Hey everyone. Just picked up my deep sea blue pearl A4 a few days ago and so far I LOVE it. I have a slight problem though. I washed it for the first time the other day and when it's in the sun, i'm already noticing a haze on the paint. Not swirls yet, but i'm afraid if i keep doing this, it will be swirled up in no time.

I use Meguiars gold class car wash with a rag and use two terry cloth towels to dry the car once it's washed. Is there anything you guys recommend to avoid swiriling or hazing and keep the paint looking brand new? I've had these towels for quite a while, maybe i should get some new ones? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

Meguiar's is great for washing, no problems there. Use a microfiber towel for washing it, and also for drying it - they work great and are gentle on the paint. I would consider doing a clay bar treatment to the car (it's kind of like exfoliating the paint) - the kits are available at most auto parts stores. Once you're done with the clay bar, a couple coats of good polish and a coat of high quality wax (get a wax called S-100 from a Harley Davidson shop - best finish I've ever seen on dark cars), and I think you'll be fine.

Incidentally, you can use the microfiber towels for waxing the car too- they can do a lot and they're washable too, so you don't have to replace them.

 

Do a search on 'two bucket wash method' (if you can't find one either I'll post it or someone else will) definatley buy some waffle weave microfiber towels and ....

Washing Vehicle:
Clean the vehicle in this order: Roof, front hood, front fenders, doors, rear fenders, doors, rear deck lid, rear fenders, and rear of vehicle, then clean wheel surfaces, tyres, wheel fenders and finally engine compartment. This is usually a progression from the least to the most soiled areas.
Methodology

To reduce the risk of scratching paint finish start by thoroughly rinsing the vehicle to remove loose surface dirt and grime, use a gentle spray (Ultimate Nozzle) you don't want to cause impact abrasion to the paint surface, take your time and be careful and you'll avoid paint damage.
Apply a tar remover (Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover) on lower panels, using a soft 100% cotton cloth to avoid contaminating your wash mitt.
Use a pH balanced pre wash treatment (Stage One PreWash) spray two – three panels and rise off with low pressure water (this will avoid spay dying and causing water spots) once the vehicle has been pre-treated rinse the entire vehicle with low pressure water.
Use a quality car wash shampoo specifically formulated for automotive use, one that contains conditioning lubricants (Menzerna Auto Shampoo) that enable abrasive particles to rinse off without abrading the paints surface.[/ul]
· Use the recommended water / car wash ratio as per manufactures label; usually this is 1-2 oz per gallon. (2-4 capfuls) Too much wash concentrate will leave a sticky film on the paint and glass surfaces that will attract dirt / dust.
· Fill two 5-gallon buckets (Grit GuardTm) with warm, not hot water. One is for wash solution the other for rinsing the mitt to ensure that any abrasive dirt particles are not put into the wash solution.
· While the vehicle is still wet from the rinse load the sheepskin mitt with wash solution and apply to horizontal surfaces (roof, hood and trunk lid) and then thoroughly rise with hose.
· Use a separate mitt for the lower vertical surfaces as these collect more road film, pay special attention to rinsing this mitt, so ensure nothing is transferred to the other surfaces from a contaminated mitt.
· Apply wash solution to vertical surfaces and rinse thoroughly.

Use a soft boar’s hairbrush to clean bumpers, plastic trim and all the crevices.
While you still have a few remaining drops of water on the car, spritz it with quick detailer as you're softly drying with your MF towel. This will help reduce friction, and also will remove any light water spots that have already started to form. You're left with a result far better than if you just dried with towels alone[/ul][/b]

 

Use Optimum Poli-Seal and white lake county (LC) polishing pad, this one-step product is perfect for the neophyte or experienced detailer, it will make a noticeable improvement on even brand new paint as it will deepen the shine and jetting (wet-look gloss) durability approx. 3-4 months, maintain the shine with Optimum Spray Wax- http://superiorcarcare.net/oppo.html

 

Never seen Poli-seal before - looks like a great follow-up to a clay bar treatment.

 

Excellent step by step - vote it to sticky post at the top of Detailing? TOGWT, your post would probably answer half the questions in this forum - worth being up top for good.

 

Wow great post! Thanks for the info everyone. I went ahead and ordered combo pack of microfiber towels from autogeek and a sheepskin and microfiber wash mitt. Should be arriving in a couple of days. TOGWT, I'm still a little confused about the Optimum Poli-seal. When are you supposed to use it?

Also, should I spray some quick detailer before I start drying the car? Thanks again for the help.