Car Detailing - What products are your go to?

[prydey]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

OK where are the Car Detailer Anonymous Meetings held?

My Mustang is at the Smash Repairs as it was rear ended, and I have a hire car.

The car would have been clean enough for about 95% of the population but I had to give the interior a good going over. There were a couple smears and sticky patches on things, I had to clean them if I was driving the thing for a few weeks.
A good vacuum unearthed a few surprises under the seats and a quick multipurpose clean followed by some Aerospace 303. It now looks new but what am I doing.....

The final straw was when I washed it.....(why do you wash a hire car) but the water was flat on the surfaces and not sheeting off...I struggled with myself...i resisted...i won't do it, but the water didn't bead...i won't do it....I can't help it.

It got a coat of CarPro Hydro2.

Not a rental but I have washed a dealership loan car. FG Falcons were new and my BF2 was in getting some warranty work done and the dealer principle, knowing I'm an enthusiast of the brand, gave me an FG for a loaner. It wasn't even that dirty but I had to wash it.

[prydey]

The rain was kind enough to ease up and then stay away for the arvo.

Gave the snow cannon a good workout





It wasn't all smooth sailing. My karcher is getting on a bit and my hose is a cheap item that doesn't bend as well as a decent one would. The hose fitting kept pulling off the back of the karcher. Long story short I had to run it off tank water (gravity feed) instead of mains as the pressure kept popping the fitting off as well.

For that reason I don't think it had as much pressure as it could have.

I also discovered that ideally I need a much longer high pressure hose on the pressure cleaner so I can get around the whole car without picking up the unit and moving every couple of seconds.

If the Territory looks like it has a slightly thicker coating it's because I only discovered the knob on top of the cannon wasn't all the way to the negative until after I'd finished the escape.

Also my little chubby wheel brush was money well spent.

[CyberWasp]

Originally Posted by fiestaz

Is it Atleast a nice rental?

It is an Xtrail with 6k on the clock so the Polar opposite of a Mustang.

[CyberWasp]

Originally Posted by prydey

I also discovered that ideally I need a much longer high pressure hose on the pressure cleaner so I can get around the whole car without picking up the unit and moving every couple of seconds.

If it ever comes time to buying a new one I found around 8m to be the size you need to get around a car without moving the unit around.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

If it ever comes time to buying a new one I found around 8m to be the size you need to get around a car without moving the unit around.

Thanks. Not sure what options are available for the Karcher I have. It is a K series so I'd just make sure that anything I bought could also be used on a newer one to future proof the spend.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Thanks. Not sure what options are available for the Karcher I have. It is a K series so I'd just make sure that anything I bought could also be used on a newer one to future proof the spend.

Easiest solution would be to get a Karcher hose extension. That would then give you 19m to play with.

https://www.kaercher.com/au/accessor...-26417100.html

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Easiest solution would be to get a Karcher hose extension. That would then give you 19m to play with.

https://www.kaercher.com/au/accessor...-26417100.html

link might be wrong. That goes to a 10m lead only suitable for K3-7.

I might be better off seeing if any new pressure washes come standard with a 10m + hose. Might be a better financial choice in the long term.

Only something that I never knew I needed until today. This new hobby is relentless

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

link might be wrong. That goes to a 10m lead only suitable for K3-7.

I might be better off seeing if any new pressure washes come standard with a 10m + hose. Might be a better financial choice in the long term.

Only something that I never knew I needed until today. This new hobby is relentless

What Karcher do you have? The linked item will fit to K3, K4, K5, K6 and K7.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

What Karcher do you have? The linked item will fit to K3, K4, K5, K6 and K7.

Baby one. K2. 180 or something.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Baby one. K2. 180 or something.

Check out these -

https://www.buyspares.com/pressure-w...l_ref=11282993

https://www.buyspares.com/pressure-w...l_ref=11282993

https://www.buyspares.com/pressure-w...l_ref=11282993

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by Ross 1

Just wondering what the next step up on polishes is from Supercheap/Repco I gave the wife' car a wash, clay bar and polish with Ultimate Compound, it came up good but there is still a handful of small swirl marks visible if you look in the right light. I don't want to go too abrasive but would like to see them gone.

image

I would say if you have a duel action polisher then don’t be afraid of more aggressive cutting compounds. I used schol S2 black on my brand new Mustang as the lighter polishes just weren’t getting the defects out. I then finished with S30+ on a fine pad and it’s like glass.
Before that I had never machine polished a car.

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by prydey

link might be wrong. That goes to a 10m lead only suitable for K3-7.



I might be better off seeing if any new pressure washes come standard with a 10m + hose. Might be a better financial choice in the long term.



Only something that I never knew I needed until today. This new hobby is relentless

I’ve got a Karcher K7 full control. It’s awesome and has a 10m hose.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

I’ve got a Karcher K7 full control. It’s awesome and has a 10m hose.

Don't have that kind of spare cash at the moment but it is getting toward tax time.

[DFB FGXR6]

This is one of my favorite detailing jobs, cleaning and dressing tyres.

The idea behind cleaning tyres is that it makes the application of dressing more effective. By that I mean the ease in which new dressing is applied and the look of the finished result.

I was using Shine Supply Wise Guy as a tyre cleaner for a while, but have been finding Brake Buster un-diluted to be much better. Use with an appropriate stiff bristled brush.

https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...cleaning-brush
https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...s/brake-buster



I love the look of completely bare, clean tyres. (Sorry, no sexy looking wheels for today's subject. )



I'm a tyre dressing slut, today's trick was CarPro Perl un-diluted with a MaxShine applicator.

https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...ng-applicators
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...rl-50-500-1ltr







Satisfaction guaranteed!

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

This is one of my favorite detailing jobs, cleaning and dressing tyres.

The idea behind cleaning tyres is that it makes the application of dressing more effective. By that I mean the ease in which new dressing is applied and the look of the finished result.

I was using Shine Supply Wise Guy as a tyre cleaner for a while, but have been finding Brake Buster un-diluted to be much better. Use with an appropriate stiff bristled brush.

https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...cleaning-brush
https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...s/brake-buster

image

I love the look of completely bare, clean tyres. (Sorry, no sexy looking wheels for today's subject. )

image

I'm a tyre dressing slut, today's trick was CarPro Perl un-diluted with a MaxShine applicator.

https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...ng-applicators
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...rl-50-500-1ltr

image

image

image

Satisfaction guaranteed!

You can wash a car and it looks good but some sort of tyre dressing always makes it look next level clean.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by fiestaz

You can wash a car and it looks good but some sort of tyre dressing always makes it look next level clean.

An old bloke I know once likened not dressing your tyres to dressing up in a suit and leaving your sneakers on.

[CyberWasp]

What ever happened to the old school way of dressing tyres with a paint brush and a can of Kitten tyre black?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

What ever happened to the old school way of dressing tyres with a paint brush and a can of Kitten tyre black?

image

Marketing took over and the cost tripled

[prydey]

Is it ok to use clay bar on ceramic coating? I had to have some cosmetic issues rectified on our new Escape, and the dealer said they fixed it by giving the car a clay bar etc. I questioned whether this would affect the ceramic coating and was told, no.

A quick google says its not ideal.

What's the consensus on here? I haven't been able to eyeball the car yet so can't say if there are any obvious effects from it.

[FTE217]

good ol brushed on tyre black, how much sold of that over those years lol....
What a mess, I always dripped some or when opening the some mess would occur.

DFB, did you de nipple the ranger tyres as well ? and man you missed a spot with the tyre black and that cap needs some loving unless you re addressed after the pics stand corrected lol......

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by FTE217

good ol brushed on tyre black, how much sold of that over those years lol....
What a mess, I always dripped some or when opening the some mess would occur.

DFB, did you de nipple the ranger tyres as well ? and man you missed a spot with the tyre black and that cap needs some loving unless you re addressed after the pics stand corrected lol......

Smart ar.........

[DFB FGXR6]

As mentioned a few posts back, the Mustang got coat of NV Jet today.



NV Nova Jet is a hydrophobic spray coating that can last up to 6 months as a stand alone or 4 months when used over an existing coating. It's main benefits are extreme hydrophobicity and exceptional levels of gloss.

I will often purchase Jet and Lustre in kit form as it represents a decent saving when compared to buying each item individually. As a note, Lustre is best applied first and let cure for at least 2 hours before applying Jet.

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...ay-coating-kit

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...-spray-coating

A little go's a long way with these products. You will need two towels for this job. Select a higher pile towel for application and mist a few sprays to prime the towel, then 2 to 3 sprays per panel.





Spread the product over the panel.



Then follow up with a second towel with a shorter pile. The shorter pile will help to avoid streaking.



Continue around the car, working one panel or section at a time. Jet can be applied all painted surfaces, head lights, glass and plastic trims.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Is it ok to use clay bar on ceramic coating? I had to have some cosmetic issues rectified on our new Escape, and the dealer said they fixed it by giving the car a clay bar etc. I questioned whether this would affect the ceramic coating and was told, no.

A quick google says its not ideal.

What's the consensus on here? I haven't been able to eyeball the car yet so can't say if there are any obvious effects from it.

Reading your post in the Escape section of the forum, it sounds like they only clayed the glass. Unless otherwise stated, I would doubt you have ceramic applied to the glass, just the paint. In which case, I would not be worried at all.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Reading your post in the Escape section of the forum, it sounds like they only clayed the glass. Unless otherwise stated, I would doubt you have ceramic applied to the glass, just the paint. In which case, I would not be worried at all.

No, the whole car was done.

[b0son]

I just park mine in the rain.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

No, the whole car was done.

I found this on Bowden's website -

"Three Way decontamination spray, Claying Rubber and the Clay Bars are suitable to use on a ceramic coating. In fact yearly use is a great idea as contamination build up over time is one of the main things that affects a coatings performance."

https://www.bowdensown.com.au/guides...-car-care-pro/


Next time you wash your car, just make sure you take note on how the water behaves. If it looks like the coating has been compromised (lack of hydrophobic behavior ect) then you will need to remind the dealer of the price you paid to have a ceramic coating applied to your vehicle from them, and that they used a clay bar on it. It will be their responsibility to repair it.

This sort of thing is why I never let a dealer do any sort of detailing work on any of my cars.

Try not to over think it, I'm fairly sure you will be fine, although I do understand your concern.

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Smart ar.........

Yes I know I luv ya dfb
Jet and Lustre are my fav go to’s for that shine shine shine !

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Next time you wash your car, just make sure you take note on how the water behaves. If it looks like the coating has been compromised (lack of hydrophobic behavior ect) then you will need to remind the dealer of the price you paid to have a ceramic coating applied to your vehicle from them, and that they used a clay bar on it. It will be their responsibility to repair it.

This sort of thing is why I never let a dealer do any sort of detailing work on any of my cars.

Try not to over think it, I'm fairly sure you will be fine, although I do understand your concern.

Good advice. Thanks again. It was dark when I got home and lighting in the carport isn't great but it did look fine.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by FTE217

good ol brushed on tyre black, how much sold of that over those years lol....
What a mess, I always dripped some or when opening the some mess would occur.

DFB, did you de nipple the ranger tyres as well ? and man you missed a spot with the tyre black and that cap needs some loving unless you re addressed after the pics stand corrected lol......

I'm surprised he didn't do anything about the valve stem and cap ?., (to quote FTE217) unless you re addressed after the pics stand corrected lol....

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by b0son

I just park mine in the rain.