Care and Detailing Purchase List

[Stallion]

Okay, it's that time of year. The weather is warming up (although they are calling for snow here in NJ) and with warm weather brings time for Corvette Cruise and Care. In my case right now, this thread is for the Care part and Detailing her. This week I'm going to order the necessary products I need for maintainance and detailing for the Vette. You know, washes, conditioners, cleaners, all that fun stuff!!

Here is what I have so far. And this is in a specific order in how I'm going to do this. If I am wrong for the order (for instance, of de-waxing and waxing and washing, etc.) then please tell me. Here's the list...

First
  - First what I'm going to do initially is wash the Vette down with a pH balance washing. This will be what I do before I do anything else to her.
Product: Zaino Z-7 Show Car Wash

Second
  - I'm a little confused as to what I should do next. It is said that I should now clay bar the Vette, but I don't think this is necessary. Don't get me wrong, she is in almost perfect condition. Her paint job is in great condition and shine, too. What really bothers me about the idea is that I imagine the clay bar is abbrassive, and that's just something I don't want to do to my Corvette. You must understand what I mean. So why would I need the clay bar??
Product: ?? (if I decided to clay bar, what should I use? If I need to clay bar the Vette, please convince me to and why I would need to )

Third
  - Now what I'm going to do (second if I don't clay bar her) is de-wax the Vette.
Product: 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner


Fourth
  - After I do the Third step, I'm going to need to apply the protective. The one I chose (from Zaino) is called a "polish", but it is not abrassive, so I like that. It's a polymer used to protect and shine, and it will be good on my decals.
Product: Zaino Products

Is there anything else I need to do as far as the body goes? Or are the above steps everything that I should do for the body and paint?

FROM HERE ON THERE IS NO SPECIFIC ORDER

Fifth
  - Now after the body work (if the above four steps are enough. Please tell me if I'm missing something) I will go to the wheels. I have aluminum wheels on my '78. What I'm looking to get is something that will put shine on the wheels and make them luster. Richard Newton references this method (although it's a lot of maitainence for alum., I think the result is worth it) but he doesn't talk about a specific product to use. What would you recommend to shine and protect my aluminum wheels?
Product: ??

Sixth
  - While I'm down working on the wheels I'm going to also put some tire shine on the tires. I think that makes the Vette look that much nicer. Tire shines are very nice and I want to use them. Also what I'm after is something to make the white outline for the tire lettering more bright and just clearer to make it look nicer. What products should I use to shine the tires and what should I use to "paint" the white tire lettering?
Product: ??

I think this clears up all of the exterior care and detailing. Unless I'm missing something. And the windows, what do you guys use on your Corvette windows? Will Windex (sp?) be sufficient for this or do you guys use specific products on your Corvette windows? As far as exterior goes, am I missing anything?

Seventh
  - Now on to the interior. For now I'm going to condition my leather seats. I don't want them to dry out so I of course will need to invest in conditioner for the seats. I think I'm going to go with www.LeatherMagic.com for the conditioner. Is this the best? Is this what all you guys use on your leather seats?
Product: www.LeatherMagic.com (unless you guys suggest something else)

Okay, well I think these are the main things I need to do for care and detailing. Do I have this right? If there are any misunderstandings in my above information, then please correct me. As well as if I'm missing out on something, please tell me.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions?

TR

 

[DetailingDude]

First
  - First what I'm going to do initially is wash the Vette down with a pH balance washing. This will be what I do before I do anything else to her.
Product: Zaino Z-7 Show Car Wash

Nothing to add on my part.

Second
  - I'm a little confused as to what I should do next. It is said that I should now clay bar the Vette, but I don't think this is necessary. Don't get me wrong, she is in almost perfect condition. Her paint job is in great condition and shine, too. What really bothers me about the idea is that I imagine the clay bar is abbrassive, and that's just something I don't want to do to my Corvette. You must understand what I mean. So why would I need the clay bar??
Product: ?? (if I decided to clay bar, what should I use? If I need to clay bar the Vette, please convince me to and why I would need to )


I can't convince you on the clay bar. But what I want you to do it to take a Cellophane Cigarette Wrapper, put 2 fingers inside and glide it across the surface of your paint. If you feel anything other than paint then you should clay!

Third
  - Now what I'm going to do (second if I don't clay bar her) is de-wax the Vette.
Product: 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner

Nothing to add on my part, except apply with a 100% Cotton Towel.

Fourth
  - After I do the Third step, I'm going to need to apply the protective. The one I chose (from Zaino) is called a "polish", but it is not abrassive, so I like that. It's a polymer used to protect and shine, and it will be good on my decals.
Product: Zaino Products

Nothing to add on my part, except get the ZFX. You'll need it to put on several layers of Zaino.

FROM HERE ON THERE IS NO SPECIFIC ORDER

Fifth
  - Now after the body work (if the above four steps are enough. Please tell me if I'm missing something) I will go to the wheels. I have aluminum wheels on my '78. What I'm looking to get is something that will put shine on the wheels and make them luster. Richard Newton references this method (although it's a lot of maitainence for alum., I think the result is worth it) but he doesn't talk about a specific product to use. What would you recommend to shine and protect my aluminum wheels?

I am trying to track down the contact info for a small Florida company called Sonshine Metal polish. They do a metal polish that many Florida Corvette Club members swear by. It is good for cleaning up aluminum. To maintain them put on several layers of Zaino.


Sixth
  - While I'm down working on the wheels I'm going to also put some tire shine on the tires. I think that makes the Vette look that much nicer. Tire shines are very nice and I want to use them. Also what I'm after is something to make the white outline for the tire lettering more bright and just clearer to make it look nicer. What products should I use to shine the tires and what should I use to "paint" the white tire lettering?
Product: I am waiting for the EnduraLast product to be launched. It sounds to me like it is worth the wait.... but we'll see.

I think this clears up all of the exterior care and detailing. Unless I'm missing something. And the windows, what do you guys use on your Corvette windows? Will Windex (sp?) be sufficient for this or do you guys use specific products on your Corvette windows? As far as exterior goes, am I missing anything?

Clay your windows and on the side ones put Rain-X. If I were you I'd also clay your headlights and tail lights.

Seventh
  - Now on to the interior. For now I'm going to condition my leather seats. I don't want them to dry out so I of course will need to invest in conditioner for the seats. I think I'm going to go with www.LeatherMagic.com for the conditioner. Is this the best? Is this what all you guys use on your leather seats?
Product: www.LeatherMagic.com (unless you guys suggest something else)

I am a long term user of Connoly Hide Food, but for cleaning up the leather I've been verrrry impressed with LeatherMagic. I don't think many people on here have used it yet though. If you're ordering Zaino then you should just get their leather kit and save an additional shipping charge from a different company.

Okay, well I think these are the main things I need to do for care and detailing. Do I have this right? If there are any misunderstandings in my above information, then please correct me. As well as if I'm missing out on something, please tell me.

I am sure something will hit me as my head hits the pillow. Let us know how things go for you on your Vette.

 

[Stallion]

Okay, thanks DetailingDude. For the primer and "polish", I will use ZFX and that should be the only thing I need for protection (instead of wax) and shine (instead of polish). It should be good.

About the clay bar, even if my Vette does need it, what are the reprocussions if I don't use it? Nothing bad, right?

Thanks again!

TR

 

[GS Diva]

TR,

Take Detailing Dude's advice and clay bar the car!!! Just follow his directions, and your car will be so much the better for it! After all, you have no real idea of its many years history of care and detailing. As a matter of fact, I'm going to clay bar our one year old 2002 convertible.

Elaine

 

[DetailingDude]

Okay, thanks DetailingDude. For the primer and "polish", I will use ZFX and that should be the only thing I need for protection (instead of wax) and shine (instead of polish). It should be good.

About the clay bar, even if my Vette does need it, what are the reprocussions if I don't use it? Nothing bad, right?

Thanks again!

TR

You'll never know til you go!

Yes!!! It does make a huge difference in the performance and the ease of application of the other products.

Am I gonna have to come there and slap you around to get you to do things right? Cuz I will! (but you gotta pay the air fare, k)

 

[Stallion]

Okay okay. I think you guys have convinced me. But I need your word that this clay bar won't ruin my beautiful Silver Anniversary paint!! Okay?

What is the product? And do you guys know of or have a link to a very in-depth guide to clay barring? It sounds like one of those things where if you do it wrong it could mess up everything.

Thanks!!

 

[GS Diva]

Check this out... http://corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20196

Elaine

 

[born2saw]

OK, Now I'm a little confused.

It seems to me to make more sense to strip the old wax first, then clay bar, rather than clay bar on the old wax because when you remove the old wax, won't you remove some of the contaminents in the old wax and maybe leave some that were under the old wax? So, would this be a more correct order?

1. Wash
2. Dewax
3. Wash again??
4. Clay bar
5. Apply Zaino Polish

I am finishing up a few mechanical things but I have scheduled a long weekend in May for Vette detailing so I am very interested in what you guys think.

TR, let me know how whatever you do turns out.

Bruce

 

[RubyDropTop]

Something Worth Mentioning....

I would just like to add something to think about for the "clay bar hesitant" crowd. You may feel that your car does not need to be clayed, that the paint is contaminant free and you'd just be wasting your time or damaging your paint in some way.

If you choose not to clay, what you are in essence doing every time you apply pressure to the paint finish (such as waxing or applying Zaino) is breaking off those contaminants that you thought were not there, and rubbing them into your paint. I don't think that is what you had in mind.

I really recommend the use of a clay bar at the onset of a detailing regime, and then to be used on an as needed basis. Both Mother's and Clay Magic produce clay bars that are simple to use and effective. It's most definitely worth the time and energy. You'll be missing a critical part of the puzzle if you omit this step.

 

[Stallion]

"won't you remove some of the contaminents in the old wax and maybe leave some that were under the old wax? So, would this be a more correct order?"

Well, that is a good question. As I don't know the answer, that sounds logically right the way you explain it. So are we supposed to de-wax first and then clay bar, or vice versa, DetailingDude?

"but I have scheduled a long weekend in May for Vette detailing"

As do I!! I can't wait.

Thanks for that link. I will read that thread thoroughly and, probably, be back with questions. Thanks again!!

TR

 

[DetailingDude]

Think of it this way...

The first thing you do is wash the loose dirt off the wax. The second thing you do is clay the stuck dirt off the wax. The third thing you do is remove the wax. Now you are down to fresh paint.

 

[Stallion]

Okay, that answers our question. Thanks!!

TR

 

[Stallion]

About the tires and the white lettering. Any idea on what I can do to paint up the letters so they are a little brighter? Especially if/when I put the tire shine on, it might impede on the white lettering.

Any ideas?? Thanks!

 

[DetailingDude]

Westley's Blech Whit

 

[Stallion]

http://westleys.com/internal_pages/Bleche-White.htm

I think this is what I'm looking for. Westley's Bleche White? Do you use this? How do you like it?

Thanks!

 

[DetailingDude]

That's the one. I haven't used it in quite some time.... I can't say that I've seen white walls in a few years. It will do a great job. Use a bristle brush with it.

On the tire dressing..... I've just used Meguiar's Hot Tires I think it was..... and I was (sorry Barry!) not impressed. I was impressed with how it turned the tire black but not how everything within a two mile radius stuck to it. I'm going to stick with the Turtle Wax one. (Cheap, probably attracks a bit less dust, but cheap!) I am really looking for Enduralast to launch.

 

[born2saw]

I've used Meguiar's Natural Shine on my tires. It is not as high gloss and gives the tires a satin, deep finish (which I personally prefer to the high gloss). I does not seem to attract alot of dirt and dust, & lasts about as long as anything I've used. I think you need to try a few different tire dressings to see what type of finish you like and to decide if you like how it goes on (some have black pigment & will smear on your white letters).

DetailingDude,

Do you not remove the contaminants in the wax when you take the wax off? If you clay the car before removing the wax (and whatever is embedded in the wax) are there still contaminants in the paint??

I am far from a detailing expert, but I have taken a few science classes in college & I do not understand why you would remove contaminants from the wax unless you were not going to strip off the old wax. Please enlighten me with a logical explanation because so far, you explanation is not logical to me.

Thanks

 

[DetailingDude]

Important Note: I've moved things around from born2saw's post only to allow for a better flow of the discussion.

Please enlighten me with a logical explanation (of your process) because so far, you explanation is not logical to me.
On a personal note it's nice to be challenged like this every now and then because it does make help me see deeper into the process and reaffirm things..... In a way 'enlightening' me as well (once again). So...Thanks! Sometimes after being in the business after 15 years I take a few things for granted, or I get a bit lazy and cut a corner or two, so returning me to square one is very helpful. It will also help me with writing the website.

I do not understand why you would remove contaminants from the wax unless you were not going to strip off the old wax.
This is the basis of your reasoning so I put it up here so everybody is operating on the same page under the same assumptions.

If you clay the car before removing the wax (and whatever is embedded in the wax) are there still contaminants in the paint?
Yes and no. Every car is different and there are an seemingly endless list of contaminants in varying miniscule sizes and shapes. Throw in a bit of human error from the previously applied surface care session (some matter may be trapped below the wax) and you can see why the process is as it is.

Most clay bars are mainly non-abrasive but can still grab ahold of solid matter which has broken past the protective layer or have been trapped there and are on the paint. It's just the unique way that most clays bar have been constructed. However, a clay bar does not have a "cleansing" ability.

Do you not remove the contaminants in the wax when you take the wax off?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Again, every car and contaminant is different.... What you take the contaminants off with plays a huge role in this as well.

I've 'standardized' the first few steps of the program which is is in an easy-to-follow format. However, on the steps after that is where the human interaction with the paint is necessary and that is where is say inspect, inspect, inspect. Make sure you have the surface completely clear: If you need to repeat any of the previous steps then do so.

Now onto your question.... One particular example of the contamination not being removed is with overspray. You could dewax all you like and the overspray would still be sticking to the wax. Road tar as well. Tree Sap Mist too. For general surface contaminants it can be a yes or no though. You'll see where in my posts that I say "Introduce you're waxing system". If you took off the wax prior to claying off overspray you'd likely have some wax residue below.

Side Note: One additional benefit of claying before dewaxing is that the surface is a bit more slick thus reducing the friction on the paint.

I do hope that this is the logical response you were looking for. :cool

 

[born2saw]

DetailingDude

I Hope you did not take any offense because I assure you none was intended. Your explanation now makes more sense. However, should I not reclay after dewaxing? I also will want to use somethng to help reduce the appearance fo the light swill marks/surface scratches in the paint/clearcoat surface before I apply my first wax (I am old fashioned, I still like the look of a pure carnuba (sp?) wax). I am not sure what kind of paint was applied to my Vette, but it is probably 4-5 years old and was not a top dollar job although it still looks good. This will be the first time I detail my Vette since I have bought it and in general it looks pretty good but it is a street driven paint-not show quality. I have used products such as Scratch X on my metal cars & have been pleased with the results, but want to be sure with my "baby"and keep her looking good as long as I can while still having fun driving her.

Again, yopur posts have been most informative & I have learned much from you and all the other CAC folks.

RULES
Bruce