If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Tips, tricks, and recommendations for keeping your vehicle looking new
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blackphoenix
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If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by blackphoenix »

Hey everyone,I work as an auto detailer, and I also do some detail work on the side. I've been pretty much working on cars since I was 15 when I learned how to change the oil. So, I thought I would offer to help anyone who has detailing questions. I have professional and personal expertise to share with anyone who needs it. If I can't help you, I have a variety of resources to give you the answers you need. So don't hesitate to ask!Cheers
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jetmech727
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (blackphoenix)

Post by jetmech727 »

I've a question regarding upholstry. My front seats are pretty dirty and I can't seem to get them clean. Mostly grime from work and stupid me spilled coffee on it once, and now theres spots I can't get out. I've tried Turtle wax upholstry cleaner but It does nothing. It's the can with the brush on it. Usless. I was going to mix up some Tide and Oxy clean and go nuts with a brush. Looking forward to some ideas.Thanks
09vGT
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (blackphoenix)

Post by 09vGT »

Is there ANY way to remove carwash wax from the windows. I've tried about everything, even fingernail polish remover. Also, talking of cleaning the windows, is there a way to remove hard water stains from the windows. Mine are covered in them. Simple window cleaners will not work.
djkeev
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (blackphoenix)

Post by djkeev »

I painted a car and sanded out a few spots of overspray as well as a few sags. I used 1000 grit paper. The paint is a single stage paint. How can I get the original pre-sanding shine back?I've polished it with various grits of polish but I'm removing paint with adequate shine but nothing to match the original after spraying shine that I had. Any secrets??Dave
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jetmech727
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (09vGT)

Post by jetmech727 »

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »Is there ANY way to remove carwash wax from the windows. I've tried about everything, even fingernail polish remover. Also, talking of cleaning the windows, is there a way to remove hard water stains from the windows. Mine are covered in them. Simple window cleaners will not work. Have you tried Clay Bar? I don't see why that wouldn't work on glass
09vGT
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (jetmech727)

Post by 09vGT »

Quote, originally posted by jetmech727 »Have you tried Clay Bar? I don't see why that wouldn't work on glassI have, but my stupid self put it on with some type of detailer that came with the kit. Of course it had a waxy residue. Do I use water with it or what?
jetmech727
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (09vGT)

Post by jetmech727 »

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »I have, but my stupid self put it on with some type of detailer that came with the kit. Of course it had a waxy residue. Do I use water with it or what? As far as I know, you use the spray that comes with the bar. For hardwater I imagine CLR would take care of that. WOndering if one of those pre wax cleaners would work as well? They do a fine job on the cars body. There's always Methyl Ethyl Keytone or MEK. That will remove any residue without a doubt. Don't dare get it on your skin and don't let it touch anything other than glass if you go that route.
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (jetmech727)

Post by 09vGT »

Quote, originally posted by jetmech727 »As far as I know, you use the spray that comes with the bar. For hardwater I imagine CLR would take care of that. WOndering if one of those pre wax cleaners would work as well? They do a fine job on the cars body. There's always Methyl Ethyl Keytone or MEK. That will remove any residue without a doubt. Don't dare get it on your skin and don't let it touch anything other than glass if you go that route.The spray that it comes with leaves a waxy residue. I can't get it off even when I clean it with window cleaner.
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vibenvy
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (09vGT)

Post by vibenvy »

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »The spray that it comes with leaves a waxy residue. I can't get it off even when I clean it with window cleaner.Which clay bar system did you use Ethan? I personally use the Mother's one and I have never had a problem with the spray. Although I go over the entire vehicle with the spray and the clay bar, then I re-wash the car. It takes longer and many people will say it's not necessary, but I feel it's actually easier than wiping the spray off with a towel as you go and I feel like it's better for getting all the crap off the paint. Just my $.02 though.
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09vGT
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (J_TO_ENVY)

Post by 09vGT »

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »Which clay bar system did you use Ethan? I personally use the Mother's one and I have never had a problem with the spray. Although I go over the entire vehicle with the spray and the clay bar, then I re-wash the car. It takes longer and many people will say it's not necessary, but I feel it's actually easier than wiping the spray off with a towel as you go and I feel like it's better for getting all the crap off the paint. Just my $.02 though.Since its been cold and raining at least once a week I don't wash in detail. When spring comes around I will. I will not go through a auto car wash again. My rear glass has so much wax residue on it the wiper is useless. Here's the one I have Carrie! http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/...G1016 Anything else I can use with the clay? I'm concerned with the glass only at the moment.
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vibenvy
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (09vGT)

Post by vibenvy »

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »Also, talking of cleaning the windows, is there a way to remove hard water stains from the windows. Mine are covered in them. Simple window cleaners will not work.I happened to see a post from Mother's on Facebook about a new product they are coming out with in 2012...California Gold Water Spot Remover for Glass. May be worth looking into when it comes out after the first of the year .
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djkeev
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (blackphoenix)

Post by djkeev »

So what's become of Blackphoenix?? He made this big offer to share his expertise and DISAPPEARED!!Dave
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09vGT
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (J_TO_ENVY)

Post by 09vGT »

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »I happened to see a post from Mother's on Facebook about a new product they are coming out with in 2012...California Gold Water Spot Remover for Glass. May be worth looking into when it comes out after the first of the year .Thanks Carrie, I will definitely give this a try!Quote, originally posted by djkeev »So what's become of Blackphoenix?? He made this big offer to share his expertise and DISAPPEARED!!DaveI was wondering the same.
danimal86
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (J_TO_ENVY)

Post by danimal86 »

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »I happened to see a post from Mother's on Facebook about a new product they are coming out with in 2012...California Gold Water Spot Remover for Glass. May be worth looking into when it comes out after the first of the year .If you're looking to get rid of water spots on the windows, use chrome polish! I had tons of water spots on my side mirrors and after using it, it looks brand new. It takes a lot of elbow grease, but the outcome is great. I've been using this line of products for the last 6mo and very happyhttp://www.surfcitygarage.com/...id=32
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vibenvy
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (danimal86)

Post by vibenvy »

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »Thanks Carrie, I will definitely give this a try!You're very welcome !
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Whelan
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (b

Post by Whelan »

Not sure what happened to blackphoenix but I can take a stab at some of these:
jetmech727 wrote:I've a question regarding upholstry. My front seats are pretty dirty and I can't seem to get them clean. Mostly grime from work and stupid me spilled coffee on it once, and now theres spots I can't get out. I've tried Turtle wax upholstry cleaner but It does nothing. It's the can with the brush on it. Usless. I was going to mix up some Tide and Oxy clean and go nuts with a brush. Looking forward to some ideas.Thanks
Try Woolite in small doses. It can do wonders on interior upholstery. Also look into steam cleaning, you can rent those from most places. But definitely try the Woolite with a damp rag and a bucket of water first.
09vGT wrote:Is there ANY way to remove carwash wax from the windows. I've tried about everything, even fingernail polish remover. Also, talking of cleaning the windows, is there a way to remove hard water stains from the windows. Mine are covered in them. Simple window cleaners will not work.
One of the best ways to clean glass is to use newspaper, a foaming cleaner, and triple 0 (thats 000) steel wool. It sounds ridiculous I know but it works wonders on hard water stains, wax, and any other buildup of grime or streaks on the glass. Spray the cleaner, use the steel wool as you would a paper towel and dry with newspaper. Be sure to dust/water down the car afterwards cause pieces of the steel wool can shed.
djkeev wrote:I painted a car and sanded out a few spots of overspray as well as a few sags. I used 1000 grit paper. The paint is a single stage paint. How can I get the original pre-sanding shine back?I've polished it with various grits of polish but I'm removing paint with adequate shine but nothing to match the original after spraying shine that I had. Any secrets??Dave
Paint can be tricky. Once you have completed the painting I would wet sand gently working from a harsher to a softer grit (up to 2000 or higher if available). It is crucial to keep the sandpaper wet and a clean wet rag to continuously wipe it down. Your never going to get shine from sanding because at some point you will need to use a compound or deep polish like a Meguiar's #83 or higher to start getting the paint back. Then step up to a #80 and finally some wax. I use the number system for Meguiar's because their professional line of products are not available at most stores and Meg's identifies their products by #.



Anything else? I can pop in here and keep tabs. :)
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09vGT
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by 09vGT »

1). Whats the best way to remove stain from the headliner? It looks like soda, no idea how it got up there. Other things could be bugs guts too. :shock:

2). What can I put on the black part of my exterior mirror and black plastic part under the windshield around the wiper area? Its starting to fade and turn whitish in color.

3). The insides of my wheels are black. I assume its just brake dust as I never clean inside. Looks like tar to. Any product that'll clean it up easy?
Whelan
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by Whelan »

09vGT wrote:1). Whats the best way to remove stain from the headliner? It looks like soda, no idea how it got up there. Other things could be bugs guts too. :shock:

2). What can I put on the black part of my exterior mirror and black plastic part under the windshield around the wiper area? Its starting to fade and turn whitish in color.

3). The insides of my wheels are black. I assume its just brake dust as I never clean inside. Looks like tar to. Any product that'll clean it up easy?
1). I would try the Woolite first. Just a little bit with water can do a lot. You can also try straight Dawn dish detergent. Rub it on gently with your finger and wipe with the proper rag. A regular wet wash rag should work, just be cautious cause headliners are easily pilled and disfigured because the material is so thin. Also you could give a steamer a shot.

2). Peanut Butter. Dead serious, but if it is that bad the natural oils in the PB will absorb into the black and bring it back. I also use Meguiar's #41 Vinyl and Plastic Cleaner.

3). I've dealt with the insides of wheels before. Unless you want to spend LOADS of time getting between the spokes and into the wheel with a brush then don't worry about it. You could spray a simple wheel cleaner in there and let it set then scrub it best you can. Or you can go (removed) like I've done in the past and remove the wheel entirely, set it in the grass and go to town with the hose and scrub. The inside is usually unfinished like the outside and is just coated in a clear coat or anti-rust treatment. So don't worry about harming it.

For a quick clean I would advise getting a good wheel cleaner or even some Simple Green. Wet the inside, spray liberally and scrub as best you can with a bristle brush or scotch pad and then spray down. Let the wheel cleaner sit for a bit though so it does it's job.
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crazytrain
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by crazytrain »

Simple Green - I like that stuff. Most often I don't have the time to wash the car myself, so I'll go through an automatic car wash. I haven't found one that gets the wheels completely clean (can't get inside the grooves). So, before I drive through I'll spray the wheels with some simple green as I'm getting gas. Gives it time to set a bit and by the time I enter the car wash the dirt loosens up. The water from the car wash will rinse it away and most of the dirt is gone.
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crazytrain
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by crazytrain »

Whelan - what do you think about using vinegar to get out hard water stains on windows? I've been using it for years and it works great by me. I'm very careful not to get any on the paint and work it in with newspaper. Then I use plain water afterwards, also with newspaper. Windows come out shining. My father taught me that many moons ago.
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Whelan
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by Whelan »

crazytrain wrote:Simple Green - I like that stuff. Most often I don't have the time to wash the car myself, so I'll go through an automatic car wash. I haven't found one that gets the wheels completely clean (can't get inside the grooves). So, before I drive through I'll spray the wheels with some simple green as I'm getting gas. Gives it time to set a bit and by the time I enter the car wash the dirt loosens up. The water from the car wash will rinse it away and most of the dirt is gone.
Ahhh! Automatic car washes, NOOOOO. LOL, I understand the logic, and if I had to use one it would be the touchless ones that just spray your car, no brushes. The wash I use down the street on occasion now and in the winter does a hand wash, rinse, hand dry, vacuum, windows, wheels and tires for $17 and your 10th wash is free. Can't beat it.

But good idea on the Simple Green on the wheels. I may just start using that instead of wheel cleaner, just be sure that if you have painted wheels (like mine had a black painted insert), then adding some wax would be necessary to help keep them clean. Wheel cleaners are designed to not strip away any wax coating while SG is a degreaser and will remove anything you put on to protect.

crazytrain wrote:Whelan - what do you think about using vinegar to get out hard water stains on windows? I've been using it for years and it works great by me. I'm very careful not to get any on the paint and work it in with newspaper. Then I use plain water afterwards, also with newspaper. Windows come out shining. My father taught me that many moons ago.
I'm a proponent of Vinegar mixed with water in a spray bottle and newspaper. Works well in most cases, but I could not get over the smell afterwards, especially inside the car on a hot day.
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by crazytrain »

I only use the vinegar mixture on the outside. And, the car wash I go to is touchless. Soaks the car twice with foam detergent and uses high pressure water spray to clean it. Actually does a good job. I never liked the type that beat the car into submission. Always felt it could do more harm than good.
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Whelan
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by Whelan »

Gave the car a nice bath this weekend actually. Unfortunately it's pollen season so you cannot get past the light yellow dusting your car gets each day. Luckily I garage it each night so it's not so bad.
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crazytrain
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by crazytrain »

So, what can I do about all the chipped paint on the hood?

The economy must be getting better and more construction happening in my area as it happened again today - I'm driving on the highway and started to get pelted by sand and small rocks. A mile ahead I come upon two dump trucks hauling dirt and it was like a dust cloud coming off the top. The dust covers on the trucks weren't working too well.

I have so many little areas on the hood where paint has chipped off. What do I do?
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by star_deceiver »

crazytrain wrote:So, what can I do about all the chipped paint on the hood?
I could show you a close up of my hood... You have nothing in the way of paint chips that will compare to what 3 winters of sand/rock pelting have done to my car...
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crazytrain
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by crazytrain »

star_deceiver wrote:
crazytrain wrote:So, what can I do about all the chipped paint on the hood?
I could show you a close up of my hood... You have nothing in the way of paint chips that will compare to what 3 winters of sand/rock pelting have done to my car...
Ahhh, man - sorry to hear that.
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by lannvouivre »

How do you get bits of dead grass out of the carpet? It seems that all the vacuuming I've done so far has been futile, even when I use a cyclone vacuum.
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Whelan
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me!

Post by Whelan »

crazytrain wrote:So, what can I do about all the chipped paint on the hood?

The economy must be getting better and more construction happening in my area as it happened again today - I'm driving on the highway and started to get pelted by sand and small rocks. A mile ahead I come upon two dump trucks hauling dirt and it was like a dust cloud coming off the top. The dust covers on the trucks weren't working too well.

I have so many little areas on the hood where paint has chipped off. What do I do?
Few options. You can either get a professional to do the touch up work or find a body/paint shop to repaint the hood (extreme). Or pickup a touch up pen from your dealer and do the following:
-Dab the pen and let the chip fill, do not brush it over but let it bubble a little over the hood surface.
-Once dry, wet sand it with a light grit 1000-2000 to have it match the rest of the hood in height. Reapply if necessary.
-Buff out with a wheel and polish to remove the swirling and then wax.

If you have a really deep pit it may be worth it to toss some bondo in the hole first then apply the touch up, but in most cases the above works fine. The steps are simple but take time and some skill so I would start in a less noticeable area first.


lannvouivre wrote:How do you get bits of dead grass out of the carpet? It seems that all the vacuuming I've done so far has been futile, even when I use a cyclone vacuum.
Ah yes, those little pieces that never quite come out. One thing is that house vacuums are not the same as shop vacs. I have a 12 gallon 5HP Craftsman shop vac that can suck your face off. It does the trick. Have you tried using a bristle brush attachment? I know some vacuums have also a rotating brush that will spin and pull out extra bits.

another option is to dry brush the areas first to loosen the grass and free them from the carpet then vacuum.
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Post by Kincaid »

djkeev wrote:So what's become of Blackphoenix?? He made this big offer to share his expertise and DISAPPEARED!!Dave
This thread gave me a great laugh today.
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Re: If you have detailing questions, feel free to ask me! (b

Post by Rayven01 »

Kincaid wrote:This thread gave me a great laugh today.
Yeah I had a chuckle when I read it awhile back, too. Although it looks like now Whelan's disappeared too, which is a much greater loss. :(
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