I stopped using Rain-X on my front windshield too.  I just put the Ultimate Quick Detailer on the front windshield and it does a fine job, while keeping the windshield relatively streak free with my brand new OEM Volvo wipers.

I must have missed the part where the scantily-clad youthful sorts lather my car with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Look again; it was back on page one.

I washed and waxed my 850 today!







I didn't get the chance to clean the insides of my wheels or the arches.  But hey!  I got new tires!






I also wet sanded my brother's Integra's headlights.

Before:







After:









They're not perfect, but they're loads better.

I washed my car once; March 7, according to photos from the scene. I sprayed it with a hose, used a soapy sponge to wipe off dirt, and then sprayed it again to get the soap off. It looks like it will need another before too much longer, unfortunately. Footwells also need a once-over with a vacuum.

What's "detailing"?

BTW, I hate the grille.  I bought it like this and just haven't gotten a slash yet.  It's ugly and it sucks.

Quote from: Morris Minor on July 07, 2010, 02:15:40 PM
For cleaning the windows glass exteriors, I like to hand wash then clean off remaining gunk with a 0000 steel wool pad soaked in a glass cleaner. Then dry it and polish with a microfiber towel. I never hesitate to use Rain-X on the side and rear windows (I think it's a good safety measure for dark rainy nights) but am a little hesitant to use it on the windshield itself; I've found in the past that it causes smearing with the wipers. Maybe they've reformulated the stuff and I should give it another try. Thoughts?

My experience with rain X has been that you gotta rub the shit in forever for it to work well without smearing.  Keep rubbing it in.  Takes awhile to apply, but when done right, it's awesome.  You don't even need to use your windshield wipers.

Btw, this thread is fucking awesome.  Any suggestions on orbital polishers?

Quote from: ifcar on July 10, 2010, 10:18:21 PM
I washed my car once; March 7, according to photos from the scene. I sprayed it with a hose, used a soapy sponge to wipe off dirt, and then sprayed it again to get the soap off. It looks like it will need another before too much longer, unfortunately. Footwells also need a once-over with a vacuum.

What's "detailing"?

I last washed mine in December so I have you beat there. I have been doing a decent job of giving the interior a quick once over every couple of weeks with a dust buster though.

The Accord has never been waxed or polished and hasn't been washed in probably 4-5 months. I want to polish it but don't want to spend too much money on polish and wax ($20-25).

Also, the clearcoat is completely gone in spots on the top of the roof. What do I do there? Just polish over the top of it? Ignore it? Just wash the car and call it a day?

Keep in mind that the $20-25 in polish and wax you buy will last you for numerous applications, so in the long run, it really isn't that much. But, it's very apparent that you don't care at all about your car's finish anyway.

And if your clearcoat is gone, the best thing you could do is apply more clear. I dunno how big of a spot you're talking about, but you can buy small bottles of brush-applied clear or you can get a spray can. Or just put some wax over it. Or nothin at all since if the paint has been damaged that much, there's probably not much chance you'll do much to prevent such further damage in the future.

Essentially: You don't care about your paint.

Quote from: TBR on July 11, 2010, 07:43:06 PM
I last washed mine in December so I have you beat there. I have been doing a decent job of giving the interior a quick once over every couple of weeks with a dust buster though.

Darn. I did last 11 months before my first wash -- the car wasn't watertight in early months, which meant that washing the outside would have required me to bail out the front-passenger footwell.

I keep the car in a parking garage, so I don't have access to a power outlet to run my own vacuum. Otherwise I would be a little more diligent with the interior.

Quote from: giant_mtb on July 11, 2010, 08:58:38 PM
Keep in mind that the $20-25 in polish and wax you buy will last you for numerous applications, so in the long run, it really isn't that much. But, it's very apparent that you don't care at all about your car's finish anyway.

And if your clearcoat is gone, the best thing you could do is apply more clear. I dunno how big of a spot you're talking about, but you can buy small bottles of brush-applied clear or you can get a spray can. Or just put some wax over it. Or nothin at all since if the paint has been damaged that much, there's probably not much chance you'll do much to prevent such further damage in the future.

Essentially: You don't care about your paint.

Thanks for being a debbie downer.

It's not even my car and for the last two years I've only driven it over the summers. Now that I can take it to school with me I wanted to clean it up but since I apparently won't take care of it, then fuck it, right?

This should be changed to "The Detailing Thread if I (giant_mtb) Feel Like Being Nice Today".

Quote from: thecarnut on July 11, 2010, 09:39:20 PM
Thanks for being a debbie downer.

It's not even my car and for the last two years I've only driven it over the summers. Now that I can take it to school with me I wanted to clean it up but since I apparently won't take care of it, then fuck it, right?

This should be changed to "The Detailing Thread if I (giant_mtb) Feel Like Being Nice Today".

Paint repair different from keeping a car clean though...I think his expertise is with keeping a perfect car perfect rather than fixing something that's damaged.

Quote from: ifcar on July 11, 2010, 09:41:50 PM
Paint repair different from keeping a car clean though...I think his expertise is with keeping a perfect car perfect rather than fixing something that's damaged.

Well I was hoping there would be some way of being able to make it look less shitty on the roof. He could've just said that he didn't know instead of putting me down.

Quote from: thecarnut on July 11, 2010, 09:39:20 PM
Thanks for being a debbie downer.

It's not even my car and for the last two years I've only driven it over the summers. Now that I can take it to school with me I wanted to clean it up but since I apparently won't take care of it, then fuck it, right?

This should be changed to "The Detailing Thread if I (giant_mtb) Feel Like Being Nice Today".

SARCAZM BRAH. TAKE A CHILL PILL OR TWO OF FOUR.

Quote from: thecarnut on July 11, 2010, 09:42:49 PM
Well I was hoping there would be some way of being able to make it look less shitty on the roof. He could've just said that he didn't know instead of putting me down.

I told you. "If your clearcoat is gone, the best thing you can do is apply more clear."  It is available in small bottles usually accompanied with a brush (similar to a small bottle of touch-up paint), or you can buy it in spray-can size.  Neither will give you professional results, but for the everyman, they can help solve the problem and prevent further damage.

If there is more than just missing clearcoat - paint fading/chipping - then you're gonna want to repaint the area.  This would require you to sand away the remaining paint, prime the metal, apply a basecoat or two and then some clear.  It would require more work and would depend on your skill level, but I don't know the exact circumstances.  If your whole roof is missing the clearcoat, there isn't much you can do besides get the whole thing redone.  But for smaller areas where it's just starting to fade away, there's nothing wrong with doing small touch-ups.

Quote from: ifcar on July 11, 2010, 09:12:41 PM
Darn. I did last 11 months before my first wash -- the car wasn't watertight in early months, which meant that washing the outside would have required me to bail out the front-passenger footwell.

I keep the car in a parking garage, so I don't have access to a power outlet to run my own vacuum. Otherwise I would be a little more diligent with the interior.

Parking garage? How swanky. I have the same thing which is a large part of the reason I got the dust buster.

I normally wash my car when I am at home. Doing it at a car wash is too expensive.

Quote from: TBR on July 11, 2010, 10:04:10 PM
Parking garage? How swanky. I have the same thing which is a large part of the reason I got the dust buster.

I normally wash my car when I am at home. Doing it at a car wash is too expensive.

I was about to say that I also normally wash it at home, but I figured that once wasn't really enough to establish habituality.

Quote from: ifcar on July 11, 2010, 09:41:50 PM
Paint repair different from keeping a car clean though...I think his expertise is with keeping a perfect car perfect rather than fixing something that's damaged.

Most of the cars I do are at least 5 years old. I've done one "new" car; a Subaru Legacy with about 3500 miles on it. None of the vehicles I do are anything near perfect.  If the cars were perfect there'd be no jobs for me. 

Gave the Audi a couple Liquid Glass treatments this past week.  I'll probably do at least one more coat this fall in preparation for winter.

What does The Almighty Detailing Master think of spray on wax, like the Turtle Wax I have?

Also, what does His Majesty the King of Perfect Cars think I should do about my paint? It feels pretty rough even when cleaned and waxed with the above spray wax. There are a number of small places where the clear has just started to peel off. Still polish?

Spray wax is okay.  Used a bit more frequently than liquid/paste wax, it should offer similar protection as the alternatives.  I don't use it on my cars (save for the parents' Explorer), but I do use it on wheels and such because it's easier and I can then clean the wheel and wax it with the same process if I'm just cleaning off some brake dust or putting the final touch on 'em.  The Turtle Wax stuff is my favorite of the spray waxes I've had, so you're right on.

If it's feeling rough, try a clay bar followed by some cleaner wax.  Strip the (previously-applied) wax before clay barring, though, by washing it with some strong detergent or by going through an automatic car wash (I obviously prefer the former!).  If clay barring and cleaner wax don't work, you're probably looking at buffing work or even wet-sanding.  A cheap, dual-action buffer and some rubbing compound will suit you fine if clay bar / cleaner wax don't work.  And if it still isn't comin' out smooth, well...wet-sanding.  Which costs $$$$$ unless you can do it yourself and I'm guessing you don't care about this vehicle too much?  Explorer?  

As far as peeling clear coat...yes!  Protect that area even more than other areas.  The whole point of the clearcoat is to - essentially - act like a permanent protector of the paint color and sheetmetal beneath.  Without the clear coat, your body will succumb to damage/corrosion more quickly, so yes.  Make sure those areas have a good coat of wax/sealant on 'em.

Heh, if the Exploder had paint problems (er, it does), then I'd not give half a hoot. We're talking about the Porsche. I'm not planning on wet sanding, though.

Anything I need to know about clay bars? And with the clear coat bits, should I clay bar over those, too? From reading above, maybe I should be applying patch coats of clear over the small spots, and then do the whole thing?

I just waxed today, and I probably won't wash it much (or drive it much, if there's snow) over the coming winter, so this is probably a spring project. It looks like I'll have a garage in which to park the car, which is good.

Ohhh yeah, the Porsche!  Slipped my mind.

Nothing special about clay bars.  You basically spray the area down with spray detailer (usually provided in the package) and then rub the clay back and forth until the spray detailer starts to dry up.  Then wipe away the excess spray stuff (with the usually-included microfiber), and check your progress.  Pretty simple.  You can't mess it up.

I don't think the areas missing clear should be a problem for a clay bar.  Depending on the size of the areas, yeah, you can always just buy small bottles of clear; both small touch-up sizes and larger aerosol cans are available.  But for say quarter-sized areas, the brush-on, touch-up sized bottle will probably work easiest as you wouldn't have to mask off for spraying and all that jazz.

Good to hear you'll have a spot for it in the winter!

Rad.

Midwest Revival & Protection
Premium Detailing Services

Automotive/Truck Detailing


Exterior
- Hand wash & dry
- Bug removal
- Wash and degrease of truck beds
- Tar removal
- Stripping whats left of the wax on the vehicle
- Rail dust removal
- Sap removal
- Road grime removal
- Inner fender grime-removal
- Undercarriage degrease & flush
- Tire degrease and dressing
- Wheel cleaning/polishing & waxing
- Engine degrease (including underside of hood & rad. core support)
- Overs pray removal
- Color sanding (for the deeper scratches that will not buff out)   
- Professional buffing & polishing
- Swirl removal
- Machine glaze (breathable finish)
- Protective wax
- Premium wax
- Pinstripe & decal removal & application
- Exterior window cleaning
- Chrome polishing
- Aluminum cleaning & polishing
- Polish exhaust tail pipe(s) if needed
- Plastic renewal & protection
- Inner fender & rocker panel (body weld) rock-guard undercoating
- Paint chip touch-up (paint will be mixed according to vehicle's paint code)
- Headlight lense restoration & protection
- Tail lamp buffing & polishing
- Any other requested service by customer (within reason)

Interior
- Complete vacuum with high-powered industrial unit
- Debris removal from under & between seats
- Door jamb cleaning and waxing
- Lube door hinges
- Door weather gasket cleaning
- Window gasket cleaning
- Cleaning of ash trays, cup holders, glove box, & center console
- Trunk cleaning, including degrease of trunk mat & extraction of stains if necessary
- Cleaning of air vents, removed and cleaned if necessary
- Cleaning of cracks, panel joints, and any other nook possible
- Cigarette burns repaired in upholstery (if desired by customer)
- O-zone clean air treatment (for vehicles with significantly bad odor)
- Dry-clean headliner, sun visors, & seat belts
- Pre-treat & scrub carpets, floor mats, and seats (if cloth)
- High-pressure steam clean carpets, floor mats, and seats for deep clean & stain removal
- Leather cleaned, treated, and finished with leather protectant on all leather surfaces
- Final disinfecting cleaning & wipe down of all interior panels, dash, steering wheel, etc..
- U.V. protectant applied to interior panels (if desired by customer)
- Windows cleaned with high-ammonia based glass cleaner for streak free windows
- Special cleaning process used for windows layered with smoke film
- Fragrance chips placed in inconspicuous location I.E. under driver's seat (if desired by customer)
- Any other requested service by customer (within reason)

Marine Detailing

Exterior
- Hand wash
- Inboard engine degrease
- Grime removal
- Professional buffing & polishing
- Application of Marine wax (12 month protection)
- Chrome polishing
- Aluminum cleaning & polishing
- Decal & graphic application & removal
- Vinyl top cleaning & conditioning
- Trailer cleaning, degrease, polishing, also available
- Any other requested service by customer (within reason)

Interior
- Cleaning & grime removal on vinyl surfaces
- Scrubbing of deck to remove any dirt or grime
- Vacuuming of carpets
- Pre-treat & scrub carpet
- High-pressure steam clean carpets & any other upholstery
- Gauge & instrument cleaning & U.V. protectant applied to all vulnerable surfaces
- All windows cleaned with high-ammonia based glass cleaner for streak free windows
- All compartments cleaned, disinfected, treated, and aired out
- Any other requested service by customer (within reason)

Professional Recreational Vehicle detailing


A.T.V
- Complete hand wash including mud & grime removal
- Engine degrease
- Air filter & air box checked & cleaned if needed
- Tires cleaned
- Wheels cleaned & polished (if aluminum)
- Plastic scratch removal & restoration
- Seat cover cleaned & treated with vinyl protectant
- Decal & graphic application & removal
- Mirrors, head lamps, & windshield cleaned
- Chrome polishing
- Clean & lube chain & sprockets (if desired by customer on chain-drive units)
- U.V. protectant applied to vulnerable surfaces (if desired by customer)


Snowmobile
- Complete hand wash & removal of any debris caught on machine
- Degrease engine compartment
- Air filter & airbox checked & cleaned if needed
- Rear skid cleaning
- Scratch removal
- Gauges, windshield, head lamp, tail lamp, and mirrors cleaned
- Wax hood
- Plastic scratch removal and restoration (for vintage molded plastic cowls)
- Wax tunnel & running boards (if painted)
- Polish tunnel & running boards (un-painted aluminum)
- Decal & graphic application & removal
- Seat cover cleaned & treated with vinyl protectant
- U.V. protectant applied to vulnerable surfaces (if desired by customer)

Travel trailers & Motor homes
- Complete exterior pressure wash & scrub (including roof)
- Bug removal
- Tar removal
- Road grime removal
- Undercarriage cleaning & degrease
- Roll out awning, clean & remove all grime & air dry
- Clean & dress tires
- Clean & polish wheels
- Clean all rubber gaskets around doors & windows
- All windows cleaned with high-ammonia based glass cleaner for streak free windows
- Interior vacuum
- Pre-treat & scrub carpet stains
- High-pressure steam clean all carpets and upholstery
- Wipe down & disinfect all panels, cabinets, ceiling, bathroom
- Clean all A/C & heat vents
- Flush gray & black water tanks on vehicle (if already empty)


Motorcycles
- Hand wash & dry
- Remove tar & road grime
- Remove bugs
- Clean & dress tires
- Clean & polish wheels
- Degrease engine
- Air filter & air box checked & cleaned if needed
- Color sanding
- Professional buffing & polishing
- Swirl removal
- Polish all chrome
- Clean & polish aluminum
- Protective high gloss wax
- Clean gauges, mirrors, windshield, headlights, tail lamps, & apply U.V. protectant when needed\
- Clean & treat all leather with protectant
- Clean & treat vinyl if required

That's you? What'd'you charge for all that (on the cars)?

It's gonna be me.  Haven't figured out pricing schemes and packages yet.

My old stuff: web.me.com/giant_mtb