*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

Try Meguiar's Hot Shine Foam. The glossy look is not for everyone, but for those that do like it, I've found that this product not only provides that look, but also lasts decently long and doesn't sling either.

 

Ill take a look. I also saw meguiars has some gel stuff called endurance tire gel. Not worried about sling as I got the mud flaps and stock tires so not really going to far

 

I used Meguiar's purple endurance tire gel. I've got some that's 10 years old, still works. It does sling some, extra wet shine. Last several years I've been using up the original "yellow" version of this stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T2FHYRkjr0

The foam application block does a lot to the overall texture and appearance of the Adams. I've been wanting to try P&S Shine All. (Slowly phasing out my Adams stuff.)

https://theragcompany.com/collectio...tection/products/ps-detail-products-shine-all

So many options and products to choose from...

 

I’m sure it’s been asked (and answered) in the 220+ pages here but what is a product I should use to keep the black plastic trim (fenders, rear bumper, piece in front bumper) from fading? Bonus points if I can use it on the headlights and tail lights.

Unfortunately I have to park outside for the foreseeable future.

 

I was recommended cerakote

 

As @ryanvar42 mentioned, Cerakote will do the trick. Solution Finish is a popular alternative as well. On the slightly more expensive side (~$35), other options would be Gtechniq C4 or Gyeon Trim. You'll get different mileage out of different products, but with any of them, cleaning and prepping the surface before application is the most critical part. None of them will be permanent, but they will be a significant improvement over the faded plastic look.

 

I plan to try the Cerakote but reading this post I will research all those you mentioned. Living in a cold weather state, our vehicles take more abuse year round.

 

Hey everyone, so I took my truck out to Zion this past weekend. It was a mixture of heavy rainfall on the way up and snow in Zion. The park website says they plowed and sanded the roads, but there were still some icy conditions but nothing too bad. There was some minor snowfall, and some dirt and I didn’t think too much of it as I drove over it. There seemed to be an layer of dust on the lower half of my truck, and I got home today and I took it to the coin operated car wash and pressure washed it off and just drove off, thinking that whatever dirt/grime would just wash off but it dried up and it looks almost exactly the same as before I washed it. I’m planning on doing a wash and a wax this weekend when I have more time, but is it anything to worry about it if it didn’t come off with a pressure washer? I’m kind of worried about washing it and spreading whatever it is and it scratching the paint, if that makes sense.

 

Post some pics pls

 

It’s dark out but these are from what I took with flash.

 

It looks like those hand prints took a lot of the dust off. Pressure washing sometimes doesn't work, and in your case, it looks like it did nothing. Any ordinary car soap, water, and a microfiber towel will get that stuff off. I would recommend buffing the surface with claybar until it feels smooth, then go ahead and wax it.

 

Alright, thank you! Yeah I figured it would have just washed right off but nothing happened. I’ll go ahead and give it a wash and then clay bar/wax then. Thank you!

 

What’s the consensus on wax vs ceramic coating? I’m looking to detail my car this weekend & was going to do a wash/clay bar. Should I finish with a ceramic coat or a wax? I went a couple pages back on this thread and I saw some recommendations for ceramic coating over wax.

 

No reason to use wax and ceramic together. If you are going to then ceramic needs to adhere to bare paint. Wax would be last. Better off using a ceramic then a ceramic booster.

 

Okay so if I were to want to ceramic coat it, it would have to stripped of any previous wax etc? I want to try waxing or putting a ceramic coat on myself, but I’m not sure which I should get. I read that ceramic coats are preferred towards wax, but all I want to do is preserve the paint and try to keep it looking as good as it could for as long as I can.

 

Maybe I can help. Ceramic Coatings are far more durable than traditional wax. That said, they're also much more expensive, require much more controlled preparation and a lot more experience. Oh, and if you make a mistake, it's a lot harder to go back and fix. If you've never applied one before, I'd stay with something simpler until you gain some experience. But remember, "Wisdom comes from experience. Experience comes from messing up."

One last bit of advice. The ceramic coatings we're talking about are not the ones that come in a spray bottle for ten bucks at Auto Zone. Although these claim to "utilize ceramic technology," they're not even close to the same thing.

 

Okay, thank you for the write up. I get it now & yeah, I’m not really experienced in applying them. I’ll just stick to a wax and test that out and further down the line maybe I’ll look into a shop for ceramic coating. I’ll have to start somewhere right? Or maybe I’ll practice on my older car… & yeah I was looking at ceramic coating from Chemical Guys, but that’s only because I’ve seen people recommend their other products.

 

Another option is a "lite" coating. Various brands have these as a more user friendly but still has great ceramic characteristics and longevity over waxes and sealants. I think they're also easier to apply if you follow his instruction in the video (remove with at least 2 towels). Because you can apply and immediately remove it makes it easier and quicker than a wax or sealant that you have to wait for it to setup, then go back and remove it at the end. This one is Carpro Cquartz Lite, the only negative I can give it is they give you too much, like 6-8 cars worth at one coat. It starts to crystalize after it's first opened in about 8mos to a year so you really want to use it up before then. But if you've got a couple of vehicles to apply to then all the better. You can use it everywhere except the windshield only because the wipers will likely skip and chatter.

 

Optimum Glosscoat is easy to work with. It was the first coating I used. Plenty of videos out there on how to apply. I was super nervous first time but after getting a panel under my belt, I found it easier than wax. Optimum also allows you to apply wax over their coating. Not sure why you would want to.

 

Cool!! I’ll definitely take a look. Thanks for the write up!