Heya!
Thanks for taking the time out for me, I really appreciate it.
So just bought my first new car! Over the moon! (Alhumdulillah!) It's A Civic VTI-S!
Now I have no idea what products I should buy to keep it clean, can you guys let me know the a to z's of washing and keeping you car clean, from the type of cloth to use and things like wax and polish!
It's a dark grey colour, not sure if colour makes a difference.
Here's a picture: link
Thanks for your help! Take care!
I see nice, I think I should be alrite with rail dust as I Park it underground in a car park.
I'll definitely get the good cleaning products, thanks for the recommendations!
I see, yea I was told of those other products ruining a new cars paint, had no experience myself, good to know for sure now!
Yes I've been reading up on the cloth, you say leather, I'll definitely look for one of those.
Is there any polish you recommend?
Thanks for your help!
if you park it under cover then it will so rarely need a wash. I'd be satisfied with squirting it with a hose every fews months just for dust.
Yea I was hoping the same, not going to use the car for more than a few dozen kilometres per week. Just dropping sister to school and going for groceries and work.
Since its my first new car, I just figured I'd go that extra mile and just take as much case as I can!
Thanks for the help!
I would add a wax and an annual clay bar
Wax will really help keep it clean and you'll see how easy dirt washes off with just a hose down
Put on Karate kid and wax on wax off at least once a year and the paint will last a decade.
LOL I'll sure to do so!
Water and sponge
I see, nothing more required?
Do not use a sponge as it will leave micro abrasions on your new paint. Much better with a microfibre cloth or lambswool wash mitt.
dirt won't be an issue, large SUV / 4WD's opening their doors into your new car, will
Oh yea definitely, I always try to park it as far away from any other car as possible, hopefully I get a few months of scratch free doors. Always an issue with those larger cars being parked near by.
Especially "Married, with children" SUVs
Wow. Exactly what I needed. Thanks a ton!!!
Hope you didn't get any paint protection from dealer. Find your nearest 'official' Opticoat applier and get that done. Should cost you ~$200. Water will bead off the car, bird poo will come off by just placing a wet cloth over it for 30 seconds, and cleaning the car will be a way easier job.
More like $700 for that.
@Holysmoke: Sorry, you are right, was around $650 ish for the Lancer few months back, and was around $200 for the Harley. Can't remember how much I paid for the 4WD. I stand corrected.
We didn't take the car dealer's push on paint protection bla bla, they were charging few thousands for the entire package. We went with Opticoat for the vehicles.
there are no way it cost 200 dollar
I'm confused, what makes you think its appropriate to post an Arabic saying on an English speaking forum? Is it to provoke reactions like this? I'm not being racist or controversial, I'm merely confused as to why you did it. You don't see our Indian members posting in Hindi or our Chinese members writing in Cantonese. It just seems like a really odd thing to do.
Oh is that what it was! I assumed the OP's cat had walked over the keyboard there.
Who cares if he put a foreign reference in. Might be proud of his heritage and happy he has a new toy. Yes, you are being racist and controversial purely by pointing it out. I read it and although I have no idea what it means I don't mind either.
No I'm not. Stop with your leftie bullshit, and don't accuse me of racism. His heritage has nothing to do with his post, and I'm stating it I find it inappropriate. By the up votes, clearly other people agree with me. Pointing that out is not racist.
Don't care that I get down voted for it. By your up votes I'd say there are a number of other people on here that have racist tendencies in our VERY multicultural society.
Maybe it isn't racist but typically when people call out minor stuff like that somewhere down inside there is an element of racism. It's the sort of crap that Trump and Hanson etc carry on with promoting hate. I find it inappropriate that someone has gone out of their way to point out what shouldn't even matter.
@Euphemistic: And I find it inappropriate that the OP feels a need to use Arabic when his original post has nothing to do with culture or ethnicity. That's not racist. What is the intent? What is the message behind it? It seems very strange. It's also offensive that you are implying that I am racist, far more offensive than anything I have said.
@Burnertoasty: good. Enjoy it. Typically people that call out something trivial, claim it's not racist and get stroppy when someone calls them on it are feeling guilty, as opposed to apologising for sounding racist and try not to do it again.
PS nice change of user name. You trying to hide?
Congrats on the new car, I got myself a VTI-LX a few weeks ago myself.
I got one of these, makes drying the car after washing so much faster:
https://www.amazon.com/Absorber-34900-X-Large-Chamois-Single…
RainX is also good for your windows (also grab the one for the interior to minimize fogging)
Meguires Tyre Shine Gel last weeks compared to regular ones.
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/Product/Meguiar-s-Endurance…
Always use a wax or sealant after polishing the car. I suggest you Google the differences between clay bars, polishes, waxes and sealants. Oh and congrats on your new car…enjoy!
Chomois… wash carefully… keeping separate buckets for dirty and clean waters while washing… use any good product… use covered parking as much as possible or try to park away from sunlight, rain and hail… wash with soft glove brush so as not to scratch the car
sorry about your poor choice in car.
Below is some advice from a guy who did the paint protection on my car (Dan from Dansgaragedetailing - he did a great job and was very helpful) . Hope it helps : ->
With regard to washing and drying, these are the two main areas where the car will get damaged. Use a good technique and tools for both and you're already more than halfway there to keeping your car in good condition.
Here is some info and products that I use to maintain my own car
The main suppliers I buy from are:
All have secure eCommerce sites so you can buy online
ZAS have a really good detailing library on their site:
https://www.zas.com.au/detailing_library.php
Have a read in particular of the Two Bucket Method and How to Correctly Dry a Car sections. They're quite useful and promote good techniques to maintain your car well.
Here is the wash mitt that I use. Highly recommend them
http://www.waxit.com.au/collections/microfibre/products/aqua…
If they're out of stock you can get a lambswool mitt from ZAS
https://www.zas.com.au/product/258/meguiars_lambswool_wash_m…
I prefer the Aquatouch though as it doesn't get stinky and fall apart after a while like lambswool mitts can
Here is the bucket and grit guard kit I also use
http://www.waxit.com.au/products/concours-grit-guard-wash-sy…
or you can get just the grit guards and use buckets from Bunnings (must be wide base laundry style buckets to fit the Grit Guards)
http://www.waxit.com.au/products/grit-guard-blue
For car wash, I personally use Angelwax Superior Shampoo
http://www.detailcentral.com.au/angelwax-superior-shampoo-50…
For cars that have been Opti-Coated, use whatever automotive shampoo you are comfortable with. The coating does not have any requirements to use specific branded shampoos etc. I like the Angelwax shampoo because it feels silky to use and I think it leaves a finish slightly glossier than other shampoos I've used. It is a personal preference thing though.
Here are the tools I use for wheels. These are optional but make life a lot easier when cleaning wheels
Wheel Woolies: http://www.detailcentral.com.au/wheel-woolies-3pc-kit/
Wheel brush (good for wheel nuts & nooks/crannies etc):http://www.detailcentral.com.au/vent-and-dash-brush-large/
Tyre brush: http://www.detailcentral.com.au/brush-soft-utility-scrub-gre…
The same wash mit as above:http://www.waxit.com.au/collections/microfibre/products/aquatouch-ultra-microfibre-wash-mitt
Here are the microfibre cloths I use. These are of an extremely high quality and won't shed, fall apart, or risk damaging your paint like the cheap ones you would buy from Autobarn and Supercheap etc
https://www.zas.com.au/product/540/optimum_edgeless_microfib…
Here is the waffle weave drying towel. I'd recommend getting two of these as one isn't really enough to properly dry a medium sized car. They work better when they're slightly damp but they soak up a lot of water and can get over saturated if you try to use just one. I use one to get as much off the car as I can and then follow up with the other one to get the rest.
https://www.zas.com.au/product/541/optimum_waffle_weave_dryi…
There is also the Concours Tempest, which is a 1000gsm drying towel, which is not bad either
http://www.waxit.com.au/collections/drying-towels-chamois/pr…
For the ultimate in touchless drying, I use an electric blower. The exact type I use is a Makita blower like this:
https://sydneytools.com.au/makita-mt403-maktec-600w-blower
It has a small rubberised nozzle and is 600w, which is a good amount of power. I would use electric only as the cordless units tend not to be as powerful. There is a cheaper option made by Gardeners Choice, which looks practically the same and is the same power rating (and probably comes out of the same factory). These are getting harder to find nowadays but some Kmarts or Big Ws still occasionally stock them for the $20-$30 mark. You may have to hunt though.
An electric blower allows you to effectively blow the bulk of the water off the panel and from out of panel gaps, mirrors, grilles, wheels etc without physically making contact with the panel. If the car is Opti-Coated and also has a layer of Kamikaze Overcoat (below), the water should fair rush off the panel pretty effortlessly. What's left behind can be dealt with by using a finishing spray (quick detailer) like Angelwax QED (also below)
Avoid the bigger garden style blowers as they often have too large a nozzle and are too bulky to effectively dry the car. The size of the Makita or the Gardeners Choice is the biggest you want to go with.
For glass I use Stoner Invisible Glass: http://www.waxit.com.au/products/stoner-invisible-glass-trig…
For interior carpet/fabric protection: http://www.detailcentral.com.au/hd-fabric-protector/
For finishing sprays I use two types, one which is a spray protectant that is used once a month after washing and drying
Kamikaze Overcoat: http://www.detailcentral.com.au/kamikaze-over-coat/
Overcoat is, for lack of a better word, a spray sealant which helps give a bit of added protection against daily annoyances like water spotting etc. It also has a beautiful darkening look on the paint and will also give a polarising effect to metallic paint. Meaning it gives more character to metallics. It is a spray on and wipe off product. A couple of sprays per panel are all that is needed once a month so whilst it is expensive to buy, a 250ml bottle will last a very long time (allow about 10ml or so per average sized car per use).
The other finishing spray I use is Angelwax QED
http://www.detailcentral.com.au/angelwax-qed-exterior-detail…
If I'm washing my car every couple of weeks fairly regularly I will generally use this after I've dried the car. It gives a beautiful slick feel and just adds a little more pop to the paint. It also helps clean up the stray water drops that will be on the car even after drying. It only takes about 10-15 mins to apply. Wipe on, lightly wipe off. Use it after each wash and dry to give the car a final streak and water droplet free finish.
Congrats… safe driving mate!
My advice, after 50 years is ~ someone else!
PS: #rd Party property with suncorp counts toward your rating if you later take out insurance.
If you dont get roadside assist with your car service, join RACQ
And dont EVER drink and drive! You will live as long as me if you dont (or it will fell longer anyway)
Inspect your paint work for 'rail dust'. Very common to see, as the car may sit in a yard for a month. (Unless built to order)
Use good products. Meguiar's, Bowden's etc.
Two bucket method when washing.
Don't let those Magic Car Wash do your exterior. They will destroy your clear coat.
Get a leather chamois or drying cloth.
Polish once every 2 months or so.