*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

Ok guys, got a new taco and the plan is to keep this one awhile. I normally just wash and apply a coat of wax and call it a day. After reading a number of threads, looks like I need to step up my game. So, what are the steps I need to do to get a good shiny, protective finish on my truck?

I've looked at a few YT videos, any recommendations? Chef guys, Ammonyc, there's allot of them to choose from

 

you need to strip whatever products are on the Truck then clay bar the surface then lay down a good 2 coats of paint sealant then a good 2 coats of wax....

Jet Seal and White wax are my go to products..

 

You can do ceramic coating, should last for a while. Also collonite 845 or 915 are good for durability. I think harbor freight has those

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KGC9F3E

I washed my truck with Ajax orange dish soap then dried it off and applied a coat of Trinova paint sealant on it for the winter. Been tempted to put a coat of Meguiars Liquid Wax over it but I'm wanting to see how the coat of sealant I put on it holds up through the winter months.

 

If going to keep a while. Go with ceramic coating far superior to a sealant or wax. Optimum Glosscoat or Cquartz are both easy to work with. Coating will release dirt/grime/bugs easier than a sealant. I don't have a vehicle now that is not coated.

 

+1 on cquartz, specialy uk version, can be applied in lower temps and easier, just finished coating my friends brz with it

 

Helpful

 

Time to start from "scratch"
I learned this detailing is a trial and error thing.
First new vehicle, 2016 tacoma, purchased last october so i bought a pinnacle wax kit and klasse sealant. i enjoy detailing it. so yesterday i did a pre winter detail consisting of wash, clay, pinnacle body works to get back to bare paint then klasse high gloss sealant. now i dont know if its because of the klasse realy bringing them out but i woke up today and noticed some pretty good swirl/scratches going in circles and straight back and forth lines, never noticed them before. never used a random orbital, all by hand.
I thought i was doing a good job keeping all cloths and wash mitts clean but im definitely doing something wrong. good thing its correctable. i dont want to pay a detailer $400 Cad. so i think its time to invest in a portal cable and try again.
Theres a chemicalguys warehouse near me so i think ill try something new combined with new techniques. a frustrating sight to wake up to but im determined to fix it and learn more.

 

Describe in detail your washing process. Also, what wash media/ mitt along with soap are you using? Did you use a 2 bucket wash? What did you use to apply and remove Klasse?

 

I dont scrub hard, I use 1 bucket with a grit thing at the bottom, pinnacle body wash. 2 green simonize microfiber mitts 1 for lower parts of the truck and wheels at the end, oh 1 thing i did was clay each pannel while in washing process, before rinse maybe i wont do that ever again. I dry lightly, back and forth motion, not hard circular motion. Oh I did use a big 10" crappy simonize rotary polisher thing to apply the pinnacle paint works befor buffing off..For klasse i just used the rectangular microfiber applicator it came with, straight lines real thin amount. buffed with clean dry microfiber after each pannel.

How to remove all these marks now, i only see them in certain light on certain angles but their everywhere. and hopefully i change something up to keep these from happening again.
Thanks

 

Ditch the 10 inch buffer for sure. I would probably consider different wash mitts as well depending on if your current mitts will release debris or not.

 

Did you use lubricant when claying or just use the water from washing?

 

I hear and see this all the time. Try a 2 bucket system with a black car and see if you get scratches or not. I've tried 2 buckets and the only process I see that don't scratch paint is single pass wipes with spray lubricants or if you want to wash...soak soapy MF towels and they do single pass. Then spray lube to dry with MF towel again single pass. Far as buffing... if your pad is dry or it picked up something...or if you wash mitts are not new... trapped dirt will stay and then you start to scratch. So what good is 2 buckets....one bucket is soapy water. Other bucket is to rinse. Even with grit guard.... so when you put the wash mitt or sponge into the rinse bucket...do you do it slow enough so the water doesn't agitate the dirt to move around and then get back onto the mitt/sponge/cloth?

All the white/silver car/truck owners won't see, but they have scratches...unless the vehicle came with extra hard paint. Another point is when you clay...is it old clay...did you turn over enough so the dirt picked up doesn't come back and scratch as you try to clay? You will eventually put small scratches when claying the vehicle...the point to clay is to remove contaminants and then do a color correction with a DA polisher. Don't want to spend $400 CAD... spend $50 US for harbor freight dual action polisher and get new pads and polishes and go to town. Good luck.

I went from 1 bucket with grit guard... 2 buckets with grit guard. Foam lance... to now...waterless wash with single pass wipes. Make a towel into 8 sections and start doing single pass wipes with lubricant/wax sprayed down first to lift dirt and then wipe and then fold towel to next clean area. When I'm lazy or having washed the truck in a long time...I go to the coin place and spray down without touching the paint with any towels. Go home and then spray down lube and use one pass towel to dry. If washed weekly or every 2 weeks...just complete waterless wash will work well with no scratches.

 

Has anyone here heard of a good product to protect the headlights from glazing? I read online a lot of people out a clear sealant over them. I had brand new lights installed and at $250 a pop I'd like to keep them new looking for as long as possible.

 

Here is what I use and it has seemed to work well...

$19.99

 

Keep them clean and waxed/sealed. no one product is going to last very long on them. Thankfully mine look brand new still after 5 years.

 

Optimum makes a headlight coating that will last longer than a sealant.

 

Precut paint protection film and then a coat of sealant to block UV and more resistant to dirt and water spots sticking. Spend all that time putting on a sealant from glazing, but what about the pebbles and debris that hits the headlights. PPF does great for that. Precut will run probably $50 or less for the pair and install it yourself. This is the best way from glazing and chips. Otherwise the debris and rocks will just hit it and remove the sealant and headlight material away.

I wasn't too impressed with the windshield and glass product... I think they applied it to my BRZ headlights as well and didn't last long...maybe this is a new product. I save the money from Optimum and get PPF and a good sealant online...even if not "PRO" product like Optimum.

 

I usualy use optimum ONR mixed with water or ur car soap mixed with water works too

 

Hello everyone, last night I went out to my truck and found someone had poured paint all over my hood and windshield. Fortunately it was still wet so I was able to get most of it off. I do still have some that has dried on the black area around my wipers and the windshield. Does anyone have advice for removing the paint without fading the plastic or ruining the windshield?

For the record this was a random act of vandalism.. probably a political maniac.