Some basic detailing questions

[Graction]

After getting my car I have read and watched hundreds of articles and reviews on washing and coating cars.

For washing I got the 1750psi Portland electric power washer from Harbor Freight. I watched tons of reviews on these things and I bought and compared it to a 2000psi Greenworks and 1800psi Ryobi. Turns out these cheap electric power washers are all pretty much the same and the psi rating means nothing. I even bought a pressure gauge and they all tested about the same (1500psi with stock tips) - Ryobi slightly worse. My test results found lower pressure and gpm than the Youtube reviews. I kept the Portland because it's small and on sale by far the cheapest. You need to get additional accessories like a better and longer pressure hose, stubby pressure gun, foam cannon, tips, and quick connects are helpful.

So I wash by rinsing with the pressure washer, then using foam cannon and wash mitt. Power wash to rinse and then dry with microfiber. I also tried electric leaf blower to dry it but it was too cumbersome with a cord and didn't want to pay for cordless. It also didn't fully dry the car anyway, but good for getting water out of nooks and crannies - I hate when I finish washing and then water drips down the car 10 minutes later or after you drive once.

As for coatings, I agree with those above that the Scott HD videos are the most thorough and unbiased out there. He also has a really great spreadsheet with all of the results. I have been going back and forth on a full ceramic DIY or just a spray type. Right now I'm leaning towards the Meguiars Hybrid Paint Coating and then using Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax or the Turtle Wax Pro Graphene Flex Spray Wax for touch up/drying aid. Another popular spray option is the Griot's Garage 3-in-1 spray wax. The Carpro Cquartz UK 3.0 is probably the top choice for DIY full ceramic.

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[joebruin77]

When my wife's MME arrives in a month or two, I plan on doing a light polish with Dr. Beasley's Nano Surface Primer 45 (to remove any light scratches or marring) and then apply Gyeon's Cancoat Evo as my main paint protection. This is a "light" ceramic coating that you can apply super fast outdoors (as long as it is in the shade).

The really cool thing about the Dr. Beasley's NSP 45 is that you don't have to use an IPA panel wipe before applying the Cancoat.

 

[RetiredDP]

I'm a novice when it comes to detailing. In the past I've taken my car to a local carwash (not brushless!) and every now and then I've washed my car using a pail with some soapy water (dishwashing soap) and old towels. But after reading some threads here as well as some articles online I ordered some supplies and tried my hand at washing my car and trying additional things like clay bar and ceramic coating using the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wax Spray Coating that many here have recommended. Since my MME won't arrive for another few months, I did this with my current car and it came out great, particularly given that it is 8 yrs old. I have two basic questions:

1. I'm not one to obsess over a perfect finish for my car. Is there any reason to use a wax product too or just stick with a good washing and then every now and then re-apply the Hybrid Solutions Ceramic spray?

2. Any reason why one shouldn't throw the microfiber towels used to apply and buff the ceramic coating into the washing machine along with the ones used to dry the car? I've also read somewhere that one shouldn't use fabric softener when washing those since it can cause problems with the detailing efforts.

1. Ceramic coating is a sealant, wax is NOT. Don't mix the two...the wax will prevent future ceramic applications from adhering properly.
2. After I had a detail shop apply a professional 1-layer ceramic coat, they recommended using P and S Beadmaker for maintaining the finish (Amazon). I found that it worked well, but didn't make my tape racing stripes as glossy as the painted finish.

So, I tried P and S's new DreamMaker ceramic top coat. It's shinier, but doesn't last as long as Beadmaker. I put a coat of Beadmaker over the entire car, and then added an extra DreamMaker coat to just the vinyl stripes. Works well.

Finally, I saw a review for another ceramic coat which "had no drying time". Beadmaker says to let it dry at least an hour between coats, and a reviewer said to let it dry for 8 hours. I know that the following morning, the ceramic had set...my microfiber towels were pretty rigid. Needless to say, after doing the entire car, throw the microfiber towels away. I've ordered this competitor and will report back after I try it.

 

[RMoore]

1. Ceramic coating is a sealant, wax is NOT. Don't mix the two...the wax will prevent future ceramic applications from adhering properly.

Interesting--I haven't heard this before. There are many posts suggesting that one can apply wax on top of a ceramic coating. I would have thought the wax would "wear out" well before the ceramic coating so that when the time came for redoing ceramic, there wouldn't be much wax around (unless of course one just freshly waxed). I suppose if one felt it was time for another coat of ceramic one could remove the wax and ceramic coating with a stronger cleaner and then recoat with ceramic, and then wax if desired. But that's just me guessing, would love to hear from some experts.

 

[joebruin77]

Interesting--I haven't heard this before. There are many posts suggesting that one can apply wax on top of a ceramic coating. I would have thought the wax would "wear out" well before the ceramic coating so that when the time came for redoing ceramic, there wouldn't be much wax around (unless of course one just freshly waxed). I suppose if one felt it was time for another coat of ceramic one could remove the wax and ceramic coating with a stronger cleaner and then recoat with ceramic, and then wax if desired. But that's just me guessing, would love to hear from some experts.

While you can apply a wax on top of a coating, IMO it's not really recommended for a couple reasons (see an example of a professional blog post explaining why below).

While you don't want to put a carnauba wax on a ceramic coated car, you can give a "boost" to the coating's gloss and protective properties by applying a ceramic boost spray every 3 to 5 months. For example Adams Polishes makes a great ceramic boost. I also like Xtreme Solutions Topper (a ceramic-infused topper spray). And if you want to include a bit of carnauba, you can use Griot's Garage Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax, which contains ceramic to boost the coating and it also contains some carnauba wax.

https://avalonking.com/blog/can-you...to set the record,the best form of protection.

 

[RetiredDP]

Interesting--I haven't heard this before. There are many posts suggesting that one can apply wax on top of a ceramic coating. I would have thought the wax would "wear out" well before the ceramic coating so that when the time came for redoing ceramic, there wouldn't be much wax around (unless of course one just freshly waxed). I suppose if one felt it was time for another coat of ceramic one could remove the wax and ceramic coating with a stronger cleaner and then recoat with ceramic, and then wax if desired. But that's just me guessing, would love to hear from some experts.

Yeah, I'm not an expert. But why go to all of the above effort just to end up with just one coat of ceramic again? I use zero wax, and apply successive coats of ceramic atop the prior layers, over time. Eventually I'll have a multi-layer ceramic coat. BTW, the ceramic-coated car cleans with water amazingly well...dirt/dust just doesn't stick to it. I've applied a special high-temp ceramic coat to my new silver custom wheels (2 coats barrels/1 coat face), to see if I can keep brake-dust at bay...

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