Team-BHP - A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide

Quote:

Originally Posted by -NUT-case (Post 1654590)

These are not the kind you need for cars. The 3M cloth in that link is for cleaning LCD/Plasma and computer screens. It is usually thin, very fine and at about 1 sq foot , too small to fold and use for wiping/polishing automobiles.

The ones for cars are much thicker/plusher and larger.

Will try and post close ups of both types of cloth.

Yes, it is not meant for automobile use. I bought it from there long back for LCD cleaning for which it is very good but found it the best for spectacles and always carry it with me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by -NUT-case (Post 1654259)

@funnyguru Banians( the pure cotton soft ones) are the best cloth for polishing along with terry towels(again pure cotton soft ones). The microfibre is relatively new to the scene. So the dealer gave you good advise. For washing, the "blue" thin cloth you get at bunks is the best(as Rudra has pointed out in the original first post of this thread)

A Random Orbital Polisher is what you are looking for. I dont know if you can get it in India. In the US it is about 25$ for a basic one (about 50$ for Bosch). There are professional grade random polishers which can set you back 500 to 1000$. You will also need to get to get the various "bonnets" which are the polishing pads which are used with the polisher.

This is a picture of the things i recently got from the US, which i clicked as soon i got them.

I have marked the Microfibre in the picture. Sorry cant get you a closeup as my camera is not with me now.The cloth looks and feels a little like the cloth on the powder puffs you get for babies (Not the feathery kind).The thicker the cloth, the better. Some cheap ones are too thin and small for our purpose.
A very good microfibre cloth from "megs" is the X2020( Link to Amazon). You can see the X2020 also in the picture below.

Amazon.com: Meguiar's X2020 Supreme Shine Microfiber - Pack of 3: Automotive

Attachment 252548

For washing - even the microfiber is good. I got a cloth which was especially for car wash- and saw a few videos on You tube. Its a good approach to completely wet the microfiber in water and then wipe the car which is not very dusty or dirty( cause then u have to wash it with water+shampoo)

Megs Microshine are superb in fact. And they are not expensive for the value they give...Dude you seemed to have opened a detailing shoplol:- just kidding...but great stuff..
Do you mind giving an experience of using some of the things there? Curious to know how do Mothers stuff fare against Megs?? I have just started on using the Megs Detailer- its superb..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan (Post 1653651)

The rinsing is to remove any dust/dirt from the cloth. The blue cloth they sell at petrol pumps is best for this. I use it dripping wet - not just damp. And I use two of them- one for the body and glass, and another for bumpers (mine are black), wheels and under body as far as I can reach.

And of course, the car must be completely dusted with a soft dry cloth before the sponge bath!

You're almost washing your car! Before wiping it with a cloth, Pour a lil' water before wiping it.
Instead of the blue cloths, Use terry towels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by -NUT-case (Post 1654445)

Are wash mitts available here in india commonly.

Yes they are, I bought it From metro cash&carry. If you dont find wash mitts, use microfiber cloths for washing.

Here are the Meguiar's stuff that i got from the US, Thanks to our member mkhclap:

Quote:

Originally Posted by funnyguru (Post 1654054)

Hi All, can anyone show me a pic of how a micro fiber cloth looks like, I have been hunting for it in Chennai, in all the supermarkets. .....where do we get one?

A close up of how a microfibre looks like. This is from "zwipes" . It is pretty good, a little thicker than megs but slightly samller.

Attachment 252908

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 1654727)

Megs Microshine are superb in fact. And they are not expensive for the value they give...Dude you seemed to have opened a detailing shop- just kidding...but great stuff..
Do you mind giving an experience of using some of the things there? Curious to know how do Mothers stuff fare against Megs?? I have just started on using the Megs Detailer- its superb..

Heh.. Went a little overboard with the detailing stuff lol.

Have used the Turtle wax ultimate detailer a couple of times . It gives an OK shine which lasts about 3 to 4 days i would say. Makes the car smell really good.

Have used the mothers carnuba wax.. Man this stuff is good. Really easy to apply and almost as easy to remove and leaves the paint with a velvety shine. Used a cotton applicator pad to put on the wax and used a terry towel to remove after which i used the microfibre to polish it and bring out the lustre. Costs about 20$ there. And it has lasted more than 2 weeks as of now. It also reduces dust gathering on the paint and whatever dust that gaters can be easily brushed off.

This happened just after polishing.
My kids were playing blowing bubbles and one of the bubbles flew near the car and hit the bonnet . But instead of breaking it just rolled like a ball all the way to the other side of the bonnet and flew off. clap:

The Foam master is the bottle with nozzle you see in the pic. Car wash is filled in the plastic container and connected to a hose . As you press the lever , it gives out a spray of foamy frothy solution which can be sprayed onto the car. Makes washing the car real fun and works even greater. Works even with our water pressure but needs 40 to 60 psi to work to its maximum efficacy. Love it! Cost about 40$.

Will let you guys know about the others ..

Folks i got some extra stuff more with me- MEGUIARS G1001 SMOOTH SURFACE CLAY BAR ( the rest of the extra stuff has been taken by fellow BHP members in a flash;))
I have ONE of the above( has 3 clay bars) and the cost is $23.7 which translates into Rs 1150 approx. If anyone needs this please PM me. I also have an extra Liquid Tech Wax 2.0 for about $23
Both are brand new and just came with some of my colleagues who came back from the US

I signed up with Pegasus staffing - Chennai, and the first visit was this morning

The appointment was for 615 am, the guys were at my place by 620 am

The team consisted of 2 guys. One senior chap who was the operator who would handle the vacuum cleaner, power jet and the waxing machine. The other chap was his helper who would wash the mats and dry wipe the car.

The process started with the interior and boot vacuuming followed by dashboard cleaning while the helper started washing the mats.

This was followed by the helper spraying some stuff - not water but a cleaning agent of some sort - into the engine bay and wiping it dry after about 10 minutes. This did clean out the engine bay though not as neat as what a new car would be like - The only area where i would say there is scope for improvement.

The machine operator then connected his bosch aquatak water spray machine and washed down the car and the tyres then changed the nozzle and took care of the underbody as well.

This was followed by a thorough dry down of the car and application of car polish - 3M i think - and the car was polished using an electric car polisher.

The last stage was dressing up the tyres , the rubber beading's and grills.

The whole process took a little over an hour and gave the car a complete showroom finish.

I am extremely happy with the finish and the professionalism with which the entire process was dealt with.

At Rs. 3500 + 10% service tax for my i20 for 12 visits, being one visit every month, the amount paid is certainly worth every penny.

I would certainly recommend this service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen (Post 1656958)

:eek: That early! That was the time fixed by you or them? Does this mean they're totally booked right through the day with same jobs?

Well these guys work from 6 am to 6 pm Monday to Saturday and i leave home for work every morning by 8 am Saturdays included. I also preferred a morning wash to an evening wash.

So i fixed up for 615 am. Plus by the time they are done with the wash its nice and bright to check out the car and point out the missed spots! :D

The chap who was washing my car did tell me that there are a total of 15 teams and each team washes 8 cars a day

Quote:

Originally Posted by sohail99 (Post 1656885)

Just treated a few areas on my i20 with 'ScratchX 2' and then waxed with Meguiars Gold Class Liquid Wax

Results were amazing!!!:eek: its so smooth now!
I even saw leaf slipping on the paint!

Check out the 'after' picsclap:

Great pics- suggestion: Remove the Ribbon, you will scratch the paint if you do not and if water falls, chance of some color coming off the ribbon onto the car.
Question: In my last post also i asked you about ScratchX- can you tell me for what kind of scratches did you use and how? I used it for different spots, it cleared some minor ones, but some more which i expected, wondering if i used it correctly

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 1657008)

Yup! will remove it today only!

Regarding ScratchX, it seems to lessen the swirl marks to some extent and a few very minor scratches(ones limited to the clear coat)

and as it has micro-abrasives(safe for occasional use) it really brings out the shine!

I used it to remove a few scratches(very thin ones) that the car cleaner guy had caused when he tried to remove the dust with a totally dry cloth!

I :-
-apply the it on the affected part with the help of mf foam applicator pad

-depending on the no of swirls/scratches I keep it applying in a circular motion for a bit

-leave it on for a min and wipe off with a mf towel!
and the shine it gives is awesome!:D

-top off with wax

but for other more visible ones, I use 'Formula1 Scratch out' as its a mild rubbing compound!

Guys i used the Meguiar's tech wax 2.0 and i'm compltely satisfied with the results and shine, water just glides off the paint and dust can be removed with the microfiber cloth by its own weight, Just keep it on the car and pull it along the dust and the dust just disappears.

I've used F1 wax, Abel auto(TW) wax, 3M professional wax, amway wax, waxpol liquid wax and 3M liquid wax and i cannot compare these waxes with Meguiar's tech wax 2.0. I agree this tech wax is a lil' expensive but worth every penny, about 800-900Rs in the USA, 1.8k in India, If there are people who you know coming down from the US, try getting 2 bottles/tubs of meguiars tech wax and you'll never regret it.

Results: My car's black paint is now one shade deeper and darker, Water/dust/hands glides off the paint, overheard a guy saying "new car" at a traffic signal:uncontrol
Thanks to our member mkh who took the trouble ordering the wax from amazon to his friend in the USA.:thumbs up

Not posting pics coz the difference cannot be seen on a picture.