As the owner of a NEW! 2001 Black on black Dust Magnet SE, I've found the magnetic duster a great tool to use to dust off of my car.

You know these magnetic dusters you get from the infomercials? The purple things that you charge up by putting it against the TV screen as you turn it off does wonders to get rid of light dust.

 

After one year of ownership, I tried the detailers clay on my paint.
WOW does this stuff work great. I could feel lots of little bumps on the lower front and rear doors and suspected tar.
I was right, the clay turned brown as it lifted off the crap. I did the whole car in about 45 minutes and the kit cost $17. The paint is as smooth and shiny as a show room car, never on the road.
I'll do this every year, then apply my Teflon paint sealant.
Mike from WA
2K SE, grey/frost leather

 

Is there any products that won't make your car look like crap for quick touch-ups between washes? I just hate when I wash/wax it all day, and then I see some dirt on the fender the next afternoon!

 

I got one this spring and it works well. You can't get into a lot of nooks and crannies with it, but it flies on wide open surfaces. So, it might be a tough decision if you're only going to use it on the Max.

It also has the advantage of taking wax off with very little pressure on the paint - as long as you are careful to lay down a thin coat. I don't use the disposable applicator bonnets because I don't know what they're made from.

As far as "safe" goes, I don't think you could damage the finish with one unless you tried (buffing with a gritty bonnet, etc.)

I bought a Craftsman "bucket" kit for $50 at Sears. It's a 9" Chamberlain Waxmaster in disguise and comes with a bunch of extra terry bonnets - you'll need a least 4 to 6. There also seem to be a lot of new ones on Ebay.

 

yes, go to your local CVS and buy/pickup/steal some KIWI Shoe Polish. It "Shines, nourishes & Protects" your wheel.

This WORKS as long as you get the BLACK color.

And here's an awesome detailing forum, AUTOPIA forums, http://216.147.22.29/forum/index.php3

 

Unless there is something on the paint that will damage it (bird droppings, sap), I'd leave it alone until you can wash properly. There is too much risk of damaging the paint, by rubbing dirt around.

If there is something nasty on the paint, try Meguiar's Final Inspection for spot cleaning. Soak the area in question, then use a 100% cotton terry cloth towel to blot clean, with as little pressure as possible.

 

Wanted to share with everybody an excellent car car product. The name of the product is called "Formula 113", and its kind of like your typical mom and pops special sauce,(no big distribution channels), but by far, the most advanced car care product I have ever used and the ONLY one I will continue to use for waxing and shining. The first time I heard about this stuff was at a corvette show last summer. Every vette owner there was buying the stuff by the dozen. Two specific Formula 113 products to check out are called Bead X, which is like a instant shiner spray on for both paint, wheels, chrome and windows that cleans, protects, glosses, and provides water repellantcy like no other product I've ever used before, and I've used them all, (armor all''s armor plate, turtle wax's emerald shine, mother's, meguiars, blah, blah, blah.....). Another excellent product similiar to this in function is by a manufacturer called Griots garage and the product is a spray called Speed Shine. Again, this was referred to me by a corvette owning friend. I use both products (alternating) on my maxima, and they should be used regularly in between waxing. The beadx can be applied to a black car after it has been baking in the sun for a couple of ours and will literally leave no streaks behind. This was important to me when I first used the product on my black probe gt (recently traded in for my new ride), as every other spray on shiner left a streaky mess behind if applied to a semi-hot car, and we all know just how much black cars love to hold heat. **Anyway, also check out the "formula 113" liquid rub on wax, which I have also been hooked on since last summer. The purple wax leave absolutely "NO WHITE RESIDUE" behind, and LEAVES A SHINE LIKE NO OTHER". I don't work for forumula 113, but like to spread the word about such a good product when I feel credit is deserved, especially because it is not very well known due to its limited distribution channels. I also used this wax on my black probe, before my 2k1 Max, and was astounded by the results (no white powder residue, easy wipe off after the wax had hardened, throw your towel across the hood and watch it glide 90mph off the other side,..., all the characteristics that make up a one of a kind car care product. "Formula 113" can be ordered from their website, or through a small handful of selected distribution outlets. Check out their website for details.

 

Nothing beats a good clean and then waxing. Though for the touch up clean the "california car duster" is a great product to start with. Then I use the Meguiar's quick detailer mist...the reason I do it this way is the duster lifts off most of the "crap" and the mist gives it a nice cleaning & shine. Takes about 10-15 minutes.

 

just tried the "best of show" wax from griots garage (www.griotsgarage.com) and it is awesome. something that i notice with this wax is that it doesnt seem to attract dust as quickly as zymol. i have also used the clay bar and their light detailing spray (speed shine). so far, its all good.


dfwmax

 

I purchased a three-pack of Armor-All Protectant Wipes to do all my interior cleaning. Included in the three-pack is one for the windows (tinted safe), for the dash/doors, and one for general cleaning. They give the shiny look without the grease which can damage the interior over time. These are great because they're easy to use, to carry, and are inexpensive. I highly recommend them!

Exterior
Meguiar's Car Wash and Zymol polish/wax with terry towels. Meguiar's Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner.

 

I use Simple Green Automotive on my 2K SE Maxima. It is the best I've seen plus it has no ACID in it compared to other wheel cleaners...try it

 

Simple green is a great product for rims, but with a new maxima you will ruin the clear coat on the rims. The stock rims come coated and simple green is very powerful stuff whether it has acid or not. You really on have to use a terry cloth to wipe off the dust, and if needed some soap and water just to get some of the caked on areas. I also have a brush that I bought from Brookstone, that looks like a pipe cleaner, that way I can get the whole rim cleaned without takin the wheel off. Back to the simple green, i even read on this forum about the effects that it may have on the rim. Try a search and check it out.

 

Hey all, this is my first post on this forum. I'm a regular of the Autopia forum and participate there religiously. If you truly want to know the best products and techniques to use, I'd suggest for you all to make a quick visit.

Anyway, the best way to clean a car is to use a two bucket method. You simply fill one bucket with soap and water and the 2nd one for water only. This 2nd one is your rinse bucket. It's so that you can remove a great deal of the debris and dirt that you can't always get out of your mittby simply running water through it. Sheepskin mitts are pretty good but many of us on the Autopia forum have had great success with chenille wash mitts. They're very safe. They allow for a lot of the debris to work inside the hairs of the mitt. This allows for you to safely wipe away dirt from the car's surface. It's also a very good idea to use two mitts. One for the top panels and one for the lower panels. But many will not go as extreme as us Autopian's. The things that I look most for in a car wash is lubrication and gentleness. I want a car wash that is going to lubricate the surface of the car very well. This will allow for the safe removal of dirt. I also want a great wash that is going to be gentle. When Isay gentle, I simply mean that I want a wash that is not going to strip much of the carnauba wax off. In these two regards, the best that I have found are P21s shampoo and the Pinnacle Shampoo. The Pinnacle shampoo has the edge in the sense that you need to use much less product than the P21s. Half an ounce of the Pinnacle wash is all you need.

90% of all swirls occur in the washing stage. So obviously we need to be very careful in this area. Circular motions are to be avoided as circular swirls are much more noticeable than linear ones. Circular swirls can be seen from a 90 degree angle. This means that you can see them from a good 8 feet away as you're standing directly in front of the car's surface. Linear swirls are more difficult to see. Normally, you need to get close to a 180 degree angle. The best drying towel, bar none is the Wizard's Water Bandit. Much better than the absorber. It is larger, thicker and softer. It has a dimpled construction that allows it to absorb more water than the Absorber. Roughly 10 of us on the Autopia forum have compared the two and every one of us concurs that the Water Bandit is the better product. The best way to dry is to blot the surface. Or you could simply drag the towel in a linear direction, preferably the same way that air flows over your car. Chamois are not used as much anymore as they do tend to remove a bit of the carnauba. They are also less forgiving on the surface of a vehicle. They do tend to cause minor swirling and scratching a bit more than some quality synthetic chamois or high grade drying towels.

For tires, I absolutely love the Zaino Tire polish. It leaves a very matte finish to the tires. My 2nd favorite is the Aerospace 303 Protectant. These are the two very best products that also offer great UV protection. They are also both PDMS resin, meaning very safe for the tires and mudflaps, etc... The Zaino tire polish does win out in the durability area. Absolutely nothing is better for black trim in my opinion than this product. I don't use Zaino on my finish but I do like this product. For the wheels, simple car wash soap is fine but every month or so I love to wash them with a 50/50 mixture of Eimann Fabrik Hi Intensity and water. Very safe and versatile product. I mean the most **** car care nuts in the world reside in Autopia. No one is more **** than we are. You can use the Hi Intensity for the tires, wheels, carpet, engine, etc... Awesome product.

For the windows, my absolute favorite is Plexus. Great product that can be used on the dash, windows, tinted windows, headlights, taillights. Awesome product. The best way that we've found to clean the instrument panel is Plexus with a Miracle Towel. For those that may not know, a Miracle Towel is simply the plushest, softest, and safest microfiber towel out there. I am an extreme microfiber nut. I've tried so many of them and people are constantly sending me some so that I can compare. None come close to the Miracle Towel. It's too bad that they're so pricey though.

Well that's all for now. I'd probably take up too much time and space talking about the interior and polish and waxes. Laters.

 

I second the use of microfiber towels on the windows. I used newspaper but found the resultant "lint" bothersome and some of the haze would remain. I bought some microfiber cloths at Trak and they do a much better job at removing the haze. I also use Eagle One's 20/20 Window cleaner.

For the dash, I am a fanatic of Meguiar's #40 Vinyl Cleaner and Protectant. I use a Turtle Wax Wax applicator to apply it and the results are nothing short of splendid. I did my car 2 weeks ago and the dash has not lost any of the luster. Also, it does not have a high gloss nor is it oily like Armor All and many silicone based protectants.

For my tires, I use Meguiar's Endurance Gel as a protectant.
But to clean them, I use Bleche-White. There is nothing more effective than Bleche White on blackwalls. The only thing with that is that you have to make sure this stuff does not get on your rims or else you may wind up facing pitting or staining.

 

Hey there. I'm glad you liked the product you're using on your tires. However, the Eimann Fabrik Hi Intensity is as good if not better. It really is. Very safe product. Many of us love using this and use nothing else to clean tires with. Leaves the tires a very nice satin and rich looking black. One of the many great things about the Hi Intensity is that you can easily spray some on any type of wheels. They are very safe. So in this sense, you don't have to worry at all with it. If its good enough for the severely **** car care nuts at Autopia, then it's certainly safe and good enough for all the Maxima lovers. Again, the folks at Autopia are the best. Most knowledgeable and well versed folks when it comes to car care. I wouldn't let anyone touch my car but a few folks from there.

The Meguiar's #40 is definitely a very good protectant to use in the interior or exterior for that matter. My favorite for the interior is the 303 Aerospace Protectant. A real favorite among our board. Great satin shine. Looks very matte and nice. Also has very, very high UV protection. This is what I really look for in an interior protectant. Satin shine and great UV protection. In this regard, my favorite is easily the 303. I've sent some samples out to diehard users of various products and they all seem to rave about it as well. Even the Zaino nuts who live and die for Zaino (which I don't) seem to really like this product. You can buy it at some boating stores. Also, the 303 is a great and versatile product. You can use it on the exterior, interior, dash, vinyl, rubber, plastic and is really the only product that can also be used on LEATHER. Many car care nuts who have clear coated leather will use nothing else but 303. There's also some chemists and engineers on the board who work very closely with automotive companies. They insist that on clear coated seats nothing is better than 303. Leather conditioners that are a bit high in oils such as hyde food are a definite no-no. They shouldn't be used more than 2 times a year as it can and will eat away at the clear. Anyway, if you don't want to pay the little extra for the 303 then the Meguiar's #40 is definitely a safe and very good alternative. Laters.

 

I bought some "Invisible Glass" cleaner from Stoner products recently. It is hands down the BEST glass cleaner I have ever used. My friends that have tried mine really love it. I saw the ad in AutoWeek, and bought some. Great service and nice people to deal with!

http://www.detailguru.com/stoninglas.html

 

The best cleaner for removing scuff marks or tar is Tuff Stuff spray. It cleans the worst stains and marks. It's good for fabrics, floor matts, and plastic.

 

Head Lamp Cleaning
Here is a compilation from .org members:

Y2KevSE
Elbow grease works wonders.

mike-777
Just last night after washing my 2k se I was running my fingers over the paint etc, and the headlights and I felt lots of those tiny invisible specs.
so I hit them both with the clay bar and presto, perfectly smooth and clean. I finished with some "Invisible Glass" to clean any residue.
The headlights sparkle like new. Give it a try.

Gotta Love the clay bar.

UMD_MaxSE
scrub hard with a towel..... takes off all the film....

Ludacris
Just a normal terry cloth with car shampoo?

mdeal
Stoner's Invisible Glass. The best glass cleaner I have ever used! I purchase it at Pep Boys. Not sold in most stores. You can find it here, though: http://www.detailguru.com/stoninglas.html

rocketshipon19"
seems crazy but it works.... take a terry cloth towel and wet the tip and on the tip put some washing powder or some dishwashing powder(not liquid) and rub w/ a lil elbow grease and vwolla, bling,bling!

killrwheels
go down to pepboys and pickup Waxshops SAFECUT. It is a plexiglass cleaner and polish with a very light abrasive. It will pull bugs, wax, and film with ease and makes them look new again. Try it on the rears also, and the red will look brand spanking new !!!

Thank you everyone!

 

I've never cleaned my engine, I'm kinda scared to just spray water all over the darn thing - is it really safe to spray it with a garden hose, degreaser, and garden hose again?

 

Yeah you could also use "Oxiclean" for the floormats... It works i got all that dirt and mudd off of it and it worked well. Just put like half a cup of oxiclean in a waterspray bottle and then just spray it like 20 times and the let it dry, then wipe it...


2000 Maxima GLE Grey Lustre

 

I took the time to really get rid of all
the crap on my car today and I used
Mothers Clay Bar Paint Saver Kit. I have
to say that even though it took me a few
hours, the car looks and feels better than
it did when I got it back from the professional
detailer a couple of months ago. I'll tell you
one thing, it takes a little while and it's a
bit of a pain, but it's worth it in the end.

 

Boyz,
I had to strip my tint off and got my rear deck right where it meets the window dirty. I have no idea how to reach there, take the deck off (donnow how) what chemicals to use.

Uhm, itI suspect that my defroster wiring has been damaged. Tried it this summer when the window was foggy, it is "defrosting" very slow and in few places only. Although I dont believe in it, I could have accidentally cut the defroster wiring that's on the window while removing the tint. How to troublecheck without any devices?

 

when detailing cars i liek to use a variety of products. for washing ive found that regular turtle wax concentrate works best, while for drying i was using sheeps skin leather but ive found a type of spnge called the absorber works best. as far as wax, mothers carnauba wax is the ebst ive foudn so far, and for vinyl and dash blue magic.

 

Other clay bars that work well are Zaino's Z16 and Pinnacle's Poly Clay. I have the Mother's and agree it works very well. The Meguiar's Quik Clay will leave residue on your car that you will have to wash off if you are not careful.

 

Actually, I know of a site where you can get a Porter Cable 7424 for $115. Check out www.coastaltools.com and you can get the bonnets for it at www.properautocare.com

 

i use a pressure washer to wash my rims and thay come out sparkeling clean

 

Do you rinse the wheelwell with the pressure washer?

 

In my case...

a) Shop Vac 2hp Vacuum cleaner
b) Eimann Fabrik Spot Remover
c) Eimann Fabrik Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
d) Eimann Fabrik Hi Intensity Cleaner (diluted) & a vinyl brush
e) Vinylex

 

just a little note, but I prefer to use armorall's low gloss dash protectant so I dont have any reflections or shine (i think it looks tacky)

 

have negative experience with armor all products using them for over 5 yrs on several cars. The product wears out quickly, and if you crack your window open when it rains, will wash it right off. I would love to use some of the commercially-only available products that are not sold in stores...I saw dealerships, autoauctions, and detail shops use them. They have like 3 different buckets filled with colored water, with that stuff they do miracles to cars.

 

yea I'm not particularly fond of Armorall but its the only low gloss protectant I can find, because I find reflections really annoying

 

For bugs on the front end I find it easy to clean with a soapy teflon pad,the same kind you use on teflon pots and pans. This is great for the front and the area behind the wheels that pick up tar, road grime, etc. The advantage is that is cleans these areas with much more ease then a sponge or brush but does no harm to the paint.

I only use on the areas mentioned and make sure the pad is wet and/or soapy.

 

Dash Protectants I would recommend are:

a) Lexol's Vinylex
b) 303 Protectant (Very Matte Finish with UV protection)
c) Meguiar's #40

Right now, I am using Vinylex and it works pretty nicely.

 

You can also get one of those bug scrubber sponges sold at Auto Parts Stores. I also use mine to scrub the tires on my Maxima and it does a good job in combination with the cleaner I am using.

 

Just bought a 2002 Max SE in SuperBlack. Any recommendations for keeping the exterior looking sharp?

In freshalloy.com, somebody recommended "Liquid Glass". Any others I should consider? I'm very worried about keeping the paint, it is my first black car.

Thanks.

 

Liquid Glass is a good product. Others include Pinnacle, Klasse and Zaino. If you are looking for more durability and a higher gloss, then I would look at Klasse or Zaino. I personally have Klasse on my '94 and you would swear that you are looking into a mirror. Many people who use Klasse also top it with One Grand Blitz or Pinnacle Souveran to add depth.


One thing about Black cars is that they tend to make swirl marks very visible. I would recommend adopting the 2 bucket method to reduce the likelihood of swirls. If swirl marks do appear, I would recommed getting 3M's Swirl Mark remover.

Another thing that I wholehaeartedly recommend is claying the car. You might ask why would you do that to a new Maxima. Simple, there are contaminants that get onto the paint during transport (e.g. Rail Dust). The clay will remove those contaminants.
If you have to buy clay, get Zaino, Mother's, or Pinnacle.

 

To get rid of your troublesome stains: Xenit by Stoner will remove almost any stain. It's made from citrus and will not harm the finish of vinyl or plastic.

You may want to use 303 Aerospace Protectant to make it easier to remove the shoe marks in the future. (it's kind of like Armor-All but has less shine, lasts longer, and costs more)

I haven't taken my car to any automatic (brushless or not) for years. All of them use harsh detergents to quickly clean cars, which also removes precious wax. The "wax" used as part of most deluxe washes will only protect your car through maybe the first rainfall, definitely not long term like a good wax job will do.

 

I can attest to this. I just painstakingly detailed the exterior of my 2K2. I used a Pinnacle clay bar on the entire car and you would not believe the amount of contaminants that were embedded in the finish. I highly suggest claying your car top to bottom before polishing.

 

This is a picture of my Maxima after I have applied Klasse All-in-One and Sealant Glaze

 

Klasse has impressed me BIG. Check out my 2k2 Max after the same treatment...