I grant I am a bit more anal than most. I wash and wax my car year round at least twice per month and once a week in the summer. I polish my car at least 3-4 times per year. I am a firm believer in using a clay bar at least once a year, maybe twice a year if you live in a "dirty air" area. I agree with the touch up paint for chips. I went to the dealer to get a touch up paint applicator, it works like a pen and fills the chips nicely. as for scratches, finsihing compound works well for small very minor scratches and rubbing compund for the more intense sctraches. A few professional detailers have a few chemicals that work real well on minor scratches and swirl marks as well (also on faded paint jobs).
Last edited by mrvandermey; 03-14-2007 at 01:45 AM.
I grant I am a bit mor eanal than most. I wash and wax my car year round and problably at least twice per month and once a week int he summer. I polish my car at least 3-4 times per year. I am a firm believe ris using a clay bar at least once ayear, maybe twice a year if you live in a "dirty air" area.
Must be nice. I have to clay my car once every three or four weeks or it starts changing color on me. I guess Houston is one of those 'dirty air' areas. I wax it after I clay it. That might seem a bit excessive to some, but my car still looks exactly like it did right after I painted it about eight years ago.
Touch-up paint on the chips is an good way to stop the paint around the chip from turning loose. The only problem that you will encounter will be, if your car has a metallic finish paint the touch up paint will be much darker when you put it on than the paint around it. Sprayed paint behaves differently from brushed paint. The darker metallic stuff floats to the top. With mixed and sprayed paint it distributes itself pretty evenly, but if you are using a brush or a touch up applicator, it catches the dark stuff floating on the top. How I do that is I have a couple of cans that I've put radiator drain plugs in the bottom of and I pour the paint into one of them, let it sit for a minute, drain some out through the bottom into the other one,let it sit for a minute and drain some out into a clean container and go from there. You will also get much better results if you build it up slowly with several coats, being careful to stay inside the chipped area, bring the paint level up to slightly higher than original paint level on the undamaged area and then carefully wet-sending it down to level with some 2500 grit, then hit it with a buffer. If you do it like that the chip will pretty much disappear. Even if the color isn't an exact match, it is still slick, flat and shiny in that spot, so you have be looking right at it with the light just so to see it. It takes some practise, but not nearly as much as one might think. Good luck.
I grant I am a bit mor eanal than most. I wash and wax my car year round and problably at least twice per month and once a week int he summer. I polish my car at least 3-4 times per year. I am a firm believe ris using a clay bar at least once ayear, maybe twice a year if you live in a "dirty air" area. I agree witht he touch up paint for chips. I went tot he dealer to get a touch up paint applicator, it works like a pen and fills the chips nicely. as for scratches, finsihing compound works well for small very minor scratches and rubbing compund for the more intense sctraches. A few professional detailers have a few chemicals that work real well on minor scratches and swirl marks as well (also on faded paint jobs).
This is the regemin I follow as well. I wax almost every time I wash, at least every other time. I clay bar at the beginning of the summer each year. I like the ZYMOL, but I also like Mothers with carnuba and mcguiars with carnuba. THe McGuiars touch up spray and california car duster keep it shiny between washes.
__________________
GO TEAM BULLITT. Check out our audition video in my profile!!! Then check us out on the SPEED channel Feb. 9th on BULLRUN season 2!!
Has anyone ever used paint sealer products like 5 Star Shine? Or any of the other car show wonder sealers? ... you know, the ones they always light on fire with lighter fluid. Any experience with those?
__________________
2005 GT Convertible Premium, 5-sp man, Torch Red, Charcoal top and leather int, upgraded interior, Flowmasters
i used liquid glass after i got my car the way i want it and waxed it once i put the sealer on which lasts for 6 months and the car is still as smooth as glass and its been a week since i put it on..I LOVE IT!!!
__________________
2001 Mustang Convertible (Cruise Car)...
2000 Mustang Coupe (Race Car)...
Well It's Enough To Kill ANY Of Those Jap Cars
"Real Cars Don't Power The Front Wheels, They Lift Them"
Waxing, Scratches, Chips, and more... 
I guess Houston is one of those 'dirty air' areas. I wax it after I clay it. That might seem a bit excessive to some, but my car still looks exactly like it did right after I painted it about eight years ago.
