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Detailing goons, last time I detailed a car was like 10 years ago and I used Meguiars DACP, Swirl Remover, and Carnauba wax to bring a heavily finely-scratched (had been washed with a bucket of water and terry towel cloth with no hose down first after a dust storm by a well-meaning relative) dark metallic blue car to a mirror finish. I bought a PC 2494 or whatever from the US with a mate and had it shipped to Aus so we could detail our cars well. I now have a black car (FML) and it has the usual cobwebbing from a PO who doesn’t know how to wash a car, and holograms from a dealership having some idiot polish the car before I bought it, presumably. What are the products to get these days assuming I shouldn’t just buy more of the same Meguiars products, and what pads would you recommend?
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Feb 22, 2018 02:54
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Scott808 posted:That line looks like clearcoat failure and the only real way to fix it is a repaint. Yeah, looks like clear coat failure. always be closing posted:I doubt you can burn through the paint with a random orbit and ultimate compound. MrOnBicycle posted:Yeah, get a paint thickness gauge. No need, I can see grey in some spots. That is, the white paint in some spots is so thin it's translucent and I see primer. It's mainly the bonnet, and roof ridge line. I swear it wasn't that bad when I got it and I haven't even used a buffer or compound on it, just mild polishing by hand. I guess I'll just have to either at least respray the bonnet eventually or buy a s/h bonnet from a wrecking e34. Boot/trunk lid, sides and most of the roof aren't so thin, so nothing major like a full respray required. I'll just be extra careful around ridgelines on the roof and never use a buffer, rubbing compound or any harsh polish on it. E: plus keep it clean and use just a spray on sealant/wax bonnet ridge  roof ridge 
Fo3 fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Feb 22, 2018 |
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Feb 22, 2018 04:07
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I have a shameful request. I bought a largish SUV to haul the kids around in and need a handled brush suitable to wash the thing without scratching it while also not taking an hour to wash it. Also, what would be a recommendation for removing tar thats stuck to the lower sills of the vehicle?
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Feb 23, 2018 06:47
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Arson Daily posted:I have a shameful request. I bought a largish SUV to haul the kids around in and need a handled brush suitable to wash the thing without scratching it while also not taking an hour to wash it. Also, what would be a recommendation for removing tar thats stuck to the lower sills of the vehicle? https://www.autogeek.net/boar-s-hair.html Never used them myself, but there's a guy on Autopia who used to talk about them. From what I remember he used to use a Foamaster to flood the area with soapy water as he "jiggled" his way across the panel. I think the theory being that small, short strokes would have less of a chance of leaving a big, long scratch if the brush happened to catch some nasty particle and the constant flood of soap water would flush dirt away. Stoner Tarminator (or similar) for tar.
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Feb 23, 2018 07:30
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What is everyone's favourite leather cleaner? Zymol? I've been using the Mothers one on my BMW seats and it's OK but I feel like there might be a better one.
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Feb 25, 2018 01:31
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I'm a huge fan of leatherique (sp?) two part system, it's seriously fantastic for cleaning and conditioning. Makes the leather smell pretty nice. A little on the pricey side but worth it I think.
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Feb 25, 2018 04:55
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I finally picked up some 303, are there any surfaces I shouldn’t use this on? Sounds like magical spray that works everywhere from what I’ve heard/read. Worth putting on leather seats once they have been cleaned?
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Feb 27, 2018 05:24
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I make every effort not to get it on the windows.
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Feb 27, 2018 13:33
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Is there a cheat sheet of what soap/wax/etc I should buy for keeping a car shiny? I just got a new car that's mostly for weekend/summer driving and want to start good habits. Is the info in the OP still up to date?
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Mar 5, 2018 20:53
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Here4DaGangBang posted:Detailing goons, last time I detailed a car was like 10 years ago and I used Meguiars DACP, Swirl Remover, and Carnauba wax to bring a heavily finely-scratched (had been washed with a bucket of water and terry towel cloth with no hose down first after a dust storm by a well-meaning relative) dark metallic blue car to a mirror finish. I bought a PC 2494 or whatever from the US with a mate and had it shipped to Aus so we could detail our cars well. Anybody?
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Mar 6, 2018 03:40
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Bajaha posted:I'm a huge fan of leatherique (sp?) two part system, it's seriously fantastic for cleaning and conditioning. Makes the leather smell pretty nice. I concur. The stuff is magic and worth the money.
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Mar 6, 2018 16:00
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Here4DaGangBang posted:Anybody? Meguiars stuff is still good for polishing and getting the swirls out. Final wax has left carnauba land and gone more towards more hydrophobic coatings, see the Cquartz review a page or so back.
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Mar 6, 2018 17:37
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EVERYWHERE 
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  Ordered the black polish, still waiting on it. Currently either someone has stolen the package off my porch or USPS decided to list my stuff as delivered then took it themselves.
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Mar 8, 2018 20:03
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Power washers, electric vs gas: go! (want to get one for general use at home, anybody find one that's a good compromise?)
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Mar 23, 2018 21:44
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Gas gives the best in terms of pressure. Higher end electrics are probably what I would recommend for light house work and general car washing. Not sure if it's all gas ones or just the crappy ones I've been exposed to but for me they shutoff if you release the trigger so you pretty much keep that sucker going or else you'll get annoyed at all the constant stops and restarts of the gas motor.
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Mar 23, 2018 21:49
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I have owned a few, the electric ones aren’t much better than a hose, the cheap gas ones with rotary pumps don’t last, the expensive gas ones with a name brand pump (cat, general) are good. You get what you pay for. My current one has at least 1,000 hours on it, has a Honda GX390 engine and a 4,000psi 4gpm general pump. Its a bit overkill for cars but it sure does get the mud off my tractor.
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Mar 23, 2018 22:03
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That's kind of what I'd been thinking. I used a gas washer last summer for fence/concrete and it was great - it was a karcher 2400 psi, I think. Guess I'll save up a bit more for a gas model. And a rotary polisher. And pads, and ceramic coating, and...
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Mar 25, 2018 03:16
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a mysterious cloak posted:That's kind of what I'd been thinking. I used a gas washer last summer for fence/concrete and it was great - it was a karcher 2400 psi, I think. Guess I'll save up a bit more for a gas model. The money spent on detailing never ends.
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Mar 25, 2018 15:55
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a mysterious cloak posted:That's kind of what I'd been thinking. I used a gas washer last summer for fence/concrete and it was great - it was a karcher 2400 psi, I think. Guess I'll save up a bit more for a gas model. Welcome to the rabbit hole.
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Mar 26, 2018 12:47
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Busted my rear end for about 8 hours today between two cars. Just a maintenance wash for my ISF, but it was the first time using ONR which was a weird experience. The brunt of the day was my wife’s Outback. It’s white, she parks it outside even though she has a spot in the garage, and she drives over 40 miles a day during the week. In addition to ONR I used Ammo Hydrate and skin on the paint, as well as mud on tires and the miles of trim.  Lastly, I bought Gyeon View while DetailedImage was having a sale. I’ve been wanting something to coat the windows on my car since I hate the windshield washer speeds. Unfortunately this kit is only for one windshield and 2 windows, which I didn’t figure out until I was applying to my wife’s car.  It’s applied with a ‘cleaner’ and a bottle of repel that gets applied after. I had a hard time buffing off the excess, not sure if that’s on me or the product. Have to let it sit before getting wet, so we will see how it holds up.
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Apr 1, 2018 05:09
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savesthedayrocks posted:It’s applied with a ‘cleaner’ and a bottle of repel that gets applied after. I had a hard time buffing off the excess, not sure if that’s on me or the product. Have to let it sit before getting wet, so we will see how it holds up. I also found the residue of Gyeon View difficult to buff off. It required dozens of passes with multiple folded microfibers, significant pressure, and many localised spot buffs to get the glass perfect (and that was just the windscreen). The product works very well, but I'm not sure I would do it again. However, my windscreen wipers now skip and chirp across the glass surface after a few minutes of running in continuous rain. The skipping goes away when I give it a blast of washer fluid (lubrication), but inevitably returns as the rain 'cleans' the glass/coating. The car is a VW Golf, and one of the steps in the Technical Service Bulletin for skipping wipers is to ensure the car has no nano coating, so I guess it's a known issue. Golf wipers kind of suck though. Crescendo fucked around with this message at 11:28 on Apr 1, 2018 |
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Apr 1, 2018 11:26
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Yeah the instructions said to apply some to the wipers as well, but honestly I couldn’t tell if the wipers accepted it so guess I’ll find out when she uses them.
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Apr 2, 2018 03:15
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Help, I'm a loving idiot and scratched my sunroof panel to bare metal when replacing it and am bad at painting things. I have matched paint (it's an '82 so it's not perfect), but I'll need a primer, some clear and....how many different kinds of sand paper? Online guides are nice but... Honestly I should just take it somewhere and give them the matched paint, shouldn't I?
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Apr 5, 2018 14:46
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Naw gently caress it it's easy, 180 then primer then 400 then base and clear then buff it a week later. If the primer doesn't fill the 180 scratch, do a step up I'm between. Youre just looking to level out the scratch and clean the metal, then smooth the primer and shoot on top of that.
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Apr 5, 2018 19:51
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Now that everyone is using these new ceramic coatings, is there a recommended one that isn't ridiculously expensive?
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Apr 6, 2018 19:15
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Random product recommendation. I can't speak to it's long term effectiveness but I just picked up some NAPA protectant. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MCR4316 I find it has a similar finish to 303 marine protectant. Gloss but it soaks/rubs in and doesn't leave a wet finish. 303 can be hard to come by and Amazon wants 15 bucks for the 303... I don't know that the new plastics in cars need pricey protectants but I like the look from their use...
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Apr 7, 2018 01:08
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MomJeans420 posted:Now that everyone is using these new ceramic coatings, is there a recommended one that isn't ridiculously expensive? Results are pretty decent for a $40 product. 
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Apr 9, 2018 00:21
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TheGoatTrick posted:McKee's 37 is pretty cheap and as easy to apply as can be. Spray on, even out, wipe off. They only disadvantage to a normal sealant is that you have to keep the car dry for 24 hours after application. Does it last any longer than a normal sealant? I've heard claims but would rather hear first hand instead of marketing bs.
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Apr 9, 2018 01:40
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Larrymer posted:Does it last any longer than a normal sealant? I've heard claims but would rather hear first hand instead of marketing bs. Even if it only lasts as long as a normal sealant, you still get the benefits of a coating. It's easy to spot clean and you can drive off in a wet (not necessarily clean) car and have it clean and dry after a few minutes.
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Apr 9, 2018 02:03
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I used Adam’s Polishes coating on my Sierra and it was pretty easy to put on and held up well. I have enough left to do my Grand Cherokee SRT but haven’t had time to do it yet.
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Apr 9, 2018 02:10
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TheGoatTrick posted:I did it at the end of last year. Washed the car for the first time today- it's my sisters and is parked outside. It hasn't been too long but it's holding up very well. Do you wax over the sealant? It's outside my normal compound/polish/wax routine so help me understand how this stuff works...
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Apr 9, 2018 02:37
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TacoHavoc posted:Do you wax over the sealant? It's outside my normal compound/polish/wax routine so help me understand how this stuff works... - Hydrophobic, which means you can drive off with a wet car and it'll be dry quickly, much more so than with a regular sealant or wax. Water beads up and falls off the car, taking any dust/dirt with it. If your car lives outside and is wet when you drive off in the morning, it stays fairly clean on its own. Also, since nothing really sticks to the paint, most water spots and grease can be removed with just a high pressure rinse and no soap or scrubbing. - Swirl resistant, due to being harder than clearcoat. Some coatings are harder than others. At the very least, the ability to keep your car clean without using a sponge or drying (due to above) will help with reducing swirls. - Easy to spot clean; bird crap, etc. doesn't stick to coatings as much as it does to paint. You can put wax over a coating if you want, but you'll lose the hydrophobic and easy-to-clean properties. There's a good overall explanation here. Also, my previous posts: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3474488&pagenumber=63&perpage=40#post474020997 https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3474488&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=68#post479176308
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Apr 9, 2018 02:55
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TheGoatTrick posted:I did it at the end of last year. Washed the car for the first time today- it's my sisters and is parked outside. It hasn't been too long but it's holding up very well. Maybe I'm cynical but sealant seems to be similar but only lasts for a few months here. If this actually will last a year or two then it may be worth doing for me.
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Apr 9, 2018 14:07
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Larrymer posted:Maybe I'm cynical but sealant seems to be similar but only lasts for a few months here.
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Apr 9, 2018 15:34
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TheGoatTrick posted:There's a good overall explanation here. Also, my previous posts: Sweet, I'm going to give them a try. Of course that means I really should polish the car first, which means I need to thoroughly clean it, so I'll probably buy a bottle and just let it sit in my garage for a year.
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Apr 9, 2018 18:52
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Are people in apartments out of luck for hand washing their own cars? I’m moving from a house to an apartment with an underground garage in a week and I suppose if I parked over a drain, I would try to wash using a couple buckets of water. I don’t like the idea of wasting all the supplies I bought just last June and I’m definitely not paying $30 for a place to hand wash a 2008 Prius.
Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Apr 18, 2018 |
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Apr 12, 2018 22:07
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I've done it with optimum no rinse and a bucket or two of water, as long as the car isn't completely filthy when you start it's not too bad. The bigger issue is going to be someone complaining / the manager noticing, if they live on site.
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Apr 12, 2018 22:17
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I washed my car last week with a bucket of water/ONR and an iK sprayer. Worked surprisingly well, but like was said above if it’s muddy it may require a trip to a coin op.
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Apr 13, 2018 01:31
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I might just be drinking the kool aid but Ammo's new rinseless wash setup looks promising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDxRPQLh_zA
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Apr 15, 2018 20:56
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How long does a bottle of ONR last? It's $20 on Amazon which is like 10 washes at a self serve. though the closest of those to me will be 6 miles away.
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Apr 18, 2018 03:54
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