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

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackasta (Post 3174129)

For the past few weeks, I have been aggressively looking for a full sized DA to add to my armory. The Meguiar's DA power system is good, but the small pad size and heavy drill takes it's toll.
Now I see it is almost impossible to buy a DA in India as no one sells it. Greenzcarcare.in are out of stock for Kestrel DAS6.
Can anyone provide any pointers on how I can get a genuine DA in India?

Rotaries on the other hand are available freely - but I am thinking twice before picking one up as one wrong step with the rotary can cause irreversible damage to paint.

Whatever you buy make sure warranty and support is available. Rotary is unforgiving but frankly with some care and practice its ok to use and far cheaper for sure. Use a foam pad with a rotary and slow speeds, you will not end up making a mistake which happens with wool pad and high speeds. Once your hand gets set, you are good!

Question for the experts. Is it true that claying will remove all previous layers of wax?
I ask because as per the Zaino process, they recommend stripping the car of all earlier layers of wax by washing it with a liquid dish detergent (Dawn Ultra). This is the first step
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...de=APPLICATION

I am not too comfortable using detergent on the car, no matter what. I read somewhere that claying the car also removes all wax. Hence the question.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitoj (Post 3174326)

Question for the experts. Is it true that claying will remove all previous layers of wax?I am not too comfortable using detergent on the car, no matter what. I read somewhere that claying the car also removes all wax. Hence the question.

Yes. Claying will remove all previous layers of wax/polish/sealants. I was told to clay the car only when absolutely needed since more the layers of wax/sealants the better the protect.

There are a few 'wax-safe' car washes available in the market like Meguirs NXT,Amway etc. If you are buying in the US you get a LOT more than what's available in India. You can probably clay the car and maintain the finish with a car wash other than zaino

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitoj (Post 3174326)

Question for the experts. Is it true that claying will remove all previous layers of wax?
.

Hi Amitoj, claying does remove all bonded contaminants that washing cant remove, hence by nature of the product will also take off sealants, waxes etc.

Another additional way to ensure all previous layers/polishing oils/residue are removed is to use a cleaner like Ipa (iso- propyl alcohol) . Dilute with water, spray on and wipe off with a microfiber towel. Other options are also available like Eraser from Carpro, etc. which do the same thing.

Blackasta - If you are going to be detailing your own car, with a softer paint, then a DA should be good enough for your needs. A rotary would be required if you plan on detailing cars with harder paint and you really need that extra power to cut down the paint surface which has scratches, swirls, oxidation etc. A wool pad comes in use here.

Finishing off (hologram free) with a rotary though not impossible, is tricky and not as straightforward as using a DA (on darker paints) You can refer Mike Philips articles on Autogeek also for reference.

There is Meguiars selling the G220 and Greenz selling the Kestrel here, both are good machines and you can even explore getting one through any of your contacts coming down from abroad, just check its a 220v machine.

Few members here have used both and can share their experiences with you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit (Post 3174427)

Blackasta - If you are going to be detailing your own car, with a softer paint, then a DA should be good enough for your needs. A rotary would be required if you plan on detailing cars with harder paint and you really need that extra power to cut down the paint surface which has scratches, swirls, oxidation etc. A wool pad comes in use here.

Finishing off (hologram free) with a rotary though not impossible, is tricky and not as straightforward as using a DA (on darker paints) You can refer Mike Philips articles on Autogeek also for reference.

There is Meguiars selling the G220 and Greenz selling the Kestrel here, both are good machines and you can even explore getting one through any of your contacts coming down from abroad, just check its a 220v machine.

Few members here have used both and can share their experiences with you.

Don't really have any clue about the Megs G220 availability - I have mailed them but have received no response. The Kestrel DAs show out of stock in greenzcarcare. I have mailed Rupes for information on LHR 21ES ,but I am circumspective about the availability and price.

The only 220v machine option from US AFAIK is the Flex 3401 - but it would be asking for a big favor from anyone to carry it in for me @ about 4 kgs and 20x7x7 inches dimension.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackasta (Post 3174453)

Rupes costs 42k plus taxes for the deluxe kit. The dealer is in Kolkata called spectrum automotive. Deepak Toshniwal is the proprietor. They have the machine in stock as well as rupes pads, polishes etc.

But rupes and flex will be too much for your personal use.

Buying from US will be a waste for now as the dollar price makes the total price come to almost the Indian price of the machine or maybe even higher, have to check.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig (Post 3174476)

Rupes costs 42k plus taxes for the deluxe kit.The dealer is in Kolkata called spectrum automotive. Deepak Toshniwal is the proprietor. They have the machine in stock as well as rupes pads, polishes etc.

But rupes and flex will be too much for your personal use.

Buying from US will be a waste for now as the dollar price makes the total price come to almost the Indian price of the machine or maybe even higher, have to check.

:Shockked: 42K is a lot of money!!
Recently learnt that the megs G220v is going for around 20K - seems like a steal compared to flex/rupes!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackasta (Post 3174575)

:: 42K is a lot of money!!
Recently learnt that the megs G220v is going for around 20K - seems like a steal compared to flex/rupes!!

42k is the delux kit with everything. 31.5k is the standard kit with one or two pads and two compounds and a microfiber towel.

Besides, G220 is more of a DIY machine whereas flex and rupes are for the professionals which have lesser breakdowns and tremendous reliability even after working on a ton of cars and hence the price.

Kestrel DAS6PRO is even cheaper i think 11k and is more powerful than megs which is only 450w. I bought the kestrel pro for the same reason - 900w = enormous torque and can tackle hard paints too. Now that so many various pads are available, DA correction is catching up to rotary level. Lake country just released their wool pad for DA.

Ideal combo for you would be Kestrel / Megs DA along with 5inch backing plate and 5.5 inch pads. As with smaller pads, DA corrects faster and more than with 6.5 inch pads, which are not only costlier but will need a powerful DA like flex to work better with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitoj (Post 3174326)

You will need to know what wax you have, and based on that choose a proper grade of clay. If its simple wax, it can be, strong sealants will need aggressive clay and the best is to a paint safe chemical wash. Use a good quality paint safe all purpose cleaner diluted and it will strip off the wax. IPA though good, needs to be used with care and you must be sure of what concentration you have and dilute that too. Many experienced people abroad too, do not prefer IPA btw, once in a while its ok maybe.
There are some shampoos btw that are not LSP friendly and if you wash the car, it will take the wax off your car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 3175044)

You will need to know what wax you have, and based on that choose a proper grade of clay.

This makes it a little complicated. How do i know what grade of clay i have? Right now I have Z-18 Clay bar from Zaino and also from Meguiar's (Smooth Surface). The last layer of wax on the car was from Optimum's Spray and Wipe wax. Before that, it was Meguiar's Ultimate paste wax.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitoj (Post 3175065)

1. How many days back did you apply the Optimum wax?
2. Did you apply it immediate after megs wax?
Both the clays are medium grade. Lets make this v simple- the surest and best way to clear off wax and prepare the paint for new layer of wax/sealant is to use a paint cleaner. What is a paint cleaner and benefits
Here is a link-
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...x-cleaner.html

So if you are claying the car to apply a new layer of wax, its recommended to use a paint cleaner unless you are removing the wax to experiment on another one( which means its just applied recently)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 3175160)

Optimum was applied 10 days back. The Megs was applied more than a month before that. In between, the car was cleaned with ONR once.

I had clayed the car before applying Megs.

The link is quite informative. I guess i need to pay another visit to the store now!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rm_arjuna (Post 3175143)

my friends 2 day old black XUV has been vandalised with superglue on left front door :Frustrati, there are round 15-20 spots and 2-3 big patchs ,tired to get rid at 3M center here they adviced repainting as only option. any suggestion to get rid of these ,he is heartbroken .

As repainting is the only option suggested by 3M, you might as well try a MF towel soaked in paint thinner / nail polish remover & wringed , and slowly but patiently rub over the spots to dissolve them.
I have removed months old super glue spots, albeit from furniture, with nail polish remover.
Make sure the nail polish remover is the cheap variety which contains a lot of acetone.

Disclaimer: I shall in no way be responsible for any paint damage to the car as a result of this exercise.