Dumb question. I just polished and waxed my artic silver 01 turbo with P21S paint cleaner and wax. Car looks brand new. Do I always need the paint cleaner or can I just add coats of wax over the next few months. How often do you guys use a polish when waxing? question 2- Is there one product for the interior that works on all materials or do I use separate products for leather and vinyl? I have a hard time knowing what is vinly and what is leather. Are leather cleaners and feeders a problem on vinyl, any interior recommedations. question 3-what works best on tires (mild shine) without degrading the rubber? thanks in advance, ritchie,

 

you do not always need the paitn cleaner, probably apply it 3-4x's a year (although 1-2 would be good). I polish 2x's a year.


Their are vinyl & leather combo cleaners, but they aren't very effective. Same goes for the conditioner and cleaner leather combo's. I find one either conditions good and doesn't clean well or vice versa. I use dedicated leather cleaners and conditioners (I am currently using 4PP, but used lexol for many years).

For vinyl, i recommend 303 protectant. For tires, I LOVE Wolfgangs tire gel. You can get it at www.autogeek.net

 

For this question I would go to:

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...splay.php?f=86

 

Best way to tell if you need paint cleaner is to simply feel the paint. If it is smooth as glass u just need wax. If it is gritty its time to paint clean. When I use paint clean I usually go with a three step process, ie meguires or mothers 3 step, piant cleaner, glaze (for added shine) then wax to seal the finnish. Lately I have been using Griots Garage stuff. Very Very Very expensive but higher quality than anything else I have used. I have their orbital with sponge pads. It is impossible to burn the paint with these pads. Trust me I tried to burn the paint on My sisters Land Rover, couldn't do it. (She doesnt take care of the truck, goes off-roading everyday, leaves mud caked on and the interior smells like bong water) They offer 3 levels of machine polish. Their wax is not great though, excellent shine and easy to apply and take off, but needs to be reapplied very often. For wax I like meguires number 26 yellow liquid wax, and I also have a synthetic Ardex wax in a tub, this stuff is great and lasts for a long time but the paint must be super clean. I usually put two coats of this on a brand new car, and then use the maguires like two or three months later. As far as interior stuff I would avoid all products. Griots claims their stuff won't deteriorate leather, they even go as far as saying Lexol is junk. Personally I just try to keep the interior as clean as possible and if needed use a slightly damp rag to wipe dash, plastic etc. Try to avoid all leather products. I had to do the seats in my 356 after this chick was sitting on the passenger seat with no panties... I used griots, worked fine, but as long as you keep the dirty girls off your seat you should be fine. I also try to avoid tire shine as I think it is bad for the tires. LAST BUT NOT LEAST NEVER PAY SOMEONE TO DETAIL YOUR CAR!!! BIGGEST WASTE OF MONEY EVER, AND CHANCES ARE THEY WILL USE JUNK THAT WILL RUIN YOUR CAR. I am a mechanic, when I work on someones car I usually detail it for free if we have just completed a big job. I do this as a perk for my customers, I also take the wheels off and clean the insides at no cost! I acutally got yelled at for doing this when I worked at Manhattan Motorcars...
Only at Manhattan Motorsports and Sorcerer Motorsports do we go the extra mile...

Sorcerer

'65 356 C
'91 964 C2 Cab
'04 Cayenne "S"
'05 996 TT "S"

 

or go to the detailing forum on this board

 

Thanks for the input. I always wash and detail myself, never a detailer (sorry South Florida Detailers) Thanks for the interior advice. Funny, I always thought the dirt on the inside of the wheels was from my lack of detail experiance. Thats awesome that you remove the wheels to do them right.