Hey everybody, I'm looking for some advice on some products I'm about to order for a spring detailing since I'm out of school now. Background; I have an Ingot Silver stang that I'm looking to shine up from some local shows and just to feel good about myself, detailing is very relaxing to me. I have quite a few questions so bear with me please. I'll include links to all of the products I mention, if you all would like to see what I'm talking about. Here we go...

1. I'm looking for something that will remove my old wax and sealant I have on right now so I can start fresh with my new set of LSPs. I don't have a polisher so I'd like to avoid anything with abrasives. I've looked into Griot paint prep and CarPro eraser intense oil & polish cleanser. Does any body have any experience with these two products or any other recommendations? I plan to follow these up with Poorboy's white diamond glaze, due to lack of a polisher and the paint only needing the slightest correction to begin with.
http://www.autogeek.net/poorboys-whi...how-glaze.html
http://www.autogeek.net/griots-paint-prep.html
http://www.autogeek.net/carpro-eraser-ipa.html

The other option I am looking at is Dodo Juice lime prime lite as a substitute for both the wax stripper and the glaze. Is this a possible replacement for both or should I stick to a designated product for both?

2. I'm also looking for a good spray wax/sealant I can apply after every washing to keep protection up. I'm interested in Chemical Guys hybrid V7 due to some of the great reviews I've read. Anything wrong with this, or any suggestions?
http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guy...y-sealant.html

3. Thirdly I'm looking for an all purpose cleaner I can use to remove bugs/tar, clean wheels and wheel wells, clean door jams, and clean the engine bay. Detailer's Pro series cleanse-all exterior cleaner, Chemical Guys all clean+ citrus based APC, and blackfire all-in-one all purpose cleaner are my top three right now. Would these products work for what I'm looking for or should I go another route?
http://www.autogeek.net/dp320.html
http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guy...e-cleaner.html
http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-ap...e-cleaner.html

Also, has anybody ever had any experience with this.
http://www.autogeek.net/pinsafscrub.html
It has some great reviews but I'm not sure if I'm believing all the hype, it seems a little too good to be true to me.

4. Lastly, I'm looking for a tire product to add a wet, matte finish to my tires. I absolutely can't stand sling with a silver car, it would ruin all my hard work and be way to easy to notice. I've heard gels are supposed to be better at preventing sling, but I don't have any experience with them. A little help? I'm looking at Auto Finesse satin tire gel and Optimum opti-bond tire gel right now. What do you all think?
http://www.autogeek.net/auto-finesse...-tire-gel.html
http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti...-gel-32oz.html

Anyway, that the end of my badgering questions. Thanks for reading through this rant and any advice you have would be greatly appreciated, you all are the best!

 

Has anyone built a still to make distilled water for washing their car? With the prices of filtration systems, I'm thinking a still will be cheaper and not that much work (I already have an 8 gallon pot and propane burner, and some copper tubing).

I'm thinking about doing the final rinse with this distilled water to avoid water spots, since I have extraordinarily hard water.

 

Hell you might be better off just getting a large liquid tote and collecting rain water. I am tempted to do this myself. Even a 55gal drum tapped into a pressure washer would work.

 

sounds like maybe brew up some shine with the supplies you have?? Do you have a whole house water softener? If not I would invest in one or there are some rental units out there. The rain water is a great idea too. Just use a bucket for a final rinse no pressure needed.

 

The rain here still leaves water spots, and our water is hard enough that the water softener doesn't really help a lot in terms of leaving spots.

While I'd love to do up some booze with it, the ATF already has me "on the list" so to say considering I'm a firearms dealer...they probably wouldn't be too thrilled about me doing up some shine.

I already have 90% of the needed equipment for a still, just need a lid for my pot and some connections to attach the copper cooler.

 

I think we just became best friends hahaha

 

Guns, booze, cigars and explosives...that about sums up my interests.

ETA - I brew my own beer as well. Speaking of which, I should really get a new batch going...

 

I work at a beer distribution place, i can get you into contact with the heads of Andrews distributing and maybe you can make some money off that brew!

 

Eh, I'm good just doing for myself and friends. I already get enough of the ATF through the firearms stuff, I don't need them around even more.

I appreciate the offer, though.

 

Lol well a sample would still be awesome

 

I'll have to get some bottles next time I'm at the brew shop (I usually keg). I used to share with some folks out of state way back when, should probably get back to that.

 

You sound motivated to spend some money LOL.

Here's my couple of suggestions to you.

First off, if you really want to strip your paint for cheap, just use dish soap. A single use isn't going to damage anything, and a small bottle of Dawn will cost you a couple of dollars.

Lime Prime Lite will NOT strip. Lime Prime might because of the slight abrasives, but I wouldn't recommend that when you can strip with a wash rather than an abrasive.

My recommendation for a spray sealant is Dodo Juice Red Mist Tropical. One of the rare solvent based spray sealants on the market. Most are water based, so a solvent based formula gives you a feel and results much more like an actual sealant application. It's what I use on my baby and many of my clients use.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Dodo-Ju...329/500-ml-S2/


Bug/Tar removal: Tarminator. Might be able to find it over the counter and save of shipping even. Remember that anywhere you use a tar/bug remover, it'll also strip that area of wax/sealant so you have to reapply.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Stoner-...P127/14-oz-S1/

If you want an APC, I recommend Optimum Power Clean. It's like P21S Total Auto Wash at a discounted price. (gallon size available)

http://www.detailedimage.com/Optimum...P287/17-oz-S1/


I know nothing about the scrub pad you linked.



Wait wait wait. You want wet looking tires, or matte looking tires? They're two different looks. Shiny versus sheen. I prefer a more subtle silky black look. I use and recommend Optimum Tire Shine (water-based) or the TUF Shine tire kit.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Optimum...P282/17-oz-S1/

http://www.detailedimage.com/TUF-SHI...ance-Kit-P545/

 

Lots of guys have expressed interest, but I haven't heard of anyone actually doing it. Would be a great idea.


Just ordered my stripped Noveske upper and lower for my first build.

 

Hey Marc I was wondering if you know of anything to get rid of taillight scratches? I've got little surface scratches all over mine.

 

Awesome! Thank you so much Marc. Yeah, I am motivated to spend a little money. I just got a refund check from school and was planning to dump it into my baby, but it looks like you saved me quite a bit! As for the Tarminator is it just spray on and wipe off with a microfiber, or should it be rinsed off with a stream of water? Also, could I use the Optimum Power Clean as a substitute if the bugs are fresh to avoid having to reapply wax/sealant? What about the use of the Poorboys glaze? Worth it or should it be avoided? Thanks, a million.

 

Your taillights are made from a pretty soft plastic that can be damaged/swirled over time. Any polish that works well on clear-coat will likely work well on tails as well. As a warning: anyone with the newer black taillights will have to finish with a lighter polish as the dark nature shows for optical distortion in the finish AKA you can see light micro-scratches from medium polish.

Meguiar's 205 will likely work well depending on how bad the scratches are. In some cases, you have to use something more aggressive like Meg's 100 first. If you have black tails or really want absolute gloss, finish 205 up with HD polish, 3M Ultrafine, or another fine grade polish of your choice. It'll take time, but your tails will look better-than-new I guarantee.


Ah, the 'ol burning a hole in your pocket. Spray the tarminator on, allow to dwell for a minute (keep away from molded black plastic/vinyl stripes!), then lightly wipe with a general purpose microfiber if anything.
For smaller specs or in areas close to plastic/vinyl, Spray directly onto a towel, then wipe on to avoid over-spray.

All Purpose Cleaners are generally strong enough to remove wax/sealants as well. Keep in mind that wax/sealants are minor protecting super-thin sacrificial barriers. Sacrificial being key. They're not made to last, but rather to keep your paint cleaner longer, and to make it easier to clean in the next wash. When in doubt, reapply.

Don't know about Poorboy's Glaze. Maybe it's close to Chemical Guys Blacklight which has a strong following. Blacklight reminds me on Danase Wet Glaze: a discontinued product that was awesome and has a strong enthusiast following. They're pre-sealant glazes made to give additional slickness and gloss while potentially masking light imperfections for a short amount of time. Truly optional products, but some folks love them. Some think they're a waste of time and money.

As for me, the only thing going on my car once she's out of storage (and polished), is Dodo Juice Supernatural. I figure 1-2 coats a month should do it

 

Where do you typically shoot? I'm in Brighton, myself...

 

Awesome, thank you again, Marc. You're a a huge help. Supernatural seems great, but it just a little bit out of my price range for a wax right now lol! Thank you for all the advice once again.

 

Been all over. Little bit of indoor, little bit of outdoor. Haven't put many rounds through anything since I got out in '08 (probably less than 1,000 total between 12ga, 9mm, 556, and 762 combined). Target Sports is maybe a mile from my house, but as with many suburban gun shops, pricing and attitudes in the store turn me off. You know any FFL's that don't charge an arm and a leg for xfers / parts? I'd love to buy stuff in my home state, but it's a lose/lose.

Buy in MI: prices are jacked, availability is crap. (Spike's FN barrel for the online price of a Noveske one?)
Buy online: best/better pricing, shipping delays+charges, not supporting the only state I truly love and care about. (was awesome waiting 12 days to get in a friggin ejection port cover...)

 

Sweet! Thanks I have 205 on hand at all times lol. Just wasn't sure I could use it on the tail lights. Thanks for the help!