["Detailing" Advice Needed] First Wash and Wax

[JanekK]

Hi,
(hopefully) next week i will be taking delivery of a navarra blue S3.
As soon as i get it'd like to wash it and apply a wax.
Given the ****** polish weather and salt on the roads - the main goal being paint protection rather than ideal paint look.
I've seen a few episodes of AMMO NYC etc. so obvsly i'm pretty much a detailing expert at this point but there's still some stuff i don't know..
I know about the two bucket washing method, i've got some proper neutal PH shampoo and all the peripherals.
The question is: after i wash the car, how do i properly prepare the paint for the first wax application ?
I didn't go for the "i'm a detailer, don't you dare touch the car" approach, so i assume that during the pre-delivery preparations the dealer will somehow quickly wash it, remove the glue residue etc. and use some quick-detailer-ish product so that it looks half decent - and thus i'll probably need to somehow "degrease" the paint before applying the was so that it bites correctly ?
[in case that makes any difference - the wax i'll be using is a dark "12 month" Soft99]
Do i use some paint cleaner (a detailing one ofc) or is it too agressive for a new car paint ?
Do i use IPA (if so - do i dilute it) ?
Or do i not bother with any of the above and just apply the wax after washing an drying the car ?

 

[JohnM100]

Congrats on the car.

You’ll get loads of opinions & product recommendations - very few of which will be similar.

Since you aren’t going down the route of a detailer or ceramic coating or PPF, I’d suggest a good wash and then clay the paintwork before applying the wax of your choice. Clay does like temperatures >14c to be malleable, as do most waxes.

Be extra careful cleaning the shiny black B-pillars as they attract swirl marks soooo easily.

Paint/lacquer takes ~4 weeks to harden properly so as long as it has had that time since it was built, you should be ok.

Factory paint is not perfect so there can be blemishes. The clay bar will take off any bonded residue / fallout since it left the factory.

Also consider waxing your alloys as it will make them easier to clean.

Do post pics once you have collected it.

 

[Chris4410]

I would consider the condition of the paint before applying any wax, there is little point in putting wax on a car that needs correction.

Navarra is almost as unforgiving as black, unless you are prepared to correct the paint, apply a good quality coating and strictly use the correct washing process it won't be long before the paint looks terrible.

Pre wash products and snowfoam are your friend, the more dirt you can get off the car before touch washing it the better.

 

[Bayl]

Congrats on the car.

You’ll get loads of opinions & product recommendations - very few of which will be similar.

Since you aren’t going down the route of a detailer or ceramic coating or PPF, I’d suggest a good wash and then clay the paintwork before applying the wax of your choice. Clay does like temperatures >14c to be malleable, as do most waxes.

Be extra careful cleaning the shiny black B-pillars as they attract swirl marks soooo easily.

Paint/lacquer takes ~4 weeks to harden properly so as long as it has had that time since it was built, you should be ok.

Factory paint is not perfect so there can be blemishes. The clay bar will take off any bonded residue / fallout since it left the factory.

Also consider waxing your alloys as it will make them easier to clean.

Do post pics once you have collected it.

I find that the clay bar scuffs the clear coat and needs mechanical polishing, am I doing it wrong?


iPhone 12 Pro

 

[JohnM100]

It can scuff if you press too hard or don’t have enough lubricant. I used to find that lubricants don’t work well with all clay bars so find ones that match.

Paint isn’t as strong as it was pre 2008.

 

[Q5 TRS]

There is another option you might consider. take delivery of the car, and don't touch it. have a detailer do the first "new car prep" which would have it done to a professional standard. obviously do some research first on who to use. then you can also pick their brains on how to do it yourself and ask maintenance tips etc. im sure they would be more than happy to do this. Inevitably I've found that the majority of dealers scratch cars, and with Navarra blue is such a deep colour (which I've also ordered) it will show up imperfections/scratches and swirl marks even more. my Laser Blue golf GTI mk5 is a similar colour but lighter to the Navarra and it showed EVERYTHING. unfortunately i got rid of the car before i had it paint corrected but i did have the bonnet resprayed due to stone chipping so i saw the new vs old paint. just my opinion.

 

[Jassyo06]

You'll get a complete machine polishing kit ie everything you'll need from start to finish for £300 then just plod away at it...try machine polishing someone's car prior to correcting your new pride and joy its straightforward and you won't ****** up anyone's paint
1.Dual polishing machines are mug proof so simple to use and designed not to damage paint
2.Modern compounds have built in oils in their mix ie very resistant to drying up ...impossible to damaging paint
3 Machine polishing KITS that are available are designed to work well with each component
4.The kit you buy will last for years....enabling you to continuously keep your car looking good
5.Going to a so named "pro" is far more expensive than £300 and their work won't last



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[Q5 TRS]

You'll get a complete machine polishing kit ie everything you'll need from start to finish for £300 then just plod away at it...try machine polishing someone's car prior to correcting your new pride and joy its straightforward and you won't ****** up anyone's paint
1.Dual polishing machines are mug proof so simple to use and designed not to damage paint
2.Modern compounds have built in oils in their mix ie very resistant to drying up ...impossible to damaging paint
3 Machine polishing KITS that are available are designed to work well with each component
4.The kit you buy will last for years....enabling you to continuously keep your car looking good
5.Going to a so named "pro" is far more expensive than £300 and their work won't last



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I did just that, had it a week and returned it. You don’t realise how much work it is until you do it yourself. However if you enjoy the process then fair enough. I would love to be able to do that but I simply don’t enjoy it and therefore don’t want to do it myself.

I much prefer taking my cars to a detailer to keep it looking as good as can be.
I’ve used the ceramic coat Gtechniq crystal serum since it launched and Exo giving the aqua phobic properties. (Exo Lasts around 18 months in my experience, the serum is a permanent coating)

I’ve used the same detailer for years, and if people trust their £200,000 Lamborghinis with him he’s doing something right. He goes as far as you want, not hard selling. He is literally booked up to the eyeballs all year round, with many many repeat customers.

Each to their own, I’d just rather drop off the car, and pick it up looking amazing.

I still like to wash the car myself and would never take it anywhere else to be cleaned except the detailer.

I did enjoy waxing the car years ago but since using gtechniq there’s no need. I think ceramic coating is the way forward, especially for me. (Usually by authorised (trained) detailers only)

You would save quite a bit doing the polishing/waxing yourself however, at the expense of your time.


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[Jassyo06]

Getting enjoyment from machine polishing is paramount as it is hard work as you say and also requires skill but its not a profession anyone is capable of doing it same applies to coating a car with any of the ceramic sealants on the market

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[Q5 TRS]

Did you get your car yet? Pics?


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[JanekK]

Yes, I was finally able to pick it up yesteday eod Of course it started snowing 20mins earlier
Tho it ended up being a perfect weather to get to know each other with the car My first time in a "quattro" car.
My previous car was a relatively comfortable and extremely boring A4 B9 1.4 (FWD) and the one before it a "track-ish" NB MX-5.
The S3 seems to be a bit of both and after the first 200km i absolutely love it.

As far as the topic of the thread goes - thank you everyone for all the advice however for now i won't be touching the car's paint at all.
The paint is imo in quite a good condition and apparently the dealer applied some "good and durable" wax.
(it definitely seems to have had some wax applied but i guess i'll just have to wait and see how good it actually is)
Most likely after the **** weather ends in a few weeks i'll give it a proper wash, decontaminate it or sth, use soft99 silicone off and apply the wax.

 

[Santiago]

As far as the topic of the thread goes - thank you everyone for all the advice however for now i won't be touching the car's paint at all.
The paint is imo in quite a good condition and apparently the dealer applied some "good and durable" wax.
(it definitely seems to have had some wax applied but i guess i'll just have to wait and see how good it actually is)
Most likely after the **** weather ends in a few weeks i'll give it a proper wash, decontaminate it or sth, use soft99 silicone off and apply the wax.

First, congrats on your new S3! I have a Navarro Blue on order, but on a more humble A3... You obviously trusted the dealer to do the first wash. Didn't they try to sell you a 'paint protection'? Hopefully, you side-stepped that one as its a complete waste of money. Some "serious [DIY] detailers" don't even trust them to remove the delivery stickers! Detailing is a classic 'time vs money' issue, especially if you want to keep your car looking immaculate (i.e. zero swirl marks). I am not in that camp ("looks very good" [from 2 yds away] - is fine by me). Also decide whether you want to go down the ceramic coating or waxing route. Just read up on it. You would need to get the existing wax off if you decide to coat it. I applied a ceramic coating myself to my current car (with some help on the prep from the Mrs) using a 'diy' product called 'C2v3 liquid crystal' (made by Gtechniq), but new products are being released all the time. It took us all of one afternoon (wait for a warm cloudy day with no wind if doing outside) but the finish we got was just as good as that obtained by a local professional detailer (at a cost of £600!) on my previous car. And I'm sure it has lasted just as well. The secret is to get the car absolutely spotless before applying the ceramic coating; same for waxing really. Post back if you want any help with that. After that, it is just regular washing using the two bucket method, preferably after snow foaming (you will need a pressure washer for that). Be warned though, most swirls are applied at the drying stage (using absorbent towels), where you may be inadvertently moving very tiny bits of dirt around, so you have to be very careful. Sure, you can 'correct' the paintwork (more time, effort, expense), but obviously better not to damage it in the first place. Good luck with the car.

 

[JanekK]

Thanks

Didn't they try to sell you a 'paint protection'? Hopefully, you side-stepped that one as its a complete waste of money.

Nope, they just told me that the car was waxed by them with a supposedly (more on that in a sec good and durable wax.
And i actually did notice some decent hydrophobic properties at the beginning.

The car got horribly dirty in the last few days so i decided to wash it for the first time today.
After i did i didn't notice those hydrophobic properties i saw before anymore. So perhaps that "wax" they applied was actually some ****** quick detailer or sth ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Either way i decided to wax the car myself since the car was already cleaned
The steps i took were:
- rinse, snow foam (neutral pH), rinse, snow foam, rinse
- two bucket wash with a neutral pH shampoo
- drying towel
- let the car dry out a bit more in the garage
- Soft99 Silicone Off to remove whatever the dealer applied
- applied Soft99 Fusso 12 Month Coat Dark
The waxing itself took about 1,5-2h. So it wasn't that bad. Assuming i won't actually need to do it again for at least a few months
I'm sure i created a few swirl marks in the process but I'm not too bothered about that. I'm definitely on the "good enough" team as well.
Of course i do understand those who try and keep their car's paint perfect all the time, but i don't have the patience, time, money (?) etc. for that

 

[The Real Big Vern]

Wow, never heard of any of this before, I just get in and drive and take it to the hand wash every now and then! How much, on average, does taking it to a detailer cost?

About to take delivery of a new launch edition S3, so would be interested to know whether or not worth taking it straight to a detailer.

 

[Santiago]

Wow, never heard of any of this before, I just get in and drive and take it to the hand wash every now and then! How much, on average, does taking it to a detailer cost?
About to take delivery of a new launch edition S3, so would be interested to know whether or not worth taking it straight to a detailer.

The question is .. would it be worth it to you? If you have always been happy taking your car to the local car wash, then the answer is almost certainly “No”.
‘Detailing’ is on a whole different level to just “washing the car” and the people who do it (a) enjoy doing it and (b) love the look of an immaculate car.

They are therefore prepared to spend large amounts of time and money achieving the look that they are after, including the purchase of specialised equipment and more expensive cleaning products. I think me and Janek (the OP) are somewhere in the middle. I wouldn’t take my car anywhere near a local hand car wash, but I wouldn’t pay a “professional” £500-650 for a “new car detail” either. The basic idea is that once the new paint is properly protected (sealed/coated) – which you can do yourself with a bit of knowhow and plenty of time - it makes routine cleaning quicker and easier. What it won’t do is protect your car from the swirl marks and tiny scratches that the guys at the local car wash will be busy applying. Just look at your current car from a low angle on a bright, sunny day. Your new paintwork will also slowly lose its glossy sheen if it is continually washed without having a protective layer (polish, wax, etc) re-applied. In summary, paying a detailer to do the initial work for you only makes sense if you are going to do all the subsequent routine cleaning yourself, as you can then avoid all the no-no’s.

If you are really interested, take a look at the ‘Detailing world’ web site, or the ‘What car care / detailing have you done today” thread on here (all 79 pages of it). You’ll probably find it a bit mind boggling…