A Surprising "Wash and Wax" Experience

[DUCeditor]

I've owned my Spider for some years. I was in my late 30s when I got her, and I'll soon be turning 70.

What does this have to do with Spiders? That's simple: The energy I used to have to keep her super-shiny has faded. Indeed, far more than her paint. (She looks and runs great. Me, not quite.)

For many years my 'wash and wax' regimen was intensive. Gentle compounding, swirl eliminator, had-rubbed carnauba wax. I'm sure many here know and follow the drill. But for the last several that has been a bit much for me, so I've taken to just given her a good wet bath, followed by a spot free rinse, and then given her a quick spray wax spritz. She still looked mighty fine. I was pleased.

But this year (I am now retired) I thought it was time to use some old-fashioned elbow grease and got out all my Griot's Garage goodies and got busy. A couple of sessions worth. But -- horrors! -- I was not satisfied.

Yes, she was "clean." And she had a nice "shine." But there was still an underlying griminess. -Not something others would likely notice. But sometime that bothered me. Not that pristine "showroom" shine I remember her having before she was entered in a show all those years ago.

Maybe more and better application of some of the Griot's stuff -- Paint Cleaning Clay and the like.

Nope. At least not with the energy I could apply to the project.

So I decided to try another approach. Some stuff I'd bought years ago, not for the Spider, but for the everyday cars and SUVs. Stuff sold at Walmart and highly rated by Consumer's Report: Nu-Finish. "Easy" it promises. "No buffing required." Unbeatable shine!

And you know what? It did the trick. And that with no buffing. Wipe on, wipe off. Clean as a whistle. Grime free. And noticeably shinier than the expensive Griot's "Best In Show" wax I'd just applied with so much effort.

Okay, I know. It likely contains silicons and if ever the car needs a repaint...

Yeah, yeah. But it shines and looks great. And doing the entire car is a half hour's work.

I'm sold.

Sorry Griot's. I guess I'm just another Walmart guy.



-Don

[DieselSpider]

You'd be surprised how well the Dupont Teflon Spray Wax turns out too.

[azruss]

I've used Nu-finish on fiberglass boats that sit outside and get hammered by the elements. It does increase the gloss a little, but is not the cure-all the ads would have you believe. It does provide a great protective coat and i use it on my 2012 Honda that sits outside all the time. The only thing i use on the spider is a car wash solution and Mother's or Mequire's instant detailer. Never put a coat of wax on the car in 4 years. I have polished it out once a year using a DA polisher (slow as molasses) with Mother's machine polish. When not on the road, the car is in the garage covered by a Dustop cover i got from AR. Worth every penny and less abrasive on the finish than the old cotton sheets i was using.
My goal is a long lasting paint job, so I'm ok with the finish not being perfect after each yearly polish. If i go for perfect, a greatly shorten the lifespan of the paint.

[DUCeditor]

Good points and good approach azruss.

Our spider is a warm weather car. All Winter she sits under a cover in car shed some distance from the house. When she comes out I generally take the top down and put put it up (unless I get caught in an unexpected shower) until Autumn put way day.

The finish on the Spider looks pretty close to "new." But it is not original -- just the original color. When we bought it in `88 she had spent ten years in the Florida sun. Had no rust at all, but the paint was somewhat faded.

I took her to a autobody/paintshop of good repute and made a deal with the owner for a high-quality re-spray at a bargain price with the caveat that he could do it on his own schedule. I.e., during slow periods.

He loved the car and did the job with pride. That was over 25 years ago and she still glistens in the sun and has the same depth to the finish as the day he returned her to me.

I finally replaced the top after all those years just a couple of years back, so it too looks "new." Although since it is never up except duting off-season knows one sees it. (Thus the long delay in replacing it. Finally the stitching started to open and I had no choice

What's funny is that in a very real sense she gets more appealing to the eye each year. That, I suppose, because her styling get more and ore "classic." It is a rare day when we have her out that someday doesn't cry out "Hey Mister! Great car!!!" or something similar.

And she is. She really, really is. And on New Hampshire's famed two-lane mountain roads she drives like a dream.

I truly think I enjoy her more now than at any time in the 28 years we've owned her.

-don