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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-718.html)

That's where the problem lies. It should not be more than a few minutes. You would need muscles of The Incredible Hulk to properly buff it off, if done after 15 minutes or more by hand.

You have invested in a Bosch GPO950 Polisher just like I did with a major bulk of my savings. After purchasing, did I realise, that a Rotary polisher is way too powerful for our needs and it's unsafe in amateur hands, thanks to YouTube. But then I just kept reassuring myself that someday I'll be able to use it in the correct way, because that was what people had before these DA polishers were developed.
I think any clay would work just fine as long as we properly lubricate the surface. I haven't used the expensive clays but I too bought the unbranded clay from AliExpress for ₹250 or so. It worked absolutely fine.

It is a known fact on the internet that clay bars will cause marring in the clear coat. We're rubbing something repeatedly on the clear coat, it surely will cause some marring. That's normal and nothing to be worried about. Polishing the surface lightly will get the shine back.

I've heard people say the pads with a waffle like design are relatively safer on paints. Polishing needs "lowest cutting power". So you typically want to search for "finishing pads". You'll find this information in the details of pads, in whichever site you are searching. But again, be careful with the rotary. Better try and practice on a secondary/old car before using it full fledged.

Any suggestions for cleaning art leather/leatherette seats?
So far, I have just used soap solution and wet cloth for wiping and then another one for drying. But, it does not help for tough stains etc. Looking for something which will help to maintain the seats in a like-new condition for a long time. Can we use something like 3M interior cleaner which is intended to be used on vinyl,rubber etc?

CarPro MultiX worked very well for me. It seems expensive but it can be used with variable dilutions and last a very long time making it VFM. I've used it at a dilution ratio of 1:10 which is a very strong solution. Light stains go away easily. Tough stains need some time and effort. I think it's the same with any cleaner. We have to work in sections and it will take some time and gentle scrubbing to get the tough stains out. Even then, some stains just stay.

I use a Colgate Ultra soft tooth brush (The charcoal one) to work on the stains and leatherette cleaning. It's gentle and effective.

Thanks buddy for the recommendation. Can you tell me where did you it from? with the dilution ratio mentioned, I don't think it's very costly. What's the way to apply it?

Sure Sir, no problem. I bought it from http://store.ultimatedetailerz.com/

That dilution ratio is very strong. The company recommends using even lesser ratios such as 1:15 to 1:100 depending upon the need. You can find all the info regarding the same in the product page. ( http://store.ultimatedetailerz.com/d...52-19213918406 )

It's an APC and it doesn't protect the surfaces. It just cleans them. For protection, you might want to look at some other products.

To clean, I just poured the diluted product into a spray bottle, sprayed a little of diluted product directly on the leatherette and agitated with the brush. Then wiped off using a microfiber. Sure takes some time for tough stains but will work on most of them.

Grime sticking to paint surface


Friends need advice on how to remove grime sticking to paint surface. This regularly happens to paint surface behind the Mud guard.


I am using micro fibre cloth along with plain water to clean the surface. The result is not satisfactory.


Will using car shampoo help? Will pressure wash at car wash center help in loosening the dirt from surface? Are there any other solutions that I can try at home?

I think it's road tar. Use a bug n tar remover.

After your inputs, I checked the surface again. it appears that the surface has taken a hit from flying gravels. Attaching a zoomed in picture which shows the damage. I am assuming this will require some sort of surface treatment.

The mudguards are meant to prevent such damage. They're too short and they've miserably failed in doing what they're supposed to do, IMHO.

Also, as Blackasta said, some of that might be tar as well. It's common for the lower parts of the car to be stuck with tar when driven on a freshly laid road on a sunny day. A tar remover should help for some parts, if not for the paint chipped off parts.

Get some diesel apply on the affected area, leave it for 5 mts. You will see the tar melting down, use a cloth to wipe it off. Then use car shampoo to wash the area again and dry. Apply a good wax coating to reduce the chance of these clingy things in future.

If there are stone chips after this clean up then you have no choice but to get it painted. My suggestion don't bother much once the clean up is done, at best get some 3M PPF applied on both sides to avoid further damage.

I just picked up a used Civic and plan to give her a bit of TLC. How much should I expect the exterior detailing to cost for the car?

Thanks a lot. Diesel worked wonders. I followed your instructions - applied Diesel, waited for 5 minutes and then cleaned the affected area as well as the whole car with shampoo. The results were beyond my expectations. Pending task is to apply wax.

Hi guys, I've been using Formula 1 Protectant for my bike's plastic and rubber parts for a few months now. It is a white liquid, comes in a spray bottle and claims to protect plastic, fibre and rubber parts from UV damage.

I've observed that parts exposed to the sun don't feel as smooth to touch as before. Also, there is a white-ish tinge left over when this protectant dries up. A re-application brings back the dry gloss which I prefer over almost wet shine that other liquids give.

What could be the reason for this? How can I confirm if the spray I have is genuine or not?

Any recommendation of a waterless wash/quick detailer?
I have used ONR earlier and was very impressed. How does Ultima or Carpro Ech20 compare to ONR? I think the Ultima has the highest dilution ratio which makes it cheaper than the others. But, what about the cleaning abilities and ease of application?

I am planning to get one from USA as there are less options in India and prices are higher.