new Passat paint care?

So the car is a few days and 200 miles old. When I asked the salesman (on the off-chance that he might know something about it) whether there was any need to wait before waxing, the way re-paint instructions tell you, he said no, and they've already put a sealer on it.

After removing the huge bugs from the drive home with gentle (non-wax-removing) car soap (and discovering a small whitish scrape in the bumper clearcoat already), I briefly waxed the nose to give some quick protection from acute bug damage over the next few days.

I noticed this morning that my finger just sticks where there's merely "sealer", as opposed to a soft glide where I waxed it. I don't know if sealer should give a smooth feel, but if there isn't actually any, that just means less to remove before I do it right.

But how do I do it right?
There have been mentions of a need to clay bar new cars to remove rail dust. Cars within 400 miles of Chattanooga are said to not go on a train at all. If the fact that this dealer was in Memphis means it didn't come on a train, is it worth doing the clay just for good measure?

What comes after clay?
-sealer once
-regular wax repeated monthly until it starts looking too thick
-spray wax whenever I have to just wash off bugs/droppings
-plenty of regular wax if bug remover was needed

Does that sound right? Car is Glacier blue.

Incidentally, how do you wash microfiber rags used for waxing?

Clay is fast and easy, especially if the paint has minimal contaminants. Worth doing IMHO. How to tell? run the back of your fingers across the (clean!) paint. Is it smooth? As you use the clay, it becomes smoother to rub/slide across the paint. I prefer to use fresh/clean car shampoo as a lubricant.

wash (with something to remove any wax, like Dawn dish soap)
clay
polish
sealant
wax


Sealant and wax can be either/or/both. Some people favor one or the other, some like both.

Generally, sealant 2x year, wax 4-6x/yr. I prefer detail spray over spray wax.

I have a large inventory of MF towels. I get many dirty and then wash them separately from other cotton products.

After several years anally detailing for days at a time my vehicles pre-3 children, I now settle with a few effective and simple to use products. A light polish takes about 15 minutes for a sedan like the Passat, and 10 for wax. Easy peasy 4x year with minimal time/effort.

When in doubt, check Autpoia.org.

APT said:

Clay is fast and easy, especially if the paint has minimal contaminants. Worth doing IMHO. How to tell? run the back of your fingers across the (clean!) paint. Is it smooth? As you use the clay, it becomes smoother to rub/slide across the paint. I prefer to use fresh/clean car shampoo as a lubricant.

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By shampoo, do you mean to use the 1-capful-per-gallon concentrate as-is, or diluted?

wash (with something to remove any wax, like Dawn dish soap)
clay
polish
sealant
wax

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Would you do the polish step with new paint? I've never done that before (except unsuccessfully with scratch remover); what product do you use?

Sealant and wax can be either/or/both. Some people favor one or the other, some like both.

Generally, sealant 2x year, wax 4-6x/yr. I prefer detail spray over spray wax.

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My clay came with a spray bottle of Quik Detailer in the box. Is that what you mean? What does that do, anyway?

I have a large inventory of MF towels. I get many dirty and then wash them separately from other cotton products.

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Regular detergent? No trouble with wax residue in the washer, I take it?

1. Don't use regular detergent. use a product designed for cars.
2. The spray bottle of QAuik Detailer can be used as a lubricant for the clay. Here is how I use clay: first I rinse thenwash the car using a microfiber mitt (no sponge, please) and meguiars car wash. Then while the car is stil wet, I mold the clay into a flat pancake. I dip it into the wash fluid and then run it over the finish with the flat surface of the clay against the paint. I move the clay fast; some move the clay very slowly. Then I wash the car again using my microfiber mitt and wash water. Rinse and dry and your paint is as clean as it ever will be.

You can use a separate polish and then wax, but I find just applying a good wax (Meguiars) works just fine.

I bought 64 oz of Meguiar's #21 type 2 poly sealer. About $44 at some place in Orange County, CA via the internet, plus $7 shipping.

I put a thin coat on after washing my car with Dawn dishwashing soap to strip off all that was on there. Put the #21 on really thin, it doesn't take much, and do it in the shade, on cool paint. Let it sit on there for a couple of hours, go drink a beer, eat some chips, watch basketball, call your Mom, what ever. Wipe it off with a micro fiber polishing towel, usually the bright chartreuse yellow ones. They say it will last a year if your car is garaged, 4 to 6 months if outdoors all the time. All I know is I called the guy that detailed our Honda CRX when we bought it a year ago as to what he used for sealer, and he said the Meguiars #21, with another single coat of some carnuba based wax to add depth on top of it. It has lasted a year, easily so far, so I reapplied the same again this last weekend on the Honda also. I've had nothing but good experiences with Meguiars product in the past.

Only wash with Dawn dishwashing fluid right before you reapply sealer and wax, use car wash specific soap at all other times!

verylongdrive said:

By shampoo, do you mean to use the 1-capful-per-gallon concentrate as-is, or diluted?

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Diluted. I hand wash and rinse first. Then I make a new bucket of clean soapy water for the clay lubricant with a second clean wash mitt. I do not care for the detail spray/clay lube sprays that have come with any clay kit I have purchased. Many people use the spray which works fine for them, though. Shampoo is cheap, so I use a lot for washing and clay. A wash mitt provides lots of soapy water lubrication for clay. If you rub the clay over the paint dry, it will not work well. In fact, it will smear and leave the clay on the paint. It needs lubrication to glide across the top of the paint and only "grab" the particles stuck on the top.

Oh, break your clay into smaller pieces. If you drop a piece, throw it away.

Would you do the polish step with new paint? I've never done that before (except unsuccessfully with scratch remover); what product do you use?
Regular detergent? No trouble with wax residue in the washer, I take it?

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I like S100 also known as P21S. Available at any local Harley Davidson shop and cheap. The Shine Enhancing Paint Cleanser is about $10 and the Paste wax is $15.

I have no problem using any paint polish on OEM/factory paint. It is dried/cured at high temps, plus at least 3 weeks from paint to delivery to a local dealer. I would wait a month after any body shop painting/repair though.

As far as using dish soap on your cars:

Niner said:

Only wash with Dawn dishwashing fluid right before you reapply sealer and wax, use car wash specific soap at all other times!

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+1


How a car looks after detailing is 90% process and 10% product. If you follow the steps using any brand/line of product, it will look great. The differences in what products to choose are in how easily they are to use and how long they last. Some variation on reflectivity, clarity, and dust attraction.

I have the following brands of various types of detailing products:
Meguiars
3M
Zaino
S100
Turtle Wax
and a few more. All serve their purpose.

All these products tend to say not to get them on unpainted or non-glossy or plastic surfaces. I take these warnings seriously and heed them the best I can, as I assume permanent at least cosmetic damage might result - right?

Some such surfaces can be moved out of the way, e.g. when the door holds the door seal, I can open the door and easily cover the edge of the roof etc. at the door opening. But at the edge of the door itself, I am at risk of touching the seal. On the bumper, I have all the unpainted-black sections, and the grille touching it. How do you avoid these? Even if I went extremely slowly to apply along the edge, I would (e.g. in the case of wax) still get it over the line when wiping off, so I always end up with 1/16" to 1/8" of untreated paint. Is that just the way it goes? Do professional detailers mask these areas, or just decide to not care?

verylongdrive said:

All these products tend to say not to get them on unpainted or non-glossy or plastic surfaces. I take these warnings seriously and heed them the best I can, as I assume permanent at least cosmetic damage might result - right?

Some such surfaces can be moved out of the way, e.g. when the door holds the door seal, I can open the door and easily cover the edge of the roof etc. at the door opening. But at the edge of the door itself, I am at risk of touching the seal. On the bumper, I have all the unpainted-black sections, and the grille touching it. How do you avoid these? Even if I went extremely slowly to apply along the edge, I would (e.g. in the case of wax) still get it over the line when wiping off, so I always end up with 1/16" to 1/8" of untreated paint. Is that just the way it goes? Do professional detailers mask these areas, or just decide to not care?

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Maybe pay to have a professional detail or seal and wax your car, 1 or 2x a year, while it's new?