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bull3964 posted:I still find 303 too glossy when I tried it many moons ago. You're supposed to apply 303 then buff it off. If you don't do that then it remains on the surface since it doesn't evaporate or anything. I only bring it up because I don't think that at all, and 303 is super subtle when it comes to altering the surface of whatever I apply it to besides a 'looks newer than it did before' effect.
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Mar 29, 2023 04:38
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Yeah, but I can just do a wipedown with natural shine and be done with it and I've never noticed one lick of difference in protection.
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Mar 29, 2023 04:49
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Did a good wash/clay/decontamination today, and decided to give hand polishing a go. It works, but omg I'm not doing the whole car (2017 VW GTI) that way. Test spot looked nice, but there were still plenty of little scratches left over in there, so I'm getting a DA polisher and pads.
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Apr 5, 2023 02:12
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meatpimp posted:Stoners Invisible Glass is the best I've found. This poo poo is magic. Nothing else compares. Learned about it years ago from a relative that sold chemical solvents when we were like... how are you windows so clear. I usually steam clean the glass first and then hit it with this. It's good but for things like bird poo poo, sap, etc its wasteful compared to steam. If you've ever used the citric acid based thermal paste remover, it smells like a less potent version of that.
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Apr 5, 2023 07:49
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I've been having a hell of a time figuring out how to keep my black car looking nice. I live in an apartment complex that doesn't allow me to wash my car in the lot, so my options are basically automatic washes or a car wash manual bay. Touchless automatic: I used this for years on my old car and it destroyed the polished aluminum "chrome" trim. It also damaged the wheel finish. The detailer who did the ceramic on my new car (who used to own multiple car washes) says this is because they use harsher chemicals in touchless washes which attack certain non-painted surfaces. He recommended I just use the touch wash as he can easily buff out those scratches once a year. Touch automatic: I tried this but after 6 months the scratches are getting really annoying. I don't think my local washes do a good job keeping their brushes clean. Manual car wash bay: these are ok, but the problem I run into is water spots. Even if you thoroughly rinse with the "spot free" setting it still spots up badly unless you completely dry the car by hand. I used to do this with microfiber towels but washing them frequently was getting annoying and I still worry about picking up grit and scratching with them. I just bought a 56v electric leaf blower with a short padded nozzle for car drying, and it works pretty well, but it takes about 10 mins and a full battery to dry the car and even then it doesn't get 100%. The other downside to this is the manual bays don't have unlimited wash memberships so this winds up being much more expensive in terms of both cost and time. Am I missing something here? Is there a better way?
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Apr 5, 2023 18:13
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Do you work somewhere casual? Do they have a hose hookup? When I had that problem I used to wash my car after work, east side of the building had a hose bib that employees could access and was shaded at the end of the day.
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Apr 6, 2023 15:29
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Disgruntled Bovine posted:I've been having a hell of a time figuring out how to keep my black car looking nice. I live in an apartment complex that doesn't allow me to wash my car in the lot, so my options are basically automatic washes or a car wash manual bay. do they not allow car washes or do you not have access to a water supply? you could look at waterless washing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5RazJ4q-ik
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Apr 7, 2023 05:59
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I've been using rinseless wash a lot lately and it works really well. See technique here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZbky2iNChE Optimum No Rinse has been the standard rinseless wash for a long time. I like CarPro ECH20 as well, and P&S Absolute and DIY Detail Rinseless Wash are also well regarded options.
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Apr 7, 2023 18:10
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Have any of y'all bought Aquapel recently, or another longish-term windshield coating that you liked? I could swear I bought Aquapel from Autogeek about a year ago, but they don't appear to carry it anymore. Our Model Y windshield could use a new application, and I'd like to see if putting some on the backup camera of my RF Miata helps it at all-- since when it gets wet or dirty it's basically useless.
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Apr 7, 2023 20:02
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MetaJew posted:Have any of y'all bought Aquapel recently, or another longish-term windshield coating that you liked? I'm sure you know this but be aware that there's been a lot of reports from aquapel on Amazon being fake. I bought a bunch a couple years ago and I'm on my last ampule. Is it not possible to get it directly?
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Apr 7, 2023 21:26
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KakerMix posted:I'm sure you know this but be aware that there's been a lot of reports from aquapel on Amazon being fake. I bought a bunch a couple years ago and I'm on my last ampule. Right, that's why I have avoided buying it off Amazon. From Autogeek it came in (what I assume is) the manufacturer packaging. Unless my script/ad blockers are preventing me from seeing something, I don't see a way to buy it directly from them: http://www.aquapel.com/Aquapel-retail-pack.php
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Apr 8, 2023 01:57
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I used Aquapel on a previous car but I haven't used it on my two most recent ones because I felt like over time it built up permanent streaks and caused bugs to stick to the windshield more.
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Apr 9, 2023 03:27
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Live in an urban area where I park blocks away from home. I've been using Optimum successfully for years. I load everything up (buckets, towels, etc) into my folding grocery cart and wash/dry in the garage with no issues.
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Apr 9, 2023 19:45
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whoever was asking about rinseless washing, there's a sale right now at autogeek for 20% off
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Apr 20, 2023 16:41
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I look forward to testing how my ceramic coat does against burnouts (for science ofc)/hot rubber.
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Apr 20, 2023 22:00
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I got all the polishing stuff I'd ordered and have been using my wife's car as the test subject - it's a red 2015 Camry that has a somewhat neglected exterior. Did the hood first, using ultimate compound and an orange hex pad. It took a few passes, and it's definitely not 100%, but she was ecstatic about the gloss. Did the driver's side front quarter panel next, same thing as the hood, but it went better since I had a better feel for using the polisher, etc. Moved on to the driver's side door and decided to see if a Megs microfiber pad and compound would make much difference, and  Much faster cut like I expected, but it was almost defect free without any micro marring. Did a quick finishing polish and it looks amazing. Put some can coat on the finished panels, and it looks great.
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Apr 22, 2023 19:04
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a mysterious cloak posted:I got all the polishing stuff I'd ordered and have been using my wife's car as the test subject - it's a red 2015 Camry that has a somewhat neglected exterior.  In other news, I'm thinking about getting a gloss meter.
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Apr 23, 2023 00:11
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EVERYWHERE 
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 Any way to get that out? I hit it with some leather cleaner to no avail.
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Apr 23, 2023 22:49
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fknlo posted:
Honestly, I'd try a little bit of Gojo without much rubbing so you don't abrade the surface too much.
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Apr 23, 2023 23:14
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What does everyone like for tire cleaner and tire shine?
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Apr 24, 2023 03:44
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fknlo posted:
Super light attempt with magic eraser?
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Apr 24, 2023 04:16
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fknlo posted:
Diluted multi purpose cleaner and steam if you've got it. What is the stain exactly? Edit: I really like armor all tire foam because it's got a fairly matte shine but wish I could I could get it without the foam because it usually gets all over the wheel which is a pain to clean off Arson Daily fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Apr 24, 2023 |
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Apr 24, 2023 04:48
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I use Zymol Tyre only because I get it for free. It's just as good as anything else I've seen, and none of it ever lasts.
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Apr 24, 2023 12:13
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Mr. Apollo posted:What does everyone like for tire cleaner and tire shine? Adams wheel and tire cleaner. For shine, Adams VRT looks nice (I.e. not too shiny) and is easy to apply. Not the longest lasting product, though. I just got a bottle of CarPro Perl. Similar to the VRT, but lasts longer. It’s a bit too shiny for my taste out of the bottle so I dilute it 1:1.
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Apr 24, 2023 14:49
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Arson Daily posted:What is the stain exactly? Absolutely no clue. Looks like it might be marker but that's just a guess
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Apr 24, 2023 15:13
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fknlo posted:Absolutely no clue. Looks like it might be marker but that's just a guess If it's a marker, try hairspray. I've had luck on leather with ball point ink and hairspray, permanent marker is supposed to dissolve, too.
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Apr 24, 2023 15:16
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meatpimp posted:If it's a marker, try hairspray. I've had luck on leather with ball point ink and hairspray, permanent marker is supposed to dissolve, too. I heard that awhile back and finally got to try it and it worked.
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Apr 24, 2023 15:21
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Quaint Quail Quilt posted:I'm not saying to do this on leather, but you can remove permanent marker from plastic and stuff by drawing over it with permanent marker and then wiping if off. Been there done that. The fresh marker has the same solvents etc so it turns the dried stuff liquid again. But also yeah, test on an inconspicuous area first.
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Apr 24, 2023 17:30
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Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not looking for anything super shiny so I might try Adam's VRT
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Apr 24, 2023 20:02
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Quaint Quail Quilt posted:I'm not saying to do this on leather, but you can remove permanent marker from plastic and stuff by drawing over it with permanent marker and then wiping if off. Use a dry erase marker instead. Same effect but way less risk IMHO.
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Apr 24, 2023 21:05
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Would the marker trick work for any other reason than you are applying the marker's solvent to the surface? Modern permanent markers just use either ethanol or isopropyl alcohol so it seems like you could cut out a lot of the risk just by using the solvent directly. The trick is just using the right strength of the solvent to remove the mark without starting to affect the underlying surface.
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Apr 24, 2023 21:11
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bull3964 posted:Would the marker trick work for any other reason than you are applying the marker's solvent to the surface? I dunno, I do know that younger me tried different options and dry erase marker on the mark was the best, possibly because the “applicator” did something better?
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Apr 24, 2023 21:22
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I love you meatpimp but I bought some ultimate compound and I do not like it. Maybe it doesn’t fit my workflow or takes more steps or I just do things different, I am getting better results for what I do (clean up and make old paint sparkle) with my chemical guys butter wax I buy by the gallon. I’ll try the UC on a red fire truck one time when it gets back from the shop to see how it does
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Apr 24, 2023 23:05
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everdave posted:I love you meatpimp but I bought some ultimate compound and I do not like it. Maybe it doesn’t fit my workflow or takes more steps or I just do things different, I am getting better results for what I do (clean up and make old paint sparkle) with my chemical guys butter wax I buy by the gallon. I’ll try the UC on a red fire truck one time when it gets back from the shop to see how it does Curious. What were you trying to do with it? Butter Wax is more of a glossifier and wax-only. UC is neither, it's a polishing compound, albeit a very flexible and not very dangerous one (back in the day, you could get Turtle Wax Compound and that poo poo was pretty much sandpaper).
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Apr 24, 2023 23:55
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meatpimp posted:Curious. What were you trying to do with it? Butter Wax is more of a glossifier and wax-only. UC is neither, it's a polishing compound, albeit a very flexible and not very dangerous one (back in the day, you could get Turtle Wax Compound and that poo poo was pretty much sandpaper). I take vehicles that have been at port and on a boat for mo this. I use foam pads from AliExpress and my drills to polish them. Then I wipe them down with simple green. This sounds basic but I can spend days on some. But they turn out amazing. Using UC they just are cloudy and basically look worse than when I got them by far. Butter wax they turn out crazy good. Drills with foam pads of varying hardness that I throw away after use.
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Apr 25, 2023 00:17
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everdave posted:I take vehicles that have been at port and on a boat for mo this. I use foam pads from AliExpress and my drills to polish them. Then I wipe them down with simple green. This sounds basic but I can spend days on some. But they turn out amazing. Using UC they just are cloudy and basically look worse than when I got them by far. Butter wax they turn out crazy good. Drills with foam pads of varying hardness that I throw away after use. There's your issue -- you're using a drill and not a DA polisher. The drill will only make the same circle over and over, so with any kind of cutting, it'll haze up with concentric rings. You're using glossifiers to make 'em shiny. There's noting wrong with that, especially in your case where you're selling them, but it's two completely different scenarios. And Simple Green is godly.
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Apr 25, 2023 00:53
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meatpimp posted:There's your issue -- you're using a drill and not a DA polisher. The drill will only make the same circle over and over, so with any kind of cutting, it'll haze up with concentric rings. You're using glossifiers to make 'em shiny. There's noting wrong with that, especially in your case where you're selling them, but it's two completely different scenarios. Makes sense. Cleaning my cars simple green and razor blades are my mvps. My drills and razor blades are boss for simple detail rough housing. Good to know I’m just not an idiot the UC is just not going to work with what I use. I have cheap plug in DAs I can’t stand them and I do not want to use them in my flow. Good to know my friend. I buy Simple Green concentrate by the gallon. Outside inside my kitchen it don’t matter everdave fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Apr 25, 2023 |
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Apr 25, 2023 01:11
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i have a white car that's absolutely covered in pollen over a couple of years at this point. i don't want to just try to wipe it away out of fear of scratching the car, but i don't know what it's going to take to dissolve it or make it easier to remove. add to this that it's the kind of car where dirt gets caught in all sorts of crevices. what's a good way to do remove the pollen? couldn't find any great tutorials for this particular issue
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Apr 29, 2023 14:06
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Noob adventures in polishing: Me <after polishing about 1/2 the car> Man it looks amazing except why am I suddenly getting these little marring marks, I just washed, decontaminated, and ohhhhhhh poo poo I forgot to clay bar the rest. No harm done, went back and clayed and polished and voila, gorgeous!
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Apr 30, 2023 01:23
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kliras posted:i have a white car that's absolutely covered in pollen over a couple of years at this point. i don't want to just try to wipe it away out of fear of scratching the car, but i don't know what it's going to take to dissolve it or make it easier to remove. add to this that it's the kind of car where dirt gets caught in all sorts of crevices. what's a good way to do remove the pollen? I'm having difficulty parsing what you are saying here. You have a white car that hasn't been washed in a few years with the same time amount of pollen on it -or- do you mean you have a car that's been washed normally, but always seems to have pollen on it and the surface of the car is gritty because of it?
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Apr 30, 2023 02:45
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