[dumdum]

Originally Posted by Zahoor23

I have seen that Armorall leather cleaner comes in 2 variants: Gel and a sprayer.
Which is the recommended one? It would be great if someone throws some light on the best wax polish available out there? checked with 3M guys in Bangalore & the cost for paint sealant is 5500rs, is it worth for a new white car? or i should opt for it after a month or something or its not that necessary?
Thank you

I've used the spray version and it works great. Just spray it on the spot and wipe it off with tissues or a plush microfiber cloth.
I can't tell you if the gel is better or worse because I haven't tried that version yet.

If you're considering waxing your car, I would highly recommending sealing it first. Just go get the Meguiar's NXT Tech wax (it's actually a paint sealant), I got my tub for about Rs.1750. One tub can easily do 5 cars and it also comes with a foam applicator. Give your car a proper thorough cleaning and rub on a coat of paint sealant on it. I use the Meguiars on my Merc S500 (the paint on which is pristine). I trust nothing except this. It really has water beading ability and is really nice to touch as well. Ofcourse there are better ones out there from what I've heard (I've heard a lot about Collinite but yet to give it a try).

After the paint sealant coat application has been completed, you can top it up with a layer of wax if you wish for some added protection. Formula 1 Carnauba wax is a cheap and good product, however, there are too many fakes of this out there so you have to tread carefully. I've used 3M cream wax which I wasn't very impressed with.

5500 rupees for a paint sealant is definitely worth it for the job it will do to protect your paint. But considering you can buy your own tub of great paint sealant for less than Rs.2000 and each car you seal will end up costing you about 500-700 Rs. I think you should do it by yourself, heck, go all out and throw on 2 coats of sealant if you want to pamper your ride. (However, allow 24 hours of for the previous coat to cure before you go ahead and slap on one more).

Let me know how it goes and what you do. If you need any help, just drop me a message and I'll direct you to useful DIY car cleaning and sealant application videos.

Originally Posted by AkMar

Exact same queries from me too, which I posted on the first page - is the 3M paint sealant worth the money? We will be getting delivery of our new car in a week. Should I go for it right away, or wait till the monsoon ends? Answers will be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance

I would say you should definitely seal your new car's paint. It is really effective in protection against damage. IMO Rs.5500 is worth it for the protection it will give you but why would you spend that when you could just DIY for one-tenth the price. It is fun too! I have a pretty busy schedule generally but the process of waxing your car is so much fun, I take time out for it. I would highly recommend the Meguiar's NXT Tech wax which is actually a paint sealant. Apply a coat of wax over the sealant after 24 hours and you're good to go. Your paint will remain pristine far longer than it would have without the protective coatings.
The protection the technology offers today, and for the price it does it at, it's stupid to not get your paint sealed and waxed from time to time....unless you really hate your car.

[Zahoor23]

Hello dumdum, Thank you so much for the brilliant advice. Made things tad easier for all of us who are in a dilemma about the paint sealant. Now a paint sealant is definitely on my list Even i have read that collinite 845 is one of the best polish available. I will let you know how i go about it.

[sandeepmohan]

Ordered a large Jopasu car care kit. Comes with nice large car duster, a smaller one in the form of a hand glove, a micro fibre hand glove and towel. The duster is amazing. Picks up fine dust with just a gentle swipe. You won't take more than 5 minutes to dust the car. Should have bought this a long long time ago.

Also picked up a yellow 3M micro fibre towel, the most common one found on line.

I have handed over the micro fibre towels to my guard and explained how to use it. Hope they last.

Took up a wax job by myself over the weekend. I could not cover the entire car. Waxed the boot lid, bonnet and roof. I used Formula 1 Carnauba paste wax. This has been with me for 3 years. I was surprised it had not hardened. Application and shining took an hour. A slight improvement in surface shine and a very smooth feel on the paint. Need to get some masking tape.

[vasudeva]

Based on the advice here, got my Corolla cleaned at 3M on 15-6-2015. Took 3 hours for complete interior, 5 point etc and cost me Rs. 5000

This was my first visit to 3m. I do get my car cleaned comprehensively every 6 months from a person known to me who does a very good job. 3M was definitely better than that but considering that the interiors were very clean, the relative difference was not much.

There were still some black spots which 3M could not clean.

Overall, definitely worth it, but I would perhaps alternate between my old guy (charges 1800 for interior and exterior and spends 5 hours) and 3M (4-5K for interiors).

[RavSam]

Thought of sharing this video with you guys!
Top 10 Car Cleaning Mistakes

https://youtu.be/ef_-SNSnByg

[narendra.vw]

After water wash I’m using Chamois leather for wiping. From 90s it’s been with me.

Advantage,
-it’s faster to wipe the car dry.
-Takes out stubborn dirt.
-Does not give that(not so famous) circular scratches.

Bit of maintenance is needed to prolong it’s life.
-Leather should be kept clean after wiping by dipping it into the clean water a couple of times.
-care should be taken that it should not be completely dry at any given time.
-After use immediately it has to go to it’s box (or it will be a lunch for your dog).

[dumdum]

Originally Posted by Zahoor23

Hello dumdum, Thank you so much for the brilliant advice. Made things tad easier for all of us who are in a dilemma about the paint sealant. Now a paint sealant is definitely on my list Even i have read that collinite 845 is one of the best polish available. I will let you know how i go about it.

Cheers mate. Just FYI, there's a HUGE difference between sealants and polishes. Make sure you read up on them. Polishes are abrasive to scrape off layers of your clearcoat while sealants seal the clearcoat with an added layer of long term protection. Also, do remember, if you intend on waxing your car, do that over the sealant. Seal first, wax later. They're both an added layer of protection for your car, not for shine. Yes, Wax too doesn't impart much shine unless the surface is already extremely scratched, in which case it may appear to be giving a slight shine. That's because it fills up some of the shallower scratches causing light hitting the surface to refract lesser.

In any case, protecting your paint is always a great idea. It really does do wonders in keeping the "new car look".

[Ananth_shukti]

Did a small can up on Steering Leather cover (did not want to change the same as it is stitched one). The cover had lost its glaze & had scrapped in many places & was looking ugly.
1. Dry Sand with 800 Grit , Then with 1000 grit with very mild pressure
2. Clean surface with smooth cloth
3. Used a Leather Dye powder to apply if it is discoloured. I paid Rs 5 for a sache in Mysore.
4. Once it is dry, wipe it with cloth & Apply Leather Cream ( you will get it in Leather bag/accessory shops).

Finish is ok, far better than it was before.

Total Cost Rs 5 + some in house products (sandpaper, Leather cream)

What will be the cost of Replacing the Steering cover (Stitch type where they remove the steering & stitch it) not sure, some one said it is about Rs 3.5 K.

Ananth

[wishnipon]

I am looking for a good interior cleaner. For the dashboard and trims. I was using the Turtlewax cockpit shine - comes in spray and really gives a deep lasting shine - which is not available right now. I bought the Meguairs interior wipes from Amazon last week. Can't say it is very economical and not happy with the cleaning also. Dust sits on the surface two days later!

[JonSnow]

Hi

I purchased a Jopasu duster a few days back after reading about it here. While it does a good job in wiping off the dust, it also leaves some fibres behind (mostly noticed it on the rubber lining around the windows). Is this normal and does it happen only in the first few days or does it continue to do so?

[GTO]

Mod Note: Moved some 'advanced' posts to the other thread. Please keep the following in mind before posting on this thread.

Originally Posted by GTO

On this thread, let's KISS (keep it simple, stupid). Please discuss only basic best practices here. If you're looking for advanced detailing, do visit the other thread instead.

Thanks

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by JonSnow

Hi

I purchased a Jopasu duster a few days back after reading about it here. While it does a good job in wiping off the dust, it also leaves some fibres behind (mostly noticed it on the rubber lining around the windows). Is this normal and does it happen only in the first few days or does it continue to do so?

Using the Jopasu for around 2 years now. Never experienced something like this. Check if the product is genuine.

[JonSnow]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Using the Jopasu for around 2 years now. Never experienced something like this. Check if the product is genuine.

There are no obvious signs of being fake. Packaging and product quality looks identical to the pics seen on this forum. I purchased it on Amazon from the seller "jopasu car care", who has a good rating and seems to be the only one selling a wide range of jopasu products and various combos. And since a few team-bhpians seem to have bought combos I assumed it must be from the same seller.

[dumdum]

Originally Posted by JonSnow

There are no obvious signs of being fake. Packaging and product quality looks identical to the pics seen on this forum. I purchased it on Amazon from the seller "jopasu car care", who has a good rating and seems to be the only one selling a wide range of jopasu products and various combos. And since a few team-bhpians seem to have bought combos I assumed it must be from the same seller.

I purchased it from the same vendor too. I don't seem to be having the problem.

[AkMar]

So, we got our new Xcent delivered around 10 days ago. I decided to implement 2 steps listed here. Went ahead and ordered Jopasu Duster, and 3M microfiber cloths from Amazon. Unfortunately the cloth comes in only a single colour, not multi-coloured as suggested by GTO. This post contains my experiences with using them. It was the first time I was using these products.

1. Jopasu Car Duster

After reading the fantastic reviews all over, I was really really waiting to try this out. It had rained the last night, hence dust on the car was not of the loose type. It had settled down as per shapes of water droplets. Enter the Jopasu Car Duster. I remove it from the cover, and swipe it on the boot lid. Bingo! Most of the dust is gone. It is just like magic! Just a light swipe worked. In less than 5 minutes, I was done with dusting the entire car. And then a couple of minutes spent adoring the clean look the car got Of course, it did not remove dust that had stuck to the surface due to water, and neither did I expect it to remove such dust. Here is a comparison pic:



2. Microfiber cloth

Tried this out yesterday. This was another great experience. Washing the muck splashed on the car was an effortless job, compared to washing with a non microfiber cloth. GTO has summed it up perfectly - "there is no reason for you not to use a microfiber cloth". Washing was more enjoyable, less tiring with the use of microfiber cloth. I required less water too, compared to traditional cloth (this is my personal experience). It was the car's first wash since delivery on 2nd July, and the shiny look was priceless