Exhaustive Guide: Car Detailing Basics

[Dr MUDHAN]

Dear KK

Thanks for your loving wishes.

I have not tried Autofresh All Purpose Cleaner but, understand that it is one of the reliable product just like CarPro PERL.

IMO , leather is a premium material, needs a dedicated solutions – cleaner and conditioner, if not at least a combo for quick detailing.

As Suryaputhra endorsed, you may try Armorall Leather Care Gel. But, may be good for a mild to moderate stains .

I personally prefer the dedicated ones as using a leather conditioner is the last step in renewing the shine of leather because first we need to clean them with leather cleaner.

It is always better to test first, the reaction depends upon the type of leather we have.

Some leather liquids may not be suitable for unfinished leather and it is important to know the difference between finished and unfinished leather. Any leather described as aniline, semi aniline, raw leather, suede, nubuck, pull up is considered unfinished.
The best way to find a finished or unfinished leather is to do the water drop test. If the water drop ends up darkening or staining the leather then it’s unfinished and if doesn’t then its finished leather.

Therefore, you will first have to check the product in an inconspicuous spot first to ensure that there is no discoloration in the leather of any kind.

We have to ensure that we wipe the leather regularly, and have them conditioned at least once every year.

Regards
Dr MUDHAN

 

[nishant5858]

Hello Guys,

I need suggestion on what to do next for this surface scratch. It happened when our washing guy scrubbed the small spots which weren't disappearing. The scrubber has managed to scratch the clear coat although it isnt deep. My nails dont catch the scratch. The area has dulled a bit.

So, i was thinking of applying Rubbing Compound. Is this enough to remove it or is there anything else i need to consider.

Attaching pictures for reference

 

[CRACING]

Hello Guys,

I need suggestion on what to do next for this surface scratch. It happened when our washing guy scrubbed the small spots which weren't disappearing. The scrubber has managed to scratch the clear coat although it isnt deep. My nails dont catch the scratch. The area has dulled a bit.

So, i was thinking of applying Rubbing Compound. Is this enough to remove it or is there anything else i need to consider.

Attaching pictures for reference

Hello,

Mild abrasive compound should restore the shine but you may need polishing machine along with it otherwise it will be difficult to fix.

3m has two customer level compound products. 3M finesse it which is a aggressive compound and should be used carefully. Another is 3M Perfect It which is a mild compound.

You can try 3M Perfect It first and if it doesn't help then go for aggressive compound, i.e finesse it.

If you are interested in international brands, then you try products from Meguiar's (Ultimate Compound), Poorboys (SSR X.X abrasiveness as required), Chemical Guys (Hybrid Compound, Final Polish), Mothers (Professional Rubbing Compound) and etc.

When the shine is stored, use pure polish to make it perfect finish.

Thanks...
Best Regards

 

[nishant5858]

Thanks for the quick reply, will 3M Finesse It work here ? I don't have 3M perfect it compound. And is the 3M Premium Liquid wax enough to finish off as mentioned on the 3M Finesse it.

 

[CRACING]

Thanks for the quick reply, will 3M Finesse It work here ? I don't have 3M perfect it compound. And is the 3M Premium Liquid wax enough to finish off as mentioned on the 3M Finesse it.

I have tried 3M Finesse-It by hand but it was too harsh. It has to be applied gently with soft foam pad and follow-up with mild compound (like Perfect-it) or swirl removing polish to make the surface shine and perfect.

I think for hard paint 3M Finesse-It would be last step product (LSP) which you can follow-up with wax but for soft paint, it cannot be considered as LSP.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Dr.Mudhan and other car detailing experts please give your points-

My grey swift ,has been given 3M paint sealent (Teflon) coating ,at 3 intervals of 6 months each.
I have noticed that in some grey swifts the colour is fading (2011 model as well as 2014 model ,having glistening grey colour),is this related with Paint getting aged or the teflon layer peels off(I know that teflon validity is less).
As the 3M affair though has 3 coatings,the interval 6 months is actually for me is a Vitamin-M puller(Money puller)

I normally wash the car with Armoral wax n wash at alternate washing,will this take care of my ride from paint dullness.? Any other DIY ,within a limited budget range of 2k.

Also heard from another detailer here-Ceramic coat -its bit costly about more than 4k,but its a single coat and validity they claim is 1 year ?

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

@ VISHNUCARCRAZY

TEFLON Yes or No?​

Teflon is basically Poly Tetra fluoro Ethylene (PTFE), accidentally discovered in 1938 by Roy Plunkett while he was working in New Jersey for DuPont.

The non sticky water droplets over lotus leaves triggered the invention.

The real Dupont Teflon is very expensive, equally some reputed makes like GFL (INOX), Daikin or ElringKlinker.

At 3M , the surface is coated with 3M car polish - a highly durable synthetic sealant for the final touch of gloss and UV protected.

Most of the PTFE coating (what everyone call Teflon here) in India is low quality Chinese grade and not reliable.

I don’t trust such coating; even dust sticking to the surface can also be bad with such PTFE coating.

PTFE is very soft and will barely last for even three months in Indian conditions. I suggest using a good sealant & good wax as discussed in this thread.

Metallic and shinning colors are more prone for fading in Indian hot weather and dusty environment.

Most Common Causes of Fading Car Paint Color are Sunlight, Salt, Abrasive Cleaners, Pollution, contaminants and Lack of Wax.

Sunlight – abundant in India,
Salt- check your water & sea shore surroundings,
Abrasive Cleaners- check your car shampoo and especially used by dealers at service time,
Pollution- inevitable in India,
Contamination- open parking/birds droppings,

Lack of Wax- the recipe is yours.

.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Point 1,2,4 are very much common here sir

In service centre they use MGA car shampoo (I have seen it)

Sir can you explain in detail with regard to my previous post,thanks for the quick reply sir.

 

[j4jigar]

@ VISHNUCARCRAZY

For Basic Protection of paint, following I would suggest
1. Clay
2. Sealant
if you go for poorboys Ex-p which cost around 1200/- for 16oz.
With 16oz you will be able to apply to your car at least 8 times.

For regular washing, I would suggest ONR Wash and Wax
Go for 32 oz which will cost you around 2000/-, which will give you wash for entire year

I hope this helps you, Since your concern with Money puller, please try to do protection procedure by
your self, it's easy just time consuming, watch videos on youtube.

For service center, I would advise not to get your car washed by them,
Low quality washing, low quality shampoo and lots of scratches
Instead once in 3 months or 6 months whatever you can afford get your car washed outside
may be by 3M.

I also do the same, I get my car washed every 3 months from local detail-er for 350/-.

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

@ VISHNUCARCRAZY

Paint fading is inevitable in our weather and environment and it is more noticeable in a metallic paint.

After detailing procedure, sealing and a good coat of wax like Collinite 845 may help us to maintain the car paint and gloss and still the duration depends upon how well we care the car.

The required exterior detailing in three steps (Preparation – Protection – Preservation) have been discussed in this thread in detail.

In your case, if 3M affair of 3 coatings in an interval 6 months is a package and for which if you have already paid, please complete it. Actually , 3M India never does Teflon coating, they do detailing what they call - Powershine Exterior Treatment, 3M Paint Sealant Program..

Later follow the DIY procedures discussed in this thread in future whatever / whenever required. I agree with what j4jigar said.

IMO, except undercoating (especially if you're in a heavily salted area), the so called Teflon coating, Diamond coating, Ceramic coating (example CarPro Cquartz Ceramic Quartz Paint Protection) are not worth in our practical conditions. (If we have a lot of money and if we are proud of keeping the car as a glistening doll inside a show room then it may require for attracting everyone. )

 

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Yesterday when I went to a known distributor (he is a distributor for house hold and certain car care products) to buy some house stuff, came across Jopasu Trim n Tire Dressing which is solvent based and looked unlike other Tire Dressing products I had seen. He said once applied it will last for around 15 days and I thought of giving a try.

Today morning I applied as directed on the package using sponge and after it was dry it gave a nice and new look on the tires. The look was not very glossy (I don't like too glossy and artificial looks) and looked natural, which was to my liking.

Also, the distributor said this repels water and does not attract much dust. Now, will wait and see how long this lasts and on the dust attraction part and will update again.

On the looks front, I recommend this product. Now some pics, which I think is not doing justice to the actual look, as the car was under shade.

Regards,
KK

 

[Driveright]

I have been using a product called wavex silicon glaze on my 3 month old bridge stones on my m800.I had scrubbed clean the tires before application of the product for better adhesion and interaction of the product with the rubber.It leaves a silky smooth surface to touch and the shine lasts for about a week to ten days. I presume it should last longer in drier weather as we have on and off rains in Bangalore these days .The bottle also says it can be used on plastic and painted surfaces also .It helps beading water too! However I found that it helps to hold fine dust which can easily be removed by just wiping but without affecting removal of the silicone glaze.Tougher stains like like bird poop and tree sap also slides more easily when hit with a jet of water from hose pipe.

 

[CRACING]

Hello Friends,

How are you all doing? I hope all is well.

I have done scheduled detailing for my car day before yesterday, which included claying, polishing and waxing. Products used are Bilt Hamber Autoclay Soft, Meguiar's Ultimate Polish and Meguiar's Yellow Wax. I have used my brotary polisher for applying polish and wax, with two LC black pads for each. It took 8 hours to finish the job, including washing and some rest.

These are the two new products I have used in this detailing:

Meguiar's Ultimate Polish is very good product as a pure polish. Applies evenly, smoothly and has enough working time (No issues about quick drying). When finished, we shouldn't delay much to wipe the residue otherwise it gets hard and will be difficult to remove. In other words, remove the residue when still wet. Clean water helps to remove the dried residue though. The polishing oil did gave little wet look as stated.

Meguiar's Yellow Wax M26 makes the surface little darker then my two other wax products (Mother's CG Synthetic Wax & Auto Finesse Tripple AIO) but not as dark as Meguiar's wax. Good thing is, this product includes Carnauba wax to give richness and depth of color. Most wax products must be applied by hand due to limited working time but this one can also be applied by DA and rotary, hence long working time and doesn't dry quickly. Meguiar's states this wax as premium but it costs less compared to their other wax products. Durability is said to be 3 months which is fine for me but lets see how it goes in our environment. Finally I liked the wax and would recommend it to dark coloured cars.

Some pictures to entertain: Click here

Thanks...
Best Regards

 

[vtecfan]

Hello All,
I am starting with few DIY cleaning of myself with the car. Have given the car for wash once since I bought the car a month ago. I bought couple of 3m MF cloths, 3M shampoo and paste wax. I am thinking to wash with the shampoo, dry it and apply wax on it. I am slowly getting started and planning to get the recommended products for glaze and WD40 in my next buy. Nothing so far for tyres and rims.

I have a glass cleaner with me, which i'll be using for now and later get a 3m one. Do anyone recommend waxing the windshields and windows after cleaning them with glass cleaner?

 

[CRACING]

Hello All,
I am starting with few DIY cleaning of myself with the car. Have given the car for wash once since I bought the car a month ago. I bought couple of 3m MF cloths, 3M shampoo and paste wax. I am thinking to wash with the shampoo, dry it and apply wax on it. I am slowly getting started and planning to get the recommended products for glaze and WD40 in my next buy. Nothing so far for tyres and rims.

As you are just starting to detail your car, I would strongly suggest you to use AIO wax or sealent because it cleans, polishes and protects the paint in one go. Later after 2-3 months, you can apply any good quality pure wax. Now if you use pure wax directly, it doesn't have polishing or cleaning abilities so you won't get the actual look or protection or the bonding won't last long. Also I cannot suggest you different products for each steps because that would be expensive and hard work for new-to-detailing people.

AIO products you may choice:
Auto Finesse Tripple All in One = ~1000
Meguiar's Black Wax - ~1000
Poorboys Polish With Carnauba or Poorboys Polish with Carnauba Blue or Poorboys Polish with Sealant = ~1500
Chemical Guys GAP10616 All-in-One - ~1500

At first glance these might look expensive but trust me, these will last for years if you know much quantity to use per application. AIO products are only used once or twice a year. Between that sealent and/or pure wax and spray wax has to be applied.

I have a glass cleaner with me, which i'll be using for now and later get a 3m one. Do anyone recommend waxing the windshields and windows after cleaning them with glass cleaner?

If you have household glass cleaner then don't use it frequently because it de-grades the plastic or rubber beading of car glass. Get a specific car glass cleaner or Proklear WWC works out pretty cheap.

I have heard some do apply wax for windshield but I don't think its a good idea because that will cause haze or light scattering in the night and anyhow the wax is not made for glass to be used. The correct product for windshield is rain repellent which makes water bead and slide away. Some products make the glass anti-glare, reduce dust attraction and smooth for jitter-free wiper blade operation. Checkout Proklear NGS treatment. Guide for application and review from our follow member Kichu can be read here