[Dr Alpha]

Need suggestions for good ph neutral foam wash liquid. The amway products used earlier with 2 bucket method doesn’t produce foam when used in foam canon with pressure washer.

How often can a car be pressure washed without damaging the paint?

Looking for wax/polish/sealant which can be used monthly once or 6 months once to maintain the shine of the paint which is easier to use and doesn’t require prior experience since I’m new to detailing but would like to start with simpler routines and work my way up. Read previous posts but couldn’t understand the difference between lot of products mentioned there.

TIA

[purangdevvrat]

Hi does anyone here know how to repair scratches and cracks on dashboard. Multiple scratches by kids and dogs have ruined the dashboard and plastic with millions of scratches everywhere like shown in the picture. I thought of replacing but replacing panels ks quite an expensive task, so I thought someone would be able to restore it but couldn't find anyone. Anybody has suggestions on how to fix it, thanks a lot.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by purangdevvrat

Hi does anyone here know how to repair scratches and cracks on dashboard. Multiple scratches by kids and dogs have ruined the dashboard and plastic with millions of scratches everywhere like shown in the picture. I thought of replacing but replacing panels ks quite an expensive task, so I thought someone would be able to restore it but couldn't find anyone. Anybody has suggestions on how to fix it, thanks a lot.

Afaik there's no easy way out with this. Did you try trim dressings to see if the appearance is reduced, even temporarily?

I'm guessing sanding it down to get the entire surface even is the only option.

You could also try covering it with Plasti Dip spray which would create a soft touch coating

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Dr Alpha

Need suggestions for good ph neutral foam wash liquid.

How often can a car be pressure washed without damaging the paint?

Looking for wax/polish/sealant which can be used monthly once or 6 months once to maintain the shine of the paint which is easier to use and doesn’t require prior experience since I’m new to detailing but would like to start with simpler routines and work my way up. Read previous posts but couldn’t understand the difference between lot of products mentioned there.

Good foam shampoo: Gyeon Foam, Carpro Lift.

You can pressure wash 100 times a day without any damage, provided you know what you’re doing.

Basic stuff like maintain 1ft minimum between your gun nozzle and the paint, use soft water, do not use very aggressive nozzle tips (wider the spray, the safer it is), do not exceed 150 bar (2100 psi) on the machine, etc. always dry very thoroughly with an air blower after washing to prevent water spots/rust.

Polishes and compounds contain abrasives and are used only when paint correction/scratch removal is needed. Waxes, sealants and coatings are used to protect your paint from UV and other elements and make washing and drying easier by making water bead.

For user friendly, long lasting protection just apply Capro CQuratz lite or Gyeon Cancoat, these are spray on ceramic coatings designed for home use and very easy to apply, can be applied to paint, glass and wheels. 25% IPA wipe the surface before applying any paint protection.

Gloss is achieved primarily by not having swirled and scratched paint, not due to the use of any wax or sealant. Think of paint protection as the final 3-5% addition in terms of gloss, rest is all just healthy, defect free paint. If the paint is dull to due imperfections, no product you use to protect it will give the gloss you’re looking for, in such cases you need to machine polish first to fix defects.

Originally Posted by purangdevvrat

Hi does anyone here know how to repair scratches and cracks on dashboard. Multiple scratches by kids and dogs have ruined the dashboard and plastic with millions of scratches everywhere like shown in the picture. I thought of replacing but replacing panels ks quite an expensive task, so I thought someone would be able to restore it but couldn't find anyone. Anybody has suggestions on how to fix it, thanks a lot.

First, clean thoroughly with an APC (all purpose cleaner) and brush. Then use a good plastic protector like Carpro PERL which will help fill in the defects. This will will reduce the visual impact by 70-80%.

If you want more, you can try sanding with 600 grit - 1200 - 2000 - compound - polish but doing so will need a lot to time and effort and you’ll level the visible texture in the plastic in the areas you sand, but scratches will be gone.

Third option is to replace the entire dash.

[purangdevvrat]

Originally Posted by AJ56

First, clean thoroughly with an APC (all purpose cleaner) and brush. Then use a good plastic protector like Carpro PERL which will help fill in the defects. This will will reduce the visual impact by 70-80%.

If you want more, you can try sanding with 600 grit - 1200 - 2000 - compound - polish but doing so will need a lot to time and effort and you’ll level the visible texture in the plastic in the areas you sand, but scratches will be gone.

Third option is to replace the entire dash.

Replacing is the expensive option watched a few diy on YouTube they're using plastic putty over the scratches the using a glue mold to recreate the texture of the plastic and before it dries stamping it on.

https://youtu.be/85FYd9TjLSI

Check this video out. Have you done any project like this. Is it even safe to do so.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by purangdevvrat

Replacing is the expensive option watched a few diy on YouTube they're using plastic putty over the scratches the using a glue mold to recreate the texture of the plastic and before it dries stamping it on.
https://Youtu.be/85FYd9TjLSI
Check this video out. Have you done any project like this. Is it even safe to do so.

Interesting clip. But just like spot painting an area, I don’t understand how it’ll blend with the rest of the dash if we cannot sand, as sanding will ruin the texture we’ve hot stamped. He didn’t show any actual repairs either.

Your scratches aren’t that deep to begin with, I’d highly recommend trying with cleaning and trim dressing first as that it also essentially a filler, albeit a temporary one (if you want permanent, use a trim ceramic coating.)

[purangdevvrat]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Interesting clip. But just like spot painting an area, I don’t understand how it’ll blend with the rest of the dash if we cannot sand, as sanding will ruin the texture we’ve hot stamped. He didn’t show any actual repairs either.

Your scratches aren’t that deep to begin with, I’d highly recommend trying with cleaning and trim dressing first as that it also essentially a filler, albeit a temporary one (if you want permanent, use a trim ceramic coating.)

Can you tell the names of the products that I should use. I'll give it a try see how it turns about. You can search YouTube about these repairs many people have done it but idk how to get the products.

https://youtu.be/llk2hzHW4FI

this is another video. And idk why repair shops dont do all this work. It's 11k for a new dashboard

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by purangdevvrat

Can you tell the names of the products that I should use. I'll give it a try see how it turns about. https://Youtu.be/llk2hzHW4FI this is another video. And idk why repair shops dont do all this work. It's 11k for a new dashboard

To be honest 11k is very cheap considering the entire dash is being replaced for some makes its multiple times that amount. Leather and vinyl repair is a highly specialised job no regular mechanic will do, even the ones that offer it simply outsource the job to a specialist in most cases.

Products: Carpro MultiX (all purpose cleaner), wooden brush - these are for cleaning.
Carpro PERL, this is your trim dressing which can be diluted but apply neat here to the entire dash.

[rahulk2510]

What procedure do members follow to keep their cars clean during monsoon especially to remove dried up muddy waters.

All the times when owning a car I have been dependent on regular house help to clean the car but recently I have shifted to waterless cleaning using proklear solution. How would this solution work during monsoons?

[Dr Alpha]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Basic stuff like maintain 1ft minimum between your gun nozzle and the paint, use soft water, do not use very aggressive nozzle tips (wider the spray, the safer it is), do not exceed 150 bar (2100 psi) on the machine, etc. always dry very thoroughly with an air blower after washing to prevent water spots/

Will follow these pointers from my next wash. Thank you

Originally Posted by AJ56

Good foam shampoo: Gyeon Foam, Carpro Lift.

I’m sure these foam wash are much gentle on the paint but can you please suggest some foam wash which is both gentle on the paint and my purse
Both ranges above Rs 3000 per litre and the recommended ratio is 100ml per litre which translates to Rs 300 per wash.

This is how I’m washing for the past 2 week

1)I bought a 250ml wavex foam shampoo and use it as pre wash with foam gun.
2)3m car wash shampoo for actual rinse and wash using meguiars wash mitt
3)Dry the car using microfibre cloth

This is done weekly once

Dust the car using jopasu daily

Is wavex safe on paint? They claim it as ph neutral and safe on paint.

Are these steps good as a routine or should I make any change to it?

Originally Posted by AJ56

For user friendly, long lasting protection just apply Capro CQuratz lite or Gyeon Cancoat, these are spray on ceramic coatings designed for home use and very easy to apply, can be applied to paint, glass and wheels. 25% IPA wipe the surface before applying any paint protection.

Will sure try either of these on a weekend after watching some videos and update the result.
Thank you

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Dr Alpha

suggest some foam wash which is both gentle on the paint and my purse
Both ranges above Rs 3000 per litre and the recommended ratio is 100ml per litre which translates to Rs 300 per wash.

This is how I’m washing for the past 2 week

1)I bought a 250ml wavex foam shampoo and use it as pre wash with foam gun.
2)3m car wash shampoo for actual rinse and wash using meguiars wash mitt
3)Dry the car using microfibre cloth

This is done weekly once

Dust the car using jopasu daily

Is wavex safe on paint? They claim it as ph neutral and safe on paint.

Are these steps good as a routine or should I make any change to it?

Good quality stuff is rarely cheap, Wavex I’ve limited experience with but it should be fine from a safety perspective, will not be as high in lubricity but still much better than plain water.

Slight additions to help make it safer-

1) Pre rinse with garden hose/pressure washer liberally to remove as much contamination as possible before foam cannon step.

2) Foam and use multiple mitts (max 1 mitt side per panel), this eliminates the need for 2 buckets or grit guards and any risk of cross contamination. Yes you’ll have to buy multiple mitts but they’re fairly cheap and will last hundreds of washes. Noodle type microfibre mitts are the safest in my experience.

3) Rinse foam with water

4) Air blower (leaf blower) for drying, is much faster and safer than using towels, also eliminates need for drying aid + thick drying towels.

Eliminate any dry contact with paint including that with a duster. If you want just use water + air to remove light dust. This takes under 10 mins

Other obvious things like not using paint mitts on wheels, washing top to bottom, not mixing mitts used for the top sections with lower section ones, inspecting each mitt very thoroughly for any micro debris prior to starting every wash (very important), etc.

Personally, I found Meguiar’s NXT (purple colour) shampoo much better in the bucket than 3M, lubricates better, smells nicer too.

Cheers.

[Dr Alpha]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Good quality stuff is rarely cheap, Wavex I’ve limited experience with but it should be fine from a safety perspective, will not be as high in lubricity but still much better than plain water.

Cheers.

Agree with the good stuff not cheap part.
Is turtle wax ice snow foam wash better than wavex?

Originally Posted by AJ56

4) Air blower (leaf blower) for drying, is much faster and safer than using towels, also eliminates need for drying aid + thick drying towels.

Any suggestions for a good leaf blower??
Found Bosch 620 and Stanley 600 to be good on Amazon

Originally Posted by AJ56

Eliminate any dry contact with paint including that with a duster. If you want just use water + air to remove light dust. This takes under 10 mins

Will try to do that whenever possible. Will be difficult and time consuming to do this every morning

Originally Posted by AJ56

Personally, I found Meguiar’s NXT (purple colour) shampoo much better in the bucket than 3M, lubricates better, smells nicer too.

Once the 3m shampoo gets over I’ll try the meguiars NXT purple

Thank you

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Dr Alpha

Agree with the good stuff not cheap part.
Is turtle wax ice snow foam wash better than wavex?

Any suggestions for a good leaf blower??
Found Bosch 620 and Stanley 600 to be good on Amazon

Will try to do that whenever possible. Will be difficult and time consuming to do this every morning

Turtle is a much better brand than Wavex no doubt about it. Ice snow foam is a good shampoo can’t really go wrong with it.

Leaf blower: I’ve tried almost all the different powered options and I’d say get the Black & Decker GV 3030, it’ll make drying very easy and lighting fast compared to lesser powered ones. Also lasts forever, I’ve been using mine since 2018 and still going strong. Stay away from the 600W blowers as they take forever to get the job done, they also don’t come with a long enough power cord, and it’s not safe running an extension cord near a wet car.

In the morning, just using the blower alone without water will still get 50-60% of the dust off the car. This will take under 60 seconds.

[revvharder]

Any recommendation for a good clay bar, earlier had bought Mother's detailing clay and i am unable to locate it now and while checking Amazon WaveX is the only option available on amazon.

Has anyone used WaveX detailing clay, how was it?

If anyone has any idea where to find 5000 Grit sandpaper and how much it costs, I'd appreciate it.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by revvharder

Any recommendation for a good clay bar, earlier had bought Mother's detailing clay and i am unable to locate it now and while checking Amazon WaveX is the only option available on amazon.

Has anyone used WaveX detailing clay, how was it?

If anyone has any idea where to find 5000 Grit sandpaper and how much it costs, I'd appreciate it.

Not tried Wavex clay, have tried Capro (what we use by default) and Koch Chemie. Both are excellent claybars that last quite long.

Carpro clay- https://store.ultimatedetailerz.com/...o-claybar-set/

Carpro clay block- https://store.ultimatedetailerz.com/...e-decon-block/

Koch Chemie- https://lrlmotors.com/products/koch-...8aAtMHEALw_wcB

5000 grit sheets- https://www.amazon.in/inches-Electro...s%2C261&sr=8-3

Or

https://carcosmic.com/products/premi...eb917276&_ss=r

Curious to know what are you planning to use the 5000 sandpaper on?