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-   -   A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/102011-superb-car-cleaning-polishing-detailing-guide-436.html)

I am not sure, but from the appearance it seems that your headlight has developed minor cracks in the glass possibly due to heat.

I think you should talk to 3M or similar car cleaning guys on this.

Thanks el lobo, it surely helps. Will do as you said and will update thread with details once I start using ONR.

iCars

You can economise on water toward the end of your car wash, and I'd certainly like to try ONR, but please do not economise at the beginning: use plenty of water to get that dust off without scratching.

Microfibre is wonderful. I've been using it for almost all cleaning tasks for many years now, from the kitchen to electronics. Did you know that it can even remove light grease and stains from surfaces without using any chemical/detergent?

If my car is left uncovered for a day, there will be a layer of dust, much of which comes from local building sites and supply yards. Obviously, there is plenty of fine sand and other building materials in it. This dust is highly abrasive; it might as well be a fine sandpaper. Just to go out and drive, I use a Jopasu (Not Renault!) duster to gently sweep the dust away. Do not use any pressure! For cleaning, I use the hose. For proper cleaning, I use the pressure washer, with a wide, lowest-pressure jet.

The point is that, even allowing for the dust-absorbing qualities of microfibre, I would never use a cloth of any kind, wet or dry, on that first layer of dust.

It is the dust that scratches, not the cloth.

Last week when I was at 3M car care (HSR Layout) Sidhu there advised me not to wash my car at all!!! He said we should not wash our cars with water!

What does our resident car care experts have to say about that?

What if its covered in muck and grime? Nothing else can remove muck and grime except water!

Has anyone used any products from Motomax (www.shopping.motomax.in). Their products seem reasonably priced.

I used their compound, mixed with Formula 1 scratch out and meguiars colorx, all mixed in equal quantities, on red colour, and the combination worked wonderfully well, though the residue (due to scratch out) was on the higher side.

Thanks. Ordered a few things online, lets see how their products stack up to the others.

It is a pidilite company (fevicol fame). So products must be good. Do update, anyways.

I found a Eagle-1 tyre and wheel cleaner (foam type) at Reliance Automall, as I was looking for a matt look. I did not use water or brush or anything, just spray on and wait to dry. It loosened the grime on the wheel but didn't remove it fully. The tyre looked a nice matt black.

Photos below:

Hey Samboy,

There is a R Auto zone in Santacruz (w) i picked up a Jopasu from there. you can go check it out yourself there are a lottt !! of products there even tyres , if the place is far for you , i can pick one for you. let me know.

Regards

Thanks a lot for the offer Ryan.. really appreciate it. I ordered both the items from ebay for now, but next time I am around there, I will for sure visit it. It would be fun to look at various accessories that they have in stock. I visited their official site to check if they are in Mumbai but I suppose website is not updated yet. They lost my business for sure. :)

Hey Ryan, Where exactly is teh R Autozone in Mumbai. Tried looking up the internet - but did not get any reliable information.

Cars should be washed with water. Infrequently offcourse. Dry wiping produces swirl marks. However if you live in a dusty area (most of us do), you may need to wash your car very frequently - maybe daily. Use plenty of water and a micro fibre cloth if possible.

Washing everyday is going to reduce the longevity of your wax and also of any paint selant you have applied. Paint sealants last less than 2 - 3 months if the car is washed everyday. Forget the 1 year warranty - its just a sales talk. However one will have to live with this.

EDIT - Never do a diesel wash of the car. Many service stations use diesel to wash the car. The car comes out very clean - especially the tar marks removal is excellent. However diesel wash is harmful to the clear coat and generally to all paint surfaces.

I have used their shampoo (small bottle for Rs. 50 found at Hypermarket/ Hypercity at Ghodbunder Road, Mumbai).
In comparison to my Formula Wash and Wax concentrate, I would say Motomax is not that good. The quantity that you need to use is high (since the liquid seems diluted in the bottle itself). So, now my small bottle is over, whereas the Formula Wash and Wax is 3/4th remaining even after 1 year of usage.

I have the rubbing compound too, but never got a chance to try that one so far.

To summarize, do not have high expectations. If it works for you, consider it as a bonus. :)