Detailing your GT500

[Lutzcat]

I used ICE on my GO vert a week ago and the shine is so deep it actually looks wet.

This stuff is fantastic, no effort and great shine.

Alan

 

 

 

I just finished using ICE on mine,for the first time. WILL NEVER USE regular wax again. One quarter the time to put it on and the black vinyl pieces, spoiler, mirrors, look great. No more being carefull about where to apply it except the glass.

 

Scott

[iceman]

I mix. Used the ice liquid claybar and then the meguires gold wax after. Looks great now - feels even better to the tough.

 

I will note that the liquid clay bar if allowed to dry at all is nasty looking crap and has to be rubbed off like a wax. It also gets into cracks that can be real pain in the arse to get into to clean...I actually had to toothbrash some areas. I did discover that windex on a toothbrush works marvels on the cracks (joints or what ever we call the space where plastic an metal join) that like to have wax or what ever in them. I used it all over the plastic on the exterior and now there is no white powder stuff anyplace.

 

What do you guys use for the inside on the leather???

[BoneDoc]

I use Ice (polish) from turtle wax. It works great.

 

I second that.... I bought some after grabber mentioned a couple of months ago.... makes the grabber GLOW!

[BoneDoc]

I mix. Used the ice liquid claybar and then the meguires gold wax after. Looks great now - feels even better to the tough.

 

I will note that the liquid clay bar if allowed to dry at all is nasty looking crap and has to be rubbed off like a wax. It also gets into cracks that can be real pain in the arse to get into to clean...I actually had to toothbrash some areas. I did discover that windex on a toothbrush works marvels on the cracks (joints or what ever we call the space where plastic an metal join) that like to have wax or what ever in them. I used it all over the plastic on the exterior and now there is no white powder stuff anyplace.

 

What do you guys use for the inside on the leather???

 

I use the wipe-on Gel from Armor-all.... looks great. My only complaint is that when i wipe the dash, it shines so much it causes pretty significant glare against the windshield.

[Grabber]

I see a bunch of you are using the Ice by Turtle wax. It is great stuff. The other day I used it under the hood on all the plastic pieces and rubber hoses. It worked great there too. Really made the engine compartment shine.

[TexasShelby]

Oh great guys , just as I finished mother's clay bar, meguiars polish 1, 2 and my last (sixth) coat of meguiar's gold wax, I see that all y'all are using ICE, and loving it. I just bought some ICE paste and will use it under the hood when I get home and eventually switch from meguiars gold on the body. I wonder if you can lay it over regular wax? or does it say not to? (I'm on a trip and don't have access to it) If not. a couple car washes with dawn will strip it well.

 

Spot cleans are with a California Duster or Meguiars Detailer Spray if needed.

 

The windshild gets Liquid Glass with bar towels and finished with a glass cloth.

 

The tires get meguiars hot shine spray.

 

Interior is cleaned with mequiars interior detailer mist and lightly topped with their vinyl and rubber protectant. It has just the right amount of shine, without being too much. IMO

 

The vert top, I rip about a 10" piece of acid free blue masking tape, tape the ends together in a circle, adhesive side out and roll it on the top with my hand. Works great!

 

The headlights and tail lenses never get anything but PlastX and never any type of windex or glass cleaner.

 

For the wash itself, I use the Mr. Clean Spot Free Wash system and it works great. I still dry it, but here the water is so bad, you have to use some sort of filtered water to rinse. I stopped using a commercial wand type car wash after I saw what happened to one member's side stripes. That and the fact that most car wash's soap is so strong, it takes your wax off almost every time.

[Pointcover]

Thats whats great about this site. All the useful information from your fellow members! I was on the fence regarding the Turtle wax ICE prducts, but now I'm sold. Thanks!

[BlackVenom]

I will note that the liquid clay bar if allowed to dry at all is nasty looking crap and has to be rubbed off like a wax. It also gets into cracks that can be real pain in the arse to get into to clean...I actually had to toothbrash some areas. I did discover that windex on a toothbrush works marvels on the cracks (joints or what ever we call the space where plastic an metal join) that like to have wax or what ever in them. I used it all over the plastic on the exterior and now there is no white powder stuff anyplace.

 

This weekend I did a full ICE detail on the outside.. I think this clay bar step screwed me... It dried on, was pretty hard to get off, and I don't think I got it all off.. Then I did the ICE polish over the top, followed by the detail spray. What I am now seeing, and trapped water spots, and some the the clay bar residue, under the polish.. no matter how hard I try, I can't get them to come out.

 

I think my only option is to use some dawn on the car and strip the wax/polish and start over... Any ideas?

 

Don't let the ICE liquid clay bar dry.. you will have a mess on your hands. Whatever is in it, seems to increase the amount of water spots as well..

 

Incredible shine.. simply amazing. But when you get up on it, you see some of what I mention above.

 

John

[EmpireStateGT500]

For the leather I use Meguiars one step leather cleaner and conditioner. I use quite a bit of it and rub it into the leather. It's a paste so some of it gets stuck in the little holes in the seats but I get that out with a stiff bristle paint brush by lightly pressing the ends of the bristles into the holes. Then I wipe the excess off with a clean terrycloth towel. It's really nice to sit in. You have to do the back seat by pushing the front seats all the way forward and sit on the center console facing backwards. I't s a lot of work but it's worth it. The leather feels like real soft kid gloves now.

[svtkeith]

I use Ice (polish) from turtle wax. It works great.

 

 

Well Grab, you got me hooked on the ICE, it makes the red on the car look deeper. Just applied it yesterday and I'm very impressed. The key is to have alot of terry cloth towels on hand and leave it dry at least 5 mins.

 

So for now, I put my Mequiars away, in the corner of the garage.

 

Have you tried the Detailer? How does it work?

[GT500/GT-E]

I detailed my car Saturday with the Zanio system. The claybar was actually the easiest step. Washed it twice with the claybar step between washes. Then on to two coats of 5 with a 6 between coats and finished up with the 2. Will add another coat of 2 this weekend. Its the best shine I've seen in a long time.

 

My 2 cents,

Chris

[iceman]

This weekend I did a full ICE detail on the outside.. I think this clay bar step screwed me... It dried on, was pretty hard to get off, and I don't think I got it all off.. Then I did the ICE polish over the top, followed by the detail spray. What I am now seeing, and trapped water spots, and some the the clay bar residue, under the polish.. no matter how hard I try, I can't get them to come out.

 

I think my only option is to use some dawn on the car and strip the wax/polish and start over... Any ideas?

 

Don't let the ICE liquid clay bar dry.. you will have a mess on your hands. Whatever is in it, seems to increase the amount of water spots as well..

 

Incredible shine.. simply amazing. But when you get up on it, you see some of what I mention above.

 

John

 

 

I was able to clean it after it dried with a damp towel. The clay bar is a challenge though as I noticed it likes to get into every little place and is hard to get out. For spots I actually didn't have that issue as I used Mr Clean wash and cleaned the car with it first then did the spot free rinse and then used the spot free rinse again with the liquid claybar and a good (I can't spell so this is only so you know what I mean)...shammy (chamouis is my best guess?).

 

After finally getting all the powder and white stuff of the shine was great - it did take a little work and it looked like a car on the show room floor at that point. I put on the wax after for protection and now after all that work don't want to drive it in the bugs and crap again....but I will :D

[Grabber]

Well Grab, you got me hooked on the ICE, it makes the red on the car look deeper. Just applied it yesterday and I'm very impressed. The key is to have alot of terry cloth towels on hand and leave it dry at least 5 mins.

 

So for now, I put my Mequiars away, in the corner of the garage.

 

Have you tried the Detailer? How does it work?

Keith,

I use the detailer all the time inbetween washes. Before I put my car away I blow it off with my air compressor handheld attachment. It blows 90% of the dust off of the back bumper and tail lights and 70% of the brake dust out. I then hit the car with the california duster. I then spray most of the car with the detail spray and wipe her down with micro fibre towels. It works great on the small bugs on the front bumper. I then wipe off the rims with a rag and use some glass cleaner on the windshield. 10-15 minutes and the car is good as new.

 

Tonight I spent some more time under the hood with the Ice on all the black parts and my strut tower. That Ice really details out the engine compartment. Check it out.

[EmpireStateGT500]

Keith,

I use the detailer all the time inbetween washes. Before I put my car away I blow it off with my air compressor handheld attachment. It blows 90% of the dust off of the back bumper and tail lights and 70% of the brake dust out. I then hit the car with the california duster. I then spray most of the car with the detail spray and wipe her down with micro fibre towels. It works great on the small bugs on the front bumper. I then wipe off the rims with a rag and use some glass cleaner on the windshield. 10-15 minutes and the car is good as new.

 

Tonight I spent some more time under the hood with the Ice on all the black parts and my strut tower. That Ice really details out the engine compartment. Check it out.

 

 

Grabber

That is an outstanding engine bay. A couple of questions:

1. What did you paint the shock tower brace with?

2. Where did you get the hardware for the shock towers?

[Grabber]

Grabber

That is an outstanding engine bay. A couple of questions:

1. What did you paint the shock tower brace with?

2. Where did you get the hardware for the shock towers?

Answers:

1. I had Automotive grade Ford color U3 single stage paint with clear in it mixed up and put into a can at an automotive paint store for $20 bucks. First you need to sand the black paint to scuff it so the primer will bond to it.

2. Ordered them on line from Roush.

 

See this thread for the painting project.

http://www.stangsunleashed.com/forums/inde...ic=6825&hl=

[HotLap]

I use Meguiars products. Wash the car with some kind of automobile shampoo. I use Deep Crystal Car Wash. Use Quick Detail to lube up the surface and clay bar the paint when you first get the car. There won't be many contaminants on the surface but there will be a few. Run your finger tips over the surface. It should feel like glass. Once it's clay barred end to end polish it with Deep Crystal Polish. After it's polished end to end use Next Generation wax . If you keep it inside a garage all you'll need to do is Quick Detail it from time to time. That's easy and fast.

 

The interior is a different deal. I use leather conditioner on the seats and leather trim but the seats have these funky little holes that you will need a soft brush to get the paste out with or you can use a leather cleaner and conditioner in spray form. Your best bet is to check out the Meguiars web site and go through their tutorials. They're very good.

 

http://www.meguiars.com/

 

Check out the Sparkle Auto Care website for great prices on Meguiars products but watch out for the shipping costs. They're steep.

 

http://www.sparkleauto.com/

 

FWIW - to avoid the "whitish paste" in the perforated leather, use Lexol leather cleaner/conditioner in the brown plastic bottle - it does not leave a white residue. Used to drive me nuts trying to get the leather conditioner residue out of the perforations when I used the Meguiars Gold Class product.

[Grabber]

FWIW - to avoid the "whitish paste" in the perforated leather, use Lexol leather cleaner/conditioner in the brown plastic bottle - it does not leave a white residue. Used to drive me nuts trying to get the leather conditioner residue out of the perforations when I used the Meguiars Gold Class product.

I use the Lexol product too. It works on the dash and door panels and all the interior parts. On a new car you only need to use the conditioner. The seats are already clean and it is not needed.

[BlackVenom]

Keith,

I use the detailer all the time inbetween washes. Before I put my car away I blow it off with my air compressor handheld attachment. It blows 90% of the dust off of the back bumper and tail lights and 70% of the brake dust out. I then hit the car with the california duster. I then spray most of the car with the detail spray and wipe her down with micro fibre towels. It works great on the small bugs on the front bumper. I then wipe off the rims with a rag and use some glass cleaner on the windshield. 10-15 minutes and the car is good as new.

 

Tonight I spent some more time under the hood with the Ice on all the black parts and my strut tower. That Ice really details out the engine compartment. Check it out.

 

 

Grabber -

 

That looks incredible. I love what you did with your engine bay!

 

John

[gldnegle]

Thought that this thread was the best place to ask this question. I have hard water spots on my windshield from a recent rain, I know "Why were you out in the rain?" right, no excuse. Anyway, I have washed the car using Maguires car wash, cleaned the windshield and windows with windex, rainex and invisible glass. With all due respect to these fine products, I now have the cleanest hard water spots on the block. Anyone know of a good product that will remove hard water spots from glass. Oh, the Ice detailer does a great job on water spots on the car, but not suppose to use it on glass.

 

DJ

[Cobra GT]

Thought that this thread was the best place to ask this question. I have hard water spots on my windshield from a recent rain, I know "Why were you out in the rain?" right, no excuse. Anyway, I have washed the car using Maguires car wash, cleaned the windshield and windows with windex, rainex and invisible glass. With all due respect to these fine products, I now have the cleanest hard water spots on the block. Anyone know of a good product that will remove hard water spots from glass. Oh, the Ice detailer does a great job on water spots on the car, but not suppose to use it on glass.

 

DJ

I had very similar spots on the wave runners. I tried every thing and nothing worked. Finally I used Lime Away. It disolved the spots quickly on the painted fiberglass.

[al ellison]

I use the Lexol product too. It works on the dash and door panels and all the interior parts. On a new car you only need to use the conditioner. The seats are already clean and it is not needed.

 

I do not believe the door panels nor dash (even with interior upgrade) are made of leather. Can anyone confirm? Thank you.

[2007shelbyGT500]

Thought that this thread was the best place to ask this question. I have hard water spots on my windshield from a recent rain, I know "Why were you out in the rain?" right, no excuse. Anyway, I have washed the car using Maguires car wash, cleaned the windshield and windows with windex, rainex and invisible glass. With all due respect to these fine products, I now have the cleanest hard water spots on the block. Anyone know of a good product that will remove hard water spots from glass. Oh, the Ice detailer does a great job on water spots on the car, but not suppose to use it on glass.

 

DJ

 

 

Thank you for asking this question!!!! I thought I was the only one who couldn’t get the glass clean. I had no idea what the spots were from.

[rpretzel]

I use a cleaner wax to remove tough spots on glass. It also helps prevent new ones from appearing.

[bradenbb]

Does anyone use the teflon product systems? Something like www.5starshine.com ?

[TexasShelby]

Glass cleaning 101 (only took me years to learn it)...

 

gldneagle has a great solution... use a little lime-a-way on a soft rag, let it soak on the glass. keep away from the paint (waxed surfaces) and cloth top (if you have one), be sure to follow up with a glass cleaner though.

 

A little less industrial, is a simple solution of 2 parts clear vinegar, one part RO water, same thing, apply with soft wet cloth, letting soak, stand a couple minutes.

 

EDIT NOTE: I would always rewax any waxed surface that the vinegar had been on.

 

Remove with soft cloth.

 

Now to follow up and keep it clean! :happy feet:

 

I use Invisible Glass and a REAL all cotton bar towel (some areas call it flour sack cotton, it's what bars use to dry wine glasses), never wipe a second time without flipping to a new place on the cloth (if not, you're just smearing the dirt), then follow up just as it's drying with good quality microfiber cloth.

 

:banana piano: And your glass will look like it did coming off the showroom floor.

 

Hope this helps!

[Joe G]

Glass cleaning 101 (only took me years to learn it)...

 

gldneagle has a great solution... use a little lime-a-way on a soft rag, let it soak on the glass. keep away from the paint (waxed surfaces) and cloth top (if you have one), be sure to follow up with a glass cleaner though.

 

A little less industrial, is a simple solution of 2 parts clear vinegar, one part RO water, same thing, apply with soft wet cloth, letting soak, stand a couple minutes.

 

Remove with soft cloth.

 

Now to follow up and keep it clean! :happy feet:

 

I use Invisible Glass and a REAL all cotton bar towel (some areas call it flour sack cotton, it's what bars use to dry wine glasses), never wipe a second time without flipping to a new place on the cloth (if not, you're just smearing the dirt), then follow up just as it's drying with good quality microfiber cloth.

 

:banana piano: And your glass will look like it did coming off the showroom floor.

 

Hope this helps!

I stick with the vinegar solution (mild, rinse it off the body ASAP). Lime away is a little too iffy for my tastes.

[EmpireStateGT500]

I do not believe the door panels nor dash (even with interior upgrade) are made of leather. Can anyone confirm? Thank you.

 

 

You're right. Some is and some isn't. The forward half of the dash is leather. The back half closest to the windshield isn't. The perforated parts of the door and the arm rests are. The area around the perforated portions isn't. Ford has textured the plastic surfaces so well that they appear to be leather.

[trichie]

You're right. Some is and some isn't. The forward half of the dash is leather. The back half closest to the windshield isn't. The perforated parts of the door and the arm rests are. The area around the perforated portions isn't. Ford has textured the plastic surfaces so well that they appear to be leather.

 

Yes I just oiled my seats and interior with Lexoil, great product, but wasn't sure what was leather and what was plastic. After it soaked into the leather but not the vinyl, it was obvious. Here is what I found:

 

Front seats, sitting surfaces and side bolsters are leather but not the backs or head rest.

Shifter boot, oil this well as it was very dry on my car. I soaked it and let it sit wet until it all soaked in.

Console lid cover.

Steering wheel cover

Door perforated section and arm rests

Dash front cover.

 

The rest is all vinyl or plastic including the back seats. I used Armor All on that stuff.

[SLB8SNK]

This is great stuff

 

 

 

Being a detail rookie and hoping to get my car soon, I was worried about the clay bar process. I see what you posted is a liquid clay bar? Does it work the same? I has to be easier to use right? Let me know please!!!!

[TexasShelby]

Being a detail rookie and hoping to get my car soon, I was worried about the clay bar process. I see what you posted is a liquid clay bar? Does it work the same? I has to be easier to use right? Let me know please!!!!

 

Don't be afraid of the clay bar process. It just takes patience.

 

I found it helped the finished process of even a new car.

 

Just make sure you wash your car with a light solution of Dawn first and dry it, this will remove any wax you have on your car.

 

Keep the clay bar wet with the solution that comes with it, and there is no need to rub hard. It will pull off what it needs to. And keep rotating the clay.

 

My finish after the clay bar and 4 coats of paste ICE doesn't even look like a factory paint job. Let's face it, Ford has never been known for a top quaility paint job in the first place. But this added a nice depth, even to the white, and the vista blue (painted) stripes look about 6" deep now.

 

I'm very picky about what goes on my car. Our water is terrible here, so I use the Mr. Clean soap (so it won't strip the wax) and the filtered water rinse, and do a full dry. (I know, some hold the Mr. Clean claim to be spot free air dry, I don't. )

 

Hope this helps.