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Eh, it's good practice to put plastic bags (with tape!) over anything electrical. Looking at pictures that isn't much. My suggestion though is to really soak the engine in purple power, then turn the car on for a couple of minutes to get it warm (not hot.) Then let it soak and pressure wash it off.
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May 12, 2013 01:33
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Basically everything is electrical 
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May 12, 2013 01:37
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Polymerized Cum posted:Basically everything is electrical Everything is covered in plastic. 
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May 12, 2013 01:42
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Polymerized Cum posted:Basically everything is electrical If it worries you that much, just go in with a spray bottle of cleaner and rags and do it that way. Not the best, but better than not doing it at all I guess.
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May 12, 2013 23:02
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So I've got a red 91 Blazer. This truck was clearly never cared for by any of its previous owners. The front of the roof is covered in primer, around the rear window has what looks like household paint on it, and the rest is chipped all over the place and oxidized to hell and back -- I don't know if it had a clear coat when it was new, but it sure as gently caress doesn't now. I'd like to try and breathe some life back into it (what's left of it anyway), and I want some advice for how to go about it. Today while doing some other stuff I tried hitting the gas filler cap with some Nu Finish and elbow grease. Now I've got a paper towel with so much paint residue it looks like a used maxi pad, but it definitely feels a lot glossier, and I can see my reflection in it; final judgement will have to wait until I can see it in daylight. Dunno if it's the quickest way to go about it, so thought I'd ask those who know better. Also, it may not be in this thread's scope, but I'm thinking about painting my grille and bumpers black. I had success on the chrome taillight surrounds using rattlecan primer and matte black, but these are bigger panels so I don't know how well that would turn out.
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May 18, 2013 03:03
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Is there a decent pH neutral store-bought wheel cleaner or is P21S still the way to go? I picked up a set of Works and need something decal safe. I used to just use straight simple green.
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May 18, 2013 04:04
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Any opinions on these new fancy glass coatings? Like Opti-Guard/Coat and 22ple?
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May 18, 2013 15:08
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Finally got my car washed. Tonight was the first night I was able to get to a decent hose when it also wasn't too cold or pouring down rain. A whole winter worth of grime was too much to handle with just a bucket, a sponge, and Optimum No-rinse. But now it's washed and waxed and it looks gorgeous.  Really makes me wish I had a house with my own driveway and hose 
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May 25, 2013 03:30
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So I bought a bottle of Sonax Full Effect wheel cleaner after hearing about it online and god drat is this poo poo amazing. Test Subject: My sisters VW, which had not been washed in probably ~6 months. This was accomplished in less than 5 minutes using a large soft wheel brush.   Yeah, it works.
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May 28, 2013 04:41
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Waxed my car for the first time a few weeks ago. You know that warning on the wax container about not letting it get on unpainted plastic surfaces? Yup.. got a little bit on some unpainted trim.  What's the best way to remove it from rough plastic?
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May 29, 2013 04:04
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some texas redneck posted:Waxed my car for the first time a few weeks ago. Mineral oil or peanut butter with a toothbrush works pretty good. Less is more.
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May 29, 2013 08:16
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Chinatown posted:So I bought a bottle of Sonax Full Effect wheel cleaner after hearing about it online and god drat is this poo poo amazing. That looks amazing. You just sold me on this product. I've been using Armor All Extreme Tire/Wheel cleaner and it doesn't remove grime that well, even after agitating.
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May 29, 2013 21:10
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I've bought this Miata with a very neglected interior, from what I was told dogs were riding shotgun often. Black bits of dashboard have some sort of white residue on them. Click for closeups:    Should I try to clean this up by myself or just go with an expensive detailing place. Can they restore this? Not sure if this is cost effective to DIY, but just in case tips on leather cleaning are highly appreciated.
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May 29, 2013 22:04
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Can you get Gliptone brand cleaner in the US?
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May 29, 2013 23:04
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Yeah, you can get Gliptone leather stuff in Canada (where iv46vi is) but isn't the black stuff on the dash plastic and not leather? I don't see any sort of plastic cleaner from them other than some kind of biological stain reducer.
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May 29, 2013 23:06
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Sorry, I was thinking of the seats. Not sure on the dash, but whatever he uses, a soft toothbrush or nailbrush to get into the grain of the plastic helps a lot.
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May 29, 2013 23:25
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iv46vi posted:Not sure if this is cost effective to DIY, but just in case tips on leather cleaning are highly appreciated. It's little more than elbow grease. Get some dilute Simple Green and some Magic Erasers and go at those seats. You'll be amazed. Then, go to a proper leather conditioning routine (leather cleaner followed by conditioner, give the conditioner extra time to soak in).
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May 29, 2013 23:35
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EVERYWHERE 
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meatpimp posted:It's little more than elbow grease. Get some dilute Simple Green and some Magic Erasers and go at those seats. You'll be amazed. I have this things. Wouldn't magic erasers gently caress up the dye layer of leather with too much elbowing or are they not coarse enough? I'm reading up on it and apparently one of the tricks is to use conditioner first to humidify the leather and lift the dirt up, _then_ use the cleaner. For something completely different, I wish "c'mon son" was a valid nick option here.
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May 30, 2013 01:31
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SEM Soap is good for cleaning leather.
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May 30, 2013 01:43
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iv46vi posted:I have this things. Wouldn't magic erasers gently caress up the dye layer of leather with too much elbowing or are they not coarse enough? The magic eraser is a VERY mild abrasive. If your seats were new, they wouldn't do much to the leather surface. However, your seats have a layer of straight dirt on them that wetting/magic erasering will remove. After you're down to a suitable surface, then get to the leather treatment. And don't get too wrapped up with leather cleaning theories, a straight leather cleaner, followed by a leather conditioner will have them looking much better than what you see now.
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May 30, 2013 01:45
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Yeah don't go with magic erasers. Opc with a buffer and some brush attachments will clean the seats just fine. For the dash opc and some soft bristles will fix the dash right up.
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May 30, 2013 01:46
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Optimum power cleaner I guess? iv46vi fucked around with this message at 02:09 on May 30, 2013 |
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May 30, 2013 01:58
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I got a Volvo 940. It's in decent cosmetic condition, but not the best. I have some questions about how I should go about washing it and if some of this cosmetic damage is repairable, or whether I can keep it from going further. The hood looks kinda... matte. I'm not sure if all the clearcoat's worn off, or whether there's something else going on here.   There are little black dots all over the roof. They aren't pits.  The trunk lid has some little chips and rust spots, and this big one. The pinstriping all over the car isn't in very good condition, but I'm not gonna try to fix that myself.  The things behind the door handles are all scraped up...  and the rocker panels have rust on top of the paint where the water drains? what the heck   The base coat on the hood is coming off in places.   For washing supplies, I have on hand a thing of Nu Finish paste, half a bottle of Nu Finish liquid, a bottle of Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and Wax, a bottle of Kit Scratch Out, a pack of clean terrycloth towels, and an orbital buffer I just found for $6.00 at the Salvation Army (without a pad). What else do I need to wash this thing well, and should I be washing it at all without taking steps to keep it from degrading further? What can I do? atomicthumbs fucked around with this message at 08:48 on May 30, 2013 |
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May 30, 2013 03:35
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iv46vi posted:Optimum power cleaner I guess? Yeah, a soft bristle upholstery brush and some elbow grease with opc@10:1 or 5:1 will work just fine. :-)
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May 30, 2013 07:32
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Any good tips on making a black vinyl dashboard (including plastic bits like center console) looking "newer"? I'm tempted to try bumper & plastic restorer (for outside use), but since it's inside the car I don't want to make poo poo sticky or come off. I read that someone said WD-40 + a cloth makes the black "shine" more. I have some plastic bits that turned slightly milky after I had to use gasoline to get some very stubborn glue off after finally peeling off the horrible fake wood panel poo poo that has been irritating me for years.
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May 30, 2013 14:33
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MrOnBicycle posted:I have some plastic bits that turned slightly milky after I had to use gasoline Well, I think we've found your problem. It doesn't look "old", it looks melted and ruined by an incorrect solvent. My guess is you'll need to mechanically remove the haze on the top layer, meaning no matter what you slater on it's not going to help: you'll need to remove damaged material. I'd say a compound or a polish might be an easy way to do it, but I'd definitely be seriously testing that idea somewhere you can't see before going at it.
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May 30, 2013 14:55
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Motronic posted:Well, I think we've found your problem. I think I might have rubbed too hard there since it was in a pretty inaccessible (and not really visible). It worked fine one the rest of the dashboard (non vinyl plastic), though, where I think I actually rubbed as hard and used much more. Oh and it wasn't the kind you use in your car (if there is a difference) but the kind that you use to remove stains and poo poo. I did however get bored and found some silicone spray that said it was good for plastic. It worked wonders on outside plastic trim. Much better than the turtle bumper trim polisher restorer stuff. But I guess the true test is how it'll look in a few days or weeks. I used it inside on the vinyl as well and it restored a lot of the blackness and made it look newer. Didn't leave any greasiness or oiliness neither. The cars is old and will be driven till it's death by me, so I might as well use it to test / learn poo poo on. MrOnBicycle fucked around with this message at 15:27 on May 30, 2013 |
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May 30, 2013 15:25
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atomicthumbs posted:
quote:There are little black dots all over the roof. They aren't pits. However, I'm going to title this "Never Give Up". I bought a 1987 944 Turbo about a month ago. Severe paint damage on the hood and roof. It had a distinct matte finish that reflected no light. It had been improperly wet sanded in the past and then left to rot. The seller believed it could only be fixed with a repaint. Seriously, bad.   But, here's how it looked wet.  I was optimistic. I started with a clay bar. You really can't start to polish until you get all the chemically bonded crap off the car. It didn't seem to do much, but the paint felt smoother. Which was pretty much what I expected, clay bars are only mildly abrasive. So I got to work with a little bit of 3M's Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound. After quite a bit of work, I had this:  So my suspicions were confirmed. It could be fixed. At least some of it. The problem was, doing the entire car by hand would be impossible -- or at least, unthinkable due to the work involved. I had a Porter-Cable 7424 dual action polisher in the garage that I'd never really figured out how to use. Now seemed like a good time as I really needed it and I couldn't possibly make the paint worse, could I? I watched a few videos online and ordered a Lake Creek Orange pad (heavy cutting) and a white pad (polishing). Then I went to work.  That was the first few passes on one side as I was learning how to work the buffer. Not bad.  After a lot of work, the polish came back. However, you can still see some oxidation in this photo. I just had to keep hitting it and hitting it and hitting it. On the upside, Porsche paint is very thick and very hard, and once paint has set this long, it's exceptionally hard, which means that it's nearly impossible to wreck it. Of course, the downside is that it's nearly impossible to work it. Each pass represented only marginal improvement, and even with the buffer, it's hard work.   This is how it looks today. I've still got some work to do, I'll probably make two or three more passes over targeted areas to remove the last of the oxidation. Unfortunately, there's some damage that just isn't fixable and fixing the rest of the paint has really made it stand out. Part of it I think is a poor paint repair and blending a decade or more ago, and some of it is damage from some kind of solvent that has bubbled the paint. There's also some heavy scratches around a couple of the damaged areas -- I think the wet sander was trying to dig out the damage -- and while they don't go through the paint, I'm afraid to buff them back down to flat. Still, coming from where it was? I'm happy. Full Gallery, for those interested. einTier fucked around with this message at 19:40 on May 30, 2013 |
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May 30, 2013 19:38
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Wow, that is incredible progress! You could probably turn around and flip the car right now for an instant profit. I'm going to buy some rubbing compound and get practicing by hand.
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May 30, 2013 20:01
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Wow, that is incredible progress! You could probably turn around and flip the car right now for an instant profit. For what it's worth, this project has completely redefined for me what kind of paint damage is fixable.
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May 30, 2013 20:18
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einTier posted:Depends. Looks like that's single stage paint and it doesn't look like it's gotten into the primer. It's probably repairable. Big question, how does it look when it's wet? I'm of the opinion that any damage that disappears when wet should be fixable. Which bits are you talking about - clay bar for the roof spots or for the chips/rust? Are you saying that the dots are paint? (I am probably totally misunderstanding you) The Porsche looks amazing compared to before!
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May 30, 2013 20:43
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atomicthumbs posted:Which bits are you talking about - clay bar for the roof spots or for the chips/rust? Are you saying that the dots are paint? (I am probably totally misunderstanding you) The little black dots on the roof. They should be removable with a clay bar, if they are as you describe. No matter what, before you do any heavy polishing, a clay bar is your first step, and on paint that damaged, it will need it.
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May 30, 2013 23:10
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That 944 looks amazing! Great work! My suggestion for your buffer though is to go with M105/M205, it will cut a TON better. Also with oxidization that bad a wool pad is really recommended.
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May 31, 2013 00:11
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ratbert90 posted:That 944 looks amazing! Great work! My suggestion for your buffer though is to go with M105/M205, it will cut a TON better. Not sure I can get a wool pad for my 7424. I'll keep an eye out for the M105. I was thinking about getting a heavier cut compound, but I was getting close to the end and didn't see the need any more. This is the first time I've had to deal with seriously damaged paint. There's still some marks I've not gotten out. One day when I feel like doing that, I'll make sure to use the M105.
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May 31, 2013 08:06
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einTier posted:Not sure I can get a wool pad for my 7424. I'll keep an eye out for the M105. I was thinking about getting a heavier cut compound, but I was getting close to the end and didn't see the need any more. This is the first time I've had to deal with seriously damaged paint. megs sells a wool pad to be used with megs 105. Again though, wool pads are meant for tough jobs like that. Heck in your case I would have busted out the wool pad and a rotary buffer and medium speed; that's getting into the danger zone though. 
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Jun 1, 2013 17:06
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I decided to clean up my 600 dollar subaru. Last time I took a picture of it, it looked like this: Did a rinse with dawn. Took a claybar to it. Then rinsed it with a lovely wash and wax soap. Let it air dry much to the dismay of people in this thread, and it looks okay. Really needs a date with a buffer.  The claybar was interesting. Never used one. Pulled up lots of stuff. I was surprised you could really put some weight into it. Get your frustrations out.
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Jun 1, 2013 19:10
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I'm experimenting with Caranuba polish / wax on the Niva now. It's not gone well. Not a big deal really because I'm just trying to stop the paint oxidizing, but it's a good test bed for the next time I clean up the Fairlane. There's all these little spots, sort of like when a candle is dragged across something. I have no idea why. Did I use too much, not enough or is it something else entirely? Found my answer. I don't think I let it dry long enough and may have applied it slightly too heavily. http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?39350-How-to-tell-if-your-wax-is-dry-The-Swipe-Test General_Failure fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Jun 2, 2013 |
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Jun 2, 2013 03:50
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Without a pic it's hard to say for certain, but probably. Carnauba can be an absolute bitch to break if you're a little too liberal with the application.
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Jun 2, 2013 04:28
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Molten Llama posted:Without a pic it's hard to say for certain, but probably. Carnauba can be an absolute bitch to break if you're a little too liberal with the application. So I found. I'm kind of sad that my old HTPE wax ran out. It made the Niva's lovely paint look really good.
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Jun 2, 2013 05:18
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ratbert90 posted:megs sells a wool pad to be used with megs 105. Again though, wool pads are meant for tough jobs like that. Heck in your case I would have busted out the wool pad and a rotary buffer and medium speed; that's getting into the danger zone though. LANA! Seriously, I agree with you. It's just what I had, and I hadn't mastered that yet. If I encounter the same thing again, I'll probably buy a rotary buffer and try my hand at it. It's just spooky knowing that you really don't know how to use it, but if you use it wrong, you can easily ruin the paint forever.
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Jun 3, 2013 17:29
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