Hey lunchboxx, you?re on the right track to want to get everything off the car’s finish. It?s time to start over. To get started, you don?t need any fancy car care products, but you should have a basic set of items: (1) a genuine lambs wool or good quality microfiber wash mitt, (2) chamois (synthetic works fine and doesn?t have an objectionable wet leather smell) or good quality microfiber drying towel, (3) stiff bristle tire scrub brush, and (4) cheap cotton wash mitt for cleaning the wheels (don?t use your good wash mitt on the wheels). That?s your starter set. Working in the shade with the car finish cool to the touch, you?re ready to begin.
STEP 1: For the first time, mix about 1 ounce of liquid dish detergent in about 2 gallons of cool, clear wash water. Dawn detergent is particularly effective at removing coatings from the finish, including road spray, oils, and silicone-laden ?wax? products. This is key. These contaminants, particularly silicone, prevent wax from bonding with the painted surface of your car, and so will rob your finish of any protection from the elements. Wash the vehicle and rinse with a generous stream of clear water. Rinse out your wash pail and start over, washing the entire car a second time in the same manner. Dry the vehicle, rinsing the chamois frequently in clear water. A word of caution: using liquid dishwashing detergent is not recommended for regular washing, because it strips all the wax off the paintwork. But in your case, for the first time, it is necessary in order to properly prep the paint for the steps that follow. In other words, do it just this once, then use a car wash shampoo specially formulated to not remove wax. I use either Griot’s Garage or Zaino Brothers, but most better brands market their own versions and they’re readily available locally or over the Internet.
STEP 2: Now you will need some commercial car care products. You have to do 2 things to restore your finish, and each one has its purpose; skipping either one will not give you the superior results you are looking for. First, you must remove all of the embedded impurities on the finish. These are not removed by washing alone. For this purpose, you need detailing clay, along with a suitable lubricant spray. Clay bars are available from better automotive shops or Internet retailers (Meguiars, Griot’s Garage, Zaino, and others). There are commercial lubricants available, often referred to as detailing spray, but I find that a very mild solution of car wash shampoo mixed with water works just as well; just spray enough on your work surface to keep the clay from sticking as you rub it over the finish. You will have to experiment with how much rubbing is needed, but it should quickly become apparent as the clay will glide more easily as contaminants are removed. For starters, try about 10-15 back and forth and side to side strokes in a small area (2’ x 2’ is the area that most people can comfortably reach with each stroke of the arm). This can be done to all exterior car surfaces, including paintwork, brightwork and lighting lenses. If you use a commercial lubricant, buff off any lubricant left in the small area you just clayed. If you use a shampoo solution for lubrication, you will have to rinse and dry off the vehicle again after you have finished claying the entire car. Second, you must remove the microscopic top layer of dull, scratched paint that?s keeping your car from shining. For this purpose, you will need a good quality automotive polish, designed for the method you intend to use to polish your car. If you have access to a random orbital buffer, you need machine polish; if you will be polishing by hand, use a hand polish. Polish is not the same thing as wax; it contains polishing agents that break down into progressively smaller particles as you work it over the surface. It is this polishing action that removes oxidized paint and even microscopic superficial scratches referred to as swirls or spider webbing. The smaller the polishing particles, the higher the finish can be burnished. This is the step that will decide how good the final result will look. If you take the time and effort to carefully, thoroughly polish (or even polish more than once, using progressively finer grades of polish each time), the result will be spectacular. There are many fine polishes on the market. I favor Sonus SFX or Menzerna polishes, either of which come in 3 grades of abrasiveness, applied by random orbital buffer set to between 4.5 and 6. Do not use anything called rubbing compound. Buff the polished area with a good quality microfiber buffing cloth, using back and forth and side to side motions. All polishes will leave a certain amount of chalky residue as you buff. A quick puff will blow it from the work surface.
STEP 3: At this stage, your car?s finish should be restored to like-new luster, but now it does not have any protective coating. For that purpose, you need a good grade of natural wax (a carnauba content of around 30% is favored by traditional purists for its ?wet? look) or synthetic acrylic sealant (favored by those who want more durable protection). Here, too, there are many good products to choose from. I prefer P21S carnauba or Zaino Brothers synthetic sealant (Menzerna and Klasse are 2 other brands to consider). These should be applied by hand, using a foam wax applicator pad available anywhere. Then buff with a good quality microfiber buffing cloth (not the same one you used for buffing off polish), turning the cloth frequently. A good quality wax will not produce any dusty residue when buffed clean. If chalky residue was produced in the polishing step, you may want to rinse and dry the car now as the final step. One reminder: for the reason I mentioned earlier, avoid car care products that contain silicone; the best ones don?t, and their labels say so.
STEP 4: Stand back and admire! By this time, you?ve invested at least 6 hours, so enjoy the result.
Here’s a photo of a 20+ year old car that I regularly detail for its owner. Your 4-year old Camry should have no trouble sparkling again. I hope this isn’t more than you wanted to know.