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

Quote:

Originally Posted by adimicra (Post 2502125)

My first car detailing session
...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

Congratulations Adi.

BTW, where is the pics man ?
Share some pics of your car. It’s always good to see a detailed car pics and more so if its WHITE (personal preference, no offense to any other color, even I own a non-white color car), a truly gorgeous color in any car !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gt500 (Post 2508862)

A product maybe talked about to no end on the forum
You may have different performance benchmark/expectation after spending a certain amount of money. While you may/may not be satisfied others will be or won't be.

It is highly subjective.

Again as you said it is better to try and make a judgment.

I have used Sonax and Mothers. Found Sonax to be better. Again my opinion only.

+1, there are many brands and quality products available and at the end of the day it comes down to what we expect as the outcome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gt500 (Post 2508862)

I haven’t tried ONR, as I feel spending 500 odd Rs. would fetch me a lot of shampoo, maybe I'm wrong and don't understand the real/special application of ONR.

Cheers

GT

I haven't used ONR, so cannot comment on that, however out of curiosity - if I clay/polish/wax etc my car then a shampoo wash is needed rarely, I guess !
Personally I wash my car with shampoo once in 6 weeks (average). I think its better if we can get some small quantity bottle (say 250 or 500ml),
a 1 liter bottle of car shampoo bought 13 months ago is still having 40% left ( in between I used few other shampoos though like Sonax etc), so I’m sure it’ll serve me for another ~6 months at least (as per instructions only 30ml required for one bucket of water and I follow that). What I am trying to say is - If ONR is so difficult to procure, there are other available brands too with standard and quality products which can be used.

I have finished almost half of my 828ml of Formula1 100 Washes. At this rate, I dont think it will last for even 50 Washes. :D Our car is just 4 months old but gets shampooed every weekend and plain water washed daily. Water Pressure washed it twice so far.

We travel on a 25km stretch daily that has 5 major flyovers being constructed on it. Its filled with huge potholes and a lot of muck, especially during the rains. To add to this, its a highway where we jostle with more trucks than smaller vehicles. Because of all this, our car gets splattered daily with generous amounts of tar, liquid cement, liquid concrete, solid concrete, gravel and if we happen to be next to the smokestack of a truck, and the truck driver accelerates hard, then a good amount of molten hot burned oil, soot and sludge as well. Some of the black spots that I thought initially were tar spots are actually burnt oil/soot/sludge thrown out from those trucks silencers.

We also spotted chips on our paint, exposing some white layer inside. There must be atleast half a dozen of them, some as big as 2mm. About 3 dents that were maybe created by stones/gravel flying off after being catapulted by a trucks tyre. We hear those sounds often as if some metal object hitting our car while driving on the highway. Now you know why I am always on the look out for more & more car detailing products. :)

Formula1 100Washes is a really good product with Water Beading Carnuba Wax Shine after a wash. A 473ml bottle is available for as low as Rs.175/-.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvonA7 (Post 2510594)

Personally I wash my car with shampoo once in 6 weeks (average). I think its better if we can get some small quantity bottle (say 250 or 500ml),
a 1 liter bottle of car shampoo bought 13 months ago is still having 40% left ( in between I used few other shampoos though like Sonax etc), so I’m sure it’ll serve me for another ~6 months at least (as per instructions only 30ml required for one bucket of water and I follow that). What I am trying to say is - If ONR is so difficult to procure, there are other available brands too with standard and quality products which can be used.

Quote:

Originally Posted by samsag12 (Post 2509693)

Oh ok. now i got as to how you calculated that figure. As you pointed out, there is some weird pricing done to the ONR range.
PS: Was thinking whether it is possible to pool and buy the gallon jar & distribute the quantity as per the price paid. This way many people can save a lot of money as the cost per head will be less compared to what smaller bottles of ONR cost. Awaiting some suggestions in this regard if anyone's interested .:)

Me and a couple of interested folks bought a gallon, because a liter of concentrate easily lasts 8 months on dilution. I use as a QD only. That said now i will buy 1 liter, the cost difference is not that much to go through the process of taking a gallon and then splitting etc. Personal choice purely.
My own experience- ONR is the BEST thing i got to maintain my car daily, dunno why folks are skeptical about it, i read enough on the net to try it and personal experience is best as sohail mentioned. I use shampoo for a proper wash, not ONR and found Amway shampoo excellent as its effective but safe on hands( eco friendly). This is my user experience on products mentioned.

A simple post to share with members [who have purcased the product], the ways to use ONR [Optimum No Rinse - Wash & Shine].

How it works

1. Add 1 ounce of No Rinse Wash & Shine to 2 gallons of water to make an excellent no rinse car wash. Soak a Cobra microfiber towel in the solution and wash your vehicle with the wet towel. Dry each section with another Cobra microfiber towel. There’s no need to rinse! The lubricants and substantive polymers in the formula will protect your vehicle from abrasion as it safely cleans all vehicle surfaces. The polymers encapsulate dirt and cause it to drop to the bottom of the bucket. No Rinse Wash & Shine actually cleans the wash water as it cleans your vehicle! And it leaves your vehicle super slick, like it was just waxed!

2. Add 1 ounce to wash water made with your regular car wash. No Rinse Wash & Shine’s advanced polymers and lubricants offer more surface protection and slickness than ordinary car soap alone. It acts as a water softener and conditioner to improve the quality of the water that touches your vehicle to provide the ultimate safe wash. ** This is a good idea to implement, specially in places like B'lore, where the borewell water is hard water**.

3. Add 2 ounces of No Rinse Wash & Shine to a gallon of water to make a super-slick clay bar lubricant. Wet the surface of your vehicle to provide a slippery protective layer beneath Opti-clay. After you’ve clayed each section, simply wipe it dry. This solution is as effective as any clay lubricant you can buy!

4. Add 8 ounces of No Rinse Wash & Shine to a gallon of water to make an excellent quick detailer. Fill up a spray bottle with this mixture and use it to clean and shine your vehicle, just as you would use a traditional detailer. The proprietary polymers bond to the paint surface to protect it from abrasion and micro-marring as you clean. The incredible formula leaves your vehicle extremely slick and glossy, like you just applied wax!

Hope it helps clear any confusion surrounding usage.

Cheers,
aK

*EDIT* Source: http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by k_ajay (Post 2511164)

Hello Mods,

I'm extremely sorry that when I re-tried to post the above note, I missed to include the link to the original source.

Request you to kindly add the source link, to my post above # 4910.

source: Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine: clay lubricant, optimum rinseless wash, no rinse car wash, optimum detailing products

Thank you
ajay K

Hey guys, I am a newbie in this. I wash my car every sunday. The other days, it is washed by my cleaner with a simple cloth, bucket & water & he does not do a very good job.

Right now, I have only Cyclo tyre foam & Armor All tire shine which does a good job as far as the tires are concerned.

I am planning to buy the following depending on the availability:

Armor ALL : Ultra Shine Wash & Wax, Tripe Action Wheel Cleaner, Tire shine Spray & Detailer’s Advantage Tire Foam

OR

Formula1 : Caranuba Wash & Wax,Wheel Gold Wheel Cleaner, Black Gold tire Shine & High Gloss tire foam.

Please guide me on the performance of the above products & which is better... I am not buying car wax as I dont get the time to wax the car, so I will leave that to the professionals. I will be take me car to a car spa & get it polished & waxed once in six months. That is the reason I am planning to go for car wash & wax.

This is how I plan to wash my car:

1) Rinse the car with pipe water
2) Add wash & wax solution to bucket & clean one part at a time
2a) Immerse cloth in solution in bucket
2b) Clean the surface (example front door) with soapy solution
2c) rinse the door with tap water
2d) Clean & dry the door with microfiber cloth
2e) Move to the next part!
3) After the car is clean, rinse the wheel & tire
4) Spray wheel cleaner on the wheel & tire foam on the tire, allow it to soak for 5 minutes
5) Use microfibre cloth to clean/wipe the wheel & tire
6) In the end, spray tire shine on the shine & leave it to dry

Please advise me if anything is wrong in this or unnecessary.

My comments - if using ONR as the solution.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj_5004 (Post 2515364)

This is how I plan to wash my car:

1) Rinse the car with pipe water
2) Add wash & wax solution (ONR)to bucket & clean one part at a time
2a) Immerse cloth (MF) in solution in bucket
2b) Clean the surface (example front door) with soapy solution
2c) -
2d) Wipe the door with (another dry) microfiber cloth
2e) Move to the next part! [here, rinse the first MF in fresh water - then dip it in soapy solution (2 bucket technique)]
3) After the car is clean, rinse the wheel & tire (ideally this should be done first)
4) Spray wheel cleaner on the wheel & tire foam on the tire, allow it to soak for 5 minutes
5) Use microfibre cloth to clean/wipe the wheel & tire
6) In the end, spray tire shine on the shine & leave it to dry

Please advise me if anything is wrong in this or unnecessary.

Edit - If using another solution like turtle or sonax - rinse the car with hose, move from roof to bottom (tires should be done first any which ways)
Dip the MF / sponge / mitt in soapy solution > do one panel > dip the MF / sponge / Mitt in fresh water - little shaky shaky > dip in soapy solution > next panel. Rinse the car with hose. Clean with MF (one for panels & another for glass)

You will be surprised to see the dirt left behind in fresh water once you are done washing the car. Now imagine that dirt in soapy solution which then get back on the car while washing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj_5004 (Post 2515364)

I would just advise you one thing -
Instead of trying a 'Wash and Wax' product..wash the car with a pure shampoo (Amway, for ex) and then do a waxing.
it will take away the need for regular washing of the car unless it rains.
Just use a duster for regular cleaning and wash only when required (may be once in 2-3 weeks). And get rid of the car wash guy - then do so much damage to the car's paint. I think this is the easiest and best way to maintain a car regularly.
I haven't washed the car in last 2 weeks and it is still shining :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadra (Post 2515444)

Thanks for the advice buddy, I dont use ONR.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adimicra (Post 2515579)

Sadly, mumbai is a very dusty city. We need to wash the car on a daily basis, else we can see everything from dried leaves to dust on the car.