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meatpimp posted:
It's not the edge of the door, it's the edge of the door frame, which is what makes it weird. I don't know how that chip could have been made because the door can't physically hit that spot, and it'd be really hard for someone else's door to hit that exact spot either since it's pretty much in the gap. Pardon my lovely MS Paint skills, but this is the location of that chip:  Either way, I've never used touch up paint before. I don't know the first thing about using it in a way that won't look like poo poo and be immediately obvious. I'm a complete idiot when it comes to anything car related. I still don't understand what to do about the scratch, besides a magic eraser possibly being bad.
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Aug 10, 2012 19:48
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Regarding the Zamboni paint you can often order a more "work oriented" paint like Endura. That will definitely hold up to abuse; car paint might not. Even with a more industrial paint job, prep is everything. I've seen a lot of cars sprayed with Endura start to develop rust bubbles within weeks because the hack who did the job was apparently overpaid and undermurdered.
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Aug 10, 2012 20:31
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Regarding the Zamboni paint you can often order a more "work oriented" paint like Endura. That will definitely hold up to abuse; car paint might not. It probably was piss poor prep and paint. There is over-spray all over the place. I admit it must not be the easiest thing to paint with all the weird angles and small parts but drat.. a week and rust already. Hopefully the shop will come and fix up their work.
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Aug 10, 2012 21:15
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I bought a car a few weeks ago with a set of enkei lusso (black w/machined lip) rims. The black holds up pretty good, but the machined lip is starting to get a bit dull. What might be the best way of polishing this up? I bought a $10 polishing set for my dremel at walmart, but I figured I'd check here first before going hog wild on it and potentially loving it all up. I know there are different tools/methods to use for wheels with/without clearcoat but I really can't find much info about these wheels.
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Aug 11, 2012 03:58
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SintaxError posted:I bought a car a few weeks ago with a set of enkei lusso (black w/machined lip) rims. The black holds up pretty good, but the machined lip is starting to get a bit dull. What might be the best way of polishing this up? I bought a $10 polishing set for my dremel at walmart, but I figured I'd check here first before going hog wild on it and potentially loving it all up. Be careful, those wheels probably have a clearcoat. If you use a dremel with metal polishing stuffs, you'll trash the finish. General rule of thumb is to use the least abrasive product possible to get the result you're looking for. Try a basic cleaner/wax first and see if that makes a difference. If it does, then you're set. If not, take a closer look to see "how" the finish is getting dull, is it scratches, build-up or a hazing of the clearcoat? Each of those have a different method to rectify the issue.
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Aug 11, 2012 14:33
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EVERYWHERE 
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Frozen-Solid posted:Other than those, the only issue I've been having is that the rear end of my car gets exceptionally dirty. I haven't been able to wash it lately, because of the drought and water use restrictions, so here it is after a few weeks: California Duster? I use it fairly frequently, but I'd probably be breaking it out daily if I was under water restrictions. On the subject of touchup paint, I too wouldn't mind a "how to" myself...I've never done it and I've got a dime sized piece that flakes off my hood that's morphed into almost quarter sized. And it hasn't rusted...yet. But I'm playing with fire neglecting it.
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Aug 11, 2012 16:19
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How is it recommended to clean and take care of a soft top with a plastic window? I have a 95 miata and car wash and water dont seem to be doing it.
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Aug 11, 2012 17:22
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If you are under water restrictions, I would give one of the rinseless car washes a try. Pro lines have had them for years and I know Optimum No Rinse has been pretty popular. Meguiars now sells a line that's available at pretty much every Target and auto parts store, Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b51DHV0-hDY Hatches get dirty in the rear by their nature. When you drive, it creates low pressure area behind the car which sucks up dirt and grime. bull3964 fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Aug 11, 2012 |
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Aug 11, 2012 17:26
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I'm picking up a 2001 Outback tomorrow and the clear coat on the hood and the fenders is sort of pinching up. It's hard to explain, it looks like a bunch of 1/2" cracks but they are raised. I'm not looking to get it perfect but I do want it at least smooth. Trying to get an idea of what I'll need to smooth it out, and I'm a complete idiot when it comes to maintaining or fixing paint.
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Aug 23, 2012 15:41
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I have an interior question. I drive a Honda Fit, and some of the black interior plastic is all scratched up, from clumsily loading furniture and stuff in and out during a move. The interior in the hatch area is cheap, slightly textured plastic. If I wanted to clean this up, what approach should be taken? Is there a color-matching compound that can be used to fill it in, or should I attempt to smooth things out with sanding? All the damage is in the back, where it isn't visible, but if there's an easy way to fix scratches, I'd like to try.
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Aug 23, 2012 16:24
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I was looking up how to clean wheels and tires and I found this: http://www.autogeek.net/wheelstires.html I have steel wheels that I painted enamel black. I just scrub them with a scrubby and regular car wash and they clean up nice, but I can never keep my tires clean. On the page I linked, it says that tire shine sprays can accumulate and turn brown. My tires have some brown crud accumulating on the innermost part of the tire, I assume that's tire shine crud? I spray them down every time I wash it. And is regular tire shine actually bad for tires like that page says? Since I got these tires (about a year ago), at least one or two of them has has some brownish ring around it (different from the other one), like the rubber is a different color. What the hell? Should I scrub it? Finally, how do I keep the white letters clean? I feel like every time I scrub them down, I am just taking off rubber and road poo poo and depositing it on the white letters, not to mention wearing out my scrubbies in a hurry, as they get all full of black poo poo.
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Aug 23, 2012 20:05
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TheFrailNinja posted:I was looking up how to clean wheels and tires and I found this: Yeah I used to use cheap tire dressing from parts stores and noticed my tires turning brown when it wore off. I've been using Optimum Opti-bond for a while now and when it wears off they just look like non-dressed tires, no more browning. I bought a gallon of Opti-bond and dilute it 1:1 with water because its very thick water based gel, its a bit easier to apply once diluted. So it's basically $35 for 2 gallons of tire dressing. Avoid this dressing if you want your tires to look shiny/glossy. When this dressing dries it just makes your tires look brand new, it doesn't make them look shiny and dressed. They just look like brand new tires, which is what I like. Brain Issues fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Aug 23, 2012 |
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Aug 23, 2012 20:41
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SintaxError posted:I bought a car a few weeks ago with a set of enkei lusso (black w/machined lip) rims. The black holds up pretty good, but the machined lip is starting to get a bit dull. What might be the best way of polishing this up? I bought a $10 polishing set for my dremel at walmart, but I figured I'd check here first before going hog wild on it and potentially loving it all up. Jack up whichever end of the car are the drive wheels, put it on stands, and then let somebody sit in the drivers seat with it in gear while you have you 1000 grit or whatever to polish it... Really I probably wouldn't do this, but it would make things a lot faster I'd bet. Besides needing 2 people or course.
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Aug 25, 2012 22:00
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Is there anything special that needs to be done when washing micro fiber towels? Can I just wash them with regular detergent?
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Sep 11, 2012 16:11
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Glad somebody found this thread and bumped it to the top. I was on vacation for 2 weeks and in that time a tree above my car decided for the first time ever to grow lots of berries and drop them all on my car. The juice dried and got baked on by the sun and has formed some sort of super-resilient substance that has refused to yield to anything I've tried so far. I tried normal car wash, high-pressure rinse all the way up to point-blank range, scrubbing with microfiber cloths, vinegar, automotive Goo Gone, none of it's worked. Would a clay bar even do anything against this?
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Sep 11, 2012 17:16
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fknlo posted:Is there anything special that needs to be done when washing micro fiber towels? Can I just wash them with regular detergent? chutwig posted:Would a clay bar even do anything against this?
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Sep 11, 2012 18:33
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fknlo posted:Is there anything special that needs to be done when washing micro fiber towels? Can I just wash them with regular detergent? You can use normal detergent, the simpler the better. Also if you use the dryer, do NOT use fabric softener. Also use low heat.
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Sep 11, 2012 20:59
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Claybar would probably work but what I would try is soaking a towel in goo-gone and then letting the towel sit against the paint for a few hours.
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Sep 11, 2012 21:40
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As much as I enjoy cleaning and detailing my car, I think for something like that, I would call in the pros. I would be afraid of doing more harm than good trying to get those stains out.
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Sep 11, 2012 22:02
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chutwig posted:Glad somebody found this thread and bumped it to the top. I was on vacation for 2 weeks and in that time a tree above my car decided for the first time ever to grow lots of berries and drop them all on my car. The juice dried and got baked on by the sun and has formed some sort of super-resilient substance that has refused to yield to anything I've tried so far. I tried normal car wash, high-pressure rinse all the way up to point-blank range, scrubbing with microfiber cloths, vinegar, automotive Goo Gone, none of it's worked. Would a clay bar even do anything against this? Clay bar would help. However, you may want to try just letting water run over the hood for a while. I had one hell of a time with some tree sap that simply refused to come off, except when soaked in water, then it wiped right off. It was the weirdest thing. Re: Microfiber towel washing -- standard laundering procedures, unless you get "crap" in the towel. I've had innumerable microfibers destroyed by wood chips/leaf particles, etc... once that stuff gets in the microfiber, its life is over and it goes to the rag bin.
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Sep 11, 2012 22:09
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I spent about 20 minutes scrubbing at several spots with a clay bar and managed to get about half of a single spot to come out a bit. gently caress it. What are my options? Get the car repainted? Is it even possible to get a repaint job done that won't be terrible and will match the OEM color at all?
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Sep 12, 2012 00:03
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chutwig posted:I spent about 20 minutes scrubbing at several spots with a clay bar and managed to get about half of a single spot to come out a bit. gently caress it. Try cleaning starting by washing with Dawn. After that, try again with the claybar, mild hand polish and re-wax. If that doesn't work find a local detailer who will take the time to clean it properly. A repaint shouldn't be necessary for that kind of surface damage as it shouldn't have etched into the clear coat.
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Sep 12, 2012 00:06
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I doubt that needs paint, it just needs a pro. Your main concern is staining of the clearcoat, not getting it off.
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Sep 12, 2012 00:07
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Yes, you're right. I'll look for a local detailer in North Jersey tomorrow and see when I can get them to assess how hard it'll be to fix and how many thousands of my dollars it's going to take.
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Sep 12, 2012 00:23
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I took berry juice off of my girlfriends car not too long ago with a tar and bug remover soap inside of my power washer, as well as clay. But cleaning that up shouldn't take thousands of dollars, so rest easy. The GTI doesn't have a super soft clear coat either, so if there is etching I don't expect it to be awful
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Sep 12, 2012 01:44
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MrChips posted:Does anyone have a good method to remove dirty tire dressing? When I got my car back from the body shop in November, they put shiny tire dressing on my summer tires when they detailed the car. After being stored for a few months, the tires are all dull and brown, having picked up every last bit of dirt and dust in the air. I tried scrubbing the sidewalls with dish soap and a firm bristle brush, but it didn't make much of a difference. Quoting myself from a while ago, but I was able to solve my problem of brown tires. After each wash, I sprayed them down with Meguiars Hot Tire Shine. Took probably half a dozen treatments, but my tires are a nice, deep black now (and not that sticky, wet-looking shine you see either).
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Sep 12, 2012 03:28
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chutwig posted:Glad somebody found this thread and bumped it to the top. I was on vacation for 2 weeks and in that time a tree above my car decided for the first time ever to grow lots of berries and drop them all on my car. The juice dried and got baked on by the sun and has formed some sort of super-resilient substance that has refused to yield to anything I've tried so far. I tried normal car wash, high-pressure rinse all the way up to point-blank range, scrubbing with microfiber cloths, vinegar, automotive Goo Gone, none of it's worked. Would a clay bar even do anything against this? Contrary to popular opinion, that clear may be hosed if it roasted in the sun for 2 weeks. Nasty purple/brown berry juice, especially if it was a particularly acidic berry could have stained the hell out of it. Not an overly likely scenario, but I've seen it happen more then once with a foreign substance sitting on clear for a length of time. I'd try having it wet sanded and buffed by a pro. Oh, and yes it's 100% possible to have a respray meet, and usually exceed OEM paint quality. Color match is also more or less exact if you have a body shop or reputable painter do the work.
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Sep 12, 2012 03:46
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It's amazing what a pro can do with a rotary buffer (not random orbit). There's just risk of paint harm if those tools are used by inexperienced hands. I'm betting a good detail shop will have you looking good as new for a few hundred bucks. Mineral Spirits will also not harm a water based clearcoat, so you may want to give that a try on a spot. bull3964 fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Sep 12, 2012 |
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Sep 12, 2012 04:58
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Sorry for not responding sooner about the berries, I have a new big boy job now.  Anyways; what you have tried is all well and good. If you managed to get a bit off with clay congratulations! Your clear coat is savable. Here is more than likely what will need to be done: 1) Clay that poo poo out of it. 2a) Try Megs 105/205 with a 7424xp and some nice yellow pads, this will more than likely remove 99% of the stains. 2b) If that doesn't work, a light wetsand with 3000 - 4000grit sandpaper and THEN the 105/205 will get rid of them for sure. After that, wax to a nice shine and enjoy.
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Sep 12, 2012 05:22
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No way a claybar helps with that. Did you try Goo Gone yet? edit: Oh.. poo poo. Yeah you're gonna need to talk to someone with some power tools. I couldn't trust myself to sandpaper my own car. Longpig Bard fucked around with this message at 06:41 on Sep 12, 2012 |
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Sep 12, 2012 06:38
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Bumming Your Scene posted:edit: Oh.. poo poo. Yeah you're gonna need to talk to someone with some power tools. I couldn't trust myself to sandpaper my own car. Same. After watching the dudes that opti coated my car polish it I know I could handle doing that but sanding is a completely different story.
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Sep 12, 2012 15:37
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I took it up to a professional detailer in Norwood and the first words out of his mouth when he saw it were "ohhhhhh shiiiiiiit". Then the other two employees came out and also both said "ohhhhhhh shiiiiiiiit". That's good, right? Anyway, they experimented with a few things and the rotary buffer actually succeeded in removing the spots, though the clearcoat appears to be slightly etched. I'm taking it back on Tuesday to leave it with them for a full workover. They were all amazed by how much crap there was on the hood, and indicated that none of them had ever seen any tree sap or berry juice or whatever it is that was as tenacious as this stuff.
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Sep 14, 2012 14:29
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Wheel wells. How the gently caress can I clean 21 years of road poo poo out of the wheel wells? It's never seen winter, so it's just really lovely greasy grimey crud. I have tried with degreaser, dawn, scrub brushes and barely made a dent in it. Is it just time for a whole bunch of elbow grease and patience this winter when she's stored, or is there a better way?
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Sep 15, 2012 01:07
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GTi_guy posted:Wheel wells. How the gently caress can I clean 21 years of road poo poo out of the wheel wells? and a pressure washer.
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Sep 15, 2012 05:16
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If any of you guys wants to pick up a DA polisher - Amazon has the 25 foot cord Griot's Garage 6" for $96 right now. They also had the 10 foot cord version for $80, but it appears to be sold out. I couldn't resist since the only machine I have is a PC7336 from several years ago.
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Sep 20, 2012 20:49
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Scott808 posted:If any of you guys wants to pick up a DA polisher - Amazon has the 25 foot cord Griot's Garage 6" for $96 right now. They also had the 10 foot cord version for $80, but it appears to be sold out. You're going to love the Griot's. I recommend getting a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads if you don't already have them.
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Sep 20, 2012 21:30
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Is it a bad thing that I want to change the thread title to Detailing Thread: It's a foam party! ?
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Sep 21, 2012 01:40
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So I've got a '94 BMW 540 with original paint that needs some love. What kind of pads and product should I be looking at to go with a 7424XP? I'm pretty sure it's single stage paint, if that matters, and it just has some swirls and is a little hazy in some spots, no cracking or anything like that. Also, any recommendations for a good wax that doesn't cost a ton?
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Sep 26, 2012 06:17
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I have some hard water spots on a black car. Washing them and gently buffing did not get them out. They're not noticeable until you get within 2'. Please tell me there's an option other than 'put your elbow into it'..
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Sep 26, 2012 17:20
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Lowclock posted:So I've got a '94 BMW 540 with original paint that needs some love. What kind of pads and product should I be looking at to go with a 7424XP? I'm pretty sure it's single stage paint, if that matters, and it just has some swirls and is a little hazy in some spots, no cracking or anything like that. Good cheap wax: Poorboy's Natty's Red http://www.autogeek.net/poorboys-nattys-red-wax.html Make sure you get a 5" backing plate and not a 6" when you buy your PC7424xp Viggen posted:I have some hard water spots on a black car. Washing them and gently buffing did not get them out. They're not noticeable until you get within 2'. Please tell me there's an option other than 'put your elbow into it'.. What do you mean by "gently buffing"? What did you use? Try clay bar. If that doesn't work try going to a parts store and getting some Meguiar's 205 and buffing it by hand with an applicator pad if you don't own a buffer. Brain Issues fucked around with this message at 21:34 on Sep 26, 2012 |
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Sep 26, 2012 21:24
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