Welcome to the Official Automotive Detailing Thread
Please use this thread for the following
Anything to do with Car care
Interior/Exterior cleaning, Waxing/Polishing, Wheel cleaning
Window care, Engine detailing , Quest regarding Window tint aswell
If you have any questions feel free to ask away
Please keep the FLAMING crap out.
I will post some helpful tips on how to take care of your ride.
Enjoy and keep your car Krispy Klean !
Interior clean up made simple:
Vacuum the carpets and floor mats thoroughly.
Remove carpet and floor mat stains caused by the soft drinks or coffee
Use either a mild soap solution or a commercial stain remover.
If needed, use a brush to remove the sticky matter that you can't and don't want to identify.
Clean the upholstery the same way you cleaned the carpet.
If using a commercial stain remover, make sure it is appropriate for the upholstery.
Destroying your expensive leather seats by using an overly harsh solvent may cause a lot of damage.
Clean out any dirt from the doorjamb, carefully wiping with a soapy solution and a rag.
For the tighter areas and smaller parts, you may need to use a small brush or a cotton swab.
Clean the interior of the door with a soapy solution and a soft rag.
For those areas encrusted with heavy, slimy, ugly muck, a commercial cleaning fluid may be needed.
Since some door interiors have silly and useless ornaments, cotton swabs or a toothbrush may be needed to finish the cleaning process.
Use a soft cloth to dry the door.
Clean the interior windows with a commercial window cleaning fluid.
Clean the steering wheel column with your soapy solution, cotton swabs, and toothbrush.
Both the steering wheel and the steering column should then be covered with a spray-on surface protectant.
Instead of spraying an interior spray dressing or cleaner directly onto the surface where overspray can be a problem,
instead try this technique.
Take a clean microfiber polishing cloth, foam wax applicator pad, microfiber applicator pad
or even a household terry cloth wash rag and fold it at least 4-ways,
(more if it's really large),
and then dampen one side of it by spraying your choice of dressing or cleaner onto the cloth or applicator pad.
Now take this dampened side of your applicator cloth or pad and use it to wipe down the appropriate surfaces in your car's interior
always matching the correct product to the surface to be treated.
By using this technique you have precise control over product placement and avoid getting overspray onto adjacent surfaces
where you may not want a dressing or a cleaner.
Detailing the Outside:
Wash your car in sections. A typical car can be washed in five sections.
Hand washing is MUCH preferred over an automated car wash.
Use a detergent made specifically for automobiles so you don't damage the finish.
Use a soft, CLEAN wash mitt and a pH balanced car wash such as Mothers or Meguiars, or your preference.
Don't use anything harsh!
Never use dish washing detergent or a wash brush on your car!
The dishwashing detergent damages the finish, stripping it of vital oils causing it to dry out.
The wash brush scratches the paint leaving millions of hairline scratches.
The amount of water used during the process should be generous, when the water becomes moderately dirty,
it should be changed.
Rinse the car after washing. This removes detergent from sitting on the paint and promoting oxidation.
Dry the car thoroughly using the softest towels you can find.
Dry your car after washing with a large 24"x36" waffle weave microfiber towel.
The correct way to dry is to either "blot or pat" the water with the towel and allow it to soak up the water
(you never want to "wipe" with ANY type towel,
as this could cause swirls or micro-marring if anything has been trapped between the towel and surface of the car).
Wax your car using a polish with a high Carnauba content.
Liquid and paste waxes are superior to thinner spray-on waxes.
One application of wax is sufficient.
Excess wax should be removed with a very soft cloth.
Clean the exterior glass using a glass cleaning fluid. Newspaper does a good job of polishing glass.
Wheel Care :
Use the correct wheel cleaner
Clean the wheels and tires separate from the rest of the car.
Wheels and tires can be quite dirty and covered with brake pad dust,
a heavier detergent specifically for wheels and tires may be needed.
There are a number of tire treatment products on the market.
They also require more time, and this breaks up the rhythm of washing,
which could possibly lead to the drying of detergent on the exterior surfaces of the car.
The best and safest way to remove brake dust, dirt, and road grime from wheels
is to match the type of wheel cleaner to the type of wheel you're cleaning.
Using the wrong wheel cleaner can lead to discoloring, dulling, and permanent staining.
When in doubt, contact the wheel manufacture and ask them for their recommendations.
When cleaning neglected or extremely dirty wheels with extra heavy build-up of brake dust and road grime,
instead of relying solely on a chemical cleaner for its cleaning power,
boost the power of your wheel cleaner by using either a soft wheel brush or quality household paint brush.
When it comes to cleaning extremely dirty wheels, many people seek-out an extra strong wheel cleaner to do all of the work,
when all the extra strength they really need can be found in their arms.
Don't make the mistake of trying to take the easy way out by resorting to an extra strength cleaner
that can potentially damage your wheels because it's too strong.
This is a common mistake people make when they rely on cleaners that are too strong,
or use common under the sink multi-purpose cleaners that were never intended for use on their particular wheel surface.
Instead of using a more aggressive and potentially harmful cleaner on your car's wheels,
try cleaning your wheels twice using a soft bristle Deluxe Wheel Brush, or Ultra Soft Wheel Brush.
Even a high quality household paintbrush along with a little extra elbow grease will help you get you wheels clean easily and safely.
Your first wheel cleaning will remove a majority of the built up brake dust and road grime.
This will allow the next application of wheel cleaner to go right to work on the built-up brake dust and road grime
that was underneath the first layer.
By using a high quality wheel brush or a household paintbrush,
you will effectively agitate the built-up brake dust and road grime enabling the wheel cleaning chemicals to penetrate, loosen, and break their
grip on the surface of your wheels.
A second application will only take a few extra minutes and it will do a much better job of safely cleaning your wheels,
versus trying to get the job done quickly with only one application.
Here are some helpful sites that bring us some of the worlds best car care products
Your local car dealers also carry a wide variety of car care products
be sure to check those out aswell
www.meguiars.com
www.armorall.com
www.turtlewax.com
www.eagleone.com
www.simonizusa.com
www.gunk.eu.com
www.rainx.com
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If you have anymore questions about detailing
please feel free to send me a private message or email
there are also a few other members that are very knowledgeable in the detail dept
they will also help out with any questions from members
more tips/info will be updated shortly
*Uncle
Thnx for catching that
