[AD007]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

- Use newspaper (black & white) to clean the glass.

This isn't clear to me. Do we use a dry news paper or a wet one? Also the newspaper is not as soft as a cloth, so wouldn't it make scratches on the glass?

Also, most of the local shops have the Formula 1 Car Shampoo. Is it a good one? Since WAXPOL, SONAX or Turtle is not available at the local store.

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by AD007

This isn't clear to me. Do we use a dry news paper or a wet one? Also the newspaper is not as soft as a cloth, so wouldn't it make scratches on the glass?

After you clean the car body and windshield with shampoo and rinse it with water use dry newspaper to remove excess water standing on the glass.
It will not make any marks on the glass.

[AD007]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

After you clean the car body and windshield with shampoo and rinse it with water use dry newspaper to remove excess water standing on the glass.
It will not make any marks on the glass.

Thanks for clearing my doubts.

Another thing is that due to the light drizzle during this rainy season water droplets sometimes dry on the glass. While trying to remove them with dry soft cloth leaves a stein that does not look good. Whats the best solution to get rid of them?

[Raccoon]

[quote=AD007;1433814]This isn't clear to me. Do we use a dry news paper or a wet one? Also the newspaper is not as soft as a cloth, so wouldn't it make scratches on the glass? QUOTE]

Like Dieselfan said, its for wiping off the remaining water without leaving streaks on the glass. Personally, I don't like the idea. A sponge would be better. Else one could also consider buying one of thse flat strip rubber brushes they use to clean car windows at petrol pumps.

Also, most of the local shops have the Formula 1 Car Shampoo. Is it a good one? Since WAXPOL, SONAX or Turtle is not available at the local store.

It is quite good. Better than Waxpol, I'd say. Never used Sonax or Turtle, so don't know about those. Just make sure you get a genuine one... thats the most important issue.

[neotraveller]

I uses Sonax car shampoo.

It leaves a nice shine on the car after drying. Looks almost like a waxing job was done (well not so much, but still!)

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by neotraveller

I use Sonax car shampoo.....

I too have got very good results with this. It does indeed do a very good job of getting rid of the grime that gets on to the car after long highway drives.
I used sonax wash & wax earlier and found the product too mild. Yes, it did leave a decent shine, but was no good at getting rid of tar and grime.
I have also used the Amway shampoo, but prefer Sonax.

[narayan]

at the time i shifted the car from ggn to chennai, a lot of hairline scratches appeared post the transport.

that was when i seriously considered some polishing/waxing type of treatment because the car other wise has had a pretty neat exterior all along..

this thread being long, it was difficult to get some useful and relevant info. so downloaded a car detailing guide and went through the same.

realised there was so much to do in terms of exteriors that all notions of merely buying some liquid wax and rubbing on the car were dispelled.!!

sought out some advice from the "experts" out here for some product recos but didnt get much info - so decided to do just go out there in the market and check out the products..

objectives were
1) strictly on a budget - so no expensive , high end stuff
2) wanted to avoid the detailing service some people provide. why ? - went to 3M and asked them about their exterior detailing service. guess what - the guy had a look at my car and said - Rs4k. i bargained hard and he came down to Rs2.5k - that made me wonder what exactly these guys would do with my car !! so gave up that option
3) job perfection was not as much high on my agenda as getting to grips with what to do, how to do and what products to use

so the idea was to learn without really spending too much and at the same time not end up ruining the car's exterior finish !

so after some basic enquiring this is what i ended up with

1) FORMULA WAX ( carnuba blah blah )
2) FORMULA SCRATCH REMOVER
3) FORMULA interior polish
4) FORMULA wax and shine car wash
5) some nice cotton cloth from ( guess where ?) - deep inside my almirah - found some old banians !! ( remember - i was on a budget - so no fancy chamois, micro fiber etc )


day 1
gave the car a nice wash. i always have been washing with just plain water and have never used any form of soap/shampoo etc. so dont know how far these products help. But i do want to try them out some time.

dried the car with a neat towel.

tried to remove some tar stains without much luck. managed to remove some black paint marks thru some minor scrapes that occurred earlier using a perfume solution

this is what the car looked after a nice wash.

as u can see, the car is in pretty good shape even otherwise - so i wasnt expecting miracles with the waxing work.

but WHAT I DID REALISE WAS THAT WHEN U EXAMINE THE PAINT SURFACE CLOSELY - you notice so many things !!

1) the quality of paint job even at A.S.S. is quite poor when u notice plenty of irregular surfaces in the bumper etc. many places, paint has also chipped away. all though u notice these only up close
2) lot of stains - probably - dried up bird droppings, plant sap etc
- I NEED ADVISE ON ANY PRODUCT THAT IS AVAILABLE TO HELP IN REMOVING SUCH MARKS ??

[narayan]

I leave you with some close up pics of some scratches on the surface. i am so glad i did not buy a darker colour because these scratches are so much more manageable when the car is of a lighter shade !!

all though theoretically i understand that surface preparation is EXTREMELY important before waxing, I have to admit that my limited search in the market and my low budget meant that i had very little to invest in this critical aspect.

but i really am eager to know of any simple or maybe 1 or 2 products available in the market which can help in preparing the surface

I am extremely wary about claying and doubt it whether it can be done in the DIY scenario

I also doubt HOW FAR THE PROFESSIONAL GUYS SPEND EFFORT IN SURFACE PREPARATION GOING BY THE 3M GUY WHO DROPPED THE PRICE FROM 4K TO 2.5K

if one reads about the PRECISE surface preparation process and what can possibly get done by these DETAILERS at 2-3k in abount 3 hrs ITS ANYBODYS guess how much of surface preparation they do !!

so that gives me some amount of consolation for what I feel was an INCOMPLETE JOB FROM MY SIDE

will be back shortly with some pictures after polishing and my views about the products i used

Regards

[rohan_fonseca]

Those scrathes should be of in a jiffy. Should have checked out my hood after a cat fight on it. 3M-finesse it+Turtle wax rubbing compound+formula! carnuba did a perfect job.

[akbaree]

Originally Posted by rohan_fonseca

Those scrathes should be of in a jiffy. Should have checked out my hood after a cat fight on it. 3M-finesse it+Turtle wax rubbing compound+formula! carnuba did a perfect job.

I have discovered that Turtle Wax Polishing and Rubbing Compound may not be goog things to use on clear coat paints. At least the Rubbing Compound should be completely avoided. I may be wrong though.

[Raccoon]

^^^ You need to check on the pack if its clear coat safe.

[archat68]

In the petrol pumps where pressure wash is given many times the washers tell us to spray diesel on the body and gear oil mixed with water on the underbody as these will protect the car. I have never allowed them to spray anything. I just tell them to give the car water wash after applying shampoo. But most of the people agree to them and spray diesel and gear oil.
IMO this will attract more dirt on the underbody.
Isn't it?

[greenhorn]

Car line

saw some of these at a local mall. How good are these ?

[janitha]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Car line

saw some of these at a local mall. How good are these ?

Using both synthetic chamois cloth and the absorbant foam block/sponge for more than one year. They are very useful for drying the paint surface after washing.

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Car line

saw some of these at a local mall. How good are these ?

Where do you get this product in Bangalore. I see no price indicated by the manufacturer on the website. Can anyone put in a price list for the products displayed.