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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-198.html)

^Wax will protect your paint! I'd recommend you apply wax as soon as you get the vehicle home from the showroom.(and keep waxing it weekly/once in 2 weeks at least)

Try and get hold of a pure wax like collinite no.845

you might need a polish after 5-6 months depending on the paint maintainance and washing technique(+ weather/ parking location/ the quality of ppl living around in your area etc.)

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@blackasta - Now that is like the best black i10 I've ever seen!!! :thumbs up

It looks a lot(a LOT) better than even a new showroom vehicle!!
The black looks rich and deep. Reflectivity is nice too!

I'm sure it'll look absolutely fabulous/fantastic/totally awesome after a coat of pure carnauba wax!!

I think I too need to try the megs cleaner wax!(maybe it can get rid of the hairline scratches here and there)


Oh! I'd love to see mkh's ANHC in person! I'd confidently go as far as saying that, it might just be the best looking one in the country!:D



Regarding the underbody, I think I'll get under my i20 and degrease the 'non-anti-rust coated' parts with a citrus degreaser.

Wash them with a normal car shampoo(slightly more conc.) > dry with a blowdryer/naturally > multiple layers of collinite no.845. (Exhaust pipe might need something more durable or more layers of collinite)

I also need to remove all the wheels one by one and then detail the wheels/wheel-wells + Discs/drums + 'collinite' the small non moving metal parts here and there etc.

loads of stuff to do!
I guess I'll start with engine detailing > full body exterior(incl. glass) + doors sides and door jambs > trim > underbody + extra collinite layers on lower parts of the doors and extensions of rear quarter panel and bumpers > wheel removal and cleaning/dressing individually.

Then interior vacuuming and quik interior detailing(I keep the interirs clean all the time,so no need for extensive cleaning) if I'm still alive!! lol

I hope I'll be able to accomplish all this and hope to achieve the kind of flawless finish on the paint I've literally been fantasizing about for the last whole month.

Thanks Sohail!
I am planning a Collinite 845 session tomorrow morning.
Tried scratchX 2.0 today on 3-4 location with hairline scratches - they are visibly a lot reduced. I guess UC should see them off (thats for my comprehensive session)
I guess I should plan for a pressure washer and a DA - washed 3 cars (my i10, uncles Wagon R, dad's M800) today + waxed my car. My whole body is aching.
Good luck for your underbody session.
P.S: I used the MF towel supplied with Collinite 845 today. its somewhat harder than meguiar's and quite good for buffing.

Sohail bhai any updated pics of your car. I guess your car is parked in the open so if it is then how do you protect the car from the water and dirt marks caused by rain. I use the car cover supplied by the MGA and the water passes through it onto the car. Was thinking of doing something in this regard.

My car has been covered throughout the rains. I use 3 covers currently(looking forward to a total of 5 or maybe 6)

inner two are Dupont tyvek and the outer one is HGA cover.

Water certainly gets through the 1st cover, but the 2nd and the third one show considerable water resistance!

If the water is properly drained under the 1st cover, then it wont get through the 2nd one!
(I noticed this, when I placed my 2nd cover in such a way that the outermost cover had all its free ends hanging freely away from the car)

And the covers HAVE to be breathable!!

I can say that these three covers have protected the car from water really well!(+more the covers, better protection against small nicks and scratches!)


Never get those covers which don't let air through! It'll lead to condensation inside the cover and the car's paint might get ruined + added risk of rust!

Black is hard to maintain and your car is certainly an inspiration to those who have black. Scratch X does remove the scratches, not only visually, but it fills them up. We all need a pressure wash and DA but space and other constraints sometimes prevent the usage. Buffing micro are different than multipurpose ones, megs is more for detailing and buffing. Did not find them as durable though, but good enough for light usage. Most durable are the 3M ones, sadly cannot be bought in retail
@sohail: Thanks man, but its not that great unless i can get rid of the swirls, that's when i can claim is almost near perfection. Though when you see with a non perfectionists eye, its most certainly a fantastic finish.
However looking at the effort you are planning to put, gotta say, you are on track to be THE person on detailing circles. Why not take inspiration from Gurucharan( the link i sent) and maybe one day detail as a profession!

Thanks mkh!

Thought of sharing pics of all the stuff gathered till now:


Soem desi stuff - excellent VFM
Still use the tire shine, glass cleaner and vinyl & leather polish


Wash


Clean


Paint correction and polish


Wax and seal!


Maintain


one for the road


MF towels galore!
The ones on the extreme right are Megs MF towels. Others picked up from Walmart.

Here I go again !!
Went the distance with the Flex today on the Merc - 3/4th the distance in fact - I have left the Sealant step for tomorrow. Hope the weather gods will co-operate.

Here are my two bits - apologies for the long post - hope some of you find it useful.

The paint condition of the Merc is very good (there are swirls but you have to nitpick to find them). So I used only finishing polish - Menzerna PO85 RD. The recommended pad is LC CCS Grey, but that assumes that a compounding polish has been used prior. As this was not the case I used a LC CCS white pad which has some cutting power. I used OPM setting 5 - which is the cutting speed - with some trepidation initially but settled down quickly. The result so far has been outstanding !!

For folks who stay in apartment complexes I would recommend that you get a extension box made. And ask your electrician to tap into your apt line from the meter room.The polisher is a 900W unit. That is like a 1 ton AC being used for 4/5 hours. Other residents may not like your car as much as you do. Avoid the extension wheels, the wire of those things may overheat. Use outdoor cable (black-round-thick). Similar to the cord attached to the polisher. Put a fuse on the extension box - JIC.

As far as the polisher is concerned - I have not used others but they cannot be any better than this. It is heavy (2.5 kg) - Mike Phillips at Autogeek had mentioned that you need "upper body strength" to use it - I had found the comment amusing - I will acknowledge that it is true. Because of the direct drive feature, when you apply pressure on the head only which is easy to do, the unit sometimes tends to "walk on it's own" so for steady work you will have to put pressure on the whole unit using both your arms and keep it FLAT on the surface while you do so. When you hand polish your arm / shoulder muscles tend to get overworked, with this unit they tend to get fatigued because of the steady pressure you need to put on the whole unit with both your arms. When you do curves you need to be alert because if it "walks" it can pull you off balance and if you let go OMG.:eek:. The unit runs hot but that is OK. If it gets overheated it automatically will reduce the OPM till it cools down. But mind you hot is HOT so don't grab the unit by the casing on the head. Always the handle.

The Merc is a large car. I divided the bonnet into six sections, the rear into three, the doors into two and the roof into four with masking tape. Taped the trims and the emblems etc. Ran out of tape in fact. The car requires two rolls. A six inch snake of polish on the surface, couple of squirts of pinnacle pad conditioner (QD or water will also work) to moisten the pad (only initially), spread the polish with the polisher off, start with setting 1 and get an even spread of the polish, bump it upto 5 and off you go. The bonnet and the boot were a breeze - 8 section passes for each section- and the polish nicely disappeared leaving a haze (buffing cycle). Buff with a MF towel and WOW ! you can almost see through the paint.

Piece of cake I thought and then I started on the vertical panels - IT IS HARD - you willl need your "upper body strength" right there. First, you need to sit down when you do the vertical panels. A low stool is a must - something like a Kid's potty. And then apply pressure and keep the DA flat on the surface - mind you, the weight of the unit is working against you here. Imagine holding a 2.5kg weight suspended with your extended arms while it it trying to "walk" every now and then. With 8 section passes for each section this can be tiring. I took a break after each panel. I guess the other DA polishers are easier to handle in the vertical panels. Once you get used to the flex it will be better. But the vertical panels are always a struggle.

The roof was also a little awkward simply because of the size. I needed to stand on a chair to do the roof.

As you polish and the pad soaks up some of it, it will start slinging out little globules of spent polish - when that happens it is time to clean the pad. I used a brush to clean the edge of the pad with the polisher running - be careful with your tee shirt or the polish will land there. For the center of the pad I used a towel pressed into the pad. Hold the polisher firmly when you do this - oh and sit down.

Finish off with a full wipe.

I am sure I shall improve with practice. The rookie results are very encouraging.

Washing the pad after - should be done immediately before it dries. I used the pinnacle pad cleaner. It is good. I think it has some degreasing type agent in it. Few squirts on the pad let it soak use the brush to agitate and then rinse - the polish leaves the pad. I wonder how difficult it will be to get the Collinite 845 off. Only cold water to be used - I guess because of the adhesive on the velco backing.

Tomorrow is another day !

Rgds

^^ Great writeup , indian mike phillips :D

So from now , i will be saving for DA !! hope to get lessons and advise from you !!!


@ Blacksta : Awesome collection man !!

Hey guys, I am about to make some purchases for pampering my ride, but seem to be in a fix over silicone based products. I am planning to get a wax & a sealant but have heard some not so good things about silicone based products. I have to make these purchases by Monday, & so any prompt replies that can help me out of this dilemna would highly appreciated.

Thanks & drive safe.

@blackasta,

I have the same waxpol tyre shine but am not too happy with the results, any techniques or suggestions ?

Spray it onto a cloth / sponge applicator and then rub on the tire, filling in the cracks and crevices of the tire to achieve a uniform black shine.

Thanks
I will buy the products next week.
Lets see how do I fair in my first effort.

@Garipagol - Great writeup indeed!:thumbs up

and nice pro touches with masking tape(but how do you polish the paint under the masking tape?)

Nice to see DA giving great results!
would really love to see the finished pics of your car tomorrow!

And I agree with Notorious on you being Indian Mike Phillips! :D

I wish I could afford all that!

Check these out -

- http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...-products.html

- meguiars.com: FAQ - Are products that contain silicone bad for my car's finish?

- The good and the bad types of silicone. - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

Guys theres that yellow sponge kinda thing that comes with that turtle wax case. Can that be used to apply the wax?

Hey Blackasta awesome collection dude. How is the Silky touch spray polish of waxpol. Can this be used to quick detail the car. Do share the experience of using the Sonax auto polish too. Am keen to purchase some products so asking you.:)