Quote:
Originally Posted by adimicra Guys,
I need your help. It is really difficult to go through all the pages of this thread. May be the answer is there already...but I could not find.
I have never tried any car cleaning product till y'day.
Now, due to the rains, I bought a Forumla1 wash and wax in order to remove the stubborn dirt marks which do not go away by normal water wash. But, the results are disastrous - no improvement over water wash at all.
Now, I have some questions -
Which is the best product for cleaning these stubborn dirt marks? Where can I find these in Hyderabad, if anyone is aware of?
How to apply the shampoo/cleaning product?
What type of cloth should be used to clean wipe the car after applying the product? I am currently using microfiber cloth.
I will worry about waxing and polishing later but first, need to get my white beauty clean. |
Adi, I have been detailing my jazz since Feb 2011 and I believe I have gotten better with the experience of past 6 months. From November 2010 to Feb 2011, I practically did nothing. From Feb 2011, the following are the steps I have taken to maintain my tafetta white Honda Jazz in its best possible shape:
1. Stopped apartment car wash with imm effect. I still pay the guy to clean/wash my wheels and the mats.
2. Got paint sealant treatment done from 3M outlet at HSR Layout. Thanks to Sidhu from 3M, I got initiated into this whole detailing craze. He was the first person to educate me on the damages of the daily washing done by apartment cleaners.
3. Got Under body anti-rust coating done from the 3M outlet.
This is my DIY regular maintenance procedure:
1. Meguairs quik detailer spray.Have two bottles and I do this whenever there is a fairly fresh stain(1-3 days old stains) or just before waxing. I finish one bottle in no time and at 300 odd bucks found it difficult to sustain it!
2. Mequiars ultimate quik detailer. This is for state of the art finish. I use it sparingly as its expensive. Use it for "show & tell" days! :-)
3. ONR. Once I bought my first ONR bottle, I realized how much more cost effective it is compared to Mequiars even though Meguairs had a better over-all effectiveness. So I ended up buying a gallon and now I make my own quik detailer! :-) So this is my predominant cleaning liquid now. Quik/UQ both are used sparingly for TLC over and above ONR! :-) Recently I picked up my first gallon from our own Team-BHPpian Nirmal! Without any doubt, this is a must have at home. Smells delicious to boot!
4. Mequairs NXT Gen Car Wash Shampoo: I do shampoo wash if there is extreme grime and dirt accumulation which have bonded on to the paint- to the extent that if you try to remove them otherwise you might end up scratching the surface. Frankly I dont do DIY enough at all as I have a 6 month package deal with Car Spa and hence on occasions when I need a thorough wash, I just drive to the nearest car spa(just a stones throw for me) for a thorough wash. This is like once a month or may be even less frequent. But anyway, this is there in the picture so mentioned it. If you Shampoo it yourself, you need a proper wash mitt, please remember that.
Amazon.com: Meguiar's G-12664 NXT Generation Car Wash. 64 oz. liquid: Automotive
5. Meguairs NXT Gen Tech Wax 2.0 Paste(not liquid). I do this every 2 weeks after a shampoo wash and/or quik detailed. I.e basically only on a spanking clean car.This is a a very good product. Has incredible water-beading and your paint sealant will work doubly well with the aid and support of tech wax 2.0!
6. Recently picked up collinite 845 from Nirmal. Havent yet used it. I am yet to decide how and when I will use this(before or after tech wax 2.0 and what frequency) Will provide feedback after some more experience.
6. Acquired a variety of Microfibres. Not all microfibres are the same. Not all are designed for the same purpose. So you need multiples of them to maintain a good car finish. Following is a rough list of the microfibres that I have:
a. Euorow 660 GSM Microfibre towels. Not 330 GSM- which is the norm but 660 GSM. These are plush and are my workhorses. I used it for detailing, scrubbing etc. I dont do polishing with these. Neither do I buff with these. I use 2-3 of them at a time and keep them all together in circulation and then wash them all together. Ofcourse without any softeners or bleaches. I have a dozen of them.
Amazon.com: Eurow Microfiber Double Density Towels 12 X 16 in 660 GSM Eurow Shag 10-Pack: Automotive
b. Mequiars Ultimate detailing cloth: For that ultimate finish and final buffing. For serious, post-wax finish only. I have 3 of these.
Amazon.com: Meguiar's M9910 Ultimate Wipe Detailing Cloth: Automotive
c. For drying up the car after shampoo wash or after rain: Mequiars water magnet towels I have 3 of these.
Amazon.com: Meguiar's X2000 Water Magnet Drying Towel: Automotive
d. Mequiars wash mitts. Only for shampoo wash. Have hardly used it so far.
Amazon.com: Meguiar's X3002 Microfiber Wash Mitt: Automotive
e. Mequiars Supreme shine: This is used soon after waxing. This helps remove the excess wax from the surface with great ease and gives a smooth finish. I have 3 of these.
Amazon.com: Meguiar's X2020 Supreme Shine Microfiber - Pack of 3: Automotive
f. And then i have a bunch of cheap 3m/scoth brite microfibres which are used for cleaning under side, bumpers, border areas between, rubber/plastic and paint(where black color can run)
7. Finally for exteriors, the most important every day cleaning equipment is a high quality duster like california dusters to remove the secondary dust particles that are not yet bonded with the paint. I dust the car every evening before saying good night to the car! :-)
Amazon.com: The Original California Home and Auto Detailing Kit: Automotive
I dont use buffing machines or pads. Since your question was only about exteriors, i have not mentioned any of my techniques for interiors cleaning.
Hope this was useful for you. Let me know if you have any queries. I am sure some of what I have said may be wrong and if so the experts can correct me.
Thanks.