Question on Washing

[IsaacSG31]

Hey guys

So i just picked up my new black Nismo. So far I love it. Huge improvement over my 350. But, as everyone knows, black is hard to keep clean. I had two questions about cleaning and the paint. First, does anyone else notice tiny hair like (almost) scratches in their paint in some areas? It's only visible very close, no one but the owner of the car would likely know, but I still wanted to see if anyone else had them under close inspection. It shouldn't be swirls or anything since the car had like 10 miles on it when I picked it up and haven't taken it to a wash.

Secondly, does anyone here wash their car at a touchless wash? I used to on my 350 (it was a Holiday gas station one) all the time, but someone told me the chemicals are too harsh on the paint. I'm very anal about keeping my car clean, and I feel as though doing it yourself and touching it and drying it with a microfiber cloth will still have more scratches than going touchless and getting blow dried. Any input from people with experience, or tips?

Thanks a lot

[red6spd]

Yes most people have those tiny scratches in there cars paint. Its very hard to keep them off a car that is used everyday. But you can wax them out and your best bet to keep them off is to not add more.
Stay as far away as possible from any type of car wash. A very hard spray of water can also scratch a car.

[USMCASA]

i paid a guy to polish all my swirls out and now just wash it with a micro fiber cloth with a rinse bucket that is separate from the soap bucket. it looks better than when i bought it new now.

[370Z Purist]

It is actually pretty easy to take care of a black car; you just have to have more time.

Swirls come out pretty easy; any basic polish will take them out. It may help to wax the car regularly as well.

I don't use public washes as they often have brushes (which ruins paint), use harsh chemicals, or have people bumbling around using windex on the plastic panels. I've invested around 200-250 dollars on a box full of cleaners and things and it is well worth it.

[Cmike2780]

There are plenty of threads here on washing and maintaing. The swirls can be anything from using a crappy cloth to dry or using a dirty wash mit. The dealer prob put those swirls in.

[KB2]

the swirls most likley came from wrong washing techniques. removable,but requires work and patience

[IsaacSG31]

Thanks for the replies guys. So basically.. don't use touchless. Just hand wash and dry with micro fiber. The swirls can be taken out with wax/polish. Any specific brands? And what about those chamios drying towels? The leather type ones.

[FairladyZ]

dude just use a high quality micro fiber cloth to dry

Keep your cloths clean, and never let it pick up dirt off the floor.
Ultimately you want to keep waxing it, if it is starting to swirl then you gotta hit it with a porter cable orbital buffer. I think thats the best thing you can do besides going to a professional detailer to remove everything.

[kellyefields]

here is the best way I have found for dealing with my black Z. First use the two bucket method to wash. then have a electric leaf blower to dry. dont use gas due to the fumes and such. But to really get that perfect look use a quality wash and wax system like Zanio or adams. I have used Zanio and love it. It takes a little more time but the car stays cleaner longer. as far as adams polishes I hear they are good to but have no personal experience with them. Zanio is available only online just google them. I use their claybar first, then the PC compound to get all the scratches and swirls out then follow up with their show car finish wax (z3 and z5 if I remember correctly) and finish with the spray detailer. I use this system 2 times a year and wash the car as before mentioned when needed and maintain with the spray detailer the rest of the year.

[370Z Purist]

microfiber doesn't tend to hold as much water as it should, and it tends to pick up EVERYTHING. even if your hand barely touched the ground and you brush your hand off, chances are good that your high quality microfiber will likely pick it up and make it a b*tch to pick out, or damn near impossible.

my personal system involves using a synthetic chamois (ever heard of "the absorber"? works great) since they don't risk breaking down so much. you could also use a waffle weave microfiber, since those hold more water.

also, you don't need a powered buffer to take out swirls. basic polish wax or polish compound or Meguiar's ultimate compound works fine with some elbow grease. the instant you tell a novice to use an orbital buffer could equal a chance of permanently and immediately damaging the paint or clear coat.

personally, I either use a car wash soap or OPT no rinse. Optimum Polymer Technologies No Rinse is a great formula. Particularly meant to be useful for people without access to tons of running water (no hose, scarce water, apartment, etc.). They are always reformulating and the stuff was phenomenal two years ago, so it could only get better.

anyway, since I do have access to ridiculous amounts of water, I use a car wash soap, and I have a soap bucket and a rinse bucket. I initially wet the car to remove any loose soil using a pressure washer. then I proceed to wipe down with soap. artificial chamois to remove water, as well as using my arm as a squeegee. electric leaf blower to dry any trails/streaks. proceed to clay, wax, polish, etc.

Also, I just noticed this is my 666th post. Bad omens?

[IsaacSG31]

Originally Posted by 370Z Purist

microfiber doesn't tend to hold as much water as it should, and it tends to pick up EVERYTHING. even if your hand barely touched the ground and you brush your hand off, chances are good that your high quality microfiber will likely pick it up and make it a b*tch to pick out, or damn near impossible.

my personal system involves using a synthetic chamois (ever heard of "the absorber"? works great) since they don't risk breaking down so much. you could also use a waffle weave microfiber, since those hold more water.

also, you don't need a powered buffer to take out swirls. basic polish wax or polish compound or Meguiar's ultimate compound works fine with some elbow grease. the instant you tell a novice to use an orbital buffer could equal a chance of permanently and immediately damaging the paint or clear coat.

personally, I either use a car wash soap or OPT no rinse. Optimum Polymer Technologies No Rinse is a great formula. Particularly meant to be useful for people without access to tons of running water (no hose, scarce water, apartment, etc.). They are always reformulating and the stuff was phenomenal two years ago, so it could only get better.

anyway, since I do have access to ridiculous amounts of water, I use a car wash soap, and I have a soap bucket and a rinse bucket. I initially wet the car to remove any loose soil using a pressure washer. then I proceed to wipe down with soap. artificial chamois to remove water, as well as using my arm as a squeegee. electric leaf blower to dry any trails/streaks. proceed to clay, wax, polish, etc.

Also, I just noticed this is my 666th post. Bad omens?

Thanks man. This was a very useful post. I will heed your advice.

[Augustus]

Originally Posted by IsaacSG31

Thanks man. This was a very useful post. I will heed your advice.

Indeed, good advice. Especially about the no rinse. A lot of folks like those no-rinse products. If you want tons of info about these products, I would recommend you take a peek over on DetaliersDomain, or DetailingBliss forums. So much info there your head will spin.

In a car like the 370Z, it's almost pointless to take it through an automated car wash. In one with brushes, well, you're killing your paint. Might even hurt your rims, since it's so easy to curb them in the Z. Just don't do it. And I doubt a brushless wash will really do a very good job on a 370Z. Z's are just so low & small compared to most 'normal' cars, I don't think the sprayers are going to be that effective. Too high or too far away. Especially with something as beautiful as a black Z, do it by hand. Your paint will thank you.

I've personally bought a bunch of Adam's and Zaino products this spring. While not cheap, I am exceedingly pleased with the performance of both "systems". Adam's stuff in particular is really nice & easy to use, and they're a forum sponsor so you can get 10% off by using the "ZCAR" discount. It's still not cheap, but it does seem to be nice stuff. If you're just getting started with car care, a good place to start could be Adam's basic wash & wax kit (Adam's Basic Wash & Wax Kit). This will give you the basic tools needed to do a simple but very good wash & wax job on your car. If you find that you like Adam's products, it's a perfect starting point.

I'd like to make a few points on what Purist said...

1) Regarding the Absorber. Yeah, they are fantastic for removing water. I've got three of them that I have used from time to time over the years. But you've got to be mindful about using them. Absorber's have zero nap, meaning any dirt you pick up is immediately going to be able to scratch your paint. And while you're drying a freshly-washed car so there shouldn't be any dirt, it's easy to miss a spot and start dragging dirt. Great for getting rid of water, but I'm leery of scratching possibilities. I've recently found that waffle-weave cotton towels work almost as well as an Absorber as far as holding water, but with less risk of scratching. Of course, everything can and will scratch to some degree. Just with a black car, you're going to see every imperfection & microscratch in that paint, so you need to be vigilant about your drying techniques. To each his own on this, there are many different ways to dry a car, none absolutely superior to the others.

2) No, you don't need an orbital buffer to buff out scratches. Especially for someone just starting out, it's overkill. Your money would be better spent on good towels and cleaning products. But if you want to keep your car's paint in a state of near show-car perfection, you're eventually going to want one. An OB makes life a hell of a lot faster and easier to remove those fine scratches. What takes 20 minutes of polishing by hand can be done in 1 minute with an OB.

It is virtually impossible to wreck your car's paint with an orbital buffer. Note than an OB is distinctly different from a rotary buffer. An OB moves the pad in many random directions at once, greatly reducing heat & friction. So unless you're doing something stupid (like, using sandpaper instead of a pad or falling asleep while working on one spot), you're not going to harm your paint. A rotary buffer, OTOH, is just rotating the pad in place, which will heat up and can easily cause damage. Using a rotary buffer should probably be left to experts, but anyone can use an orbital.

Rotary: http://www.detailersdomain.com/Flex-...her_p_492.html

Orbital: http://www.detailersdomain.com/Porte...ndle_p_58.html

They look sort of the same, but they're subtly different tools.

Good luck with whatever you choose. And welcome to the addiction of trying to keep your car detailed.