How To: Detailing Civic Correctly

Jay Jay

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Facts about the finish

Modern paint methods use several coats of base coat paint, followed by a clearcoat finish. Because of the pigmentation in the clearcoat, polishes and cleaners may cause the buffing rag to turn a light shade of red (or whatever color your car is). Although you needn't be alarmed, be aware that body panels are thin, to save weight, and do not respond well to forceful scrubbing- so be gentle.

Washing

Never use "automatic" or "drive through" car washes...even the ones that claim that they brushless. Automatic washes tend to accumulate debris in their brushes, which will scratch your car's surface. Brushless drive throughs use strong solvents in their water, in combination with very high pressure. This will damage your surface, and sandblast scratches into the clear coat. If you love your civic, avoid these!

Preparation is the key. Remove your mud guards, nose bras, close your windows tight, (obviously put the bloody top up) and retract your antennae. Gently spray the car from top to bottom to moisten. Then repeat from top to bottom with greater water pressure to spray off debris...but don't over do it, or you will sand blast the finish.

NEVER, EVER use dishwashing detergent. Despite what people tell you, dishwashing liquids are too harsh for a car's finish. You WILL damage your car's paint surface. Although some will argue that dishwashing fluid is "safe to strip off old wax..." I just have to ask...why would you need to remove the old wax in the first place? Even during a full detail, the polish and cleaners will remove the old wax...don't expose your car to the harsh dishwashing fluid.

Use a quality detergent designed for washing cars.

When washing your civic, make sure you don't do it when the sun is at its highest. Direct sunlight will cause drying spots, especially if your water is considered "hard." This is especially important if your civic has a dark colored finish.

Try and use a natural sponge, rather than a synthetic one. If neither are available, find a COTTON towel, and stich it into a usable size. Make sure you have at least two buckets. One to contain your soap, and the other to rinse and squeeze out your sponge.

Wash from the roof down. If your wheels are very dirty, pour some of the detergent into a 2 liter soft drink bottle, and fill with water. Use less water if you want it concentrated. Clean an old squirt trigger from 409, or Windex. Connect it to the 2 liter bottle, and spray down your wheels...let them soak before washing them.

Use gentle pressure while washing your car. Use multiple passes, instead of one hard scrub.

Problem areas while washing the civic.

Wheel wells...Make sure you wash under the wheel wells. Wash behind the wheel well cover, where the mud guards are. These areas collect dirt and salt quickly.

Bumper, rear fender joint...With the 2 liter bottle of detergent, spray the joint between the rear bumper, and the attachment to the car. The thin valley that runs horizontally can trap road debris and cause problems while waxing.

Door jams...Open the door, take a wet cotton towel, and run down the door frame. Both the door and the car body can trap debris here.

Front bumper...Usually takes the most damage from stones, chips, bugs, and street debris. Wash and spray gently under the grill to remove debris from the radiator fins.

Body side moulding...Run a sponge parallel with the trim, and push down where the trim attaches to the car. The angle usually traps some dirt both above and below the trim.

Rinse your car from top to bottom. After you've washed the car, don't forget to hose out the wheelwells every once in a while. Some cars will build up some gunk in there that could cause you rust problems later.

Dry immediately after washing. If using towels, use many of them. Dirt can accumulate on towels and scratch the surface. If using a chamois, make sure it is real, and not synthetic.

The Four Step Process

To determine the type of detailng you need, determine the condition of your car's paint surface. Run your hand down the civic's body, and feel for bumps. Look for scratches. Look for chips.

If your civic isn't glassy smoothe, then you need to detail with clay.

If your civic has scratches, they should be repaired before polishing and waxing.

If you are compulsive and just washed and waxed your car within the last month, you may be able to get away with simply a wash and dry.
If you are going out on a very hot date tonight, and really want to impress your woman (or man,) save an entire day and do all four steps.

1. Detailing clay

Various manufacturers use this process. GM and Toyota use this process to certify their "pre owned" automobiles before selling them again. Many companies offer clay for detailing...but it isn't a common product in parts stores.

The product is very simple. A piece of clay, and some lubricant. On a newly washed car, spray the lubricant, and gently run the clay over the surface. It will pick up most surface contamination like paint overspray, tar, bugs, and tree sap. These are the things that keep the surface from being glassy smooth. I recommend detailing with clay at least once a year...much more often if you park outdoors.

2. Cleaners and polishes

Cleaners often contain a polish dissolved in some solvent. This removes minor scratches, old water spots, and other contaminants that you can't actually feel with your hand. Don't over use cleaners...they remove a little bit of clearcoat with each application. I recommend detailing with cleaners once a year, or following each clay treatment.

Polishes, on the other hand, usually contain mild abrasives and many oils. The abrasives range from aluminum oxide based particles to diatomous material. Try and avoid metal oxide baed polishes...they do not break down after polishing, and can cause swirl marks if improperly used.

Both cleaners and polishes are meant to remove minor surface contamination, and minor scratches...including swirl marks.

3. Glazes

Glazes hide swirl marks and feed the paint with oils. Oils and other chemicals are lost from paints and clearcoats after repeated washes and lack of waxing. The glaze also gives better depth to a wax job.

4. Waxes

There are so many waxes available today, that I can only tell you..."ask around." My personal favorites are Meguiar's and Mothers. There are basically three types of waxes. Carnuba based, Silicon based, and synthetic Teflon based.

When doing any of these procedures, follow these simple tips:

Avoid waxing in direct sunlight when possible.
If you are using a carnuba based wax, avoid waxing your car when it is cold out. Carnauba is difficult to work with when it is cold.
Don't wait too long after steps 2 and 3. The contents of many glazes, sealers, and polishes evaporate after time. The wax will seal them in.
Make certain your car is dry. DWater spilling down from a sill plate will make it difficult to buff out the wax. Water on your buffing towel will make it much harder to buff out the car.
Change rags frequently when buffing. They become clogged with waxy residue, and lose their ability to remove wax and polishes. Shaking and whipping out the cloth may help.
Promptly remove wax that inadvertantly touched plastic trim. A soft toothbrush removes residue from around trim pieces.
 

anfrey

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very good info. also, don't cheap out when purchasing auto detailing products. you get what you pay for. i usually buy the meguiar's professional line of products for my civic...
 


chadster

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Hey all, we just started advertising on the site.
Those are some really thorough detail tips/instructions. I learned a bunch of things I can use! You are right, CLAY is the best cleaner out there!!!

Check out www.5starshine.com for our incredible paint protection kit. You can see testimonies from everyone who owns everything from planes to cars and boats!

It's better than anything else out there.
Club civic gets $20 discount.
just type in "vipdiscounts" in the customer code box at checkout.

-Chad N
www.5starshine.com
 

civic hatch

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great info post this should be a sticky for a while
 


flora

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i love using s100 wax--you guys ever use it?

also the meguirs quik detailer is niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

good info! =)
 

anfrey

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my friend rob recently tried it out. pretty nice stuff. i might give it a shot. i've been using meg's #26 on my ride. btw, i'm glad u got the s100 instead of the p21s, since they're the same product at different prices. smart thinking =)

what polish do u usually use? meg's #7 (show car glaze) is my choice, although sometimes i'll use #5 (new car glaze)

and yeah, final inspection is a godsend (this coming from an atheist!)
 

flora

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Originally posted by anfrey
my friend rob recently tried it out. pretty nice stuff. i might give it a shot. i've been using meg's #26 on my ride. btw, i'm glad u got the s100 instead of the p21s, since they're the same product at different prices. smart thinking =)



Hehe. yeah it's pretty sweet. the shine shows really well after 3 days. i hope people don't get blinded when i pass them ;)

what polish do u usually use? meg's #7 (show car glaze) is my choice, although sometimes i'll use #5 (new car glaze)

and yeah, final inspection is a godsend (this coming from an atheist!)
meg #7 all the way :D mmmm super shiny--even though the stuff looks like something that came out of a dirty diaper. lol. what a shine. i use simple green to wash though--you guys use anything else?
 

Beelzebubba

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Originally posted by flora
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meg #7 all the way :D mmmm super shiny--even though the stuff looks like something that came out of a dirty diaper. lol. what a shine. i use simple green to wash though--you guys use anything else?
Mostly the meguiars Gold Class, Mother's Carnauba shines great but evaporates at something like 90 degrees. I've heard good stuff about Zymol and Liquid glass but I've never used them.
 

anfrey

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i use #00 hitech wash.
 

trevorbreadon

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Not sure if you can get it in america by Autoglym super resin is very good. I do a bit of car valeting to earn money as i am a student. Its all i use and it always gets good comments. Its very easy to put on and take of.
 

Shadowcast

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ya mothers is a good brand. I use the mother's california gold its in a red can no sponge comes w/ though. the stuff is pretty good. my uncle use to be in the detailing business and he always used that. he says there are good chem in it that is really good for the paint.
 

NOFX

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Re: How to properly detail your civic.

Originally posted by admin
Modern paint methods use several coats of base coat paint, followed by a clearcoat finish. Because of the pigmentation in the clearcoat, polishes and cleaners may cause the buffing rag to turn a light shade of red (or whatever color your car is). Although you needn't be alarmed, be aware that body panels are thin, to save weight, and do not respond well to forceful scrubbing- so be gentle.
If your paint is a clearcoat paint then the color of your paint should NOT appear on the cloth that you are using.

"It isn't always easy to tell. One test is to gently rub an out-of-sight place on the finish with a mild cleaner. If color comes off on you cloth, you can be fairly sure it's conventional finish. If no color comes off, you can be almost sure it's clear-coated.

Still, there's only one sure-safe rule-of-thumb: When in doubt, treat it as a clearcoat finish." From "Auto Detailing The Professional Way" by James Joseph.

You can also check Meguiars site for information.
 

anfrey

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exactly what nofx said. "conventional" paint jobs are like those found in exotic cars, which is why the have a "deeper" shade.

clearcoated cars (like ours) look glossy. if paint comes off onto the "rag" you us, that means your clearcoat is worn, and you should invest in a paintjob
 

uncivil

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Detailing tip

For the windows (not for use on the inside w/ tint) #0000 steel wool works great to clean off bugs, stuff you dont get when washing, etc. for the glass. Goof-off in the wheel wells (the lip) and spot areas on the paint (don't stay in one area too long, especially on interior surfaces) works well. For applying tire products evenly, a half-round sponge cut in half (so it looks like a quarter of a circle) works great. Spray at the bottom of the tire and on the sponge so that it doesn't get on the wheels. These sponges can usually be found at your local home improvement places in the paint dept. All I can think of for now.
 

ImportFan1

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not sure what wax i use but its Meguiars and its the s**t my dad uses on his vette and jag so it prob some good s**t
 


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