[rnaduthota]

Originally Posted by rnaduthota

Hello everyone,
My one-year-old car windshield and other glass surfaces have hard water spots everywhere. I tried to remove them using concentrated car shampoo; however, I didn't have much success.

Could anyone tell me how to remove these water spots? A product link from Amazon/Flipkart is highly appreciated.

Just wanted to update the thread. I was looking for a cost-effective solution to remove hard water spots from my car windows. During this search, I came across the BLUEOXY product, which seems to be reasonable. I mixed it in a 1:25 ratio with water and applied it to the glass area. After 2 minutes, I rubbed it with a microfiber towel. Now, 90% of the water spots are removed. I am confident that a second application should help to remove the remaining 10% as well.

Product link is given below:
https://www.amazon.in/BLUEOXY-High-P.../dp/B07ZF8QXJF

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by batish

Thought it'd be better to detail the car myself without powet tools, with just sheer handwork.

Pressure washed it thoroughly, then started claying it - this is the part which caused all the issues. Tried my best to do it correctly but I guess I didn't observe the containments which stuck on the bar and rubbed against the paint.

Although these scratches are minor and not nail deep, still ruined the day.

Hope it is fixable by a professional detailer.

May not be nail deep but that’s definitely moderate level scratching I’d say. If you only used clay and this happened, most likely you had a small rock/hard debris get dislodged from the paint and get stuck on the claybar.

Normally clay will only cause very light marring generally not visible unless seen under bright light. This assumes correct clay technique like constantly checking the surface touching the paint for contamination and using adequate clay lube (diluted car shampoo works very well).

Also keep folding the clay in on itself after every panel, ensures a fresh surface every couple of passes, never press down on the clay, use very light pressure.

Stay away from the cheap clay found on Amazon, also stay away from red clay, it’s a much more aggressive form of clay only used in very specific applications, blue is mild clay normally used.

Will add that never forget to use tar and ferrous removers like Carpro TRIX after the wash before claying. Tar deposits are difficult to spot on a black car and if you clay over them, they will dislodge and start scratching paint. Same for ferrous contamination.

Scratches can be corrected to about 90-95% but you’ll loose around 6-8 microns of clearcoat in those areas (Thar is medium-soft hardness wise)

Originally Posted by rnaduthota

Just wanted to update the thread. I was looking for a cost-effective solution to remove hard water spots from my car windows. During this search, I came across the BLUEOXY product, which seems to be reasonable.

Please read the posts above, you can get purpose made mineral deposit removers like Puris D19 which are safe on car paint and glass. Bathroom cleaners are often too acidic and can damage paint if you get any on it (easy to touch edges when working on glass.)

[Jimnyuser]

What's the best method to remove old stains on fabric seats on a car? Would shaving cream work?

[batish]

Don't even know where this came from¿

Any idea if it could be corrected in any way?

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Jimnyuser

What's the best method to remove old stains on fabric seats on a car? Would shaving cream work?

Please don’t use shaving cream. Use any good all purpose cleaner (APC), Koch Chemie Greenstar for eg. works great (diluted).

https://www.themicrofibershop.com/pr...t-lowest-price

Originally Posted by batish

Don't even know where this came from¿

Any idea if it could be corrected in any way?

Attachment 2570205

Yes, about 70-80% can be buffed out. The deeper scuffs might still show at certain angles but won’t be white like they are currently. A simple check is to wet the area, if the scuffs disappear, they’re in the clearcoat, if still visible they are through the clear (water temporarily fills in scratches in the clear.)

Use heavy cut compound with a hard foam/wool pad or wetsand with 2000 grit. 3D ACA 500 or Menzerna 400, either compound will work well. Refine with Menzerna 3000 or equivalent with a soft foam pad and apply your wax/sealant to protect.

[jna4cob]

Got a Polymak DA polisher from ACE Tools along with 4 polishing pads for Rs. 7250. I found this product to be the most economically priced considering other Chinese brands upwards of Rs. 14000. Got a 6-month warranty too. Since the brand is in Chennai, I believe I will get lifetime support on service.

Coming to the product, I haven’t used it yet but the build quality seems to be very sturdy. The machine looks very similar to Stanley tools.

The company Polymak is also very supportive in answering my queries. They shared the contact details of their technical head to sort out any queries. Also, the company has sold a total of 20 crore products under its portfolio.

I am yet to use the polisher. I have got 4 pads. 1 white wool pad, 1 orange pad, 1 yellow waffle pad and 1 black waffle pad. I am not sure on which pad to use at which stage. Can any of the members throw some light here?

[jna4cob]

Has anyone tried Wavex clay bar and lube? Are they good? Any tips/suggestions?

[sarathlal]

Hi,
Can you please suggest a good cordless blower thats powerful enough for drying the car after wash?

There are quite a few in Amazon and Flipkart, but not much with reviews on efficiency for this purpose (As they are mostly leaf blowers), and warranty.

[McQueen]

This thread caught my attention. I don't know much about detailing. I request a kind soul to answer my queries.

1. If a car is polished or waxed recently, what should be a cleaning routine? Is regular dusting allowed? Won't cleaning it with water once a week and car shampoo every alternate week remove the polish (and the wax)?
   
2. If certain parts of a car are mildly abraded due to repeated touch (say near the door sill trims or the door handles), how should that be sanded/buffed/compounded/polished/waxed so it stays for as long as the original paint does? Does it have an effect similar to re-painting?

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by jna4cob

I am yet to use the polisher. I have got 4 pads. 1 white wool pad, 1 orange pad, 1 yellow waffle pad and 1 black waffle pad. I am not sure on which pad to use at which stage. Can any of the members throw some light here?

In my experience the pads that come with a machine are generally no good. Look at Lake Country CCS foam pads if you want the best, Rupes and Shinemate also make excellent foam pads.

Due to the lack of standardisation across pad mfg’s, every company will follow their own colour coding to grade aggressiveness. The stiffer the foam, the more aggressive the pad. Aggressive pads are paired with heavy cut compounds and soft pads are used with fine cut polishes to refine after the compounding step. There is no hard rule though and you can mix and match to suit the paint type you’re working on.

With LC, the yellow and orange are the heavy cut pads and blue and black are soft finishing pads, with other colours falling in between. With Shinemate, the green is the most aggressive one with red and black being the softest. If you want more info on LC the colour grading system-

https://p11.secure.hostingprod.com/@...d-chart-lc.htm

Will suggest checking out the Shinemate EP-820 rotary whenever you’re ready to upgrade your machine next, one of the best polishers I’ve used till date, as good as the Rupes LHR-19 and well priced too.

Originally Posted by jna4cob

Has anyone tried Wavex clay bar and lube? Are they good? Any tips/suggestions?

Wavex clay is very aggressive, also tends to break up into little pieces after awhile. It will work but ends up scuffing the paint too much. One lesson I learned long ago was to stay away from cheap clay as it can really scratch paint, or it doesn’t last.

I’ve never tried their clay lube but imagine it will be in line with the quality of the rest of their offerings (read low quality). Just use your favourite car shampoo diluted with filtered water in a spray bottle as clay lube.

Simoniz makes excellent clay as do other high quality brands, Carpro has a decon block as well. Pay attention to the colour, you want blue/gray clay as that’s the fine grade. Stay away from red as that’s very aggressive and will leave deeper scratches in the paint. You still have to polish after any clay though, fine or aggressive.

Note: if your car has any bonded tar/ferrous contamination, remove that with tar and ferrous removers before starting the clay step otherwise you risk deeper scratching.

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Hi,
Can you please suggest a good cordless blower thats powerful enough for drying the car after wash?

There are quite a few in Amazon and Flipkart, but not much with reviews on efficiency for this purpose (As they are mostly leaf blowers), and warranty.

This is the most powerful cordless leaf blower I’ve used, works great for drying cars. If you’re doing more than 1-2 cars then you might need additional batteries.

https://www.industrybuying.com/petro...czDsZak105F4sq

Originally Posted by McQueen

This thread caught my attention. I don't know much about detailing. I request a kind soul to answer my queries.

1. If a car is polished or waxed recently, what should be a cleaning routine? Is regular dusting allowed? Won't cleaning it with water once a week and car shampoo every alternate week remove the polish (and the wax)?
   
2. If certain parts of a car are mildly abraded due to repeated touch (say near the door sill trims or the door handles), how should that be sanded/buffed/compounded/polished/waxed so it stays for as long as the original paint does? Does it have an effect similar to re-painting?

1) Contactless dusting with a powerful leaf blower is fine, cleaning with just water is also fine provided you don’t touch the paint (use a pressure washer or garden hose).

If you want to do a contact wash, use a good quality foam shampoo in a foam cannon attached or to your pressure washer. If not, use soft water in a bucket and mix shampoo in and wipe the paint with 5-6 wash mitts, using one side per panel and switching to a fresh side every time.

Do not rinse the mitts, use a fresh mitt once both sides are used. This method is called the multi mitt method and is the safest method to wash your car without inflicting swirls. Safer than 2 bucket method and eliminates the need for a second bucket or grit guards.

Note: spend as long as you want thoroughly rinsing the paint with water until you’re sure you’ve removed 90-95% of the contamination, only then proceed to the contact step of washing with shampoo.

Also, if using only water, do not wipe the paint after rinsing as water is not a good lubricant (it’s a solvent).

Use a leaf blower to dry, you will need to wipe the glasses down but the rest of body can be dried using air, if it’s ceramic coated, this takes under 5 mins and is much safer than towel drying. If you must use a towel, only dab on the surface, do not wipe.

(If you’re not doing the shampoo/contact step, you will see a very fine layer of road film still stuck on the paint even after through rinsing with water and drying with the blower, this is normal, do not try to wipe off as you again risk swirling.)

Regular cleaning is healthy for the paint and any paint protection you have applied as contaminants cannot build up on the surface, waxes and sealants (and coatings) will last the longest when washed safely using a gently pH-neutral shampoo and soft water.

Only exception being right after you’ve applied the wax/sealant/coating. With ceramics, do not wash for the next 7 days, with waxes and sealants read the bottle label. If not mentioned, wait 48hrs before exposing to water and you’ll be fine.

2) How to fix:

- Clean area with all purpose cleaner/diluted car shampoo
- Clay area are to be polished
- Use a heavy cut compound like Menzerna 400/3D ACA paired with a heavy cut pad
- Refine with a fine cut polish like Menzerna 3000 paired with a soft cut pad
- 25% IPA wipe polished area
- Apply your wax/sealant

(If door sills have any glue reside, first use a glue remover to clean before doing the clay and other steps.)

Polishing paint to remove defects is not the same as repainting. Here only a small top layer of clearcoat is removed to level off the scratches and restore gloss and clarity to the paint. When we repaint, we’re removing all the layers of the paint right down to the metal and applying fresh primer/base/clearcoat. See graphic below illustrating paint correction via polishing-

[jna4cob]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Wavex clay is very aggressive, also tends to break up into little pieces after awhile. It will work but ends up scuffing the paint too much. One lesson I learned long ago was to stay away from cheap clay as it can really scratch paint, or it doesn’t last.

I’ve never tried their clay lube but imagine it will be in line with the quality of the rest of their offerings (read low quality). Just use your favourite car shampoo diluted with filtered water in a spray bottle as clay lube.

Simoniz makes excellent clay as do other high quality brands, Carpro has a decon block as well. Pay attention to the colour, you want blue/gray clay as that’s the fine grade. Stay away from red as that’s very aggressive and will leave deeper scratches in the paint. You still have to polish after any clay though, fine or aggressive.

Note: if your car has any bonded tar/ferrous contamination, remove that with tar and ferrous removers before starting the clay step otherwise you risk deeper scratching.

Thank you very much for the detailed reply. Canceled my order for Wavex and ordered Carpro clay bar from Planet Car Care. Product has been shipped already and I'm waiting for delivery. Also purchased Turtle Wax bug and tar remover.

[McQueen]

Originally Posted by AJ56

..

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I get the second part now - completely.

As for the first part,

1. For the regular cleaning (2-3 times a week), do you reckon that contactless cleaning with a shampoo is better than spreading the shampoo with mittens? To remove the difficult mud stains, do we use the foamy (soapy) mittens or simply pressure wash it using plain water?
   
   
2. What do you think of this routine? Please modify it if needed.
   
   For 2-3 days a week:
   • First round: Apply the pH-neutral shampoo on the exterior, including the glass/mirrors, using a pressure washer.
   • Second round: Spray water, using the pressure washer, and clean the entire exterior.
   • Third round: Dry the entire exterior using a few clean microfiber clothes.
   
   Once every 1.5-2 months:
   • Dashboard and tyre dressing along with exterior detailing with Sonax BSD.
   
   
3. During the third round of regular cleaning, do we need to apply a lubricant on the microfiber before drying the water? If I'm not wrong, you mentioned not to clean it at all. But that'll leave (possibly hard) water stains!
   
   
4. When we apply the shampoo to clean the exterior, shall we not apply it on the glass? (Do we have to buy a separate glass cleaner to clean the glass?)
   
   
5. Finally, can you please suggest brands for the shampoo, microfiber clothes/towel (for different purposes like drying after washing, removing stains/bird droppings), etc.? For instance, I was considering using the 3M shampoo but that's pH-balanced and not pH-neutral as you recommended.

Thank you.

[robincsamuel]

I noticed white patches on my car's cladding after the ceramic top-up a few months ago. I tried to clean them up with a brush, but they're not going away. When I went to a car wash last week, they told me it could be the polishing compound.

Any idea how it can be cleaned up?

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by McQueen

As for the first part,

1. For the regular cleaning (2-3 times a week), do you reckon that contactless cleaning with a shampoo is better than spreading the shampoo with mittens? To remove the difficult mud stains, do we use the foamy (soapy) mittens or simply pressure wash it using plain water?
   
   
2. What do you think of this routine? Please modify it if needed.
   
   For 2-3 days a week:
   • First round: Apply the pH-neutral shampoo on the exterior, including the glass/mirrors, using a pressure washer.
   • Second round: Spray water, using the pressure washer, and clean the entire exterior.
   • Third round: Dry the entire exterior using a few clean microfiber clothes.
   
   Once every 1.5-2 months:
   • Dashboard and tyre dressing along with exterior detailing with Sonax BSD.
   
   
3. During the third round of regular cleaning, do we need to apply a lubricant on the microfiber before drying the water? If I'm not wrong, you mentioned not to clean it at all. But that'll leave (possibly hard) water stains!
   
   
4. When we apply the shampoo to clean the exterior, shall we not apply it on the glass? (Do we have to buy a separate glass cleaner to clean the glass?)
   
   
5. Finally, can you please suggest brands for the shampoo, microfiber clothes/towel (for different purposes like drying after washing, removing stains/bird droppings), etc.? For instance, I was considering using the 3M shampoo but that's pH-balanced and not pH-neutral as you recommended.

Thank you.

Contact wash with noodle type microfibre wash mitts is better than just contactless foam application and rinse off. To remove any sort of staining, you will have to do a contact wash with a foam cannon and wipedown of each panel with mitts dipped in a bucket with water + shampoo. Contactless wash, be it just rinse-air dry or rinse-foam-rinse-air dry is not going to remove the stains.

That routine is great if you can follow it 2-3 times a week, gets excessive for most folks over time. Just make the following changes:

1) Pre rinse thoroughly with water before applying any foam with foam cannon. Spend as much time as you can getting 95% of the contamination off with just water.

2), 3), 4) No change

5) Do not wipe paint unless you have done a contact wash with mitts, as even after washing with water and foam, there is still road film left on the surface (that’s why a contact wash is needed once in awhile). Use a powerful leaf blower to dry, you can get cordless ones as well, it’s safer and faster than towel drying.

Personally I just use water + air every other day of the week and I do a full contact wash every 8-10 days. Much less headache and you have a relatively clean car most of the time. But you need to have a coating to do this effectively as the extreme water repellency really helps. You don’t need a pro coating I might add, just apply Gyeon Cancoat or any other high quality spray coating every 3 months and you’ll be good.

Dash dressing is fine every 1-2 months. Tyres, where I live you’ll be lucky to get 3-4 days out of them before you need to reapply the dressing owing to extreme dust. Sonax BSD is just a quick detailer, not much when it comes to protection or gloss.

Just 25% IPA wipe after your wash and use a good spray on ceramic coating like Gyeon Cancoat. It’ll last many months with safe washing.

Yes I said not to use towels for drying, use air instead. There are purpose made drying aids meant to provide lubrication to your towel if you must use a one but it’s still not as safe as air, and just a painful way to dry, adding steps and products that aren’t needed to the entire process.

If you’re thorough with the leaf blower, you will not have any standing water and consequently no hard water stains, hard water only does damage if left to self evaporate slowly. Also, you can use towels to catch drips after you’re done with the blower, just dab and avoid wiping.

Shampoo is meant for all exterior surfaces including glass. If you need something stronger use 25% IPA and two towels for perfect glasses. You don’t need separate glass cleaner.

Yes pH balanced and pH neutral are not the same thing, look for the latter when buying car shampoo. Carpro Reset is pH neutral but has enough bite to address bird poo and other contaminants:

https://www.planetcarcare.com/produc...n&gad_source=1

For regular cleaning a gentle snow foam is enough as Reset shouldn’t be used all the time:

https://greenzcarcare.com/product/gyeon-q2m-foam/

The Rag Company Eagle Edgeless, if you want the best:

https://www.amazon.in/Rag-Company-Pr.../dp/B07C2HNMBM

If you want cheaper options, which are still plush:

https://www.planetcarcare.com/produc...pr_seq=uniform

For drying, CarPro Boa (will still recommend air):

https://www.planetcarcare.com/produc...n&gad_source=1

Originally Posted by robincsamuel

I noticed white patches on my car's cladding after the ceramic top-up a few months ago. I tried to clean them up with a brush, but they're not going away. When I went to a car wash last week, they told me it could be the polishing compound.

Any idea how it can be cleaned up?

Appears to be polishing residue from the detailing shop, owing to improper masking of the plastic trims.

Clean the area with diluted shampoo and water, apply an all purpose cleaner (APC) like Carpro MultiX with a detailing brush using light pressure. Rinse off APC with water, repeat if necessary.

Protect the plastics with any good plastic trim dressing, like Carpro PERL.

[McQueen]

Originally Posted by AJ56

..

Hi, unfortunately, we are not on the same page yet when it comes to the products. Could you please help me select the products?

You suggested using Reset and Gyeon Foam for shampooing. I am considering buying only one product for the exterior cleaning and something more economical. If you could pick only ONE from each category below or suggest an alternative, that would be great:

• Shampoo (pick one or suggest an alternative): Turtle Wax Carnauba Shampoo 1.42L (pH-balanced) / Sonax 314300 Concentrate Gloss Shampoo 1 L (pH-neutral)
  
• Microfiber clothes:
  • For drying (pick one or suggest an alternative): ShineXPro 1100 GSM Edgeless towel / PCC Edgeless 550 GSM Ultra Plush 40x40 / Meguiar's Supreme Shine Thick Deep Microfiber
  • For cleaning (pick or suggest an alternative): PCC Edgeless Ultra Plush 350GSM 40x40
  • For occasional waxing (pick or suggest an alternative): Meguiar's Supreme Shine Thick Deep Microfiber
• Sealant/Quick Detailer/Wax (if useless, please mention, else select only one): Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Seal N Shine / Sonax BSD / Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax / Turtle Wax Express Shine Carauba Spray Wax / Formula 1 Carnauba Paste Wax

Note: I already have Meguiar's mittens, so I don't need any suggestions there. Additionally, I plan to buy on one of Amazon and PCC.

Further questions:
1. How are we supposed to clean a bird dropping on the exterior or a food item on the interior on a non-cleaning day or while travelling? Shall we use water and rub it or there's a solution that does the job neatly?
2. How are we supposed to clean the interior glossy plastic parts, infotainment screen and the instrument cluster - plain water gently sprayed over a microfiber cloth or some solution? (IPA leaves a stain, hence the question.)
3. The materials I mentioned above are economical. I'm trying to create a second list where the products are relatively less economical. Please approve only ONE for each category below or suggest an alternative:

• Microfiber cloth for cleaning: CarPro Boa 350 GSM, 16" X 24"
• Microfiber cloth for drying: CarPro Boa 500 GSM, 16" X 24"
• Shampoo: Meguiar's Ultimate Wash and Wax (pH-neutral) / Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner

Quick question: Why are professional shampoos like the Meguiar's Hyper-Wash never suggested for non-professional use? It seems to have a very good foam/cleaning quality + it's economical.

Thank you.