[malady]

Just recently I have been getting into detailing and decided to share my knowledge with you

as well as provide a place for everyone to share there ideas and products
since japanese cars usually use thin coats of paint therefore more prone to being scratched and or oxidizing when the clear coat comes out

since i cant afford new paint jobs. protecting and making my paint look shiney was more in my alley


BASICS

I found these article to have some good info for a newbie

http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/80238-introduction-detailing.html

also see for procedure of
proper weekly wash
http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/80234-washing-drying.html

http://www.autogeek.net/exterior.html

seeing if you have clearcoat
http://meguiars.com/faq/index.cfm?faqCat=Paint Questions&faqQuestionID=41&section=_41#_41
Product

With the many products out there its hard to choose what you will need
anything that your happy with is usually a good choice
but if you really want superior protection and that showroom shine

you pay what you get for

there are two major types of wax

chemical and carnauba-this article helps explain the difference
http://www.autogeek.net/qude101.html


also see
http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/80237-detailing-chemicals.html

For a long superior lasting wax people choose to use a long lasting sealant and then build layers of carnauba wax over it to get that depth and shine they want


see: how to apply wax and sealants
http://www.autogeek.net/car-wax-detailing.html

Seasonal Protection

Winter:

Two words: road salt. Salt used to deice the roads can also de-paint your vehicle if you’re not careful. A quality wax or sealant combined with correct maintenance will get your paint finish through the chilly months.

Your best bet for winter paint protection is a paint sealant because they tend to last longer and require less frequent reapplications.

a protective wax for your wheels. It prevents brake dust adhesion, which is a problem year-round, and it repels snow and ice. It does require regular reapplications to maintain a high level of protection but the results are well worth the effort.

Tire protection is two-fold. For starters, the rubber needs to be kept supple in freezing temperatures to prevent cracking. Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel looks great but most importantly; it hydrates the rubber to keep it flexible.
http://www.autogeek.net/winter-car-care.html

Summer


Accessories

microfiber
Microfiber is technology's creation. IT is a must have to properly detailing your car
having the proper towel for the job will significantly cut time in half as well as have a better look

http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/80235-microfiber-detailing-products.html

caring for microfiber
http://www.autogeek.net/mi101.html


Interior

Glass

glass seems to be a personal pain for me
take this thing by the balls
http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/8611-detailing-glass.html

i liek this method
http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/109067-my-glass-cleaning-method.html

screen protection

ultimate protector
http://www.autopia.org/publish/arti...-of-screen-cleaning-and-protection/Page1.html

 

[malady]

Product review

vroom microfiber towels
meguires clay
mothers powerball
Klasse all in one polish
Klasse high gloss sealant
P21S 100% Carnauba wax

so i got this stuff in the mail in one day FAST shipping
my car was already pretty clean so i only clayed some spots that needed it to save time
run your fingers across the car it should be smooth like your girlfriends ass
if not clay it till it is

First the klasse all in one polish
this stuff really is crazy all you do is wipe on buff off the bond is instant and you really see a shine after u buff it off right away and it cleans away dirt n old wax i used a power ball attached to a drill to polish each panel

honestly the car looked good after this step if iwas lazy i would of kept it like this
but i need some protection!

so the klasse high gloss sealant

again germans are crazy this stuff works!!!
apply a thin layer to whole car let dry n buff off

the original reason i went with klasse was because its easy to work with wipes on an off easily i hate hard to deal with wax n polish

next i did a water test spilled some on the hood. the water literally fell off the car and the car dryed it self you can actaully see seperation of the water going down the side of the car there so small too. crazyyyy ( pics to come later)

after that i let it cure for the night

then in the morning waxed it with p21s again this stuff was easy on n off

i will say that getting the applicator to pick off hardass carnauba wax was tuff I had to use a lil heat n a lil water
i did about two layers to add some depth an shine

an wow my car is really scratched n rock chipped being 8 years old
but i really think this is as good as my paint can get to being original

im really satisfied and best thing is i dont have to put selant on for another 6 months yes! florida sun eat shiet!
i will continue to put on the p21s every other month prob since it dose not last as long

cons:
if you have alot of deep scratches or alot of scratches period i would use a more agressive polish
klasse is really nice but it dosent remove the look of scratches as much as i would like
however its still a good investment and alot of people like a more subtle polish

all in all it was worth every penny for all three products i payed $88. 1 drying towel 4 glass cleaner towels and 1 wash mit all microfiber cost me 15 bucks at target
whole project took about 3-4 hours

my g/f hasmy camera an i really wanted pics so on the way to the club my friend took cell phone pics
these pics were after a full day of daily driving and look how shiney it still is....

hopefully i can reupdate this with better pics

 

[malady]

will add alot more as i go

i have to go to work

 

[Cesardrgn]

subscribing...

 

[NismoG20T]

subscribing...

+1

 

[arousseau89]

sticky please

 

[djcslice]

AWESOME THREAD!!!! I use Invisible glass for cleaning my windows. I have never gotten nearly as much clarity with any other product. I believe it is tint safe.

Costco has awesome deals on microfiber cloths which is a must for cleaning.

 

[nUtStyle]

What about leather cleaner and conditioner??? Whats a good product for that??

 

[djcslice]

What about leather cleaner and conditioner??? Whats a good product for that??

I am using zymol, it seemed to be the best option in the store I was at. It seems to work pretty well.

 

[iamthejae]

as long as it's amnonia free it should be ok for windows I think. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, only use designated LCD cleaner if cleaning a stereo screen, they are water based and very mild as not to damage anything

 

[00 blk G20t]

i use invisible glass also. i also use never dull, back to black, mcguires (tire hotshine,inside detailer, leather cleaner,) i have some mcguires wax too but i actually prefer good old turtle wax.i get the black kind with the lipstick tube of scrape filler. basically just get a new microfiber towel each time i wash the car. ive collected a pretty big collection of them now.....some get used till i throw them out ,others have only been used to dry the car off one time. thats about all i use on a weekly basis.

 

[malady]

updates^

 

[djcslice]

hot shit, your car looks even more amazing. Badass work my friend. I need to order some Klasse right away. Where'd you order from?

 

[malady]

autogeek.net

it wil be cheaper for you because you wont have to pay tax

use autopia code for discount
happy detailin:asian:

 

[thunder storm]

one way i found that is good for detailing the insides of the stock wheels (i wouldn't do this on rims) is to take a wire brush, a sponge, soapy water, and go to town on the wheels (insides only) you'll need the wire brush to scrape away all the brake dust and road grime that has built up over the years.

 

[00 blk G20t]

dont forget to clean inside your gas lid too....gets pretty nasty in there.....these are the times that i bust out the invisible glass and spray in there to loosen the grime. invisible glass actually seems to work pretty good cleaning lots of stuff.....

 

["G"-sus!]

Soap
I use Maguires Deep Crystal, good OTC stuff! ALWAYS USE THE 2 BUCKET METHOD!!! I am so ghetto fabulous. I took a plastic pasta strainer and put it in my grit bucket. All the grit will settle below it, keeping your sponge from picking up the grit.

Clay
Wolfgang Clay Kit...I really like it!

Polish/Sealant
Klasse AIO...It's okay, but I'm not crazy about it. You're right, easy to use. Not sure if the Klasse Sealant is necessary too, since the AIO is also a sealant.

Problem areas
So far, my best results for scratches is Scratch-X (on a black car). I haven't had a chance to test too many other products. But I am almost throwing in the towel with some of the scratches.

Wax
Currently using Poorboys Natty Blue...I really like it! It was that or the P21 or Collinite. I figured I'd start on the less expensive side with the PB and love it so far. The Pinnacle Souveran is supposed to be that shit. But $100 is a bit too steep for me, might try their Signature 2 next.

Interior
Now I HATE Turtle Wax products...But I have to admit, I grabbed their F21 protectant on sale just to have something. I LOVE IT. Give the interior a nice matte finish! I also heard great things about Nattys interior protectant.

Glass
Invisible Glass! I used to use RainX, but no need with this stuff. I use MF towels. But another trick I've seen is old newspaper (to avoid paper towel lint, if u don't have MF's).

Trim
I use Mothers Back to Black. It works nice.


Now I know there are better products than what I mentioned, but this is what has worked best for me and my baller on a budget, bang for you buck...


Now for my favorite 2 products. The first one is a sleeper!

After car I wash/wax my car I usually go a while before my next waxing. In between, I use these products

DP Auto Bath Shampoo!!! This is an oily shampoo, I'd consider it more like hair conditioner, it won't strip your wax and give your car a silky finish! Oh, and it smells bananalicious!

PB QD+
A spray carnuba wax for quick detailing. It can get streaky, but once you figure on using a little bit at a time and some elbow greasy it is nice stuff!

Fresh after a wash/wax

 

[Jaralaccs]

wow
nice results

a little early to be posting tho

 

["G"-sus!]

wow
nice results

a little early to be posting tho

Wha??? Do you mean early, as in what time I posted? If so, then yeah, I don't sleep much...Thanks for making me feel weird about it! aranoid:

 

[malady]

thanks for the post man! we need some more people!


i wanna try that poor nattys i use the soverign wax spray its expensive but its well worth it

it kind of build on those layers of wax for more depth try it when u run out of nattys it might be easier to work with

about about the klasse its not that great but it offers really great protection an shine for the price