Now that many of our cars have arrived, I thought I would start a discussion on keeping the car shiny and clean, swirl-free, scratch-free etc (especially for darker models). With all the time, energy and money you spent on buying the car, you want it to be the best looking car in the road for a long time Personal methods for cleaning, how often, products used, do's and don'ts, frequency of getting car detailed professionally etc.

 

Hmmm quite a few views but no replies. Wonder if Cayenne owners just take their vehicle to the auto wash tunnels

My routine for my existing fleet (I don't have a Cayenne yet):

Weekly handwash using a gentle soap (Griots garage) with three bucket method using high quality microfiber wash mitts using deionized water source (CR spotless) channeled through a Kranzle pressure washer (best pressure washer although quite $$$). After the car wash, I dry the paint using the touchless blow dry technique with warm air (Double K challengeair). For wheels I like P21S wheel cleaner with swissvax wheel brush as my main tool. I do use the Australian Lambswool duster to wipe off superficial dust/pollen in between car washes but of late I haven't been doing this for lack of time (although it only takes 5 minutes).

Weekly vaccuum clean (Metropolitan) of the carpets. I pay special attention to the folds in the leather seats. Spread it open with two fingers and get each and every speck of dust that collects using a vaccuum cleaner. Weekly wipe of the dashboard using einszett ****pit premium.

Once a year the leather gets conditioned with Leatherique system. But once a month I clean it using the Sonax leather foam in conjunction with Swissvax leather milk that is vitamin E enriched.

During winter months: I just spray off the whole car with CR spotless when there is too much crud. Deionized water ensures that there is no hard water spots. I never wash the car in the traditional way during those months unless weather is above 50F. Leather and interior usually gets neglected during the winter as it is too cold for me to work on.

Once a year usually after the cars go through the rigors of winter I clay the glass to remove the bonded contaminants and use a fine glass polish (Griots Garage) to remove any hard water spots.

After winter the paint gets clayed (Griots garage), polished (Menzerna line of polishes) and protected with wax (Swissvax concorso). Flex polisher is one of the best. Wheels also get protected with synthetic wax (Rejex) which makes for a easy clean for the future. Before winter the paint gets clayed, not polished but protected with sealant (not wax) Griot's sealant as it is affords more durable protection in the winter months.

Highway travel in winter: When I do travel over the pass, immediately upon return, I use a garden hose hooked to a garden sprinkler and move one feet every 3 minutes to give the undercarriage a thorough rinse to get any salt off (although in my area they usually use loose gravel for traction and not salt).

Highway travel in summer: I use a spray to prevent the bugs from sticking too deep into the paint (Griots bugoff) and rinse off the dead bugs when I return using the pressure washer before I wash the car. Remember, you don't want to drag the exoskeleton of the bugs on your paint with the wash mitts.

I do all my car care 100% of the time. Spend two hours on most weekends and the whole day or two two times a year when the paint needs deep clean, correction and protection. A very understanding family helps fuel my passion. Ya the neighbors think that I am crazy but that is okay. I have never gone through an auto wash ever since I have owned my Porsches.

Hope this helps.

 

Wow!! Great post w00t! Very informative! How do you like the CR spotless? Does it really leave no water spots? Also the Kranzle What makes it sooo expensive? I was planning on purchasing both.

 

Aperture776, Kranzle is the PCCB of pressure washers. I will outlast you. You get more life of your resin (BTW refills are $$) for the CR spotless when your water source is hooked to a pressure washer. I have the CR spotless system DIC-20. My usual wash routine is washing cars late evening (since I don't have shade) with regular soft water and using an airmax air-blower which has heated filtered air. Wash my car panel by panel with three bucket technique and nice quality microfiber mitts and then blow dry without even touching the car. The CR-spotless is for the days when I am in a hurry and don't have time to dry the car (since that takes 10 to 12 minutes) or can't wait till the evening or have alternate plans for the evening which means I have to wash them in broad daylight/sunlight.

Pros: Soap suds better, don't have to wait for the late evening or look for a shade to wash your car without having to worry about water spots from premature water drying from sunlight, can getaway without even drying the car. Very convenient when you want a maintenance rinse of accumulated dirt/bugs with a pressure washer before your have time for your weekend wash routine. For me especially in the winter I wash of the snow/road crud and only wash car in my usual **** fashion once a month when conditions are ideal.

Cons: Cost of resin replacement, (if you use a pressure washer and if your water source is less hard as in my case since my water source for the CR-spotless is water softened by a Kinetico system you can really extend the life of the resin). The DIC-20 provides approximately 300 gallons of mineral-free, de-ionized water. I am yet to need a replacement resin but as I told you I only use it sparingly. I don't use it for the wheels too.

My wife's car is black and is spotless because of my wash routine even though I predominantly use regular water but CR does help me for those other occasions. It does not leave any water spots. PM Moe Mistry of glstening Perfection. I bought all my supplies from him for a good price. Tell him w00tPORSCHE referred you and he will give you a good discount. He is a great guy and extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Goodnight. Got to go to bed before I get called in for an emergency.

 

Thanks a lot w00t; added some rep for the above posts!

 

So when are you coming over to detail my cars?

 

I've found that keeping the finish looking great starts right after you get the car. Hopefully, it hasn't already been swirled by poor treatment (auto wash, etc) before you get it.

While I'm waiting for a Cayenne, I've recently cleaned and waxed my wife's new black Infinity M37x. The process I used can be seen by some good videos on Autogeek.com. Basically by using some Pinnacle and Wolfgang products I did the following:

1. Gently washed the car with a Pinnacle product
2. Clayed the car
3. Hand cleaned off old wax with a Pinnacle product
4. Applied a paint sealant with a Wolfgang product
5. Applied Carnauba Wax (after 12 hrs) with a Pinnacle Product

It took a couple of days and lots of microfiber towels. But, finish has a liquid mirror black look and should hold for a number of months with proper touch up.

The last thing you want to do is wash and maintain in any way that will introduce swirls in the finish, especially for a dark color. If you have a white color, I'm not sure it matters. They never sparkle.

If you’re unfortunate to have those dulling swirls, there is a fix. But you'll need a weekend and a polisher, pads and the right compound. If the swirls aren't bad, you can get that mirror finish back. Check the videos.

It all depends on how much hands on you want to do. Or, if you’re the Turbo type, there may be some good detail shops for a few hundred a pop that won't wreak the finish.

Regards

 

Good points Don. I always place several post it notes in the interior stating " NO CAR WASH PLEASE" when I take my cars for servicing. Their courtesy car wash WILL strip the wax/sealant and WILL swirl the paint, ruining hours of hard work and dedication from my end. My 997 which was sitting in the lot for a couple of months had quite a bit of swirls on the paint and the tail lamps/red rear reflector strip. I have to tell the dealer that I do not want any dealer prep for my Cayenne when it has arrived.

 

Im shameful to say my Cayenne S usually fell victim to the drive thru car wash etc since it was a DD and took hard abuse and lost many rear wiper blade covers. Dont miss those things at all. Paint held up great though lol

 

Don, sealant over wax...thats carrying it to the next level. Wow.

 

Autopia and Autogeek are good websites to look into. If you do take your vehicles to the autowash I suggest they be touchless and more importantly please don't let those kids towel dry your car after you exit the tunnel. No matter how forceful their water jet is and how strong their chemicals are (that is why they strip wax even after one wash...sealant is a little more durable) there will still be dirt. Towel drying will drag the remnant dirt across your paint and this will result in swirling over a period of time. Select a auto wash that has the air-dryer and then when exiting just allow the kids to dry your windows if at all.

 

It rubs the lotion on its skin or it gets the hose again...............

 

classic

 

Some very useful information here! I normally pay to get my car "cleaned" .... want to change that when I get my Cayenne. Want to make sure that the JBM paint stays swirl-free and scratch-free as long as possible. Few questions -

wOOtPORSCHE, I have heard of the two bucket method of washing.. what's the three bucket method?

When do you start polishing/waxing/clay-ing a brand new car? How often? What's the difference between the three?

It's very dusty/sandy here in Dubai so it is necessary to get rid of the dust few times a day. Is it okay to use a dry duster to do that? I have heard that they can cause scratches and spots on the car. Alternatives for a quick clean?

Best and quick method to remove nasty stains (bird poo, dead insects) from the paint?

Thanks

 

*****-Jo, after I soak the mitt in bucket # 1 and wash a half of a panel, the mitt goes into bucket # 2 with grit guard to get the soap/dirt off and then I add a third step where I rinse the same mitt one more time in lukewarm water before I dip it back into the soap solution in bucket # 1.

Australian ..(what would you know about this anyway ;-) ) lambswool duster can be used to get the dust off. When used diligently the dust will lift off the paint with very minimal to no swirling even in dark colored cars. The other alternative is california car duster but that uses paraffin wax to lift off the dust .. hence there is a slight residue of wax that if left behind on the paint which may or may not bother some people.