The Detailing Thread

[CaminoRacer]

What's a good way of getting rid of salt?

Lick it

[FoMoJo]

Lick it

Maybe I should get a cow.

[giant_mtb]

Pressure washing seems to do a decent job of it.

Decent, sure, but you're still gonna be left with a film of road gunk (including salt).

[giant_mtb]

What's a good way of getting rid of salt?

Wash your car like a normal person...with a couple of soapy buckets and a brush or wash mitt.  Touchless simply doesn't come close to an actual contact washing. 

You can hop in the shower and rinse off...but are you as clean as you would be if you also used soap and a loofa to scrub yourself?  Of course not. It's the same with your car. 

[FoMoJo]

Wash your car like a normal person...with a couple of soapy buckets and a brush or wash mitt.  Touchless simply doesn't come close to an actual contact washing. 

You can hop in the shower and rinse off...but are you as clean as you would be if you also used soap and a loofa to scrub yourself?  Of course not. It's the same with your car. 

How about car washes with their big rotating brushes, do they do the job or do they miss areas?  I'd be concerned about salt, etc. underneath the vehicle.

[giant_mtb]

How about car washes with their big rotating brushes, do they do the job or do they miss areas?  I'd be concerned about salt, etc. underneath the vehicle.

How about car washes with their big rotating brushes, do they do the job or do they miss areas?  I'd be concerned about salt, etc. underneath the vehicle.

Brush car washes will do a far better job than touchless.  However, some people shy away from them because of the possibility that the brushes are dirty and might scratch the paint.  I would never have gone through a brushed car wash with my A4 and its perfect black paint, but with my Taco that has some swirls and scratches already...no problem.  Once or twice each winter I feel lazy and hit the local brushed car wash...it does a great job, IMO.  better than touchless because it actually removes the road film.

If you want an underbody flush, I'd recommend a DIY car wash and pressure washing it underneath yourself so that you can get all the nooks and crannies better than the robot sprayer will.

[shp4man]

What's a good way of getting rid of salt?

Move to Arizona..

[giant_mtb]

[giant_mtb]

Lots of truth here.  Some people think ceramics are the end-all be-all of coatings, but they simply don't last as long as they're hyped to, especially in harsh environments, such as wintry places where salt/chemicals and sand are a constant for a good chunk of the year.

For instance, I just detailed a truck today for a (great) customer of mine.  Back in the fall, he asked if I'd apply this ceramic coating (HydroSilex) that he'd picked up.  I said absolutely.  4-5 months later, just as with any wax or sealant I've used in my years detailing, the upper portions of the vehicle were still beading water nicely, but the lower portions that are most exposed to road spray are once again bare clear coat (ie, no water beading).  And this guy is very pro-active about keeping his truck clean.

My dad's truck, same thing.  He picked up a bottle of that TopCoat F11 stuff.  Same story.  Deteriorates just like any other coating.

Multiple coats probably help, but that goes for virtually any wax/sealant/coating.  I'm almost hesitant to start offering ceramic coatings because people have these grandiose expectations, and then I'll be the bad guy when I have to show them videos like this when they complain that their coating didn't last long enough.  Or, at the least, I'll have to explain these types of things to them beforehand so that they understand and can decide whether or not the cost of a ceramic is truly worth it to them.

For a second/third vehicle, I'd say they are better than wax as they'll more than likely last longer on a fair-weather vehicle.  For a DD, though, there isn't anything out there that can get through a midwest winter without deteriorating, especially without proper maintenance.  Like frequent and proper washing, with a recharge to boot.  It's not as simple as "well, the coating is on, so I'm good for a straight year."

https://youtu.be/aGXMeY-jsUw

Anyways, ceramic rant over.  Great products, just not always what people think/expect from the marketing.  But the marketing is certainly why they've exploded in popularity over the last ~5 years. 

[giant_mtb]

White paint + Winter = Rail Dust ...those little orange specks and, especially on white vehicles, that orange-y tinge of road film that builds up.

[Soup DeVille]

Lots of truth here.  Some people think ceramics are the end-all be-all of coatings, but they simply don't last as long as they're hyped to, especially in harsh environments, such as wintry places where salt/chemicals and sand are a constant for a good chunk of the year.

For instance, I just detailed a truck today for a (great) customer of mine.  Back in the fall, he asked if I'd apply this ceramic coating (HydroSilex) that he'd picked up.  I said absolutely.  4-5 months later, just as with any wax or sealant I've used in my years detailing, the upper portions of the vehicle were still beading water nicely, but the lower portions that are most exposed to road spray are once again bare clear coat (ie, no water beading).  And this guy is very pro-active about keeping his truck clean.

My dad's truck, same thing.  He picked up a bottle of that TopCoat F11 stuff.  Same story.  Deteriorates just like any other coating.

Multiple coats probably help, but that goes for virtually any wax/sealant/coating.  I'm almost hesitant to start offering ceramic coatings because people have these grandiose expectations, and then I'll be the bad guy when I have to show them videos like this when they complain that their coating didn't last long enough.  Or, at the least, I'll have to explain these types of things to them beforehand so that they understand and can decide whether or not the cost of a ceramic is truly worth it to them.

For a second/third vehicle, I'd say they are better than wax as they'll more than likely last longer on a fair-weather vehicle.  For a DD, though, there isn't anything out there that can get through a midwest winter without deteriorating, especially without proper maintenance.  Like frequent and proper washing, with a recharge to boot.  It's not as simple as "well, the coating is on, so I'm good for a straight year."

https://youtu.be/aGXMeY-jsUw

Anyways, ceramic rant over.  Great products, just not always what people think/expect from the marketing.  But the marketing is certainly why they've exploded in popularity over the last ~5 years. 

Just as business advice, the guys who are honest about the products they sell are the ones that get long term business. The Billy Mays type breathless oversellers get good sales for a time, but repeat business drops off quickly as they squander their trust.

[MrH]

I got ceramic coatings on two cars, and yeah, I agree, it's a lot of hype.

Honestly, I think my BRZ that I detailed and waxed with just conventional products looked way better than anything 6 months after I had professionally done.

[giant_mtb]

Just as business advice, the guys who are honest about the products they sell are the ones that get long term business. The Billy Mays type breathless oversellers get good sales for a time, but repeat business drops off quickly as they squander their trust.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinkin. Accepting the hype and not telling people the brutal truth is a recipe for disaster. 

[giant_mtb]

I got ceramic coatings on two cars, and yeah, I agree, it's a lot of hype.

Honestly, I think my BRZ that I detailed and waxed with just conventional products looked way better than anything 6 months after I had professionally done.

I don't doubt it.  Ceramic isn't really worth it outside of show cars. And even then, a traditional wax is nearly preferable unless you're going strictly for durability.

[giant_mtb]

The best thing for paint maintenance is frequent/proper washing and the occasional coating. Vehicles already have clear coat...a wax or sealant isn't going to somehow be magically better.  A lot of people don't understand that.

[shp4man]

My kids gave me one of those gift packs of car care stuff about 3 years ago. Part of it was a clear synthetic wax, Figured WTF, waxed the Focus with it last summer- a white car- it still beads water and tree sap and crap doesn't stick. I guess it was worth the trouble.

Edit: It's Turtle Wax Ice.

[giant_mtb]

My kids gave me one of those gift packs of car care stuff about 3 years ago. Part of it was a clear synthetic wax, Figured WTF, waxed the Focus with it last summer- a white car- it still beads water and tree sap and crap doesn't stick. I guess it was worth the trouble.

Edit: It's Turtle Wax Ice.

Hell yeah. Must be nice living somewhere where the roads don't eat your wax away in a matter of weeks.

[giant_mtb]

lawl April Foolz!

[CaminoRacer]

Nice

[Soup DeVille]

lawl April Foolz!

Noice.

[giant_mtb]

Thankfully nobody took it seriously (yet).

[giant_mtb]

I don't use the pressure washer all that often, but I broke it out to get the mud off this guy today.

[MrH]

Those wheels are tragic.

[giant_mtb]

Detailed his wife's Tahoe today...same wheels.

[r0tor]

I've been using the Megiuars hybrid ceramic crap on the alfa... Couple sprites after a car wash and it seems to work nicely.

Almost too easy

[Eye of the Tiger]

Detailed his wife's Tahoe today...same wheels.

They must have been on sale

[Eye of the Tiger]

I've been using the Megiuars hybrid ceramic crap on the alfa... Couple sprites after a car wash and it seems to work nicely.

Almost too easy

Why not 7-Up? Are you racist against red spots?

[r0tor]

Damn my sprite spritzes

[giant_mtb]

Here's dat Tahoe with da wheels.  Fit much better on it.

[giant_mtb]

I've been using the Megiuars hybrid ceramic crap on the alfa... Couple sprites after a car wash and it seems to work nicely.

Almost too easy

Yes!  Any spray detailer/wax/whatever does make life easy.  And if you're washing fairly frequently (once or twice a month) and using the stuff every time, it's all the protection you need.