Anyone else obsessed over car care?

Even though I lease my cars, I still like to keep them looking great.

This is the first year I'm going all out - got a Torq X variable speed buffer (5 inch) and a ton of Chemical Guys products - V32 though V38 paint correctors, Black Light Polish (for a black car), foam cannon, new towels, leather cleaners and conditioners, etc...

Still a bit cold out, but I wanted to try them out so I just did the hood today - amazing how many swirl marks and damaged is caused by the winter. I started with v38 and moved down to v36. Followed it with the Black Light polish - amazing difference.

I used to polish / wax by hand - ain't no one got time for that! lol... Buffer made it so much easier and faster.

When it gets a bit warmer, I'll do the whole car and finish with some Migliore 50% carnuba wax I bought last year.

Any other weekend detailers out there? Any tips?

 

To be very honest I like my stuff with some dirt and dust on it. My car, an old van is a lost cause when it comes to washing and waxing so i dont even bother. washed it last week but thats just because it was a nice day. I have a nice motorcycle but dont wash it alot. i like the patina of dust on it. shows i actually use the thing. i was in arizona a few weeks ago in oatman and there were a bunch of bikes there, not one of them had even a speck of dust on them. now how can you ride a motorcycle through the desert and show up without any dust? the answer is, they didnt, they just rode it from their trailer to oatman. I am not that guy.

I also feel that I need to incorporate some wood somewhere on just about everything I won so if I have to repair anything then i will try to do it with wood, hillbilly style, srs. My motorcycle fairing bracket broke so i made a new one out of wood. Wanted some new highway pegs but they are like $50 so screw that, made them out of wood as well.

 

My truck is 17 years old. It gets washed occasionally and waxed maybe once a year. It looks pretty good and hasn't rusted because it resides in a garage. To me, the truck is a tool. It deserves care like any tool, but it isn't a display item.

I see extreme car care as something to do if you like doing it and if a great looking vehicle makes you happier.

 

I'm sort like Isiunsuex but not to that extreme, every Sunday I fill up a 5 gallon bucket of water and hand wash my white 2007 Dakota. I can't see paying $10 or even $5 to pay for washing my truck when I can do it myself for free.

 

My car is the least painful part of me to wax, so I go for it!

RICHARD

 

Not at all!

 

Before & after headlight restoration. Numerous kits are for sale (which includes 2 stages of sandpapers and a polish). I used a progression of wet sandpapers starting with 400 grit, 800 grit, 1000 grit, 2000 grit, 3000 grit, 4000 grit, and 7000 grit, followed by rubbing compound, then polishing compound, and finally a sealant.

 

I have found these are great for getting in to tight spaces on wheels. I have snowflake style wheels on my car and this can get in to the tight spots and get the brake dust off quite well.



I don't go too crazy on my exterior, living near Seattle it is a losing game in a lot of respects with the rain and mud.....but a couple times a year I will do some serious exterior love and have considered getting a good buffer. I do keep it waxed, shows off the dirt better that way.

My tip for doing interiors is to use an air compressor with a blow gun like this. I dislodge stuff between seats, cracks and crevices in seats and headliners, and it is great for blowing out pine needles under the hood and trunk. For me it is the first step doing the interior, then the vacuum. The only caveat is to be careful not to blow stuff in to the CD player slot. Usually I finish up the interior with a soft bristle toothbrush and what ever protectant is on sale.

 

I use to keep my car looking fresh and new every single week, even though its an older model car, if it wasnt getting the full treatment, it at least got a wipe down with some detailer spray...I do auto collision work but also have been the car detailer at my job for 12 years as they cant afford someone hourly so insurance companies pay me to do it, saves our company money

reason I stopped caring so much about my car appearance wise is when I had it nice, people seem to keep running into it and leaving and not leaving a note...parts are expensive and Im tired of fixing it just to get hit again


to the OP, you should look into a 3m clear wrap, expensive if you pay someone but not hard to do yourself, detailer the car to show quality, install wrap and never have to polish it again, plus it stops rock chips too

 

That's a lot of product - kind of compares to all the product it takes to keep me looking new and shiny except my results aren't nearly as good as yours.

 

I do a lot of headlights, to this day I have never used a kit for them...just wet sand them pretty much as you do, getting finer and finer, but I stop at 1000 grit. I will polish it and see if everything is to my liking. then I scuff them back up again with 1000 grit or a red scotch brite pad. blow the dust off and shoot clear coat on them, store stuff should work, I use automotive clear but it makes them look brand new and wont haze over again till the clear is gone which will take years

 

NewOrleans what is the technique to using a clear coat on the headlights? I've done about 5 applications and each time I end up sanding it off because the spray either runs, or comes out with "orange peel," or the over spray feels like sand paper, and it never comes out good for me. I used this Rustoleum brand clear spray. Prior to the clear spray I would wet sand as well but I found that with the multiple wet sandpaper grits and the rubbing compound and polishing coupon, it comes out shiny everytime.

 

yes as u can tell i wax my car daily....... and i hate filthy dust on my car

 

personally, I have not used clear from a spray can, I have seen people do it but not myself...the tempature and distance you are spraying from, plus times between coats will play a factor in your overall finish...I use the paint booth and automotive clear at work. I like to go with a wet coat, almost running it, clear lays out flat and they look brand new yet hold up better

ive had people who didnt want to pay extra to clear coat them so they just had them polished and looking good but without sealing them up, they will start hazing again in a few months

 

I've got that Mothers PowerCone as well, does a nice job when I polish my powdercoated wheels

 

I would suggest using clay and a spray detailer/lubricant to remove embedded dirt,sap, etc from the horizontal surfaces , and even some vertical surfaces . when you use the clay system , it removes all the crap so you don't wax it . Try it once , the surface comes out smooth as glass . Then when you polish and wax , or just wax , you have a sound base . Also , wax your rims , it really helps to repel brake dust . Yeah , I am a car nut ! Bob

 

any recommended leather care products? The leather in my car is beginning to crack...

 

Give this a try - https://www.chemicalguys.com/Leather_Care_Kit_16_oz_2_Pack_p/spi_109_16.htm
Found this for actual cracks -

 

To answer the OP's original question. Not obsessed. Car wash once every 3-4 months to get rid of road salt and that's about it. I took great pride in my first used car back in 1970. Washed and waxed it every couple of weeks. Now...I could care less. Just get me from point A to B.

 

I was obsessively clean in my car --- until I had a kid!!!

A Corvette purchase is a few years away --- no one touches that except me!!!