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Why hello there! As I was told in the what did you do to your ride today thread, a detailing thread may be interesting for some of you, so hopefully this thread will be helpful to some people. What makes you qualified to make this thread? Why not? Also I detail cars for money while going to college. I want another forum with more OCD people like you and a wealth of information If you want a good forum recommendation for a shitload of advice and helpful information, look no further than: https://www.autogeekonline.com/forum Specifically, look up Mike Phillips, he is a great guy and has TONS of tutorials on that site, it's also what got me more comfortable taking money to detail cars. I make your daily driver good looking again! What should I do? For the general daily driver I would ask yourself what do you want? Look at your paint on your car after you wash it, does it feel like sandpaper? Does it make noise when you go back and forth? If you want a real nasty feeling put your hand in a plastic bag and move it back and forth on the paint, I bet you it feels terrible! Now at this point you have a couple of options. You could buff out your car, wetsand it in a few spots, spend 20 - 50+ hours making the paint perfect, polish it, opticoat and wax it, and wash it every week, but for a daily driver that's a ton of upkeep. My suggestion for a daily driver is to wash, clay, and wax the car. If the swirls are really bad polish it even. What are swirls?  What do they look like fixed? Fixed:  How do I fix them? With the appropriate tools, we will get to that later. How long will it take to fix them? Not long to really long, depending on what you want to do to the paint. What was the silliest car you ever detailed? A 2000 Daewoo Nubira belonging to my brother. He blew the timing belt from lack of maintenence, so I replaced the head and half of the engine, along with his rear subframe and control arms/struts/filter/fluids/axles (oh god why did he pay for my labor and time he is not good with cars.) Well, I figured since I had replaced all of that, I should fix up the cars paint and interior, and it came out pretty decent. If you give a poo poo, here is the album: http://imgur.com/a/NJA35 Random couple of pictures of it:   What tools do I need? Well, there are several tools you could use, here are some of the basics to get a basic job correction done. Soap to wash your car: Dawn liquid hand soap for dishes. It does a great job stripping wax off of old paint and leaving just the paint at your disposal.  Buckets: Any buckets will do, I use two 10 gallon buckets to wash my car. One bucket contains clean water, the other is used for the dirty water that comes off of your mitt. Brushes NO, STAY AWAY FROM BRUSHES. They scratch your paint in general and damage it. Foam gun: Foam lets the dirt rise from the surface of the paint and makes washing your car more fun at the same time! I recommend the Foam cannon HP which has always served me well. http://www.autogeek.net/autogeek-foam-cannon-hp.html  Towels I generally stay away from towel drying my car for the most part, but if you must, I suggest looking into walmarts giant microfiber towel in the automotive section, I hear it works fairly well. A Electric Leaf Blower This is what I use to dry my cars and it has always worked well, it also gets into the cracks and crevices that towel can't reach, and if you are detailing a car, you do NOT want water in the cracks and crevices.  A Buffer For the beginner I suggest a PorterCable 7424XP with a 5.5Inch backing plate. Here is a great kit to get you started: http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-flat-pad-kit.html  Pads There are so many pads I don't know where to start. I personally use wool pads to buff a car and then end with a Lake Country White pad to finish polishing the car out, a wool pad causes less heat but also causes a hell of a lot more dusting and holograms, so your millage may vary. Clay: Clay removes the contaminates bonded to the top of your paint that makes the paint feel like sandpaper. When you move your hand over the top of your paint you shouldn't feel anything, it should feel smooth and clean, if you hear noise it has dirt on it. For 99.99% of your needs if it's your own car just pick up a Miguiars clay kit at your local Wal*Mart or HarborFreight.  Compouds For 99% of your own cars needs stick with Miguiars Ultimate Compound and Ultimate polish, it works fairly well and you have less risk of chewing through your paint.   gently caress that I want some super compounds that feel like sand. Meguiars M105 for buffing Meguiars M205 for polishing   Oh god I have all this stuff but how do I buff I am not good at this? There is always a good technique to buffing and polishing. The two biggest mistakes people make are: 1) Going to fast 2) Choosing to big of an area to buff. So how do I buff? I could write a huge long paragraph for this, but youtube is better and I am lazy. In fact, all of these are good so here is the playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3D7FB26D1D6B6611&feature=plcp http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...e-polisher.html Hey what about trim and poo poo? TAPE IT OFF! Trim doesn't like compounds. Use the green painters tape from Wal*Mart  EDIT 12/5/2013 My Glass/Windshield looks like poo poo and I am a danger to anybody at night/day/afternoon/when there isn't sun/when there is sun. BUFF IT. http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/58269-removal-glass-scratches-carpro-griots-da.html It's messy:  It's well worth it though! GO SLOW: Polishing glass heats up the pads really really quickly. Keep your area of buffing small and compact, and take your time, the results are well worth it! Before:  After:  Cool, but what products do I need to buff glass? The general consensus is this: - CeriGlass Polish - Lake County Glass Polishing Pads - Painter tape - A few used (clean) blankets you don't want or use anymore. Well hey all this was useful! But what about some pretty pictures that you have shamlessly ripped off of the internet for this thread? Sure thing! I don't know why this is my favorite, but it comes from autogeeks showNshine forum. It's a 88 Red Civic and here is the thread: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/42776-23-year-old-swirls-top-swirls-88-red-honda-civic-pix-vids.html Boxy is beautiful  Here are some highlights:      They even made a youtube video :3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqCjLmwuZi0 edit* Why don't you have poo poo loads of pictures? Because I'm lazy and don't take pictures of my work very often, but I will start now. FlapYoJacks fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Dec 5, 2013 |
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Mar 25, 2012 20:04
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I will put up some interior detailing poo poo later unless someone beats me to it. *edit* INTERIOR TIME! My car smells horrible! What do I do to fix such a thing? Good question! The best solution, and the only one I have found to work properly and consistently is a Ozone generator. What is a Ozone generator? A Ozone generator is a device that bonds three Oxygen atoms together, this element destroys every smell possible, and will also kill mold and other organic immediatly. Is a Ozone generator worth buying? It depends! Will you use it more than once? Go ahead and buy one! They work great in the house as well. A good ozone generator will run anywhere from 150 - 1000$+. THIS is the Ozone generator I bought and it has worked incredibly well for me. Ok I have a Ozone generator but it killed my cat, why? Because Ozone is toxic in high concentration, and I would suggest NOT sitting in the car with it going on. Let the car take a bath in delicious Ozone, and then let it air out for a hour or so. I would like more information on Ozone http://www.ozoneapplications.com/products/Residential/q&a_ozone.htm My car is so pretty on the outside but the inside looks like a hobo would turn it down! Help me! First off, if you don't have Meguires D103 All Purpose Cleaner, GET IT NOW. I use it for everything, from the house to the bathroom to the car, it works wonders. Here: http://www.amazon.com/ALL-PURPOSE-CLEANER-PLUS-GALLON/dp/B001MPY54O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332728992&sr=8-1 It's a bit pricey, but it's concentrated, and works amazingly well.  Ok, but scrubbing sounds hard and I am lazy, but I DO have a dual action polisher such as the Porter Cable 7424XP, please help! http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-brushes.html Now you can be a badass also! This saves a SHITLOAD of time, and these brushes are SERIOUSLY good investments, BUY THEM NOW.  Ok, but what if I am super lazy? Buy a steamer. I am not too sure on steamers, and I know they can be really expensive, and I don't have that kind of money to throw around right now, so if anybody has any good product recommendations, please provide them and I will add them to the OP. I am even too lazy for that, what should I do then? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-Gitd7-SKA  What should I do for a deep clean first? remove the seats! This makes interior cleaning 100% easier, and only takes a few minutes of your time. what about the windows? Stoners Invisible glass works amazingly well, I use it for the house also.  Edit! WETSANDING TIME! Wetsanding: Fresh paint vs factory paint If it has paint it gets polished How to remove orange peel and sanding marks These will ALL apply to the PC7424xp. This is all incredibly good and detailed information, and you should be just fine if you follow those instructions! Coming from personal experience, I have wetsanded three cars in my lifetime and spot wetsanded countless others. 1) Wetsanding an entire car is awesome if done correctly, and makes everything look mirror glossy. 2) Always start with 3000 grit and move DOWN if needed. 3) I have made my friends rattle can matt-black finish 91crx si look like glass, it's very possible, and it took me almost 40 hours to do. 4) Spot wetsanding is always awesome too! It can knock out rough orange peel spots and small scratches. Don't worry about one small spot looking super shiny either. 5) If you are to wetsand a whole car, USE SANDING DISCS OH GOD USE THEM PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE THEM I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THAT YOU SHOULD USE THEM I AM YELLING THIS BECAUSE YOU SHOULD USE THEM. Seriously, don't wetsand a whole car by hand, you just bought a PC7424XP. FlapYoJacks fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Apr 16, 2015 |
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Mar 25, 2012 20:08
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Phone posted:I bought a new car a few months ago and I want to keep it looking nice and clean. So far I have a few 5 gallon buckets, a few microfiber mitts, some spare microfiber towels, and Deep Crystal car wash. What do I need to add to my detailing list of things? I'm planning on waxing the car relatively soon, and I'm sure that buying a clay kit won't hurt. Clay would be the number one thing I would recommend. Claying a car lets the wax bond to the surface of the paint much better than without claying. Other than that, spray on wax every couple of weeks and I rewax my cars once every 3 months or so with a dawn wash. adorai posted:lets pretend for a minute that I suck at detailing, and I didn't mask off the rubber/plastic bits before I waxed one day last summer. How do I get the wax off of these pieces without expending an entire days effort? Here is a good mini review of the stuff. I have also had good luck with it. http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/32807-updated-2-21-mothers-back-black-vs-faded-florida-trim.html PitViper posted:I dunno, I spend all summer detailing for car shows, and I've always towel dried mine. I normally use smaller bath towel-style terry towels, and go through 2-3 getting the car dry. Crevices get blown dry using an air compressor, or just left to naturally dry if I'm not in a hurry. If the towel touches the ground, it goes in the "dirty" basket, and I grab a fresh one. Like these: Understandable, and noted. As I said, I don't for a few reasons. 1) I'm lazy and holding a leaf blower is easier than towel drying. 2) Drying with a leaf blower is awesome 3) I don't have to take the extra step of using compressed air AFTER I towel dry 4) If water catches a pad from a crevice I missed, product gets slung everywhere, which is annoying.
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Mar 26, 2012 01:08
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PitViper posted:Fair enough. I don't own a leaf blower, otherwise I'm sure I'd have tried it at some point! Also agreed on the product fling. Normally I'll wash one day, and wax the next. The car is parked in a garage all the time regardless, but then again it's not my daily transport, so I'm lucky in that respect. This too is a decent strategy. There are so many different techniques out there that I hope lots of people join in and share their experience. 
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Mar 26, 2012 01:38
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Phone posted:What do you recommend for not getting water spots? Wax? Water spots from rain? You can't avoid them. Wax and opticoat 2.0 help keep them at bay. Water spots from washing? If your tap water is leaving deposits you can always run it through a filter first, or buy distilled water.
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Mar 26, 2012 02:57
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Stultus posted:Another thing you can do to avoid water spots while washing the car is to not wash a panel then rinse, and repeat that til the whole car is done. Soap drying on the car will come off when you do the full rinse, while hard water will spot while you're finishing up the rest of the car This is also very true but I forget to mention it because I foam all my cars now.
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Mar 26, 2012 03:04
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PitViper posted:A quality lambs wool or microfiber wash mitt helps with swirls as well, as long as your was bucket is clean. I'm OCD about avoiding sand when I wash, to the point that I have 3-4 wash mitts just in case one touches the ground. Also using a soft touch and clean microfiber towels when using detailer's spray. I will try to make a interior post here in a bit, but i use Megs D103 APC at a 4:1 ratio and the upholstery brush attachment for the portal cable. FlapYoJacks fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Mar 26, 2012 |
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Mar 26, 2012 03:24
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I made some changes to the OP and added a bit of info for interiors. Sorry that took so long!
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Mar 26, 2012 03:50
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Pr0kjayhawk posted:Be careful with leaf blowers. The intakes are not filtered so unless you're in a relatively clean environment you could end up "sandblasting" portions of the paint. What horrible environment do you live in that a leaf blower would sandblast your paint? The Gobi Desert?  Frozen-Solid posted:
Look at your paint, now look at the automatic car wash. Those giant bristles in the automatic car wash are full of grit, dirt, and grime from other cars, and they are spinning really REALLY fast. My suggestion, find a detailer in your area and pay them to do a basic wash on your car every couple of months. That would help. Or go to a do it yourself wash with your own mitts and use their foam/your mitts to wash your car. That would work also. (This is also effective if you are traveling long distances.) FlapYoJacks fucked around with this message at 05:44 on Mar 26, 2012 |
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Mar 26, 2012 05:41
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EightBit posted:Most of anywhere that isn't currently experiencing tropical monsoons? Air is full of little particles of poo poo. Huh, I'm in Boise and I have never had any issues with an electric leaf blower. I guess ymmv?
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Mar 26, 2012 05:45
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slidebite posted:So what's the best way to get a light scuff off a clear coat?
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Mar 26, 2012 19:57
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Your Dead Gay Son posted:Do you work at J's Ultimate Hand Wash? Nope, and I have seen their :scared: PainterofCrap posted:Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but I have an unrestored 1966 Pontiac which has very beat-up & faded factory enamel paint on the hood & trunk surfaces. I have no real experience in detailing. I have tried polishing compound, polish, isopropyl alcohol, dish detergent, hand waxing, machine buffing with wax, and it still looks like crap. The only thing that seems to have any improvement is that 'color back' wax stuff but even that doesn't look right. You are most likely dealing with a single stage paint, and as such modern rubbing and polishing compounds aren't a good option for them. http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/25304-secret-removing-oxidation-restoring-show-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html That is your go to article to help fix your paint, and trust me, it won't be easy.
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Mar 26, 2012 20:04
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slidebite posted:No paint transfer, no. Nothing you can feel with your fingernail. It's the clearcoat on the bags of my bike and sometimes boots touch them getting on/off. Ah gotcha. I would need a picture, but if you have a buffer, you could wetsand the scratch out and buff over it. You could get away with just buffing it with a wool pad + a polishing pad. You could even try just a white Lake Country pad + M205/Ultimate polish. As always, go with the least abrasive solution first, then move up. einTier posted:This used to be a hobby of mine, but I kind of quit doing it due to lack of a good space to do it in. However, it's about time I really polished up the Porsche. Sure, check out the youtube channel in the OP, or follow this video that I will now put in the OP: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...e-polisher.html FlapYoJacks fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Mar 26, 2012 |
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Mar 26, 2012 20:30
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skipdogg posted:Is there a trade association, or something where I can find a good local detailer? Craigslist, but check AutoGeekOnline.com/forum first. Where are you located? I could poke around for you.
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Mar 26, 2012 21:14
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skipdogg posted:San Antonio, TX Looks like Anthony Orosco at 2450 Babcock Rd #156 may be your best bet.
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Mar 26, 2012 21:58
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skipdogg posted:Thanks. His shop is on the other side of town, but looks like he's the man here in SA to see. Glad I could help. His youtube video is awful though under the auto detailing selection. It was terribad. Hollis Brown posted:Is there a preferred brand of touch up paint? I've been neglecting to touch up a couple spots for quite a while now. http://www.drcolorchip.com/
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Mar 27, 2012 04:11
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TECHNICAL Thug posted:Thanks, I will probably pick one up in the morning. Can this only be used with a pressure washer, and if so, should I pony up for a gas one? Gas pressure washers are nice, just keep it as far away from your car as you can. Exhaust gasses on your car and all that.
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Mar 31, 2012 03:49
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two_beer_bishes posted:Any tips on how to make this look a bit better? 27 year old paint, no clearcoat. It's long, around 20", and I'm sick of looking at it. I know it needs a complete respray but I need to hold of for another couple years before going that far. Any auto paint shop will have some touchup paint. But be warned, if you go the touchup paint route be prepared to buff and plish the rest of the car, as it will look awful around dull paint. Heck, if its single stage and you worked at it enogh you *could* blend it enough to were it wasn't even noticable at all.
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Mar 31, 2012 17:39
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Hummer Driving human being posted:My windshield has terrible swirlmark-like scratches from the windshield wipers wiping dirt and grime all over the glass. Any tips on polishing auto glass? http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/diamondite/40436-how-remove-tiny-pinhole-pits-glass-windows-using-rotary-buffer.html Enjoy, but doing so is going to take some time, (a few hours.) And make sure the windshield is SPOTLESS when you polish it. Also do what Mike does and tape EVERYTHING off.
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Apr 2, 2012 04:21
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wolrah posted:Revisiting this topic, thoughts on touchless automatics? I would go with a waterless carwash in your own garage personally. Even if it does get a bit messy on the ground, harbor freight sells floor squeegees for like 12$. Winter sucks for OCD people like me. There is salt, grime, water, and dirt on the roads almost 24/7, and to top it all off, ice that can stick to your paint and scratch it. The best thing I have found for the winter is to prepare your car before it hits (October/November.) I usually wash, buff (if needed,) polish, wax, and most importantly throw on a coat of Opticoat 2.0. It lasts all year and protects the paint very VERY well in my experience.
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Apr 2, 2012 16:54
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TrueChaos posted:Washed my car today, and used the nozzle off the hose let the water roll down for the final rinse method - wooo no water spots! The paint could really use a clay + wax, based on all the stuff I could feel that was left on the surface, but that will have to wait as I ran out of time in the shade. If you want a horrible feeling put your hand in a plastic bag and rub it on the paint. 
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Apr 8, 2012 17:43
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I feel bad.  My Nissan needed to have it's timing chain replaced, and so I did it. However I lost some bolts to the power steering pump in the process, and so it has sat, neglected in the garage for three months now.It is dusty and dirty and now it isn't legal to drive until I fit it with tires, that of which I won't be able to afford for at least one more month. I hate dust.
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Apr 19, 2012 00:32
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That looks wonderful for a single stage!
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Apr 19, 2012 15:57
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On the topic of headlight restoration, please be aware that a lot of the kits you buy can melt or burn plastic very easily. Don't go too fast and make sure your headlights and surrounding trim are TAPED OFF. If it was me, I would use M105/M205 with a LC orange or yellow pad. That gets great results. Also to keep in mind is that headlights are sealed from the factory, and once you use a kit or M105/M205, that sealant is diminished quite a bit, and the yellowing will come back faster next time. Try throwing OptiCoat2.0 or a OEM sealant back on the headlight once you are done.
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Apr 19, 2012 16:22
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I've tried both, and I keep going back to M105/M205 with a LC Yellow pad followed up by opticoat 2.0. It has far less risk of melting your plastic and the results have always been top notch.
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Apr 30, 2012 21:52
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kimbo305 posted:Does this mean a microfiber alone isn't safe to use on paint? I'm asking for my gf who wants to dust off her new car every so often. I'd already said washing was the right way to go, but figured I'd check to see how much/little harm there would be in dry wiping. Think of it this way, if the dust is dry, why would you want to push it into your paint with a microfiber? You are going to be pushing dirt/dust into your paint which is going to scratch the paint to all hell.
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May 2, 2012 02:50
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THE BLACK NINJA posted:I have what I think are tiny hard water spots all over my Subaru. They didn't come off with meguiers gold class soap and a microfiber sponge. They are very small speck and can be removed with a fingernail. Try clay first, remember to go from least aggressive to most aggressive first. If clay doesn't work, 4000 grit with some ultimate compound/polish and a buffer would work fine.
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May 5, 2012 01:19
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Astroman posted:What is Opticoat? Is it some ghetto home weekend solution to get you by on a car with a destroyed clear coat? Because that's would be perfect for my car. At this point I lack the $$ to pay for a decent paint job and don't want to cheap out with a Maaco one. I just need something to get my paint looking a little better as a temp solution. It's much softer than a clear coat, but harder than a wax.
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May 6, 2012 15:03
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wallaka posted:Tested my Griot's random orbital with Machine Polish 3 on my mower this weekend. It's a single stage paint but wow. Afterwards I put some Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax on. Only the last picture is with wax. these look wonderful!
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May 12, 2012 05:14
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Blinky Blinkerson posted:
M105 is some good stuff, I would keep using it, however I would switch to a Meguire's wool pad to clean it up a bit more. You really can't get much more aggressive than M105/Wool Pad other than a rotary buffer. But if you do that be prepared to be really REALLY careful. In conclusion: PC7424XP/Wool Pad/M105 is your best bet to finish the job.
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May 13, 2012 15:00
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Rhyno posted:So yesterday I attacked some paint transfer on the side of my truck. I used a basic turtle wax rubbing compound to get it off and it looks fantastic, I'm shocked how much came off and how quickly. I ran a bit of it over a few scratched spots and got excellent results there as well. There's also a few small chips here and there in the bed that I'd like to clean up, what's the word on touch up paint? Waste of time? http://www.drcolorchip.com/
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May 18, 2012 21:59
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Rhyno posted:Awesome, you are awesome. If you are patient and go slow in a very clean area, you can use rattle-can clear. I have done it before with really good results.
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May 18, 2012 22:23
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That is going to require a respray.
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May 21, 2012 05:25
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Rhyno posted:I figured. Anything I can do to keep it from getting worse until then? opticoat/wax. When you do that, clay it first so it's free of dirt.
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May 21, 2012 05:31
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If it's old enough perhaps finding a junkyard bumper/hood would work? If the paint from the junkyard is just faded/swirled/dirty it would buff right up in most cases.
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May 21, 2012 05:38
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Well that's really lame. My Suggestion is this then: Buff the hood so all the swirls are gone, that way the auto body shop will have a much MUCH easier time matching paint. Or do what I did and find somebody off of craigslist who was out on his luck but had 20 years of auto body experience . He painted my spoiler, hood, front bumper, and back bumper for 200$ + paint. The nearest quote I got was 1,000$ from a auto body shop down the road.
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May 21, 2012 05:50
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Good luck!
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May 21, 2012 05:53
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You are quite welcome! There is a TON to learn about car detailing, and once you get into it, uh... well your wallet won't be thanking you.
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May 21, 2012 06:03
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Lightbulb Out posted:I thought of this thread when I saw some highschool girls car wash for their club or whatever. Every single towel they used for cleaning to drying the car was left on the ground, on the concrete, after every single car they washed.  The swirls! The swirls!!!!! I do the same thing now. 
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May 21, 2012 14:27
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Matt finishes are a tricky subject, especially rubberish materials. The good news is that there isn't any swirling, the bad news is there isn't any fancy stuff you can do to them. The autogeek forums recommend: http://www.autogeek.net/pbtr16.html Poorboy's Trim Restorer.
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May 21, 2012 15:16
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