It has been a really long time (gotta be over 2 years) since I last really did a nice exterior detail on my Prius. That new car love affair wears off a bit, it's easier to run through the car wash. I did have them do a "detail" one day at the Jiffy Lube wash..but it was a pretty cheaply done job. I finally had a great day of weather, time, and inspiration and took advantage. It sure looks beautiful once done. I have a lot of tiny pits/chips, esp. on the front edge of the hood and the front bumper that I could not really get smoothed out even with scratch remover, but all in all it looks quite good. I topped off the job with a little tire black on the tires and Rain-X on the windshield. My kids probably won't recognize it when I pick them up from school!
Pics of shininess don't usually translate too well. But it looks nice. The door handles are actually slippery to hold onto when opening the door!
mmmm...... Seaside Pearl does respond well to wax though. The best part is that subsequent washes will be super easy to dry!
we need rain here in southern california, but i hope it doesn't rain on my prius that i just washed and waxed this past weekend.
Mine 6-day Prius is covered in dust with au jus of insects. I would wash it but there's a good chance we'll get a good thunderstorm. If there's no hail, I'll leave the car outside lol.
Sure. But it never works out the way you want it to. Anyway, we did get hit with some thunderstorms. Just heavy rain, a few strikes of lightning and no hail (kinda surprised actually). The best thing was walking into Olive Garden with a rain jacket and hearing someone comment "well somebody's prepared." Haha!!
I have not done either the claybar or polish since I bought my 2007 Prius. Just the occasional wash. What claybar product and technique would you recommend for the neophyte? Also what polish would you recommend as well? Rick
There's a thread here somewhere called something like "My favorite Detailing products" and another called "Detailing tips" or something like that. I strongly recommend you take a look at those threads for great information from people who actually know what they're talking about. I am not an expert nor am I compulsive enough to spend the money on top end products. Meguier's sells some very accessible and reasonably priced products for detailing. I bought an "all in one" box at Wal-mart from them that included 2 claybars, the detailing spray, a microfiber cloth, and even a small bottle of wax/polish...probably enough for a Prius. It seems adequate for the job considering the age and pain damage I have. If this were a show car or brand new and I had more OCD than I do I might look at some higher end products. I use Nu Finish polish only b/c John1701a recommended it when I got the car. I have no idea if there are superior products out there (I'm sure there are), but it seems quite good. BTW, I used a Mequier's scratch remover as well for some of the shallow scratches and other pain mars I had.
