Dusty Car?

[Brad!]

Im kind of obssesive with cleaning my car and wash it probally more often then i should!!

I have a quick question...

I use Megauires NX liquid wax to polish my car. After this is done my car becomes a total dust magnet!!

Am i missing a step at the end or does the wax make it naturally sticky?

While im on this topic - Does anyone know how much it would cost to get swirl marks removed. My car is black so its covered with spider webbing/swirl marks and i cant stand it. Im located in Sydney and would love some recomended places - Mobile or take it there.

Thanks for the help on both questions!! :)

[DJKOR]

I use the same wax as well. It's a great wax but requires a little more buffing to make it look smooth and not 'greasy'. I'm not sure if you get the 'greasy' issue, but I do. I have tried applying thinner and thinner coats but to no help. I also let my wax dry over a period of about 2 hours. I think that all this is a result of the 'doesn't dry white' feature of the wax. It is probably a result of the type of wax and polymers that they use. But yes, it certainly does make the surface of the car more static and attractive to dust. My solution is the NXT Speed Detailer. Seems to help a little with both issues.

I'm not sure if it comes down to the buffing or the wax itself as I haven't had that much experience with wax. The only other one I've used before is Meguiars Cleaner Wax and that left white power on the car after buffing. Once that was removed though from dusting, the surface wasn't as attractive to dust as the NXT wax. That's my experience anyways.

[Brad!]

so there are no tricks to stop the dust

I want to find a detailer that can cut the paint right back and do some minorr paint fixing. Any one got any one they can recomend In Sydney?

[GUZZLA]

I can't recomend who but can recomend not to use..

I had a bloke from Car Care polish my SS ute while I was away a few years ago. When I came home it was super clean until I moved it into the sun at which point every panel was covered in swirl marks.

They had three goes at fixing it before I told them to get nicked and my panel beater advised me to sue them through their insurance as he believed it was bad enough to warrant a respray. I spent another 2 weekends on it myself but it never looked the same. It gave me the irits so much I traded it in as I wasn't interested in all the legal hassles.

Apparently the number one rule with polishing black paint is you use a compleytely different buffer and buffing compound to any other colour. The technique is also different.

My tip to you is if you take that much care of your vehicle, take your time and find the right company to do it and even look at the vehicles they've done. Most of all dont base your decision on cost - you dont want a quick polish, you want a quality one (on the paint that is)

The paint should only need a polish every 3-6 months and you should be using 100% soft weave cotton towel. If they touch the ground, bin it and get a new one. Same when you wash the car, a deep bucket of water keeps all the dirt at the bottom. Using hot soapy water to flood the panel as you wash it ,stops the dirt being rubbed into the paint. Basicaly the less you touch the paint with anything the greater your chances of not damaging the paint. Washing the lower part of your ride, including the wheels should always be done with a seperate sponge as this is where large chunks of road grime and dirt build up - you don't need that stuff rubbed into the roof. Fiunger nails, rings, belt buckles and jeans studs etc can cuse scratches too.

Keep us posted and maybe tell us the exact process you use to wash and polish your vehicle in an effort to reduce swirl marks you may be inflicting yourself.

If there are any professional detailers on here, it would be good to read your comments too. Maybe even restore my faith.

Cheers,

Nath

[Brad!]

Here are the steps i take in doing a FULL wash/wax on my car

1. Hose the car down in the shade. Using warm water and Meguiers shampoo (The pink stuff not sure the name) with a lambs wool wash mitt i wash the car. (25 mins)

2. Car is then dried with microfiber chamois (15 mins)

3. Clay bar the whole car (1 - 2hrs depending on how hot it is)

4. Scratch X the bad parts (1hr - Given up on this as it seems to make no difference to the swirls :()

5. Use NX liquid wax with applicator pad - One panel at a time - Put it on - 1 terry towel in a circular motion to get the first bulk of wax off - 2nd Terry towel to get the remainder - Microfiber towel to give it the final shine.

I don’t touch my car with anything when its dirty (Hands, Towels anything)

I only use clean quality towels (Like you said, dropped gone)

My question is two part - What am i doing wrong in regards to the dust problem - or is this unavoidable?

When i do get my car professionally done - How can i prevent the swirl marks from coming back

With the professional detail i am looking to spend around $500 - From this i would like a swirl marks gone as well as some touch up on stone chips etc - Am i asking to much for this price

Any help is greatly appreciated

[GUZZLA]

Hi Brad,

Like I said before I dont claim to be an expert and thanks for listing your cleaning detail.

Your program looks pretty straight forward until you look closely. It appears you spend 25minutes washing the panels with a wool mit. 25min seems like eccess for such a small car. Correct me if I'm wrong but I can only imagine you rubbing circle after circle across all the panels scrubbing it back and forth.

The clay bar should only be used on heavily contaminated surfaces. Once it has been used, normal washing is all thats needed to keep the paint work clean. The clay bar is an abrasive after all and is the No1 enemy of black paint. While polish definately has its merits, I would only be applying it every couple of months just as a protective layer to dirt and grime. Constant use means excessive contact and rubbing of the paint surface - not something black paint likes.

On my metallic black Corolla I rinse the car with a high pressure hose (not a gernie) then with a fully soaked microfibre mit squeeze the warm soapy water over the panel before soaking it again and making one pass over each area. I do one panel at a time and rince it of with smooth running water straight away. This causes the water to bead, creating capillary action that makes the water run off the panel leaving bugger all to chamios and leaving no streakingor water marks . I do this with each panel and go no lower than the bottoms of the doors with my good mit. The older mit does the sill sections and wheel arches while the the wheels get done with degreaser and paint brush followed by a quick rinse. This is all done within 15min and I havent broken a sweat.

I do take about the same time as you drying it but leave it at that.

I think the dust is always there, its just more obvious on a shiney panel. I can see the dust settle on mine whith in an hour of drying it and it ****s me to no end too. Not as obvoius with wihte paint but we both know black cars are FTW.

Being prepared to spend that kind of money means your serious about getting it fixed and I stronly recomend speaking to a few panel beaters and asking if they're interested in doing it. Just make sure you both agree on what the finished product will look like. These guys spend there life making paint look good and they know how to use a buffer properly. If you can find a panel shop with some smick modified cars there, there's a good chance they will know why your so ******.

What you're asking for is not unreasonable at all and I hope I have been of some help.

Keep us posted.

Nath

[and1]

The reason I believe why freshly waxed cars attract alot of dust is because the layer of wax gets slightly soft in the sun as that's what waxes do when heat is applied; they melt or soften.

So then the dirt particles stick to the wax and then when it hardens, it stays there.

Well there's Andy's theory of dusty cars ;)

[Brad!]

Well,

I went and got a Meguiars Polisher (g220) - Ill let the results speak for them self!

Bye Bye swirl marks (At least in the photo!!)

[Rolla Boy]

Lookin good mate...

Meguiars make some excellent swirl removing products... Always happy with the results I get with them...

[Wixy]

I use Megauires NX liquid wax to polish my car. After this is done my car becomes a total dust magnet!!

nice to see that you are enjoying the benefits of the dual action polisher. they are great machines, and only one of the few out in the international market that do not allow paint burn.

in answering your questions:

1. Using Meg's NXT Liquid Wax 1.0 is not a form of a polishing step. Polishing is when you create gloss, a definition is in the dictionary. Wax does create "some" gloss but its main purpose is to enhance the protection of the car's paint. Polishing is a different step to waxing, they should never be mixed up. Also, stay away from products that say they are a form of polish but protect your car. polishing a car will never protect it, it only serves to enhance gloss. If you are interested in perfecting detailing you can seek assistance from the Australian Meg's hotline, or visit the Meg's online forums.

Now that you have a g220, u can now further enhance your gloss to the max by getting meg's deep crystal polish, then following it up by the waxing stage. Polishing is a work on work in product, just like the scratch x. meaning, you dont buff the remnants, you apply it onto the surface until it's gone. Also, there are alot of pros out there using the g220, its all about the technique and secrets from the trade.

2. Regarding the dust. its only normal for a car to be dusty, especially after a full detail. to make things worse, you have metallic black paint. anything and everything will show up on that. To aid in countering the dust problem, you should use Meg's NXT Liquid Wax 2.0 follow up by a Last Stage Product; Meg's Ultimate Quik Detailer. That will enable superior water and dust beading. You can also use Meg's Dust Magnet cloth, that removes accumulated dust with scratch free results - just make sure youre removing dust and dust only. Dirt will scratch.

For further enhancement on detailing, check out Meg's Professional Line. That with your g220 will make your sleek black corrolla the stand out from other corrolla's. It will also help out with the difficult swirl marks that scratch x is unable to remove USING the g220. most swirls/webs can be removed through the g220 but some are dug in so deep into you paint you need strong cutting compounds in the professional line. just make sure after removing you practice clean detailing.

Use a zeon torch light and a camera to assess the amount, length, and depth of your swirl/web marks.

have fun detailing, its spring time! u could do a search, there has been long replies regarding detailing topics.

cheers

[GUZZLA]

Thats a good detailed answer above. From my experience too, Maguires have always made good products.

I was returning a press vehicle the other day and got chatting to the detailer there. He was showing me all the gear he uses and what it's used for, including buff pads, different types of cutting compounds and polishes.

I've has a noticable scrath in the clear coat at the top of the door for some time and have been unable to remove it. I showed him and within 5min the scratch was gone. Dam I was impressed.

One thing I did notice was that not one of his products was a big 'brand name'. All his gear was sourced from panel and paint shops. Like he said to me, "Those guys sell paint products for a living. Of course they know how to keep the paint in top condition".

I got the feeling he knew what he was talking about as he was detailing an black Merc AMG SL 500 and the warehouse was full of cars like it.

I hadn't really given it much thought, but most auto shops charge an arm and a leg for car care products. I recon if you can find a local panel beater supplier, you'd get some top advice along with reasonably cheap products.

Be careful though, some cutting compounds will strip the clear coat within half a dozen rubs, so ask before you buy.

By the way... looks like my Corolla just scored a free full detail FTW

Nath

[Wixy]

yea

big name or not, buying in bulk will always be the best option. the expensive brands in bulk are actually quite cheap so, when it all comes down to it, consumers with alot of material purchasing at retail level usually lose out.