[adimicra]

My first car detailing session

Finally THE DAY arrived.

I got up a bit late this morning..so, was not sure whether to do it or not. Finally, shrugged of the laziness and took the plunge.


The arsenal -
1> Amway car shampoo
2> Amway leather and vinyl cleaner.
3> Clay bar - Meguiar's . For Clay lube - Amway shampoo diluted in water in 1:10 ratio in a spray bottle.
4> Colinite 845 wax
2> Accessroies - 1 Micro for wash, 1 Chamois and 1 Micro for drying, 1 Micro for claying, 1 Micro for interior cleaning,1 Foam pad for applying wax, 1 Meguiars SuperShine Micro for buffing wax


Started with car wash, then did the interiors, followed by claying and finnaly the wax. I did not have a tire product, so could not get the tires to shine.Everything went on fine and the entire effort took almost 3.5 hours. But, it was well worth it - my car is shinning like new and the surface of the car feels so silky smooth.

Few notes -

• The Amway leather and vinyl cleaner worked very well and the interiors look all black and new plus it had a nice smell.
• I applied the clay with lots of lube (used up the entire 500 ml lube). There were lots of minute black spots stuck on to the car surface which did not go away with any shamppo wash. Clay removed 90% of those and made the surface really smooth. After claying the paint, I applied clay on the glass and the headlight and voila they became so much more clear (thanks to Sanjay from Bringingbest.com for the suggestion. Took a short spin in the evening ...man, I don't remember seeing my windscreen so clear ever!I used half of a 50 gm clay bar and threw it after use as it was pretty dirty.
• Applying colinite 845 was very very easy. I allowed it to haze for 45 minutes before buffing. Even buffing was lot easier than I had thought.I applied only a single coat and might do another coat after a couple of months.

Overall, a highly satisfying experience.
Thanks to all the BHPians who got me introduced to the concept of car detailing..special mention to mkh, thinkbig, quadro, Avon, ajay_k and many others. Sorry, no pics as it got pretty late..I will try n take some pics tomorrow.But, I could notice in the parking lot that my car was shining more a 3-month old white CIty

A special mention of Sanjay from www.bringingbest.com, New Delhi, India - I got most of the products from Sanjay. Not only his rates are the best in the market, his service is very good and he is always there to help us with any questions or concerns about detailing. One good thing is - he got invidual clay bars which can be purchased separately and there is no need to buy the full clay kit. I would definitely recommend him wholeheartedly to any BHPian looking for purchasing car care products. Disclosure- I am not linked to Sanjay or bringingbest in any which way, this is just a recommendation based on my experience with him.


Cheers
Aadi

Originally Posted by goandude

Yes monsoons do take a toll. I just came back from a drive to bangalore approx 2300 km in 5 days. raining throughout the onward journey and intermittently on the return. The car sides were very dirty. so first shampoo wash took off 90 % of the grime. Next with a hand held spray gun applied refined kerosene on the lower half of the doors and running board. Another wash with shampoo and viola, a shiny car with a silky finish.

PS the car had been clayed and collinited about 2 months ago.
The spray from the tyres, while they are squeezing out the water from under them when rolling, also squeeze out some tar particles which stick to the side of the car and these require kerosene or diesel for removal. similar tar particles can be found on the front of the car with remnants of dead bugs. Most go with kerosene and shampoo.

I had similar tiny tar spots throughout the lower half of the car. After claying and waxing, 90% of them are gone.
What is refined kerosens? Is it safe?

[goandude]

Originally Posted by adimicra

My first car detailing session


What is refined kerosens? Is it safe?

Refined kerosene is nothing but aviation turbine fuel. It is very safe, in my experience it has not damaged the paint finish. but sourcing it could be difficult. I got a bottle from a helicopter pilot friend

[theexperthand]

Cross posting from my ownership thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2502567


After the excellent detailing by Ultimate Detailerz, I was on the look out for a suitable wax for supplementing the detailing process.

Its been more than 2 months after I got the detailing done and though I have never done a single water wash after that (thanks to Jopasu and ONR) I could feel the friction when I lightly rub a cloth over the body.

After having my experiences with F1 and Turtle wax and couple of lesser known local brand waxes, I wanted to try some thing better this time. After initial searches, I was almost decided on getting Collinite 845 - it is generally considered as one of the best and most durable wax out there. While trawling the net during my search for the wax, I came across many detailing forums and I spent a lot of time reading lot of posts and got introduced to engineered waxes.

After some more reading and lot more trawling, I came to the conclusion that there is no harm in trying an engineered wax - now the choices where between Meguiars NXT 2.0 and Mothers FX SynWax. The opinions were quite divided on some forums - depending on whether the Forum favored Mothers or Meguiars - but the consensus was that both were more or less equal. Most people were prefering NXT 2.0 for Black color cars and FX for other dark metallic colors. After comparing the results of cars and trucks which were detailed by NXT, FX SynWax and Collinite 845, and after going over all the reviews and posts made by people who have actually used them, I could not find much of a difference to ditch the synthetic wax to get Collinite. For dark colors, FX Synwax was giving really good gloss and reflections and I could see lot of flake popping too.

I was not interested in long lasting wax - I take it as an excuse to lavish some TLC over Jai, so a wax which lasts 1~2 months was good enough for me - I was looking for better reflections and lesser elbow grease. All these and the fact that it is readily available off the shelf tilted the scale towards FX SynWax.

Ordered my bottle of FX from automall using there online store (carpolish.in) on Monday night and the wait started. I so badly wante dto wax the car on Friday afternoon and even took a half day leave (who really want to work after a sumptuous Onam sadhya ) but they took their sweet time to courier me the box. I think i will give 7 out of 10 for the service by automall - I had to repeatedly follow up about the shipping, and I did not get the tracking number as promised by them and though they were available on mobile, my sms and e-mails (using the contact us forum) did not generate any replies. Next time, if I need anything from them, I will go and pick it up from their shop.

I got the wax on saturday (5 days for a order to realize - I stay in same city as the seller )

Sunday morning, I started with my usual dusting with Jopasu, followed by a round of quick cleaning using ONR. After this, I started waxing my car with FX - took me only about an hour to wax my whole car and it was really easy on - easy off, with a great shine to boot. I took some old soft cotton cloth and made a jugaad applicator pad and applied the liquid wax with circular motions and allowed it to dry to haze. After few minutes, I buffed the panels using 3M yellow MF and voila. It was as simple as that. Did one section at a time, and it was much much easier to apply that the F1 or Turtle - the wax have some good cleaning power and the reflections are crisp and vivid. Many people are of the opinion that you need to give some time for the synthetic waxes to bring out the shine, so I am all game to wait and see if I get more of it.

I need to get some tire form and some products for taking care of the plastics - the research is on.

Let the pictures do the talking now:

The package:



The Bottle:



Happy Me:

[basky]

The quality of tar used on our roads is low resulting in the tar melting at relatively lower temperatures. Tar spot removers are generally too expensive for the kind of tar removal we have to do at regular intervals. Kerosene or Diesel are effective in removing tar spots but, like all solvents, also remove the sealants and waxes previously applied. Paint surfaces are not affected with this cleaning but a fresh application of sealants, waxes or even a wax rich quick detail is required to protect the newly cleaned and exposed paintwork.

ONR is fine as long as there is no abrasive sand or dirt on the body surface otherwise the grit will also be rubbed in. Safer to apply it as a quick detail after washing down the surface.

Claying is best done when you start feeling the roughness on the body surface from surface contamination. Fantastic for keeping your windshield clean too.

Brands are less critical than meticulous attention to detail - and hope that your wife does not mind the excess attention the car is getting

[biyer]

Edited post after reading a later post from Adi!

Originally Posted by adimicra

I got most of the products I was looking for -

• Colinite 845
• Meguiars clay kit - 2 clay bars and supershine micro
• Amway car shampoo
• Amway leather and vinyl cleaner - for interiors

I like to work with a set of 2 high quality 660 GSM micros for my primary cleaning. One is for working dirty(i.e I wouldnt hesitate to use it on the car when its dirty) and the other is for working clean(only to be used for wiping on a cleanER car). I use 2 more cheaper (100-200 bucks/micro) micros for border areas, under sides etc. Apart from this I have a working large micro(water magnet) for drying a wet car. For waxing up and waxing-down I have 2 more specialized clothes. So that would be a total of ATLEAST 7 specialist micros for detailing. With this level of selection, my average time spent on "detailing" my car between waxes is less than 10-15 mins of working time.

Apart from the micro, I think you should go for ONR and tech wax 2.0. My opinion, of course.

I dont claim to be an expert detailer but in my opinion thats a wrong order of priority for a novice. I dont have clays and while I might get it someday but the day I do get it, thats when I think I would have crossed over from being an enthusiast to a detailing expert.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Need to purchase a tire foam/gel and a glass cleaner I will be done.

Few questions -

• Given that the rains are showing no signs of going away, does it make sense for me to wait a while for the detailing session?
• Should I apply 2 thin layers of Colinite?
• What is the recommendation of using a quick detailer for regular maintenance? Has anybody tried to use a diluted car shampoo as a quick detailer? If yes, what is the experience? I am thinking whether I should purchase a quick detailer or not? The Meguiar's quik detailer is readily available for 300 bucks (not the ultimate one), not sure how good/bad it is.

1. No.
2. Depends but I would somtimes.
3. QD based on 300 bucks/bottle from Megs did not work well for me. Thats the prime reason I had to go for a gallon of ONR. I make my own QD now and dont hesitate to use it as often as required. Even in malls, when I get few minutes of spare time! If you have kids, esp, sons, they would love the idea of doing QD with you provided you give them a bottle!
4. Having said that I have both QD and UQD from meg but not sure if i will replace them once they get over...

Hope this helps.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by biyer

Based on my experience, I feel you are short on Micro by a few numbers. I.e assuming you have just 1 or 2 pieces of micros based on your post, I am guessing so. I like to work with a set of 2 high quality 660 GSM micros for my primary cleaning. One is for working dirty(i.e I wouldnt hesitate to use it on the car when its dirty) and the other is for working clean(only to be used for wiping on a cleanER car). I use 2 more cheaper (100-200 bucks/micro) micros for border areas, under sides etc. Apart from this I have a working large micro(water magnet) for drying a wet car. For waxing up and waxing-down I have 2 more specialized clothes. So that would be a total of ATLEAST 7 specialist micros for detailing. With this level of selection, my average time spent on "detailing" my car between waxes is less than 10-15 mins of working time. If you have just one micro, I doubt if it will work beyond the second session for obvious reasons.

Apart from the micro, I think you should go for ONR and tech wax 2.0. My opinion, of course.

Also the fact that you bought clay bars ahead of micros raises my eye brows. I dont claim to be an expert detailer but in my opinion thats a wrong order of priority for a novice. Proper claying without multitudes of clean micros and pads is a contradiction in my opinion. I dont have clays and while I might get it someday but the day I do get it, thats when I think I would have crossed over from being an enthusiast to a detailing expert.



1. No.
2. Depends but I would somtimes.
3. QD based on 300 bucks/bottle from Megs did not work well for me. Thats the prime reason I had to go for a gallon of ONR. I make my own QD now and dont hesitate to use it as often as required. Even in malls, when I get few minutes of spare time! If you have kids, esp, sons, they would love the idea of doing QD with you provided you give them a bottle!
4. Having said that I have both QD and UQD from meg but not sure if i will replace them once they get over...

Hope this helps.

Hi man,

Thanks for the post. I guess you missed my last post. I already did the detailing session and I had quite a few micros - 5 to be precise (including1 SuperShine Meg's Micro for buffing wax) plus one chamois plus one applicator pad.

No plans of getting Tech Wax as I have Colinite 845 which will last for long.

I am in the process of getting ONR for QD.

Cheers
Aadi

[biyer]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Hi man,

Thanks for the post. I guess you missed my last post. I already did the detailing session and I had quite a few micros - 5 to be precise (including1 SuperShine Meg's Micro for buffing wax) plus one chamois plus one applicator pad.

No plans of getting Tech Wax as I have Colinite 845 which will last for long.

I am in the process of getting ONR for QD.

Cheers
Aadi

Sorry, I did miss your later post Aadi. I just re edited my original post! Its a good idea that you are getting the ONR. And what about the car duster??

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by biyer

Sorry, I did miss your later post Aadi. I just re edited my original post! Its a good idea that you are getting the ONR. And what about the car duster??

No probs man, I already got the Jopasu duster few months back.
But today, while using the duster, it just glided over the surface of the car...never felt so lovely

Regards claying, I know that it is not for a novice. But since it is not abrasive, what's the harm in trying. And considering that my car was not detailed even once after buying, the surface was not in a great condition. So, I went for claying. And I bought just the clay bar separately and not the kit..so it did not cost me much. I think it is a great thing to have at your disposal.
Also, I have never seen anyone recommending claying glass but as per my experience, it makes hell of a difference - my windscreen, headlights have become so clear. Experts can comment further.
I must admit I have been bitten by the car detailing bug

[biyer]

Originally Posted by adimicra

No probs man, I already got the Jopasu duster few months back.
But today, while using the duster, it just glided over the surface of the car...never felt so lovely

One point - I have never seen anyone recommending claying glass but as per my experience, it makes hell of a difference - my windscreen, headlights have become so clear.
I must admit I have been bitten by the car detailing bug

I have seen some comments recommending claying glass and headlights. They perhaps were from this very thread or elsewhere - cant remember but I have definitely seen it. This might be one good reason for me to look at claying more seriously as I do get my glass dirty more often.

One tangential point on detailing glass. Recently in a hurried detailing session, I sprayed the pressurized interior/dash board spray directly on to the far reaches of the Jazz dashboard in a frustrated bid to finish cleaning the un-ending vastness that is Jazz's dash. I think its the single biggest boo-boo I have committed on my Jazz so far (apart from nicking the front bumper once in an attempt to calibrate my parking!)- the glass smoked from inside due to me spraying the chemical directly on to the surface. I actually drove around for weeks before I sat the car down and stretched myself no end to wipe the smoked areas using a micro and glass spray. The recommended method was to spray on to the micro and then wipe the dash. MORAL : FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION!

[maverhick]

What do you guys suggest using on dashboards? I wanted to get my car dashboard in decent shape. Anything that will work on the plastic and something that can work on fake wood as well.

Also any products that I can use on chrome? I was planning to use it on my bike to get it back to shape as well.

Thanks

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by maverhick

What do you guys suggest using on dashboards? I wanted to get my car dashboard in decent shape. Anything that will work on the plastic and something that can work on fake wood as well.

Also any products that I can use on chrome? I was planning to use it on my bike to get it back to shape as well.

Thanks

Both Mothers and Meguires have products for chrome polishing - you can try either Mothers Chrome polish or Meguires G13508.

For interiors, there are lot of products avilable from Simoniz, Armour All, Mothers, Meguires etc

I have read good reviews about Mothers plastic polish, Back to black, meguires natural shine etc, but I do not have much practical info.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by adimicra

My first car detailing session

Finally THE DAY arrived.

I got up a bit late this morning..so, was not sure whether to do it or not. Finally, shrugged of the laziness and took the plunge.
Overall, a highly satisfying experience.

Thanks to all the BHPians who got me introduced to the concept of car detailing..special mention to mkh, thinkbig, quadro, Avon, ajay_k and many others. Sorry, no pics as it got pretty late..I will try n take some pics tomorrow.But, I could notice in the parking lot that my car was shining more a 3-month old white CIty

A special mention of Sanjay from www.bringingbest.com, New Delhi, India - I got most of the products from Sanjay. Not only his rates are the best in the market, his service is very good and he is always there to help us with any questions or concerns about detailing. One good thing is - he got invidual clay bars which can be purchased separately and there is no need to buy the full clay kit. I would definitely recommend him wholeheartedly to any BHPian looking for purchasing car care products. Disclosure- I am not linked to Sanjay or bringingbest in any which way, this is just a recommendation based on my experience with him.


Cheers
Aadi

Hey Aditya,

Coincidence or what? I spent my entire day yesterday completing the detailing too. Thankfully, the rain gods pleased me by waiting until late evening to bring down the shower. Rains had water all over my plans the last 2 weekends. Now, my car is detailed at level 1

Yes, I second that. Sanjay is helpful, accommodating and his prices are certainly competetive.

Originally Posted by adimicra

I had similar tiny tar spots throughout the lower half of the car. After claying and waxing, 90% of them are gone.
What is refined kerosens? Is it safe?

I had loads of those running through the lower side of the doors. Until the last cleaning session I did, I used to rub them off with a small cotton cloth dabbed in Diesel. but from yesterday, I started using WD-40 to remove the tar and other spots. Works like a charm. Just a light spray on a cotton ear-bud takes care of atleast 1 door. The can is sure to last long this way.

Originally Posted by basky

The quality of tar used on our roads is low resulting in the tar melting at relatively lower temperatures. Tar spot removers are generally too expensive for the kind of tar removal we have to do at regular intervals. Kerosene or Diesel are effective in removing tar spots but, like all solvents, also remove the sealants and waxes previously applied. Paint surfaces are not affected with this cleaning but a fresh application of sealants, waxes or even a wax rich quick detail is required to protect the newly cleaned and exposed paintwork.

Its best to use a product like WD-40 than diesel. I've just used both and surely it takes a very little amount of WD-40 spray on a cotton earbud to clean those tar spots. They vanish and least amount of the product used results is lowest damage to clear coat. Try it, if you can get hold of the WD-40.

Originally Posted by biyer

I like to work with a set of 2 high quality 660 GSM micros for my primary cleaning. One is for working dirty(i.e I wouldnt hesitate to use it on the car when its dirty) and the other is for working clean(only to be used for wiping on a cleanER car). I use 2 more cheaper (100-200 bucks/micro) micros for border areas, under sides etc. Apart from this I have a working large micro(water magnet) for drying a wet car. For waxing up and waxing-down I have 2 more specialized clothes. So that would be a total of ATLEAST 7 specialist micros for detailing. With this level of selection, my average time spent on "detailing" my car between waxes is less than 10-15 mins of working time.

Apart from the micro, I think you should go for ONR and tech wax 2.0. My opinion, of course.

I dont claim to be an expert detailer but in my opinion thats a wrong order of priority for a novice. I dont have clays and while I might get it someday but the day I do get it, thats when I think I would have crossed over from being an enthusiast to a detailing expert..

Hi Bushan,

It was great to meet you at Sidhu's on saturday. Envy that 660gsm 10 pack shack you got lol..

Once you clay your car, you will find the smoothness in the car's body which you probably would have felt only while taking delivery. Claying is awesome and makes polishing and waxing the car a whole lot easier and worthwhile. I've done it successfully and very sure you can do it too.

Originally Posted by adimicra

But today, while using the duster, it just glided over the surface of the car...never felt so lovely

It's just awesome, isn't it Aditya? The jopasu glides effortlessly. I don't even sense those fibres touching the car's body and moving across.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Also, I have never seen anyone recommending claying glass but as per my experience, it makes hell of a difference - my windscreen, headlights have become so clear. Experts can comment further.

mkh, sohail, etc, everyone had mentioned many hundred pages ago that claying does apply for glass. i called up Mkh personally to confirm this before I tried. And yes, what a difference. I never knew how clear the windscreen could be until I clayed it. It was so clear that it appeared almost as if that I was driving around without a windscreen.. lol

Originally Posted by biyer

I have seen some comments recommending claying glass and headlights. They perhaps were from this very thread or elsewhere - cant remember but I have definitely seen it. This might be one good reason for me to look at claying more seriously as I do get my glass dirty more often.

Bushan, you should definitely try claying. I was shocked at what I experienced after I clayed the windscreen. No exaggearation.

Originally Posted by biyer

The recommended method was to spray on to the micro and then wipe the dash. MORAL : FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION!

Cheers,
aK

[k_ajay]

I didn't want my query to be snowed under the responses on my previous post, so this is fresh.

Can you folks share how you 'clean' your foam pad applicators? For ex: the foam pad applicator that comes with Meg's NXT 2.0 paste wax and salso pinnacle foam pad applicator?

Not able to find a way to clean them [and normally they will cake up hard if not washed, right]?

Thanks for your pointers.


cheers,
aK

[basky]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Its best to use a product like WD-40 than diesel. I've just used both and surely it takes a very little amount of WD-40 spray on a cotton earbud to clean those tar spots. They vanish and least amount of the product used results is lowest damage to clear coat. Try it, if you can get hold of the WD-40.

Just be more than careful with WD-40 on bodywork. It is a very penetrating solvent- very much more than diesel. You will see the negative effects much later (as I did years ago). I do detailing at Pro standards and have been at it for a long time and am just mentioning my (-ve) experience with it.

If you are happy with it, I would not even try to dissuade you

[basky]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Can you folks share how you 'clean' your foam pad applicators?

Just wash it with water -warm if available- and liquid detergent. Just squeeze the pads in the water and have multiple changes of water if doing it in a bucket. Let the pads air dry - put it in a room where there is a fan if possible to dry faster