Intro and issues

[beatcop49]

Good morning.  I'm a newbie, and admittedly don't know much about detailing.  I'm having issues and found this forum by Googling.  I'm looking for help.

I have 2 vehicles...a metallic gray Honda Crosstour and a black Dodge truck.  I've recently moved to the coastal area of NC.  I've noticed that when I wash my cars, both at home or at the "quarter" wash, there is a film left on them almost like I haven't rinsed enough...it looks like dried soap, but I know its not.  I'm not sure if my water is hard or soft, but I know I didn't have this problem where I used to live, in the Piedmont area of NC.

I also have issues with swirls on my black truck.  There are some scratches on the bed I'd like to either make disappear or hide.  They're not down to the metal scratches, but are very noticeable after washing...and really became noticeable after I waxed it.

I just bought the Turtle wax Black Box 2 step protection system especially for black cars, but haven't tried it yet.

I've tried lots of different products, including the Dri Wash and Guard, which works pretty well on my Honda...but shows every little minute scratch and swirl on my truck.

I'm ready for suggestion from the pros.  Thanks in advance.

[Too Stroked]

First of all, welcome to the Caf?. Hopefully you'll find lots of friends and lots of help here.

As for the issues you mentioned, one thing that would really help is pictures - especially close up pictures. Without them, it's pretty difficult to determine exactly what problem you have and how to address it.

You did mention that you're washing at the local quarter car wash. One thing I have seen at some of these is that what the selector switch says you're getting and what actually comes out the nozzle may not be the same thing. And sometimes you might be getting a mixture of several things. Have you tried a different car wash? Can you wash at home? If you can wash at home, you have a much better chance of controlling all of the variables. In fact for the truly OCD among us (me included), the only time I use a car wash is in the winter - and very carefully even then.

As for what products to use, again, pictures of your problems would really help. I can tell you one thing though, take the Turtle Wax Black Box back for a refund. The stuff really isn't very good at all. In fact one thing you'll find is that for those of us that are truly picky, very few off the shelf products that you can buy at the local Wal-Mart or Auto Parts Store actually do much good. The reason being that most of them just temporarily hide defects. What we generally profess is removal / correction of defects. And for that, one needs very different products and processes. If you'd like, take a stroll through our web site and look through some of the posts that show before and after shots of various vehicles and the processes we used to attain those results. Then post up some pics and we'll get you started on having vehicles that all of your friends and neighbors talk about!

Tom

[sscully]

When you take a picture of the swirls / defects, either point at them with your finger or put a piece of paint clay next to them, so the camera has something to focus on.

Also, you make note of very noticeable, but if you run your fingernail over it, does it drop into the defect ?

The film part, is that a visual thing or is it something that you can feel ?

Tom covered the Coin op questions, Is this a year round issue ( don't know how long you have been in the new area ) or is this only in the cold weather months ?

Aside from the TW product you mentioned, do you have anything else product or equipment wise ?

[beatcop49]

[url]

When you take a picture of the swirls / defects, either point at them with your finger or put a piece of paint clay next to them, so the camera has something to focus on.

Also, you make note of very noticeable, but if you run your fingernail over it, does it drop into the defect ?

The film part, is that a visual thing or is it something that you can feel ?

Tom covered the Coin op questions, Is this a year round issue ( don't know how long you have been in the new area ) or is this only in the cold weather months ?

Aside from the TW product you mentioned, do you have anything else product or equipment wise ?

Ok...I'm a complete idiot.  I can't figure out how to upload the pics.  The swirls are only noticable in direct sunlight.  The film is a year round thing here, whether I wash it at home or at the quarter wash...which I  try not to do.  Its only visual, and I did notice that the film is  not there when I dry my cars.   The scratches  are noticable, sunlight or not.  You can barely feel them when running your fingernail across them.

Someone asked if I had other equipment...I have carwash, towels, microfiber cloths and a soft bristle brush for washing.  I do not have a buffer.  I have tried the Dri Wash and Guard, and I do like it.  I live in a townhouse complex next to a fresh water lagoon...the HOA prohibits washing of cars here because they are afraid of runoff going into the lagoon and killing the fish.  I like "green" products and waterless products....and, I realize that I'm asking too much.

I do not have a garage, so my vehicles are  subject to the elements all year round.

I'm not a stickler, but yet, I  do like a nice clean car.

I'll figure out how to upload the pics later. 

Thanks  for all the replies.

[Obsessive Detail]

Optimum No Rinse would be perfect for your situation.  You can just use one bucket with a gallon of water and one ounce of product.  You just wash a panel and then dry off.  No Rinse has polymers that lift the dirt so you aren't scratching and marring your paint plus you won't have a big mess of water.  I sell a ton of No Rinse to people that are in the same situation as you and they all love it.

If you ever want to get any products from either of my websites let me know, I give members a 10% discount here.

BTW, you might want to invest in a dual action polisher, you will be able to remove your light scratches and swirls with this.  Also, the film you are talking about is probably oxidization and this will be removed with a good polish and a buffer.  A DA polisher is totally worth the investment, you can get awesome results without having to worry about hurting your paint.

[Obsessive Detail]

One more thing that I forgot to add, since your vehicles are in the elements all of the time, you might want to think about a permanent coating like Optimum Opti Coat.  With this coating you don't have to wax the vehicle at all......bugs,tar, road grime etc, will come off a lot easier plus your paint will have better scratch and mar resistance. This product is becoming huge in the detailing business and there are tons and tons of reviews and testing that has been done that shows that this stuff is the real deal.

[beatcop49]

One more thing that I forgot to add, since your vehicles are in the elements all of the time, you might want to think about a permanent coating like Optimum Opti Coat.  With this coating you don't have to wax the vehicle at all......bugs,tar, road grime etc, will come off a lot easier plus your paint will have better scratch and mar resistance. This product is becoming huge in the detailing business and there are tons and tons of reviews and testing that has been done that shows that this stuff is the real deal.

Thanks.  I have both your sites in my favorites.  Is the Optimum Opti Coat something I can do?  As for the film, I'm pretty  sure, after investigating, its the hard water in my area...full of calcium.  Not like back were I moved from...But, I can handle that by a good drying.

Thanks for you help.  I will definitely look into a buffer...

Thanks again.  Any other tricks for keeping black trucks looking good would definitely be appreciated.

[Obsessive Detail]

One more thing that I forgot to add, since your vehicles are in the elements all of the time, you might want to think about a permanent coating like Optimum Opti Coat.  With this coating you don't have to wax the vehicle at all......bugs,tar, road grime etc, will come off a lot easier plus your paint will have better scratch and mar resistance. This product is becoming huge in the detailing business and there are tons and tons of reviews and testing that has been done that shows that this stuff is the real deal.

Thanks.  I have both your sites in my favorites.  Is the Optimum Opti Coat something I can do?  As for the film, I'm pretty  sure, after investigating, its the hard water in my area...full of calcium.  Not like back were I moved from...But, I can handle that by a good drying.

Thanks for you help.  I will definitely look into a buffer...

Thanks again.  Any other tricks for keeping black trucks looking good would definitely be appreciated.

Yes, Opti Coat isn't that hard to apply at all.  There are several videos online on how to apply it.

The key to keeping black looking good is washing with good quality mitts and drying with good quality towels.

[beatcop49]

Copy that...and thanks again!

[Too Stroked]

As you've probably already found out, black is about the hardest color to keep looking good. It shows absolutely every imperfection. On the plus side, when you do it right, it's also the absolute best looking color. Once you correct the defects - which you can learn how to do here - Opti-Coat is a great choice for keeping it both protected and looking great.

[beatcop49]

As you've probably already found out, black is about the hardest color to keep looking good. It shows absolutely every imperfection. On the plus side, when you do it right, it's also the absolute best looking color. Once you correct the defects - which you can learn how to do here - Opti-Coat is a great choice for keeping it both protected and looking great.

Yes I have found that out...I've even considered busting into the piggy bank and having it repainted to a gray.  I'd really like to get it looking good again..like it was on the show room floor.  The truck is only a year old....only has 7000 on the odometer, and its diesel so it will be quite some time before I get another one.

Thanks

[Kitzy]

I had a black 2011 mustang gt.  I got tired of taking care of the black so I traded it for a white silverado.  Haha.  Actually there were other reasons but black is just a pain.  Dirty white looks better than dirty black. 

I've seen the coating you're talking about before.  It's definitely the water.  I have it at our work and its one reason I will never wash any of my vehicles there.  As soon as its dry it looks awful.  I think Optimum No Rinse is probably perfect for you and you're situation with the HOA.  So I second what Justin@Obsessive Detail has said.

[Crazy Billy]

Ehhh I have a black 4x4 3/4ton  4 door Chevy HD .  My bride has a black diesel VW Jetta and I have a massive black delivery truck. Black and I have a serious love hate relationship.

[Too Stroked]

As you've probably already found out, black is about the hardest color to keep looking good. It shows absolutely every imperfection. On the plus side, when you do it right, it's also the absolute best looking color. Once you correct the defects - which you can learn how to do here - Opti-Coat is a great choice for keeping it both protected and looking great.

Yes I have found that out...I've even considered busting into the piggy bank and having it repainted to a gray.  I'd really like to get it looking good again..like it was on the show room floor.  The truck is only a year old....only has 7000 on the odometer, and its diesel so it will be quite some time before I get another one.

Thanks

Fear not. It's a whole lot easier to bring it back and keep it there than you might think. And just to prove that point, check out this thread:

http://www.thedetailerscafe.com/smf/index.php?topic=2463.msg25323#msg25323

[sscully]

Opti Coat 2.0 is great, but it is a perm pain coating, so if you have a defect under it, it is going to stay like that unless you use compound and a cutting type pad to remove the opti coat and then got after the defect.

I "practiced" with Opti Seal before going to Opti Coat.  It got me used to the Wipe On, Walk Away application, and how flashing looks when done correct and when done wrong.

I have Opti Coat on my tailgate, roof of the cab of the truck, the entire cap and the lower rocker panels.  It is great to be able to give them a ONR "washing" or use ONR mixed to QD ratio to give them a quick touch up.

No need to "reload" or apply a topper to it.

Dr G from Optimum suggests not doing this for 2 reasons. 
1. What you are "topping" with it not going to last more than 30 days due to the anti stick feature of Opti Coat. 
2. For the time that it has the topping on it, the surface will have the characteristics of that, not Opti Coat, so you can loose some of the anti stick feature of the product.

I just did an ONR wash today, and those parts look great, with just the wipe down.  I had to spray wax the other parts quick, just to give them a bump.  I have not put anything on the non Opti Coated surfaces in quite a few weeks, and the winter salt is talking it toll on it.

Not much you can do with what you have, right now you are kind of stuck until you can get access to a hose bib and at least be able to clay the paint to get what is on there off.  That might help with the coating you are seeing.

After this, I would suspect the marring / defects to be more pronounced, so you are looking at a polish to get the paint back to a good condition.

Instead of going at the paint route, considering the limited access to equipment you have, might want to have a good detailer do a clay, correct job on it.  At this time would be a good time to have the Opti Coat ( or in the case of the pro they might have access to the pro line of opti coat ) do the perm paint coating.

check with your HOA to see if you are allowed to do no rinse washing in the lot. 
A 2 bucket ONR wash would go a long way to keeping the truck clean without having to rely on the Coin op.

Just some thoughts on the topic, with your limitations, you will need to find a location to do the heavy lifting if you are going to DIY it.