Questions, so many questions
 

Well after my wash/wax the other day, my car was looking friggin awesome.

Anyway I did a little bit of reading about polishers etc etc and sealants blah blah blah.

I also looked on that detailing website that was linked earlier, but it just confused me.

What do I need to do to keep the paint looking almost brand new on my vehicle?

Wash/run some clay/wax? What else is there?

Also whats out there for tires that doesnt splash everywhere? Im using tire magic or something like that and once I get going it splashes all over my rims.

AND last but not least a good rim cleaner.

Mineral Gray FTW!!!

Tire's: Any tire gel really. I'm gonna order some Pinnacle Black Onyx gel, but you can get Armor All Gel from a local auto store.

Wheels: Just get an all wheel cleaner like Meguier's. If you have chrome, I love Mother's chrome polish.

Before you try removing swirls, use a clay bar kit to remove contaments in the paint.

Paint: If you ahve swirls then use a swirl remover. Lot's of them out there and all vary in their "courseness". Once you get the swirl's out, they theoretically shouldnt come back to easily if you keep care of it. After using the swirl remover, use a light polish or glaze, such as Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Glaze. And then finish off with a nice wax. Some glazes or sealers have caranuba wax in them already and some don't I believe.

Also a caranuba wazx generally makes the paint "pop" a little more and has a deeper wet look. However it will only last about 6-8 weeks. A synthetic will last longer, but is somewhat a protective cover wax, and may not make the paint pop like a caranuba.

I always use microfiber cloths when touching my car. Also, I love using quick detailers. I recommend Turtle Wax ICE since you can get it at a local store.

Couple tips: never wash or wax in direct sunlight, try not to use hard water, do not use detergent to wash.

I'm about to buy a Porter Cable 7424 kit with Pinnacle MXT kit. Includes the machine, pads, and swirl remover #2, #1, and finisihing glaze. I'm also buying #3 swirl remover along with a yellow cutting pad for I want to start a little side business. Also I'm buying Pinnacle Series II Paste wax and 2 Blue Final Finishing pads.

I hope this helps you out some.

nice thanks dude

makes more sense now

Just be careful when using cutting pads and compounds when polishing. If you have a porter cable, or any machine really, keep it moving. Your literally removing some of the clear coat when polishing, so you don't want to leave any hot spots.

EDIT: And also, when removing swirls, you don't have to do the entire car with say a MXT #3 compund. Just do the parts that are the worst, then use the #1 for the entire car, followed by a glaze, and then a wax.

Armor makes some of the best stuff, interior and exterior.

I dunno about the wash's waxes and stuff. I use stuff that my g/fs dad makes...wash/color brightener/wax ...all on microfiber cloths..

As for my tires... I just use a amoral spray stuff ... keeps them nice and black..

And rims..well I've got stock rims but I use uh... i think like Meguiers or something.. comes in a little black bottle..

If you have a darker car and you get alot of dust on it and stuff.... places like autozone sell these big dusters...

I have a forest green stang.. and it gets dusty sooo much..went and bought myself one of those, takes the dust off...

I might go outside right now and take some pics of my stang... they will be pretty lousy considering it'll be on my cell..but.. what the hell right? =p