Only took 40 years but I finally figured out how to wash a car...

[unholy79]

My CTR has been a mess since I got it from the dealer, it already had swirls and scratches. I've hand washed it a few times but it didn't quite cut it. Finally invested in some good supplies and managed to clear up most of my complaints - water spots, swirls, etc... I got everything I needed from AutoZone. I used Griots Garage Brilliant Finish Synthetic Detailing Clay, Speed Shine Detailing Spray, Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax Spray, Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam Car Wash, and Stoner’s Invisible Glass. End result was this:

Up until yesterday I was genuinely cursing that I bought a black car. My neighbor runs a detail shop so he also gave me some advice. I gave it a quick rinse with the pressure washer (Honda of course lol), coated it with suds from the Chemical Guys wash, also used the two-bucket technique and a microfiber wash mitt to give it a good scrub. I'd always used the Karate Kid method of wax on / wax off but was told to use straight lines instead which provided much better results.
I also used microfiber drying towels which got the car dry MUCH quicker than the smaller microfiber cloths I used to use. I managed to get it dry before too many water spots formed, any that did were quickly remedied with the speed shine.
I only used the synthetic detailing clay on the hood, but that with the speed shine yielded magnificent results. Lastly I used the 3-in-1 ceramic spray wax and really took my time with it. There are definitely some spots that I'll hand off to a professional as far as some scratches in the clear coat but I'm not gonna go too crazy yet it only has 3500 miles on it so far.
I'm just happy I was able to get it looking like this without killing myself, and its something I could easily do again. I'm really curious to see how well the ceramic wax holds up.

Cheers!

 

[ts13]

Looks good!

 

[Ormi1911]

Dude that is more than good. Fantastic work. All good products you used as well. Brilliant reflection on that CTR. Glad you got it to the level you wanted it. It certainly paid off!

 

[Redleg627]

Awesome results! Better than show room. Did you give the inside some love too?

 

[unholy79]

Picked up a Chemical Guys foam cannon on Amazon, beats the heck out of using the built-in soap dispenser on my power washer. Turned my CTR into a marshmallow.

 

[Habanero]

Since you were already hand waxing you were 90% there already as most people don’t go even that far. Interested in the clay stuff because mine is black too and it’s had waterspots bad down one side since I bought it.

 

[unholy79]

Since you were already hand waxing you were 90% there already as most people don’t go even that far. Interested in the clay stuff because mine is black too and it’s had waterspots bad down one side since I bought it.

Yea the Griots Garage Detailing Spray and Synthetic Clay should clear those up quickly. I had waxed-over water spots on the hood in my case.

 

[BoostedDreams]

Looks great! I also had hard water spots etched into the paint. I wasn’t able to get them off with anything I tried including black fire water spot remover. I ended up getting a killer deal on a paint correction with ceramic coating for $500. Also, only have 2,300 miles on it. I probably won’t do a black car again lol. The only issue I’m having now is where the runs off it leaves a stain. It wipes off but comes back when it rains or I wash it again. Any ideas ? Detailer said he hasn’t seen that before.

 

[unholy79]

Awesome results! Better than show room. Did you give the inside some love too?

Not yet but it could definitely use a vacuum. I replaced the stock mats with a set of those form fit rubber mats, so at least with those I can just hose them off.

 

[unholy79]

Looks great! I also had hard water spots etched into the paint. I wasn’t able to get them off with anything I tried including black fire water spot remover. I ended up getting a killer deal on a paint correction with ceramic coating for $500. Also, only have 2,300 miles on it. I probably won’t do a black car again lol. The only issue I’m having now is where the runs off it leaves a stain. It wipes off but comes back when it rains or I wash it again. Any ideas ? Detailer said he hasn’t seen that before.

Yea those runoff stains are a PITA. After drying the car, clearing out the door jambs, hatch jamb, pop the hood, etc... I can mostly avoid them. If the car doesn't need a full wash after the rain, I hit those areas with detailing spray and wipe it off. Usually the side mirrors are the biggest source for me. I think sometimes it may be early morning condensation that rolls off the car due to the coating.

 

[giliusthunderhead]

I just started using meguiars ultimate liquid wax. Highly recommend.

 

[Zodd]

u have to use leaf blower to get most of the water off mirors and rear hatch... those hatchbacks are nightmare to clean, i have sport in rally red, i wanted black one but waiting list was too long... i would lose my mind with black hatchback

 

[PNWCIVICSPORTHB]

last black car i owned was a 1985 black GTI. after that i swore never again . Black looks great in a garage or on display, but for a everyday driver its a pita to take care of .

 

[Canuck]

Picked up a Chemical Guys foam cannon on Amazon, beats the heck out of using the built-in soap dispenser on my power washer. Turned my CTR into a marshmallow.

Hahaha! Now you have to clean up the pickup!

 

[redcoats1976]

lookin good.i bought a random orbital polisher and its great for detailing,removing swirls and light scratches.

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