Questions about taking care of exterior

achen

achen

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I want to apologize first because I know these questions probably had ben posted many times, however to find a list of answers for my questions, it might take me 3 days.. SO I am wondering if somebody can help me to get my questions solved in a quicker manner.. :)


I have 2100 miles on my M3 and I just passed the time that I think I don't have to worry yet about cleaning, waxing, taking care of my exterior. It's not shinning after being picked up for 8 weeks and I think it's time to do something.

I got a great "Griots Garage" catalog from my friend. The catalog is a great money sucker because it looks like if you don't pick up one single bottle from the product line, you're missing an important step or solution.. I read it through and have couple questions,

1. Is it really nessasary to "clay" the car before putting on wax?

2. What exactly is the difference between "polishing" and "waxing"?

3. If I choose to mix the cleaner and liquid wax, (which is recommanded in the calalog as a quick tip), will this combination be bad to the windows?


4. Is it nessasary to remove the wax you put last time before you apply new wax?


5. I have washed my car few times but just rinsing and drying, I haven't wax it yet, this will be my first time, any suggestion? Should I spend $250 to buy all products I need, or just take it to the car wash to have them do a detailing?


Thank you for giving me some hint.
 
vlad

vlad

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1. No. These clay bars were originally developed to remove over spray. While new formulations of the clay have been developed for general cleaning, I would only use clay when and if needed, (like something on your paint that a cleanser would not remove).

2. Polishing is the cleaning of the paint surface, while waxing is performed to protect the paint.

3. I have no idea, I have never tried that, and probably won't. It doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

4. Not necessary at all! Personally, I only go through the procedure to remove the wax before a complete detail, maybe two or three times a year.

5. I hate car washes! And you really don't need to spend $250 to get everything you need. Check out my detail guide that's set as a sticky at the top of this forum.

Hope this helps!
 
achen

achen

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vlad,

Thank you! I did read your guide several times but I'm afraid I don't have that mind and time to do it even I love my car a lot, I rather do it in the right way and through, otherwise I won't even start.

I wish you are around my city so I can pay you $150 to show me how to detail my car interior / exterior.
 
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mscoins

mscoins

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vlad's guide is a wealth of very good product and technique information. It was there I learned about Big Blue MicroFiber towels, which are amazingly effective. I for one appreciate his effort in compiling it. [cheers]
 
P

pb1856

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Just ordered a bunch of stuff from Zaino and can't wait to give it a shot. Achen, might want to check them out, as I got just about everything I needed for exterior and to clean my leather for $90.
 
achen

achen

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pb1856 said:
Just ordered a bunch of stuff from Zaino and can't wait to give it a shot. Achen, might want to check them out, as I got just about everything I needed for exterior and to clean my leather for $90.
Click to expand...
Zaino's website is confusing.. too many different products..

Would you mind to tell me a list of bottles you got, which are "everything needed for exterior", just as reference ?
 
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