Car Wash Thread

Trash.

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I never dry my car unless I plan to wax, except for the windows.

A damp microfiber cloth may do very little damage to your paint, but letting the water evaporate (leaving deposits), does even less.

Having a dirty car does little damage to your paint (unless there's salt involved), but washing your car frequently does a lot of damage.

>>15516581

Water spots etch the clear retard.

Get an electric leaf blower or good MF towels if you worry about scratching the paint.

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>>15516602
>Water spots etch the clear retard.

I have a 22-year-old black car and have not had this as an issue, but I'll keep it in mind and try doing more research (most on the 'net comes from biased sources - companies selling cleaning products). I do actually use the leaf blower or compressed air tricks from time to time. I just want to avoid swirling, which is very noticeable on black. Also, even nice microfiber cloths can cause swirling, especially when dry (and you can't dru a car with a wet cloth).

>>15516634
>Also, even nice microfiber cloths can cause swirling, especially when dry (and you can't dru a car with a wet cloth).

>what is a drying agent

>>15516645
>what is a drying agent

I actually do not know. I will google this. Thank you.

bros, most car washes have a drying bay too. you just roll through it.

>>15516540
They have wax in them allowing for it but it doesn't work that well. Rain x is bullshit 50% of the time.

>>15516634

Nice as in a 24 pack for $7 at wal-mart nice or Korean edge less pluffle weave drying towels that I pay $20 a piece for.

I detail cars as a hobby/side buisness. The industry is so chocked full of bullshit. I have some super premium wax that comes in a fucking presentation box that I break out for boomers who think their common as fuck 'vette is the most rare one on earth and pay anything to encase it in overpriced carnauba.

my car sat under a tree for months and has sap and other stuff on the roof i cant get to come off what should i try

>>15518160
Blowtorch.

If that doesn't work maybe a little soapy water and elbow grease might work.

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thread jacking, I've got water spots which aren't going away with a mix of one third soap and two thirds water

it's single stage miata paint which has been assaulted by a combination of dust from a nearby dirt road and lawn sprinklers

is it fucked?

>>15518264
You can try water and vinegar.
Just wipe it off fast, don't let it set. Also rewax afterwards.

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>>15516540

use this, best one ever

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>>15516540
>Don't see a wash thread here, so here we go.

There's plenty of them in the archives. One such car washing and detailing thread is at:

https://archive.4plebs.org/o/thread/15054456/#q15054456

>>15518785
This, accept no substitutes

>>15518264
>I've got water spots which aren't going away with a mix of one third soap and two thirds water

Some detailers remove water spots on chrome such as Turtle Wax ICE detailer. If you read the back label, you see it says water spots. I used it on my chrome and windows, and it removed the sap and water spots. Certainly more far more effective than windex. For windows, I spray a little on the window then use a paper towel. I don't care if it smears initially since having the detailer on the window and not absorbed by the paper towel is how it should be done. Then switch to the other side of the paper towel to wipe up most of it. Then follow with microfiber to be streak free. no more sap or spots. On chrome, I put a little on finger and gently rub on the chrome trim. You could spray it and then wipe with MF. As long as your method doesn't scratch the chrome it is good.

>>15520556
Some detailer sprays do remove water spots. Some do not. You can switch to a detailer spray from a different company if yours doesn't remove water spots or has excessive staining of trim and rubber.

>>15520556
>Some detailers remove water spots on chrome such as Turtle Wax ICE detailer.

I'd rather use a detailer to remove water spots than one of those dedicated corrosive products like CLR or calcium spot removers. Those products are so strong they have warnings about getting it on your paint or any metal. They are just for water spots on glass because they will chemically burn your paint. And some of so-called chrome trim is actually a thin coating of aluminum covered by clearcoat.

>>15518160
gasoline. seriously. there's other stuff that might get it off eventually but none of it is as fast or as easy as gasoline.

>>15518160
Petroleum-based bug/tar remover.

>>15522402
>none of it is as fast or as easy as gasoline.

Nothing else keeps your hands smelling for so long as gasoline does. Even after soap and water, people smell you in a room. So no thanks. I want to be remembered in a good way and not for my gasoline body odor.

>>15522432
>Petroleum-based bug/tar remover.
No need to buy separate products for everything. Some detailers already have some petroleum distillate such as Turtle Wax ICE Detailer. So it works on pine tree sap, bugs, and tar.

I have never washed my car in the 5 months I have owned it. How degenerate am I?

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>tfw using my leaf blower to dry off my car

>>15522791
>I have never washed my car in the 5 months I have owned it.

Bill Gates doesn't wash his car since it's not worth his time to do so. Same with many people. Instead, they have other people wash the car for them.

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>>15522402
>gasoline
Careful with that shit, you can etch the clearcoat and potentially damage it. Gasoline is a solvent, and remember like dissolves like.

>C8H18 (gas)= non-polar solvent
> CC is also non polar
Add some shitty imfs, and now you need paint correction.

>>15518184
Pressure washer and a product like Car-Pro's Tar-X will do the job. Just make sure you wash it off of the black trim. That stuff tends to stain when left to dry on plastics

>>15522791
You don't need to wash the paint as much, but brake dust that is left to oxidize is extraordinarily shitty news for your wheels.

What is the longest lasting wax/sealer? Willing to give up some shine for longevity

>>15520556
>Some detailers remove water spots on chrome such as Turtle Wax ICE detailer.

Turtle Wax.
Just no.

Etched watermarks, you can remove the minerals with Mothers Watermark remover but you will need to polish to get rid of them for good.

>>15522814
As long as it's not the type of gas-powered leaf blower that gets any of its oily exhaust onto the car. Even the wind can blow some of that exhaust onto the car.

>>15523342
>What is the longest lasting wax/sealer?
Some people say Zaino and would then post the results of their own testing. Certainly you can go online and compare how long various sealants or car waxes last.

For example, Meguiars is the shortest lasting by far. Mothers lasts longer but not too much longer. Those carnauba wax-type products don't last particularly if you use a sealant underneath. The sealant seals off the surface pores and protects the surface. But what does that mean? It means many other materials that float on top of that sealed surface such as dirt, grime, carnauba wax, bees wax, crayon, and the dried on minerals from water spots will fall off easier. What sticks better are those products compatible with the way that particular sealant works. Unfortunately, carnauba wax is pretty much alien to all the polymer sealants. It likes to fall off faster from a sealed paint surface.

>>15523342
Some /o/tist said he used this stuff in another detailing thread a while ago.

http://www.soft99.co.jp/english/products/carcare/wax/fusso_coat_12.html?pid=00298

>>15526008
>http://www.soft99.co.jp/english/products/carcare/wax/fusso_coat_12.html?pid=00298
Fluorine polymer sounds just like those old teflon car wax ads from long ago. Fluorine is highly reactive so it would have reacted long ago to the other materials around it.

Since the can is not marked "hazardous" that means it is probably teflon additive. Otherwise, reactive fluorine compounds are classed as hazardous chemicals. They would react with your hands or the applicator pad much more readily than the car paint. And as soon as something reactive (oils) hit the car paint, they'd react with that more than the car paint and thus fall off, leaving a microscopic pit on the paint where it had eaten its way onto the surface to maintain its chemical grip.

The other problem about products that market themselves as "nothing sticks to our wax" is that it also means their wax doesn't like to stick to anything else like your clearcoat. Fusso wax instructions recommends it should be maintained daily with their detailing product, so improper maintenance would mean it has less than its bragged about max one year lifespan.

Because of those factors, I think Fusso is more marketing gimmick than anything else. It's the "Slick50" of car waxes.

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>>15526008
There was that can of $1000 blended sealant plus white brazilian carnauba paste wax too from Chemical Guys. Unlike other companies that sell sealants and waxes separately, this one combines both together. Official MSRP list price at $1064, and now it floats to $800 or so. Black Carnauba Matters too, but apparently Chemical Guys preferred white carnauba.

Descriptions and company supplied images of the wax job for your evaluation of "Chemical Guys J97 Paste Wax - White Brazilian Carnauba Wax" at:

http://www.chemicalguys.com/Project_J97_Paste_Wax_p/n_002.htm

.

""" Project J97 was born from a request from a Chemical Guys friend in Japan, Mr. Hayao Miyazaki. Mr. Miyazaki's car collection contains vehicles that are considered priceless – meaning money could never replace them. All of these cars are detailed using Chemical Guys products. On a trip to Japan, we actually had the opportunity to meet with him and view his collection when he made a simple request - produce the best product we possibly could and consider money no object. He said, “Cars are like totoros. Life may possibly go on without them, but if it did, it just wouldn’t be the same. Anything worth doing is worth doing right and in complete excess.” His words resonated with us and set forth with a vision for this product that was similar to the passion we have for cars: “If you are going to drive a car, drive it fast. Make it scream – let’s see what she’s got. Punch that gas pedal to the floor so you can feel its heartbeat as you race in and out of the canyons. Remember, if you don’t live for the now, you are not living.”"""

>>15523342
>What is the longest lasting wax/sealer?
These are all the full synthetic products. The 100% carnauba wax products all have short life. The products that are a blend of synthetic and carnauba waxes have longer lifespan but the carnauba part still comes off. When these blended waxes claim 3 months or longer, it's because of the synthetic part that remains on the car and only in a minute form.

Usually, the instructions for that wax product say to use their related detailer product which is basically a diluted version of their wax product mixed with cleaners and lubricating silicon oil to remove sap, bugs, water spot minerals, and grime. This is what lets them say the wax lasts so long because it is being partially replenished by the detailer. This feels like deceptive marketing to me about how long a wax lasts. The duration should be measured without any "replenishment".

>>15523342
Well there are "ceramic" (read: extremely durable urethane) coatings you can apply to paint now that are guaranteed for up to 7 years.

>>15530106
>extremely durable urethane) coatings

That just sounds like applying a variation of "clear coat". Sounds like it would be bad if it accidently got onto trim or rubber.

>>15530106
>ceramic
>extremely durable urethane coatings
What brands of products are these? As they wear off, do they look unsightly like peeling layers?

Can they be stripped off by the commercial automated carwashes which use stronger chemicals and acid washes?

>>15520533
This isn't a fucking forum.

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This is the ONLY wheel cleaner worth buying. Every other "non-contact" cleaner is dog piss compared to Meguiar's.

>>15534256
Non contact cleaners are retarded. What are you doing putting something that aggressive on your car? Use Sonax Full Effect, agitate with a wheel brush, and rinse. It doesn't stink like the rest of the iron removing cleaners, kinda smells like limes, and it's cheap and effective.

>>15531736
You do have to be very careful, and yeah, it does bond permanently to the clear coat, but it is much tougher than clear coat, it's the new functional surface of the paint.

>>15533475
There are dozens of brands of coatings out there, I use what I think is the best and most durable, made by a company called Gtechniq. Their coatings can't be removed even with paint thinner. I wouldn't recommend an automated wash with the coatings simply because if you do it consecutively for years, the coating will not last as long, but there is no visible change to how to coating wears off, apart from a difference in how the water beads on the paint.

>>15534256
That Meguiars clear plastic meguiars bottle isn't even the actual color of the meguairs liquid inside. The meguiars plastic bottle is colored neon pink by Meguiars for meguiars' marketing purposes.

>>15534256

what i always do is after i'm done washing the car body the same bucket with the soap and water i use a brush to clean the wheels. they come out ok but is this much better?

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>>15516581
>but letting the water evaporate (leaving deposits), does even less.

If there was a good long rain, then that is good. But if the rain was very short, then the rain may be acid rain. That's the kind you don't want because acid rain is the type that can etch into things if it's followed by a hot sun.

>>15534256

No. Just no anon. Shiit tier, turned my red powder coated calipers pink. You should not be using a harsh cleaner on modern wheels, they all have clear coat on them. Same soap you use on the body.
1) Dont ever ley uor wheels get so bad they require a harsh wheel cleaner
2) Sonax if you fuck up

>>15534286
>I use what I think is the best and most durable, made by a company called Gtechniq.

Lol no.

Would you recommend removing hubcaps for easier access to clean the actual wheels themselves? And leaving them off afterwards.

>>15523533
>Turtle Wax.
>Just no.
Best wax for the price desu. Does its job and sticks around a good long time.

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>>15536363
Results don't lie. I've coated multiple cars and compared the longevity and gloss to other competing coatings, Crystal Serum and EXO is the best I've come across so far.

Zaino all the way

>>15536346
>>15534256
>Shiit tier, turned my red powder coated calipers pink.
The label on meguiar's All Wheel & Tire Cleaner says it cannot be sprayed on bare metal, anodized rims, uncoated rims, aluminum, etcetera. It eats everything that isn't coated with clearcoat or other protective coating. Your high temperature caliper paint by itself is not enough evidently.

In a thread a few weeks ago, someone answered the formula request for that product and posted a list and percentage by WEIGHT (not W/V) of the ingredients. It was 95% by weight some base liquid. Then various nasty ingredients. The person also posted animal tests that meguiar's subjected rabbits, rat, guiniea pigs to. Including how much it took to blind the animals. How much to kill 50% of them. Apparently it is pretty strong because very small injections would kill a rabbit.

>>15536452

There is no best wax, closest thing I have encountered is P21S. It depends on paint, application, etc. And then its really a trade off between durability and quality of finish.

Claiming one wax is the best is bullshit, DIY'ers and pros have spent time and money looking for it and haven't found one yet.

>>15538112
If you go a few posts up, you'll see that what I'm talking about isn't a wax at all, but something that someone looking for the best possible protection might be interested in.

>>15536400
>Best wax for the price desu. Does its job and sticks around a good long time

I also am a fan of the Turtle Wax ICE series of products. They are much more affordable and easily used versions of Zaino and those other boutique items. Turtle Wax ICE is fully synthetic, so there is no more carnauba which is nice, but also falls off sealed surfaces easily.

Because good clearcoats shed contaminants easily (you surely don't want clearcoat that bonds with contaminants), that means carnauba falls off easily. We think of carnauba as a desirable object, but good clearcoat has no emotion and simply considers carnauba was to be yet another contaminant that is trying to stick to it.

Polymer waxes and sealants approach the clearcoat from a chemical perspective instead of the more physical one that carnauba has.

Another plus of turtle wax ICE is that the wax is non-staining of trim, black plastics, and rubber. Meguiar's various carnauba formulas always stained trim and rubber. In the case of meg gold class, the trim would be stained a few days later when the last of the solvents evaporated and left the yellowish white wax to stain the trim.

On youtube reviews, people found that turtle wax ICE stayed on a lot longer than the carnauba forumulas such as meguiar's gold class.

>>15536400
>Does its job and sticks around a good long time.
I waxed my car with turtle wax ice in november 2015, feb 2016, and may 2016. It's always shined a lot between waxes despite rain. All I need to do is dust. It needs another wash now due to tree sap from those acidic white oaks or turpentine pine trees. The part of the parking lot with the shady maple trees is hard to get a space. There's no part of work parking that isn't sprinkled by tree sap, so the maple tree spots are the most popular since the cars are much cooler there. The least popular are the pine trees since there is almost no shade and lot of turpentine sap balls that are the most resinous of all the tree sap balls in the lot. They are too many and too resinous for any detailer spray. It's car wash or not.

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>>15539524
>I also am a fan of the Turtle Wax ICE series of products

ICE is trash tier, I do like their QD spray but that is the only exception to the entire Turtle Wax product line.

Also Zano is urban legend trash that quickly identifies retards to anyone who knows what they are doing.

I am not a detail snob, I believe there are a lot of bullshit products that exist only to be expensive to be attractive to the idiots who assume if $=quality then $$$=moar quality with no upper bound. The only worthwhile normally available over the counter waxes I have used are Megs NXT 2.0 and Mothers California Gold Caranuba.

Right now I stock 4 different soaps, 5 waxes, 2 QD sprays, and ~25 other trim, glass, and specialty products Soaps have different uses, if I use a foam cannon or want to strip old wax/sealant before correction. Some waxes work better on light colors or metallic paint.

If you detail as a professional then having a wide selection of products helps, if you are doing it for yourself then selecting what works best for you paint and can be applied per by someone with your skill level (Some hybrid products are not novice friendly)

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>>15534256

would degreaser be fine too? pls respond

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>>15542597
would this be okay too for cleaning the engine bay?

>>15542600
>>15542600


Simple green extreme version (blue bottle). It will degrease and won't corrode aluminum, it also rinses clean.

ProTip; Rinse with a hose nozzle that has a "mist" setting.

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I spent like hours washing, clay bar, rubbing compound, polish compound, and waxing my trunk. Just the decklid. It turned out rather nice. I might get an actual buffer cause I did that shit by hand and it was exhausting, but turned out well, and I want to do the whole car.

Pic related is how it was when I bought it, and I want to restore that shine. I don't care if it has rust now, I want that shine back.

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>>15518565
neat, this thread isn't dead

this did it, 1/4 distilled white vinegar with warm water, thanks mate

>>15542138
I normally use the Mothers California Gold Wash & Wax and it does a pretty good job, but they did not have it at the store I went to and so I got what is in OP. The hydrophobic bit actually has some merit to it.

>>15518565
Some quick detailer (QD) sprays also remove those dried on raised mineral spots on windows or chrome trim. One such is turtle wax ICE quick detailer. I've used it successfully many a time on windows and trim. It also wipes off easily.

>>15542138
>The stuff you guys use sucks
>Oh look, I have a lot of stuff you don't have
>You can't buy my stuff in stores
>The stuff you guys use sucks

>>15516540
>Are these bullshit or do they actually allow less water to mark your car?

It will be deionized water or distilled water that doesn't leave mineral spots when it dries.

https://archive.4plebs.org/o/thread/15054456/

>>15545209

$16 RV 100 micron filters I get from Amazon are great. Keeps minerals from the surface, keeps hard water from killing my pressure washer and seems to make my foam cannon even foamier.

>>15545781
Seems like they'd plug up right away? Or do they have a bypass to continually keep them clean?

The de-ionized water system is basically a reverse osmosis type system. The water pressure output is low, but all that is needed is for that water to sluice off the other "bad" rinse water on the car. Based upon the cost of buying a de-ionized water system and the frequency of use in car washes, it would be cheaper for me to buy distilled water at $0.79 per gallon and use that to do the final final final rinse of the car. One gallon if applied properly with the pump sprayer wand would be more than enough to rinse the car off.

>>15546177

I have never cut one open, I dunno.

I have seen some pretty crazy treatment setups, $16 is about as spendy as I will get as we dont have bad water around here.

>>15546707
>I have never cut one open,
You've seen reverse osmosis water filtration systems for home use? The ones that fit under the sink? Another name for the water output by a reverse osmosis system is deionized water. But since that is a lot of words, it's faster to just call it deionized water. Car wash deionized water system looks very similar except that it has fittings to connect to a water hose and output its water to a hose and spray wand.

http://www.purewaterproducts.com/articles/reverse-osmosis-faq

I just like to think of car wash deionized water systems as reverse osmosis systems with osmosis filters that were rejected for drinking water standards.

Hey /o/ i have a few detailing questions.

Am I supposed to clay bar before buffing out scratches? I don't have a buffer, I was hoping to take the scratches out with the clay bar but I don't think a clay bar does that very well. I think the order is wash, clay bar, buff, wax. Is that right?

Also is it ok to clay bar the car and just use spray wax and buff the scratches out at a later time?

Also any cheap orbital buffer recommendations?

>>15547027

I look at as exponential money for incredibly minor gains. I am drying the car anyway, this just reduces any buildup in panel gaps and removes minerals form any hard water that will reduce foaming.

>>15547430
>Am I supposed to clay bar before buffing out scratches?

Yes, remove any contamination from paint before correction, the only abrasive should be the compound or polish,

Your order is correct. Get a cheap Harbor Freight buffer and pick up a decent 5" backing plate when you get pads if you want a serviceable buffer and pads for <$100 USD.

Its ok to use spray wax and skip the correction, I would recommend Megs Ultimate Quik Wax as its pumped full of fillers that will hide the scratches a bit and available over the counter.

Use a good MF cloth to avoid adding more scratches to the paint when using the spray wax, the rag company has decent stuff and there are tons of discount codes online.

>>15547462
Thanks for the info dude

>>15547430
>Am I supposed to clay bar before buffing out scratches?

Why do you need to buff out the scratches? Presumably, these are circular scratches put in there by the dealer's detailing service before they delivered the car to their first customer. Typically, they save time by using power orbital buffers. But they don't do it in a dust free room, so the grit in the atmosphere gets onto the car's surface and is ground in along with the wax.

You've washed your car before. But did you notice in the next 10 minutes as the car's surface slowly had atmospheric grit settle down on it? The same thing will happen when you use your orbital buffer to "polish" the car.

Polishing is going to wear down your clear coat of course. You are lowering your clear coat down to the level of the scratches in order to make them less visible. The advantage of having a thick clear coat is that it provides more UV protection to the paint layer underneat the clear coat. If you thin out the clear coat, that means more UV will reach the paint.

Instead of doing that, why not just wax more often? Or use a longer-lasting 100% synthetic wax instead of carnauba wax blends? The wax hides scratches. And use of the quick detailer spray hides scratches too.

Dust the car and apply quick detailer. Do that between wash and wax jobs.

>>15547741
Why would you hide scratches instead of removing them? Cars can be corrected multiple times before the clear coat gets too thin, and with the proper sealants, a car should only need to be corrected once or twice in its life, as long as the owner cares for it correctly.

The only time my car gets washed is when it rains. Sometimes i'll take it to the pay-by-the-minute power washer place and spray the salt off

>>15547883

For minor stuff, it's why glaze exsists. Let it get bad enough to need correction and do it as few times as possible.

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Does anybody in /o/ use those waterless wash-and-wax products? How do they compare to washing your car with water?

>>15522791
I wash mine at least once a week, but just got done cleaning the inside for the first time since I've owned. I bought it as a Christmas present to myself last year.

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Who /Griots/ here?

>>15547883
>Why would you hide scratches instead of removing them?

I guess I am from the school of do the least changes necessary to fix the specific problem while you are from the school of complete fix. My dentist is like that. He's from the "try to repair the tooth" while many other dentists are in the "pull the tooth and replace with titanium socket and all new tooth".

>>15548102
>Does anybody in /o/ use those waterless wash-and-wax products?

It's basically the same as a quick detailer (QD) BUT has added ingredients to make it foam up to lift up more of the grime and dirt than a quick detailer would do. The usage is also slightly different because you use up a lot more microfiber (MF).

If you don't really have a wax job to maintain with a QD, then you can use the waterless wash/wax. But if it was already waxed and you think enough of the wax remains, then you might as well use the quick detailer instead.

The waterless wash and wax is almost the same as a quick detailer too in usage. You still have to dust the car of all the loose dirt for either type of product. Because you are probably using the waterless [noun] in a slightly dirtier situation than the QD, remember to gently stroke in one direction instead of using a circular motion as you would with QD. This keeps the lifted detergent wash residue from being re-rubbed back on the surface. Thus, the MF is better able to do its wick and hold action to keep the surface clean and shiny. With waterless, you'll be using up a lot more MF cloths than with QD.

When done, as with the QD, you do a final pass with a clean MF and stroke in one direction. Of course, you can skip this step if you are out of time. But this gives a slightly better shine.

>>15548368
I detail professionally. I take people's money to fix the problem, not conceal it. If I slap some wax on to hide defects, only to have them reappear weeks later, I wouldn't have a very loyal customer base.

>>15548330
It's all pretty good, though for most of their products I've found alternatives that I prefer. Their polishers are boss though.

Is sealant a good finisher or should it be topped with something else after?

>>15548432
Depends on what you're after, and what product you're using. If you can only do one thing, I would suggest a sealant because generally it will provide better protection.

If you have more time, generally it's good practice to put a wax on top of your sealer, that way you build layers of protection, and you get the gloss and other properties of wax on top.

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Hand polishing peasant race. Spent hours on the van and still not done.

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>>15548618
Slider door is done, nothing else

>>15548618
>>15548629
It's coming out nicely, anon.

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>>15548629
Nose done

>>15548654
It's mostly just knocking off oxidation I think

>>15548395
>I take people's money to fix the problem, not conceal it.

Hmm. You didn't really fix the problem. Instead, you eliminated the problem. What is concealed to the customer is that the clear coat is thinner over the whole car wherever the swirl marks and another scratches are.

This type of problem elimination protects the reputation of the profressional detailer though.

As for professional detailing, my dealer hires professional detailers. They work on the dealer's property and all they do is detail. There are so many cars on the lot that there is no shortage of cars that need to be constantly dusted off or have their windows washed right after a rain. They are the professional detailers that professionally detailed my car using their professional orbital buffers with professionally obtained atmospheric dust that was professionally deposited on the professionally cleaned surface of my new car. The professional detailers who detail professionally full time as their jobs, professionally applied was and professionally buffed swirl marks with all their professional skills into my clear coat. Of course I was pleased. Because. They detail professionally. They take the dealer's money to fix problems and do so successfully. After all, the car was sold and not returned for faulty detailing. Truly. Professional Detailing. And they are efficient too. Instead of wasted motion, the microfiber towel was allowed to touch the wet ground as they wiped the car dry. I saw it. Since they are full-time paid, that makes them full-time professionals. Full time paid. Fully professional.

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>>15548732
Dealership detailers are a joke. The kinds of guys you're talking about? I'm the guy a customer takes their car to after the dealership fucks it up.

As for thinning the clear, as long as it meets film thickness requirements, it's not a concern. UV attacks the urethane clear, not the base underneath. If you know what you're doing, you can polish and even sand an area up to 5 times typically without being in danger of reducing film thickness too greatly.

As for dust, you clean in a controlled environment, and you clean your pads properly as well.

>>15548816
>Dealership detailers are a joke

So much this, talking with a member of the detail crew at a local dealer he said un-ironically they had three different waxes, grape, cherry, & apple scent. Also none had ever washed cars before being hired.

Dealership detail = swirlmark installers.

>>15548368
>I guess I am from the school of do the least changes necessary to fix the specific problem >My dentist is like that. He's from the "try to repair the tooth"

That is a pretty shitty analogy, since hiding scratches with wax doesn't even come close to "repairing" the paint.

>>15548732
>What is concealed to the customer is that the clear coat is thinner over the whole car wherever the swirl marks and another scratches are

The namefriend already said it best
>>15547883
>Cars can be corrected multiple times before the clear coat gets too thin, and with the proper sealants, a car should only need to be corrected once or twice in its life, as long as the owner cares for it correctly.

It seems like you are just trying your hardest to justify the shit detail job you got.

>>15548816
How do you deal with paint chips/scratches down to bare metal on a car that's not worth the time to fill in said scratches and chips?

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>>15549085
Sort of a tricky question, you always want to fill in a chip or scratch that is down to the substrate. Left exposed, the substrate will start to corrode, whether it's steel or aluminum.

If someone doesn't want chips filled with touch up, or if it's not available, then I'll go about business as usual. The coat of sealant I apply to the whole car will hopefully protect the substrate long enough for the customer to get ahold of some touchup.

>>15549051
>That is a pretty shitty analogy, since hiding scratches with wax doesn't even come close to "repairing" the paint.

Cars come with a finite amount of clear, polishing off a fraction to correct some minor imperfection is retardrd.

Products have fillers to hide these. I detail professionally and have only corrected my personal car once. There are some issues that can be polished away but it's best to keep the surface clean and protected until the buildup of issues requires correction.

Good detailers care about maintaining the finish, on expensive cars the factory original finish adds tremendously to the value.

>>15550157
The name of the game is prevention. Ideally you would correct the car as perfectly as possible, then apply the best protection you possibly can. For many, that's a strong sealant and good wax, reapplied at appropriate intervals. I prefer coating cars for ultimate protection, but that is prohibitively expensive for most.

>>15550178
>that's a strong sealant and good wax,

Doesn't a strong sealant make it harder for the wax to stay on?

>>15551324
Not that I've seen, no. Even if that were the case the protection of the sealant would still be preferable to what the wax offers.

>>15551781

You referring to something like opticoat when referring to sealant? Or are you talking about synthetic waxes?

>>15550178
>a strong sealant
Zaino has a strong sealant. It definitely works as shown by user comments in various car care forums.

>>15554189
>Zaino has a strong sealant

>>15542138
>Also Zano is urban legend trash that quickly identifies retards to anyone who knows what they are doing.

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I always use

>CLR and Scotch Brite pads

>>15534256
Complete dogshit

Turns tires brown

>>15555456
I'm wary of stuff that can't get onto paint or many other surfaces of the car. CLR is pretty strong stuff and is just for windows. You cannot use it to get waterspots off paint, trim, or clear plastics.

CLR has various formulations like household or professional/industrial. It's active ingredients are basically:
Lactic Acid approx 12 to 18% by weight
Gluconic Acid approx 2.5 to 3.75% by weight
Lauramine Oxide approx 1.5 to 3.25% by weight

I've used CLR before on one of my old cars. I had let the water spots bake on the windows for weeks and windex wouldn't take it off.

>>15556287
maybe your tires are old AF.

put some meguiars endurance tire gel on it to take the brown away and it adds a nice deep black.

>>15558871
Shiny oily tires!

Why not also use oily brylcream or oily hair pomade and make your hair shine too?

I would like nice black tires without the shiny oily sheen. And some UV protection too to stop the summer sun from causing tire cracks.

>>15516540

All wash and wax stuff are BS. The wax stuff will just stick to your black trim and ruin it.

>>15559527

Optimum tire gel. UV protection, and no greasy tire shine look.

Looks like clean rubber.

>>15559551
>The wax stuff will just stick to your black trim and ruin it.

The carnauba waxes are the ones that stain the trim and rubber. The 100% synthetic ones don't.

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>>15560224
>Optimum tire gel. UV protection, and no greasy tire shine look.
Thank you. I'll look for it the next time I pass by the NAPA store. The Endurance gel by meguair's is a high gloss gel, so the gels seem to be a wash out so far. It's the "Let's Have More Tire Shine and More Disco-Light Stereo Displays" era for cars right now.

>>15562196
bump due to alphonse's new spam flood attack

>>15562836
bampu damn alphonse

I wax my windshield with meguiars. Works like rain x just lasts longer

>>15563821
>I wax my windshield with meguiars
What specific type of meguiar's? There are a huge number of products.

>>15552836
Opticoat would be what I refer to as a coating. Sealants and waxes are in the same family, but where they differ is their function. A sealant will be more protective, but less filling and less glossy. A wax would be something with less longevity, but a high gloss for a deep wet look.

>>15554189
I don't trust products like Zaino. I've found other products that are much more effective. I class it with other wash+wax type products. I don't trust one product to do just one thing. Chemically speaking, it means there's a compromise.

>>15558871
Brown tires can be caused by using solvent based (in other words, most) tire dressings. These dressings pull the preservatives from the tire and make it look greasy or oily, eventually the rubber turns brown and begins to rot. You want a water based dressing that protects the tire while giving it a more natural finish.

>>15564320
>Brown tires can be caused by using solvent based (in other words, most) tire dressings.

They turn brown on their own from the arizona sun. Instead of shiny tire dressings, they should sell "sunscreen for tires". After 3 years, the surface starts having those very fine cracks and I never use solvents on the tires.

>>15566166
I should have been more specific. Solvent based tire dressings greatly accelerate this process.

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are squeegees a good idea for drying off the car much quicker or will it scratch my paint. i'm thinking of buying one because drying with a towel takes much longer.

>>15566922
Use a waffle weave microfiber towel and a drying aid. A squeegee will scratch your paint. Invariably in a wash there will be dirt that you miss, the microfiber picks it up and away, the squeegee does not absorb, so the contaminants are dragged across the paint.

>>15566922
The way I've been using them is on large panels and windows to get the majority of water off then using a MF towel to finish the rest

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>>15566922
That picture is of the one of the best soft silicon squeegee drying aids out there. It even won Motor Trend's top 10 product awards and was reviewed as not scratching paint unlike the cheap foreign ones. It's not like the cheap chinese squeegees whose silicon is often contaminated.

As drying aids go, tsqueegee has a "T" endcap on the end of that long transparent silicon flexible band. That band is fastened to the stiff purple handle.

The technique is to draw it across lightly with the main silicon band about 30 degrees and pull the water off. Don't worry if a little bit of water is left behind because that water provided lubricating action between the thin silicon blade "T" and the clear coat. You use the squeegee to get almost all the water off quickly and then wipe with a MF plush cloth to suck up the remaining moisture before it can dry and spot. Don't mash the squeegee down vertically and fiercely try to remove every single drop of water.

Due to the squeegee drying aid, most of the water remaining behind are big drops which don't dry off fast and leave spots like those tiny misty water droplets. Towels take time to cover the car and many misty droplets can dry in the sun leaving a water spot behind. But with the "T" blade squeegee you got rid of those tiny droplets fast before they dried and left behind mostly only large drops that don't dry up fast. Thus you win the race on drying the car off fast without scratching.

I do check my car in the sun and note scratch marks, There aren't any of the long vertical ones from the squeegee. All the marks are either swirl marks from the stealership's new car preparation or from grit thrown up by cars on the road..

Keep the squeegee drying aid clean and don't store it such that you bend the blade. It has been a precious friend that saved me a lot of time and gave me no scratches I can see in the bright sun. Even a MF will scratch the car if you use it improperly while drying off the car.

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Anyone buy stuff from these guys? Thinking about getting some of this

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Anyone know of a good wheel cleaner for these? I have to do 2, the other 2 were done with a variety of cleaners, which is concerning.

>>15567710
Sonax

Or Meguiars Detailer Wheel Brightener (not hot rims).

>>15567710
Sand these bitches out and polish them by hand

Will have them looking brand spanking new

>>15567710
>Anyone know of a good wheel cleaner for these?
What you do depends if they are coated or not. If coated, then sanding them would remove the coating (bad). There's lots of wheel cleaners for coated rims. Don't use the "no touch" cleaners because those are just too strong and artificially age the rubber surface of your tire.

If the rims are not coated, then even those cheap non-stiff nylon brushes at walmart or the dollar store works.

>>15567710
reminds me of the wheels on my old celica supra. mine were uncoated aluminum. if you're are the same I would HIGHLY recommend doing what another anon said and sanding + polishing them, they will look amazing. I removed and refilled the black enamel on mine as well, they looked so good. it'll be a huge pain in the ass, but it's worth it.

>>15570032
pic?

>>15543135
>I spent like hours washing, clay bar
>>15570808
>It has over spray on it form those dickheads painting the parking spots while people are parked in them

I use a Quick Detailer spray that has some solvents in it (just like liquid car wax has solvents in it that clean the car surface). The QD should remove the overspray better than the clay bar.

Clay really is more like the final step before correction/waxing. You wash to get almost all the grit and grime off. Some people like to use foam wands because that lets the wash sit on the car longer and also floats off some of the grime so it doesn't redeposit. After washing, there will be stubborn spots you then use QD with its solvent action to remove the overspray. Then you clay. Then you wax.

>car got into a minor accident
>no longer feel the need to clean my car
r i p car, waiting for repairs
F

>>15526008
>>15527862
I use this and can confirm it's the shit.

Goes on and off pretty easy, but its hard to see what you're doing with it (black car, green paste, spreads like an oil annoyingly).

Water beads like mad for months, the claim that it lasts 12 months is probably bullshit, but I've never tried and have no real interest in trying.

Admittedly it's fairly expensive for the amount you get. I've been using 'Big White Hi Temp Paste Wax' recently, which is a sealant rather than a wax like the name would suggest. I initially bought it only to use on my wheels but after seeing how long it lasted on my alloys I decided to try it on my paint too. It seems to work pretty good and I can get more than double of this shit for the same price as the Japanese stuff.

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lmao i bet u faggots don't even get half the beading I get LOL

>>15573068
Sheeting>Beading

>>15573151
Why lie?

>>15573214
I appreciate good beading as much as the next guy but it's best to have the water sheet off the paint rather than sit, collect dust/dirt, and leave said dust/dirt spots on the surface when the water dries.

>>15566922
I'd never trust them on a good paint job, I had one for a bit, and it seemed to work really well, but man, if the paint isn't absolutely smooth, and the car's not absolutely soaked you can feel resistance when you move it and it's not a good feeling.

>>15573245
Beading is a nice reminder your paint is still protected.

I don't think I've ever used a product that 'sheets' water, but I watched a few videos of products that act this way and they just look like the water behaviour your car has after you stripped all the wax and you're down to the clear coat.

>>15573302
I agree beadings definitely more satisfying when you come out to your car after a light rain when you've just waxed it.

What wax did you use on that Audi?

I've been basically using synthetic sealant exclusively the past few years but I'm looking for a good quality carbauba wax that will play well on top of the Klasse SG I use to try to extend the sealants life a bit more

>>15573692
It's an old photo so I'm not sure, but I think it was Bilt Hamber Double Speed Wax, dumb name I know.

It definitely gives the car a shine, lasts a good amount of time when the weather isn't crazy hot. I've been using sealants over summer as they seem to last better in the heat.

>>15573302
>Beading is a nice reminder your paint is still protected.

With all wax stripped, my new car clear coat beaded very nicely. Water even runs off and doesn't pool up.

In my eyes, seeing the clear coat bead the water perfectly helped define beading for me. It also meant that water refuses to gather in sizes more than a few drops because if it does, the gravitational weight will cause it to run off the paint. Thus, the only way water remains on the clear coat is in the form of tiny water droplets called "beads". Anything larger will roll off. So if the water gathers on your paint in anything larger than a few drops, it is not perfectly beading.

Because the stripped clear coat of the new car beaded, that also meant that beading is not limited to cars that are waxed. So any wax or polymer coating that claims it beads is not doing any more than what your clean clear coat already does.

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>>15574073
My clear coat really doesn't bead water at all, but it's old as shit. Newest car I've stripped and waxed is 6 years old, the difference in water behaviour before and after was massive. I've never really seen a car bead up with no wax.

is a dual action polisher worth the money? do I need experience to use one?

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>>15574073
>"So any wax or polymer coating that claims it beads is not doing any more than what your clean clear coat already does"
>assuming how water reacted on your sticky, naked clear coat is the epitome of what beading looks like

New car or not, taking another look at that comparison photo of that black Audi a few posts up might give you an idea of what beading actually looks like

Would a crack and/or chip in my windshield cause the wipers to streek or do I just need new wipers?

>>15574677
When was the last time you replaced/cleaned your blades?

>bought a car with a fuckton of road salt stuck to it
>wouldn't come off with a sponge/wash
>wat do

Would it be safe to use a water/vinegar mixture, or would it damage the clearcoat?
Would clay work?
It's really stuck on there as well, I feel like I'd need sandpaper to get it off

>>15574984
Yes use a clay bar maybe compound and Polish then wax it

>>15574984
>bought a car with a fuckton of road salt stuck to it
>wouldn't come off with a sponge/wash

How would a professional detailer go about removing it?

>>15575372
Bathe it in degreaser then pressure wash it.
Google 22350xpw for the right shit.

>>15575439
>>15574984
For clarity, here at BMW we use that shit on anything from 30k rental kias to $140k+ brand new i8's.

Have a bit of pitting in my windshield. Can these be polished out?

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I work in the reconditioning dept. of a GM dealership. If anyone's interested in how cars get ready for the lot here's an example.

A 2013 black CTS coupe, a lease return purchased from NYC arrives soaked in hydraulic oil from the leaky delivery truck. The russian truck driver gets his check and takes a sponge bath in the used cars bathroom. The car is fucked, all wheels curbed, floor mats encased in winter salt, but NYC cars are cheaper to buy. This starts the recon. process if the car isn't arbitrated.

A porter drives the CTS to the wash bay where its engine & door jambs are degreased and pressure washed. It's washed with a truck brush, rinsed, sprayed with ResistAll™ paint sealant and run through the 1988 automatic car wash.

The porter then douses the plastic & leather interior surfaces with Work Horse and citrus cleaner, wipes with a magic eraser and dries with compressed air. Carpets are 'cleaned' by spraying foaming upholstery cleaner, wiping with the magic eraser, foamed again & vacuumed. Maybe drill brushed if it's bad. Do magic erasers erase dirt? Windows get streaked clean. The porter runs the cts through again and parks it. This detail costs $200 and then the car gets serviced.

Some vendor dude whose company makes a killing does a touch up and 1-step buff in the sun. No swirl remover or wax here folks. Before buffing the car gets wiped down with a california car duster. This costs $225 for a black car.

Another vendor dude gets $45 to load up the interior with spray dye. Most of the time he just paints the driver's carpet.

A wheel guy gets $65/each to paint the wheels.

PDR gets $50/panel.

The CTS is now Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned and sells.

Behind the used car building, on the oil-soaked faded asphalt, another CTS gets dropped off.

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>>15576483
I fucking cringed

>>15575372

>How would a professional detailer go about removing it?

this is /o/ we do everything on our car ourselves

>>15576483
>sealant applied
>polished after this
Why do I not believe you.

>>15578242
Because you are deliberately using the wrong meaning of the word polish just to find a way to make the poster have a contradiction. When read in context and using the proper meaning of polish, it makes sense.

>>15518160
goo gone