Regular car wash, or Dealer car wash?

[Chris07LB]

Originally Posted by TrancosRt

Am I crazy for washing my Yaris in less than a week of owning it? :P
In my defence, in the first night I had it, 2 pouring storms fell on it, so the all the glasses were quite dirty. Being so small, it is a brease to wash!!! The only problem I foresee will be leaving the huge windshield spotless (well, streaks-less).

You are not crazy at all... the first thing new owners should be doing ASAP after getting their cars, is getting a coat of wax on it!

Yes it may look showroom PERFECT, but there is NOTHING protecting the paint at that point! Even if you go buy the super easy to apply, super easy to remove Turtle Wax ICE wax thats out right now (works awesome BTW!), get something on the paint, and protect it early.

[TRD_Yaris]

Originally Posted by Chris07LB

You are not crazy at all... the first thing new owners should be doing ASAP after getting their cars, is getting a coat of wax on it!

Yes it may look showroom PERFECT, but there is NOTHING protecting the paint at that point! Even if you go buy the super easy to apply, super easy to remove Turtle Wax ICE wax thats out right now (works awesome BTW!), get something on the paint, and protect it early.

yeah, I wondered if they actually waxed our Yarii from the factory or dealership...but I'm guessing not. My black paint is starting to get tougher and tougher to wash. I've only washed it three times, becauase i'm afraid that everytime I wash it (without wax) i'm basically scratching the clearcoat more

THE MOST INFORMATIVE WEBSITE FOR AUTO DETAILING / WAXING!!!!!!
AUTOPIA.COM

MY WASH TIPS:
ALWAYS HAVE 2 WASH BUCKETS. 1 for soap, 1 to rinse off your sponge/washmitt TO KEEP your SOAP BUCKET from getting contaminated with dirt..

[TrancosRt]

Originally Posted by Chris07LB

You are not crazy at all... the first thing new owners should be doing ASAP after getting their cars, is getting a coat of wax on it!

Yes it may look showroom PERFECT, but there is NOTHING protecting the paint at that point! Even if you go buy the super easy to apply, super easy to remove Turtle Wax ICE wax thats out right now (works awesome BTW!), get something on the paint, and protect it early.

Don't get me wrong, I've been using the wax as you dry stuff for a long time in all my cars. In my next wash I might go all the way for a full wax, but I'll have to buy a good wax mit and polisher.

[bigsky2]

A repost, from my waxing post:

Update

I applied the the wax (Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid Wax, consumer line) to my Yaris with a 10" random orbital polisher last weekend.

Results?
VERY BEAUTIFUL.

Meguiar's Gold Class wax applied very easily using the polisher and also by hand, and it dried in about 10 minutes. I changed bonnets and the removal/buffing of the wax was extremely easy (and pleasing). The wax came off very easily and left no streaks at all. It revealed a highly glossy and polished shine and it felt so smooth to the touch. I threw a clean towel on the car and it slipped off!

I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the process because I had my hands tied.

My recommendations for waxing, some based on common suggestions:

- Do it in an enclosed environment so as to prevent any dust and debris settling on the coat of wax as you are applying it (ie. Underground parking area, garage, somewhere covered)
- Do not apply wax in a hot or wet environment, avoid direct sunlight
- Make sure your car is washed, cleaned, and dried
---> Washed: All dirt and debris is removed via car wash/shampoo and water
---> Cleaned: All contaminants, oxidation, and other surface irritants removed (ie. use a clay bar or other detailer products to get rid of these things)
---> Dried: Dry it with a lint free towel or cloth (terry or microfibre)

- Give yourself plenty of time to do all of the above!
- Use an orbital or PC if you can, it will make your job a lot easier
- Hand apply/remove wax in areas the machine polisher cannot reach
- Allow the wax to dry to a haze, and perform a swipe test to determine if it's ready to remove
---> Swipe Test: Take a clean finger, and swipe it across the surface of the car. If your finger leaves residue or streaks, then the wax is not ready to be removed. If the surface is clean after you swiped it, then it's ready to be removed.

In terms of the types of bonnets to use, I used the following:

- Applying wax: Vinyl-lined wax applicator (the backside of the bonnet is vinyl lined so that the wax does not soak through the bonnet, thus allowing the bonnet to apply wax appropriately to the surface of the car)
- Removing wax/Buffing: Foam wax remove bonnet**

** You can also use a terry cloth or microfibre polishing bonnet to remove wax/buff, but a foam remover works just as well

For those spots you had to do by hand, remove the wax using a terry or microfibre cloth.

And finally.. How to test if your car needs to be waxed?

The Squeak Test!
---> On a clean and dry surface, take a clean towel and ball it up so that you can put your fist around the towel and rub it firmly along the surface of the car in a circular motion. If you hear the towel squeaking against the surface AND OR if there is any friction as you move the towel, then that means there is no wax on the surface. Since wax increases slip and decreases friction, the presence of friction indicates that there is little or no wax on the surface.

Hope this helps anyone who hasn't waxed a car before, as this was my first time and I received lots of help from experienced friends and the detailing gurus at Meguiar's online.

[fnkngrv]

Alright I am now going to pull back on my previous post for using a touch free car wash. I just got back from the one that I have used for years and when i pulled out I went to pick up food....I came out and saw something flicker wrong on my front body lip. After closer observation I have found that a 4x6 inch section of paint has peeled off! I immediately called the dealer closest to me (60 miles away) and they told me to bring it in to repair it under the paint warranty. On the way back to work I dropped in to a buddy of mine that has an auto body shop and he told me that they didn't clear coat the body kit, the front, bumper assembly, nor the rear! WTF? I can't imagine why that is so...I asked him if that was right and he said that he didn't believe that the car should be sold that way? Anyone have any ideas?

[Buckethead]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

Alright I am now going to pull back on my previous post for using a touch free car wash. I just got back from the one that I have used for years and when i pulled out I went to pick up food....I came out and saw something flicker wrong on my front body lip. After closer observation I have found that a 4x6 inch section of paint has peeled off! I immediately called the dealer closest to me (60 miles away) and they told me to bring it in to repair it under the paint warranty. On the way back to work I dropped in to a buddy of mine that has an auto body shop and he told me that they didn't clear coat the body kit, the front, bumper assembly, nor the rear! WTF? I can't imagine why that is so...I asked him if that was right and he said that he didn't believe that the car should be sold that way? Anyone have any ideas?

Awe, man, that shit breaks my heart!

Gotta call Toyota, and ask them if it was clear coated or not. I wonder if it's an isolated incident or if they all came off the truck that way.

[TRD_Yaris]

Toyota dropped the ball. good luck getting it fixed, since REPAINTS WILL NEVER BE EVEN HALF as good as OEM paint that is applied/cured under STRICT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (temp, humidity, air pressure,etc.)

[ChinoCharles]

On the topic of the original topic, I bought that Turtle Wax ICE detailing spray and some microfiber products and used them yesterday, and I was astonished. It literally looked cleaner than it was coming from the dealership. ICE = Great product.

[Chris07LB]

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

On the topic of the original topic, I bought that Turtle Wax ICE detailing spray and some microfiber products and used them yesterday, and I was astonished. It literally looked cleaner than it was coming from the dealership. ICE = Great product.

Try using the TW ICE, then go over the whole car again with the TW ICE Detailer Spray with a damp microfiber towel... then take a clean dry microfiber towel next, and just go over the whole car. Dead sexy!

[Buckethead]

Originally Posted by Chris07LB

Try using the TW ICE, then go over the whole car again with the TW ICE Detailer Spray with a damp microfiber towel... then take a clean dry microfiber towel next, and just go over the whole car. Dead sexy!

Wow, that's cool!

It's coming up for a car wash, and I will buy the Ice detailer, and do it all over again.
The ICE stuff works wondersQQ

ICE wax/ICE detailer=

[fnkngrv]

Well I decided to give Meguiar’s NXT Generation along with Black Magic Titanium for the tires and they both work excellent. I used Meguiars NXT Generation Car Wash for washing itself. I can't get over how clean it looks...even better than when i pulled it off the lot....I would recommend to anyone.

[TrancosRt]

TW Ice Wax= sexy Yaris.
I was expecting a little more of a "color depth" but I'm quite satisfied with the end result. Probably is the color though since I've heard that Silver is a tough color for waxes.

[Jem_hadar]

Crap man! I gotta try this Turtle Wax ICE product! For real, never had waxed a car myself, maybe I should think about trying, see what I think of the results.

Sounds really impressive, the results, and it sounds pretty easy to do.

What does TW ICE go for, if you dont mind me asking, and a microfibre towel?

Jem

[Chris07LB]

Buy the TW ICE Kit.

For $14 USD you get a bottle of the ICE Wax, a Microfiber applicatior, and a Microfiber towel!

You use so little, its crazy! I have done my Yaris a bunch of times, as well as my Nissan Armada, and I've just now made a dent in the Wax! You'll understand when you use it...

[Jem_hadar]

Originally Posted by Chris07LB

Buy the TW ICE Kit.

For $14 USD you get a bottle of the ICE Wax, a Microfiber applicatior, and a Microfiber towel!

You use so little, its crazy! I have done my Yaris a bunch of times, as well as my Nissan Armada, and I've just now made a dent in the Wax! You'll understand when you use it...

Thx, ill hopefully go out and see if i find it for sale in stores sometime soon. Appreciated!

Jem

[joe keeney]

Meguiars new polycoat nxt or ntx 15 a little change at Wal mart. Best of the best deep wet look. Well worth every dime.

[grampi]

Originally Posted by Buckethead

Someone mentioned that when you get your car washed that you should go to the dealer to maintain warranty. Another said that it was highly unlikely that your neighborhood car wash would mess up your car.


What should I do. Dealer car wash, or regular old school car wash????



Let me know what you think!

First off, the ONLY time I'd ever consider taking any car of mine through a car wash would be to get an undercarrige spray to get rid of salt, and even then it would have to be a brushless wash. The brushes at the car washes put spider web scratches in the paint. Other than that, I wash strictly by hand only.

[slvryaris]

I would do it myself.