Detailing Thread

I hit up Mike's Carwash (small chain in SW Ohio and a few locations in Indiana) about 2-3 times a month, I have a membership. I get the full monty, including the wax and tire shine. When I'm done, I get out and wheel well trim, door trim and whatnot with some meguiar's something or other i got from autozone, seems to do a good job protecting it, and i have some window cleaner that i clean both inside and outside of the windows/windshield with. good enough for me.

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Neighbordude said:
I haven’t detailed since I traded my mustang for the truck. I don’t care if the truck is dirty. I used to spend all day on the car. It looked like a black mirror. Then I’d drive down the street and it would look like shit again. NEVER BUY A BLACK CAR
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but they do look the best when clean, especially at twilight
 
Finally got me a buffer. Went with a 6" DA Griot's.


Now I just need a few more things and I'm going to try one of those semi-permanent
graphene ceramic coatings. Probably going to try the Adam's graphene coating because it has a UV tracer that is supposed to help you see where your high spots and where your overlap is easily. They claim a 7 year lifespan but if I get half of that I'll be happy.






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I think I am going to do a clay bar treatment on my truck this weekend. I washed it yesterday and want to wax...but I think I should clay bar it first...never done it before and it's a 2011.

anyone have experience with it? Should I just buy the Mothers stuff at Advance Auto?
 
ill said:
I think I am going to do a clay bar treatment on my truck this weekend. I washed it yesterday and want to wax...but I think I should clay bar it first...never done it before and it's a 2011.

anyone have experience with it? Should I just buy the Mothers stuff at Advance Auto?
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My son is into detailing. He does the clay bar once a year on his.
 
Peter Gozintite said:
My son is into detailing. He does the clay bar once a year on his.
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I watched a video...I always thought there was more to it. It's super easy.

I am leaning towards The Chemical Guys heavy clay and lube...but I won't get it for the weekend...
 
I used to really take the time to keep my ride clean... You could have performed surgery on most of my cars & trucks prior to having children. LOL

Picked this little beauty off of the old man during his, I'm tired of all this shit around the house. 1993 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra, 90th anniversary edition... Only 1,340 of them were made that year. 33,000 miles, hasn't run in 18 years. but with a new battery & some fresh fluid & tires she's back to being a rider.

I washed & waxed her a few weekends ago. I forgot what a bitch is is to wash & wax a dresser with all that f'ing chrome. LOL,
can't have any water spots on the chrome!!!

S-100 bike wash, Armor-All leather conditioner, Maguires Carnauba wax, pig spit engine detailer & a little blue magic chrome polish where needed.

So, I remove the seat & conditioned it, removed the hard saddle bags so I can get to the rear wheel.... Wash her, the use the electric lead blower to move the majority of water off of her, chamois the rest of the paint, microfiber rag the chrome to get those water spots off, get the compressor going with a air nozzle & blow her complete dry in all the cracks & crevices. I'm not going to tell you how much cussing was had waxing the beast!!!

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ill said:
I think I am going to do a clay bar treatment on my truck this weekend. I washed it yesterday and want to wax...but I think I should clay bar it first...never done it before and it's a 2011.

anyone have experience with it? Should I just buy the Mothers stuff at Advance Auto?
Click to expand...
I've never used a clay bar... So I can't help you there.

A polishing compound from a quality supplier may be all you need if you're looking to cut through the oxidation. Then go with a good wax for protection
 
BadMotoWeazal said:
I've never used a clay bar... So I can't help you there.

A polishing compound from a quality supplier may be all you need if you're looking to cut through the oxidation. Then go with a good wax for protection
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I considered a compound as well...maybe in the summer I will do that...
 
ill said:
I think I am going to do a clay bar treatment on my truck this weekend. I washed it yesterday and want to wax...but I think I should clay bar it first...never done it before and it's a 2011.

anyone have experience with it? Should I just buy the Mothers stuff at Advance Auto?
Click to expand...
Clay barring is harder work than you probably realize if you do a good job and not half ass it. I highly recommend finding a clay "mitt" instead of the old school chunk of clay like you will likely find at auto parts stores. It cuts down on the time spent doing it because it's a larger surface area. Let me know if you have any questions.
 
I keep my truck clean, but I'm not a professional detailer, and I need a bit of advice.

My truck has those seats made from recycled water bottles that they turn into some kind of fabric, but I had a bottle of Listerine bust on my backseat and it left a big ole white stain on the seat. I've tried Wool-lite, Goo Gone and Windex, and it'll look clean, but the stain just bleeds back through a couple hours later. Any simple solution or am I gonna have to rent a shampooer?

You got any ideas @Camfantasy ?
 
Camfantasy said:
Clay barring is harder work than you probably realize if you do a good job and not half ass it. I highly recommend finding a clay "mitt" instead of the old school chunk of clay like you will likely find at auto parts stores. It cuts down on the time spent doing it because it's a larger surface area. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Did the claybar on the truck...got some color on the bar as I went, so it did it's job. Followed up with a coat of turtle wax, but it was getting dark by the time I was finishing up. Going to have to look at it in the daylight, see if I missed anything.
 
Illustrious Potentate said:
I keep my truck clean, but I'm not a professional detailer, and I need a bit of advice.

My truck has those seats made from recycled water bottles that they turn into some kind of fabric, but I had a bottle of Listerine bust on my backseat and it left a big ole white stain on the seat. I've tried Wool-lite, Goo Gone and Windex, and it'll look clean, but the stain just bleeds back through a couple hours later. Any simple solution or am I gonna have to rent a shampooer?

You got any ideas @Camfantasy ?
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Have you tried a spot remover/upholstery cleaner made for automotive use? They should have some at most Auto parts stores. I would give that a whirl first .
 
ill said:
Did the claybar on the truck...got some color on the bar as I went, so it did it's job. Followed up with a coat of turtle wax, but it was getting dark by the time I was finishing up. Going to have to look at it in the daylight, see if I missed anything.
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Did you get it super slick after the clay bar? It always amazes me how slick it leaves your paint.

I would probably have used a good longer term ceramic instead of a regular carnauba based wax. Fresh off of a mechanical decontamination (clay barring) is when you get the best results, longevity wise, from a protectant. You could have gotten a good ceramic spray wax... Applied two coats 24 hours or so in between... And easily gotten 6 months out of it.
 
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Camfantasy said:
Did you get it super slick after the clay bar? It always amazes me how slick it leaves your paint.

I would probably have used a good longer term ceramic instead of a regular carnauba based wax. Fresh off of a mechanical decontamination (clay barring) is when you get the best results, longevity wise, from a protectant. You could have gotten a good ceramic spray wax... Applied two coats 24 hours or so in between... And easily gotten 6 months out of it.
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I will try that out next time. I thought about trying something else but I don't know enough about the ceramic waxes to go that route
 
ill said:
I will try that out next time. I thought about trying something else but I don't know enough about the ceramic waxes to go that route
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The sprays are easier than traditional waxing. Just read the bottle. They are usually just like.... Spray and wipe to level. Then buff off with a separate microfiber after a minute or two. You can do a whole full size car in 20 minutes and it look just as good and last 3 or 4 times longer than carnauba. Especially after a clay bar. Definitely get you a clay mitt though. Easier work and it's reusable. Also don't have to worry about dropping it on the ground and ruining it.
 
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