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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-679.html)

One thing I really don't understand is that saying Waterless is by itself a misnomer.

They use hell lot of chemicals (water based I guess to make it less stringent on paint), and then they use lot of wipes and fabrics (which again has to be washed in water).

Waterless wash to me is just not my cup of tea. I would rather use a high pressure system and water recovery through centrifugation or filteration. That makes sense and rather cheaper than waterless with so much chemicals contact on surface and on skin.

More ideal situation will be to keep the painted surface well waxed so that you can use two bucket system to wash car easily with minimal water wastage.

I don't know what they are spraying on that car mentioned in the article, but with a car that dirty, I would never ever go for any waterless option. Easiest way to introduce massive swirls and scratches on the paint.

In the detailing industry, 'waterless' term is used when you don't have to use water as a separate product.

So in summer season, if a car is lightly dusted, you can use a 'waterless wash', i.e, use a Quick Detailer or the likes, spray on, and wipe off.

Next is a 'rinseless wash' , which is what a 2 bucket wash really is. Applicable for lightly soiled cars with road spray or the likes.

But nothing beats a full wash with pressure washer on a dirty car.

Environment/resources protection and efficiency of the system never go hand in hand.

Just like the emission control measures in cars take a toll on fuel efficiency.

Yes the term waterless is a misnomer, I'd rather call it low-water-usage wash. As for me, I'd prefer my car having a normal pressure wash. What do I do to conserve water? I don't wash the car daily in fact my car gets washed a maximum of twice a month. The other time I use the Jopasu duster or just ignore the dust. It saves my car's paint from getting swirls, something I am very particular about.

Used this on my car and I was quite surprised by the results. Two weeks on, and the paint appears to be like on the day of application, despite daily washing. I have used 3m liquid wax before, the shine and durability of this is much better. The applicator pad is of pretty good quality too.
However, buffing this is quite hard and requires a lot of time and muscle.

This was my second time waxing a car, quite enjoy the shine and cleanliness even after rain
stupid:

Lots of leather upholstery cleaners available on Amazon but I am yet to find any product specifically targeted to art-leather / leatherette seat covers. Please suggest a cleaner for good quality art-leather seat-covers. My 1 year old son dirties them frequently with milk & food items; So I need a cleaner which I can use regularly to keep seats clean.

I have been using Liqui Moly foam cleaner and it works brilliantly. I purchase it from Maruti showrooms as its available for cheap compared to Amazon.

A picture of the same: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4206280

It cleans the fabrics and art leather seat covers effortlessly. You can try a can and see if that works for you. :)

Regards,
Shashi

Purchased in from Amazon for Rs. 450. Any guidance on how you use this will be helpful, thanks.

-Shake the can.

-Spray the foam over the dirty area. Let it sit for 30 seconds.

-Agitate it with a soft bristle brush for not more than 10-15 seconds

-Wipe off with a clean towel. Apply light to moderate pressure while wiping off.

Also focus small areas at a time, as some fabrics tend to absorb it. This isn't an issue if used over art leather or pure leather. Still, I wont recommend using it over an area of more than 4 sq. ft. Also, the instructions say to use it over a inconspicuous area before proceeding to the entire car to check for discolouration, etc. Its always better to be safe than sorry. I have used this on many art leather/letherette seat covers without any issue though.

Do let me know how that works.

Regards,
Shashi

Test application can be done in areas such as the underside of the seat squab or the backside of the backrest of the rear seats etc which are normally out of sight and hence any discoloration there won't give us sleepless nights :).

Last nights vodka works very well. You may add some white vinegar and lime juice to the mix if you like. The lime masks the vinegar's smell.

I knew an old lady once. She had 9-10 Weimaraner dogs at home and bought a Matador van, passenger version, for taking them to dog shows and so on.

So the last waxing job on my XUV500 is worn out and a recoat is in order. I am DIY person with no access to a polishing machine- so elbow grease all the way.

Now, I have been thinking of claying the car, as well as applying a 3-in-1 polish (Menzerna) before I wax the car. The car is 1.5 years old, and there are a few fine scratches due to some soft-roading.

The thing is, between now and early-September, I have two daylong trips and one trip to Ladakh planned. It will also undergo its 3rd service, which means that it will get shampooed and washed. And maybe another Shampoo and wash in the middle of the Ladakh drive.

With so many drives and a few washes planned over the next 2-3 months, does it make sense for me to clay and polish the car now? Or should I simply wax it and do the polishing once I am back from Ladakh. That would also help me take care of additional minor scratches that I could get during the drive. Any thoughts?

It's a no brainer - get the exhaustive polishing done once you are back. For now, just top up with some liquid or spray wax.

You sir, are my hero. Me being on the wrong side of 40, your advise helps tremendously lol:

I had left the roof of the SX4 unattended and hence planned to work on a small patch to see the comparison of before and after. Here is a video of the same. The boundary can be known by the change in swirl marks. However there are still fine swirls on the worked area since I went easy with the compounding.

https://youtu.be/2L5CILm3bWU

Process:

• Clay
• Menzerna 1000 with wool pad
• Meguiars Ultimate Polish with foam pad
• IPA wipedown
• Meguiars M21 Sealant by hand(didnt use machine since area was small)