The Official Car Care Thread

[Stephon.]

With expert consultation lol cute. The expert gotta start posting more then :p

[Karim Khan]

Guys i am back in beautiful Trinidad and Tobago.

So now its down to business

Bacon

Gave Pixie a small exterior detail and wax with various Meguiars products yesterday.....not a fan of the wheel cleaner though......But more than satisfied with the other stuff as always....

Due to time constraints did not get to wax the bumpers and skirts this rounds...

Really wanna try a clay bar though...

ps....Karim if you ever on my side...Will trade lodging for detail...Seriously...

Hey Bacon, from the pics Pixie looks great! tell us what products u used and how you applied it. From here i can give you the relevant advice

[nemesis]

DSM : The dodo waxes seem to last me just as well as many others so far with the exception of HDwax. Keep in mind I've only used the PH Pro and Supernatural. But you can actually tell a difference in look enough that I prefer them on the car even though I have to use it twice as often as the HDwax. It is however still pissing me off that I am currently running Supernatural on the entire body except the bonnet which I had to leave with the Mirage to prevent hazing. Lame.

!Bunnyears : I agree with DSM about the HDCleanse. While it does clean the paint well it is for many people the wrong product. Unless you intend to correct your paint each time you wax with some other polish and then go through the trouble of using the HDCleanse, I wouldn't personally recommend it. Yes it does have some applications where it is great. And yes it does work well to clean the paint. But I still think SRP then HDwax suits most people much much better. I think polishing properly (Not SRP) first and getting the paint in very good to perfect condition is a good idea. But then when you rewax if you only have very light scratches it may be better to just SRP it and hide them for the while rather than polish often.
The SRP + HDWax combo is one I always tell people you just can't go wrong with. Just don't be leaving that wax to cure too long.

[Bacon]

Hey Karim,

Welcome back....

Products and technique were pretty simple nothing fancy...

Wash,
Meguiars Ultimate Wash and Wax with
Meguiars Microfiber Wash Mitt
Two buckets as per DSM's teachings


Wax:
Meguiars NXT generation Tech Wax 2.0.
I have the Ultimate Liquid Wax for when this is finished.
Applied with
Meguiars soft foam applicator pad. two pads used, one for body and one for Carbon Fibre.
Meguiars Supreme shine Microfiber Towel to remove wax from Carbon hood.....generic Microfiber towel for rest of car.

Tires:
Meguiars Hot Rims all wheel & Tire cleaner used half the bottle and still had to do my cleaning to get the entire rim (all the way inside) cleaned. So product kinda pointless for me. It seemed to be a bit too harsh for the caps on the rims though, but it gets brake dust that you never know was on your tire to just drip off.

Wheels were dressed with an Armour all gel.....old stock that I am just finishing (good enough so no need to waste it) but I already have Meguiars Endurance Tire Gel for when that time comes.


Interior normally taken care with:
Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather Conditioner (wipes) &
Meguiars Supreme Shine Hi gloss protectant (wipes & spray)

6 hours would normally be the time frame that I would take to fix up any car I clean and be content...Pixie is easier and takes less time than all the others. However time is my problem....so I split it and do interior and exterior cleanings on separate days.

Still doh have the time I would like to devote though.

[dok_tec]

^^^^^im not an expert but from personal experience... my prewash consisting of wash off as much dirt with hose once,foam gun car as much foam as possible whilst spritzing water from hose to keep car moist and prolong this stage, meticulously power wash off with my ar bue pressure washer(not a powerful washer by any means just significantly more than a garden hose on its best water pressure day.....then wash. it really does work wonders... if u wanted u could add it into ur routine

[Karim Khan]

Thank you very much Bacon i many take you up on your offer lol

You have some good products and yes,detailing does consume time, but it's all worth it.

I would recommend you try claying the car before you apply the wax. Do a test spot, half the bonnet or the hood and then apply the wax to the treated half. When you are finished compare the finished section and the unfinished section in doing so you should :

1.Feel the both surfaces and compare, the clayed surface should feel smoother than the untreated side.

2. Wet the entire surface and look at the lotus/ water beading effect. the treated surface should repel more water than the untreated section.

3. Look at the gloss. the treated section should have a higher gloss than the untreated section.

Bacon, this test should not take you more than half an hour, so try it over the weekend and let us know your results.

[Kukka]

Hello all, new to this car cleaning thing.. yes I'm use to carry it to a car wash but with my new ride I prefer to maintain it myself rather than use a car wash( scratches)

I have a hilux. I need to know best products for both interior and exterior. I'm using turtle car wash for exterior at the moment. Is that good or bad? For interior, I want something that not only cleans but maintains.Also where can I purchase the products you recommend will be appreciated.

[Karim Khan]

AutoGlym High Definition Cleanser is an amazing product.

Before my AutoGlym Training at their International Training Centre, I used the HD Cleanser and was not fully satisfied. At the training i had a list of questions about their products and some of them was about the HD cleanser. To my surprise the answer to my concerns about the HD cleanser all came down to my application technique. My technique was not the best method to gain the maximum result from the product. I was apply too much and to a wide area and not removing it quickly. After some demonstrations i was able to understand how the product work and how to apply it to get the maximum results.

The intent of the HD cleanser is to "deep clean" the paint work to remove all traces of road grime, bug splatter , old waxes so as to get the surface as clean as possible. The reason for this is that regular car shampoos and clay don't always remove old films of polish. In this case the High Definition Cleanser will effectively remove all surface residues. By using the HD Cleanser it will leave a fresh clean surface so as to get the best possible result when using the AutoGlym High Definition Wax.

When you use the combo you will get the best results.

You will also get superb results when you use the AutoGlym Super Resin Polish with the HD wax.

[Karim Khan]

Hello all, new to this car cleaning thing.. yes I'm use to carry it to a car wash but with my new ride I prefer to maintain it myself rather than use a car wash( scratches)

I have a hilux. I need to know best products for both interior and exterior. I'm using turtle car wash for exterior at the moment. Is that good or bad? For interior, I want something that not only cleans but maintains.Also where can I purchase the products you recommend will be appreciated.

Kukka, welcome to The Offcial Car Care Thread.

Washing your car is meant to be fun and easy once you understand what products to use and how to use them so you can get the maximum benefit.

At this point in time lets forget about the different brands of car cleaning chemicals and focus on what to use.

Gather the stuff.
1. Get the tools- such as two buckets, two wash mitt, two drying towel, sponge to be used on the wheels , scrubbing brush.

2. Get the chemicals - For now just get the a quality car wash and trim and tire protectant (when you get the washing down properly i will recommend other steps and products)

Get started.

1. Fill up a bucket with car wash and clean the wheels and wheel wells with sponge and scrubbing brush. After you have finish trow away the car wash and rise the bucket.


2. Fill one bucket with car wash and the other with clean water. Take a clean wash mitt and wash from the top down. after each panel rinse the mitt in the clean water bucket.

3. Dry the car with the drying towel.

4. Dress trims and tires.

5. Using a microfiber wipe of car to remove any water spots.

This is a basic approach to cleaning your car. Once you got this technique down we can add more steps .

I am sure the other tuners will add their two cents.

[MG Man]

nice description.............last sunday I washed the MG with one bucket of water :p

[Karim Khan]

nice description.............last sunday I washed the MG with one bucket of water :p

MG you wasting water man..

[Kukka]

Woot fast reply! Ty KK. What about the interior?

[MG Man]

nice description.............last sunday I washed the MG with one bucket of water :p

MG you wasting water man..

lol skills yo!
2/3 bucket for the body, remaining 1/4 for the rims.......SuperClean tyre shine on dirty tyres ftw
The SmartWax treatment on the body is amazing at keeping dirt off and making it easy to wash

[Bacon]

^^^^^im not an expert but from personal experience... my prewash consisting of wash off as much dirt with hose once,foam gun car as much foam as possible whilst spritzing water from hose to keep car moist and prolong this stage, meticulously power wash off with my ar bue pressure washer(not a powerful washer by any means just significantly more than a garden hose on its best water pressure day.....then wash. it really does work wonders... if u wanted u could add it into ur routine

Yeah....While I doing tires I would normally be using that time to give the car a 'soak'.....Just hosing it a couple times lettin the water marinate to help loosen the stuff before the wash.....

This thread has gotten me interested in the foam.....Just have not gotten time to look into it but I will...

Thanks DT

[Bacon]

Thank you very much Bacon i many take you up on your offer lol

You have some good products and yes,detailing does consume time, but it's all worth it.

I would recommend you try claying the car before you apply the wax. Do a test spot, half the bonnet or the hood and then apply the wax to the treated half. When you are finished compare the finished section and the unfinished section in doing so you should :

1.Feel the both surfaces and compare, the clayed surface should feel smoother than the untreated side.

2. Wet the entire surface and look at the lotus/ water beading effect. the treated surface should repel more water than the untreated section.

3. Look at the gloss. the treated section should have a higher gloss than the untreated section.

Bacon, this test should not take you more than half an hour, so try it over the weekend and let us know your results.

Yeah please do....Pixie will be very happy.

I agree it is more than worth it......Gave her another wash yesterday just for dust removal, no rain fell so car was still looking pretty ok.....BUT. Also fixed up interior.

Thanks for the advice KK..... I'm driving to the US next week to pick up some parts so I will pick up the Meguiars clay bar kit there..... I was not sure if clay would have been good for the hood....But given your recommendation I guess it is.....

Will let you guys know the results.

Btw..... wrt microfiber cloths:

How long should they be used for?.....Should they be washed or rinsed or just discarded once they have too much product on them?

[Corollaman]

Had the accord done by Karim just about an hour ago.
Exceeded all my expectations!
I'll let him describe what was done to the car (ah might sound like ah newb nah )

It was a real pleasure meeting you today man.

Side shot


Whole car


Before and after - bonnet


Like still water


The master and his work!

[aidan]

wow, that accord looking wettttt!!

[EL JEFE]

Is it Tuesday as yet?

[trvs]

Car looking sweet. Karim looking tired lol.

[Bacon]

Sign of a true detailer....KK make sure he leaning on he cloth and not the car for the pic.

Bess work as per usual.....

[DSM_05]

How long should they be used for?.....Should they be washed or rinsed or just discarded once they have too much product on them?

They can be machine or handwashed. SOme key tips for washing MFs:

1) Do not mix with other fabrics, especially those that can leave lint. (the lint may contain polyester fibres which will stick to the MF cloth, and will scratch your paint when next you use them). Wash them separately.

2) Wash with a dedicated MF cleaner. I normally use either Pinnacle MF detergent, or Griots Microfibre and Foam Pad cleaner. Both work great, but the Pinnacle smells horrible IMHO.

3) If an MF is too dirty, either dump it, or relegate it to "dirty" service, such as wheels or door jams.

[Karim Khan]

Much thanks again guys.

Corrollaman, much thanks for give me the opportunity to detail your ride and being a wonderful host.

Yes in the pic i was tired,,lol it was about 7-8 hours detailing.

I have used a different technique on this vehicle, the AutoGlym method.
First i started the vehile with a simple exterior Valet and then moved on to some paint correction, polishing and i finished off with a nice coat of AutoGlym High Definition Wax. This product is amazing on a well prepped surface.

[Karim Khan]

Guys today i had an interior job. This has been the dirtiest i have ever came across. The owner said that he wanted to replace the seat as it was too far gone.

Car- Civic
Interior - Frabric
Stain- Layers gunk over the years
Smell- Bad
Amount of hours - 7-1/2

This is what the seat looked like before


Look how dirty the water is


I had to empty the carpet extractor about 4 times for this seat. Look at the water


Where has the stain gone!


Guys don't let you interior get to this state.
Your interior should be clean or valeted atleast once a year. You spend most of your time in your car and what goes in your car sometime does not come out. So please have your interior cleaned. If you have not had it done, now is the time to start.

[jeevdude199]

any recommendations on a headlight restoration?

[shogun]

Wow! a the colour of the water. Good job Karim.

[shogun]

any recommendations on a headlight restoration?

Just minor nicks and scratches or full on yellowing/oxidation?

[nemesis]

Good lord that's a terrible interior. I wonder if the owner's clothes got stained everytime they drove.

Nice looking Accord there. What polishes did you use prior to the HDwax?

Karim,
Even knowing the purpose of the HDCleanse I still think it does not suit many people for ease of use AND for the condition of many people's paint. The SRP will give better filling and light correction whereas the HDcleanse will just give an extremely clean surface. I must admit though that a vehicle that if the paint is already perfect the HDwax goes on more easily if HDcleanse is used rather than SRP and the cleanse is actually one of those products that's easier to use if you apply a lot rather than little. I personally love most of AG's products, but I still think for the average person they got that product a bit wrong.

In other news, I've tried a few Blackfire products recently. Sealant, SRC polish, pad cleanser and a few other little things.. yet to be seriously disappointed by any. I'd say it's a brand worth a try if you're new to the market and looking for stuff. Need to test me some midnight sun soon.

[dok_tec]

any recommendations on a headlight restoration?

once u have a power drill i would say the 3m restoration kit is the best bang for buck

[jeevdude199]

any recommendations on a headlight restoration?

Just minor nicks and scratches or full on yellowing/oxidation?

its full on yellowing

[jeevdude199]

any recommendations on a headlight restoration?

once u have a power drill i would say the 3m restoration kit is the best bang for buck

3m kit has some good reviews thanks!