Detailing questions

[FurianofLight]

Hey everyone,

Just picked up my 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Comp Edition!

I'm looking to thoroughly clean it - outside and in but I have no idea where to begin. My dad has always just used cheap 2 in 1 carwash/wax for the outside, and he's never had leather seats inside any of his vehicles. And I'm not rich either so I'm not going to go out and buy a fricking cabinet of stuff...though maybe I'll have one in a few years. I'm looking for some quality product to start out with - outside and inside.

What do I need to clean the outside? Wash? Wax? I've heard of clay but don't know what that does. Also, I have the 10 spoke machined aluminum wheels but the previous owner didn't take that good of care of them, they have some junk on them and I would like them to shine. How do I clean them? Tires too. And all the windshields and glass.

And what about the inside of the 04? It's got the dark pewter leather. What do I use to clean/polish? The carpet and mats? And is the dashboard vinyl or plastic? How do I clean that too.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your help. If it's easier to send me to a site that has walk-throughs and tips and such, thanks!
Just want to make sure I'm not going to damage, scratch or ruin anything.

-Furian

[shawn3091]

wash it, take cleaner wax over it, i like mothers cleaner wax, if its bad use a claybar first, for glass use whatever glass clearner you like, if there is water spots on outside of glass that wont come off fine steel wool can be used, leather seats need wiped over with a conditioner, i dont really have a preference there, never had a problem with any of it. the mats if they are bad can be scrubbed with laundry detergent and hosed out

[lilbear6889]

the mats if they are bad can be scrubbed with laundry detergent and hosed out

I never knew that would work...thanks!

[JESSEGOTTA GP GT]

Basic detailing things are really not to pricey. And if you want to save money, just use shampoo to wash your car. It makes it shiny and WILL NOT strip wax. I f you check at wal-mart, autozone any of those places they will usually have nice wax on sale or clerance. I would reccommend Meguiars or Mothers. ALL turtle wax is junk. I can go get window cleaner, protectant, leather conditioner and wax for around $30 for when I detail others cars. My car gets all the fancy stuff and it is kinda pricey, but for basic detailing and cleaning wal-mart is deffinatly one of the cheapest places to look.

[rocafella2032]

Wash, Claybar, Polish, Wax, Tire Shine.

[Lonestargp]

Wash, Claybar, Polish, Wax, Tire Shine.

AGREE.
And clean the windows while you are at it.....

Wash- If you are going to be polishing or waxing, chose a soap that will strip anything that is on the paint. (waxes and such) A simple solution, use Dawn dish soap. Just a few ounces per 5 gallon bucket will do the trick. I use this when I need to strip all dressings from trim and waxes/polishes from the paint when I am getting ready to do a full paint correction detail. Use a wash mitt vs. a brush. Some brushes scratch, and if you are getting them from the parts store or wally world, then yes, they will scratch and mar the paint. Unless you have a boars hair brush or the likes, stay with a mitt. I use a sheepskin mitt and a Micro Fiber Chennile mitt. (I am guilty of using a Wally World Brush on beater cars that the owner could car less about.... Wash from the top to the bottom.

Clay Bar- Use the Blue Magic clay bar from the parts store. It's a good, all around type clay bar. Not too aggressive or weak. It should come with a clay lube as well. Micro Fiber Towels are a must. You can buy cheap ones at Sams Club for general purpose, but I use extra plush for wax/polish removal. Claying is very easy. Just keep kneeding the clay. If you drop it, toss it away.

Polish- If you are not using a machine polisher, then you will have a hard time achieving swirl free results, but elbow grease is key when working by hand. Heck, I don't know any good polishes you can buy over the counter. I buy all mine online in large amounts..
You can buy polishes that also have a wax in them. They are called AIO's. (All In One) One that I use is from Meguiars, D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream. It's a good 1-step polish/wax and you're done. If you want to go further, just use a polish, then wax with a different product. Some polishes I use are Megs 105, 205, Menzerna polishes, and various others. Check out autodetailingsolutions.com for a lot of Megs products.

Waxes- Pick one. Liquid or Paste. I have TONS and will just shy away from that. Over the counter, use Megs NXT, it's good. Or Wal Mart started carrying AutoGlym wax. Very good stuff.

For the wheels, I use Megs Wheel Brightener. Cannot be used on all type wheels, so do some research. Good stuff. Also have various other wheel cleaners.

Clean the leather with an All Purpose Cleaner, diluted to the proper dilution ratio. (look on the website above for some good APC's) Another trick if they aren't bad is to use Woolite and filtered water. Diluted 65/35 Use a soft brush to scrub, and wipe with an MF towel. There are tons of cleaners out there, and they all pretty much do the same. Just dilute them right and they will work wonders. A good leather conditioner is like Lexol or something.

For carpets, try FOLEX. found at walmart, lowes, home depot, etc...
If the mats are dirty, take them to the car wash and pressure wash them, spray on folex or other carpet cleaner, scrub, then pressure wash again...
Don't forget to extract ALL of the water and let dry before putting them in the car.

A good glass cleaner is Stoners Invisible Glass

I can go on and on.... I don't use any over the counter products anymore, so I cannot give too many recommendations. Anything I listed is what I have used or use still. Good luck and if you have any questions, ask away.

[TheOtherNick]

A wet rag is the best for cleaning windows. No cleaner. Just use a wet rag then dry it off with a microfiber towel.

[Lonestargp]

never had luck with that....water only..

For tinted, use a glass cleaner with NO ammonia.

[mezzoni]

if your car is black, pick up turtle wax's "black box" i used it today and my car looks amazing, much better than it ever has before. just make sure you have some time on your hands and be prepared to get your hands a bit messy, and no it doesnt come off easily. but for 20 dollars, you cant go wrong

[shawn3091]

I never knew that would work...thanks!

yea it works really good, try it out sometime thats also what i used when taking the carpet out of the cars and scrubbing it.

[pontiacfan22]

I actually work as an automotive dealer, and some of my best tools are a power washer, Simple Green cleaner/degreaser, and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. It sounds crazy, but the magic erasers are effective at cleaning up leather seats. They remove all of the grime from even the cleanest looking seats! Just make sure to wipe them down after with some leather conditioner. If you have access to a hot steam extractor (something like a Rug Doctor), that is what I use for doing the carpets and getting out stains. Another great product is Tuff Stuff, which my coworker recommended to me. This stuff will dissolve any stain/grime on a hard surface and virtually eliminate stains on fabric surfaces. Good luck keeping the car looking showroom new!

[JB381]

What ever you decided to use, always try it in a small area before doing a the whole car. You don't want to try something new and start in the middle of the hood. If you have not used steel wool or a buffer, find some scrap to practice on.

[brandonl2000]

@Lonestargp: i have a polisher...haven't used it in forever. but if i want to use the paint reconditioning cream, what type of pad do i need? or do i need multiple ones?

[PurpleGuy]

never had luck with that....water only..

For tinted, use a glass cleaner with NO ammonia.

I use a cleaner and polish in one for my windows. My local tint place (tint masters) gave me a free can when I got my windows tinted...free microfiber towel too. While on the subject of microfibers, I would stay away from one that has a tag sewn(sp?) into the seem of it since it will scratch the finish.

Lonestar seems to know what he's talking about. One thing I would add though is use the two bucket method. One bucket with just water to rinse your mit, sponge or whatever your using, and another with your soap and water for washing.
So basically go wash bucket, car, rinse bucket, wash bucket, car, rinse bucket, wash bucket and so on. Also use some kind of grate in the bottom so the dirt will settle on the bottom and you wont pick it back up in your washing "tool."

[PurpleGuy]

I actually work as an automotive dealer, and some of my best tools are a power washer, Simple Green cleaner/degreaser, and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. It sounds crazy, but the magic erasers are effective at cleaning up leather seats. They remove all of the grime from even the cleanest looking seats! Just make sure to wipe them down after with some leather conditioner. If you have access to a hot steam extractor (something like a Rug Doctor), that is what I use for doing the carpets and getting out stains. Another great product is Tuff Stuff, which my coworker recommended to me. This stuff will dissolve any stain/grime on a hard surface and virtually eliminate stains on fabric surfaces. Good luck keeping the car looking showroom new!

Tuff stuff is good stuff. I was shocked when I was standing next to my Camaro one day and noticed the picture on the can resembled my interior awfully well lol

Edit: I just realized the last post on this thread was like 3 months ago lol