Exhaustive Guide: Car Detailing Basics

[vtecfan]

Thank you cracing for your prompt replies. I must thank you for pitching in to all my silly and nooby questions. This is my first car and I dont want to make any more mess than i've done already (will be covering in initial reviews). I've already brought 3M paste wax. Do you suggest me to return (bought it just today) and go for AIO products or keep it for later use.

3m shampoo is yet to arrive so i may start with my wash and wax on Sunday.

one more question, i've some scratches that had killed some paint in my door and also in front bumper (pic attached). Should I take any care when wax that place? Since I am newbie in driving, I would stay with these bruises for a while and detail after few months, as such things prone to happen while learning.

Also, thanks for the tip on glass cleaner, I am using Reliance one. I used only once. Will get your recommended ones.

Since I have prime with Amazon, i am preferring products from Amazon, what do you think about these ?

Meguiars Ultimate Polish
Formula 1

 

[CRACING]

I've already brought 3M paste wax. Do you suggest me to return (bought it just today) and go for AIO products or keep it for later use.

Please show me the link to the product so I can give you more details about it. Applying paste wax is little hard but it will be more durable then liquird waxes.

You can go for AIO products now but if you aren't ready for that, use the paste wax you have bought and after a month or two, use AIO product to get perfect finish.

one more question, i've some scratches that had killed some paint in my door and also in front bumper (pic attached). Should I take any care when wax that place? Since I am newbie in driving, I would stay with these bruises for a while and detail after few months, as such things prone to happen while learning.

It hurts to see those scratches but we couldn't stop them from happening either. Looks like those are deep and base coat (white colour) has exposed. Compounding can reduce some scratches but will not erase. Applying wax over scratches will make no difference but wax may trap in the deep scratches and make it look more exposed. So be sure to clean it nicely with microfiber cloth.

Anyway, once you get good hold of driving, get all the scratches fixed/touched-up in reputed car paint shop.

 

[vtecfan]

Thanks bro. Yes they are deep. I miscalculated the width and hit the wall in left passenger side. What hurts more was, usually there will be a car in right side and on that day it wasn't there. I should have gone more towards right.

Anyways, here is the 3m paste wax link

Any thoughts about the other products mentioned in my previous post?

 

[CRACING]

Since I have prime with Amazon, i am preferring products from Amazon, what do you think about these ?

Meguiars Ultimate Polish
Formula 1

I have that Megs Ultimate Polish and used with rotery polisher. It gives excellent finish and reduces minor swirls. A perfect product before wax or sealant application. However, by hand you won't achieve the best results and it will take lot of elbow grease. If you are going for different products for each process (Clay -> Polish -> Sealant -> Wax) then this product is highly recommended.

Most of Formula 1 have good feedbacks but there are lot of fake products from that brand so you have to watch out. It is a USA company and all the products state "Made in USA" but cost is cheaper or equal to the same available in USA market. This is strange! Checkout Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax. It costs 950 rs here but the same costs 200 rs less in US (Here), that is because of shipping, customs and importer charges.

Anyway, a spray wax is often used as a "booster" over an existing wax or sealant but not recommended to be used as standalone wax.

Here are some good spray waxes that I know:
Proklear SX Carnauba Spray Wax (Needs some elbow grease to apply and buff but gives nice finish/shine and durable)
Optimum OCW4 Car Wax (Easy to apply and very durable)
Mothers California Gold Spray Wax
Turtle Wax Minute Spray Wax (Member named Notorious in g e a r h e a d s forum import this product. You have to ask him for stock)

Thanks bro. Yes they are deep. I miscalculated the width and hit the wall in left passenger side. What hurts more was, usually there will be a car in right side and on that day it wasn't there. I should have gone more towards right.

I see

In my first car (Tata Nano), I hit a tree when parking next to it and that made a dent to passenger side door. After several days on street roads, I did understeer while turning and hit something on road side. All are miscalculations and do happen until we get used to driving.

Anyways, here is the 3m paste wax link

Hmm, it doesn't look like paste wax rather its cream type so application will be easy. It is a synthetic wax so will not give rich glow like Carnauba wax but will be durable for 1 to 2 months depending up weather condition and washing procedure. There is not much official info about contents in the wax but as per reviews, I think the wax either has polishing properties or fillers (glaze). Its good as a standalone wax but not for layering or applying over sealant. Anyway, follow the instructions and you should get best results.

 

[CRACING]

Amway and WaveX Products Review

CLEANING AND DETAILING PRODUCTS REVIEW
WaveX PLVR, WaveX Alloy Wheel Cleaner & Amway L.O.C Multi Purpose Cleaner

​

Hello Friends,

My car interior had lot of stains and dull finish because first owner didn't clean regularly. So far I was using car shampoos and rinseless solutions but wasn't satisfied. Over that, I used to apply protectant, making the surface look clean and shiny for temporary. I begin to search for interior cleaning products and found WaveX PLVR product promising and affordable for me but I wasn't sure about its quality nor heard the name very well. Other products for interior are dashboard protectant and upholster/leather cleaners sold by many different brands but those are not what I wanted.

WaveX has many products for auto care and as per reviews, most of them are effective and VFM. So I thought to give it a try and placed order for PLVR and Alloy Wheel Cleaner in there official website (Wavex.in). Since these are liquid and heavy products, they were shipped though Fedex surface mode and took a week to reach me. Along with two products, large size microfiber cloth and spray head were included for free.

Meanwhile, I had also placed order for Amway L.O.C Multi Purpose Cleaner in ebay India and it took same time to reach me. This product is concentrated solution so it works out pretty cheap as it can be diluted into water as required.

After gathering all the cleaning products, I spared some time to clean my car interior. First I started with dashboard, door panels, trims, rubber beading, art leather seats and etc. For this I used WaveX PLVR filled in small spray bottle. Its a solution to be used directly so I thought it will be strong but still I had to use soft brush to rub off some tough stains because cloth alone didn't work. Previously, shampoo used to make the surface dry, dull and whitish but PLVR made it clean, fresh and perfect for protectant application, though I haven't applied protectant because I want to see whether PLVR has dust repellent properties. I loved this product and will definitely recommend to others.

Next comes Amway L.O.C; with this product I have cleaned 3d mats and fabric flooring and it did the job pretty well, no doubt. I think this product will serve me for a year and if anyone has not tried this, I would highly recommend. It can be used for anything, not just for cars. Cleaning aggressiveness depends upon dilution ratio and it is mentioned very well in the bottle sticker.

Finally the WaveX Alloy wheel cleaner; There are tyre and wheel cleaners from different brands but this product is specially made for alloy wheels or is it? Anyway, I bought a small qty bottle to round off my order so I could get free shipping. My car alloy wheels are too dirty inside and its difficult to clean unless wheels are removed. For now I just cleaned the front portion and made a little test on dirty surface (Snapshot). The solution has to applied on pre-cleaned surface and it is strong so a small qty bottle will last long. After cleaning, the alloys looked clean and bright, just like factory finish.

These products are very effective but they have to be used regularly, otherwise stains get settled and then it will be hard to clean. Anyway, after cleaning I took lots of pictures and uploaded to my google photos account. Please click here to view. Hope you guys like it.

Thanks...
Best Regards

 

[Prabhagar]

Re: Amway and WaveX Products Review

CLEANING AND DETAILING PRODUCTS REVIEW
WaveX PLVR, WaveX Alloy Wheel Cleaner & Amway L.O.C Multi Purpose Cleaner
​

The pictures speaks for themselves . You could have posted this as a separate thread in Product Reviews section.​

 

[Suryaputhra]

@Prabhagar This is right thread to discuss about above products because it is Exhaustive Guide: Car Detailing Basics, more over DR.Mudan, Cracing and KK are seniors and they have well knowledge in this detailing, They are very humble and always helpful to newbies from the scratch anywhere and anytime.

-suryaputhra

 

[chemmutk]

@suryaputhra
I am planning to get my new baleno which is expected to get delivered soon to 3m for their essential treatment. It consists of wash-clay-polish-sealent. Do you have any idea what grade clay they will be using ?( Ultra fine, fine,medium or heavy) . And the polish for new car ? (Abrasive ?) .Coz somebody told me that even for swirl free brand new car also, thy are using very abrasive technique before applying sealent. Do u hv any idea?

 

[Suryaputhra]

@suryaputhra
I am planning to get my new baleno which is expected to get delivered soon to 3m for their essential treatment. It consists of wash-clay-polish-sealent. Do you have any idea what grade clay they will be using ?( Ultra fine, fine,medium or heavy) . And the polish for new car ? (Abrasive ?) .Coz somebody told me that even for swirl free brand new car also, thy are using very abrasive technique before applying sealent. Do u hv any idea?

We have contacted 3M for my brother's Porsche cayenne, we are shocked. Not happy with the materials and lack of professional techniques. I never recommend 3M.

Maruti Suzuki Paint job is extremely poor, like Cracing said very very thin clear coat. Small finger nail can scratch top and base coat of Suzuki cars. If you do lot of treatment you lose your manufacturer clear coat. These car detailers do so many things, in the beginning you may notice brilliant results once the coatings are fading you notice permanent loss of original paint finish.

New car is not swirl free, cars are covered with mud and sand in the stock yard. Before sending for delivery they clean cars with normal cloth swirls are formed. At the time of delivery dealers will clean and polish the cars with poor quality products.

You can not avoid swirls, even you do lots of treatments new swirls formed in no time. Doing lot of treatments losing your original paint quality this is especially true for Maruti Suzuki cars.

My advice is read this thread from the beginning and do it your self.

suryaputhra

 

[CRACING]

Hello Chemmutk,

All the points said by Suryaputhra are 100% correct and I also won't recommend car detailing shops because workers are not skilled and they will cause more harm then good.

Western cars have thick coat of paint and some doesn't even have clear coat but still they have brilliant shine because of high quality paint. It can also be machine polished several times and only least amount of paint is stripped. But same cannot be said for Japanese and Korean cars because these have very thin coat of paint and a clear coat to make it glossy. So if we care about the paint finish then a proper detailing has to be done. I have seen car detailing shops using big wool pads on rotary polisher for polishing, waxing, buffing but its big NO, Why? because wool pad is made for heavy cut or paint correction and used by car body shops at the time of painting.

The car has to be cleaned properly and the environment should be dust-free otherwise, any product can ruin the paint or cause swirls. Different grade clay bars are made to remove heavy to light above surface contamination's but will not cause swirls or remove clear coat when carefully used. Polishing products have different cutting abilities and should be used according to the condition of the paint. Same goes for compounding products.

Detailing by hand is much safer then machine and for new cars its better to do by hand.

For example: A strong shampoo to perfectly clean the car, a light clay to remove above surface contamination's, a light polish to cheer up the clear coat and a coat of wax or sealant to protect the paint and get extra shine. You can also skip the last two and go for AIO products that contain polish+wax (or polish+sealant) to save your time and energy.

This method is to be done once a year and products to do this job will cost you around 5k (High quality products made by international companies) and the same products will serve for more then 3 years.

But If really want the detailing to be done from 3M or etc, get the names of the products they use and let me know. I will try my best to collect more details about it.

Thanks...
Best Regards

 

[swiftshashi]

Collinite effect on my 17 year old M800 5 Speed

 

[Suryaputhra]

Hi seniors, while casual browsing Proklear website I have found new product below foam wash. Any first class experience with foam wash , merits and demerits?

PROKLEAR SFC Snow Foam Concentrate Car Shampoo 25 Wash Pack: Amazon.in: Car & Motorbike

-suryaputhra

 

[antonio]

Hi please suggest me good Water based cleaning only product or for interior.

 

[neeraj.tomer]

Hi,

Anyone used sonax product (made in germany)? Please throw some light over it

https://www.amazon.com/SONAX-Polish-Wax-Color-Nano/dp/B01N3JHNLY

 

[CRACING]

Hello Friends,

I have bought new wash mitts from Sobby brand and would like to share quick review here.

These wash mitts are excellent in quality and stitching, yet inexpensive. I got set of 2 pieces for Rs. 230 from Amazon India and I'm a prime member so shipping is free. Single piece and set of 3 pieces are also available. The glove is large and fits perfectly to my hands. Chenilles are closely stitched so no chance of exposing inner cloth while using the mitt. Chenille is present only on one side and the other side is plain microfiber, which would be useful sometimes. As per seller, double sided mitt will be available soon.

Finally, I would highly recommended this wash mitt if you are looking for cheap and best ones, alternatively you can also check Chemical Guys Chenille Microfiber Wash Mitt.

Took few snapshots include dimensions, check it out:

​

Other types of washing cloths/mitts I have used:


Cheap quality mitts - These are worst in quality, stitching and inner cloth is made of Satin like material. Only good for cleaning appliances, doors, windows and etc in the house.


Chenille mitt with large sponge - I have bought 3 pieces of these from china. Quality is excellent but too heavy when soaked and also takes many days to dry. Good for using occasionally.


Microfiber cloth with tiny chenilles - I have bought few quantities of these from Big bazaar because they worked very good and I'm satisfied with the results. However, chenilles are thin and short so not good for washing very dirty vehicle. Works best for waterless washing.

Thanks...
Best Regards