redruM, I have no idea why you have turps in your car wash stash!
The Wash n Wax products are two-in-one products which clean your car and at the same time add a thin coating of wax (a product you use to protect your paint from the elements). However generally these stuff are compromises and are really intended to be quick and convenient rather than actually work...
The Turtle wax is a dedicated wax. Now you need a polish. If you want your car to look awesome, you need to*:
a) Rinse then wash to remove dirt then rinse again, then after that chamois to remove residual water and get ready for polishing;
b) Polish/Clean to remove old wax, oxidation and contaminants, prepare the surface for the protective coating of wax;
c) Apply a layer of wax to protect the paint from the elements (such as bird poo, pollen, the weather, acid rain, industrial fallout, pollution, etc).
You can't use the Wash n Wax products to do step A because the small wax film you're applying will only be removed by step B. So you need a basic car Wash (not a Wash n Wax) which will set you back about $5 for another Armorall one - be careful because Armorall's Wash n Wax and their Car Wash look heaps similar on the shelf. Don't use dishwashing detergent!! It'll strip all your wax off and you'll have no protection from the elements at all. For B, try some
TCUT Colorfast in the right colour for your car (about $15). Then you can use the TurtleWax on your car for step C. And you're done! The TCUT should really bring the car up if it hasn't got any permanent damage - it's also safe for clearcoats (well last time I checked it was, but read the bottle anyway). Might take a little while but it'll be worth it.
Generally the stuff you have is cheap and nasty but it does a good job considering it's price - you can do worse, trust me!
You can get all the above crap from your local Supercheap Auto store (I work there that's why) - while you're there, seriously consider getting a
Meguiar's Microwipe Microfiber Chamois for about $18. It's worth every cent; a good chamois is a valuable investment to your stash - and this one doesn't need a gay container, or dry into some weirdly-shaped clump of cardboard, or grow little farms of mould. Just don't stick it in the dryer or let it anywhere near fabric softener as these are terminal to microfiber!
In regards to the weathershield (that's what us whitecoats call them
) if you can get it off easily and clean it then it's worth it because dirt tends to concentrate in the bits you can't get to - BUT I had one on my car until I put a nasty big crack in it trying to get it off (hey! it was ugly anyways).
ToO LaZy ^*: you have a clearcoat finish so don't go using a heavy cutting compound any time soon. Normally people 'clean' their paints if they have a clearcoat and they 'polish' if they have conventional multi-layered paint. Modern paint finishes take much longer to clean and thus are more expensive.
Some tips:
- where possible, wash your car in the shade. The sun can dry products to quickly, such as car wash, and cause waterspotting.
- always work from the top down, because if you wash the bottom first then it's only gonna get dirty from the dirt flowing down to the ground from above it
- don't wear clothes that could scratch your car when your washing it, and similarly don't be afraid to get wet. You're washing a car - it happens!
- use two buckets when washing; one for the soapy water and one for rinsing embedded dirt particles out of your sponge. If you only use one then you're only wiping the dirt across the surface and causing tiny scratches in your car's finish (a bucket full of dirty water at the end might be satisfying but in the end you're only washing your car with a bucket of dirty water).
- avoid as much as you can getting wax on your rubber finishes as it will stain them white and it's a real bitch to clean it back to original colour
- it is imperative to wax your car in the shade, otherwise the product can dry too quickly and actually damage your finish
- use terry towels to apply and remove wax (a separate for each) - terry towels are just basically like bathroom towels, so chop one up if you've got an old one
- trim your car before you polish and wax (that is, your tyres and wheels, bumpers, and other little things) However clean your glass last when you've finished waxing, which means you don't need to bother washing them with the sponge while you're washing the car (unless you've recently been on a trip to Ulura).
Here are some kewl links:
- Good overview of car detailing and terms and crap:
http://www.web-cars.com/detail/
- Goes into a little too much detail but good for reading about specific things:
http://www.corral.net/tech/maintenance/detail.html
- lol, basically has the same tips as me but actually nicely summed up:
http://autorepair.website2go.com/p9.html
*remember this is a heaps basic guide - if you're using basic products then you won't need advanced tips. They come with advanced products like random orbital buffers, clay bars, quick detailing mists, etc... which also equal large clumps of $$$.
Remember to wash your car on the grass where you can to help out with the environment.
