Tire Size Calculator
Ok, here it is. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this on here. I'll start by listing basic information. Most of this information I have copied/pasted from my website to this thread. Most of the product recommendations can be purchased from AutoGeek.net. If you place an order for $75 or more, use coupon code AGO to receive free ground shipping. If you should have any questions after reading my material, please feel free to ask.
Please understand that I am a full-time detailer so sometimes I may not be able to respond very quickly. I'll try my best to answer all the questions that get posted though.
Paint Care 101
Step 1: Wash
This is simply one of the most important steps to keeping a vehicle in good condition. However, if not done properly, it can actually cause harm to the paint and other surfaces.
Contrary to many beliefs, dish soap is not safe to use on an automobile. Over time, non-automotive soap will dry out and fade the paint, trim, rubber, and other plastics on the exterior of your vehicle. Dish soap will also remove any existing wax or sealant, leaving the exterior unprotected. High-quality automotive shampoos are formulated with lubricants to help lift away dirt without causing scratches and swirls in the paint. They also contain conditioning oils to maintain or even enhance the shine without removing any wax or sealant that may be present on the paint. Along with quality automotive shampoo, Driven uses filtered soft water to prevent hard water spotting.
Using the wrong type of wash mitt can easily induce more scratches and swirls. Sheepskin or lambswool wash mitts are very soft and will help lift away dirt particles instead of dragging them across the paint. Combined with an automotive shampoo that is rich with lubricants and conditioning oils, a quality wash mitt will ensure a scratch-free wash.
Just like dish soap, bath towels are not suitable for automotive paint. What most people don’t know is that bath towels contain heavy polyester threading that can scratch automotive paint. Pound for pound, polyester thread is stronger than steel. If you care about the appearance of your car, you definitely do not want to be using bath towels on your paint. The best type of drying towel is a Waffle weave microfiber towel. These plush towels are able to absorb large amounts of water while also being soft enough to not scratch or mar the paint during the drying process.
Recommended Traditional Washes
-Over the Counter-
1 - Duragloss 901
2 - Meguiar's Gold Class
3 - Meguiar's NXT
-Boutique-
1 - Optimum Car Wash
2 - Poorboy's Super Slick & Suds
Recommended Rinse-less Washes (no hose required)
-Boutique-
1 - Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine (ONR)
*Demo video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vR8z8boxPXw
Recommended Wash Media
1 - Cotton Chenille mitt
2 - Lambswool mitt
Recommended Microfiber Towels
-Over the Counter-
1 - Vroom brand towels from Target
-Boutique-
1 - Cobra brand towels from AutoGeek.net
Recommended Wheel/Tire Cleaners
-Over the Counter-
1 - Meguiar's All-Wheel Cleaner
-Boutique-
1 - P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner
2 - Optimum Power Clean
Recommended Tire Shine
-Over the Counter-
1 - Meguiar's High Endurance
2 - Stoner's More Shine
-Boutique-
1 - Optimum Tire Shine
2 - DP Tire Gel
Recommended Trim Protectants
-Boutique-
1 - Aerospace 303 Protectant
Recommended Glass Cleaners
-Over the Counter-
1 - Duragloss Rain Repel #751
2 - Stoner's Invisible Glass
3 - Meguiar's NXT
Step 2: Clay
Automotive clay is one of the best tools in the detailing world, yet it is often overlooked. Washing alone cannot remove the contaminants that clay can remove. The purpose of automotive clay is to remove contaminants that have bonded to the paint. Rail dust from shipping trains, fallout from factories, bug splatter, tree sap, brake dust, and paint overspray are all examples of bonded contaminants.
Detailing clay is similar to Silly Putty® and is small enough to knead in the palm of your hand. Once a vehicle is properly washed, a clay lubricant is sprayed onto the surface of the paint.
The clay is then worked back and forth across the area, removing the bonded contaminants. This process is repeated over the entire painted surface of the vehicle. Although it is a tedious process, the paint is left feeling as smooth as glass.
The next time your vehicle is washed, slide your hand over the hood of the car. Those bumps and rough areas you feel are bonded contaminants. These contaminants act like small splinters in the paint. After a clay bar treatment, the paint surface is noticeably smoother. You'll want to run your hand over the paint all the time!
Recommended Clay Bar Kits
1 - Clay Magic
2 - Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit
3 - Mother's Clay Kit
Step 3: Polish
Many people, even product manufacturers, use the term polish and wax interchangeably, which is incorrect. A polish is a product that is used to remove different levels of swirls or scratches in automotive paint. It is also used to restore or enhance the shine of the paint. A true polish offers no protection from the environment. This is where a wax or sealant comes into play, but we’ll discuss both of these products further down the page.
There are a few different types of polishes. Some include mild to moderate abrasives that help to remove varying levels of swirls and scratches in paint. Other polishes contain no abrasives and are solely intended to rejuvenate and restore the shine and brilliance of the paint.
A swirl mark or scratch is basically a sharp valley in the paint's surface. When light shines onto the paint, it refracts off the edges of each valley. An abrasive polish helps to lessen or even eliminate those valleys.
Swirls can be caused by a number of things such as improper washing techniques or automatic car washes. This is why the right washing products and techniques are vital to keeping the paint looking its best.
A lot of people are turned off by the thought of abrasives being used on paint because they think that it will just do more harm than good. In fact, with the right amount of abrasives in a polish and the right tools to apply the polish, those abrasives actually work to eliminate swirls and scratches instead of inducing them. However, if the paint has enough swirls and scratches, multiple polishing steps may be necessary. After proper polishing, the paint should be defect-free (or close to it), and shine better than the day it rolled off the showroom floor.
Another factor to consider regarding swirls is the hardness of the clear coat paint layer. Some vehicles have a very soft clear coat. This means that the surface of the paint will swirl or scratch easily. The upside to soft clear coats is that it typically takes a less abrasive polish and less polishing steps to correct. Other vehicles have a very hard clear coat. This means that the surface of the paint is more resistant to swirls and scratches. However, if the paint does become swirled or scratched, a more abrasive polish must be used and multiple steps of polishing may be necessary. Depending on the severity of the swirls and the hardness of the clear coat paint layer, some swirls may still remain.
If a scratch is deep enough in the paint, it may not be repairable by polishing. The general rule of thumb is that if you run your fingernail over a scratch and it catches on the scratch, polishing cannot fix it. The reason for this is that the scratch is so deep that it has passed through the paint. When this happens, the scratch can only be fixed with touch-up paint or a complete re-painting of the panel.
Another type of paint defect you may have seen is oxidized or faded paint. This can be quite noticeable on dark vehicles such as black or red. If the paint looks chalky or just doesn’t shine, a polish can improve or completely restore the shine that once was by removing the “dead” paint.
Any one of these paint defects will degrade the paints' gloss, depth, and clarity. While these kinds of defects are more noticeable on dark colored vehicles (especially when viewed under full sun), they are common on all vehicles that are not properly cared for.
Recommended Polishes
-Over the Counter-
1 - Meguiar's ColorX
2 - Meguiar's ScratchX
-Boutique Brands-
1 - Menzerna
2 - Optimum
3 - Poorboy's
4 - Meguiar's Mirror Glaze line
.
wow that is a lot of good info
Linear Mode
