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

Just a quick update from me since I see posts about orbital car polishers.

A plastic part in my Coido 6015 Car Polisher broke off this morning just after I switched it on. I have reported the matter to the seller (Ms. Heena Sharma, HM Value Deals on EBay/Rediff) but I doubt if this is going to help.

I would not recommend such a polisher to anyone though I have written positively about it in the past. First of all, like many other things that are in the market these days, this a Chinese product with virtually no warranty or scope for repair. Use and throw is the order of the day.

Make sure you have a look at the polisher before you buy it. If its Black and Decker, make sure it is really Black and Decker and not some fake Chinese import. Online purchase of power tools is dangerous unless you are ordering from the manufacturer's store directly.

Same goes for car jacks which are "imported from the US". I had a bad experience with Mr. Jignesh Mehta (Auto Tools, EBay India, based in Mumbai) who sold me a car jack for Rs. 1800. It was sent through some nondescript courier company called "Shree Anjani Couriers" even though we were given the impression that it would be delivered via DTDC. The blow case of the jack was broken, and despite assurances from the seller that the blow case would be replaced, I haven't received it after 2 months. I even sent photographs of the broken case.

I don't have to tell you folks this, but please be very careful while ordering from EBay and Rediff even from sellers who have 98+% positive feedback.

Just my two cents.

Quote:

Originally Posted by arup.misra (Post 2783464)

el lobo, that'll make two of us. perhaps we can go together to buy. some discounts may be in the offfing

Yeah sure. More discount is always appreciated. After 28 May'12, I'm game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saurabhkum (Post 2783481)

The contact number is 9323910798. Name of the person is Jeetubhai. The length of the wire as written its 2 meters. have not used it so don't know exactly.

Saurabhkum where are you based in Mumbai, might come over to see some demo of it before plunging in. I'm based at Vashi, Navi Mumbai.:)

Quote:

Originally Posted by darthvader (Post 2782670)

Others will opine about the correct procedure (I've only had a black car for about 8 months), but I forgot to point out that I read warnings for both the sponge as well as the wash mitt.

I would go with a microfiber cloth towel for all the cleaning and buffing. I tried a sponge once..it left too many marks. So I will avoid the sponge as well as the mitt.

Swirls are caused because of abrasive particles attached to any wiping material be it MF or mitt. If a mitt is properly cleaned after a car wash there is absolutely no chance it would cause swirls. Even if a MF is not properly cleaned it will definitely cause swirls.

I too previously used to use MF(Eurow) for washing and then got Autocraft 2in1 wash mitt from Sanjay at BBImpex and it's a definite improvement over MF. You find ease to wash the car and time does reduce. You are able to carry more foam and water with mitt which is not possible with MF. Give it a try, you did be surprised how effective wash mitt are.

Recently even got Meguiars wash mitt but haven't got chance to use as Autocraft does a fab job.

Sorry to hear about the Ebay and Coido experience. Shree Anjani courier is low cost courier service, I have used it previously just for sending mails to KNP. DTDC is sure any day better. Buy Torin products they are the best for jacks. Had got Torin 3 Ton jack stands from Mumbai dealer itself for cleaning wheel wells using my Karcher, still haven't gotten chance to use them. Soon in a weeks or two should try them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by avingodb (Post 2782678)

Used Formula 1 wash and wax bought from Ebay.in today and here is the result.
edit: credit for cleaning job goes to the cleaner!

Gloss on the car looks very good considering it's Formula1 wash & wax. BTW is it a brand new car since the gloss is too good? Thanks for sharing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061 (Post 2784163)

Guess what: the Chevrolet workshop does not use microfiber cloth. So no matter how professionally I try to clean and maintain the car as an amateur, the workshop or virtually anyone else who may be hired to clean/wash it (so far nobody has) will not use MF or the proper washing products.

My car is mostly swirl free (I think), except for the boot which has taken a battering after the car spent an extended period in the workshop in February/March. I feel bad every morning cleaning it.

Regarding what Thad Ginathom said, I think its not as much to do with the "appearance" of the car, as much as the appreciation that a poor understanding of how a car should be cleaned can damage the paintwork and set you off by thousands of rupees in just a few minutes.

I will eventually try Swirl X, but I think I will coax the workshop to fix the swirl marks and minor paint imperfections once a year during the reassurance check for the paintwork and paint protection polish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by avingodb (Post 2784815)

My car is 8 months old and this was the first time I used a proper car wash&wax for it, otherwise I was using leftovers from Head&Shoulders!

You have maintained the car quite well, and it seems that your wash and wax compound is quite good because I have used Formula 1 Wash & Wax (shampoo) and I did not find the car as clean as yours is. Did you use anything after Formula 1?

As to the use of head & shoulders, using regular shampoo (i.e. hair shampoo) for car wash is an all too common practice in our country. I even know a veteran car mechanic who prescribes this though I have refrained from using such a product on my new car. One should always check the pH value of the shampoo before using it (use phenolphtalein & methyl orange from the scientific store, or a litmus paper; pH should be ~ 7 for a good neutral car wash solution; pH < 7 => acidic, pH > 7 => alkaline) . Also, many body shampoos contain chemicals which you would otherwise not spray or deposit on your car, even though conventional wisdom says that whatever is good for the human body (or isn't bad) can't possibly be bad for more resilient paint. I don't want to restart a debate that has already taken place on TBHP before (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-good-bad.html). I guess it boils down to a matter of opinion. As far as possible, I will prefer to use the correct product in the correct place :)

In conclusion, I will also state that the Amway Car wash (which is available for Rs. 259/- off Ebay India) is quite effective and you can always top it up with a wax of your choice. You could give it a shot after your Formula 1 Wax & Wash finishes, and see which one is better (most people here prefer Amway).

Guys , I'm facing a small problem here. The water in my building is pretty Hard. "Hard-water" anybody!!??

Hence after the car is washed by the guy early in the morning, there are white hard-water stains all over the car. Now over a period of few months this has accumulated and has hence caused white patches all over especially on the roof.

This is becoming a huge huge eyesore for me and I can't bear it one bit!!!

I read on some websites that vinegar and lemon can actually break down the mineral deposits on the car left back by the hard-water.

So I tried washing the car with some vinegar and some lemon ( Now don't make a funny face, I know, just tried it here and there and it worked to an extent but I possibly cant rub the whole car with lemons :p :) )

Are there any detailing procedures or some sprays/solutions that I can use to counter this menace?

PS: I will need it in future also as the same kind of water will be used later as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061 (Post 2781569)

Well here is the updated list for

The ONR Purchase Group:
sohail99 - Delhi
El Lobo 6061 - Mumbai
Mortis - Mumbai
arup.misra - Mumbai
icecoolsam - Banglore
phani - Banglore
samsag12 - Lucknow
S_U_N - Pune

Added city & T-Bhp id as it is easy to track. Wow 3 people from Mumbai. Nice going. As Auto-Mall is not there anymore, I shall mail to OPT later in the evening as what should we do to import ONR and are they going to appoint another dealer.

Add me as well:
hyper-VTEC - Bangalore - 32oz. bottle

Sorry for joining in late. I need ONR badly, only an oz. left. I am using it like a miser these days.

P.S. AG.net states for International shipping min amount in USD 100. In Amazon.com, Palm Beach Motoring store does not ship internationally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhipuru16 (Post 2791577)

^^ Someone please tell me more about this ONR deal, I am interested too.

This just a collective effort to know who all are interested in purchasing ONR as it is currently not available in India as its sole distributor Auto-Mall closed its shop. As we are quite accustomed to using ONR for water less wash, clay bar lubricant & quick detailer for the following purpose as all in one needed to purchase it, so formed this list of group of people interested to purchase it.

But most of the international seller either don't ship it and Amazon doesn't have license to import liquid products directly into India. Still looking at what are the options available.

A question regarding maintaining the exteriors of my car.

Due to space & time restrictions I am never able to detail my car myself. As a result the apartment cleaner washes the car just like he washes 10 other cars.

It started out fine, but more recently I started observing a multitude of micro-scratches (you know the ones which you can see on close inspection) and swirl marks, all over the car especially the bonnet. My car being black doesn't help either. So I decided to tell him to stop cleaning my car (this was last week).

Now, without any cleaning for a week, my car is covered with dust and the recent slight drizzle in Bangalore has given it a brown spotted look. I keep my windscreen and glasses clean using a Formula1 Glass cleaner to make sure I don't compromise on visibility and safety, but the rest of the body is dusty and dirty.

My basic question is, in a scenario where I am unable to clean my car myself and the cleaner pretty much scratches the car, does leaving the car covered with dust and other 'dirtying things' make more sense?

I will obviously get it cleaned by a professional, but the interval for that would be once in 10-15 days.