I noticed that quick detailing with a MF towel to a shine takes off more wax than a Griot's wash soap and lambswool job does. I also noticed that QD doesnt work that great and can cause scratching as nothing is better than long island water and car soap for safety.

I was all into the qd at first. Now, I hardly use it. I want to as it gives a beautiful shine, but the carnauba wax just gets thinner faster using it than washing. Octaneguy's video on washing is so gentle that I really dont think it takes off all that much wax. I could be wrong but I dont think so. It is at least equal and being equal, a wash is much more safe and healthy for a car (gets off salt, contaminants, all the dirt 100%, etc) than a qd job does. I guess if you use synthetic wax and you garage it in a really land locked crappy mineral depositing area of america, qd would be much nicer.

I noticed that my water here vs PA water is incredibly pure and soft. I always wondered why people dry so thoroughly. I copied the suggestions on here and now have a great blotting technique down for the thick MF towels I bought. No rubbing at all. But, If i leave some areas of water unfinished, I never get any spotting. At least in NY I get one blessing for keeping my car clean, apparently the water here has nothing in it besides chlorine and thats about it. SO, I do not need to qd after I wash. I am considering the spray wax that griot's sells but I wouldnt want to change the look of my carnauba paste. It is perfect for showing the rich green colour in even low light at night.

 

Try using something like Pinnacle Crystal Mist. It has liquid carnauba in the detailer it replaces and is meant to do quick touch ups of the wax

 

i have not noticed much of my NXT coming off with just SpeedShine...

BoS has not come off that much either (if at all) from SpeedShine.

 

Try Einszett's Perls Car Wash. It contains something ( Perls QD? ) that leaves the car's surface looking as if it had been QD'd without the extra application and buffing of a QD. While it isn't as slick as FK1's Ultra Slick Poly Wipe QD, it's faster and does leave a nice shine.

 

To each their own. Do whatever you feel works for you.

Mark

 

switch to Zaino and then QD with their Z6 as this adds to the slickness and beading

 

I've used Griot's Speed Shine for a long time. I've never scatched my car with it. We don't have a garage, so a once over with Speed Shine and my California Duster is all I need some days.
Mind you, it does NOT repalce a good wash and wax. I just like to touch my car up a little when she needs it.

 

It all depends on the type of wax you use and what kind of QD you use. For carnubas, use a carnuba based QD such as Pinnacle Crystal Mist. FOr say NXT, just touch up with NXT spray wax.

 

hm, I'm going to try this. sounds good.

Octaneguy told me that whenever you rub the car, you are removing wax. I did prove this as my wax went thin qd'ing the car after every wash. I love to qd the car as it adds a super smooth look to it. Speedshine is a really good product.

I think though that I need something for washes as 3 1/2 weeks is not how long griot's wax should be lasting. It should last 2 months.

I wonder about that crystal stuff. Sounds decent. if its a natural carnauba it would work well. I could tell that there was SOME wax on still in areas. I claybarred and speedshined before waxing it again, griot's system doesnt remove much wax at all when you do that. The new wax adhered perfectly to the old wax.

 

Pinaccle Crystal Mist is a spray carnauba. It's meant for touchups.

The new wax adhered perfectly to the old wax.

This is a misconception. Carnaubas do not layer or adher to each other like synthetics. Agranger or Brad (or someone) discussed this in another thread on layering Carnaubas. A second layer of carnauba will merely catch any areas you might have missed the first time but not add another layer (stick to the original layer).

 

DING! This is your answer. I use QD when the car has just Klasse on it, but when I've topped with Souveran carnuba I use the Crystal Mist instead - assuming ou're just dealing with dust here.

 

Actually what I said was that everytime you rub your finish, you have the potential to be thinning your wax protection. That includes towel drying, or just rubbing the wax protected paint for no reason. However, with a proper Quick Detailer, most contain lubricants and protection that will add to the longevity of the wax protection, but not to the same degree as say if you used a Spray Wax which again doesn't offer the longevity of waxing your MINI again with a liquid or paste.

The Spray Wax is something you use a booster between a full wax.

The Quick Detailer is something you use between washes to keep the elements from becoming bonded contaminants that will then need to be removed using clay.

Consider that everytime you drive your car, that the exposure to the elements, the sun, the wind, the pollution--all of those things will contribute to the degradation of the protection.

Richard
(Back from SEMA and NACE)

 

hm. so i should qd then if i can or just wash.

 

How did you determine the wax was being removed during QD? I'd verify that first then proceed appropriately. Personally I'm not as worried about protection as I am appearance If I spend the effort washing a car, I want it to shine afterward, regardless , but that's just me.

 

nothing besides rubbing with qd and a mf towel could have removed the wax in less than 4 weeks time with mild weather. It is meant for around 6 times a year at most for outdoors, not 14 times a year! I think washing is just the way to go, simple approach but I think its the best. some may say it also removes paint, but I do not wipe I blot off the water from the car and I do 1 or 2 passes at most with a wool mitt and Griot's super slick and super thick soap/water solution. I should be removing almost nothing, it must be from qd'ing.

 

how much pressure are you applying when you're "rubbing" with QD? Were you using SpeedShine?

I put little to no pressure on the towel when using QD. only where there are
bugs i use a little more pressure... but even so, BoS is still on there since
July. I only SpeedShine my MCS... has not been washed as i dont drive
the car in the wet.

 

As OctaneGuy says above, any rubbing gives the potential for thinning the wax coating. I would also think that any washing, regardless of how gentle the detergent is, would strip away some of the wax (I can hear the matches being struck as I write this to flame me ).

Now you gotta figure out which is worse on wax... dusting+QD or a wash+dry. I am of the opinion that a dusting and QD, lightly applied and lightly applied/buffed w/ a plush microfiber, would remove less wax than a wash (even with a quality auto shampoo), but I have no quantitative or qualitative proof for this... it's just my opinion based on what I know of lipid chemistry, extrapolated way, Way, WAY far away from the molecular biology context in which I learned it. A properly matched QD should lubricate the surface (reducing wax removal from rubbing) and could possibly add back to the surface (renewing the oils/moisture in the wax), depending on the product.

I'm a Zaino guy (synthetic sealant), so I don't play with waxes much. I've thought about giving my PW a top-coat of P21S carnuba, but I haven't seen much pop to the surface from a carnuba topper on a light color (esp a non-metallic) and, though I first tut-tutted it, I'm really growing fond of the very-high gloss and slickness that the Zaino Grand Finale (Z-8) QD spray gives to a freshly washed/polished/sealed finish.

 

Detailers Paradise's "Slick" quick detailer on top of synthetic "Epic" wax really shines even after weeks of wiping in my experience. It's been raining a lot here for the past few weeks and I've been detailing a lot (2-3 times a week). I use the California duster to remove the worst of the grit, then use the Slick with a Monster Fluffy DP towel followed by a buff with a 100% cotton US-made towel and the car is shiny as heck.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of MF towels are you using? Some of mine got really rough after a few washings, so now I only use the DP monster fluffies and the 100% cotton towels (which only get softer with washing), and the finish seems lots happier for it.

PS - Carnuba is not as durable as synthetic... Lots of people use a coat or two of the synthetic, topped with a coat or two of carnuba for the final "wet look", but I've been really happy with the synthetic EPic - it's definitely shinier than the Meguiar's GOld Class I had previously been using, anyway.

Happy waxing, bro!

 

^^ good to hear! i got slick coming to me today (along with PrimaClay)

 

We used to sell the Einszett Perls. It is a great wash! It does contain a polymer wax, similar to a QD in your soap.

We currently have two very similar products:

Four Star Ultimate Auto Wash Shampoo

Prima Mystique Auto Wash

Both of the above have a polymer added to the soap to add that immediate shine satisfaction we all enjoy after we do a routine wash. The Prima Mystique is also loaded with extra lubricants to aid in the gliding while you wash.

Polymer-based car soap is definitely a fun way to go... especially for those of us who wash often.

-Heather

 

Where do you get your cotton towels from, just out of curiosity? My cheap MFs suck but I don't need the monster fluffies for EVERYTHING (as much as I love them!).

 

I just buy WHITE 100% cotton, Made in the USA (important) white towels with a high pile whenever I see a cheap white sale then trim off the finished edges and cut them into smaller squares - I can get about 6 large polishing cloths from a single towel.

 

i mentioned this before somewhere, but those "100% cotton" towels
begin to swirl paint after a couple of washes unless it is damp.

imho, you should only use high quality MF towels to detail your car
even if it's only for QD. otherwise, you'll just make more work for yourself
later as you'll need to polish it out.

 

And if you use fabric softener on the cotton towels they won't absorb very well. I'll stick with the microfiber for everything but checking oil and wiping grease.

 

^^ that's true. i just let my MF towels air dry.

i don't want that softener gunk stuck in the fibers anyway.

btw, i ordered the DP (non-IPP) detailing 3pack x2 today.
i shouldve thrown it in my clay order, but forgot last week.