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-   -   A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/102011-superb-car-cleaning-polishing-detailing-guide-157.html)

I am not a DA polisher expert but what I have heard from mates who use them is if you want one then get a GOOD one. (Meguires, Cyclo, Porter Cable). This is one item you are not going to buy every now and then so get one which you can bequeath to your children - hopefully they will be as crazy as you for detailing.

For the others items I assume your cupboard is empty, mind you I really have not experimented with many products but what I have mentioned below will bring joy :

Get a wash product :
My ONLY recommendation is Optimum No Rinse and Shine (ONR). Not expensive. USD 15.00 for 32 OZ. Will last you for a year. Save tons of water. Will bring a smile on your face everytime you use it. You can use it for wash, Clay lube or as a QD. Dont waste water.
Get a detailing polyclay
I use wolfgang but all detailing product companies have them. Get the least abraisive variety. Get a 200G bar. Prices around USD 20-25. You can make four 50gm patties from it. Will be good for at least 10/12 claying sessions unless you keep dropping them. Store properly. You can get a lubricant if you wish else use the ONR or plain water with car shampoo. The lube is a good to have item.
Get a Paint Prep product
I use Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer or Klasse All-in-one (AIO). Klasse is available in Singapore. You need this to remove earlier layers of whatever you have used and polish the surface. Get the Klasse All In One (AIO). About USD 24 for 16 Oz. Should last you a couple of years. Read the application guide well before use.
Get a Sealant
I use the wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant or Klasse Sealant Glaze. Get the Klasse Sealant Glaze. About USD 20 for 16 oz. Should last you a couple of years. Read the application guide well. Too much can cause a lot of grief for removal.
Get some Waxes if you wish
I use Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax # 845 (not all the time). Stinks a little. But goes away when cured. Get a 16 oz bottle - very ordinary looking Very durable, has some carnauba. Is used to protect boats from salt water damage !! Excellent for painted alloys.

If you have a solid color car red, black, cobalt blue etc. you can look at some pure waxes as well. I use (only once in a while) Pinnacle Signature II. Expensive - USD 50 for 8oz. I had heard so much about it so I got some. Exquisite however buf - buff - buff. Lasts not more than 30 days in India.

If you feel adventerous, look at the Dodo juice range of products. These guys have taken UK by storm and now are shaking up US. They should be easier to get in Singapore as they are Mauritius based company. I have not used them but would love to.
If you have budget issues dump the pure carnauba wax. Get the collinite.
Get a QD for in between periods
I use Wolfgang detail Spitz. Nice indeed. I have tried the Turtlewax Ice as well - quite nice.

Get some accessories
Microfiber Towels - at least a dozen. Different colors. Tight weave on one side for polishing and fluffy on the other for buffing. Cobra is excellent. Not sure about the brand availability in S'pore. But, since the best ones are out of Korea, should not be too difficult to get in S'pore.
Foam Applicators - Yellow color for LSP and waxes. Orange for prepping. At least 6 each. For hand application. See if you can get CCS type from Lake Country. They are less absorbent. Won't suck in your product. If you get a polisher you will have to get pads suitable for the model.
Microfiber Applicators
I prefer these over foam for polishing. See if you can get hold of a kit which has a combination of these.

If you avoid the Pinnacle wax then with free shipping (your uncle's suitcase) you should budget for USD 100-110. If you have about USD 20 more then get a good wheel brush (best is daytona speed master).

These products will give you good protection. But they are not for paint correction etc.

BTW, Mustafa is not the right place to shop for these, you will need to do some homework and get addresses and local telephone nos. to hand over to your uncle.

But you should get most if not all of these in S'pore.

I buy my supplies from www.Autogeek.net. You can have a look at these and many other products here. The prices are the lowest in USA (sometimes beaten by Amazon).

Do not buy Aerosols or petrolium based products, they may have to be donated to the airport authorites in S'pore.

Regards

Sid

Wow! Nice!! :D

Polyclay, paint prep stuff and sealant are a must for ppl who spend more time driving than detailing!!

Thanks a ton Sid. That was a comprehensive reply.

Just came back after getting my i20 detailed at Divine Carz Spa!

I literally saw my i20's paintwork and 'show car' finish being reborn!!!:eek:
Pics and a small report comin up!:D

So, I had gone to carz spa to get my bodyshop painted panels, sanded and refinished!

I reached there and my i20 was given a pressure bath after which its surface was workable!






After cleaning, it was time to wet-sand the bodyshop painted panels




Perfect sanding job!! :D





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After sanding, whole of the body was clayed with Megs detailing clay




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Then the logos etc. were masked to prepare for paint correction on the whole car





pretty nice pro touches, I'd say!

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Then came the paint correction(with Megs Diamond cut compound and DeWalt rotary with a wool cutting pad)



Bonnet before correction



After





Quarterpanel




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After the paint correction came the Glazing(Meguiars Speed Glaze applied with a 'Makita' rotary)







At this point my mandible was hanging wide open with sheer disbelief!!:eek:

Wait, it gets even better(sealant step is still left!)

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Last step, the sealant! (actually they were gonna apply wax over the sealant too but since I was gonna layer it with NXT 2.0 anyways so I told them not to!)








At this point I was like Whoa/Wow!!

this was the shine I'd been waiting for! I'm sure no one could've made the paint shine like that!

I'd agree to the point that 75% of the shine comes from proper paint prep and surface correction!!

I'd definitely recommend them!!

@Mods - I'm just a super-satisfied customer thats why posting this for others looking for quality detailing jobs!!

Hmmm... Wonderful !! How much did it set you back. Stay with sealant if you can - given the monsoons. You can layer the sealant but not the wax. I do not know about nxt - does it not have cleaning properties ? If yes it may strip the sealant !!

But hey enjoy the beauty!!

Rgds

Really good job. the before and after pics speak for themselves.

how much has your car done? Is your aesthetics cost per km is more than the cost of service per km or running?

@Sohail, What's the cost of job done?

Fantastic stuff sohail99. The after pics are pure droolmaal!
A quick question though. I wax my car once a month with NXT 2.0 and detail it once in 3 month (claying, polishing and waxing). Can you share some benefits of using a sealant? Any recommended sealant products available locally or do we have to source it from US?

Thanks!

Nice Write up !!! :thumbs up However I guess its not applicable for people who dont travel abroad frequently :Frustrati . I mean when will we get all this stuff in India. From last 6 months I am searching clay for surface preperation. I guess we do not get it in India

good to see them do it really properly, btw why at all did you need this treatment considering that you have been running a mini detailing shop on your own? u have worked big time on the car already, then why this?

Theres a blue astra on tbhp website i see on the top right corner of the screen. We should replace it with sohails cars pic

Sohail,
Nice photos. Please post some photos of the car just before you wax your car after a month. It seems that you have done the job on a new car (the seats have plastic covers). Sanding and then cutting with a woollen pad is no-no on new paint. Sanding and using a yellow cutting foam pad would have been a better choice. I am sure when you take the photos before the next waxing you will see the holograms formed on the soft Hyundai paint. Did they measure how much of the clear coat was cut? Your frequent application of wax will hide defects but with the hot Delhi weather you will see them coming back.
We will be waiting for your photographs to see whether the correction was permanent or temporary.

Benz- +1 , am of the same opinion. Sohail has been an inspiration to many of us with his "Kaizen" mind :) :thumbs up

Sohail - Nice work, with attention to detail as usual. But am a bit confused here, you re- painted the right side rear door, is it not ? Did not understand why you got the whole car detailed once again !! What is this paint correction & what's that sealant that was applied ?

Can I trouble you to give us all the details from the beginning as to where it all started & why you went to Car spa ? IMHO, after experiencing the Bimal carzspa at Bangalore (yuck,yuck !!) they should be coming to you :)

A little more technical details of each step would be more informative.

Nice Job by Carzspa. By the way, from where did you get the denting and painting work done?