*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

Thank you. I'm pretty sure TW has a spray wax that is pretty great as well. At this point pretty much all I have to do is maitinence washes and spray wax every week or two? I plan to do a full rotary polish once a year as well.

 

Have you used a rotary before?

 

Yes, I have. I have a friend who details so he was the one who polished my car. He let me do a few panels as well.

 

Be cautious as you can burn paint or leave buffing tails

 

An annual "polishing" with a true rotary machine - no matter what polish and speed you use - is a pretty aggressive process. I have a DeWalt rotary and only pull it out for very special - generally nearly hopeless - correction work. For almost everything else, I use my trusty Flex 3401. Sure, you can turn down the RPMs on a rotary so that the chances of you burning through a paint job are pretty slim, but then there's the weight of the machine. After doing a car (or boat) with my DeWalt, my knuckles are pretty well dragging on the ground.

If you decide to use the rotary, be very, very careful.

 

I'm stupid and I meant to say we used a random orbital not rotary. Sorry, messed up the lingo.

 

Anyone have a suggestion for something I can use to "degrease/de-grime" my vehicles without damaging the paint or plastics on the body? I always hand wash vehicles but am looking for a "pre wash" to help make the job easier. I wouldn't spray it all over the vehicle. Just in areas that get road grime/salt/mud splashed on them constantly. Thank you.

 

Dish soap.

 

Who here has used automotive flat back paint?
Recommendations?

 

You realize that dish soaps will dry out the plastics?

 

I finally used up the last of the Rain Dance Carwash Concentrate Powder from '89. I can get another bottle on eBay, but I'm thinking there may be something new out there - what would you recommend?

 

I'm no expert but I really like Meguiars Gold Class car wash. It foams up nicely and rinses clean.

 

Thanks Bob @tcBob ^^^

 

Hey all... I am going to put a hood decal on this weekend and from what I have read there is a whole lotta about "make sure there are no waxes and coats on the area."
I dont wax my truck, but want to ensure I get a good bond.
I was just gonna was the hood area with Dawn dish soap and wipe clean with ISO alcohol...
Anything else I should consider, or avoid?

 

That should work, usually you water down the alcohol to 30% or so when working over whole panels but for a small spot you should be ok with a higher alcohol content. Just use it sparingly so not to damage the clear coat. Don't rub too much, be gentle with it.

 

https://www.xpel.com/shop/paint-protection-film/ultimate-plus

I am having this put on my truck next week - only the front half, can't afford to do the whole thing - I am hoping it will cut down on the damage to the front end from rocks and road grit. I live in the mountains and my previous daily driver (2015 RAV4) was chewed to bits in no time. The touch up paint I bought just couldn't cut it.

I am wondering what products are good to use on this type of film? Do I need to do something different than usual?

Thanks.

 

Most detailing products are universal and will adhere to all surfaces, feel free to use those. However there are dedicated products specific to PPF such as CarPro Skin: https://www.carpro-us.com/protection/cquartz-skin-ppf-vinyl-nano-coat-50ml/

I noticed Gyeon makes a PPF coating as well that is also 50ml. Not sure why they give you so much since 50ml even with two coats is likely more than an entire vehicles worth. The shelf life once opened is going to be far less than the product will last on the vehicle. Maybe they're giving you enough to do a large van with a vinyl wrap.

 

Did a CarPro cquartZ 3.0 on this bad boy the other day.

 

Hello! I am preparing to wash my truck for the first time but I was wondering. Is it necessary for me to do everything that is recommended at the beginning of this thread? I just need the peace of mind that I can just wash the truck for the first time with only soap and then the next wash I can wax + all the other stuff.

 

Yes you can wash your truck. Just grab a good soap and some good microfiber rags and have at it. I prefer using multiple MF rags instead of two bucket wash technique but that’s just me.