{"id":1604,"date":"2010-05-09T06:00:17","date_gmt":"2010-05-09T10:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/?p=1604"},"modified":"2010-09-25T19:16:27","modified_gmt":"2010-09-25T23:16:27","slug":"ask-a-pro-how-to-maintain-my-car-after-a-detail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/ask-a-pro-how-to-maintain-my-car-after-a-detail\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask-A-Pro: How to Maintain my Car After a Detail?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading through a lot of the topics at the end it is always recommended to follow a maintenance schedule. What do you suggest as a proper maintenance schedule after a complete detail? Do you prefer a full bath, dusting or just go with a waterless wash. How often should put another coat of wax or sealant on?<\/p>\n

Thanks, Chris<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hey Chris, that’s actually a really good question and one that I get asked every single time I do a paint correction detail from my clients.\u00a0 Here is what I tell each and every one of them, regardless of the car:<\/p>\n

A good regimen to keeping a car looking its best all year long is something along these lines:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Month 1<\/em> \u2013 Reconditioning Detail<\/strong> inside and out \u2013 this gives the car a fresh clean start to maintain without having to \u201ccover-up\u201d or \u201cmask\u201d defects.\u00a0 It is easier to maintain a clean car rather than a dirty one!
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Month 3<\/em> \u2013 Waxing for protection<\/strong> \u2013 washing will be easier on a freshly waxed car, fallout will not stick to the paint easily, and will maintain that smooth\/slick feel.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Month 5<\/em> \u2013 Complete Detail <\/strong>inside and out \u2013 exterior wash and wax with interior protection added to prevent fading
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Month 7<\/em> \u2013 One step or two step machine polishing<\/strong> to remove defects\/swirl marks
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Month 9<\/em> \u2013 Complete Detail<\/strong> inside and out
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Month 11<\/em> \u2013 Waxing<\/strong> for protection<\/p>\n

-A reconditioning detail is where you would take your car back to a like new or better than new state.\u00a0 You would perform paint correction work (should be just polishing, no compounding), thorough interior cleaning of all surfaces with proper protection\/conditioners applied, and an overall once over on the whole car.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

-Waxing is just that, a fresh coat of wax to keep the protection going on your paint.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

-A complete detail would be a wash and a wax, along with interior conditioning and protection.\u00a0 The interior needs some routine love just like the exterior does.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

-A one step machine polishing would be just a light polishing to restore gloss, remove any oxidation build up, remove light swirl marks, etc.\u00a0 It’s not going to remove deep defects, but its main purpose is to restore the deep wet gloss to the paint.\u00a0 Anytime you are going to be polishing, you might as well clay the car too!\u00a0 Claying is vital to removing the embedded contaminants from the paint so the polish is actually working on the paint, not the debris!\u00a0 Also,\u00a0 claying is slightly abrasive, so you have to polish afterward, so it makes sense to clay only when polishing.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

-Clay twice a year to keep your car feeling smooth as can be!<\/em><\/p>\n

By following\u00a0a similar\u00a0routine, your car will stay looking good for years to come.<\/p>\n

Now for the weekly washes and maintenance, you have a couple of options.\u00a0 You can either perform a traditional wash<\/a>,\u00a0 a rinse-less wash <\/a>(if the car is just slightly dirty) , or a waterless wash (only if the car is just dusty from sitting).\u00a0\u00a0 I would only do a traditional wash in the early morning or late evening, and never when the sun is at its highest!\u00a0 With a product like ONR <\/a>, you can get away with washing anytime of the day, anywhere (garage or driveway), and it’s relatively fast and works just as well as a traditional wash in most cases.\u00a0 With a waterless wash product, I would only wash inside, out of the sunlight.<\/p>\n

In regards to when to wax, think about the washes you put your car through and what kind of wax you are using.\u00a0 If you wash with ONR, it has polymers in it so you are “boosting” the protection a tad with each wash, where if you take it to the touchless car wash, you are sure to be removing protection due to the harsh chemicals used.\u00a0 As outlined above, I like to wax every other month.\u00a0 By doing so, you will always have a solid coat of protection on the car since\u00a0many sealants typically last for 3-4\u00a0\u00a0months (some longer when applied properly).\u00a0\u00a0 You never want to wait until the sealant is completely gone to re-wax.\u00a0 Another good option is to use a spray wax like optimum car wax<\/a>.\u00a0 OCW is so easy to use and only adds about 10 minutes to the wash time, but the benefits are HUGE!\u00a0 Slick paint, protection, and ease of future cleanings make OCW one of my go to for maintanence wash and waxes!\u00a0 A general rule is that waxes will last 4-6 weeks and sealants 3-4 months, some as much as 6+!\u00a0 There are some that will last less or more, but that is a good “rough estimate”.\u00a0 Of course, wash technique, frequency, and environmental situations all play a role in the durability of a wax\/sealant.<\/p>\n

Sticking on a good routine will help keep your car looking its best for as long as you own the car!\u00a0 I have seen 5 year old cars look better than 1 year old cars just because the owner maintains it, which sounds like what you are planning on doing!\u00a0 Best of luck…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you’re thinking about having your car professionally detailed, but want to know how to maintain it afterwards? This is a very popular question, and Eric Schuster shares the advice he gives to all of his customers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,40,64,29],"tags":[385,1480,642,178,219,643,297],"class_list":{"0":"post-1604","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-general-detailing","7":"category-sealants","8":"category-submitted-questions","9":"category-washing-drying","10":"tag-detailing","11":"tag-general-detailing","12":"tag-maintenance","13":"tag-optimum","14":"tag-optimum-car-wax","15":"tag-schedule","16":"tag-washing-and-drying"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1kPO7-pS","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1604"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1666,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1604\/revisions\/1666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}