[Chewbacca]

It's been 5 months I haven't washed my new white car. It is parked in the open but in shade 24/7. Can anyone suggest a harsh shampoo (just wash no wax) so that the tough stains can be removed easily? I have a pressure wash system at home so can do a pro job.

Edit: I already have the ArmorAll Wash-N-Wax but I find it ineffective in removing tough stains.

[harsh79]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

It's been 5 months I haven't washed my new white car. It is parked in the open but in shade 24/7. Can anyone suggest a harsh shampoo (just wash no wax) so that the tough stains can be removed easily? I have a pressure wash system at home so can do a pro job.

Edit: I already have the ArmorAll Wash-N-Wax but I find it ineffective in removing tough stains.

A mitt and the shampoo you currently have should do the job.

[Artyom]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

It's been 5 months I haven't washed my new white car. It is parked in the open but in shade 24/7. Can anyone suggest a harsh shampoo (just wash no wax) so that the tough stains can be removed easily? I have a pressure wash system at home so can do a pro job.

Edit: I already have the ArmorAll Wash-N-Wax but I find it ineffective in removing tough stains.

Additionally if you want dilute some degreaser or APC and spray it generously and let it sit on the paint for a minute to loosen up dirt and grime.Rinse well with the pressure washer and then you can do the regular wash with the shampoo.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by Holyghost

Can we use Ethyl Alcohol instead of IPA for wipe downs?

Yes Ethyl Alcohol is perfectly fine. It is also used in some of the hand sanitizers. Just make sure it is Ethyl Alcohol and not Ethyl Acetate as the latter will damage plastic.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

It's been 5 months I haven't washed my new white car. It is parked in the open but in shade 24/7. Can anyone suggest a harsh shampoo (just wash no wax) so that the tough stains can be removed easily? I have a pressure wash system at home so can do a pro job.

Edit: I already have the ArmorAll Wash-N-Wax but I find it ineffective in removing tough stains.

Just add more shampoo. Around 50ml in 5 litres should be strong enough. First wet the car to remove the dry dust and leave for a couple mins. Use jet of water to create suds/foam in the shampoo bucket and use the wash mitt as you normally do. Do more passes on areas where there is stubborn dirt.

[akhil994]

Post a wash and wax session.




Weather made for perfect photo op

[cbshi]

Weekend ritual. Strange but this helps calm the mind. Maybe, a break from the daily cacophony.

[lokii_83]

Hi all, this thread is amazing and trying to digest the bits of this and I know for a beginner in detailing world it's not easy.

I need a help, I bought a Meguiars ultimate compound and Mother's applicator pad from Greenz Cars, and the courier package via Bluedart was good. With this confidence I am planning to order few more esp the collinite 845, few clay bar and ONR APC.

However after reading few horror stories of packing and leaking of 845 in the past, am skeptical to proceed.

Do you have any recent buying experience from them or who else are best to deliver the stuffs to Bangalore?

Also I tried to read manufacturing month of the Meguiars products and not sure where to find in their bottles, any pointers.

Thank you in advance! Am hopeful to put a baby step and start the detailing journey!

[saisailendra]

Originally Posted by lokii_83

With this confidence I am planning to order few more esp the collinite 845, few clay bar and ONR APC.

However after reading few horror stories of packing and leaking of 845 in the past, am skeptical to proceed.

Hi and welcome to the enthusiast world of detailing. I've purchased a bottle of Collinite 845 from Greenz 2 years ago. It came home without any leakage (Bangalore to Hyd).

And now since the weather is cold, there is a great probability that Collinite has solidified (semi-solid) and so the chances of leakage are less.

You can call them (Greenz) up on the number provided on their website and ask them to pack the bottle to your liking (maybe with tape at the neck?) And you can ask them to label it "fragile", hoping the logistics staff would handle it with care. You may otherwise ask them to tighten the cap once before shipping. I've been placing few orders on Greenz recenty and have never experienced a mishap with respect to packing.

After my first bottle of Collinite from Greenz, I had a pack of three brought from USA, since I had some Amazon $, Collinite was way cheaper there and I also had someone coming from the USA. None of them leaked in the transit. And their caps also seem to be quite leak proof.

So just don't worry about the leak and go ahead and order Collinite. It's a product that'll change ones detailing experience and journey. I'm unable to appreciate the finish of a ceramic coat after using Collinite for years. It's that good.

In the worst case of a leak also, you can just relax as a bottle will last a very very long time. So even with a few millilitres lost, the bottle will last for more than a year.

[Artyom]

Originally Posted by lokii_83

Hi all, this thread is amazing and trying to digest the bits of this and I know for a beginner in detailing world it's not easy.

I need a help, I bought a Meguiars ultimate compound and Mother's applicator pad from Greenz Cars, and the courier package via Bluedart was good. With this confidence I am planning to order few more esp the collinite 845, few clay bar and ONR APC.

However after reading few horror stories of packing and leaking of 845 in the past, am skeptical to proceed.

Do you have any recent buying experience from them or who else are best to deliver the stuffs to Bangalore?

Also I tried to read manufacturing month of the Meguiars products and not sure where to find in their bottles, any pointers.

Thank you in advance! Am hopeful to put a baby step and start the detailing journey!

1.Chances of getting leaked bottle is fairly less if the shipping address is Bangalore because essentially its being shipped from Hosur warehouse.I have the address in case you want to pickup the stuff directly from there.

2.ONR APC would be a costly affair in my opinion especially if you are buying in small quantity.Suggestion would be to compare with other brand APC's and then buy atleast 1 litre pack.Comes out cheaper.My experience with Megs , Auto finnesse APC has been good.

3.If i may ask why are you going with 845.Its a good product no doubt but is a lot of effort.There are several easy to use spray waxes and spray sealents serving the same purpose.Just being curious.

[lokii_83]

Originally Posted by saisailendra

So just don't worry about the leak and go ahead and order Collinite. It's a product that'll change ones detailing experience and journey. I'm unable to appreciate the finish of a ceramic coat after using Collinite for years. It's that good.

Thank you saisailendra, as your recent buying experience is equally good, I will go ahead! I am in touch with Greenz via email and ask them to pack it best way.

Also other sites like ultimatedetailerz and buyingbest didn't have the equal products.

Originally Posted by Artyom

2.ONR APC would be a costly affair in my opinion especially if you are buying in small quantity.Suggestion would be to compare with other brand APC's and then buy atleast 1 litre pack.Comes out cheaper.My experience with Megs , Auto finnesse APC has been good.

Thank you Artyom for the various inputs.
WRT APC it's purely from my research on this thread and I planed to use for multiple purposes, so cost wise a little more deep is ok
I will go with 32oz one, which i hope lasts long.

Originally Posted by Artyom

3.If i may ask why are you going with 845.Its a good product no doubt but is a lot of effort.There are several easy to use spray waxes and spray sealents serving the same purpose.Just being curious.

845 is widely spoken and tried and tested product here with many and also it's much easy to use compare to other pure paste waxes. And I believe it last longer to Meguiars quick spray wax etc.
Nice to know what's in your list and worth considering it.

I will review again your inputs today and finalise what to buy and from whom.

Thank you.

[Artyom]

I had a conversation with a detailer about the removal of minor/finer swirls which appear with time due to different factors. Please note we are only talking about fine and minor swirls on a coated car.
I explained to him my requirement for a product which can be used by hand and will fill/remove those swirls WITHOUT compromising the ceramic coat.A non-abrasive product with fillers.
The obvious answer I got was to polish using an AIO which will remove the swirls but will also remove the ceramic coat and requires a re-application.
I have always maintained the position, the more you polish the lesser the paint thickness will become overtime so best to delay the frequency of polishing as much as possible.
The last option he gave was to use a wax which can fill the swirls and will offer protection ranging up to 3 months. This wax gives us that middle ground which will extend the polishing duration further. The wax which was recommended is on the costly side (4200 INR for a 175 Gms Wax). Not a good investment considering what it offers.
I am looking for suggestions for such products at a lesser price which meets my requirement. Appreciate your suggestions.
Does Menzerna PowerLock fall in the non-abrasive category which will fill the swirls without removing anything?

[roydevargh]

Hi!

I need some info on 3M™ Waterless Car Wash.

1. Does it need any amount of water to do the job?
2. Does this affect the paint of the car?

I intend to use it on a Alabaster Silver Metallic Honda City. Please advice.

Thank You!

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by Artyom

Appreciate your suggestions.
Does Menzerna PowerLock fall in the non-abrasive category which will fill the swirls without removing anything?

Megs Tech Wax 2 does a decent job of filling in minor swirls and is non abrasive or at the least extremely fine because it does claim to help remove oxidation. But anyways you will not be working the product into the surface much as you are using it like a wax.

[saisailendra]

Originally Posted by Artyom

The obvious answer I got was to polish using an AIO which will remove the swirls but will also remove the ceramic coat and requires a re-application.
I have always maintained the position, the more you polish the lesser the paint thickness will become overtime so best to delay the frequency of polishing as much as possible.
This wax gives us that middle ground which will extend the polishing duration further. The wax which was recommended is on the costly side (4200 INR for a 175 Gms Wax). Not a good investment considering what it offers.

You're speaking of a coated car here. Any wax or sealant applied over the ceramic coat will mask the gloss of the ceramic coat and exhibit its own properties, which defeats the purpose (at its price), of a ceramic coat.

And I believe professional coatings come with some kind of a warranty and a few top up coats every few months, right ? Wouldn't they cover the swirls ?

Waxes and sealants will have some quantity of a solvent to keep them usable. These solvents will again affect the longevity of your ceramic coat.

Polishing, as you said will thin the clear coat. But you can be assured that just polishing regularly (even twice a year) will not scrap away your clear coat. If you're compounding with a heavy cut compound and an aggressive wool pad at super high speeds everytime, then you might risk thinning out paint drastically. But with a polish and a foam pad, you have decades before your clear coat runs out. Unless you're planning to keep your car for 30-40 years, you shouldn't be worried to polish it as frequently as you want to. Just make sure that it's a polish and it's done with a foam pad at moderate speeds. Achieving 100% perfection will again cost you some more clear coat than achieving 90% perfection. And 90% perfection also looks extraordinarily good, unless someone is inspecting with a point source light. Trust me, your vehicle will stand out from the crowd even if it's 80% corrected, because most of the people don't really mind so much about the minute details.

So long story said short, polishing won't remove the entire thickness of clear coat for our average years of ownership. Just don't try to get 100% perfection all the time (for practical reasons). And since you're a kind of person who always keeps your ride protected with some kind of a top sacrificial layer (ceramic / wax / sealant), UV damage is unlikely.

And superficial swirls and scratches, are just inevitable in the real world - daily driver cars. Even with such expensive ceramic coats and PPFs, we just can't avoid those tiny scratches and swirls. And polishing a ceramic coated car within months would not do justice to the money one had shelled out on the ceramic coat.

So my practical advice is to just overlook the swirls unless they're really showing their effect on the finish of paint (without having to see with a sharp source of light). If it's not a coated car, then using any high quality wax / sealant and/or polishing twice a year or even once a year will keep the car looking great.

Cheers