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Looks like Griot's Garage is going to release a v3 of the GG6. The power and speed switches are moving, and the grip looks like the GG3. No mention of any upgrades to power or reliability. I've read that at the top end some of the GG6s spin way faster than they are supposed to. The biggest gripe that seems to be leveled at the current model is reliability. If there's no appreciable mechanical upgrades I see no real appeal to the v3. Due to the upcoming v3 it seems like there are some deals to be had on the current model. Autogeek is running a special until the 19th on the 10' cord model for $99.99. For another 11 or so hours, Detailer's Domain has a GG6 kit with a 5" backing plate and 6 5.5" pads for $159.95. Given the current price of the backing plate and pads, the price of the GG6 itself in the kit comes out to like $55 with DD's various 10% off offers. Shipping for the kit is a reasonable $9.99. Hell, the 10% off pays for the shipping cost and then some. KozmoNaut posted:My car isn't too shabby-looking right now, but it is a daily driver and winter is never kind to cars. I'd like to keep it looking nice, without being an outright showcar. Again, as someone who has no idea what winter really entails - I feel like good wash technique to keep marring to a minimum is the key to keeping your car looking good as long as possible. If you can do an initial rinse to knock off the bigger, more abrasive particles you could do a waterless/rinseless wash after that inside your heated garage. I don't know exactly what you mean in your steps, but when you say polish I'm interpreting that as removing defects with an abrasive product. You shouldn't have to repeat the process of polishing the car every month. You can't really do that anyway; if you did, you'd be eating away unnecessary amounts of clear coat anyway. If you remove the majority of paint defects and then keep up with good wash technique then you can keep your car looking nice and that in turn keeps the polishing to a minimum.
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Oct 17, 2012 14:54
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Scott808 posted:I don't know exactly what you mean in your steps, but when you say polish I'm interpreting that as removing defects with an abrasive product. You shouldn't have to repeat the process of polishing the car every month. You can't really do that anyway; if you did, you'd be eating away unnecessary amounts of clear coat anyway. If you remove the majority of paint defects and then keep up with good wash technique then you can keep your car looking nice and that in turn keeps the polishing to a minimum. What I meant was that I'd wash it well, claybar it, polish it to take out the superficial scratches it's picked up, then some kind of wax and/or protective top coat. Obviously, this would be to prepare it for winter, not every month. The monthly treatment after that would be more like wash+wax. Due to time restraints, there will probably be more automated car washes in its future, but I'd like to at least build up a good base layer of protection on the paint.
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Oct 17, 2012 16:27
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KozmoNaut posted:What I meant was that I'd wash it well, claybar it, polish it to take out the superficial scratches it's picked up, then some kind of wax and/or protective top coat. Obviously, this would be to prepare it for winter, not every month. The monthly treatment after that would be more like wash+wax. Using a claybar and waxing it offers a good protection from snow and road-salt. Depending how large your car is just a simple wash to remove dust/sand without waxing it all over again should take within 15 minutes just to make the surface sparkle again, it might even be shorter than the drive towards the carwash. Unless we are talking about a huge SUV, that would be challenging. If you live in an area where they spread salt on the roads against ice it might be worth going to the carwash, the bottom of your car can gather up deposits of salt which isn't exactly good for metal, and cleaning that by hand is tricky to say the least. Last but not least this is basically inbetween your exterior/interior, if possible use some non-acidic vaseline or another oil-based product and rub that on your door-rubbers to protect them from freezing temperatures. Gorillian Dollars fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Oct 17, 2012 |
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Oct 17, 2012 16:48
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Yeah, a quick wash with a sponge and then a rinse shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes, it's a midsize sedan. I dunno, I've always just used the car wash because I'm lazy.Gorillian Dollars posted:If you live in an area where they spread salt on the roads against ice it might be worth going to the carwash, the bottom of your car can gather up deposits of salt which isn't exactly good for metal, and cleaning that by hand is tricky to say the least. They spray more salt on the roads here than... I dunno, I can't even come up with an analogy. They absolutely drench the roads in some kind of salt slurry. The car has been given anti-rust treatments by the previous owner, and I have an appointment in a couple of weeks to have it refreshed, including the wear layer on the bottom of the car. So hopefully, it should be relatively safe from underbody corrosion. I already have a silicone product for the door-rubbers, based on previous experience. Tearing the rubbers apart because everything is frozen and you need to get inside your car NOW sucks rear end. It was only later I heard about the warm water trick (which is also a godsend for frozen windshields).
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Oct 17, 2012 16:57
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Roads around here are permanent white from late December until mid March. I usually go to the local coin op place when it gets out of the 20s and use their power washer to rinse all the salt and the large particulates off the car whenever I can in the winter. I don't worry about getting it super clean for the most part, just rid it of the salt and large debris. If it's a long stretch of really cold, then I may hit an automatic touchless wash with a dryer.
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Oct 17, 2012 18:39
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KozmoNaut posted:Yeah, a quick wash with a sponge and then a rinse shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes, it's a midsize sedan. I dunno, I've always just used the car wash because I'm lazy. You really need to be careful with using warm water on your glass - too much of a temperature differential, and you can easily crack it from the sudden expansion. If you're going to do it, use the least-warm water you can without it just freezing up and making it worse. But if you can help it, don't do it at all.
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Oct 18, 2012 20:06
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Defrost, it's the only actual option without scratching and marring your glass.
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Oct 18, 2012 20:08
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este posted:You really need to be careful with using warm water on your glass - too much of a temperature differential, and you can easily crack it from the sudden expansion. If you're going to do it, use the least-warm water you can without it just freezing up and making it worse. But if you can help it, don't do it at all. I've done it for years with no ill effects, it's not like I use boiling water straight from the kettle, or even straight from the hot tap. Just warm water, not so hot I couldn't put my hands in it. It clears ice from the windshield instantly and prevents fogging. And it beats scraping the hell out of my windshield with an ice scraper or killing the engine by idling it warm to defrost the windshield. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Oct 18, 2012 |
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Oct 18, 2012 20:17
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...until your windshield implodes, sending ice, water, and shards of glass all over the interior right before you need to be at work. It's probably fine for you, but just as a warning to anyone reading your post, it is a very real risk. And using an ice scraper is not difficult. If you're worried about your hands getting cold, just get one with a built-in mitten:  e: like ratbert said, though, the best way to defrost a windshield is with the defroster, scraping can still mark your windshield. I know there's de-icer sprays too, but I can't imagine they're great for your paint if they overspray. este fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Oct 18, 2012 |
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Oct 18, 2012 20:30
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So I have la little bit of rust emerging on my factory black steel wheels that is showing through my hubcap spokes. Could I just use some black rustoleum or something to touch them up? (I will never have the time and will never be willing to pay money for powder coating.)
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Oct 18, 2012 21:29
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standardtoaster posted:So I have la little bit of rust emerging on my factory black steel wheels that is showing through my hubcap spokes. Could I just use some black rustoleum or something to touch them up? (I will never have the time and will never be willing to pay money for powder coating.) Yeah, you can do that.
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Oct 18, 2012 21:30
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Brain Issues posted:Yeah, you can do that. Or is there a better product I should use?...
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Oct 18, 2012 21:40
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I'd really appreciate some pointers on how to set up a brand new daily driver for easy cosmetic maintenance. My game plan for keeping it in good shape is washes every week or two with optimum no rinse, water washes when I have more time and access to a hose, and either wax every 3 months or a sealant every 6 months. Is there anything I need to do beyond a wash and wax for a brand new car? I contacted a local detail shop just to see, and got this back, which sounds expensive for what it is and overall not worth it for a car that's going to get rock chips and such because it's just an everyday commuter. quote:I would suggest a new car prep on the vehicle. Opti-Coat is great I've done many cars with the product and it is very durable, but now I'm using a new nano sealant called Wolf's Hardbody Sealant which is very durable and lasts up to 24 months and has an insane gloss to it. I think this would be a good option for you as the car is a daily driver. This service includes sealing up the entire exterior of the vehicle including the wheels, glass, trim, exhaust, and the paint. Interior will get vacuumed and everything will get wiped down and treated. Engine bay will get cleaned and dressed as well. This service runs $400
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Oct 18, 2012 21:57
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Weinertron posted:I'd really appreciate some pointers on how to set up a brand new daily driver for easy cosmetic maintenance. My game plan for keeping it in good shape is washes every week or two with optimum no rinse, water washes when I have more time and access to a hose, and either wax every 3 months or a sealant every 6 months. Is there anything I need to do beyond a wash and wax for a brand new car? I contacted a local detail shop just to see, and got this back, which sounds expensive for what it is and overall not worth it for a car that's going to get rock chips and such because it's just an everyday commuter. What exactly does that price include? Just wash and seal? Wash, clay, seal? Wash, clay, one step polish, seal? New cars can be in surprisingly lovely shape depending on how good (bad) the dealership is at prepping the car. At the very least I would clay a new car besides doing a standard wash and wax/seal.
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Oct 19, 2012 01:35
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Weinertron posted:I'd really appreciate some pointers on how to set up a brand new daily driver for easy cosmetic maintenance. My game plan for keeping it in good shape is washes every week or two with optimum no rinse, water washes when I have more time and access to a hose, and either wax every 3 months or a sealant every 6 months. Is there anything I need to do beyond a wash and wax for a brand new car? I contacted a local detail shop just to see, and got this back, which sounds expensive for what it is and overall not worth it for a car that's going to get rock chips and such because it's just an everyday commuter. I've been using Optimum Optiseal for a few weeks and it's great. Literally can't get any easier than spraying a product on, spreading it around with an applicator, and having it flash off on its own. Since it's so easy to do, you'll do it more often, and if you do it more often, keeping a car clean is easy. You can top it with a wax (even a spray wax) for added gloss if you want. Apply wax to your wheels also. I do it every time I rotate my tires. I have one of those small California Car Dusters that I clean my wheels with in between washings and the wax (I'm using FK1000P) makes brake dust come off easy. Again, keeping them clean makes them easier to clean.
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Oct 19, 2012 01:54
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Be cautious of new cars, dealers are notorious for "washing" them and then slathering polishes with fillers in them on to make the paint not look like poo poo from their terrible wash. I suggest after the wash and clay take a bright light to the paint and make sure it isnt marred to poo poo.
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Oct 19, 2012 02:03
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So just to make sure before I dive in, Megs Ultimate Compound on an orange pad, and Megs Ultimate Polish on a white pad would be the correct combination on a PC, no? Then wax with a red pad and buff with a microfiber bonnet? e: Just to clarify, I'm thinking I'll probably just do the polish on a white pad first and if it needs more, I'll move up from there. A little test section I did by hand for a second turned up pretty well. Lowclock fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Oct 20, 2012 |
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Oct 20, 2012 05:07
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Hardiboard 1, Interior 0 Any ideas barring replacement on fixing that or at least making it less obvious looking?
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Oct 20, 2012 20:02
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Something like a plastic/interior restorer? I used some previously on scratches and it covered them up, mind you it doesn't fill up the scratches, it just hides the color difference.
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Oct 20, 2012 20:30
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Lowclock posted:So just to make sure before I dive in, Megs Ultimate Compound on an orange pad, and Megs Ultimate Polish on a white pad would be the correct combination on a PC, no? Then wax with a red pad and buff with a microfiber bonnet? That is perfect. 
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Oct 21, 2012 00:33
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I've got a 1997 Toyota Corolla that I bought five years ago from a good friend. After a year or two of owning it, the interior started to smell pretty rank. I had gotten a bunch of snow in, so I just figured that it melted and stunk it up. I couldn't get it to dry out though and, I'm ashamed to say, I drove it for the next year or so with the interior smelling after hard rains. I finally decided in February 2011 that enough was enough, so I gutted the interior and found puddles of water under the carpet. I couldn't quite figure out where the water was getting in, so I hung the carpet up to dry and drove the car with just the driver's seat and the shift knob for another nine months. Yeah, pretty ace. I really wish I were kidding, but this is how I drove it for all that time. I finally figured out that the problem was a leaking seal at the bottom of the windshield. By "leaking" I mean "I can lift the windshield away from the car and almost get my finger is". Again, pretty ace. The windshield had a small crack on it anyway so I had it replaced and drove the car for a few months to see whether water would get in. None did, so finally in February of this year, I decided to put the interior back together. Let me tell you, having the interior apart makes it really easy to clean it, so that's what I did. The seats and all the trim pieces were pretty easy, but I wasn't sure what to do with the carpet. I settled on using a power washer, a stiff-bristle brush, and quite a bit of Borax. I won't say that all fifteen years of dirt washed out, but probably a solid fourteen-and-a-half did. The carpet would up looking practically new and even though it had been neglected with the leaking water for over a year, there was no trace of mildew or water damage.  It's been eight months since I've put the interior back in and it still looks awesome, much better than I had ever seen it. What had been a serious problem wound up being a blessing in disguise. After having done it once, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the entire interior if it needed a good cleaning. Besides drying time for the carpet, everything could be done in a Saturday. So, maybe not detailing exactly, but it's how I took the interior of my commuter car from sorry to perfect. becoming fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Oct 21, 2012 |
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Oct 21, 2012 04:17
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Question: We recently moved into an apartment, which sucks, but they do have a covered stall for washing cars, which is pretty nice. How concerned should I be about washing the car in the stall and then driving it across the complex to my garage for clay bar and wax?
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Oct 21, 2012 13:23
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War Bunny posted:Question: We recently moved into an apartment, which sucks, but they do have a covered stall for washing cars, which is pretty nice. How concerned should I be about washing the car in the stall and then driving it across the complex to my garage for clay bar and wax? so long as you aren't driving though a dust storm you will be just fine.
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Oct 21, 2012 15:34
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Cool. I figured I would be ok, but needed some positive reinforcement.
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Oct 22, 2012 00:44
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Is it really worth it to grab one of those cheap Home Depot foam blaster things? Dish soap? Car washing soap? Special foam stuff? Will I need an adapter to use it on my lovely Stanley electric power washer?
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Oct 23, 2012 21:18
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Lowclock posted:Is it really worth it to grab one of those cheap Home Depot foam blaster things? Dish soap? Car washing soap? Special foam stuff? Will I need an adapter to use it on my lovely Stanley electric power washer? Yes they work great so long as you have a pressure washer. I use D300, however for the first wash if the car has never been detailed use dawn to strip EVERYTHING from the paint.
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Oct 24, 2012 03:03
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Okay. My pressure washer has a little bottle attachment thing that came with it, but I'll have to see if it actually makes foam or just soapy water. I'm just trying to make it nice and keep it that way without spending a ton of money. I spent like two weekends just scrubbing out the wheel wells and suspension while I was in there. 18 years and 220k miles of crud was pretty nasty. White is a terrible decision for some of the more filthy car spots.
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Oct 24, 2012 03:54
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Lowclock posted:Is it really worth it to grab one of those cheap Home Depot foam blaster things? Dish soap? Car washing soap? Special foam stuff? Will I need an adapter to use it on my lovely Stanley electric power washer? Yeah, definitely. As far as soap, I grab the jumbo economy size of meguiars or something like that and save the my expensive soap for the hand-washing. Don't be fooled by some on the auto detailing forums that will mock you for not buying a $100 foam lance, either. The one at Home Depot works just fine.
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Oct 24, 2012 11:30
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I have a question, and this looks like the most relevant thread to ask. I have a car that's a couple years old now, and I have recently noticed that when I use my wipers, there seems to be hazing at the edge of the wipers range that stays there for a few seconds after each pass. I have replaced the blades with Rain-X blades, thoroughly washed the windshield (everything but a clay bar) and used Invisible Glass on it, which didn't solve the problem. I tried Armor All's auto glass cleaner as well, again to no avail. The haze seems to fade quicker if I run the defroster on hot while the wipers are running, but it's still warm enough in the season that it becomes uncomfortably hot in the car, forcing me to choose between sweating to death or driving blindly. I was wondering if a coat of Rain-X on the windshield or something would help with this problem, or if there is any other step I could take to get rid of this haze. I've tried everything I know, and I've looked online but everywhere I turn seems to say "replace your blades" which I obviously already did.
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Oct 26, 2012 15:58
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I was wondering about leather interiors, specifically what to do if it doesn't seem to take to leather cleaning and treatment products very well (and it is indeed leather, not vinyl or synthetic). I've been using http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/'s products as they're compatible with modern pigmented and sealed leathers, like in car interiors. It's working wonders on the seats and door panels, they look like new all over again. But the top of the steering wheel seems to be flaking slightly as I've cleaned and treated it. It's not the leather itself, but rather the sealing lacquer that seems to have become tacky and starts flaking off into tiny particles when cleaned. My theory is that due to hand grease, friction, sunlight and age, the lacquer has deteriorated in such a way that it will no longer stand up to much of anything. Is this correct, and is there anything I can do about it? I've cleaned it as gently as I can and applied a generous layer of leather cream. I'm going to let it sit for an hour or so in the hope that it'll soak in a bit. EDIT: Turns out I didn't quite understand how to properly use the leather cream. It needs to be applied and then left alone until it is completely absorbed and the leather is dry to the touch, then given a quick buff with a dry cloth. It looks completely new now, apart from a couple of small scratches made by the PO's rings. Furniture Clinic's leather treatment products are seriously magic, I can't recommend them enough. You just need to disregard the "apply sparingly" and "buff after 10 minutes" instructions on the leather cream for leather than has had little to no treatment before. It needs to be applied liberally and allowed to completely absorb before you buff it. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 18:09 on Oct 26, 2012 |
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Oct 26, 2012 16:44
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JerseyDevil, definitely try RainX, my experience with it has been extremely positive. I'm also a big fan of the new (and awfully expensive) Bosch Icon blades. They grip the windshield and are awesome if your stock ones have mediocre contact at the ends.
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Oct 26, 2012 17:21
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I'll definitely give it a try, then. As for the blades, though, it's not necessarily the ends of the blades per se, but the end of the pass. It's a big hazy line that has recently been getting wider and wider. I don't know if it's bad contact or something, but it started with the stock wiper blades. Thanks for the tip, though. I'll probably run out and get some tonight, in preparation for this Noreastercane coming our way
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Oct 26, 2012 18:20
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JerseyDevil posted:it's not necessarily the ends of the blades per se, but the end of the pass. If it's the end of the pass it sounds like you have something nasty on there, probably where they change directions, and it's spreading out. Clay bar that crap off. It will take you 10 minutes. Clean the blades as well after you do this.
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Oct 26, 2012 18:23
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My bottle of Adam's leather and interior cleaner cracked somehow and I lost the entire thing. At $14.95 a bottle plus $7.99 shipping, it's a little too steep for me to replace right now. Anyone use anything similar that they could recommend? Edit: I was looking at Chemical Guys, probably go that route. (Adam's and Chemical Guys are basically the same anyway) Just looks like they have one cleaner for leather and another for everything else in the interior. War Bunny fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Oct 28, 2012 |
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Oct 27, 2012 20:56
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Anyone know what would be good to clean/protect stuff like BMW e34 rocker panels? They're covered with what seems like an undercoating/paint type mix, and I can't really tell if a polisher would make them look great or lovely, or what else might be good to make them look better. Also, I finished up with the PC with white pad an ultimate polish yesterday, and it looks great. Hopefully I can take better care of it now that I have a way to wax it quickly when it's like 100+ outside without killing myself. Spreading it with a red pad and buffing it off with a microfiber bonnet is awesome. I could probably wax a whole car with the PC in the time it used to take to do a single panel by hand. Couldn't be happier with it.
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Oct 30, 2012 04:57
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The rubber coating on the E34 can be removed with a heat gun and plastic scraper, it's painted under there. You could try to find the plastic covers a la '95s/M5s from a wrecker and put those over it, too. Pretty easy upgrade. Otherwise, Back To Black works pretty well on black trim, or 303 Protectant.
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Oct 30, 2012 21:23
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I have been out of the keeping-clean-cars hobby for a while. Stupid life priorities. However, I do want to get some work done on my Deville before Winter. What is the current wisdom on polymer coatings? I'd like something that beads well with high gloss and minor scratch minimizing, which I think is just what those coatings are supposed to provide -- but which one? Anyone have experiences to share?
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Nov 2, 2012 20:50
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I like Nu Finish. I've also used Klasse in the past with good results, but when I ran out it was a lot easier to find Nu Finish on the shelf  . I use 3M Marine wax on boats, which is also a polymer wax.
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Nov 3, 2012 02:52
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I was thinking more about the current generation of coatings, like Opti Coat and the like. I'd like to try one of them, but don't know enough about them to know how to pick one over the other.
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Nov 4, 2012 12:53
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I use opticoat on all of my cars and it generally lasts throughout the winter without issue.
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Nov 5, 2012 04:54
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