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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-738.html)

I removed 5 day old tree sap with a clay bar. Give it a try.

I did try that. However I'm not able to remove the tree sap as it's about 3 years old :Frustrati.

Does anyone here have a good guide or has created their own guides for washing and detailing?

Sometimes all the info on this thread is overwhelming and I would just like a couple of guides that I can follow and get to 80% of it and then evolve the washing and detailing process?

I live in an apartment complex, so can't spray water at will and can use the two bucket method. I do have access to power in case it is necessary. Over to you guys for sharing guides

Thanks!

Hello guys!

Today I used Proklear Raw CX on my Modest BC-08 ceramic coated Phantom Black Creta. I used the 2 microfiber dry wash method and despite my efforts, there was quite a few water marks (small droplets it seems from the Proklear spray) left over. Is there something I can do better?

Shouldn't happen if you do it in the shade and one panel at a time.

Alas didn't do it in shade. Have an open parking. I initially thought I might have 'over' diluted the Raw CX, or maybe I'm letting it sit for too long?

I did do one panel at a time, but the spray radius from the air pump type insecticide gardening sprayer is a bit too wide and inevitably scatters the solution to adjoining panels.

I also live in an apartment complex. Although I do have access to running water and shade I have tweaked the waterless method a bit to minimise 2 problems (swirls & watermarks). Hopefully, it should help you too.

So, what I do is, I use a manual sprayer and use it to wet the whole surface first. This essentially serves the purpose of removing the accumulated dirt on the panels, thereby reducing the number of swirls induced during the rinseless wash.

Additionally, this also takes care of the spotting issue as the overspray essentially lands on a surface which is already wet and hence, won't dry out.

I personally found waterless wash less messy as against rinseless wash. Also, since the dilution ratio of a waterless wash is lesser, it offers more lubricity and hence, less swirls. Using the manual sprayer, even if you end up using 1 bucket of water for the whole car, is still worth it. The specific reason for using sprayer is that the pressure is enough to dislodge the light dirt.

I use Proklear RAW instead of the CX version as the vehicle is ceramic coated and using Carnauba spray on top of it will mask the coating properties.

I use a 5ml product in a 500 ml Amway trigger spray bottle and I found it to be enough for 1-time use on my Creta.

Hope it helps.

Good tip on using the manual sprayer vs sprinkler. The sprinkler has very little pressure.

I'm a bit confused as to waterless vs rinseless wash? I was under the impression that they're the same thing.

I should have got the Raw too instead of CX but alas went with the superior Amazon rating

Waterless and Rinseless are kind of the same thing with the only difference being the amount of water used .The products used are pretty much the same though.I am using CarproEchO2 and Proklear in and out nowdays.
Talking about buying a carnuba based concentrate i have a 1 litre ONR WASH AND WAX lying with me sealed bottle which i am trying not to Open so i feel your pain.Even if you use a carnuba based waterless wash it wont harm.I have tried it myself in the past so can vouch for it.

Guys any pointer to a detailer in East Delhi? I acquired a 4 year old Wagon R, the car used to be parked in open and probably never seen any waxing. So I want to get the first basic detailing done from a professional. After that it will be regularky taken care of by me.

Hey Guys, can the faded paint be restored through rubbing? And what is the way to gauge the extent of faded layers?

Paint mostly fades due to oxidation.
That oxidized layer can be removed, and the layers below can be polished to shine and sealed to be protected.
Please see a specialized detailer who knows his trade.
Fly by night polishwala with a rotary and a dabba of polish shall do more harm than good.

I am not an expert. But, to remove a faded paint layer, wouldn't one need to remove the top clearcoat completely?

Not completely. Maybe a few microns. Factory clearcoat is quite thin, and thus it's quite easy for a hackjaob to burn through the clearcoat. Thus the call for an experienced detailer.
Also, it may be entirely possible that the car is repainted, in total or in different panels. Maybe some panels do not have any clearcoat at all. The approach should be adjusted likewise.

Having just had my car polished, along with a recent service, I was looking for a lazyman way to keep the shine longer. I'd settled on spray-on-and-wipe-off Optimum Car Wax (Amazon). I'd searched Amazon and a couple of independent sites and was finding it hard to get in-stock. Settled for an expensive deal at Amazon, over 3k, on the basis that it would probably last me a long time.

The delivery period was long too. It was just coming due, a few days ago, when I got an "Order Cancelled" message from Amazon. I searched again, found the same product at half the price, ordered it, and got it today.

Link above, but when I bought it said "only two in stock," and now it says "only one..."