Anyone into detailing cars?

Clipdat

Thanks Victor, it really cleaned up nice. You don't want to see the "before" pics, trust me. I'm always amazed at how great the car's lines look when it's all shiny after washing.

These are the wheels in 17x9 +45, they look better in person! http://enkei.com/shop/tuning/kojin/

joecoulson

I am!

Clipdat

Haha, my car would look so tiny next to those beasts.

joecoulson

Whats funny is - thats a full size truck and because I'm in the south, and I dropped the back only 3" (to be more level), I am lower than pretty much all other full size (and most tacoma's) out there!
but i have done some work to that silverado and it handles pretty good (it's no BMW but it still will grip a curve very nicely for 7k lbs)

Clipdat

Woah, 7k lbs! My car weighs ~2,700lbs.

halo

The tools:

• Meguair's Microfiber Wash Mitt
• Mother's Contoured tire brush
• Viking Car Care Microfiber Applicator Pad

The products:

• Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid
• Meguiar's G180132SP Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner
• Meguiar's D16616 Ultra Polishing Wax
• Meguiar’s G14716 Ultimate Protectant

Cleaned the old Subie this weekend. Took it to the local self-serve car wash and washed the car with Dawn dish detergent to strip off all the built-up road grime and old wax. I used Meguiar's Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner on the wheels and tires with a Mother's contoured tire brush (so easy to use) and the wheels and tires really brightened up. After we got back home we buffed it with a rotary buffer in the shade (there was no shady spot at the self serve car wash). Last, I applied the Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant to the tires with a microfiber pad. I think it turned out well. I'm going to try to follow @charley95 suggestions the next time we do a full clean on the car. In addition to his formula of Kenotek detail spray, Chemical Guys Guard & Gloss, and Chemical Guys Ceramic Boost, I plan to remove embedded contaminants from the paint with a clay bar preceded by an application of Duplicolor Grease & Wax Remover. That should give me a solid base to apply the Guard & Gloss + the Ceramic Boost.

charley95

The Guard & Gloss and Ceramic Boost that I use is from Adam's Polishes. Haven't tried Chemical Guys yet. Your car looks great! Just finished my RX last week with a polishing compound and Adam's ceramic spray and Ceramic Boost. Very pleased how it turned out.

charley95

Just these 3 bottles is what I used on this. The Glare polish is $35 for the bottle. I've had it since 2014 since so little product goes a long way. Less is more with this stuff. I probably blow 2-300 bucks a year on different product to see what works best. I always go back to the Glare which seems to work best for me. There's a million different answers on what works best. First time trying ceramic and I'm pretty impressed so far. Water sheets off much better and it's so easy to dry off after a wash. My paint has never looked this good. It's just trial and error with different products. One thing I've found is that most detail sprays don't work well with ceramic coatings.

halo

charley95 wrote: »

One thing I've found is that most detail sprays don't work well with ceramic coatings.

That's interesting. Can you explain a little more about this? I'm surprised that any "quick detailer" would have an issue with a ceramic base coat as that ceramic base coat should help any surface contaminants off more easily, right?

charley95

Not all QD's react well with ceramic. There's some ingredient in ceramic called SI02 that doesn't mix well with a QD. Some QD's work with it, others don't. In my case the QD makes the paint look worse.

halo

charley95 wrote: »

Not all QD's react well with ceramic. There's some ingredient in ceramic called SI02 that doesn't mix well with a QD. Some QD's work with it, others don't. In my case the QD makes the paint look worse.

Wow! Even the H20 guard & gloss from Adam's doesn't work well with the ceramic base coating (from the same company)? Did the Kenotek not work well with the ceramic coating(s)?

charley95

Haven't tried the H20 yet since coating. Also I haven't tried the Kenotec yet either. The Boost works the best yet. Just got a gallon of Bead Maker and it definitely doesn't work on a coated car but on a non coated car it's great.

Wardsweb

Has anyone had their car done with Xpel Fusion Plus ceramic coating?

halo

charley95 wrote: »

Haven't tried the H20 yet since coating. Also I haven't tried the Kenotec yet either. The Boost works the best yet. Just got a gallon of Bead Maker and it definitely doesn't work on a coated car but on a non coated car it's great.

Ok. Please let me know how the H20 G&G works with the ceramic base (same with the Kenotec). Good to know about the Bead Maker!

Willow

I used IronX last weekend and boy did it ever turn purple (White pearl RDX). Pretty much most of my "rust" spots are gone.

charley95

halo wrote: »

charley95 wrote: »

Haven't tried the H20 yet since coating. Also I haven't tried the Kenotec yet either. The Boost works the best yet. Just got a gallon of Bead Maker and it definitely doesn't work on a coated car but on a non coated car it's great.

Ok. Please let me know how the H20 G&G works with the ceramic base (same with the Kenotec). Good to know about the Bead Maker!

Will do. H20 is a great product as long as your paint is in good condition.

charley95

Wardsweb wrote: »

Has anyone had their car done with Xpel Fusion Plus ceramic coating?

The choices are limitless on coatings. Don't know anything about Xpel C coating but I'm pretty satisfied with Adam's c coat. I do have Expel film on my car and happy with it.

charley95

halo wrote: »

charley95 wrote: »

Haven't tried the H20 yet since coating. Also I haven't tried the Kenotec yet either. The Boost works the best yet. Just got a gallon of Bead Maker and it definitely doesn't work on a coated car but on a non coated car it's great.

Ok. Please let me know how the H20 G&G works with the ceramic base (same with the Kenotec). Good to know about the Bead Maker!

If ya try the Bead Maker I'd suggest just try it in the spray bottle and not get a gallon. It might not work out for ya. It's very easy to use and reasonably priced.

halo

charley95 wrote: »

If ya try the Bead Maker I'd suggest just try it in the spray bottle and not get a gallon. It might not work out for ya. It's very easy to use and reasonably priced.

I've heard of the Bead Maker products previously, but I've never used them. Some "experts" suggest staying with one manufacturer of car care products based on their chemical makeup and how they are made to work with each/compliment other.

I just got the Kenotec, the H20 G&G, and the Ceramic Boost (all previously recommended by you) but I will wait to use them until after the next time we do a "full clean & detail" of the car in the Fall. I did not get to clay bar the vehicle because we just didn't have the time. Also, our vehicle is outside 24/7 365 so it is constantly being bombarded with environmental fallout/contaminants. Being outside all the time also limits the type of protection I can use as most ceramic protection products require time to cure without interference.

charley95

Adam's spray ceramic only needs to cure for 4hrs. I like the spray because it's not as labor intensive as the traditional ceramic. Adam's claims 6-8 months protection from it. If I get 3-4 months protection I'll be pleased due to its ease of use. If ya try it do not follow the wipe off time on the bottle, it's not long enough to flash. I leave it on for a minimum of 20 minutes. I called them about the flash time and they did claim the the flash time on the bottle is wrong. They need to change the app. instructions.

Once you correct your paint you'd be amazed at the next level it takes the shine. After the cure time you top it off with the Boost. It does make my finish look better than it ever has. It's pretty hard to fault the pic. I posted. Don't be afraid to try it, it's super easy to work with. If you don't like any of his product they will gladly take it back, good outfit to deal with.

pitdogg2

Anybody tried the Maguire's ceramic spray?

It states first time use spray on then wipe off. Then after that spray on rinse off

halo

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Anybody tried the Maguire's ceramic spray?

It states first time use spray on then wipe off. Then after that spray on rinse off

Ivan,

I've been following this product since it came out and there are many videos on YouTube about the application and durability of the product. It's a ridiculously good value for only $14! From what I've seen, the best way to use it is to go "off label" and apply it to dry paint for the first/base coat. That said, applying it to wet paint works (less effective) fine as long as you massage it into the finish with a microfiber towel and then wipe off the haze with a separate microfiber towel. If you prep your paint first, wash with strong detergent soap, iron remover, clay bar, alcohol prep, compound, polish, then apply the final "top coat," i.e., ceramic or wax or, in this case, hybrid ceramic wax, you'll get the best results possible (longest lasting, most durable, best looking). It may seem like a lot of work but you'll only need to do it once a year as long as you maintain the finish at decent intervals. Bug guts, tree sap, bird droppings, etc, should wipe right off; easy peasy.

charley95

Tuber called Car Craft Auto Detailing from Australia gives the best review of this stuff. Vid. won't load for some reason. He's by far a master and my favorite.

halo

charley95 wrote: »

Tuber called Car Craft Auto Detailing from Australia gives the best review of this stuff. Vid. won't load for some reason. He's by far a master and my favorite.

Here you go!

https://youtu.be/s1rMMrOqGTg

halo

It's that time of year again so we took the car to the DIY car wash today.

Started by wetting the car down, then cleaned the wheels & tires with Mother's Wheel & Tire Cleaner and some Black Magic Bleach-White (scrubbed clean with a Mother's contoured wheel and tire brush).

Next, we filled up the wash bucket with some water and some Carpro Reset car wash soap and washed the vehicle with microfiber wash mitt and wash sponge from the Rag Company.

Used a little Citrol Cleaner and Industrial Degreaser to get the bug guts off the front of the car and washed the area again after with the Carpro reset to get all residual chemicals off.

Then we used the Mother's Speed Clay 2.0 along with Armor All Ultra Shine Spray Wash as the lubricant to clay the paint and remove contaminants. Worked like a charm and it was super fast and easy to use. Surprisingly, this step removed a good portion of the love marks the car's clearcoat received over the years from the automatic car washes. If you care about your car's finish, do not go to an automated/automatic car wash as you're just doing damage to the paint.

Now that the paint was super smooth, we dried it with a huge drying towel from the Rag Company. Then we applied the Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax to the car. After removing/leveling the Hybrid Ceramic Wax with some ceramic application towels from the Rag Company, I also applied the Hybrid Ceramic Wax to the cleaned & dried wheels. I used some PlastiX from Meguiar's to freshen up the headlights.

The last step was to coat the tires with some Carpro PERL.

I have to tackle the interior surfaces tomorrow with some Carpro Multi X multi-purpose cleaner and then coat the clean surfaces with some of the Carpro PERL. The interior is pretty clean, it just needs a little boost and some protectant.

This is the best I've seen the car look in a long time. There's a deep mirror shine to the paint that just wasn't there before - and I thought it looked pretty decent before this little "treatment." The picture doesn't do it justice. The metal flakes in the paint really pop now.

pitdogg2

I really like that ceramic wax. My truck finish is not worth all those steps but it sure 100% better than the turtle wax ice products i had used for the last few years. I now just use Meguiar's gold car wash soap instead of the ice stuff i have. I didn't want to corrupt the ceramic wax with the carnuba stuff in the ice soap.

Looks nice Victor!

charley95

Looks killer Halo! Can you get some closer side shots of your car? When it looks as if the metallic is closer to the surface you know the product is producing good results. There's getting to be so much product flooding the market it makes my head spin. I finally stopped using new product for a while and sticking with my tried and true.

It's very gratifying when you've labored all day getting your car to look its best.

halo

pitdogg2 wrote: »

I really like that ceramic wax. My truck finish is not worth all those steps but it sure 100% better than the turtle wax ice products i had used for the last few years. I now just use Meguiar's gold car wash soap instead of the ice stuff i have. I didn't want to corrupt the ceramic wax with the carnuba stuff in the ice soap.

Looks nice Victor!

Thanks Ivan! Ya, not too shabby for a 10-year-old daily driver. Glad you like the Hybrid Ceramic Wax. This is my first time using it. I wanted to have a clean surface on the car for better adhesion so that's why we clayed it. It was really easy. The Armor All Ultra Shine clings to the paint so you don't have to constantly reapply lubrication for the clay bar (especially on the vertical surfaces). I think it is safe to apply a "top coat" to the Hybrid Ceramic Wax and I plan to use Adams H20 Guard and Gloss and Adams Ceramic Boost when I maintain the car with the Wolfgang Uber rinseless wash. Or, you can just reapply the Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax to keep a solid layer of protection on there.

halo

charley95 wrote: »

Looks killer Halo! Can you get some closer side shots of your car? When it looks as if the metallic is closer to the surface you know the product is producing good results. There's getting to be so much product flooding the market it makes my head spin. I finally stopped using new product for a while and sticking with my tried and true.

It's very gratifying when you've labored all day getting your car to look its best.

I will try to take a picture for you tomorrow or the next day, depending on the weather. It's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow.

Yes, I agree, there's a feeling of satisfaction when the car looks nice and that we did it ourselves. I'm stocked up on all the paint care and interior cleaners for a good long time. All I have to do now is keep up with it. lol.

pitdogg2

I may have to give that mothers 2.0 thing a try. I've looked at it a number of times yet was pretty skeptical that it would work.