Detailing thread: Grim determination and sanding

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bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

If you are under water restrictions, I would give one of the rinseless car washes a try.

Pro lines have had them for years and I know Optimum No Rinse has been pretty popular. Meguiars now sells a line that's available at pretty much every Target and auto parts store, Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b51DHV0-hDY

Hatches get dirty in the rear by their nature. When you drive, it creates low pressure area behind the car which sucks up dirt and grime.

bull3964 fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Aug 11, 2012

# ¿ Aug 11, 2012 17:26

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 12:37

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

As much as I enjoy cleaning and detailing my car, I think for something like that, I would call in the pros.

I would be afraid of doing more harm than good trying to get those stains out.

# ¿ Sep 11, 2012 22:02

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

It's amazing what a pro can do with a rotary buffer (not random orbit). There's just risk of paint harm if those tools are used by inexperienced hands.

I'm betting a good detail shop will have you looking good as new for a few hundred bucks.

Mineral Spirits will also not harm a water based clearcoat, so you may want to give that a try on a spot.

bull3964 fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Sep 12, 2012

# ¿ Sep 12, 2012 04:58

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

One thing I usually do for the winter is two layers of a sealant followed a week or so later by a carnauba wax. I've found the sacrificial layer of carnauba wax tends to stretch the life of the sealant.

In the case of meguiars products, last year I used two coats of Ultimate Wax followed up by a coat of #26 Yellow Wax a week later.

bull3964 fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Oct 13, 2012

# ¿ Oct 13, 2012 16:19

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Roads around here are permanent white from late December until mid March.

I usually go to the local coin op place when it gets out of the 20s and use their power washer to rinse all the salt and the large particulates off the car whenever I can in the winter. I don't worry about getting it super clean for the most part, just rid it of the salt and large debris.

If it's a long stretch of really cold, then I may hit an automatic touchless wash with a dryer.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2012 18:39

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

So, I'm going to completely gush over Meguiar's Microfiber DA correction system.

I've had couple of the 3" discs, cutting compound and finishing wax for awhile, but I haven't really gotten around to using them on my older car since I just haven't had time to do a really good detail on it.

Well, Friday morning, my garage door didn't open the whole way and I couldn't see it in my rear view mirror. I back out and scraped the leading edge of the door (mainly the rubber seal) across the roof of my '11. Left a nice swath of scratches across the roof, many deep enough I could catch my fingernail in.

Well, today I got to work on it with the microfiber system. The cutting disc and compound was like using an eraser on them. Even at a low speed, all I would have to do is just go back and forth on the scratch and it would eventually vanish.

It's 100% corrected now and only took about 40 minutes worth of work. I can't find a hint of the scratches anywhere. Now all I need to do is have some paintless dent repair work done to pop up the slight dents in the roof around the antenna.

bull3964 fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Nov 12, 2012

# ¿ Nov 12, 2012 20:10

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Simple Green is corrosive to unprotected aluminum and can oxidize it.

quote:

However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green� product residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.

They do have a Motorsports formulation though that's supposed to be safer on aluminum.

http://www.simplegreen.com/products_extreme_motor.php

# ¿ Jan 27, 2013 17:31

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Autoality (linked earlier in this thread) is only about 2 miles from me which is nice as I finally have a B&M store close by that carries high end stuff.

I was almost out of Megs Ultimate Wash and Wax so i thought I would try something different and picked up a bottle of Duragloss CWC and a Lake Country Foam Wash Sponge (big blue one that's cubed.)

It was like a revelation in car washing. The Duragloss was far more slippery than the ultimate wash and wax, seemed to clean better, and rinsed with less spotting. The sponge was great as well, I had far fewer "missed" areas that needed a second pass than I normally would have had with a wash mitt. It also holds so much water that I was able to do two panels at once (flipping it over between panels) which cut down on wash time.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2013 16:31

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Scott808 posted:

Lucky to have Autoality local to you. Dammit, I'm jealous.

What's funny is I had thought it disappeared. It was in the local mall about a year and a half ago but went out. Then it popped up again a few miles away a couple of months ago. Just went into it the first time 2 weeks or so ago. You can tell most of the business is through the internet as the entire behind the counter area is fedex boxes.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2013 17:31

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Try getting some plastic primer and prime them first. The paint may stick better.

# ¿ May 6, 2013 21:49

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Megs micofiber system contains dark magic and voodoo. It's incredibly easy to use and the results on defects are mind blowing.

I seriously feel like I should just toss 80% of my junk and use it exclusively.

# ¿ May 8, 2013 05:46

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

I've mentioned it before, but if someone wants an amazing finish with minimal amount of work, pick up Meg's microfiber system. It's dead simple to use and it's magic. It can do as much or as little correction as you want and the pads are very safe. The product also wipes off with minimal effort.

I clayed and then did my DGM 2011 the other weekend and not only is any hint of holograming gone, I was able to make a few small scratches that you could catch a fingernail ever so slightly in disappear. Completely. In about 10 seconds work. Witchcraft.

I'm probably going to follow it up with a hand applied coat of Ultimate Wax just as an extra layer, but the finishing wax has held up well so far on its own.

# ¿ Jun 18, 2013 06:02

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

I'm thinking that clear 3M spray may be the perfect thing to spray in the lug holes of wheels. It should be extremely hard to spot, but it would prevent ham handed garage guys from marring the wheels when taking off lugnuts.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2013 17:17

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Stopped by Autoality this afternoon and picked up a few more things to try out.

Meguiars Super Degreaser for some engine bay work
Sonax Full Effect wheel cleaner to see if it's really as great as everyone says it is
Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus to see if the longevity is as good as everyone says
Race Glaze detailing brushes to get into small spaces
Speedy Surface Prep Fine Mitt as alternative to clay
Meg's Final Inspection to serve as lube for the Speedy

# ¿ Jul 20, 2013 23:05

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Anyone try out Sonax's Net Shield yet?

I don't really have the patience or time right now to do a full prep and one of the more permanent coatings, but this seems perfect. Easy to spray on a foam pad and apply, lasts for 6 months which should get me through winter. I may stop by Autoality Saturday morning and pick up a can.

As much as I love having clean cars, I'm finding it more and more difficult to get the motivation to spend half my weekending futzing with them. If a product like this is as long lasting as people are saying, then I should be able to get away with applying it 3 times a year and only a quick wash the rest of the year.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2013 16:36

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Wet sand and pick up a Megs Microfiber Correction System kit with a DA polisher. It's probably the most beginner friendly way to improve things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yC_D4eoYs0

# ¿ Nov 8, 2013 05:43

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

PhoenixWing posted:

Tried it on the hatch.

You're a loving wizard.

Wow, I thought my suggestion would work fairly ok, but holy poo poo that's beyond what I expected.

That microfiber kit is amazing though, it's insane how much correction it can do with little danger to the paint.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2013 23:47

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Last weekend I applied the SONAX Polymer Net Shield to my 2011 WRX. I really didn't do a ton of surface prep because I was crunched for time, but the paint was fairly clean. It may have had some leftover bits of Meguiars Ultimate Wax. So, I expect the results to be even better if you can do a proper surface prep.

That said, it went on super easy. You do about a 2' section at a time. You either spray directly on the car or on a foam pad, spread it, and then immediately buff out. It's a little tacky in application, but it's not hard to remove at all.

Well, we had our first snow this week. It was enough snow that they started salting the roads so I drove to work a few days in salt spray. The most immediate thing I noticed was my car was less white than others around it. Less was sticking to the car.

Today it was in the 60s and unfortunately I didn't have time to wash the car. I did have the time though to hose the thing down. The beading is insane on this. Beyond that though all the salt simply rinsed off with a garden hose. It was incredible. I haven't done a full inspection in the sun yet, but from what I've been able to see so far, it really looks like the car was just washed. I felt the leading edge of the hood, where most of the debris would have been built up, and it came back slick as if I just finished detailing it.

We'll see if the durability claims are as good as most people say, but I think we have a winner here. It seems like I'll be able to keep my car mostly clean during the winter just by hitting up the coin op pressure wash spray once a week.

Here's a video I found on youtube that shows the beading. While it's not my video nor my car, it is, coincidentally enough, my exact car in the exact color. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvd0cT8ubeM

# ¿ Nov 17, 2013 07:39

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Never knew touchless washes were hard to find, they far outnumber the ones that touch your car around here. You can trip over a touchless wash every 2-3 miles. They are easier to maintain as a turnkey business since there are fewer moving parts so I would think they would be far more common than any other type.

The only potential danger with the touchless is if their chemical mix is out of whack. It obviously won't do as nice as job as a hand wash, but they are a godsend in the winter when you want to get salt off your car.

# ¿ May 21, 2014 19:40

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Screw clay, it's all about the Speedy Surface Prep Mitt now.

# ¿ Jul 2, 2014 23:22

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

VOR LOC posted:

Have you used this? my wifes hummer needs to be clayed pretty bad but I can't be assed to do it because its so drat big.

Yup, have one and it works great. Much larger surface area, easier to grip, and washable. So, no more getting hallway through the car, doing the clay on the ground and s swearing for a half hour.

It was kind of an impulse buy the last time I went to Autoality, but it was totally worth it.

# ¿ Jul 3, 2014 06:50

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

A true touchless won't scratch the car, but it also likely won't do poo poo to remove splattered bugs.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2014 22:16

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Sonax actually has an updated version of their wheel cleaner out now. Wheel cleaner plus. By all accounts, it bests Full Effect by a good bit. I picked some up, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2014 17:42

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

I think I'm going to dip my toe into the world of rinseless car washes this winter. My usual routine is just to take the car to the coin op place close to my house and blast the salt and road grime off of it which is good for an 80% clean and keeping it from getting really nasty. However, this year I really have two functional cars for most of the winter and I want a way to keep the car that's currently spending time in the garage pretty clean..

I'll have all seasons on the BRZ and will drive it around in the winter when it's not really nasty and sloppy, but I want to be able to clean it up well when I put it away during nasty spells and it seems like a rinseless product is the way to do it (after a pressure washing.)

The real question is which to try. Right now I'm thinking D-11501 though ONRWW is slightly cheaper. Figure this would make a good "small business sat" purchase assuming Autoality is open this weekend.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2014 19:03

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

I've used Meguiar's D115 a few times to good success. It's nice that it has a wax component too, so you can basically clean and put a fresh coat of spray wax on in one step.

I didn't use it as many times this winter as I was planning on since the cold and slop was unremitting which would have made washing in any form pointless, but I can certianly see myself using it more this summer to touch up light dirt to have to do a full bucket wash less frequently.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2015 17:56

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Now that it's warming up, I keep going back and forth on whether or not to drop some money on new toys. I have a PC 7424xp right now and it works fairly well, but the reviews of the new MT300 have been pretty glowing and it's tempting me.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2015 16:11

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Meguiars microfiber system is AMAZING for removing big defects like that.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2015 00:11

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

You can also use one of the waterless car washes as well. A bottle of Meguiars Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere is a good prepackaged product for this.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2015 21:55

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

More like "Detailing never starts" because it won't.stop.raining.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2015 15:54

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

It's a decent budget choice.

I've replaced mine with the new Megs MT300 and it's pretty drat nice. It's a lot easier to get consistent results with it.

# ¿ Jul 14, 2015 21:27

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Meguiars Microfiber system. The poo poo is loving magical.

# ¿ Jul 16, 2015 20:29

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

meatpimp posted:

Water blade here, too. Followed by drips/contours/jambs with an The Absorber. Sounds corny, but those things really do a good job for finishing.

Yup, that's my way as well. I also have some waffle weave drying towels I use as well.

Depending on the temperature and humidity levels, I find that sometimes the towels work better and sometimes the absorber works better.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2015 17:43

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

I would really get a blade too. I find the absorber best for spot picking up drops. However, for large stretches of body panels, the blade works better.

I got over the car with the blade to bulk clear the water on surfaces and then follow up with the absorber or towel to pick up drops around the edges and in places that the blade can't reach. It's pretty quick and you get good coverage.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2015 19:23

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

If you want to up the game of UC (while reducing the effort) and you have a PC, get Meg's microfiber system

It's magic.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2015 22:57

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

There IS significant wear on a lot of the silver on the door pieces. There's also no clear line that would indicate a high water mark and there's no way anything there would be salvageable if it was completely submerged.

I have seen people destroy their cars this badly before. I have no trouble believing this is due to abuse and neglect.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2016 18:40

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

I'd love to give both of my cars a good once over.

However.
It.
Won't.
Stop.
Raining.

Ever.

Western PA never used to have a monsoon season.

# ¿ Jul 14, 2017 01:28

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Well, aftermarket tint anyways. Factory tint won't matter since it's actually colored glass rather than a film.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2018 23:29

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Yeah, cleaning is by far the best way. Water adheres to dirt particles so the window will fog over quicker because there's more surface area to collect water. Keep it spotless, and it takes more.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2018 00:23

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Ceramic seems durable in a "my car might see rain a few times a year and a sacrificial quick wax is used pretty frequently" sort of way, not a "my car spends 4 months covered in corrosive slurry and might get hosed off every six weeks when the temp dips above freezing" sort of way.

I mean, paint has a hard time surviving the winter sometimes. There's no way any coating not applied in a lab is going to last beyond the two month mark in those conditions.

I have long shifted into the mindset that I can't keep things perfect so I might as well do the easiest thing that gets me 80% of the way there.

And you know what? It's still 3000% more effort than 98% of the driving public expends.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2018 02:40

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 12:37

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

I'm getting kind of excited for Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax. It looks stupid easy to apply and maintain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j4Gs_4AXhI

So, in my case, defect removal in the spring with a base layer of Ultimate Fast Finish. Then next wash do the base layer application of the Hybrid Ceramic (drying with it). From there on out for the rest of the summer it's just wash and then rinse with the Hybrid Ceramic Wax to maintain all summer.

They have a new 3 in 1 cleaner wax coming out as well. I'll be interested to see how that reviews. It might be a good thing to hit the cars with in the fall for some minor decontamination of summer to serve as a base layer for a winter finish.

# ¿ Dec 27, 2018 16:31

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Detailing thread: Grim determination and sanding

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