Summer is comming soon and it is time to get my NFR S2000 ready. This is what I will be doing and I wonder if it is okay like that?

Before putting my S2000 to sleep I gave it a very nice wash but I am afraid that I wasn't able to remove all of the bug/fly-leftovers on the front of the car. For that I bought "Surf City Garage Road Trip Grime Destroyer" as well as a clay bar + meguiars quik detailer. Previously I tried putting wet paper/newspaper on the problem areas for 10-15 minutes and afterwards washing those areas again. I also tried claying those areas/parts gently. Didn't fully remove everything. Also as a side note, the last waxing was with "Prima Epic" about 12 months ago.

Masterplan:

- Wash the car twice to get rid of all the dust.
- Use "Surf City Garage Road Trip Grime Destroyer" (and maybe a clay bar + quik detailer) to get rid of the leftovers on the front of the car (I hope this will work).
- Wash the car again.
- Do an IPA wipe/cleaning of the whole car (never done this before, I would just fill a bucket with IPA and clean the car like I would with water/shampoo?)
- Wash the car again.
- Wax the car with "Soft99 Fusso Coat 12M Wax, Dark".
- Let it dry for 15 minutes
- Remove the wax leftovers

Any suggestions? Is claying a must-do ? I always feel like I am doing more micro-scratches/swirls to the car than doing anything good?

Thanks !

 

clay bar, compound and polish, wax
~Finis
Clay bar will remove any grit from the surface
Compound will create a clean smooth surface
Polish will restore paint shine and remove swirls and minor scratches
Wax to protect all your hard work

Depends on how dirty your paint is but to me a good detail must always start with a clay bar after the wash.

 

What does a bucket of India Pale Ale (IPA) sell for these days. And advantage to IPA over something like Bud?

Life is too short to detail my own car, though, so the question is merely academic.

-- Chuck

 

Agreed with @Langelo. I have an NFR and just detailed my car. It is a night and day difference and helps so much with how the paint looks.

1. Wash
2. Clay bar
3. Cut/compound with orbital tool
4. Polish with same tool
5. Wax/sealant for protection

 

After you wash the car and use microfiber towels to remove/prevent water spots, a "wax" with a polymer type product would be best IMO. NuFinish is the least expensive and Mequire's Ultimate Liquid Synthetic is a high quality mid-to high grade "wax". They are not waxes at all but a polymer that will chemically bond to the paint. Makes future washes and bug removal much easier. If you want, you can add a high quality carnuba wax to make the color really pop.

If you can swing it, get a nice DA (Maybe a Porter Cable 7424) for $120. Get the Chemical Guys variety pack of foam pads and a Velcro flex mounting pad to easily swap out pads. You can wax in no time, remove those swirl marks, and take care of those clouded headlights to boot. I don't know how I lived my life without one!

 

My s2k has only 15.000 miles and I am not sure if polishing the car every 12 months is a good idea in the long run?

I already polished twice (and I have no idea if the previous owner already polished the car) in 15.0000 miles.

 

It will not hurt it if you do it correctly (properly cleaned car, no sun, etc) and it most certainly will help. A properly applied finish will make it look great and make it easier to wash. Think of it as a paint protector. If you are using the car very little, keep it out of the sun and environment. Garage and /or car cover is great.

 

All your washing is very excessive, you'll probably end up doing more harm than good.

For the "Seasonal Ultimate Wash" as I call it,

Wash the car with Dawn soap, not Ajax, not offbrand, but Dawn, this is the most aggressive way to wash, it removes all waxes, sealants and of course the hard to remove grime, grease and dirt that you want so you can really clean that clear coat.
Two buckets, grit guards if you have em, a dirty bucket and a clean bucket. Use a different mit for wheels / exhaust as you do paint and wheels. Wash in straight lines, no circles. The idea is to just agitate the dirt enough so that rinses the car with the hose will wash it away. If the mitt gets visibly soiled, either fold it over to a clean area, or rinse it off, dont go over your car with a mitt that has dirt embedded in it.

DRYING IS THE MOST CRITICAL PART IMO
I never ever ever just go over my car with a towel (even if MF) to dry it. This is where the majority of your swirls and scratches are gonna come from.
For normal washes, when you're not removing the waxes / sealants, use a spray wax as lubricant, and use a damp microfiber towel, when it gets soaked, just wring it out and keep going. Spray wax has drying agents in it as well, so it lubricates as it dries the car AS WELL AS adding another thin layer of protection to the car.

For when you are going to clay the car next, use a spray and wipe product that doesn't have any type of wax in it. Griot's Speed Shine or Poorboy's Spray and Wipe are my two favorites. The lubricate, but don't add any wax (You dont want wax on the car right now!)

Once the car is dried using your spray on lubricant and damp MF towel, time to clay the car.

Clay it using the same wax-free lubricant product
Then Seal the car using a synthetic sealant
Then Wax the car using a carnauba wax

If you're gonna polish the car, do it after the clay and before the seal.

Hope this helps

 

what clay bar are you using ?. I find whenever I used a certain brand of white claybar I get scratches and marring of the clearcoat, when I use Mothers yellow claybar it is always perfect.

For an IPA wipedown I just put a bit in a spraybottle diluted with water and spray it on as needed, then wipe away.

 

I like the Mothers yellow clay bar, I've used the white Meguire's bar but I didn't like it as much. Sounds to me like you are not using enough lubricant thats why you are getting those issues. I've found the blue clay bars to be best. Meguire's makes one that comes in a black round container and theres a blue one made by Clay Magic that I really like. I've found the yellow and blue clay bars to work the best.