Red-Corvettes.com - Details on Detailing a Corvette

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This is not the only way to detail a Corvette. In fact, it may not be the correct way. However, it is the method I follow and it is a method that has been very successful for me.

*Preface* Before using Zaino on a daily basis	Before using Zaino's polish for the first time, the car's finish does have to be "prepped". The first time you use Zaino, wash the car using Dawn liquid detergent. This remove most wax that is already on your car. The less wax on the car prior to applying Zaino's polish, the better the results will be. I will wash my cars with Dawn every 12-18 months, depending on how often I apply Zaino. After washing, dry thoroughly. Now you have a choice to make. You can eitehr apply a coat of Zaino's Z-1 Show Car Polish LOK Pre-Cleaner and Gloss Enhancer or a combination of ZFX and Z-2. I use ZFX and Z-2. If you use Z-1, let dry completely and do NOT remove. Apply a coat of Zaino's Car Polish next directly on top of the Z-1. Again, let it completely dry. When dry, buff out car with a 100% white cotton towel. Wait 24 hours and apply a second application of Car Polish. ZFX with Z-2 saves you the Z-1 prep step. ZFX is a hardener and when mixed with Z-2, Z-1 is not required. You simply lay down a coat of Z-2 ZFX mix, let it dry completely, then buff it out. The great part about using a Z-2 ZFX mix, you don't have to wait to apply another coat. You will find that the more coats of Z-2 you apply, the deeper the look. You will be amazed at your results. Zaino has three choices for car polishes. You need to pick which is best for your application. Z-2 Pro Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Finishes Z-2 Pro is what is used most often. It should be your choice if your finish is in good condition. Z-5 Pro Polish for Swirl Marks & Fine Scratches Z-5 Pro will remove minor swirls from your finish. A new C5 usually does not need this kind of care unless your dealer did a poor job buffing out your car before delivering it to you. Z-3 Show Car Polish for Regular Paint If you are polishing a newer Corvette, you probably do not want to use Z-3. It is for non-clear coat finishes. ZFX™ Flash Cure Accelerator Additive ZFX™ is a Zaino Show Car Polish acceleration and appearance additive. This stuff will reduce your wait time to almost nothing. Apply it, remove it and get ready to apply a second coat, its that easy. With all Zaino polishes, less is always better. If your Z-2 application doesn't seem to be drying, you might be applying too much.
*Step 1* Pre-rinse the car well	I believe you cannot rinse a car too much before washing it. I have a 1 inch hose I purchased from Griot's Garage that gives me some major water pressure. This helps to loosen any bugs, heavy dirt, etc... prior to washing.
*Step 2* Wash with a quality car wash	The trick here is to use something that is gentle on your car's current finish. You do not want to be striping off all traces of wax or polish every time you wash. Because I use the entire Zaino car polish treatment on my C5, I use Zaino's Z-7 Show Car Wash. It contains no detergents and does deteriorate the Z-2 polish.
*Step 2a* One method for cleaning your convertible tops	These instructions where obtained at the C5 Birthday Bash 2000 and posted to the C5 Registry Net by Ted Mallen: Vacuum Wet top thoroughly Spray on Roof Cleaner Wait 15-20 minutes Brush thoroughly with soft brush, with special attention to stains Hose off Let dry Spray (two light applications) 303 Fabric Guard until damp-do not saturate The Convertible Top Cleaning Products are: Haartz® Roof Cleaner 303 Hi Tech Fabric Guard^TM by 303 Products, Inc The Roof Cleaner and 303 Fabric guard can be obtained from: 513-451-6700...MIAMI RUBBER.... Ask for Tim Nihous (mention that Corvette was recommending that we use their products.)
*Step 3* Double wash, if you have a little extra time	This extra step is optional. It allows me to clean all of those little spots that I missed on the first pass. Sometimes bug stains and such are unnoticeable until the dust is removed from the car. This is my "touch up" step to make sure the finish is as clean as possible before applying any polish.
*Step 4* Rinse, and rinse very well	That same 1 inch hose from Griot's Garage comes into play here again. However, this time is use it without the nozzle. Letting the water run freely from the hose with no nozzle seems to minimize water spots for me. It is also helpful if you can get someone else to rinse the car for you as you wash. Keeping water flowing over the car right up until the point you want to dry also minimizes the chances for water spots. I have more little ritual I go through be for I actually start to dry the car. I do a final rinse with the PEC Spot Free Spray Bar. According to their web site, the water is "treated" so it will not leave water spots. If you have not guesses, I am paranoid about water spots. You can spot a water spot a mile away on a MagRed finish so I try to take every precaution I can.
*Step 5* Drying, a multi-step process	Drying the car is another multi-step process. First I use the Original California Water Blade^TM. It removes the large amounts of water very quickly. I am convinced that the faster you dry the car off, the less chance for, you guessed it, water spots. I use it on the entire car being very careful to always go in the same direction. I am also careful to thoroughly rinse off the blade before using it to make sure there are not particles left on the blade from its last use. I have read a few post from folks who do not care for it because they are worried about scratching their finish. I have been using the Water Blade for about 3 years on a MagRed finish and have noticed NO scratches of any kind. Make sure it is the California Water Blade though. I have no idea how some of the other brands on the market may affect you car's finish. I found my Original California Water Blade at Eckler's. You can go to this URL, HotRods Superstore, for a good description of the California Water Blade. Next, I blow dry the car with my leaf blower. I use an electric leaf blower and I use this leaf blower only on my car. This works very well at blowing the excise water out of the mirrors and around the emblems, all of those places that manage to drip on your car later when you drive. Finally, I cleanup any water still left on the car with the Absorber, something else I found at Eckler's. It soaks up lots of water very quickly. I also have a variety of real and synthetic chamois that I use during the final drying process. The trick to using a chamois or the Absorber is to keep it clean. If it falls on the ground, stop using it until it gets laundered.
*Step 6A* Pre-Wax Prep - Optional -	I ran into a few problems with some nasty water spots and a few bug stains that refused being removed from my finish. As a last resort, I used something called Meguiar's Clear Coat Body Scrub. It did a pretty good job. You need to go out to Meguiar's web site and read about this stuff. I really like it for cleaning up the surface before claying.
*Step 6B* Wax (or in my case, Polish)	I have only used one polishing product on my 99 MagRed C5 and my wife's 98 Carmine Red C5; Zaino's Z-2 Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Finishes. After the car has been completely dried, I apply a coat of Zaino's Z-2 Polish, let it dry for a few hours. I use Zaino's #314 Custom 4x5 Polish Applicator to apply the Z-2. When thoroughly dry, I remove it by hand with a 100% white cotton towel. After waiting 24 hours, the car is ready for a second application. I clean the entire car with Zaino's Z-6 Ultra Clean "Gloss Enhancer" Spray and then apply the second coat of Z-2. Doing the Z-2, Z-6 and then Z-2 procedure in a 24+ hour period definitely leaves a great shine on my car. If you do use Zaino's polishes, a personal warning. Make sure it is dry before you try to remove it or you may not be pleased with the results. We have found out the hard way. Here in the Houston area, it may take hours for the polish to completely dry.
*Step 7* Clean the engine compartment	Cleaning my engine is another multi-step process because some of my covers have been custom painted and other are carbon fiber. Both need a little special care when detailing the engine. I hose down the entire engine compartment with a high pressure nozzle. This removes most of the dirt. I then spray everything, and I mean everything, with S100 Total Cycle Cleaner "Aerosol". This stuff is available from almost any motorcycle shop and it is amazing. You just spray it on and rinse it off. It cleans all of those small hard to reach spots too. I clean my engine every time I wash the car so it is never really "dirty". I then attempt to dry as much of the engine as I can. I dry everything, apply some Zaino to the painted stuff, polish the chrome, and that's it. A friend in our car club turned my on to this next step. I didn't believe him when he first told me to try this. However, even since I did, it has become a major part of preparing my engine compartment for a show. I clean everything black in the engine compartment with Pledge. Yup, the furniture polish, Pledge. It does a great job or dressing up all of those black pieces. Finally, I use Zaino's Z-6 to clean both the carbon fiber and painted covers. I apply a coat of Z-2 to all of the covers and redo with Z-6 again.
*Step 8* Detail the wheels	For me, this step almost requires assistance from my teenager. She like to step in a help me out cleaning the wheels. It's a little easier for a 15 year old than it is for a 49 year old. I also have HRE 540 performance wheels, not an easy wheel to clean. I have found that Mother's wheel cleaner (in the red jar) works best for me. This is a long process. The wheels have to be cleaned until black stops coming off on the pad. I use a number of different shaped foam pads to clean the wheels. When they are clean, I apply a light coat of Zaino's Z-2 polish. The Z-2 makes it easier to keep the wheels clean and cuts down on the amount of time needed to touch the wheels up before a show.
*Step 9* Now the tires	I know this is going to be a big surprise, I use Zaino's Z-16 Perfect Tire Gloss to clean my tires. I like the Z-16 because it leaves a more natural finish. It does not leave the tires all glossy, just clean, almost brand new looking.
*Step 10* Polish exhaust	A friend turned me on to a product called Blue Magic Metal Cleaner that I use on my B&B Stainless Steel Exhaust. This stuff is great! It does a much better job than wheel cleaner. It makes those exhaust pipes sparkle.
*Step 11* Clean glass, inside and out	It's time to clean the glass, front, rear and headlights. I use Griot's Garage glass cleaner. I have tried just about everything on the market and believe that Groit's cleans best. I always spray the cleaner on the cloth and then clean the windows. I do not spray anything that might get on the finish. This is especially important when trying to clean the insides of the windows. Even though I always show my car with the convertible top down, I still make sure the glass in the top is clean, both sides. And remember to clean the head lights, they get dirty to. Griot's sells these disposable lint free, non-streaking blue towels for window cleaning that are just terrific. They work much better than cloth or regular paper towels and will save you a ton of time.
*Step 12* Vacuum all carpeting, clean floor mats	I always use a shop vacuum that plugs into an outlet. Those portables are nice for quick and dirty touch-up work but they just don't have the power to really clean the carpets in a car. So I pull out all of the mats, vacuum everything I can reach, vacuum the mats outside the car, replace the mats and I'm done. I use the mats that came with car for my daily driving. I use a set of Lloyd mats with the C5 logo embroidered on them for shows.
*Step 13* Clean inside plastic and dash board	It now time to clean all of the plastic inside the car. I clean everything (console, door panels, etc...) with Zaino's Z-14 Plastic-Magic Cleaner & Polish. Everything with the exception of the Dash. I absolutely do not use cleaners on my dash. I dust it and if it needs cleaning, I use a soft cloth and warm water. The dash has a non-reflective surface that must be maintained. If you use a cleaner on the dash that leaves a shine you are asking for driving problems.
*Step 14* Clean leather	I usually only clean the leather right before a big show or when something "needs" to be cleaned up. I use Zaino's Z-9 Leather Soft Spray Cleaner when I have to do a complete cleaning job. In between cleanups, for those little touchups and just to keep the leather smelling new, I use Zaino's Z-10 "Leather in a Bottle" Treatment and Conditioner.
*Step 15* Finally, at the show...	Finally, at the show, there is all that last minute touch-up. If I have time I will apply a complete coat of Z-2 Pro Polish. If the car looks really good already, I will just touch the car up with Z-6 Gloss Enhancer and Z-8 Grand Finale™ Spray Seal. Before applying Z-6, I dust the entire car with the California Duster. I use the large Duster for the outside and use the small California Duster to clean the interior. I clean the tires with Z-16 Tire Gloss, clean all of the windows with Griot's window cleaner, clean the wheels with Z-6 and I should be ready for the show. Don't forget to clean and polish any of those extras you bring along for your display. We polish my toolbox, fire extinguisher, and clean the glass on our signs to insure there are no finger marks.

This page was last updated on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 3:53:17 PM.

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