The detailing and washing thread

[Moglet]

Very nice job, Mog 👍 How long did you spend on it?

Thanks (and to you too Philly!) I spent around 5 hours on it in total with a friend helping me out.

 

[Slicks]

Looks like a good result for a hand polish. You really must buy a rotary!

I found out there's an Autoglym dealer here in Victoria. Needless to say, I'll have to go see what's there. I could use a few small things but nothing major right now. Mind you, I'll always want a Makita 9227c for home use.

 

[Joey D]

I got wax residue on the plastic of my fenders, any idea how to remove it? I scrubbed it really good with a brush and some water but it didn't come off. If you need to see what I'm talking about I'll snap a picture.

BTW Doesn't laundry detergent take wax off?

 

[Moglet]

Looks like a good result for a hand polish. You really must buy a rotary!

I found out there's an Autoglym dealer here in Victoria. Needless to say, I'll have to go see what's there. I could use a few small things but nothing major right now. Mind you, I'll always want a Makita 9227c for home use.

The Autoglym Bumper Care is recommended 👍 And yeah I really do need a rotary but still can't afford one

I got wax residue on the plastic of my fenders, any idea how to remove it? I scrubbed it really good with a brush and some water but it didn't come off. If you need to see what I'm talking about I'll snap a picture.

BTW Doesn't laundry detergent take wax off?

I remove it using cooking oil, but you can use Peanut Butter rubbed in and wiped off, or a pencil eraser will remove it too.

 

[Joey D]

I remove it using cooking oil, but you can use Peanut Butter rubbed in and wiped off, or a pencil eraser will remove it too.

Thanks Mog, I'll have to give one of those a try.

 

[Joey D]

I just want to say the eraser trick worked like a charm to take the wax off of the plastic panels. Took about 15 minutes to do all of the plastic all around the car. I honestly didn't think it would work.

I went for the erasers over the cooking oil because we use pretty pricey olive oil and I didn't want my mom to kill me for using for something other than food. And the idea of rubbing peanut butter on my car didn't sit to well with me because I cannot stand how that stuff feels let alone smells. Although if the erasers would have failed me I would have just gone and bought some corn oil.

 

[Moglet]

It's good to hear that it worked well Joey, I was just about to do it on mine but the heavens opened and it's raining heavily now. I washed and dried it and just as I had finished applying the tyre dressing it begun, so I've had to stop. I hate this country.

It needs a really good polish to remove some water spots that have stuck onto the paint from last week when it rained non stop and couldn't be washed, and a good layer of wax needs applying too as it's all worn off now. Bah!

 

[Philly]

Surely it can't be that bad... And who says you can't wash the car in the rain? I've washed the GTI in the snow when our driveway was covered with ice before...

The GTI does need to be washed though. It has developed leopard spots from presumably sitting outside in the rain under the trees all weekend while I was gone.

 

[Slicks]

What's your take on sea sponges, Mog?

I talked with a fellow autocrosser on Saturday who stocks some supplies and produces his own polishes and waxes - I'm hopefully going to go see him this week about some sea sponges that apparently work incredibly well.

 

[Moglet]

Surely it can't be that bad... And who says you can't wash the car in the rain? I've washed the GTI in the snow when our driveway was covered with ice before...

I wouldn't want to wash my car in the rain because you'd get water spots everywhere!

What's your take on sea sponges, Mog?

I talked with a fellow autocrosser on Saturday who stocks some supplies and produces his own polishes and waxes - I'm hopefully going to go see him this week about some sea sponges that apparently work incredibly well.

They could be interesting to use! They're certainly less lethal than a traditional sponge since you don't have the flat face to push the grit back into the paint, and as long as you had a seperate rinse and wash bucket I can't see them being a problem, but surely they end up costing more than a decent wash mitt?

 

[homeforsummer]

Fantastic work on the Fiesta Mog, if we lived nearer each other I'd be paying you to do my car!

 

[Philly]

I wouldn't want to wash my car in the rain because you'd get water spots everywhere!

I always pull it into the garage to dry it though.

 

[Joey D]

Has anyone ever used a Mother's Powerball?

Basically you mount it on the end of a drill and go to town on your wheels. Since I got the new rims they are a PITA to clean by had since there are so many spokes. I'd really like to just whip out my drill and use that.

Also I might have asked this once before, if I did I can't seem to find where I did. Do they have a special wheel wax? The lip of my rims is polished and I don't want the salt to own them during the winter.

 

[Moglet]

I always pull it into the garage to dry it though.

My dad's car is in the garage and my bigger garage is up the road 5 mins away so the car would still get wet.

Has anyone ever used a Mother's Powerball?

Basically you mount it on the end of a drill and go to town on your wheels. Since I got the new rims they are a PITA to clean by had since there are so many spokes. I'd really like to just whip out my drill and use that.

Also I might have asked this once before, if I did I can't seem to find where I did. Do they have a special wheel wax? The lip of my rims is polished and I don't want the salt to own them during the winter.

I like the look of that Powerball Joey, wouldn't work on my wheels though.
As for the wheel wax, just look up a Wheel Sealant and you should find loads. You can use a normal wax on wheels if you want though, I've got some Finish Kare 1000P Hi Temp Paste Wax on mine. 👍

 

[Philly]

I might like one of those Powerballs. I hate washing the wheels on the VW and that may speed up the process a bit.

 

[Joey D]

I like the look of that Powerball Joey, wouldn't work on my wheels though.
As for the wheel wax, just look up a Wheel Sealant and you should find loads. You can use a normal wax on wheels if you want though, I've got some Finish Kare 1000P Hi Temp Paste Wax on mine. 👍

Cool thanks for the tips, I'm going on the hunt for wax tomorrow and will probably buy that Powerball.

 

[Slicks]

I've decided against the use of my expensive piece of sea sponge.

It's not soft enough, simply put. It felt okay when I bought it, but when comparing it to a new wash mitt... Well, there is no comparison.
While the surface is very porous, I still don't trust it as it's porosity isn't consistent enough.

So, back to the washmitt I go. I bought two new ones this week, so I can demote my old ones to wheels and the lowest inch of the car.
I also found a local Autoglym dealer. I purchased some Bumper Care, and will probably be back there in the future.

 

[Philly]

How often do you switch to a new wash mitt? That didn't really seem like a thing to have many of on hand. I used my old one (currently for the wheels) until the holes meant I was literally washing by hand. And I'm sure my car didn't enjoy that too much.

 

[Slicks]

It's not really a duration thing for me, but what the mitt feels like. If it's getting pilled, stained, and filled debris that won't wash out - Time for a new one.

Be mindful of what you're dragging over your paint - If you think it'll do damage, don't use it.

My last wash mitt lasted about eight months, but that was only using it for the body and using an older one for the bottom few inches of the car where the most debris accumulates.

 

[rollazn]

I spent 1 and 1/2 hours just washing the car.

Rinse down whole car...
soap front of car
rinse off
soap side of car
rinse off
soap back of car
rinse off
Soap the wheels
rinse off
Re-rinse for drying
then dry with microfiber cloth (half way... then got too hot and skip some parts)


Look decent when i was done... it was shiny for a few days.

 

[breakpoint]

Has anyone ever used a Mother's Powerball?

Basically you mount it on the end of a drill and go to town on your wheels. Since I got the new rims they are a PITA to clean by had since there are so many spokes. I'd really like to just whip out my drill and use that.

Also I might have asked this once before, if I did I can't seem to find where I did. Do they have a special wheel wax? The lip of my rims is polished and I don't want the salt to own them during the winter.

I used one at the ford dealership when i worked there and it saved me allot of time so i got one for my own car and i would recommend it:tup: It works really well if you actually clean your rims and polish them, if your not polishing them then i would say just save your money and get down there and spend 10 more minutes cleaning them. But when it comes to polishing the PB's really shine, you have the nice speed of the drill and its making contact with a good amount of area so it saves your arms polishing and polishing and well you get the picture.

 

[Philly]

I spent 1 and 1/2 hours just washing the car.

Looks good! Between going over every panel twice and those wheels, I usually spend about that long on the GTI. And then waxing takes just as long when it needs it.

I also tried using that Ultimate Compound on my hood. And I realized that a big part of the problem is my lack of patience. I did it in a bunch of sections, so it looks pretty inconsistent. But it looks better than before so I'm not complaining.

 

[Moglet]

You do need to be very patient and very tough with Ultimate Compound if applying it by hand. Apply very little to a particular area and work that area for ages and ages and ages in circular motions with a perfectly clean cloth, and you should see it start to work as it breaks down and becomes 'clear' instead of cloudy.

I received my order of some Dodo Juice Supernatural and a Finger Mitt Applicator today, I'm going to wash the car with Optimum No Rinse in a minute since it doesn't require a full wash, and then a layer of Supernatural is going on. I'll be back with photos!

 

[///M-Spec]

My kids' summer nanny has a nice late model SAAB 9-3. Unfortunately, parking on campus and semi-indifferent surface care had caused it to look in serious need of TLC. Every time I saw it, I winced a little. When I mentioned to her that with her help, we could make it look almost new in under 1 hour, she was totally willing to take up my offer (she's seen how clean I keep my own cars).

With me on the Porter Cable 7424 and her coming behind me doing the microfiber towel work, we managed to make a big difference in about 45 minutes.

I didn't take as good a set of before and after shots as Moglet, sorry.

Before


After


Before


After


Polisher: Porter Cable 7424
Pads: Lake County White Polishing Pad + Green "German" Finishing Pad
Compound: 3M Rubbing Compound
Polish/Sealant: Klasse All-in-One


M

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I was going to say that looks pretty okay, but the after shot is miles ahead.

Doesn't that front tire look a bit low?

 

[///M-Spec]

It probably is She's a bright, lovely and sweet young lady, but keeping up with her car is not high up there in her list of priorities, me thinks.


EDIT: Also, I have to say that there is no doubt in my mind that the Klasse All-in-One is the star of the show here. The stuff is simply AMAZING. It doesn't make the paint the warmest or the deepest, but it takes paint from so-so to OMG in no time at all. It is simply one of the very best overall car care products I've ever used. Can't recommend it enough.


M

 

[Moglet]

That is stunning work M-Spec, and that you did it all in 45 minutes is simply amazing! It looks superb now. 👍

I recently finished my car with Lusso Revitalizing Creme, Dodo Juice Light Fantastic and Dodo Supernatural to finish it off;

I'm loving Supernatural, the smell of beeswax is really nice and the finger applicator works like a dream too. Unfortunately some idiot has since run their fingers down the side of the car covered in something sticky, so that'll have to be removed and will probably remove some of the wax along with it.

 

[TheCracker]

My kids' summer nanny has a nice late model SAAB 9-3.

You have nannies for each season? How very posh.

 

[///M-Spec]

Heh. Only for the summer, while they're on break.

It was cheaper to hire a full time nanny than it is to pay for pre-school or summer camp :/


M

 

[breakpoint]

Heh. Only for the summer, while they're on break.

It was cheaper to hire a full time nanny than it is to pay for pre-school or summer camp :/


M

I feel you on that subject mate, i have 3 kids, 6 yrs 5 yrs and 3yrs. Daycare is super expensive

I recently spent the entire day, yes the entire day cleaning our family van ( 2004 Dodge Caravan) There were enough french fries hidden around it to make a potato farmer jealous I cleaned everything, engine bay, a/c vents...i am talking everything. I even had to remove the rear interior pieces to clean them in the tub because my kids had spilled drinks all in and over them and it was impossible to get down in there to actually clean them out. I luck out on my car ( its my avatar, 86 Caprice) i recently painted it satin black so since its basically a "rat rod" it doesn't take that long to wash because there isn't any polishing required