much time did it take to do two cars back to back? For the regimen you described, i would need a weekend for each I think. Certainly two very, very long days.
When I do the E46 wagon, it takes me 3 or 4 long days (exterior and interior). I use Zaino products on it.

The Atom is in some ways easier and in some ways a lot harder - there aren't a lot of body panels, and the place that applied clear film to all of them gave me some spray-on cleaner/polish that's amazing. Smells like suntan lotion (coconut), but gives a great finish.

So the body panels are easy. But since everything is exposed, there are lots of places to be cleaned. I use some stuff called ACF50 on the engine casting - it is designed to prevent oxidation on aluminum aircraft surfaces.

[Theo]

That process usually takes me about 5-6 hours and that's not doing the interior. Do it twice a year and yes it sucks!!

I will say that Indy Mike got me stuck on this marine boat wax that is the best stuff I have used in some time. It really repels and lasts a long time. I'll have to go out to the garage and see what it's called. Very easy to remove as well.

I used to use best in show then a stint with Blitz 1k grand wax. This beats them both.

Griots does make the best detail spray though. So easy to pop off the cover and do a 10 min wipedown before heading out.

[equ]

I use rejex... Easy peasy.

[FC]

I use rejex... Easy peasy.

I read a while ago that rejex was darn-near everlasting. Does it hold up well. I certainly will go there once I finish my stuff, but maybe sooner.

[clyde]

I read a while ago that rejex was darn-near everlasting. Does it hold up well. I certainly will go there once I finish my stuff, but maybe sooner.

Rejex doesn't really seem to last that long from a sliperieness perspective, but seems to protect for a while based on how easy it is to get otherwise normally difficult stuff off. The big thing with Rejex is how easy it is to apply and remove. I could do the RX-8 in about 25 minutes start to finish. The wagon took about 30 minutes (when I still cared...never did the Aramada). It's also very, very low effort.

[FC]

That is exactly what I want. Thanks.

[Nick M3]

Rejex doesn't really seem to last that long from a sliperieness perspective, but seems to protect for a while based on how easy it is to get otherwise normally difficult stuff off. The big thing with Rejex is how easy it is to apply and remove. I could do the RX-8 in about 25 minutes start to finish. The wagon took about 30 minutes (when I still cared...never did the Aramada). It's also very, very low effort.
Rejex lasts 6+ months AND feels slippery at the end of it if you garage the car.

[clyde]

Rejex lasts 6+ months AND feels slippery at the end of it if you garage the car.

I wouldn't know about that garage thing...haven't used it since I got a garage. ;)

[FC]

Rejex lasts 6+ months AND feels slippery at the end of it if you garage the car.

Sounds like a winner to me. I'll give up ultimate shine every time for that kind of durability and ease fo use.

[IndyMike]

That process usually takes me about 5-6 hours and that's not doing the interior. Do it twice a year and yes it sucks!!

I will say that Indy Mike got me stuck on this marine boat wax that is the best stuff I have used in some time. It really repels and lasts a long time. I'll have to go out to the garage and see what it's called. Very easy to remove as well.

I used to use best in show then a stint with Blitz 1k grand wax. This beats them both.

Griots does make the best detail spray though. So easy to pop off the cover and do a 10 min wipedown before heading out.
Glad I could be of service, Ted.

This is the product:

http://images.westmarine.com/full/4756839.jpg

It's a carnauba paste wax that as the label advertises is specially formulated for marine and aeronautical applications.

By itself one coat will generally last 3 to 4 months before you need another application, but just recently I have added Chemical Guys Professional jetSeal 109 paint sealant to my arsenal and it provides another 2 to 3 months of longevity to the finish.

So my regimen is as follows:

(1) wash
(2) claybar
(3) paint cleanser
(4) paint sealant (2 applications)
(5) wax

Figure on about 6 to 7 hours for the whole she-bang, and if you really want to get crazy, ideally you should wait 24 hours between applications of the paint sealant. I'm generally a patient person, but I have yet to be able to wait that long between the coats of sealant. I don't want to lose a whole weekend, so I just wait 20 minutes between layers.

Try following that formula for 3 cars, 2 times a year and you'll understand why you necessarily need to take shortcuts whereever you can. :)

[Theo]

Glad I could be of service, Ted.

This is the product:

http://images.westmarine.com/full/4756839.jpg

It's a carnauba paste wax that as the label advertises is specially formulated for marine and aeronautical applications.

:)

Yup that's the one. Great stuff!! =)