The start of properly washing and waxing, tips and advice appreciated

[AzScorpion]

Thank you Dave. This will be soon very helpful. I just started some of the process. Albeit, a start because I just leaf blew the whole garage to get rid of loose particles. I am still questioning if I want to leaf blow dry my truck because my garage is not the cleanest of things. Might just go old school with the microfibers. You also might be right it could be possibly next month before I clean the car. I don't think I will be going out much these next few weeks. New season in a video game I enjoy, opens up at Friday 1pm so I am trying to get this done this week or else... I will succumb to Dave's prophecy of next month.

You could just pull the truck out and dry it outside that's what I do. I do all my detailing inside the garage and mine isn't the cleanest either. We have so much dust in the air here it's impossible to keep it clean!

Every other day I use a California Duster on mine just to get the dust off. I've used these back east too with all the pollen and they're great. You just lightly go over each panel and it picks up any dust without scratching. They work best the more you use them. If you do get one wrap it in a paper bag or newspaper for 24-48 hrs to get rid of the excess wax. It has paraffin wax on it to help pick up the dust.

https://www.amazon.com/California-C...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Z5TM53MQYSBPZGXMVG3K

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[dondonbabyraptor]

You could just pull the truck out and dry it outside that's what I do. I do all my detailing inside the garage and mine isn't the cleanest either. We have so much dust in the air here it's impossible to keep it clean!

Every other day I use a California Duster on mine just to get the dust off. I've used these back east too with all the pollen and they're great. You just lightly go over each panel and it picks up any dust without scratching. They work best the more you use them. If you do get one wrap it in a paper bag or newspaper for 24-48 hrs to get rid of the excess wax. It has paraffin wax on it to help pick up the dust.

https://www.amazon.com/California-C...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Z5TM53MQYSBPZGXMVG3K

Appreciate the tip and link, yet again Dave I think I will follow your advice and dry outside then detail inside the garage.

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

Loving Adam polishes foam gun. Easy hook up to hose and has a real nice foam to it.

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

Turns out 303 graphene is safe on vinyl stickers!!

 

[AzScorpion]

Turns out 303 graphene is safe on vinyl stickers!!

Yup you can coat just about anything with it except your body. lol

It does have a strong lighter fluid smell to it so make sure you leave the door or window open while working with it.

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

Yup you can coat just about anything with it except your body. lol

It does have a strong lighter fluid smell to it so make sure you leave the door or window open while working with it.

Thank you for clear instructions, I was going to use my beer belly to rub it on. Nice smooth round surface. But not good for skin. Got it. ?

haha yes garage door is open. Thank you Dave for the help during this process.

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

So…. This is with the car wash.. clay bar 2.0
with instant detailer… haven’t even orbital polished or tossed on graphene… thinking I’m skipping the orbital polishing… and going straight to graphene. Not sure yet though. Highly highly recommend the clay bar2.0 the perfect small mouse like form of it fits in the lower side curvatures in the body panels. This instant detailer makes it shine like glass too already…

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

Resting now because I was sweating bullets even in the garage. My San Diego acclimated body tells me 81 degrees is quite warm. Going to inspect the paint and really decide if I want to do paint correction before graphene. I figure I take it offroading all the time and get pinstripes from overhanging branches anyways... Whats the point?

 

[AzScorpion]

If it's not that bad you could always do the paint correction another time. You might have second thoughts going through scrubby brush once you see how nice it looks when you're done. I always bring clippers and a small saw along just in case.

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

If it's not that bad you could always do the paint correction another time. You might have second thoughts going through scrubby brush once you see how nice it looks when you're done. I always bring clippers and a small saw along just in case.

I barely see micro scratches, no holograms or anything crazy. A few big pinstripes down the sides But beyond that, I think I will go straight to graphene. That is a good tip on the small saw/clippers. Perhaps my laziness trumps the care over pinstripes as I have a few "battle scars" already. But a saw/clippers will definitely be useful for more forest-y roads. Have yet to take it where the big trees are for off-roading.

 

[AzScorpion]

I barely see micro scratches, no holograms or anything crazy. A few big pinstripes down the sides But beyond that, I think I will go straight to graphene. That is a good tip on the small saw/clippers. Perhaps my laziness trumps the care over pinstripes as I have a few "battle scars" already. But a saw/clippers will definitely be useful for more forest-y roads. Have yet to take it where the big trees are for off-roading.

lol.... I've been lucky so far and most areas out here are fairly open but I do run into some scrubby overgrown stuff on occasion. I have a set of Fiskar hand pruning shears and a fold up saw. They're nice and all and fit in my gear bag. One thing on my list is this cordless Milwaukee chainsaw.

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

lol.... I've been lucky so far and most areas out here are fairly open but I do run into some scrubby overgrown stuff on occasion. I have a set of Fiskar hand pruning shears and a fold up saw. They're nice and all and fit in my gear bag. One thing on my list is this cordless Milwaukee chainsaw.

If it fits perfectly in the gear bag it’s a great addition that chainsaw is for some serious work hahaha.

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

Final product. Before graphene.

After graphene.

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

Graphene is more work than I expected because I did too a whole side instead of a panel at a time and it dried too much. Hands had to switch constantly. I always try to rush things but create more work for myself. ??‍ Love the glass like effect and quite shiny. Will keep using 303 graphene until it’s out. Some spots I missed with the clay bar but I was rushing it. Still took 4 hours though. Exhausted.

 

[AzScorpion]

Final product. Before graphene.

After graphene.

Looks great Brandon!! You can really see the depth of the color in the second picture. Especially the reflection off the hood of the garage door opener. It looks like a mirror!

Yeah you created a little more work for yourself by doing the whole truck and letting it dry. lol It's better to do 2 panels and then buff and go on to the next 2. As soon as you see it haze over it's ready to buff out. The first time I applied it I used way to much on the roof and let it dry to long and it was tough buffing it off.

You could do a 3rd coat tonight and practice doing 2 panels.

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