How to take care of cars in uncovered parking?

[spongee]

ok guys...this is it...i'm hell-bent on washing and cleaning my car on my own...except that once-a-month "professional date" with the experts...but on a day to day basis, i'd like to do it on my own.

to start...after experimenting with a few washing/drying cloths...I now have the CALIFORNIA MICROMITT, MICROTEX DRYING CLOTH, and the CALIFORNIA CAR DUSTER...

SHAMPOO...right now i'm using Formula1 carnauba wash n wax kasi that's what i have pero parang hindi ako masaya kasi it doesn't suds that much as per direction na timpla with water..i'm reading previous threads about shampoos at talagang nawindang ako kasi i saw some "hairshampoo, dishwashing" stuffs..since bago lang oto ko kaya stick muna ako sa carshampoo..the other day i went at MOTHERS and saw MOTHER'S California Gold car wash...is this ok??

WAX...i haven't waxed pa since my car was delivered (2mos ago)...but i have Formula1 carnauba car wax...honestly, i don't know how to wax...i have a fairly good idea on how it says in the bottle direction tho...but i'm scared kasi baka hindi magpantay pagkakaapply ko or what...is it the same principle on waxing the floor of the house???like apply evenly, allow to dry then buff(is that the term)?..how about those spraywax? is this ok??kaya lang from what i know, spray wax is like booster lang over existing wax..i find it easier for me kasi u can spray it on wet surface after cleaning then parang nagtutuyo ka lang ng oto..MOTHER'S also have this spray waxes...

TIRES..what shall i use for tires? brush, cleaning suds, etc..i dont know anything about tires.

here's the thing...WALA AKONG COVERED GARAGE..kaya my car is exposed to everything...araw, ulan, i've tried using car covers pero ganun din at pag umulan, yung alikabok ng cover napupunta sa oto at nagpuputik lang..

to summarize..please help me on what products shall i use...the system and all that.. that will really work for me in the easiest and most affordable way...

thanks in advance mga ka-tsikot

[chris_d]

Maganda yung mothers car shampoo, gamit ko ngayon meguiars.

Just remember to wash from the top down and use lots of water, if possible use a hose, not just using one pail of water or soap. Have a second pail of water for rinsing the rug while washing.

[spongee]

Maganda yung mothers car shampoo, gamit ko ngayon meguiars.

Just remember to wash from the top down and use lots of water, if possible use a hose, not just using one pail of water or soap. Have a second pail of water for rinsing the rug while washing.

got your point...will take note of that...medyo matrabaho but makes sense...thanks

[diesoline]

spongee, since you don't have a garage, why don't you invest in a sealant treatment as protection against the elements.

afaik, BB has a paint protection program that is more convenient and cost-effective than d-i-y waxing, polishing and the like. input mo na lang would be the daily dusting, washing of your car using the cleaning aids you enumerated in your post. get a jelly blade (water blade) as well, it's a time saver.

[artpogi]

spongee,

IMO stay away from those car shampoo with wax, it's pretty useless, it's marketing gimmick. Mothers car shampoo are okay, or if you have time to visit Big Berts, ask them if they are still selling car shampoos.

IMO car covers available from our suking car shops are not paint friendly, personal observation ko lang yan. There are high-end car covers I saw sa net but I doubt they are available here and if they are they're pretty expensive.

sa wax you can't go wrong with both Meguiars and Mothers but there are also other brands available out there na okay din.

punta ka sa www.autopia.org they have good reads regarding waxes and how-to's

[miLes]

i also still wash my car myself at least once a week, i leave the paint protection to the professionals--BigBerts, i just top it off with a spray wax now and then

[spongee]

thanks sa lahat ng inputs guys....i plan to go to BB anytime this week for that carpaint protection thing and yes i'll shy away na to those combo washnwaxs...ubusin ko na lang nabili ko then i'll switch to Mothers...
thanks guys......

[///MPower]

Read this for proper washing technique. Anything else will result in swirl marks in your paint.
http://ocdgarage.com/washingdrying.html

You can find good videos on how to wax your car here:
http://youtube.com/autogeek

Just keep in mind that they are trying to sell you stuff. Take it all with a grain of salt (you don't need whatever special applicator or X product to get good results) and you should be fine. Make sure that you do use microfiber towels to wipe and buff the wax, though; anything else will leave swirls.

[blink21me]

So far you really have nothing to worry about, BUT HOW YOU WASH AND DRY your car. Use a brand new MF wash mitt and use it only to wash your car (put it inside a bag after each time you use it so you don't make a mistake of using it on something else and dont let anyone else use it). Same when it comes to drying, use a Waffle Weave MF drying towel and use it only to dry your car, (also, put it in a bag after each time use it and don't let anyone else use it.)

I won't even recommend trying out sealants if you don't have any experience applying a wax.

[spongee]

thanks again guys sa lahat ng inputs...galing na nga ng washing outputs ko...
yung combo ko ng dusting-wetting-shampooing/rinsing-drying works best for me..kasi nga pag maalikabok yung kotse kahit banlawan mo ng maiigi before shampooing, ang tendency talaga e maraming kakapit sa mitt na dumi kaya you need to rinse the mitt again before going to the next area..kaya what i do is dust muna ng calicarduster(d best talaga) before wetting the car para minimal na lang yung alikabok na kakapit sa mitt....problema lang talaga yang mga birds' droppings na yan