Ask a Professional Detailer
#1
Ask a Professional Detailer
Ask a Professional Detailer
I feel our detailing sub-forum is missing this thread. I would be glad to answer any questions regarding detailing as best I can. I get a lot of PMs asking similar questions about detailing and tips and such so I thought I'd put this up to help out the folks here.
This thread will serve as an in-depth collection that new members can read through as well as a spot for those questions when an entire thread is not necessary. I will do my best to answer anyone's questions. I love detailing and if I can help more people out and they can care for their cars better, well that's a win-win. Maybe a mod can make this a Sticky?
With that said, ask away!
***If this is your first visit to this thread, read through the answers before posting. You may find your question already asked.***
Last edited by GoFast908Z; 08-27-2011 at 10:04 PM.
#7
TECH Regular
Trending Topics
#8
#9
#1
There is 2 ways to remove them: Claying them off, which takes a LONG time on a neglected car, or using a chemical to remove them. The chemical option is much more friendly than it used to be. Get some Iron-X and spray it on the car after you're done washing it, while its still wet. It sprays on clear and when it comes in contact with iron deposits, it turns purple as it starts to open up the pores in the clear and break down the iron.
Example pic:
After about 4-5 min of dwell time, you can rinse it off. Note: do not do this in the hot sun! After you've thoroughly rinsed it off, you can clay the car like normal and it takes only minutes to remove the remaining deposits.
#2
The second is to polish the paint. Especially if you used a medium or aggressive grade claybar. Swirls, scratches, and oxidation detract MASSIVELY from the gloss that white is capable of. You can use a rotary or porter cable, and for pads I'd recommend an orange or white Lake Country pad, and your polish of choice (ex: Meguiars 205, Menzerna SIP, Adams SHR, etc...) and that will restore a significant amount of gloss.
You can also do it by hand with Meguiars Scratch-X or Meguiars Ultimate Compound, but the results won't be as good and it will tire you out.
Hope that helps! Any further questions just ask
#10
I've used just about every aluminum polish out there and have found most of them to be pretty good and not significantly better than the other. But somehow I always end up going back to an old favorite, Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish. Its one of the few things I still get over the counter. Mothers does a great job with metal polishes. And a $10 jar of it will last you years.
#11
I would suggest any trim shine product that doesn't contain silicone. Silicone will give a false shine, as its the silicone that does the shine and it doesn't soak in to the plastic, so it goes away fast. It also will dry the plastic out more (though there is debate on that subject).
Black WOW is a good one, and also 303 Aerospace protectant, as they both contain UV blockers which will help the trim look good longer. You can also use Zaino Z16, diluted to a low shine or a full strength. Meguiars Professional Water-Based Dressing works nicely too, but doesn't last quite as long.
I would advise against dressing running boards or rear steps on tailgates as they can be slick and you don't want a family member (especially a child) or friend to slip and fall and hurt themselves.
#13
Vinyl can be a touchy thing.... you will have to polish it, but you never want to get aggressive with vinyl. I'd suggest a light polishing product applied by machine (a porter cable, no rotary) on a pad with little to no cut like Lake Country white or black and work it in on a slow speed like 3-4. Zaino All-In-One or Klasse All-in-one would be good to try here. You might be able to get away with Meguiars 205. If none of these are working, you may want to get a new piece of vinyl as it may be too sun damaged.
#14
Hmmm, can you get a picture of the streak marks? The only time i've seen any marks left behind from using those two would be if you've worked it for too long and were basically dry buffing. If thats the case, you need to go back over it with the 105 to remove it and the 205 to finish it back down. Unless the marks are from something else? A picture would help a lot here.
#19
Try washing in the morning or evening when there is less heat too. And ditch the chamios for some quality microfiber drying towels.
#20
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (20)
What a great thread hopefully other pro detailers will help out with the questions +1 on sticky.
Maybe you could make a video of how to properly polish and wax a car for the people new to detailing.
I have a question too. When using touch up paint, usually too much is applied to a spot. Can you wet-sand it with a fine grit to blend it better?
Maybe you could make a video of how to properly polish and wax a car for the people new to detailing.
I have a question too. When using touch up paint, usually too much is applied to a spot. Can you wet-sand it with a fine grit to blend it better?