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Car Cleaning/Detailing Thread

19K views 59 replies 30 participants last post by  Submariner409 
#1 ·
So I figured I would start a thread regarding washing and maintaining our vehicles.

I am no pro with the products I used but I do spend 3-4 hours a week cleaning inside and out.

I used Meguiar's ultimate wash and wax. Apparently it has some wax in it and it definitely seems to sud more and shine more than some of my old turtle wax car champoos. Seems a bit expensive though. Anyone have any recommendations or suggestions?
 
#41 · (Edited)
So with everyones tips i tried my hand at detailing my ats this afternoon and my car looks fantastic!! I used a variety of Autoglym products and they worked great, thanks for everyones input. Here are some before and after pics! The pics aren't the greatest from my iPhone.
 

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#42 ·
Quick question for the pros out there. Washed my Black Raven ATS last night and was rushed to where I couldnt dry it properly, of course now I have some pretty severe water spots on both the painted surfaces along with glass. Any tips on products/techniques to use on removing them?

Notes: Will probably be done by hand and I have not attempted to wash it again since I first saw them. (At work panicking now) :confused:
 
#44 ·
I got the Zaino z8 sealer spray and it seems to have worked to negate all the pollen from the trees and dust in the air. I parked under a tree and I came back to get a ton of pollen on my car, but it seems as if the sealer helps it not stick to the paint because the second I drove off it all blew right off.

My issue is the front bumper has so many marks all over it, not necessarily rock chips, but some sort of scuffs could be from anything maybe the bugs on the highway? I cant get it off with the polish sprays or washing it thoroughly. Anyone have any advice?
 
#45 ·
My issue is the front bumper has so many marks all over it, not necessarily rock chips, but some sort of scuffs could be from anything maybe the bugs on the highway? I cant get it off with the polish sprays or washing it thoroughly. Anyone have any advice?
So I take that to mean there is nothing left stuck to the paint. If it is scuffs you can probably get rid of them all with a DA but that's not something you want to do often since it gets rid of the scuffs by taking off the clearcoat that's scuffed. If you will be driving in the same conditions you might want to get some clear bra material there or even some of the new 3M spray on stuff. It might need redoing every year but its cheap and easy and should keep the paint safe from things like bugs or most rocks.

http://forums.themustangsource.com/f726/3m-spray-clear-bra-review-529472/
 
#47 ·
deedle said:
Quick question for the pros out there. Washed my Black Raven ATS last night and was rushed to where I couldnt dry it properly, of course now I have some pretty severe water spots on both the painted surfaces along with glass. Any tips on products/techniques to use on removing them? Notes: Will probably be done by hand and I have not attempted to wash it again since I first saw them. (At work panicking now) :confused:

http://youtu.be/7JdN3cxVRm0
 
#48 ·
Detailed Image is my home for all things detailing. Their pro blog and guide are really helpful.

I use a two bucket wash, always with grit guards. Meguiar's Gold Class soap for now, I'd like to get a foam gun this year to add to the routine. Always liked Meguiar's clay and Quik Detailer for paint decon. I use a Porter Cable 7424 DA and Meguiar's 105/205 polishes with Lake Country orange/white pads for any correction and touch up polish. Blackfire Wet Diamond sealant and Midnight Sun wax once the paint is all cleaned up.

Invisible Glass does the trick for windows. Meguiar's Hot Rims for tires/wheels. Leatherique oil and Prestine Clean for interior leather, 303 Aerospace protectant for everything else.
 
#51 ·
Detailed Image is my home for all things detailing. Their pro blog and guide are really helpful.
Great site with lots of info on the products and step by step detailing instructions. The site is geared toward professional detailers and they sell large sizes of many of their products too. They also have hard to find car care products that most local auto stores don't carry either. Good prices with fast shipping.

I have found shopping where the pro's shop always saves you time and money in the long run.
 
#49 ·
For fear of odd reactions I use Spray'n'Shine waterless car wash every week, it waxes the car also, then once a month I'll use a decent wax and DA polisher.

Contrary to what people think it doesn't cause swirls, well as long as you are careful with your microfiber cloths that is. I've used it for a few years now and the only swirls on the cars I've had were those that were already there. Another plus is I can get a car clean and shining in an hour or less too
 
#50 · (Edited)
Hint: Before you use any washless detail spray or spritz, use a California Duster. One piece of grit can ruin your entire day.

Only microfiber cloths, carefully cleaned by you, using special detergents.

I use a PorterCable DA, several grades of swirl polish and several grades of foam pads. Swirls suck.

See Post #38

Get the wash/clay bar/polish/wax DVD from www.autogeek.net.
 

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#52 ·
Hi all, looking for some guidance here. Firstly, I'm a pretty experienced detailer but am new to polishing/paint correction. I now own a decent DA polisher, a couple of Megs MF cutting pads, a whack of Orange, White, and Black hex pads. I have full sized bottles of Megs Ultimate Compound and Chemical Guys VSS on hand, as well as some older products such as the Megs Deep Crystal line.

My 2016 CTS is Phantom Grey, has about 50K kms/30K miles on it, driven year round including full on winter conditions, and is generally garage-kept at home but exposed at work. I'm generally pretty careful with my paint, use the 2BM, and the car has been coated twice a year with Carpro Reload spray sealant with Carpro Hydro2 top-ups every few weeks in the summer. However, both on delivery and over time the car has accumulated some mild swirls. I am thinking of buffing the paint to remove the swirls, and then seal with either a ceramic coat or a sealant like CG Jet Seal.

Any comments on the hardness of the paint and how aggressive I will need to be? I realize that this is tough without seeing, but for example I know that my Porsche paint is very soft and typically doesn't require anything aggressive to remove swirls Is the PG on my CTS a relatively hard or soft paint?

I'm debating whether to start with UC or VSS; and MF or Orange hex pad? And if I use UC, will I need another polish to finish?

I'm looking for guidance based on the experience of others with these cars...

thanks!!
 
#53 ·
Currently, I am using Aero Cosmetics Wash Wax. I like it the most because it is 100% water-based. Moreover, it is an alcohol and ammonia-free product. Now the question is that how effective it is. Actually, I am very happy with it. It works great and I am not thinking to change the product. After cleaning, it works good as a wax. It protects my car paint from the UV rays. You just spray it and wipe it with a microfiber towel for the best result.
 
#55 ·
One can use all the sealant's/waxes they want. Some will last better than others, but as to the 'wet' look, the paint, if needed has to first be three step corrected to get that look. I did mine a few weeks ago. Used a DA polisher (Simoniz) along with their pads and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound for step 1, Polish for step 2, but I had to vary step two by adding step 2.5 (mine) by using polish on a step 3 pad (Simoniz) because on a black car there was still some haze under an inspection light. Step 3 was Mother's ceramic coat, followed by Mequiar's Gold Class liquid wax, which was further stacked with Mother's Synthetic wax.

586056
 
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#60 ·
Hello to The Bahamas. Did you ever repair your garage door openers?

You might look in the various sections of www.autogeek.net - they carry very good nationally known brands of automobile detailing supplies. Several "How-to" videos in each section

The "Guest" member whom you quoted is not a CF member and has not been seen since back in 2014.
 
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