*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

Yep, keeping it clean will only help when and if you decide to go down the full rabbit hole of detailing.

 

I dived right in.

Just purchased all of this today. Hopefully this is good enough for now.

Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer
Meguiar's Hot Shine High Gloss Tire Coating
Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner Liquid
CAR GUYS Wheel Cleaner

$24 Mothers 07240 Mothers California Gold Clay Bar System for Car Detailing, Kit Includes Detailer, 3 Clay Bars, and Microfiber Towel (07240)

Mothers 07240 California Gold Clay Bar System
Meguiar's 16 Ounce G191016 3-in-1 Wax Kit

 

A few in your list is what I use.

 

X2

 

What’s your favorite in-between details bird shit remedy? Obviously removing it ASAP with water/towel but any spot treatment or anything?

 

My go to is spiked punch by shine supply for this. It’s super easy to use and ceramic safe which is great for vehicles with coatings.

 

I’m also a huge fan of CarPro elixir for a after wash wipe down.

 

Toyomafia It sounds like you prefer using microfiber rags instead of some type of wash mitt? Do you use one side of a rag for a body panel then flip it too the other side for a 2nd panel or just toss it aside and grab a new rag for each panel?

 

I use microfiber when doing a Rinseless wash. I usually fold the towel into a fourth, that way you have 8 sides to work with.

 

I fold it in quarters and flip for each panel. I never allow the same side to hit the truck twice. I also do not use my best tags on wells or trim just painted surfaces. If I drop a rag on the ground it will never be used for the paint again.

 

X2

 

What size microfiber are we using?

 

16” is standard I now only use pmf from griots and rag company both make great products

 

I also have a incredipole which I love for the roof.

 

Taking a look at it since I broke off by microfiber mitt on a pole last time I used it.

I had my truck ceramic coated last spring and I maintained it with the Meguiars ceramic spray wax. It was only a 1 year coating so its pretty much gone now. Living out in the country I have to travel secondary roads for a few miles to get to the main roads and end up getting a lot of sap, tar, and road grime on the bottom half on the sides of the truck. Do you like any products outside of ceramic coatings to help keep that type of stuff from sticking to the paint as much?

 

Man that’s tough. I have coatings on every vehicle I typically use cquartZ uk 2.0 with applications of griots 3-1 or reload as maintenance toppers but to tell ya the truth 3-1 as a stand alone product is great. With all that being said I have not found anything that doesn’t allow road dust or bird droppings to stick I’m just OCD about removal. For bugs I use shine supply bug off nothing else comes close. For bird droppings and frequent wipe downs I use spiked punch from shine supply. It’s damn expensive but works real well. I will say with a good coating/topcoat I find I can pull into a self spray was and just give the truck a spray down with just the water. I do not use their soap or anything else that comes out of those Wands.

 

Why not use their soap? Do you think it's going to strip your coatings or is it just because of water spotting?

 

Even a soap that says it's a "strip wash" isn't going to remove a coating. As for water spots the soap usually helps soften the water. It's the rinse water that would leave spots. Some pay and spray places have a spot free rinse but doubt it's always fresh DI water.

 

I don’t think it will strip a coating but it’s not designed for coatings. The only soap that I use is CarPro reset. Spray wash places do not have top quality in mind. If I drive across the state it’s a great resource to stop and knock the bugs or dirt off until I get home to properly clean the truck.

 

Correct but they do bite into it a bit. It’s gonna take a decon and a polish with a ipa wipe down to get it stripped and prepped for another coating.