[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Previously you were using Collinite 915, changed over to 845?

Another help needed, I need to purchase ONR, friends do you all know a shop which stocks it in Mumbai. I searched in Sec-17 Vashi, Navi Mumbai, no one has it, just pathetic. I need to purchase it before Saturday, as I want to spend the long weekend working on my ride and to go for a long drive.

I still use the 915 on dark colored cars. 845 works better on lighter shades.

For the ultimate shine and protection, first use the 915 let it sit for 8-12 hours then add a coating of the 845. The finish you get will be unreal.

Automall has the ONR, they will ship it to you.

[adimicra]

Thanks to this thread, I have learned a bit about car cleaning.

I am planning to get the following -
1> ONR wash and shine for regular cleaning
2> Colinite 845 wax
3> Mother's tire and foam cleaner
4> Some product for the plastic parts to maintain the jet black color?


I have a few more questions -
1> Is there any need to use clay bars? I am guessing washing and then waxing is the normal way to go. Clay bars are mainly for very stubborn dirt marks..

2> What cleaner is recommended for the black plastic parts, which tend to get whitish?

3> My car is parked under cover 95% of the time. How frequently waxing is required under such scenario?

4> Is polishing required? How is it different from waxing?

5> Based on the previous replies, I am assuming that separate sealant is not required if you do regular waxing. Is that correct?

[el lobo 6061]

[quote=Captain Slow;2463082For the ultimate shine and protection, first use the 915 let it sit for 8-12 hours then add a coating of the 845. The finish you get will be unreal. [/QUOTE]
How about if a double coat of 915 is given to black colored car, will it look superbly unreal?

And has anyone used Amway car wash 500ml? How is it compared to ONR?

[mkh]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

How about if a double coat of 915 is given to black colored car, will it look superbly unreal?

And has anyone used Amway car wash 500ml? How is it compared to ONR?

The final effect will depend on the way surface is prepared- clay etc
Car Wash is a shampoo, ONR is not. For proper cleaning, Shampoo is needed and cannot be replaced by ONR which is more for light and general detailing. When you need a proper wash, use a shampoo

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by mkh

The final effect will depend on the way surface is prepared- clay etc
Car Wash is a shampoo, ONR is not. For proper cleaning, Shampoo is needed and cannot be replaced by ONR which is more for light and general detailing. When you need a proper wash, use a shampoo

Actually ONR cleans better than shampoos, And might need just a liter or two of Water, if two bucket method is used.

For ONR if we dip the microfiber cloth ONR mix and move Microfiber over the car paint, it pick up all the dirt like magic, no rubbing, no flushing of water is need. Guess the polymers used in ONR makes this difference.

[sohail99]

Agreed that ONR can clean most of the stuff, but on a dirty paint, using ONR straight away will marr the finish!

On a dirty car, first the panels are foamed and then after a few mins dwell time, its all hosed off! No paint touching during this time!

This is followed by 2 bucket wash in which you can use a car wash shampoo or ONR!

I've never washed a really dirty car with ONR! I use it for a quick refresh on my already clean and contaminant free paint before putting on another layer of protection!

The foaming and pressure washing is essential to remove dirt that otherwise will marr and scratch the surface during the act of washing! Adding all purpose cleaners to foaming stage can really break down the dirt and muck quickly!

[biyer]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Guys,
I need your help. It is really difficult to go through all the pages of this thread. May be the answer is there already...but I could not find.

I have never tried any car cleaning product till y'day.

Now, due to the rains, I bought a Forumla1 wash and wax in order to remove the stubborn dirt marks which do not go away by normal water wash. But, the results are disastrous - no improvement over water wash at all.

Now, I have some questions -
Which is the best product for cleaning these stubborn dirt marks? Where can I find these in Hyderabad, if anyone is aware of?
How to apply the shampoo/cleaning product?
What type of cloth should be used to clean wipe the car after applying the product? I am currently using microfiber cloth.


I will worry about waxing and polishing later but first, need to get my white beauty clean.

Adi, I have been detailing my jazz since Feb 2011 and I believe I have gotten better with the experience of past 6 months. From November 2010 to Feb 2011, I practically did nothing. From Feb 2011, the following are the steps I have taken to maintain my tafetta white Honda Jazz in its best possible shape:

1. Stopped apartment car wash with imm effect. I still pay the guy to clean/wash my wheels and the mats.

2. Got paint sealant treatment done from 3M outlet at HSR Layout. Thanks to Sidhu from 3M, I got initiated into this whole detailing craze. He was the first person to educate me on the damages of the daily washing done by apartment cleaners.

3. Got Under body anti-rust coating done from the 3M outlet.


This is my DIY regular maintenance procedure:

1. Meguairs quik detailer spray.Have two bottles and I do this whenever there is a fairly fresh stain(1-3 days old stains) or just before waxing. I finish one bottle in no time and at 300 odd bucks found it difficult to sustain it!

2. Mequiars ultimate quik detailer. This is for state of the art finish. I use it sparingly as its expensive. Use it for "show & tell" days! :-)

3. ONR. Once I bought my first ONR bottle, I realized how much more cost effective it is compared to Mequiars even though Meguairs had a better over-all effectiveness. So I ended up buying a gallon and now I make my own quik detailer! :-) So this is my predominant cleaning liquid now. Quik/UQ both are used sparingly for TLC over and above ONR! :-) Recently I picked up my first gallon from our own Team-BHPpian Nirmal! Without any doubt, this is a must have at home. Smells delicious to boot!

4. Mequairs NXT Gen Car Wash Shampoo: I do shampoo wash if there is extreme grime and dirt accumulation which have bonded on to the paint- to the extent that if you try to remove them otherwise you might end up scratching the surface. Frankly I dont do DIY enough at all as I have a 6 month package deal with Car Spa and hence on occasions when I need a thorough wash, I just drive to the nearest car spa(just a stones throw for me) for a thorough wash. This is like once a month or may be even less frequent. But anyway, this is there in the picture so mentioned it. If you Shampoo it yourself, you need a proper wash mitt, please remember that.

Amazon.com: Meguiar's G-12664 NXT Generation Car Wash. 64 oz. liquid: Automotive

5. Meguairs NXT Gen Tech Wax 2.0 Paste(not liquid). I do this every 2 weeks after a shampoo wash and/or quik detailed. I.e basically only on a spanking clean car.This is a a very good product. Has incredible water-beading and your paint sealant will work doubly well with the aid and support of tech wax 2.0!

6. Recently picked up collinite 845 from Nirmal. Havent yet used it. I am yet to decide how and when I will use this(before or after tech wax 2.0 and what frequency) Will provide feedback after some more experience.

6. Acquired a variety of Microfibres. Not all microfibres are the same. Not all are designed for the same purpose. So you need multiples of them to maintain a good car finish. Following is a rough list of the microfibres that I have:

a. Euorow 660 GSM Microfibre towels. Not 330 GSM- which is the norm but 660 GSM. These are plush and are my workhorses. I used it for detailing, scrubbing etc. I dont do polishing with these. Neither do I buff with these. I use 2-3 of them at a time and keep them all together in circulation and then wash them all together. Ofcourse without any softeners or bleaches. I have a dozen of them.

Amazon.com: Eurow Microfiber Double Density Towels 12 X 16 in 660 GSM Eurow Shag 10-Pack: Automotive


b. Mequiars Ultimate detailing cloth: For that ultimate finish and final buffing. For serious, post-wax finish only. I have 3 of these.

Amazon.com: Meguiar's M9910 Ultimate Wipe Detailing Cloth: Automotive

c. For drying up the car after shampoo wash or after rain: Mequiars water magnet towels I have 3 of these.

Amazon.com: Meguiar's X2000 Water Magnet Drying Towel: Automotive

d. Mequiars wash mitts. Only for shampoo wash. Have hardly used it so far.

Amazon.com: Meguiar's X3002 Microfiber Wash Mitt: Automotive

e. Mequiars Supreme shine: This is used soon after waxing. This helps remove the excess wax from the surface with great ease and gives a smooth finish. I have 3 of these.

Amazon.com: Meguiar's X2020 Supreme Shine Microfiber - Pack of 3: Automotive

f. And then i have a bunch of cheap 3m/scoth brite microfibres which are used for cleaning under side, bumpers, border areas between, rubber/plastic and paint(where black color can run)

7. Finally for exteriors, the most important every day cleaning equipment is a high quality duster like california dusters to remove the secondary dust particles that are not yet bonded with the paint. I dust the car every evening before saying good night to the car! :-)

Amazon.com: The Original California Home and Auto Detailing Kit: Automotive


I dont use buffing machines or pads. Since your question was only about exteriors, i have not mentioned any of my techniques for interiors cleaning.

Hope this was useful for you. Let me know if you have any queries. I am sure some of what I have said may be wrong and if so the experts can correct me.

Thanks.

[biyer]

Originally Posted by sajo

Guys, somebody took a key (or something similar) and put a long dirty scratch on my Red Swift from the rear tail light (scratches on that also) to the front driver's door. Somebody also tried to scribble something on the RHS rear door too.
Being a noob , I wax polished my car on Saturday with F1 Carnauba Wax, but if anything, it actually accentuated the whole scratch.
Any idea how I can get that covered without going for repainting?

Disclaimer: This is not a recommended solution for any and every scratch. Since you asked for a solution other than painting, I am giving this idea. This is DIY and I generally restrict this to bumber nicks and if its done on body, I do it with extreme care and application. The purpose and intent is to cover the exposed metal body from elements and somewhat hide the scratch. On closer inspection, the filling WILL SHOW. End of disclaimer.

If its a deep 6-layer scratch then buy a matching colored nail polish from an international brand(high quality ones would roughly cost 800 bucks) and apply using the supplied thin brush mimicking the key movement. Make sure you run the brush lightly over the scratch - i.e you dont want nail polish blotched over the scratches rather papering over it like it has been penciled-in. If its a long scratch this Leave it for 24 hrs to dry and then apply some gentle rubbing to remove excess stuff by moving the MF cloth in a gentle up-down motion running the entire length of the scratch. Retain the nail polish for future scratches.

Works best on light colors. Works really poor in red and black.

[biyer]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Thanks all for your replies.
I am gonna order ONR soon and will let you know the results.

Just a small confusion - once you wax and apply sealant, then should you wax the car again after a interval of say 1 month or so?
I was of the impression that waxing is required often - say, once in a month or two while sealant is required much less frequently, say, once a year or so. Is that correct?

AFAIK, waxing -- especially when done with natural waxes -- is good for leather, paint and wooden surfaces. It keeps them protected and provides good shine. There is no such thing as too often, in my humble opinion, here.

[biyer]

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[sohail99]

If you use a nail polish, be warned that nailpolishes are not able to hold up to UV damage that the sun is constantly bombarding the car with!!

The nailpolish will fade off quickly making it look worse. If possible, use proper automotive quality touch up paint and clearcoat.

If you just want to make it unnoticeable from afar, you can apply touch up paint and leave it like that!
Or if you want perfection, you'll need to apply touch up paint, let it dry for a few days and then wetsand it to level the paint with the surrounding good paint, then clean and dry the paint and apply clear laquer on the sanded touch up paint and let it dry for a few days. Ultimately, wetsand and polish the clear laquer to a shine. This'll ensure approx 80% camoflage of the scratch.

@biyer
Btw use collinite845 over nxt tech wax since you already have nxt on the paint. Carnauba waxes go over sealants. Or you can apply carnauba waxes as such too!

[Mortis]

Ok so Im going to do a full detailing session tomorrow or the day after if the weather permits. I have NXT Tech wax 2 and Opti seal and I want to do two layers, one of each on the same day as I will have to do a full external wash again if I have to do another layer the next day.
What would be the best way to layer these ? Opti Seal allowed to cure for 20 30 mins followed by NXT, allowed to dry for an hour and then buffed off ? Or should I do the NXT first, buff it off and then Opti seal on top ?

[sudipta]

So now I have the ONR (delivered yesterday) and will try it out tomorrow. It has been a week since my car is cleaned/washed.

What would be the recomended way to start using ONR? As per the directions straight away or should I wash the car before I use it for the first time and then continue using regularly...

[Mortis]

If its really dirty then spray it over with ONR diluted to QD concentration and allow it to soak for a bit and then do a standard ONR bucket wash. If there is caked on mud then get it off first

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Ok so Im going to do a full detailing session tomorrow or the day after if the weather permits. I have NXT Tech wax 2 and Opti seal and I want to do two layers, one of each on the same day as I will have to do a full external wash again if I have to do another layer the next day.
What would be the best way to layer these ? Opti Seal allowed to cure for 20 30 mins followed by NXT, allowed to dry for an hour and then buffed off ? Or should I do the NXT first, buff it off and then Opti seal on top ?

I think you should 1st use NXT tech wax since its synthetic wax, Then seal with Opti Seal, since Opti seal is a pure sealant.