I'm not a real DIYer when it comes to clay/polish/wax, so I'm fine paying the money to get that done a few times each year, but any suggestions or thoughts on what I can do in between those details to keep the car looking great? Used to not bother me to have a little dirt on my non-DD and just wait for the detail, but there's something about that thin film of dirt on the Vantage that just bothers me. Maybe it's those perfect lines that amplify any imperfection!

I'm lazy, I admit it. I used to wash like crazy, but with work and kids, it's hard to find the energy. Just looking for any advice/tricks to carry me over between details and keep the Vantage looking pristine

 

Its really not that hard to detail the car yourself as long as you have some basic knowledge of detailing. Just did a full detail job on the vantage and it came out absolutely unbelievable. If you do it right, not even dust will settle on the car and swirl marks will be a thing of the past.

A good middle of the range product is the full meguires system (you can you extremely expensive polishes and waxes but honestly meguires provides the best full system for the avg detailer. Make sure to use a random orbital buffer (you can get a decent one for $30-50, get a 9-10" buffer, saves alot of time). The meguires clay bar kit, Meguires Mirror glaze polish, and Meguires gold glass plus carnuba wax does wonders and brought the paint back to better than showroom finish. On black car I have almost no swirls, even in sunlight.

A full detail job will take you 4-6 hours depending on your competency, but the beauty is you only really need to do it once. After that, just wash your car bi-weekly with Meguires gold glass carnuba carwash solution and it will automatically replenish your wax for at least a few months. other then that ... no maintenance required ... DO NOT USE NORMAL SOAPS OR DISHWASH SOAPS ... it will strip everything off the car. Make sure you use a high quality carnuba based car was solution (meguires is the best IMO for the price).

Hope that helps.
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I think Zaino is the best out there. Buy their car wash and Z-6 spray. Thoroughly wash and dry vehicle as normal. Then use the Z-6 to bring out the shine. If you get it detailed a few times a year, you don't need to clay or wax it and let your detailer do that.

 

zaino makes good stuff too but there is still might higher end stuff than even zaino.

Detailers are ok but they will never do as good of a job as you can do yourself for the fact that they have to maximize their time vs. profit so they will always rush the job compared to an owner DIY in his own garage. If you have the time & knowledge its always best to do it yourself.
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Looked into this subject for a while before I purchased my AM and settled on the Gloss-It line of products. I found a number of detailers that were switching from Zaino and Megs and I've now been using it for over a year now and haven't been disappointed once. There's a quick detailer spray for every day use that's amazing and the wash products, polishes, tire dressings, leather cleaners, clay bars, etc...are top notch. But what you will find is that there are some simple techniques that you need to follow to make sure you're not scratching your finish - mostly washing and drying correctly. No matter what product you settle on, invest in a leaf blower for drying the cars cracks and crevices and some good wash mitts and towels (and keep them washed and dried properly). A good washing, wheel cleaning and glass cleaning will go a long way between major details. And if your detailer is rushing things then find another detailer...there are some really good ones out there that do actually treat your car like it's their own.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. This is good stuff. Originally, wasn't planning on driving the car in the Seattle rain, but don't think that's going to work ....is it bad to keep the dirt caked on until the next major detail? I know that's suboptimal, but curious if it's actually "bad" for the car.

Also, in between details, if there is a thin film of dirt, I can't use a quick detailer spray, right? I presume that could damage the paint or clearcoat?

 

I've used Zaino longer than I can remember on my cars. I love the way Zaino's products bring out the shine and they're easy to use for both the full detail treatment and quick spot/dust removal. I've never tried Meguiars to compare though.

I use their detail spray between washings to remove the dust quite often. As long as you have a soft, 100% cotton, no fabric softener towel you should be fine. I have no swirl marks in my finish.

 

Proper washing and drying is what you need to make sure you do between your major details...swirls mostly come from bad washing / drying technique.

Get a grit guard bucket system for washing...I use 2 buckets - one for the top portion of the car and the other for the bottom / front of the car. Use a foam gun to pre-soak the car in suds - let the soap do the work (never just rinse the car and then start running a wash mitt over the dirty finish). While the car is soaking I'll usually work on the tires / wheels. I'll also usually soak once, rinse, then soak again. Then wash the entire car and rinse. Get most of the water off with a water blade (don't try to get all the water off with a blade and never use a lot of force or you can really do some damage...but when done right it works really well). Use the leaf blower for cracks / crevices, gas cap, side mirrors, door jambs, trunk, etc.. Most of the water should be completely gone by now but if not, PAT the car dry with a high quality plush microfiber towel. Don't wipe the towel acrross the cars' finish, even with a good towel. Clean the glass with some Stoners Invisible Glass...gloss up the trim and tires...shine the wheels and you're done.

And yes you can and should use the quick detail spray, but not on a dirty finish. Properly wash and dry the car...then use the quick detail spray. Then maintain between washes with the quick detailer. Do that and you can get away with a major detail about every 6 - 9 months...a really good detail / polish job will hold up well that long with proper maintenance.

Good luck!

 

I'm a Zaino faithful too, got addicted to it when I had my BMW and super-soft Jet-Black paint. It worked wonders.

One thing about Zaino though, the instructions make it sound harder than it is. Wash, polish, wipe&buff. That's really all there is to it.

Not to mention Zaino smells great
I'm serious!!

 

As said above, don't use the quick detailer on a dirty finish. For sure, you'll put swirls in the clear coat. Since my car isn't a daily driver, I polish/clay the car once/year, but I wax the car once a month in the summer and significantly less in the winter (don't drive it much). My car is black and I prefer the carnauba wax to the sealants like Zaino.

Since you live in Seattle, you owe it to yourself to go see John at Metropolitan Detail. Those guys are great and will steer you in the right direction for products. Although, I take a lot of time polishing and waxing my car, I know they would do a better job! They are really top notch.

 

As a professional detailer, you've got some good advice already. But allow me to re-iterate. Always hand wash your car and NEVER EVER wipe it while it's dry. Leave the dirt alone until you can wash the car properly with a ph balanced car wash, not dish detergent. The real trick to creating a show car finish is in the "polishing" not the top coat of wax. Polishing removes the layer of oxidation and deep dirt that only comes off with a good machine polishing. Here's a few pictures for ya. The first photo is what proper polishing (paint correction) can do. The other photos are some recent cars of mine to help make you a believer that I know what I'm talking about. Enjoy:

 

Here's a good video you might want to watch by an expert on detailing: http://www.hagerty.com/lifestyle/hob....aspx?id=75134

 

Wow - all great advice. Thanks a ton everyone!

ptaylor - great pics - cars look unbelievable! probably takes a lot of time to make it look like that, but the depth is ridiculous. Awesome.

seattle_sun - how much do you typically pay for a detail at metropolitan detail? i bet your car looks great with your detail schedule.

what do you guys think about those ionized water things? so you don't have to dry off? seems to get generally good reviews, and i know it's expensive, but would seem to save a lot of time and removes one more "contact" process.

 

I never have had a full detail at Metropolitan. I do all my own detail work with Mezerna polishes and a Flex. I think that I do a pretty good job, but I don't think that I'm able to correct everything without an orbital.

Metropolitan has done a clear bra on 3 of my cars (including the Aston with a full hood) and John is always willing to give me tips on detailing. You should drop by and tell him your goals and he should be able to set you up.

The ionized water works well from what I hear, but I can't see myself changing/buying filters. I bought a blower this year and am very happy with it.

 

Don't know if this article is very informative, but I love the color on the V12 Vantage: http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/detai...magma-red.html