Detailing friend's Accord. Please advise!

[Tideland Prius]

yeah I know it's a Toyota forum but I figured you guys here are knowledgeable enough to help me out.

My plan is to wash, claybar and wax his car for his birthday (I'll borrow it from his mum when he's at work or something).

Here's my ammo:
- Sundance car wash soap
- Meguire's Claybar kit
- Mother's California Gold Pure Carnuba Paste Wax
- super soft bristle car wash brush
- toilet brush for the wheels
- chamois
- squeegee
- applicator pad for wax
- buffing cloth for buffing wax out
- tyre shine
- tyre shine pad

However, I need to ask a few things.

1) his is a 96 Accord with the champagne/silver colour. Is it clearcoated? i.e. will my pads turn colour when I wax it or will I be okay?

2) he probably never wax, let alone claybar his car in the last 11 years. What do I need to know about working on paint such as that? It's garaged at home.

3) Is it safe to wash the engine bay of an Accord or should I just use one of those Castrol degreaser thingamajigs?

4) Any extra things I need to make his car look showroom new? (ok I would polish but I don't have a PC and I've never polished in my life so I'm not about to experiment on my friend's car).


Inputs would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[Pb]

If it was me, I would loose the brush and replace with a real wool mitt.
I would replace the toilet brush with a soft brush, and a small mitt. Cleaning wheels with a mitt by hand is the best way, IMO.

Replace the chamoise with a couple nice waffle weave microfiber towels.


Wash it good. Wash the engine with soap and a brush as much as possible. You can use engine cleaner on the metal parts. Try to keep it off of plastic parts, just to be safe.
Clay bar the paint. Then I would at least go over it with a cleaner wax before waxing with the carnauba paste. The cleaner wax will get the paint nice and clean, and remove a little bit of swirls before you wax.

[Tideland Prius]

I had a wash mitt before. Definitely not wool but hey it was a free gift from Toyota but I'll keep that in mind

Hmm.. well he has wheel covers so I don't think there's much to do there especially if you remember how the wheel covers look like.


Yeah, I got a question about those microfibre towels. So even though some water is left behind (sorta like drying with a soaked kitchen towel or trying to dry the car when the car is cold and the air temp is ~5°C) that's fine? It won't leave watermarks?


wash the engine with soap?? never done that lol. I assume I don't jet the engine bay either right? just let the water flow freely? I don't know but judging by his other car, I think it's safe to say the engine bay is hella dirty and it'll be a tough job.


cleaner wax.... never used that and I don't have one. what's the difference and what's a good example of one? How's that different from polishing?

His car is beige/silver so I'm not expecting black paint mirror-like finish but I hope to make it look at least like my dad's silver Camry and have some noticeable reflection.

Thanks for your reply!

[touringcamry]

Cleaner wax is like a polish and wax in one but separate products generally work better.

[Tideland Prius]

ohh... what's an example of a cleaner wax? Is that different from a sealant?

[touringcamry]

Mother's California Gold cleaner wax, Meguiars Cleaner Wax, Meguiars NXT would be examples of cleaner waxes.




I think a sealant is just a synthetic wax.

[Tideland Prius]

oh wow, perfect! Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures!

So I jst apply the cleaner wax like I normally would with regular wax? Do I "buff" it off with buffing cloth or just wipe it off with a soft cloth?

After the cleaner wax application, I can go straight to the carnuba wax without washing/drying again right?

[ToyotaJimD.]

The cleaner wax is fine just by itself.

The insctructions are pretty simple... apply in circular motions and put a little elbow grease into any problem spots (light scratches or scuffs). Let it haze for a few minutes until it's "set" -- wipe your finger in the haze and if it doesn't streak, it's ready to remove with a quality cotton terry or microfiber towel. Don't let it dry too long or it'll be more work than it needs to be. Work in 2'x2' sections so you don't forget to go back and buff. Just buff enough to remove the haze and bring the finish to a shine.

If you want to apply a pure carnauba over the cleaner wax you can do so immediately. Applying a pure wax for extra protection on the top surfaces is a good idea.

The silver paint would have a clearcoat.

I used the Mothers clay bar and carnauba cleaner wax on my friend's Mazda the other day and it did an impressive job of removing a ton of light water spots on the hood.

Good luck!

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by ToyotaJimD.

The cleaner wax is fine just by itself.

The insctructions are pretty simple... apply in circular motions and put a little elbow grease into any problem spots (light scratches or scuffs). Let it haze for a few minutes until it's "set" -- wipe your finger in the haze and if it doesn't streak, it's ready to remove with a quality cotton terry or microfiber towel. Don't let it dry too long or it'll be more work than it needs to be. Work in 2'x2' sections so you don't forget to go back and buff. Just buff enough to remove the haze and bring the finish to a shine.

If you want to apply a pure carnauba over the cleaner wax you can do so immediately. Applying a pure wax for extra protection on the top surfaces is a good idea.

The silver paint would have a clearcoat.

I used the Mothers clay bar and carnauba cleaner wax on my friend's Mazda the other day and it did an impressive job of removing a ton of light water spots on the hood.

Good luck!

hey thanks!

yeah, I'm definitely adding the carnuba. I'm fairly sure his car hasn't been waxed, let alone claybar. I think he washes regularly but I don't know the actual time frame (probably every month if I had to take a guess) so ya I really want to make it as close to showroom new as I can with the equipment I have as his bday present.

[Tideland Prius]

I have one more question. I sat in his car today and noticed that his windows are hella dirty.

I mean the "wiper stains" (i.e. the areas outside of the wiper area) looks like they're etched in or something and I'm sure the insides of his other windows have never really been thoroughly cleaned.


What do you suggest I do if regular washing doesn't remove that "wiper stain"?

Also, would Windex (ammonia-free) work for the insides or should I try something "stronger"?

[Pb]

Clean the outside of the windshield with some chrome polish. Really rub it in.

Clean the inside windows with a good ammonia-free cleaner. Then you can remove any streaks by wiping the windows with the buffing towel that you used to wipe the wax off of the car. The wax residue that's on the towel will remove any streaks and leave the window smooth.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by Pb

Clean the outside of the windshield with some chrome polish. Really rub it in.

Clean the inside windows with a good ammonia-free cleaner. Then you can remove any streaks by wiping the windows with the buffing towel that you used to wipe the wax off of the car. The wax residue that's on the towel will remove any streaks and leave the window smooth.

Interesting... am I supposed to leave wax on the inside of the windows?

I just wipe when it's dry after I clean with window cleaner right?

[Tideland Prius]

Alright, it's almost game time (I'll be doing it this week).

I have one more question:

I found out that my Mother's paste wax is not the pure carnuba one but the california gold original paste wax

• Genuine Brazilian carnauba wax is the secret to Mothers® one step cleaner wax

that "Cleans and protects in one application with excellent results achieved on all paint types"

So.. do I need to get the pure carnuba one after I apply the cleaner wax or can I use the above one (that I already have) and use that after the cleaner wax?

Here's a summary if anyone wants:

- wash with a wash mitt, get rid of the wash brush
- use a soft brush or mitt for the wheels
- dry with microfibre cloth
- wash engine bay with soapy water. Can use degreaser on metal parts if I wish
- scrub outside windows with chrome polish
- claybar
- apply cleaner wax. Let it haze before buffing off
- apply carnuba wax

Inside: use ammonia-free cleaner then wipe off with buffing cloth used to remove wax on exterior of car.

Did I miss anything?