Exhaustive Guide: Car Detailing Basics

[vicks619]

I paid for shipping as I didn't find any real need for a product to fill the Rs 1000 mark. Ordered on 12th, shipped on 13th via BlueDart (from Bangalore), first delivery attempted on 15th (I was out of station) and delivered on 17th. Packaging was overly done IMO, they used the original Sonax cartons that came during import which meant adding lot of folded cartons and polythene papers as fillers inside. Unfortunately, there are no coupons/discounts I could find on their site.

@vicks619, What brand is the new cover you had bought? I have heard great reviews about TPH Covers (tphcovers.in) for its protection from environmental elements, though I feel they are very expensive.

I mailed carpowergrid for new user discount coupon last week(Wednesday) Yet to hear from them. At least have courtesy to say no. Tweeted as well to their twitter handle on last Tuesday No reply from anywhere. I placed order but not completed payment. Got automatic mail for payment due but these guys have not bothered to call me and ask to complete the payment. Nobody responds to online chat.. I am a bit skeptical about their service after seeing no support/reply from any channel.

Regarding cover, I will check for the brand. But I think it is locally made. Yet to check its abilities as it has not rained since morning when I covered my car. If I wouldn't it would have rained :p

 

[Prabhagar]

Got a chance to try the Sonax BSD this morning. Car was washed with Armor All Ultrashine shampoo on Sunday. There was slight rain yesterday which left with a slightly soiled and muddy surface. Sonax did not have any issue in cleaning the surface and left behind a nice shine. The shine levels were similar to that of Green Duck Waterless Wash liquid which I have used earlier on my car.
I am yet to see how it beads off water, hopefully there will be some rain, or else I have to test with a garden sprayer myself next time.





Red arrow indicates full bottle level.

 

[vicks619]

Got a chance to try the Sonax BSD this morning. Car was washed with Armor All Ultrashine shampoo on Sunday. There was slight rain yesterday which left with a slightly soiled and muddy surface. Sonax did not have any issue in cleaning the surface and left behind a nice shine. The shine levels were similar to that of Green Duck Waterless Wash liquid which I have used earlier on my car.
I am yet to see how it beads off water, hopefully there will be some rain, or else I have to test with a garden sprayer myself next time.

View attachment 228788

View attachment 228789

Red arrow indicates full bottle level.
View attachment 228790

Initial picture looks nice. Did you use it as ONR/proklear CX to clear dirt of the car(spray on car surface, wait for few seconds for the dirt to lift of surface and then wipe with MF). I thought it to be used as spray wax after cleaning to top the existing layer once in 3 weeks.
The level of bottle dipped significantly in a single use itself. 4-5 uses out of 1 bottle? How long will it last? 6 months? Any guesses.
Did you also get the MF along with bottle. How is quality?

 

[Prabhagar]

Initial picture looks nice. Did you use it as ONR/proklear CX to clear dirt of the car(spray on car surface, wait for few seconds for the dirt to lift of surface and then wipe with MF). I thought it to be used as spray wax after cleaning to top the existing layer once in 3 weeks.
The level of bottle dipped significantly in a single use itself. 4-5 uses out of 1 bottle? How long will it last? 6 months? Any guesses.
Did you also get the MF along with bottle. How is quality?

Thank you, the pictures look more shinier than in real, my phone camera is to be blamed for that. I sprayed it directly on the dirty car and wiped with MF towel. It can be used as spray wax too, and should last longer in that case. The bottle is skinnier at the top so it may play with our perception here.

 

[CRACING]

I am also against the rubbing full car. Can I go ahead with detailing or just use cleaner wax after washing to protect it till the colour is gone. Will detailing not create a protective layer on car making the colour to stay for long.

You are right, I think you should wait until the stains fade before applying protective layer.

Did you try IPA or kerosene?

Regarding sonax, I was thinking of same combination that's why asked you about wheel cleaner. Already seen it action on youtube before asking for your advice. Even went till payment page and then stopped thinking wheel cleaner could be a additional to APC or shampoo as per your recommendation. Still wheel cleaner was stuck in my mind, only fear it may effect the shiny part of wheel as per one review in amazon.

I have WaveX alloy cleaner which is mild and only works on fresh stains. Also I don't have strong cleaners except CG Citrus.

Your car is new so no need for strong cleaners and if any, you have already bought APC.

As of buying products on Car Power Grid, use COD option only. I trusted that site and made prepayment via CC so I could get 45 days credit. Now I feel stupid.

Few weeks ago I sent them message for BSD stock and they did respond promptly. Now they haven't replied to my message nor live chat is online. May be they have stock issues with wheel cleaner hence my order delayed.

Initial picture looks nice. Did you use it as ONR/proklear CX to clear dirt of the car(spray on car surface, wait for few seconds for the dirt to lift of surface and then wipe with MF). I thought it to be used as spray wax after cleaning to top the existing layer once in 3 weeks.
The level of bottle dipped significantly in a single use itself. 4-5 uses out of 1 bottle? How long will it last? 6 months? Any guesses.
Did you also get the MF along with bottle. How is quality?

BSD can be used as QD (To remove light dirt, stains and seal the area at the same time) and also as spray sealant. Using as former would be expensive and not worth. Latter is what most people do and it works efficiently. Sonax High speed wax is a spray wax because it has Carnauba and lasts less then BSD. It can also be applied on wet surface (Clean), unlike other spray waxes.

Around 50ml is required per application. Can be applied once in 2 weeks in rainy weather and once a month in clear weather. I think 500ml bottle should last 6 to 8 months but using multiple products is advisable. i.e BSD on vertical panels and F1 spray wax or Proklear CX on horizontal panels.

 

[vicks619]

You are right, I think you should wait until the stains fade before applying protective layer.

Did you try IPA or kerosene?

Not yet, don't have any product available with me. How much IPA cost and where can I get it. Does it require any prescription

As of buying products on Car Power Grid, use COD option only. I trusted that site and made prepayment via CC so I could get 45 days credit. Now I feel stupid.

Already ordered using prepaid method. Actually using credit card is better, I can raise dispute with bank if there is any issue with delivery or product and they will take care of rest. once banks get involved, merchant replies and provide resolution superfast. Has experienced this in past with croma.

]

 

[CRACING]

Not yet, don't have any product available with me. How much IPA cost and where can I get it. Does it require any prescription

IPA can be found in chemical laboratory/shop or in mobile spares shop since it is used to clean PCBs. Costs around Rs. 100 for ~250ml

Make sure you do test spot first and diluted it with water if it is strong. Wash the area after using IPA.

Already ordered using prepaid method. Actually using credit card is better, I can raise dispute with bank if there is any issue with delivery or product and they will take care of rest. once banks get involved, merchant replies and provide resolution superfast. Has experienced this in past with croma.

I was able to contact them via facebook. Said my package has returned to them because of improper packing and it will be reshipped today. Fingers Crossed

 

[vicks619]

IPA can be found in chemical laboratory/shop or in mobile spares shop since it is used to clean PCBs. Costs around Rs. 100 for ~250ml

Make sure you do test spot first and diluted it with water if it is strong. Wash the area after using IPA.

I will try to get it, but i have noticed one thing today, the area on which I used nulon cleaner wax the color is lot less visible than other area. I am planning to wash the car and apply cleaner wax on the doors to see the difference.

I was able to contact them via facebook. Said my package has returned to them because of improper packing and it will be reshipped today. Fingers Crossed

Have you got any shipping mail before contacting them with courier details. If not then its a blatant lie, I have got shipping mail just now. they shipped it through DTDC worst courier. I was expecting bluedart.

 

[Prabhagar]

Water sheeting and beading effects of BSD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0q0VdTxipo&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fLf3UHyRH8&feature=youtu.be

 

[Prabhagar]

Water sheeting and beading effects of BSD

Correction: Both the videos are of beading only. Learned from CRACING that sheeting is different.

 

[mandar7477]

dear all,
I want to clean the beige seats of my car , they have becomee quite ditry,
have tried hair shampoo, utensil cleaner, Wool soap (this cleans nicely but takes lots of effort)
have also tried the spray cleaner named F1 but it is not good for faux leather as it did not do the work as expected.
Also tried colin but to no effect

Pls suggest a good interior cleaner typically for faux leather seats.

thanks

regards

mandar

 

[archat68]

dear all,
I want to clean the beige seats of my car , they have becomee quite ditry,
have tried hair shampoo, utensil cleaner, Wool soap (this cleans nicely but takes lots of effort)
have also tried the spray cleaner named F1 but it is not good for faux leather as it did not do the work as expected.
Also tried colin but to no effect

Pls suggest a good interior cleaner typically for faux leather seats.

thanks

regards

mandar

Three thing that you can try:

i) Diluted Pril.
ii) white vinegar diluted with equal amount of water
iii) Baking soda ( sodium bi carbonate) . Make a paste with water, apply, rub, let it dry overnight and vacuum it. You can clean your carpet too by using this method. It helps to remove odours from car carpet too.

 

[CRACING]

Headlights Restoration

HEADLIGHTS RESTORATION​

Hello Friends,

My car headlights had issues with clear coat since long. Tiny pieces used peel and get caught into MF clothes while cleaning the car. It became too annoying lately so last month I went ahead and fixed it. Today I had time to post the work details and results.

Note: This will not work on headlights that are faded or hazed inside. Please make sure of it.

Items required: Formula 1 Headlight Restorer, Polishing Foam Pad + Backing Plate, Drilling Machine, Sandpapers of different grit (1200, 2000, 2500) and Strong Shampoo.

​

Lets start:

1. Wash the headlights with shampoo and mask the surround area with masking tape. You can also remove the headlights if possible, so you can work on it easily.

2. For faded headlights, use headlight restorer on the polishing foam pad (5" or smaller) fitted to drill or a rotary polisher or DA polisher. Gently polish the headlight and take a break every few mins to prevent heat. Wipe using dry mf cloth and check the progress.

3. Incase the headlights are badly faded, you have to first wet stand using 2500 grit and then continue with headlight restorer as mentioned above.

4. Incase the clear coat is peeling from the headlights (Like mine), you'll need to go little aggressive. Wet sand using 1200 grit, then 2000 and finally 2500. Once all the clearcoat is removed, polish the headlights using headlight restorer as mentioned above.

WARNING: USE SHAMPOO MIXED WITH WATER FOR WET SANDING. DO NOT USE PLAIN WATER AS IT WILL CAUSE DEEP SCRATCHES.

5. Finally when the headlights look crystal clear, you'll need to protect them from fading again. There are different ways to protect the glass. You can use wax, sealant or dashboard protectant/dresser but these will not last long so you have to apply them frequently without fail. Another way is to spray clear coat but it aren't gonna be easy task and there is a chance of peeling again in future.

Meanwhile, I have come across Rust-Oleum Headlight Restoration Kit which available in ebay India. The kit includes headlight polishing pad, clear coat wipe and etc. This one is better for those who don't have polishing pads or polishing machine. However, keep sand papers handy especially for clear coat peeling headlights because this kit alone doesn't help in some cases.

Formula 1 Headlight Restorer is a good product for faded headlights and works efficiently with polishing machine but when done by hand, it takes lot of elbow grease. The product says that it contains sealant but I doubt its durability.

Anyway, here are some snapshots of my headlights restoration work and results.







Thats it! If you have any queries, feel free to post here or ask me via PM.

Thanks...
Best Regards

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Headlights Restoration

HEADLIGHTS RESTORATION

Fantastic, worth the effort buddy. The headlamps look as good as new. Are there any ways to improve the light throw at night? Compared to my Tigor, I find the headlights of my CITY quite weak. I planned for the headlamp upgrade then avoided it due to the wiring and relays issues involved. Mine doesn't have fog lights too so was looking for something suitable and safe for the headlights.

Regards

Akash

 

[CRACING]

Re: Headlights Restoration

Fantastic, worth the effort buddy. The headlamps look as good as new. Are there any ways to improve the light throw at night? Compared to my Tigor, I find the headlights of my CITY quite weak. I planned for the headlamp upgrade then avoided it due to the wiring and relays issues involved. Mine doesn't have fog lights too so was looking for something suitable and safe for the headlights.

Regards

Akash

Thank you brother. Yes, many owners of CITY suffer from weak headlights. I guess the reflector design is imperfect for halogen bulbs, may it was made for HIDs?

bhvm has made a thread regarding LED headlight bulbs. You may have a look if you haven't already. LED bulbs come with additional wires and drivers that are easy to install and you don't need to cut any existing wires.

Incase I come across any other upgrade options, I'll surely let you know.