Recently I'm hook up in all thing related to car detailing, mainly cleaning and waxing the car. Anyone here have similar interest? Let's chit chat
A friend of a friend was very much into it. Also had a little business selling a particular kind of wax Also saw some special on it on tv, this was it I think http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...9590/Worlds-most-expensive-car-wash-7200.html
pardon my ignorance... but what's so fun about it? how is it any different than waxing the floor or cleaning the kitchen table?
What I like best is glossy black tires! Making the tires just as great looking as the rest of its body.
only to the extend to getting functional and maybe a bit more to make it not look like it has been sitting in the garage for 10 yrs gathering dust. and i do clean my car, but for the same purpose. to make it look clean but i would not call it detailing. and i would consider it a chore instead of a hobby!
It's mainly the satisfaction looking at the result. With the ultimate goal of having glass smoth surface and nice glossy tick clear coat which is free of swirl marks. As well as getting to know the right way of doing it. And just like rackets, waxing also has so many categories which produce different results as well as durability.
so what do i do to wax a car properly? last time i did it i think i just apply some wax by hand, and then buff it out later. i forgot what brand of wax. something off the shelf and not too fancy. took a while though as there was a lot of surface area.
Not much different here. At one point it was so bad my front derailleur was totally locked after winter storage probably from the slush and mud in the winter that one or two times I used it but didn't immediately clean afterwards. Used to clean it as a kid but this one hasn't even been washed once, just wiped clean with a towel ... For a car I can imagine a certain sense of satisfaction of bringing out the paint to the max, or was we see on Wheeler Dealers bring red back to life . But that's more for car enthousiasts (freaks) in general anyway. I assume if you're into this you at least have modded one thing on your car yourself Time for my ride (could use a massage instead actually )
Apparently, most guys here at BC seems to at least bother about the shell but the tires. Can't blame the fact that the tires are the ones closes to the ground. However, a tire shine that incorporates silicone-like protectant leaves it wet looking and glossy for longer and makes a good looking car great looking. A look of grandeur.
Sure it does. I got a fried who scrub the tyre every wash and then spay them with tyre spray. Unfortunately I dont see much different with me just spraying the tyres without srubbing them everytime. Do you do it differently MilGauss?
A car paint panel has core 3 parts, the metal panel, the paint and the clear coating. It is the clear coat that makes the car shines and reflects the lights. So before we work on the paint panel we should check the condition and the tickness of the clear coat. The reason is that not all wax or technique can be applied to all condition. For example, a brand new car should not be polish as it will reduce the clear coat tickness unnecessarily. So here are the steps that I ussually follow: 1. Wash and dry the car: Surprisingly this is the second most important step of car detailing. The reason is, by not doing it properly can do the most of the damaged. Have you guys seen those spider webs/swirl marks/holograms/hair lines on car paint? They are most likely caused by incorrect washing technique. Imagine those tiny hard particles that stick on the surface being rub around by your washing sponge......scarry! One way to aviod that is to have 2 buckets of water, one for the washing liquid, and the other is just clean water. The idea is to always clean your sponge after you wash each section of the car (by dipping/cleaning the sponge into the clean water bucket), its to prevent the dirt from sticking on your sponge while its being use for the next section of the car. A few tips that I can share is: 1. Start washing from the top to the bottom of the car, the simple reason is most of the dirts sticks on the lower part of the car. 2. Use good quality sponge such as: sponge with microfiber cloth, natural sea sponge, etc. 3. Do not use the sponge once you dropped it to the ground 4. Always wash (I ussually machine wash) and dry the sponge after using them. I got a friend who go extreme by using the sponge only once lol.... I ussually dry the car with syntetic chamois for drying. Nothing special really. Again, just make sure that the chamois is clean. 2. Surface Prep: Now this is the most important step of car detailing The idea is to clean the surface from contaminants such as industrial fallout, bugs, tar, tree sap, bird droppings, rail dust, brake dust, etc etc which can not be removed by washing only. If you guys runs your hand on a newly wash car paint panel and feel some rough stuffs stick on it, those are the stuffs that can not be removed by the washing process. Why they are bad? They are bad because it will eat through the clear coat. They will also cause the wax to be less durable and even. So what do we do? The magic is with "magic clay". What is it and how to use it? This is how it looks like: [video=youtube;gfxAesk4Po4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfxAesk4Po4&feature=relmfu[/video] [video=youtube;opfK408uIxM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opfK408uIxM&feature=relmfu[/video] http://www.autogeek.net/detailing-clay-bar.html http://www.autogeek.net/remove-bugs-and-tar.html 3. Polishing: Only take this step if there is any imperfection or if you want to remove some paint marks (such as scratches, swirl marks etc). Polish liquid or paste contains abrasive subtance which smooth out the imperfection but at the same time will remove some of the clear coat off the surface. So my tip is: To prevent is better than to cure. Unfortunately, there are tons of polish product out there that marketed as wax or sealant, so beware and read the label or go online. There are also different type/strength of polish from compound to very light swirls removals. In the case that polishing is needed, it should be applied with some presure either by hand or machine. Applying by hand is better but may take a lot longer time, Im talking about weeks or even months lol..... 4. Waxing: There 2 types of wax: Pure/natural carnauba wax and Synthetic paint sealant. Carnauba wax is basically a natural wax from palm tree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnauba_wax Since its natural form is hard like a rock, carnauba wax is mixed with other stuff like bees wax and liquid substances to make it appliable to paint surface. Synthetic paint sealant OTOH is non-natural, mainly derive from technology in polymers and some other main stuffs. So which one to choose? Its purely preference, but generally Carnauba wax offer superior results in deepness and warm, whereas Synthetic paint sealant has a lot longer lasting protection. My tip is: Use the paint sealant and leave it for 1 hour and top it off with carnauba wax . Another tip: when applying wax or sealant, there is no need to apply much presure at all. You can visit this site for more info: http://www.autogeek.net/qude101.html
wow [h=1]World's most expensive car wash: £7,200[/h]thats amazing. It makes sense when you have $300K plus car, would you send it to your corner car wash bay?? A true detailer indeed, here are some of his tips: Mr Sahota's car washing tips: 1. Use warm soapy water. 2. Add warm water mixed with a PH neutral shampoo in one and plain water in the other. 3. Use a lamb's wool wash mitt which only costs £8 and is better than a sponge. 4. Always wash from the top down. 5. Use different cloths on the bodywork and wheels. 6. Avoid acidic and high-alkaline wheel cleaners and any silicone-based products because they stain. 7. Use a towel instead of a chamois leather to dry the car. 8. Always check the cleaning materials regularly to make sure there's no dirt in them. 9. Always dry the bodywork in small circles to prevent streaking. 10. Take your time and enjoy washing the car. Agree with him from 1 to 10 except number 7. Dont know why he prefers towel instead of chamois
Car detailing is not for me mainly because it is very time consuming. Even playing a round of golf is considered too time consuming to me. I have friends keep inviting me to play golf with them but I have to say no because I don't want to spend half a day doing golf. But I agree seeing the car shine like a mirror is very satisfying. I always get someone else to do the detailing and I will apply aroma therapy to my car. Believe me after the treatment, there will be no trace of foul smell, mould and the smell of car wax and cleaning chemical. To me that is important. I want my car not just look great. It must not have foul smell and have good scent! Hey guys! Try it and I bet you will impress your girl( or your highness wife)!
I use Bel Air aromatherapy but actually you can use all sort of aromatherapy available in the market. Try talk some shops that sell aromatherapy, I am pretty sure they can recommend which type to apply to your car. Car fragrance is not bad but nearly all of them are made of chemicals.
OK I'll try and find one. Thanks for the info. One last question, is it one of those that you connect to the lighter power point?
