|
West SAAB Story posted:Is there anything I can do to get the smell of my car back? I'm coming up on the year-since and I rather miss the pervading smell of crayons (in the old car) when I'd open the door after it baked in the sun for a few hours. This one doesn't. Buy a pack of crayons and stuff them under the seat or if you're feeling fancy throw them right by the cabin filter?
|
#
¿
Mar 5, 2014 20:09
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 9, 2024 23:40 |
|
|
West SAAB Story posted:Well, there isn't really much of a clearcoat. There's literally no paint on some of the non-metal parts, and this thing was keyed to gently caress years ago (former teachers' car). I'm just hoping there is some magic formula I can do to make it look less lovely. It'd probably be cheaper to give it a single stage paint job at the local 'too drunk/stoned to work at walmart' shop, but that costs money. Rocker guard, it's always the answer, you'll get a car that's all the same colour, scratch resistant, possibly bomb proof, no maintenance, only draw back is weight. Otherwise that damage sounds beyond the grasp of a simple cut and polish. Cleaning it up might make it look worse since it draws more attention to the deeper scratches/paint flaws that can't be fixed.
|
|
#
¿
May 2, 2014 19:03
|
|
|
Did some detailing yesterday, Black cars are both the worst and best for detailing. You see everything on the paint but once they're mirror smooth and flawless they look amazing. This is the paint condition I started with  And this is the final result:    Usually I've been a fan of Pinnacle's products, but this time I used the classic Meguires 105/205 combo with LC Yellow and Green pads and finished off with a hand application of Pinnacle Souveran Carnauba wax. Oh so shiny 
|
|
#
¿
Jul 7, 2014 18:07
|
|
|
Yeah, engine bay cleaning isn't all that bad, most connections should be weather resistant and can take a splash of water fine, I've never gone as far as disconnecting a battery to wash the bay. Mostly you'd want to bag or shield stuff like the intake, if you have an aftermarket cone style intake, or really sensitive electrical connections but even then I've seen guys blast their engines with full pressure at a coin op car wash to no ill effect. I'd personally stick away from going full pressure crazy, but you know, to each their own. If you have a brush with long soft bristles it's great to agitate the gunk off an engine once you've applied whatever degreaser you're using. After a quick rinse going for a decent drive (10 mins or so) is usually enough to dry engine bay, afterwards I've generally found 303 aerospace protectant to be great for all the various rubbers and plastics in the engine bay.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 25, 2014 23:10
|
|
|
Attentively, go to your local coin op car wash and blast it with high pressure at a shallow angle, usually works best when you get a corner up before you start. I think I spent about 3-4 minutes blasting off the hilariously oversized dealer vinyl's and plastic badging off the back of my Veloster.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2014 15:04
|
|
|
Sonax was really popular from what I saw, pricey but it seems like it works pretty good. I've used TurtleWax F21 wheel cleaner (it's in a neon green spray bottle) and it seemed to work wonders on brake dust. Pretty cheap too from what I remember.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 30, 2014 23:07
|
|
|
It really depends on how "good" you want the end result to be, it's pretty easy to get a touch up to look good from anything over a foot away without a crazy amount of effort. Experience is probably key to get it looking good without excessive effort so I'd still agree with the suggestion to pay someone to do it.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2014 20:42
|
|
|
Elbow long solvex gloves? Although I usually end up with a nice bit of sweat in them after some time working in them. Not the prettiest but water proof and chemical resistant so they should fit the bill
|
|
#
¿
Aug 16, 2014 03:43
|
|
|
TrueChaos posted:How bad of an idea is it to wax a car in say 35-50F degree weather? The miata is now away for the winter, and I'm going to give it a good clean / clay bar / wax, but I've waited too long and it's not likely to be warm any time soon. Shouldn't be a problem, depends on what type of wax/sealant you plan on using and how you're applying it. Machine application of paste or liquid wax would be easiest, you've got the heat generated from the pad to help with the wax application. Liquid waxes by hand are probably next easiest, with paste waxes being most annoying in the cold, might take a bit more effort to get an even coat and some more elbow grease to finish it off but shouldn't be too difficult. Plus the colder temps make it easier to work without breaking a sweat.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 31, 2014 05:40
|
|
|
SperginMcBadposter posted:Is there anything I can do to make this paint look better? The areas on the top of the car are dull and faded looking, but it all matches the sides when it's wet. Polish it and give it a good wax. It'll look as good as it does wet all the time. Do you have a DA polisher or access to one? You could do a decent job by hand too, but it'll be a lot of labor.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 16, 2015 22:22
|
|
|
I'd also recommend not putting it on tires either. 303 protectant is my go-to product for anything plastic/rubber/vinyl. Spray evenly, use a small bit of cloth to get an even coat if needed, let it soak for 10-15 min or longer then wipe. Gorgeous semi-matte finish on most surfaces and it's actually good for preserving whatever it's sprayed on. Not slippery from my experience, unless you get some on a tile floor, then you'll be tripping like in Looney tunes
|
|
#
¿
Aug 4, 2015 02:43
|
|
|
Try a cleaner wax? Klass all-in-one is one of my favorites, pretty good for a quick detail or as first step in your waxing.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 9, 2015 06:52
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:Suppose I do the compound/polish whatever to get rid of the swirls in the paint. How long does this last? Do they come back? Refer to thread title for answer. Length of being swirl free is dependant on hope you treat the car, as well as how anal you are in your definition of swirl free. Typically a couple weeks is expected.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 4, 2015 18:20
|
|
|
For lack of effort and memory, try a triangular microfiber pad on a swivel stick. Stoner's makes one, and I'm sure others do too. Helps a lot when cleaning a windshield, especially getting into the corners.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2015 05:44
|
|
|
CroatianAlzheimers posted:What's good for cleaning and conditioning leather car seats? Especially in an older car where the seats are kinda dirty. Letherique is great in my experience, but $$$. I'm willing to bet almost any 2 part leather cleaner/conditioner is going to be good enough, I've used the meguiars 2 part leather products and it worked fairly well. E: This stuff: 
|
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2016 16:21
|
|
|
ratbert90 posted:I bought the wife a silver convertible electric razor for a car. It's ok. My dirty pleasure is taking the brush and scrubbing in an old beater with already terrible paint. Share your detailing sins itt.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 10, 2016 22:27
|
|
|
If you can get a pic it would be helpful to assess the amount of curb damage. Without more info, you're unfortunately stuck getting them filled and refinished at a wheel shop, should be around $100-150 a wheel or so for ballpark figures.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 22, 2018 20:10
|
|
|
I'm a huge fan of leatherique (sp?) two part system, it's seriously fantastic for cleaning and conditioning. Makes the leather smell pretty nice. A little on the pricey side but worth it I think.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 25, 2018 04:55
|
|
|
Gas gives the best in terms of pressure. Higher end electrics are probably what I would recommend for light house work and general car washing. Not sure if it's all gas ones or just the crappy ones I've been exposed to but for me they shutoff if you release the trigger so you pretty much keep that sucker going or else you'll get annoyed at all the constant stops and restarts of the gas motor.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 23, 2018 21:49
|
|
|
For odor the ozone gen is the way to go. I'm also assuming it's got that wonderful deep yellow from years of cigarette smoke. Best thing I can think of is go to town with a high quality fabric cleaner and a soft bristle brush, and be prepared to use spray adhesive to stick it back up if it sags.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 29, 2018 03:55
|
|
|
There's a multitude of "back to black" products that range from plastic conditioners to black dyed gel. The conditioner products worked ok ish for me, I've had better results using the stuff with the dye on it, like Bondo/3M back to black. I've heard good things about wipenew but haven't tried it.
|
|
#
¿
May 10, 2018 16:54
|
|
|
I'm a neurotic when it comes to paint, case in point I've replaced both front and rear bumpers on my last boxster and had the hood and fenders resprayed due to rock chips and I'm scheduled to do the same on this one too, although this one's been quite cosmetically shagged by the previous owners poor driving. I did a "bikini" cut front ppf for the hood, fenders, bumper, and mirrors for my last one after the respray and it looked good but was visible if you knew where to look and the light hit it right. I think on this one I'll go with a ceramic coating instead and see how it holds up. A full frontal ppf would prevent the visibility issue as all the transitions would be across body panels but thats $$$$ and I didn't deem it worth it. But yeah, don't protect damaged point.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 11, 2018 01:28
|
|
|
I paid $1100 CAD all in with tax for a full body paint correction, interior detail, and the aforementioned bikini ppf. I went with the XPEL self healing one which is neat since you can scratch the hell out of it and just apply some warm water and it'll go back to looking like new, stuffs like magic. Comes with a 10 year warranty too so if any issues popped up it would be free to repair/replace. Of note, I had the bodywork done in the fall and the protection done in the spring, allowing the paint to fully cure over winter in storage.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 11, 2018 15:03
|
|
|
Bedliner with some nice aggressive grit mixed in?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 12, 2018 03:32
|
|
|
I know I screwed up once with the synth pad, I wasn't as diligent with the spray as I should have been and it overheated, transferring a gummy spot onto the paint. Was a bitch to take off but no permanent marring. I was trying to remove some paint transfer on a door handle, ended up being successful, but staying in one spot and not stopping enough to re-wet was my mistake. So yeah, as with any clay plenty of lube is required and you have to be extra diligent since it's harder to notice when it's getting too dry since the polisher is doing all the work.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 30, 2018 14:46
|
|
|
Are we talking the same product? The one I'm talking about is literally a pad with a thin rubbery surface meant for use on a DA polisher. It's not actually clay but it makes the job incredibly quick and seems like it works as the plastic bag check gives results. I've heard it referred to as synthetic clay but I guess that's a misnomer since it's not really clay. With an actual bar you shouldn't be able to do any damage unless, like you said, you're doing something really wrong. Even with this it's no issues unless you do something wrong like I did. I didn't haphazardly mount clay to a polisher, I'm not that daft. E: like this: 
Bajaha fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Sep 30, 2018 |
|
#
¿
Sep 30, 2018 14:59
|
|
|
ratbert90 posted:If he doesn’t clay first, the wax won’t properly adhere to the paint. 99% of people likely never clay their cars, the wax will adhere fine. Claying is more to remove any contaminants so that when you polish you're not working that into the paint more, wax will adhere to unclayed paint just fine. Claying is a must if you want to do it right, but just a wash and wax will be fine too if you're short on time. Shouldn't polish without a clay first though.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 11, 2018 02:41
|
|
|
I agree, it's just that as far as automotive detailing sins go, waxing an unclayed car is pretty low on the totem pole. Clay if you can and a synthetic will make it quicker but if you don't it's not that big of a deal.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 11, 2018 03:18
|
|
|
Costco ones are great since they're like $0.50 a pop and decent quality, as with anything Costco they comes in a big pack.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 27, 2018 16:41
|
|
|
I've only done a few small things and not a car but the technique should be the same Start with a clean surface mist finely with cool water apply 9h to applicator pad wipe surface vertically with 9h applicator pad then wipe horizontally. Do not wipe too much, you just want to get an even layer without streaks. Leave for 10 minutes Wipe down with moist microfiber Takes I think 24hrs or more to fully cure into the paint but that's about it.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 25, 2019 05:01
|
|
|
I've been recommended to clear coat them to give lasting protection.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 22, 2019 21:43
|
|
|
For really light scratching I've used meguires plasticX, which is a very mild abrasive liquid with a microfiber applicator. You apply a little, hand polish the area with the applicator, and then gently wipe off. It won't do miracles but it definitely improved things when I used it.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 9, 2019 11:00
|
|
|
Phone posted:Has anyone had success with a low flow (1.2 gpm) electric pressure washer and a foam cannon? Searching around says that the Chemical Guys' one goes down to 1.4, but that was the closest one. I use a cheap sunjoe spx3000 which is rated 1.76gpm (likely doesn't actually achieve that though) with a matcc "upgraded" foam canon from Amazon and it works pretty drat well for Instagram worthy foam. I've been using chemical guys Mr. Pink wash for the below. 
|
|
#
¿
Sep 29, 2019 20:09
|
|
|
I remember reading that a less foamy and more soapy water compositions are better at actually cleaning but it's just satisfying to do full snow foam on a car and it stays on there nicely which as mentioned helps keep things wet. It's also speedier to do it with a pressure washer rather than hose and buckets and whatnot. If you have a ceramic coating then you can just do full touchless with rinse, snow, rinse, and blow dry to get it back to looking 100% as long as it's not heavily soiled to begin with.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 30, 2019 00:54
|
|
|
I did both methods. In my thread I had someone more experienced point out that at 2000+ grit the clear won't have a good surface to bite into so I redid them with 600 and it turned out looking the same while likely lasting much longer. Can't find pictures of the ones I redid twice but I did these after using 600 as the final step and some cheap clear coat and they turned out well.  
|
|
#
¿
May 22, 2020 18:18
|
|
|
That's pretty much textbook case for claybar. Should do the trick.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 30, 2020 18:07
|
|
|
Did you give it a good shake? Might've just precipitated out.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 11, 2020 18:30
|
|
|
I go fancy with a cold wash on the delicates setting with a microfiber wash detergent, it was relatively inexpensive for a gallon container which seems to last forever and they come feeling like new so I feel it was worth it for the no worry hassle free approach. Also tumble dry on delicate setting and lowest heat setting with nothing added to the drier.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 29, 2020 02:49
|
|
|
I've had good luck with just an assortment of leather cleaners and conditioners, jeans dye usually comes out fairly easily. Real or fake the cleaner shouldn't matter too much if it's not a crazy amount of dye transfer. Always wash your jeans before driving in a car with tan seats. And try to avoid getting your jeans wet and that should help prevent dye transfer.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 14, 2021 23:27
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 9, 2024 23:40 |
|
|
Coin op wash bays, taking care to spray underneath and just plinking away with the coins until it's clean. You can get fancy and use the drive through touchless ones with the underbody spray but I never felt it was worth the added cost over wand washing at the coin ops.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 15, 2021 16:30
|
|