Team-BHP - A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide

Looks nice!

Yes, you can use collinite 845 whenever you want!! But using it on a bare surface will lead to better longevity!

If you take care of your car all the time, then there's no harm in layering hard shell with collinite 845!
Put down another coat after 24hrs curing! Its a pretty durable wax IMO!(some ppl say that its a hybrid wax!(sealant + wax) thats why it lasts longer than just a wax!)

Just take care, never to park your car under a tree at night(in case you're at someone else's place), the trees at night release sap that atomizes and covers whole of the car!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Slow (Post 2273486)

goandude
Car looks like new! Good work :D The superhard shell is a nice wax but next time try the Turtle wax platinum series. This is pretty good too.
How long did it take you to clay and wax the whole car?

Thanks. Took less than an hour to wash and an hour and a half to clay. Waxing took an hour too as the turtle wax when dried took a lot of time (and muscle) to buff off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sohail99 (Post 2273529)

will be putting on the colli in another week or two. Thanks for the tip about the tree sap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by goandude (Post 2273466)

I now realise that a dark color car would have much better results. Effect on a silver car is not seen much

Sir, I can get my car and you can teach me how to go around claying,waxing as I am a layman when it comes to all these things. :)

I've been bitten hard by the detailing bug! :D

Buying some stuff tomorrow to complete my kit before I head out to the car! :)

A question: Can clay be used to clean the windows as well? How effective is it? Also, how many times can you reuse a bar of clay?

What an amazing thread with over 280 pages on how to keep your car in top condition. Strange that we find that enthusiasm and awareness lacking normally and hardly see anyone really bother much in my known circles at least . I am called weird at many occasions though:D
Keep the info flowing folks, many like me have learnt a lot. I see that the best waxes are
Meguiars Tech Wax
Collinite
Any other durable waxes one can use?

Quote:

Originally Posted by anekho (Post 2279205)

Claying the windshield is recommended to prevent wiper clatter etc.

+ after claying you can wax/seal the windshield and other windows too to enable water repellent effect during the rains and smooth functioning of the wipers! (Do dress the wiper blades occasionally to keep them from degrading!)

I had a megs clay kit I bought before I took the delivery of my i20(in Dec 2009) Its still in top condition and I still use it!

Its all about, how you store the clay. If you store it in a closed box with a tiny spritz of a qd, it'll hold up longer + never use soap solution as a lubricant with it! always use a qd(Best is Optimum No Rinse in qd dilution)

(though a soap solution(car shampoo in water soln.) works fine as a lubricant, but it kinda degrades the clay really fast and it starts falling apart pretty early!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunrise (Post 2279209)

I agree that but again the difficult part is to find the correct post.
I am new to Waxing, claying etc. and dont know much about it.
Now imagine that i need to go throught all these stuff to get some idea.

Any one any shortcut to get all the details in one place?
My car required some detailing now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sohail99 (Post 2279633)

Personally, I would use nothing but glass cleaner or glass polish on the windows, unless your glass is already scratched and you are trying to get rid of that.

I'd specifically avoid putting any wax preparation on the windscreen: you may find yourself with much more wiper chatter.

There are products like Rain-X --- but they are made for glass

^ I agree that carnauba waxes are not for windshields!

But sealants are super slick and actually help the wiper do its job better!

Though I use TW rain repellant and Opti-seal on glass, both work the same!

Some slick sealants like bfwd can also do the job!

Many ppl have tried collinite 845 successfully on automotive glass!

For a complete n00b what is the easiest way he can keep the car clean.

1. Dust with Jopasu (Daily)
2. Wash with damn cotton banian (weekends)
3. Dry with microfiber (weekends)

Will this be enough for a car which is not used much (I am still learning to drive)?