J3ffrey

Got my car with 8 miles on it, looked beautiful, plastic wrap was still on it when I saw it..

Is there any wax on the car from the factory or should I bring it somewhere and have it professionally waxed ??

doodlebug

I would definitely get a wash, clay and wax ASAP. If you plan on ppf, do it NOW.

tradosauru

When I bought new cars I washed the car very thoroughly using Dawn liquid mixed with water in a bucket. The Dawn helps strip away most of any grime from the rail cars or dust from sitting at the car lot.
Leaving the car wet I then used a clay bar while constantly spraying the clay bar with water and went over the entire car. You might be surprised how much stuff comes up.
Then I went back with a good car wash soap (Meguires).
After completely drying the car I used a machine polisher to apply a good coat of wax and polish.

Watch steps 1 through 5 of this video. If you hire someone make sure they are very detailed.

coldsoda

there is no wax on the car from the factory. this article is actually very good and worth reading:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-phillips.html

if you are considering any sealant like optigloss/coating or a clear bra NOW is the time.

J3ffrey

Looks like I'm going to do it myself. Anyone have a one stop solution on amazon to order that they have experience with and like?

Jeremy1976

Check out chemicalguys.com

I am a professional detailer and get all my products from them.

azmojo

Use a great wax like Aero Shield:
http://aerosheen.com/shield.htm

Taideee

If your car is purchased, I recommend getting the coating or PPF now.

If leased, waxing works

To WAX (or how I use to do it :/ ):
1. hand wash over the entire vehicle: wheels +bodywork
2. dry using synthetic absorber towels(microfiber)
3. clay bar treatment (this helps a lot, any clarbar will do, no need for something expensive)
4. polish / sealant (most people use machines, I did by hand)
5. WAX (most people use machines, I did by hand)

as Jeremy said, Chemicalguys is a good place to check out

Polish (aka paint correction, to get out tiny scratches and swirls in paint)
(I used to use Nufinish)
http://www.nufinish.com/products/car-polish

Better alternatives for polish


Menzerna Power Lock

-Can be used in direct sunlight (despite manufacturers directions)
-Easy on, easy off.


Wolfgang Deep Gloss

-Another excellent paint sealant.
-Easy on, easy off.
--Wolfgang is a favorite among many professional detailers.


Detailers Pro Poli-Coat
-As the label suggests; professional grade paint sealant.
-Another excellent choice in a car paint sealant over a traditional car wax.


Wax you can consider (to seal/protect all that work you just did) :
Some cheaper ones
Meguiars
Turtle wax

Some more expensive wax brands
Zymol Glasur Glaze ($101~)
Chemical Guys Celeste Dettaglio v2 ($172~)
Zymol Carbon ($50~)
DodoJuice Purple Haze Pro ($80~)


You can also
1. Dress tires with protection (from brake dust etc)
2. apply rain protection (like raindex or aquapel etc)

tradosauru

I prefer using a orbital polisher rather than doing it by hand. It's faster and allows you to get out small surface scratches that have not penetrated through the clear coat.


Also need center backing plate and pads.

J3ffrey

Thanks for this post man, amazing.

One question: What does the clay bar do on a car with less than 100 miles on it?

I grabbed a couple off amazon, just wondering what it will do to it so I know I did it right..

Rebirthing

I don't think you'll need to clay bar it right now, but it's a good idea to do it every 6 months or so.
However, if you get PPF, you won't need that

AndyL

YMMV, I use clay bar for every single brand new car that I've ever owned. There are already rail rust and airborne fallout on the car when it is in transit, before your dealership receives it. Note that because the car has no wax/sealant/coating, any rail rust or airborne fallout would stick easily.

Also pay particular attention to the stainless steel trims as you should see some very faint red rust.

Your clay bar will only turn slightly dirty as the car is still brand new. A better and safer way for this decontamination (aka DECON) stage of exterior car detailing is you should use iron remover first, prior to clay bar to minimize the time of use of the clay bar (which also minimize any marring as a result of inadequate clay bra lubing)


Iron remover example - Car Pro Iron X - it is a very popular one. You will know whether there is any iron fallout as it will turn the clear solution into purple colour. You should apply to the wheels as well as I am 100% sure it will turn into purple. Iron X has two versions. For less unpleasant smell, I find the lemon version better.

Taideee

^ What andy said.

There can be reasons why your car paint has slight contaminants.
1. When painting the car, most brands aren't known for a dust free room when mass producing. Lexus does have a water drip waterfall to lower the dust in the room but still it might have some contaminants.

2. I believe only toyota/lexus SUV/van etc is made in the USA so the IS I believe is shipped from overseas. Those shipping containers aren't exactly known for being clean :]

3. Trucking ^ read what andy said

4. Dealership, They prob store the car outside, dust after it sits for a while will contaminant the car paint, their detailing when handing the car to the customer etc




Also you only need 1 claybar for your whole car.

As long as you polish and wax your car correctly every 6 months ish and hand wash your car on a 2week - 4 week basis, I don't think you need to claybar again.

The claybar essentially removes the contaminants that has become stuck in your paint. Removing them allows the paint to shine better