How do I keep the exterior of my car clean?

[Emertxe]

I'm a complete newbie at owning a brand new car. I just got my CTR last week, and it's already getting decently dirty. I've sprayed and wiped it down with a microfiber towel, but I'm wondering if I need to do a lot more. The only problem is I have no idea what I'm doing.

Since it's my daily driver, I wanted to treat it in a way where I won't lose hair over every little thing that happens to it. At the same time, since I love the car, I don't want to completely neglect it. Is there a nice in-between for this? I was thinking of getting PPF, but I had some concerns about it (mainly how good of a job the shop would do, and wondering if the protected part would wear differently making it look weird).

I was also thinking of getting one of those Chemical Guys kits, but I don't have a clue what anything does in there. Is it worth it to buy this?

EDIT: I found some Meguiar's Gold Class Car Shampoo and Wax Paste in my garage. I was going to get a foam cannon to go with this, would this be all I need?

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[biosses]

I'm a complete newbie at owning a brand new car. I just got my CTR last week, and it's already getting decently dirty. I've sprayed and wiped it down with a microfiber towel, but I'm wondering if I need to do a lot more. The only problem is I have no idea what I'm doing.

Since it's my daily driver, I wanted to treat it in a way where I won't lose hair over every little thing that happens to it. At the same time, since I love the car, I don't want to completely neglect it. Is there a nice in-between for this? I was thinking of getting PPF, but I had some concerns about it (mainly how good of a job the shop would do, and wondering if the protected part would wear differently making it look weird).

I was also thinking of getting one of those Chemical Guys kits, but I don't have a clue what anything does in there. Is it worth it to buy this?

Don't drive the car, keep it in clean garage. lol

 

[Siqc Cafe]

Go to www.theragcompany.com

Spend some time on their site reviewing their cleaning products

Inbox me I'll help you out with some tools to get

And no I don't work for them.. Lol
I just buy their products

 

[Emertxe]

soap and water,

it ain't that difficult

really??

Well that's already what I'm doing, but I hear everyone talk about PPF, ClearCoats, clay bars, and all that, so was wondering if I should do the same.

 

[Mr. Honda]

I'm a complete newbie at owning a brand new car. I just got my CTR last week, and it's already getting decently dirty. I've sprayed and wiped it down with a microfiber towel, but I'm wondering if I need to do a lot more. The only problem is I have no idea what I'm doing.

Since it's my daily driver, I wanted to treat it in a way where I won't lose hair over every little thing that happens to it. At the same time, since I love the car, I don't want to completely neglect it. Is there a nice in-between for this? I was thinking of getting PPF, but I had some concerns about it (mainly how good of a job the shop would do, and wondering if the protected part would wear differently making it look weird).

I was also thinking of getting one of those Chemical Guys kits, but I don't have a clue what anything does in there. Is it worth it to buy this?

EDIT: I found some Meguiar's Gold Class Car Shampoo and Wax Paste in my garage. I was going to get a foam cannon to go with this, would this be all I need?

wow i'm glad i saw this because that chemical's kit looks like an amazing starter kit for sure! I have been looking into getting some stuff as well and that kit looks really great. Check out "the detail geek" on youtube, he details some nasty cars but also goes into detail on what he uses and why. I found a lot of stuff from watching him plus its relaxing watching him clean these disaster cars lol

 

[Siqc Cafe]

waste of money,

soap water and hard work,

people who buy all that crap, are just lazy

So like Palmolive, Dawn, Gain,Ajax,
What's your preference?

The kid is asking for help.
Let's be more supportive

 

[Emertxe]

waste of money,

soap water and hard work,

people who buy all that crap, are just lazy

There's nothing wrong with working smarter, not harder. But then again, I don't know if I actually want to go for the PPF and ClearCoat stuff.

 

[Deleted member 40377]

Detailing can get passionate for some (myself included). Never chastise someone for wanting to keep their investment clean. It pays off years down the road.

This is a rabbit hole. The processes and chemicals do work, when used correctly.
@Emertxe I have been detailing cars for more then 30 years. PM me any questions you have, I'd be glad to answer anything for you. I'm not a 'professional' but have been doing this enough over the years to have learned some valuable insight.

You can go cheap and easy or get way more involved and spent a shit-ton of cash, and all the levels in between. It depends on amount of patience, effort and cash you're willing to put up.

 

[spyder57]

Chemical guys is overpriced, their products are built off marketing more than engineering. Turtle wax makes some stellar ceramic sprays that are incredibly easy to apply and last months. I've also had great success with Meguiar's waterless spray and wax products.

 

[zspeed]

I would usually use the carnauba wash and wax from Meguiar’s when washing the car. For polishing, I use the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions ceramic wax and top it off with their ceramic spray. If there’s heavy swirl marks, I use Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze Ultra Finishing Polish and their Mirror Glaze Swirl Remover 2.0.

 

[seijitsu]

Detailing can get passionate for some (myself included). Never chastise someone for wanting to keep their investment clean. It pays off years down the road.

This is a rabbit hole. The processes and chemicals do work, when used correctly.
@Emertxe I have been detailing cars for more then 30 years. PM me any questions you have, I'd be glad to answer anything for you. I'm not a 'professional' but have been doing this enough over the years to have learned some valuable insight.

You can go cheap and easy or get way more involved and spent a shit-ton of cash, and all the levels in between. It depends on amount of patience, effort and cash you're willing to put up.

I decided to do a PPF and ceramic coat on my Type R. For me it came down to preserving/protecting the paint, having limited to no space to wash the car at home, less time cleaning, and ease of cleaning. Cleaning my car does not take much time or effort. Plus, I do not have to use many products. I usually wipe it down 1-2 times per week. I probably spend most of the time cleaning the wheels.

The most important factors for me were time and money. I do not have the luxury of having a lot of free time that I can dedicate to cleaning my car. Therefore, I was willing to pay money for a PPF and ceramic coat.

You have to ask yourself. How much available time do you have to clean your car? The more time you have, the more cleaning options you have available. If you do not have that time, you can consider a PPF and ceramic coat. However, depending on where you live in the US, the cost can be high. You can also learn to do it yourself, saving a ton of money (but this requires time).

 

[Emertxe]

Detailing can get passionate for some (myself included). Never chastise someone for wanting to keep their investment clean. It pays off years down the road.

This is a rabbit hole. The processes and chemicals do work, when used correctly.
@Emertxe I have been detailing cars for more then 30 years. PM me any questions you have, I'd be glad to answer anything for you. I'm not a 'professional' but have been doing this enough over the years to have learned some valuable insight.

You can go cheap and easy or get way more involved and spent a shit-ton of cash, and all the levels in between. It depends on amount of patience, effort and cash you're willing to put up.

Ideally, I don't want to go crazy on keeping it clean. I just don't want it to get permanently damage or looking beat up. Being a daily, I know I can't keep that new car look, but I want it to look as good as possible if I clean it for an hour or so once every 1-2 weeks.

My current plan is to use a foam cannon with the Meguiar's Car Shampoo/Conditioner, scrub off any particularly dirty parts, use a clay bar + lube on any rough parts, spray it down, and finally dry it with a microfiber drying towel (still looking for one, would you recommend any in particular?). Does this seem like a reasonable plan?

Also, how often should I use the wax? Might try switching to liquid wax if normal wax is too inconvenient. Not currently sure on how/when wax should be applied.

 

[Draxaan]

If you want to do all of that in an hour, you'll have to be the flash

Personally, I went with a Sunjoe SPX3000 electric pressure washer, a foam cannon ($17 on Amazon; don't get duped into the expensive ones, just by the 1.2mm nozzle insert separately), and honeydew (chemical guys?) foaming soap w/ optimum no rinse.

Suds up the car, let sit for a few minutes, get bucket of water to rinse my microfiber sponge and scrub scrub scrub. Spray off car, use wheel brush if I'm feeling frisky, scrub scrub scrub the brake dust away (oooh the brake dust on this car >_<) and then rinse again. Griot's foaming spray wax mixed with a little optimum no-rinse (doesn't foam, but it works well enough).

Go for a short drive to blast away most of the water and use an absorbent shammy for the last bit. Then weep at the added brake dust, hard minerals in my water, love bugs, and FL sun beating down lol.
Heavily recommend paint protection film and/or ceramic coating.

 

[jtrader]

I have a gravel driveway. I drive slow, but it still get's dusty. So I dust my car either every day, or every other day with my beloved California Car Duster.

 

[Jimmyjambo_fk8]

I'm a complete newbie at owning a brand new car. I just got my CTR last week, and it's already getting decently dirty. I've sprayed and wiped it down with a microfiber towel, but I'm wondering if I need to do a lot more. The only problem is I have no idea what I'm doing.

Since it's my daily driver, I wanted to treat it in a way where I won't lose hair over every little thing that happens to it. At the same time, since I love the car, I don't want to completely neglect it. Is there a nice in-between for this? I was thinking of getting PPF, but I had some concerns about it (mainly how good of a job the shop would do, and wondering if the protected part would wear differently making it look weird).

I was also thinking of getting one of those Chemical Guys kits, but I don't have a clue what anything does in there. Is it worth it to buy this?

EDIT: I found some Meguiar's Gold Class Car Shampoo and Wax Paste in my garage. I was going to get a foam cannon to go with this, would this be all I need?

You will receive plenty of replies to your post. I would highly recommend having the car "ceramic coated" for its long-term protection. Then, follow the easier steps to maintaining the car over time. I'm a big fan of "Adams" for their product line, however, Chemical Bros is a great option also.

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF you determine not to ceramic coat the ride, make sure you do a "decontamination wash" using the iron remover product. I don't recall the person who posted this a few days ago, but these cars had plenty of "iron" on the paint during shipping.

GOOD LUCK!!

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