Hi Everyone,
This is my first post on these forums. I've read through many of the threads looking for answers to my questions, but I've not yet seen anything that answers my specific questions and also it seems that everyone uses letters as abbreviations for products and since I don't know what the products are, I have no idea what the letters mean
I just bought a new 2010 Nissan Rogue in black. This is not my first black car. My high school graduation present was a new black Mazda Protege and when I finally got rid of it 11 years later, people couldn't believe how good it looked for it's age. You could still see your reflection in the paint. The regime I used on that car(back in the early 90's) was to wash it, usually once a week, with some kind of car wash soap(not dish soap), and then I waxed every other month with Blue Coral's Autofom....I know, not the best stuff, but I liked the way it worked. Made the car slick and shiny. I'm sure there were swirls in the paint, but I didn't really notice or know that those could be avoided.
As for my Rogue. I'll probably wash once a week if it's dirty. If it looks fine, I won't bother washing. I'd like the paint to continue to look shiny and I'll try to avoid swirl marks if it all possible. I'm obviously not as anal as some of you guys on here, so please keep that in mind. I don't want to spend more than an hour a week on this car unless it is really dirty. Also please keep in mind that I don't want to spend a fortune on it either...I can lay out $30 or $40 in supplies and products, but they should last for a while. I'm not spending that every week.
So, here's what I need to know. What brand and type car wash soap should I buy and use? What brand or type of mitt should I use? This car really is brand new and has not been washed yet(by me anyway) so I'm going to try to avoid swirls in the paint as much as I can, I've read that washing can cause these swirls, so I'd like to use a technique and product that will keep them to a minimum. Please give suggestions and use the real names of the products, not initals LOL Oh and give me products that are readily available at Wal-Mart, O'Reilly, Autozone, Pepboys, Advance, Napa, etc. I don't even know where a specialty car wash product place is around here(New Orleans). Oh and when washing, should I go back and forth with sponge/rag/etc in a line or use a circular motion or what?
Once washed, what should I use to dry the car? Right now I use a synthetic shammy called The Absorber, that absorbs a lot of water off of the car. Is this ok to use on the new car? If not, what should I be using?
As for wheels, I've always just used same sponge I used on the car with the soap to clean. Since I usually wash once a week or at least once every 2 weeks, the brake dust isn't too bad and this cleans well, but I'm not opposed to using a product. The wheels are alloy.
Once washed and dryed, what is a good, easy to apply, wax or polish that I can apply and doesn't require too much elbow grease? I actually like washing my car, but I dread the waxing part. It seems like so much more work. Remember, this is just for me, I'm not showing the car at a show or anything. I want the best appearance for the least amount of work...does this make sense LOL I don't have any electric tools for this(buffer, etc) and don't plan on buying any. So please give me advice on product I can do myself. Note: Car is all black, so something that won't turn the plastic trim white if it all possible. Also, live in New Orleans so it gets HOT in the summers. We don't have a garage or shady trees, so is there something that can be applied in direct sunlight and in the heat?
Thanks everyone for any help, tips, advice. I basically want my new car to look great and stay that way, but I don't necessarily need a flawless car as I'm not willing to put that much work into it. I want better than the avg person who will drive there car through the gas station car wash and think that's good, but not as good as the person who spends over $100 on products and dreams of showing their cars in competitions.
This is my first post on these forums. I've read through many of the threads looking for answers to my questions, but I've not yet seen anything that answers my specific questions and also it seems that everyone uses letters as abbreviations for products and since I don't know what the products are, I have no idea what the letters mean
I just bought a new 2010 Nissan Rogue in black. This is not my first black car. My high school graduation present was a new black Mazda Protege and when I finally got rid of it 11 years later, people couldn't believe how good it looked for it's age. You could still see your reflection in the paint. The regime I used on that car(back in the early 90's) was to wash it, usually once a week, with some kind of car wash soap(not dish soap), and then I waxed every other month with Blue Coral's Autofom....I know, not the best stuff, but I liked the way it worked. Made the car slick and shiny. I'm sure there were swirls in the paint, but I didn't really notice or know that those could be avoided.
As for my Rogue. I'll probably wash once a week if it's dirty. If it looks fine, I won't bother washing. I'd like the paint to continue to look shiny and I'll try to avoid swirl marks if it all possible. I'm obviously not as anal as some of you guys on here, so please keep that in mind. I don't want to spend more than an hour a week on this car unless it is really dirty. Also please keep in mind that I don't want to spend a fortune on it either...I can lay out $30 or $40 in supplies and products, but they should last for a while. I'm not spending that every week.
So, here's what I need to know. What brand and type car wash soap should I buy and use? What brand or type of mitt should I use? This car really is brand new and has not been washed yet(by me anyway) so I'm going to try to avoid swirls in the paint as much as I can, I've read that washing can cause these swirls, so I'd like to use a technique and product that will keep them to a minimum. Please give suggestions and use the real names of the products, not initals LOL Oh and give me products that are readily available at Wal-Mart, O'Reilly, Autozone, Pepboys, Advance, Napa, etc. I don't even know where a specialty car wash product place is around here(New Orleans). Oh and when washing, should I go back and forth with sponge/rag/etc in a line or use a circular motion or what?
Once washed, what should I use to dry the car? Right now I use a synthetic shammy called The Absorber, that absorbs a lot of water off of the car. Is this ok to use on the new car? If not, what should I be using?
As for wheels, I've always just used same sponge I used on the car with the soap to clean. Since I usually wash once a week or at least once every 2 weeks, the brake dust isn't too bad and this cleans well, but I'm not opposed to using a product. The wheels are alloy.
Once washed and dryed, what is a good, easy to apply, wax or polish that I can apply and doesn't require too much elbow grease? I actually like washing my car, but I dread the waxing part. It seems like so much more work. Remember, this is just for me, I'm not showing the car at a show or anything. I want the best appearance for the least amount of work...does this make sense LOL I don't have any electric tools for this(buffer, etc) and don't plan on buying any. So please give me advice on product I can do myself. Note: Car is all black, so something that won't turn the plastic trim white if it all possible. Also, live in New Orleans so it gets HOT in the summers. We don't have a garage or shady trees, so is there something that can be applied in direct sunlight and in the heat?
Thanks everyone for any help, tips, advice. I basically want my new car to look great and stay that way, but I don't necessarily need a flawless car as I'm not willing to put that much work into it. I want better than the avg person who will drive there car through the gas station car wash and think that's good, but not as good as the person who spends over $100 on products and dreams of showing their cars in competitions.
