Car Detailing - What products are your go to?

[CyberWasp]

How much easier does it pick up paint defects?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

How much easier does it pick up paint defects?

The way it throws light it would be impossible for defects to hide.

[bangm001]

What was that worth DFB?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by bangm001

What was that worth DFB?

Umm, well, urrrr, a fair bit.

The SunMatch 3 retails for $245 - $249 -

https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...ngrip-lighting
https://www.detailstore.com.au/collections/scangrip

This is another one of those situations where the Australia Tax makes it's mark, the same product sells for $149 in the USA.

Now I understand that is a lot for what looks like a fancy torch, but this thing has that weighty, high quality feel to. I wrote a more detailed review here -
https://www.fordforums.com.au/showpo...postcount=1099

Waxit also sell a line of detailing lights, similar in design to ScanGrip with a more reasonable price points. I notice Sandro from Car Craft uses these also.
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/lighting

[CyberWasp]

Is there another type of device that measures the thickness left in the clear coat?
I would be too scared to place it on my XR6T.

Would a light like yours help you determine if there is anything left to correct?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Is there another type of device that measures the thickness left in the clear coat?
I would be too scared to place it on my XR6T.

Would a light like yours help you determine if there is anything left to correct?

You would need a paint thickness gauge for that sort of thing.

https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...ickness-gauges
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...ss-gloss-gages

[CyberWasp]

They are getting up there in price, the good ones are for the pros, who would get their moneys worth out them I guess.

[Top_Ghia]

I started tidying up my Territory today.
Washed it. Dried it. Decontaminated it with Bowdens Own Three Way cleaner and clay pad. Washed it down and dried it again.
Then I started polishing it. The car is nearly 6 years old and the paint is in reasonable shape for a 6 year old daily driven family car. Some minor scratches and light swirl marks all over. There is quite a lot of stone chips on the bonnet that I’ll touch up after polishing.
I tried out Scholl S20 all in one polish on a medium pad but it just wasn’t getting the scratches out. So I moved up to their S3 cutting compound on a cutting pad and that worked well after a few passes.
I then finished with S30 polish on a soft pad.
The results are pretty good with all the swirl marks gone along with most of the scratches.
So far I’ve done the bonnet and right hand side. It looks good and the paint is so smooth.

Any tips on applying touch up paint on stone chips? I’ve got a lot.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

I started tidying up my Territory today.
Washed it. Dried it. Decontaminated it with Bowdens Own Three Way cleaner and clay pad. Washed it down and dried it again.
Then I started polishing it. The car is nearly 6 years old and the paint is in reasonable shape for a 6 year old daily driven family car. Some minor scratches and light swirl marks all over. There is quite a lot of stone chips on the bonnet that I’ll touch up after polishing.
I tried out Scholl S20 all in one polish on a medium pad but it just wasn’t getting the scratches out. So I moved up to their S3 cutting compound on a cutting pad and that worked well after a few passes.
I then finished with S30 polish on a soft pad.
The results are pretty good with all the swirl marks gone along with most of the scratches.
So far I’ve done the bonnet and right hand side. It looks good and the paint is so smooth.

Any tips on applying touch up paint on stone chips? I’ve got a lot.

Great to hear you are getting some use out of that new polisher. How have you found the learning process?

For stone chips, do your paint correction first then fill the chips. I use a small artists brush and a tooth pick to "fill" the chips. Try not to paint, rather dab or fill the chips with paint.



Have a look at this video, Larry has a great way of explaining what he is doing and why. I like the idea of using a syringe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLJnqiBxKtg

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Great to hear you are getting some use out of that new polisher. How have you found the learning process?

Not too bad. Starting on a brand new Mustang certainly had me paying attention.
The Territory obviously needs a lot more work and I’m learning it really is a lot of work. Some sections needs 2 or 3 goes just with the cutters and then a final polish.
If someone can polish a car for $200 it’s a bargain. It’s a lot of work.

[Top_Ghia]

Before

And after

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

image
Before
image
And after

Nailed it!

[Top_Ghia]

I have a 15mm 5 inch DA polisher and it’s great.
But I feel the need for a smaller polisher to get into the curves and smaller sections.
So my question is, would the 3 inch DA polisher be a good addition? Is it small enough? Or would a rotary with 1, 2 and 3 inch pads be better? Or something else?

Something like: https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...order-may-30th

Or this: https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...order-may-30th

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

I have a 15mm 5 inch DA polisher and it’s great.
But I feel the need for a smaller polisher to get into the curves and smaller sections.
So my question is, would the 3 inch DA polisher be a good addition? Is it small enough? Or would a rotary with 1, 2 and 3 inch pads be better? Or something else?

Something like: https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...order-may-30th

Or this: https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...order-may-30th

Unless you want to chase the really intricate areas, the 3 inch will be a good addition. I used a 6 inch solely for years but added a 3 inch recently and found it to be a great pairing with a larger polisher. In fact, I found myself grabbing the 3 inch more than I thought I would.



I have never used a rotary polisher. Larger rotary machines can be very aggressive and perhaps not ideal for a novice. Smaller rotaries are less aggressive but still require more careful attention.

I bought a Rupes iBrid Nano recently for more intricate areas. These things are magic but are expensive in Australia. To be honest, with a 5 inch and 3 inch machine, you will cover 95 % of your car and be happy. A mini polisher is probably an unnecessary luxury.

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Unless you want to chase the really intricate areas, the 3 inch will be a good addition. I used a 6 inch solely for years but added a 3 inch recently and found it to be a great pairing with a larger polisher. In fact, I found myself grabbing the 3 inch more than I thought I would.



image



I have never used a rotary polisher. Larger rotary machines can be very aggressive and perhaps not ideal for a novice. Smaller rotaries are less aggressive but still require more careful attention.



I bought a Rupes iBrid Nano recently for more intricate areas. These things are magic but are expensive in Australia. To be honest, with a 5 inch and 3 inch machine, you will cover 95 % of your car and be happy. A mini polisher is probably an unnecessary luxury.



image

Exactly what I wanted to hear. Thanks for that. I’ll put a three incher on the list.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

Exactly what I wanted to hear. Thanks for that. I’ll put a three incher on the list.

My pleasure good Sir.

[CyberWasp]

Being a complete newb about polishers.
Is it not possible to take the 5" head off the polisher and place a smaller 3" one on it?

[prydey]

Sorry it interrupt the polisher discussion but what's peoples tricks to cleaning the front door jambs fully? B pillar ones are fine as you can get at it from both sides but the A pillar ones are a bit tricky for my big hands.

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Being a complete newb about polishers.
Is it not possible to take the 5" head off the polisher and place a smaller 3" one on it?

On some polishers it probably is. But on the 5 inch shine mate model I have the shroud around the pad would be too big.
If you could buy and change the shroud then yes I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Sorry it interrupt the polisher discussion but what's peoples tricks to cleaning the front door jambs fully? B pillar ones are fine as you can get at it from both sides but the A pillar ones are a bit tricky for my big hands.

Door jambs are a pain to clean.

For dirty / un-kept door jambs, I use my pressure washer. Now this takes a bit of practice but keep the angle of the wand steep and work quick and you will be fine. I will then follow up with All Purpose Cleaner or ONR (Waterless wash) and a microfibre to remove any remaining grime, drying as I go. A long handled detailing brush is also useful in this step.

Watch this for pressure washer technique from 3.35min -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM5usRQn30M&t=267s

From then on, it's a matter of just drying them with a drying aid after each wash. This process keeps them clean and negates the need to do the above.

Something like this might be good for you also.
https://detailingshed.com.au/collect...en-drying-mitt







Using this would mean not having to fit both a scrunched up towel and hand into the door jamb. These little mitts are like and extension of your hand. I use them for drying but would also be good for cleaning too.

[prydey]

I keep the door jambs clean so no washing required. Always dry in there after every wash. Just hard to reach all the little nooks and crannies on the A pillar. Thanks for the tips.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

I keep the door jambs clean so no washing required. Always dry in there after every wash. Just hard to reach all the little nooks and crannies on the A pillar. Thanks for the tips.

The A pillar is always the hardest, some cars are worse than others too.

If you have a leaf blower or compressed air, driving the water out of those spots makes drying a much easier too. Blast the water downwards towards the sill and then angle the nozzle to drive it away from the car. Then follow up with a towel and drying aid. Those mitts I linked are great for really tight door jambs.

[FTE217]

A blower is great to get in everywhere tight.
Use it religiously.

[CyberWasp]

Also it is very easy to treat those hard to get areas with CarPro HydroLite or equivalent which would improve the effects of drying via a blower.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

Exactly what I wanted to hear. Thanks for that. I’ll put a three incher on the list.

So did you splurge on that 3 inch toy.....oops..... I mean tool?

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

So did you splurge on that 3 inch toy.....oops..... I mean tool?

Not yet. It’ll have to wait a few weeks.
My Karcher wd6 should turn up this week.
Today I gave my SZ II a bit more love. I focused on wheels, tyres, wheel arches and engine bay. Of course I then washed and dried the car and then did windows and quite a bit of the interior.

It’s getting there.

[DFB FGXR6]

I had a pretty grotty Landcruiser to detail today. This was the sort of situation where some chemical assistance was required to remove a build up of gunk on various surfaces.



This was a job for some APC, in this case Koch Chemie GS Green Star.



I'm very impressed at how well this product performed. GS is an alkaline concentrate APC that can be diluted as needed for use on paint, wheels, engine bays, tyres and interiors. Green Star can also be added to the soap in your foam cannon for some extra bite when strip washing.

The grey leather on this car was also needing something more than my usual go to leather product, Bowden's Leather Love.



Koch Chemie PO Pol Star is a dilutable product used for cleaning fabric and leather upholstery. Pol Star foams up when agitated, lifting grime and wiping away cleanly. Once clean, I followed up with some Meguires leather cleaner & conditioner.





Originally only available through the Detail Store or from Koch Chemie direct, Detailing Shed have recently taken on the brand too.

https://detailingshed.com.au/collections/koch-chemie
https://www.detailstore.com.au/colle...-chemie?page=1
https://kochexperts.com/au/shop/

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I had a pretty grotty Landcruiser to detail today. This was the sort of situation where some chemical assistance was required to remove a build up of gunk on various surfaces.

image

This was a job for some APC, in this case Koch Chemie GS Green Star.

image

I'm very impressed at how well this product performed. GS is an alkaline concentrate APC that can be diluted as needed for use on paint, wheels, engine bays, tyres and interiors. Green Star can also be added to the soap in your foam cannon for some extra bite when strip washing.

The grey leather on this car was also needing something more than my usual go to leather product, Bowden's Leather Love.

image

Koch Chemie PO Pol Star is a dilutable product used for cleaning fabric and leather upholstery. Pol Star foams up when agitated, lifting grime and wiping away cleanly. Once clean, I followed up with some Meguires leather cleaner & conditioner.

image

image

Originally only available through the Detail Store or from Koch Chemie direct, Detailing Shed have recently taken on the brand too.

https://detailingshed.com.au/collections/koch-chemie
https://www.detailstore.com.au/colle...-chemie?page=1
https://kochexperts.com/au/shop/

Is that leather really that shiny or does it just look that way in the pic?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by GasoLane

Is that leather really that shiny or does it just look that way in the pic?

Not as shiny in person, although the Megs leather product does impart some gloss, something that I don't really like personally.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Not as shiny in person, although the Megs leather product does impart some gloss, something that I don't really like personally.

Yep agreed, Leather is meant to glow (satin?) not shine

Edit.........more like this?