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

Is that grainy in texture? My wife used to say that this is bat droppings. But they did not come in small patches

Quote:

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061 (Post 2732878)

Problem : Paste wax deposits on the black plastic trim on side door protector of my Vento.

Solution : WD40, Tooth Brush, Wet Microfiber towel.

There had been some paste wax read Collinite 915, deposits on the black plastic trim on side door protector. As I didn't mask it, so ultimately paid the price with those white marks all over the black trim.
Washing with car shampoo didn't do any difference. So did some Googling and the idea suggested was use of WD40 to remove it.

Second use of WD40 in this thread! It removed your wax, and it solved my chewing gum on paintwork problem. WD40 works miracles! It even lubricates and protects against rust --- which is its primary purpose.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsathyap

Btw, here's the picture of the yellow stain - Coincidentally, there was a new stain right next to the older stain that;s been wiped / cleaned up. Notice that the fresh stain is dark yellow, almost mustard in colour while the cleaned up stain is pale. I have no idea how to get rid of those pale yellow "cleaned" up stains. I'm afraid I'll rub too much and remove the glossy coat / paint work and end up getting ugly rough patches on the body.

Any ideas on how to get rid of these?

these could be Bee's poo. I find at least at half a dozen Of these on my car every morning. I spray meguairs quick detailing spray and allow it to soak. After about a minute or so remove it with a cloth and they wipe that area clean with another microfiber.

Hi all,

I own a Harbanero Red ANHC , so i fall in the "God can only help type" when it comes to maintaining the car. And i have been giving the car to the car washing guys in the apartment, they mostly lift the wiper up and leave , not even touching the car. And i have to run behind them every weekend to handover the key so that he can clean the interiors. Apart from all this, there are a few hairline scratches as well. This has been going on since the last few months, and now i have decided its time for me to take the initiative and wash the car on my own. I plan to wash the car every weekend , and on weekdays just use the duster to dust the car.

Is there any recommended sequence for washing the car? This is what i am planning to do every weekend:

1) Pour some water on the car first and get him wet.

2) Then mix some Amway car wash in a bucket of water.

3) Wash the car body with the sponge dipped in the car wash.

4) Wash the windows with another cloth

5) Wash the tyres + rims with a third cloth.

6) Dry the car using the chamois.

7) Use the micro fiber cloth finally to wipe the car.

Does this look good? Do i have to procure anything more ? :uncontrol

Inputs please...

Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsathyap (Post 2733224)

Same goes for micro fiber towels. All I have come across are like 9"x9" which is pretty small. Anything bigger & practical enough for a car wash scenario?

I'm afraid I'll rub too much and remove the glossy coat / paint work and end up getting ugly rough patches on the body.

You can get decent size microfibers here BB Impex (P) Ltd. New Delhi, India, 5 Pack Yellow Microfiber

For removing the tree sap marks, no need to panic as they are quite superficial on the paint & are removed easily once they are wet. You wont harm the clear coat even with vigorous rubbing of a microfiber unless you are using a cutting compound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kap04 (Post 2733570)

Hi all,

Is there any recommended sequence for washing the car? This is what i am planning to do every weekend:

1) Pour some water on the car first and get him wet.

2) Then mix some Amway car wash in a bucket of water.

3) Wash the car body with the sponge dipped in the car wash.

4) Wash the windows with another cloth

5) Wash the tyres + rims with a third cloth.

6) Dry the car using the chamois.

7) Use the micro fiber cloth finally to wipe the car.

Does this look good? Do i have to procure anything more ? :uncontrol

Inputs please...

Thanks.

Yes Sir. Please buy a car pressure washer. Refer dedicated thread on this. I was benefited! The sequence post pressure washer purchase shall be as follows:
1. Pour about 60ml of car shampoo (not more) in the detergent bottle and apply water through it. Do not do when the car is hot (after exposure to sunlight). Wait few minutes so as to get the dirt such as bird droppings get wet.
2. Use fan nozzle and remove the dirt. You will be amazed to see that all those rough particles that lead to swirl marks are gone.
3. Mix suggested quantity of car shampoo in 2-3 litres of water. Using a microfibre, slowly wash down from the top, one panel at a time.
4. Again use the fan nozzle of the car washer and rinse off the shampoo.
5. Dry using chamois.
6. If you want wax, do it now.

Best wishes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by darthvader (Post 2732926)

By WD40, do you mean this: WD-40 MULTIFUNCTION LUBRICANT SPRAY CAN - 400 ml | eBay

Yeah its the same. Today morning examined the black plastic trim but to my utter dismay, there were still some wax residue left. It nearly 70% gone and is not that bad now. Will do a session again on the trim and that should do the job.

Quote:

Originally Posted by darthvader (Post 2732926)

I don't remember if the Vento has this, but the Cruze has plastic trims between the window rails and all 4 pillars.

Vento does have black trim across the window and I have installed side door protector which prevents any scratch/dent if the door strikes any object while it is being opened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by darthvader (Post 2732926)

I am wondering if WD40 will have any effect because isopropyl alcohol and petrol have had no effect.

If petrol hasn't done any good, then WD40 won't do any better. Petrol is the ultimate choice to clean any thing which doesn't goes by regular cleaning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsathyap (Post 2733224)

Could you recommend some genuine brand / method to identify a true chamois cloth? All I see is packed plastic tubes with wet cloth in them.. no idea whether they are genuine or fake.

Any ideas on how to get rid of these?

You have 3M Car Care & Ultimate Detailerz in Banglore which should help you sort out any problem related to car detailing. I did suggest you to take your car to 3M and have it inspected and they would definitely sort out those yellow marks.
You could even purchase microfiber and drying towel from 3M and it would be best. Doing car detailing by oneself and procuring the products required can be a bit costly and tedious to work out. These professional should take care of your car. Give it a try.:thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by kap04 (Post 2733570)

Hi all,

I own a Harbanero Red ANHC , so i fall in the "God can only help type" when it comes to maintaining the car.Inputs please...

Thanks.

Hi kap04,
Good to know you taking the initiative to keep the car in its pristine condition. Even I too fall in "God can only help type" since I too own a black color car and its a tough job to maintain the car.
As a initial measure to have the paint corrected due to the scratches & swirls caused by the car cleaner in your apartment, I would suggest you to have your car detailed by 3M Car Care or Ultimate Detailerz. As it would take care of the of those swirls & scratches which by hand would be very tedious and you would need to procure variety of products to have it done.
Later on after detailing your car from 3M or UD, you could buy quick detailer like Meguiars Quick Detailer or Optimum No Rinse(ONR) and quick detail your car. A set of microfiber for the same purpose. For washing the car Amway car shampoo is very good and all you need are a few microfiber towels.

Note: I'm no way related to 3M or UD.

I know Jopasu has a thread of its own, based on the legendary Jopasu duster, but I wanted to say a word or two in praise of the Magic Wipe. It is very absorbant, more so than any of my other microfibre cloths (I have a large collection, but they are mostly cheap UK bargain-shop stuff). I got the Magic Wipe as part of the Jopasu gift pack.

After running the silicon squeegee over the car, one Magic Wipe was just about enough to dry it. Two would have been perfect ... so I'll probably order the three-pack :)

The other thing that made my day today was the Meguiar's Quick Detailer. Is this the lazy man's way to make a car look good, or what! After washing, and giving time to properly dry, I gave a light misting and buffed with another thick microfibre. Result: a great shine. Maybe not as great as real wax, but also about 1/1000th of the effort :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by jingaboysr (Post 2732372)

How does the end result look?

The mirror effect seems good. I still have some doubts for the right fender though - seems a bit dull. It maybe because of the photography.
Generally speaking, there are three BASICs to car paint.

1. The reflection of a strong light source (Almighty Sun is best)
2. Surfacing: This can be viewed by watching or keeping the camera at a very acute angle against the paint
3. The mirror effect : as many of the photographs in this thread demonstrate

If above 3 factors are A Grade - you get what you call a "showcar" finish -:thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by KkVaidya (Post 2734242)

You're talking about the front right fender right? Let me take try to take another photograph.
Thank you for the information, i'm a newbie when it comes to detailing. Isn't the points 1 and 3 the same?

I have noticed some areas in the paint, esp at the rear, where there is a roughness in the finish. Could have been there from the factory itself since the car is just less than a month old?

Quote:

Originally Posted by superutp (Post 2728178)

Could someone please tell me what these yellow spots are. I find them everyday on my car.
=============Will try to get a better picture again.
Attachment 908207

Quote:

Originally Posted by KkVaidya (Post 2729091)

I find these on my car too. I think it is one kind of tree sap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsathyap (Post 2733224)

Tell me about it! Am fed up with these in summer!! I park the car on road while at office, though i park it away from the trees (yes battered by sun for first half of the day), still these stupid sap falls all over the car. Its a white car also! But one thing i figured out, if i let it dry and chip it off carefully with my fingers, the residue stain is less. A good wash with Sonax cleans it up also. Only rarely the stain is left behind, but that too disappears after few washes.

If i try to wet wipe, the bloody thing leaves huge smudge which then needs hell lot of work with sonax and cloth to get it removed.

Nowadays dont bother with it on daily basis, weekly i remove the dried up sap before wash (carefully or scratch the paint!) and then wash the vehicle down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsathyap (Post 2733224)

Btw, here's the picture of the yellow stain - Coincidentally, there was a new stain right next to the older stain that;s been wiped / cleaned up. Notice that the fresh stain is dark yellow, almost mustard in colour while the cleaned up stain is pale. I have no idea how to get rid of those pale yellow "cleaned" up stains. I'm afraid I'll rub too much and remove the glossy coat / paint work and end up getting ugly rough patches on the body.

Satya,

Do you park your car below electric wires that have these plastic tubes enclosed around them ? Noticed similar yellow stains on my beauty. Reason could be that the water/moisture accumulated in these tubes drip out with the same color. Might be wrong though.

I use Amway car shampoo to get rid of these once every month.