i just bought a used black sube legacy 2.5gt awd sedan. black gets
dirty really quickly so i figured i better get used to cleaning the
exterior. im wondering what is suggested for subaru's specifically
with their clearcoats and all, and even more what works well for the
color black. as far as i know i should be using a washing solution,
polish, wax, and instant detail spray in between - all being applied
and dried with terry cloth and the pva quick dry cloths. as far as
brands i have meguiars gold class wash, nu finish soft paste polish,
mothers california gold orig form carnauba cleaner wax and meguairs
quick detailer mist and wipe. anyone have experience with black
subes? the car is a 99 so im thinking that the wax SHOULD have some
abrasives in it to get grime off, the opposite case of waxing a brand
new car. id also appreciate techniques and such. oh yeah, whats the
deal with clay bars? thanks so much

First go get a plastic sandwich bag or cellophane cigarette wrapper (if you
smoke)
Put your fingers in it and lightly drag it across the surface of your
paint. Do
this after you've washed and dried it. Does it feel scratchy? If yes then
you'll
need to use clay. Otherwise Polish it and wax it. Look at the paint how is
it?
Is there spiderwebbing in the paint (tiny scratches) etc?

So what's the deal with clay? Well it's not new body shops having been
using it for a long time to remove overspray. It's used to remove embedded
contaniments (sic) from the
paint. That rough feeling you felt with the sandwich bag is embedded
contaniments.

I've tried both Meguiar's and Clay Magic. I prefer the latter. The
Meguiar's tended to stick and leave
residue. The car needs to be cool and in the shade otherwise the clay will
stick.

Take a look at my post from a couple days ago with the link to Vladimir's
detailing guide. It's very
good and explains it all.

When restoring a finish you always want to start with the least abrasive
method first and gradually get
more abrasive if needed.

Products I use from Most abrasive to Least
2000 Grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper - remove deep scratches
3M Perfect It II Rubbing Compound, Fine Cut, 39002 - remove 2000 grit
sanding haze
Car Brite Cuttig Glaze -remove rubbing compound haze
Meguiar's ScratchX - remove light scratches
Meguiar's Clear Coat Prep - After Claying before I polish

Products with 'No Cut'
Meguiar's Polish - Give the paint the deep shine
Meguiar's Gold Class Wax - Protect the finish

If there's a Target store around you get you Meguiar's Gold Class soap
there. They run deals for $9.99 for the big
64oz bottle (Big-Big bottle)

I bought a Porter-Cable DA Polisher from CoastalTool ($119) a few years
back I highly recommend it for when you do a 'complete' clean or paint
repair. They have the best deal as you get a velcro backing pad with it.


On 6 Sep 2003 15:20:42 -0700, DOA <rabidj (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote:

I would like to suggest you try Buffalo Milke instant spray wax. It's a
cleaner, detailer and wax all in one. You'll do your car in 20-25
minutes with NO shite residue to clean off the black trim or around
chrome. Works great on chrome, plastic, glass etc. It loves BLACK!
You can still prep your car with the clay and everything else but use
the Buffalo Milke for final waxing. It does not build up like carnuba
wax and actually let the paint breathe.