[low_rider]

Now that is something that all fellow members of TBHP are so very proud of. Pursuance of a hobby with sincere dedication, knowledge building, attention to detail and mastering the handcraft.
Most importantly, taking a lot of time and effort to share the knowledge on this forum in a very detailed way.
Posts like these make the viewers time spent on the forum worthwhile.

[bmw_lover]

Does anyone remembers the classic post (Confessions of a novice trying to imitate a Detailer!) by Secretariat for Rudra Sen. That's the first thought which came to my mind and i went - oh no once again! So i will not even make an attempt to try this myself.

I mean i am also very passionate about my possessions and like to keep them squeaky clean (in fact a girl back in 2003 even complimented me for sparkling interiors of my car), but this is taking it to another level. This has to qualify as some kind of obsession.

I pay this much attention only to the interiors because that is where i spend my time and can enjoy the fruits of my efforts. For exteriors i take it to the workshop every alternate year for full denting and painting. But still the information in here will be very useful for my next visit to the professional detailer.

[psbali]

What a great write up with all the details. Here I have been feeling proud of myself that I recently waxed my car with formula 1. I was thinking of ordering collinite thinking that that would be an upgrade and this thread comes along. Feel like laughing at myself.

The quantity of products you have for your car is definitely more than a female's make up kit.

[BANDHAV]

If OCD will see this thread, he would be like "Mein Job chod doon"?.

Jokes apart.

This is God level.

I recently cleaned Tar spots on my car and I was pretty satisfied with the end result but this is like a new benchmark on how one can keep his car. Plain brilliant this is.

[knrn]

What a wonderful thread. You are going to hear a lot of praises my dear. Please pat yourself on the back for me.
Brilliant.
Absolutely brilliant.

Why don't you open up a car detail studio yourself? You have the knowledge and resources to do so. People will just flock to you.
Agreed. This is God level.

[philipmathen]

What a thread, amazing detail on your preferred methods and products. I will be coming back to this very frequently. Amazing job on the detailing, you could turn your passion into a business if you choose to. I know I’d drive over to get my car detailed.

[jothishX]

Oh Boy, this thread is on another level. I've started out with professional products recently after years of using of the shelf products. Have been watching a lot of detailing channels. You have posted a treasure trove of information. The car detailing shops here in Kerala rip people of at least 35k for a ceramic coating. I've been itching to try it out myself for sometime now. This is like a boon for me. Thanks

[saisailendra]

I thank everyone for your appreciation. I'm very happy that this post, though so long could provide some information for you.

Originally Posted by nagr22

I only have 1 question. When are you selling your car?

We usually keep our cars for more than a decade. We sold our previous Honda City after 15 years of ownership. So, I'm sure this car will be with me for a couple of years.

Originally Posted by Artyom

I would advise using Gyeon Bathe+ washing shampoo

For a ceramic coated vehicle a ph neutral shampoo should be used as against a ph balanced one.

Yes, I will try Gyeon Bathe + after few weeks. I don't use a shampoo very often. But I really didn't know the difference between a pH Neutral and pH balanced shampoo. Literally this is the first time I'm hearing about it. Thanks for the insight.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

In the early days like you I used to experiment with a lot of products and many which I use today.

I'm curious to know how you like the ONR liquid vs the ECH2O. I switched to ECH2O from ONR as ONR wasn't easily available and Mohsin (Ultimate) keeps ECH2O so its easier to get.

I think it is only by trying different products that each one of us settle at a point where we start using specific products that fit our comfort and requirement.
I will surely update about how ONR compares to ECH2O after using it for a while.
I too bought most of the CarPro products from UD only. They, I believe are the official CarPro distributors in India.
ONR is being sold by Opti-Coat on Amazon now, who I think are official distributors of ONR.

Originally Posted by scorpian

How come you haven't tried Sonax BSD?

I will try this for sure. I guess a difficulty of availability online made me overlook this product.

Originally Posted by unoczar

I can only say - you would either kill me or jump off a cliff if you see my car. (Hope it doesn't come to that)

Hahaha, I will only imagine in my mind how good it looks otherwise, and feel happy.

Originally Posted by Artyom

In my experience procuring Carpro Products was little difficult as against Optimum ones.
Procuring ONR should not be an issue since the distributor for Optimum and OptiCoat is from Bangalore.

The distributor for CarPro is also in Bangalore. Stocks seem to be absent now because of the Covid issue. But they have been the source of all my CarPro products.

Originally Posted by Stribog

1) how do you deal with the tiny stones stuck in tyre grooves. They annoy me no end.

2) does the vento have piano Black interiors? If yes how in Gods green Earth do you keep those dirt and fingerprint magnets clean?

3) have you used the Amazon basics baffle weave cloth? I used to only get the 3m ones but these are half the price and work just as well.

1. I remove them with the small size minus (-) screwdriver. They come out without an issue.
2. Vento has piano black interiors only on the steering wheel. I mostly don't touch these parts. Whenever I find them dusty or with fingerprints, I wipe them with ECH20. Even with all that care, they get scratched up horribly. Attaching a pic of the steering that I took a while ago. It's not properly focused, but you do get a fair idea about the piano black parts.
   
   
3. I bought quite a lot of AmazonBasics microfiber cloths a long time ago. I didn't even use half of them. Same is the case with 3M ones. I have around 7 to 8 of 3M ones lying in their original packing and I don't know when I'll use them, lol. So, I didn't buy the Amazonbasics waffle drying towels.

Originally Posted by dr_davis97

I would really appreciate hearing the different views and opinions on usage of paint protection films over usage of traditional wax, polish et cetera.

Sir, be it ceramic coatings or synthetic sealants or waxes or PPF, they all will be scratched up and will have swirl marks if not maintained carefully. The advantage with PPF is that it is a thick layer that can protect original paint from physical damage, chemical damage like bird bombs or paint over-spray. So, when you remove it, you have your original paint surface in its original form. I read about some people buffing their PPF with waxes and so.

So it is totally a subjective choice that one has to make depending on the budget, the risks ones car might be exposed to, the requirement (if you plan to keep your car for a very long time like more than 15 -20 years, then you want your original paint to be untouched).
With good maintenance, coatings or waxes or sealants will keep paint in good condition and rarely need compounding or polishing.

With poor maintenance for cars with coatings, waxes & sealants, to restore the paints shine, compounding & polishing is necessary, which will reduce the thickness of clear coat.
Whereas with poor maintenance for cars with PPF, one can just get the PPF replaced or polished(if possible), which will cost a lot, but preserves the original thickness of the clear coat. So it all boils down to the necessities and requirements of the owner.

Originally Posted by low_rider

Posts like these make the viewers time spent on the forum worthwhile.

This post proudly takes inspiration from the Team_BHP official reviews which I have been reading since years. I wasn't able to deliver this in their range, but the basis lies there.

Originally Posted by psbali

I was thinking of ordering collinite thinking that that would be an upgrade and this thread comes along. Feel like laughing at myself.

Please go ahead and order one Sir. You will not regret the decision. It'll just transform the look of your car to another level and will make washing very easy.

Pics of how water beads when Collinite 845 is between your paint and water.
Couldn't attach these in the first post since the post reached its limit of attachments.
Water beads on Jetta with Collinite.


On the Vento

Originally Posted by bmw_lover

I pay this much attention only to the interiors because that is where i spend my time and can enjoy the fruits of my efforts. For exteriors i take it to the workshop every alternate year for full denting and painting. But still the information in here will be very useful for my next visit to the professional detailer.

Yes, interiors are where the entire impression on one's car can change by 180 degrees. A clean interior can change an angry person to a pleasant one.

Originally Posted by knrn

Why don't you open up a car detail studio yourself? You have the knowledge and resources to do so. People will just flock to you.
Agreed. This is God level.

Originally Posted by philipmathen

you could turn your passion into a business if you choose to. I know I’d drive over to get my car detailed.

My field of education is completely different, dealing with human body and disease. My love for my car runs parallel to that, but making it mainstream at this point would be almost impossible. I hope to exhibit this kind of a fine detail in the other aspect of life, hahaha.

Originally Posted by jothishX

Have been watching a lot of detailing channels. You have posted a treasure trove of information. The car detailing shops here in Kerala rip people of at least 35k for a ceramic coating. I've been itching to try it out myself for sometime now. This is like a boon for me. Thanks

I too gathered quite a bit of knowledge by watching them, but did not go blindly with what they say. I noticed that many of them, themselves go blindly by what the manufacturers recommend, and that could sometimes get unnecessarily expensive. So I understood it is best to just take their videos as a source of basic knowledge about products and modify it and experiment using our own intelligence and creativity. This might save us money, time, physical pain, and give us great results.

And a professional grade ceramic coating is expensive for certain reasons. One reason is the labor it takes to correct a cars paint. It is a really difficult job and takes lots of hours to correct a cars' paint to perfection, if done correctly that is. The other reason one is, Professional grade coatings themselves are expensive. So, this drastically increases the price for professional ceramic coatings.

But one thing for sure that I can say is, it costs much less to coat a car at home. If the car has too many scratches and swirls, then the paint correction part can be done outside by a professional, and after that we can coat the car at home. This too will cost us lesser than a professional one. My car had minimal swirls, so I did the entire thing at home. And if we get the car corrected by a professional, they might apply a wax or sealant, which we need to strip off before applying the coating. Or just tell them to not apply anything of that sort. Even then, it is better to use a strong soap or detergent or APC that can remove any oils that might be left during the polish. And of course, wiping with IsoPropyl Alcohol based spray just before the coating will give the best bonding, which translates into durability. Do plan properly, work up the costs, do not hurry, take things slow.

Hope your wish of getting your car coated comes true soon. That same "itch" only made me try all these products.

[KANNURAN]

This is surreal; cathexis of the extreme order (in a positive sense, of course). I bow to the effort, time and cost that goes into the way you maintain the looks of your Vento.

It also leaves me sheepish, recollecting the sense of achievement I used to feel, every time I washed and polished my car in a 1.5 hour blitz. RESPECT

After the neurosurgery, I wonder how sweaty your palms would be, maneuvering the city roads with its sadistic auto-drivers and careless bikers galore. I wish you countless Kilometers of safe, scratch-free driving. If you happen to be behind me on the road, I will swerve aside, as if to let an ambulance pass.

On a lighter note, any day you plan to sell your car, you could auction it on this forum. The value placed on your effort might well exceed the cost price of the car.

Thanks A LOT!! You made my day.

[GreaseMonkey]

A post worth including in the TLC for cars syllabus (if ever there was a degree for this)!! The absolute dedication to carry out such an exercise and the sheer depth of knowledge about the right products is just monumental kudos to you mate!! The manner in which it’s written with every description anchored with the right type and quality of image is a source of pleasure to the aficionados on this forum!! What a read , just brilliant! Totally made my weekend!! Best wishes for your future experiences and look forward to your posts !!

[CornerCarver]

Seriously? I mean, guys like you on Team BHP continue to bewilder us all. This is dedication of the highest order.
Just appreciation.
Sky will be the limit if we could bring this level of knowledge and professionalism in our respective skill sets.
Sai Sailendra, your experience with detailing can give K Force and 3M a run for their money.

[dhanushs]

Damn you! I’m going ahead to openly state that I hate you for spoiling whatever ‘little’ (comparing to yours) time I used to spend with my car. I’m going to live eternally with the guilt that my DIY was just a lazy excuse.

What am I going to do with my Formula 1 carnuba wax and the Meguiars Leather cleaner.

[sterlingsilver]

You are a true connoisseur! Very informative post, absolutely mind boggling detailed write up. Nailed it!

When you find time, please make a video post of the actual process, product usage tips etc. This thread would become the manna from heaven for car care products and reviews.

Cheers!

[GT Racer]

Fantastic & totally obsessed level detail, you have shined through the dirt & grime the roads of India throw at us. It would be helpful if you add the sources from where you procured all the stuff would help us detailing geeks more.
Wish you thousands of miles without water spots & Swirls.

[saisailendra]

Thank you all for your appreciation. Here is a small update of pictures after my first 1 week wash. No shampoo was used. The hydrophobic nature is just off charts. This morning I used the blower to dry the car and it took much less time than normal. I noticed very minor high spots at 2-3 places, which are noticeable only on keen observation. I'm not much worried about them as they'll be gone with time. I also usually keep such spots to avoid what we call "Dishti" or "Drishti" or "Nazar", hahaha. I'll now let the pictures do most of the talking.

Since all my pictures from the first post were in the parking, I took some pics outside today.

These are the water beads that formed on the roof when I first blasted the car with the pressure washer.



The same above pic cropped in, to show little more detail.



Even with a shabby job of application on wheels, the coating has its effect.



I never saw such small water beads on my car till now.



The front of the car.



The Bonnet.



A few side quarter shots :



Please excuse the weird angle.









The back of the car :



I even coated the inner part of the trunk and bonnet.



The metallic flakes seen clearly under the sun :
The little dent is courtesy of a guy on a bike, who, out of nowhere landed his handle bar on the car which was long stopped at a signal. This happened few months ago.
Anyway, the metallic flakes look great in person.



How tire looks with Perl, 1 week after application, after being washed by a pressure washer and after being driven around 60 Kms.
Also notice the dirt that accumulated in the alloys. That was just after 14 Kms of a drive (After today's wash)
That's why I usually wipe the alloys after every wash or after every alternate wash.

Hope you enjoyed the pics. Happy Weekend !