Been reading a lot and saw and old thread similar to this on another forum. What would be your regimen for keeping your daily driver looking good for the longest time? How often would you correct? How much of a difference would lsp's/permanent coatings make? How important would paint decon/claying be? How much effort would you put into marr-free washing techniques? (waterless vs 2 bucket plus techique) What's the balance between keeping the car clean and inducing marring from washing? TIA, Tony
I usually correct my car once a year(clay, full polish). And its black so it gets quite a lot of swirls. This year after correction I decided to throw come CQuartz on it to see how itll help, along with a monthly coat of AutoGlym HD and I use Reload after each weekly wash. I dont do the two bucket method ( I have a pressure washer/foam lance). I like keeping my DD as clean as possible, its the best business card you can have. IMO i would look into a permanent coating for you DD, helps A LOT!
Really? If i foam and then just use the PW the can is always still pretty dirty esp. on the lower panels. What PSI is yours? Mine is only 1200 maybe thats why. I have an 1800 PSI Briggs and Stratton brand new in the box but it doesn't allow for adapting to the foam cannon so i haven't used it yet.
I wash often and make sure wax as needed. Clay when I polish once a year and do not go aggressive on the polish.
I wash my truck at least once every two weeks. She is kept inside, and I live in Texas, so it doesn't get dirty too bad. I correct as little as possible. Last time my truck was fully corrected was a good five years ago. I use sealants and waxes that he light fillers, which means that as long as I seal or wax every month, the paint looks 95% perfect. I use a good shampoo, clean sponges, and high quality waffle weave towels. That combo right there is what's kept my vehicle swirl free all these years.
Well...I have a non-metallic black car. For about a year and a half I went without waxing (yeah, I know, but this was pre-hardcore detailing like now); and this is a car that was always out in the elements never garaged. However, I made sure my dealer didn't wash my car. Needless to say, I was the only person to wash my car and I made sure I washed and dryed it very carefully. I should also add that I didn't always wash with a two-bucket wash. What surprised me the most was how well maintained you can keep a car by simply taking time to have a cautious washing process. For a two and a half year old car with a single coat of wax my finish was at 90% perfect.
I wash my Z once a week with ONR and the one bucket method and have not polished my car in almost a year with no visible swirls on any part of the car even though it is outside 24/7. I am always extremely careful to use small working areas and use a good drying towel/technique. However, I used to polish my old black Saab 900 every 6 months but even then, it was still almost swirl free using ONR. I also have the Z coated with Cquartz which has proven to help decrease the amount of marring compared to the one non coated panel which I use standard sealants and waxes on.
