Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Technical Stuff (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/)

-   -   A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/102011-superb-car-cleaning-polishing-detailing-guide-700.html)

Well, Megs is splitting hairs. Some of their waxes are like sealants for e.g. the synthetic waxes like NXT 2 and Ultimate. These are generally hardier than a pure carnauba based wax.

But a sealant is not compulsory. It just an extra protective coat before the wax goes on. But many want the best for their car's paint so there you have it - sealant! The real 'sealants' are pro products like Megs #21 mirror glaze sealant. These are also packaged in larger quantities for use by pro body shops and detailers. But if you go in for a ceramic coating these are all redundant.

However do be aware these ceramic products require washing with only car shampoos and refresher coats/maintenance. Some even specify what products can be used. If your domestic help or watchman cleans the car dont get the ceramic coat..or if you do make sure they stay away.

Longterm test of the 9h/Ceramic/Glass or whatever coating that I did on my bike - Impressive results, hardly any swirls and excellent water repellent effect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PxanAOjicM
More than the paint part, I am more than happy with how it keeps the plastic parts looking like new without the need of plastic dressing regularly. Here is a picture of the exhaust which is again looking like how it was on day one. A few other Ninjas I saw had greyed or whitened exhausts because of hard water scaling.:

Tried ordering Proklear in Amazon today. But I see there are two variants:
1) Proklear Waterless Dry Car Wash Concentrate Raw Xtreme Cx Carnauba Wax Rinseless / Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate
Rs 499

2) PROKLEAR RAW Rinseless / Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate - Car Dry Wash Concentrate
Rs 299

I'm not sure which one to go for. Could any of the T-BHPians please help me decide?

The first one is wash and wax type and second one is simply wash type. I would suggest the first one if you are not too much into self detailing, helps retain the glossy look on the car. I haven't personally used the product but based on reviews on the thread.

Get the first one. I have both and been using since few years. Also, don't go by the recommendation on the label and just use 5ml in 2 litre of water. It's more than sufficient.

Gentlemen, is there is a schedule that you follow for your vehicles when it comes to detailing?

I'm wanting to put an annual schedule for all of my vehicles and then follow them. Wanting to see what do you guys think is a good schedule to keep the vehicles shining and in top shape.

Would like to see schedules for interior deep cleaning, waxing, sealing, engine wash, etc etc..


Thanks

This schedule works for me:

Detailing once every 12 months, a wax every 2-4 months and wash every 2 weeks in the dry season and as required during the monsoon.

Engine wash - use your discretion because most cars have sensitive electronics under the bonnet. Do not pressure wash but use an engine degreaser solution and a rinse off with low pressure water. Take the car for a short drive to help engine heat evaporate the water.

How often depends on where weather, who cleans the car and the method used, and where the car(s) are parked i.e. indoor or outdoors. For cars parked outdoors & uncovered you may need to increase the frequency.

Are there places one can learn to become a professional detailer? My driver seems to be enthusiastic about picking up the skills and I am happy to pay for him to learn.

However, are there any good places in Mumbai that can teach those specific skills?

I finally got around to detailing my Fiery Red i20 yesterday. The end result was not completely satisfactory though. Here's what I did:

After the Jopasu wipe down, I pressure-washed the car and shampooed it (3M car shampoo and Meguiars Wash Mitt). After drying it with a Meguiars Water Magnet, I used a medium Carpro clay with ONR Wash and Wax as clay lubricant. Man the surface feels smooth after claying! (The car is only 3 months old!)

After again washing the car, I proceeded to apply Meguiars Ultimate Compound (UC) on a few small swirl marks and scratches. I first started with the hood and used the applicator pad recommended (Meguiars Foam pad and Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfiber towel for buffing).

However, I wasn't able to remove the swirls or the scratches. In fact, there seemed to be a lot of friction as I started to apply the UC on the hood. It became very difficult to remove the product even though I used only a small amount. I abandoned the attempt and proceeded to the Ultimate Polish (UP) using a similar modus operandi. To my surprise, the UP also was very difficult to remove.

All precautions were taken (claying, bottle shake to mix up the product, cool surface, no direct sunlight - overcast day, 2 feet by 2 feet area). Did I miss something out?

After the futile polishing attempt, I decided to give the Meguiars Gold Class Carnauba Premium Wax a go. I finally managed to make some progress and applied it to the whole car. It came off quite easily with the same type of microfiber towel. I used the streak check method to see if the wax can be removed. It didn't take more than a minute for the wax to cure. The result? The paint radiates a warm glow but the beading isn't evident at all. In fact, water sheeting is quite fast but no sign of beading. I had to use a QD to remove the water spots.

Should I try the following next time (and when should that be, considering the durability of the wax?)
1. Use of washed microfiber towels (the ones I used were brand new)
2. Slightly mist the surface (with water) before UC and UP
3. Microfiber applicator pad instead of foam.
4. Apply another coat of wax/increase curing time


The reflection off the hood after waxing



Reflection off the door panels

Great coating.

1. How many months have passed since the coating?
2. How much did it cost?

Sorry for the noob question: I ordered the Proklear waterless wash concentrate from Amazon that comes with the spray bottle and two microfibre clothes.
From reading many posts, I understand this can be used only when the car outer body is moderately dirty, and can be used only after wiping off the excess dirt with Jopasu duster. From what I understand, this is the procedure to follow:

1) Check if the car surface is soiled lightly. If yes, dilute 5 ml of the concentrate in the 500 ml spray bottle.
2) Shake the spray bottle thoroughly so that it develops mist, and spray this over the outer surface
3) Initially spray on the roof, front and rear glass area. Let it remain for 2 minutes.
4) Wipe the dirt from the sprayed areas by applying gentle pressure using a microfiber cloth
5) Once done, buff off the area using another microfiber cloth till no more dirt is seen. Some users recommend to buff the surface in a circular fashion.
6) Repeat the above procedure for other surfaces

Please advice if the above procedure is correct for waterless wash with Proklear.

Few questions:
1) Can this solution be used on chrome surfaces, rubber beading, wiper, and tyre?
2) Should I apply more pressure when buffing with the second microfiber cloth?
3) Will this not scratch the surface since we will be wiping off the dirt with the first towel? Will it not leave any streak?

Not sure about Mumbai, but check Greenz they have an training program but they're in BLR Detailing Certification

• Always wash towels before use. Some carry gunk from the factory.
• No, not required but some detailers do that. In my experience it just smears the polish. Just make sure you the wax is well mixed before use.
• Makes no difference IMO but the cloth will absorb more of the product than putting it down on the paint. This is when compared to the pad. That's why pads are preferred to cloths.
• You can go for another coat but remember the golden rule. Apply a very THIN coat of wax/polish/compound. More is NOT better. Most people make mistakes here. Extra wax means it only gets harder to take off. Also, the paint can only bond with very small amounts of wax, the rest is wasted. For compounds and polishes there's no waiting required. But for the wax wait it it to dry (do the streak test) and buff with a clean MF cloth.

The wax application was very smooth in comparison to the compound and polish. The wax is a paste and I just placed the foam pad on top of the wax paste in the container, applied very little pressure and used it to wax one full panel.

What I can't fathom is why the liquids (compound and polish) offered more resistance than the wax paste.

How long should I wait before I can attempt another round of compounding and polishing? If the wax layer isn't very strong to cause beading, it won't last for a very long time.

You need to shake bottles vigorously to get the suspended active ingredients well mixed with the "carrier oils" to create consistency. This helps you apply the product evenly. Otherwise the liquid becomes a lumpy paste. Don't let it dry otherwise it becomes a pain to buff off. You just apply and wipe almost immediately.

These are easy to use products compared to some out there that must be applied and buffed off with a machine. Or you need arms with lots of stamina. As for Megs Carnauba wax, and most of their home use products, it's like butter and a real pleasure to work with so no surprise there.

I did the coating in November. So as of June, it is eight months of use. It is as good as day one in spite of repeated foam washes, rains and wiping with quick detailer. Since I did it myself, I really didnt factor the cost of items I used out of my collection(IPA, Microfiber cloth, Polish etc). Also, I got to remove the muffler cover this weekend since the part below it was not coated. Here is the difference between the coated and uncoated areas: