*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

hey, my dad noticed a hazy spot on the door panel of my truck and said it looks like bug and tar remover might have been accidently used on the panel and fogged up the paint, it's only noticable in sunlight and i've tried all i can to buff it out. Any advice on how to get it out or even if it can come out?

 

Could you get a pic? What have you tried to buff it out with?

 

it's hard enough to see in person, i dont think ill be able to get a good shot of it. But it basically looks like there's a faint cloud under the paint. And i've only tried to buff it out with wax..

 

Get some ScratchX2.0 by Meguiar's. And give that a whirl some some good elbow grease. Black is a brutal color. Stunning when done, but a daily chore to keep clean IMO. I had a 97 black Taco that was a bear to keep looking nice. If you have not done so, a good clay bar sessionon the truck willdo wonders. Try this: put your hand in a sandwich baggie, and feel the paint in different parts of the truck. Espeically on that spot. If it feels gritty, you need a clay bar. Get the Meguiar's Smooth Surface kit at WalMart. Cheapest around. Clay it, go over with some ScratchX 2.0 (make sure it is 2.0 as some 1.0 is still floating around). Wax doesn't really remove anything. Wax is just protection. All the work is done in the prep work. You will need a polish that has sort of abrasiveness to it. Think sanding wood. You need to 'sand' the clear coat to remove any defects. The worse the defects the higher you need to strart on the aggressivness scale. However, always try the least agressive product you own first.

 

A while back some milk spilled on my cloth seats. What should i use to get the milk out of the seats?

 

What's the best way to get A LOT of bugs off and keep them off (or at least be able to wash them off with relative ease)? Thanks...

 

You have two issues. One is the stain. Which Woollite OxyClean will take out. However, milk can leave some nasty orders after. If it was just a little bit you should be all right by use the Woolite will take out. If it was alot, you will need some sort ot order killer. Nature's Miracle works pretty good. Just test for stains in a spot under the seat or something.

 

OK. Keep the front of your truck waxed. Once a week or so. In between, use a good detail spray (Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer or similiar) to remove. The only way to keep them off is to not drive heh heh. But keep the surface as slick as you can w/ waxes and QD's. If you are covered, use a degreaser mixed like 8:1 (Super Clean is nice OTC stuff) to remove. Then wax after as the degreaser will remove the wax. Bugs suck. But if you keep your surface slikly smooth, they will come pretty easy.

 

Hey, i just bought the Meguiar's Smooth Surface Kit and i used it on a spot on my hood that had dried tree sap. It seemed to work just a little bit but there is still a large amount of the spot on there. Any tips on how to remove tree sap that has been there for a couple weeks?

 

Goo Gone, 3m adhesive remover first. Then a good polish. ScratchX 2.0 or Ultimate Compound. Then some wax.

 

alright thanks bro, ill give those a whirl

 

goo gone didnt work. didnt remove anything.

 

Ok, I have kind of skimmed through this thread and there is valuable info here kudos to the detailer great job! I still have some issues with the mesh fabric staining on my 05 TRD. Some times water has even left stains that will not come out, also have a few soda stains..(kids)


Any suggestions on cleaning it all up ? they look like hell, I may just invest in some seat covers.

 

Woolite OxyClean is the best OTC to get out those stains. If you are looking to buy online, http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-35-adams-carpet-upholstery-cleaner.aspx
is the best one I have ever used. Better than the Woolite. But the Woolite holds it on. Spray it on, let it sit for a few and then blot the stain. Should come right out. After you get them clean. Get some 3M ScotchGaurd for Auto's. Walmart has it the cheapest. Give the interior 2-3 coats, allowing drying time between coats. Be careful, you will get high as a mofo if you don't have proper ventilation.

Once you have applied the 3M, the water marks will show up a lot less and you can get those that do leave a mark out by just rubbing it with a MF towel. Great stuff that 3M. I did mine about 9 months ago. Still works great. I plantp reapply at the 1 year mark.

 

hi , i thought id ask and if there is an answer already in here i apologize.
anyhow i had got a little oil like product in my interior, back door inside lower panel. 3 specs. i guess it dried and and hard on there so i tried to scrub it off. it didnt work too well but now there are like a few shadows of the stain and i think i may have even taken off some of the grey off the side. looks better then before but still some scratching/ scrubbing marks. and even fading . I used a slightly abrasive pad and furious rubbing . iknow im an idiot.

if it is wet it loooks ok but when dry it is fairly visible. not sure that makes sence.


thank god it was low and not too visible, i still see it and it kills me.

is there anything i can do about this, to restore color and hide scrubbing marks.

also how often should you polish / seal your car?

 

After I'm done wheelin I just hose the interior out at the car wash and let the mud fall off in the rain.

 

also to detailers wat do you think of this?

http://www.diamondkote.com/dkgold_paintpro.htm


sham?

 

You can try a degreaser diluted 3:1. I would try a clean toothbrush for spot cleaner and brush briskly, not furiously. Might work, might not. As for the polishing I would say on the good side twice a year (spring, fall). Unless your in a garage, polishing in the heat is never a good idea. Products dry faster and become harder to remove and plus you sweat your ass off. That is for a full polish nose to tail. You shoud spot polish all the time for any marks you pick up.
As for the sealant, depends on how long the product will stay on the paint. Heat, humidty, sun exposure, elements etc etc all take thier toll. I would say when you don't see that nice beading effect anymore, time to strip whatever is left and do over. Personally, I like to seal then wax every 2-3 weeks. The important thing is too have a clean finish when you start. Use a product designed to strip wax (car soap that is). If you don't have a car soap that is capable of doing that (some will tell you .5 ounce for normal wash, 1.5oz for stripping etc) you can use some Dawn. Only use the dawn when stripping the old wax.
The reason for the clean finish is that some products don't like to go over other products.

Hope that helps out a bit.

 

hi, how is this autoglym stuff?

anyone hear about it?
what should i watch out for?

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/default.asp

 

thank you very much . very appreciated.