car care

[yober1]

as most of u might already now i got my c5 about a week ago and im really enjoying it esppecially on the weekends.

i want to have my car detailed to bring out that nice 50 aniv color out

what do u guys normally do?

should i have it done by a local car wash
or
should i have it done myself?

what wax should i use and what do u guys perfer

thanks

[BarryK]

Hi yober

lots of good care care products out there and you will most likely hear everyone telling you what they use and half will use different stuff


personally, on my'65 coupe I use Macguirers car wash to wash it (don't use Dawn as it will strip off the wax!) than use the Macguirers #7 showcar glaze followed by the #26 Hi-tech yellow wax. The glaze is like a polish and gets off and contaimants on the paint like sap, water marks, etc and also removes swirl marks. The wax seems to work well and is easy to apply and remove. between washes if I'm going to a show or cruise I just dust her down with my California brush and use the Macguirers Quick Detailer spray.

A lot of the guys on here use Zaino and swear by it (actually, i had never even heard of it before joining this forum) and maybe sometime i'll try it sometime but for now I'm very happy with the Macguirers and the car looks great and the finish feels extremely smooth to the touch - just like glass - and it's at least a 12 year old paint job.

[Aurora40]

I personally wouldn't have local carwash guys do it. If you get a detailer, be selective. See what kind of work they do. There are pro's that are awesome, but a lot that are not. Price won't tell you the difference either.

What is the condition of your paint like? What are your goals for it? Are you in to doing the work yourself? More information might help people suggest a more specific course of action. But if you are up to it, you should be able to keep your car looking super by yourself.

[1995 RedVette]

If you get a detailer, be selective. See what kind of work they do. There are pro's that are awesome, but a lot that are not. Price won't tell you the difference either.


What will tell you is the type of people working at the shop and what type of cars they are working on. It only takes one trip with a buffer to ruin a nice paint job.

As far as the wax to use. I have to agree with BarryK. The #7 mirrior glaze and #26 yellow are still the best I've used.

Brett

[irf]

I just picked up a new 2004 as well and I've been using Zaino which I think is a great product. I've tried many waxes and polsihes on previosu cars and I find nothign compares to this stuff. I just put on my fifth coat last night and the car is like glass!

I would not have a car detailer work on the car. I find their work looks good for a few weeks and that's it. Nothing beats doing it yourself. There is a certain amount of pride one gets from working on their own car.

Check out www.zainobros.com for info on Zaino.

Take care

[yober1]

hey guys thanks a lot for the advice

sorry for not replying right away since i was away on a bussiness trip to Russia

just got back

ill be looking into Macguirers
i trust there products

i have an electric buffer somwhere in my garage that i picked up from home depo
do u guys suggest that i use it?

[Aurora40]

Originally Posted by yober1

i have an electric buffer somwhere in my garage that i picked up from home depo
do u guys suggest that i use it?

Is it a rotary buffer, or an orbital buffer? If it is a direct-drive rotary (the pad rotates in a perfect circle), then you should know what you are doing before you put it to the paint (or put it to paint you care about). They are great tools, but require knowledge and skill to be used effectively, otherwise they can do more harm than good.

An orbital buffer turns in an eccentric orbit, and usually the pad rotates freely from the orbit (called a random orbit if it does that). They are easier to use and are much less likely to cause harm, though they don't have the corrective potential of a rotary, and take longer to bring the gloss out than a rotary does. However, common sense still applies, crappy scratchy pads on an orbital could still cause damage to the paint, etc.

If you are not trying to correct any defects, then I would suggest you just stick to hand application until you feel more comfortable with stepping up to a power tool. A rotary or orbital can be quicker to use, but if hand application can do the job you need done, it's the safest way to start out. I often find hand application is the easiest because I don't have to mask off trim or worry about dusting or sling.

[BarryK]

Originally Posted by yober1

i have an electric buffer somwhere in my garage that i picked up from home depo
do u guys suggest that i use it?

Do you much experience with using a buffer?
A number of years ago I figured i'd be smart and buy a buffer thinking it would really cut down on the amount of work and effort required for a great polishing and waxing on my car at the time. Luckily it wasn't a Vette because i had never used a buffer before and managed to completely screw up a nice black paint job and if you have ever had a black car you know black shows every flaw anyway and after my buffing job it had TONS of flaws I was never able to remove. So much for enthusiasm over brains and experience
LOL

I never used the buffer since and it's still sitting on a shelf in my garage collecting dust. I won't risk using it again. i'd rather have to go through the extra manual effort to do it by hand, especially on the Vette, rather than risking messing up another paint job.

To break up the work, i usually choose a weekend i may not have much to do and do the washing and glazing one day, than leave the waxing and trim work like the chrome and glass until the next day. Breaking it up makes it seem as if it's not too big of a job and I don't get to the point that I just want to hurry up and get finished already and start cutting corners or begin to skimp on the quality of the detailing job.