Ask the Detailer

Thanks!

Definitely the only soap I'll buy in the future. Cost is pretty low considering how concentrated it is. The 1000 ml bottle will last me a long time.

 

Nice, that will save me money on Iron-X.

 

@jason.bird your truck looks great, nice and clean looking.

 

It snowed in Hawaii this morning..
I

 

Almost looks like ice!

 

First detail on the new Sequoia. Didn’t have as much time as I’d hoped, so didn’t do any polishing. Not sure there was really a need anyway. It was getting late on me, so I also didn’t do Optimum Tire Coating. Threw some Meguair’s Endurance gel on the tires. (It’s my wife’s favorite anyway.)

IronX , Nanoskin mitt, Carpro Reset, Hydro2, and Reload were used. I wish the sun hadn’t been setting yet. The pics don’t show much gloss.



By the way, here’s some pics of IronX working. This is on a brand new vehicle. It was already pretty contaminated:

 

Nice work!

We had an 09 Sequoia, really miss that vehicle.

Amazing how much purple on a new vehicle using Iron-X.

 

Wow that came out great Jason. I love the hydro2 reload combo. .ales me feel like I've really got some good protection on there that will last for months.
Pretty amazing how that ironx works , it shows how much contamination there can be on a vehicle, even when brandnew. That is why I always recommend IronXand clay to anyone detailing their car for the 1st time.
Nice job as always!

 

Thanks @War Machine that post just made me buy more IronX. I have a bottle of Gtechiq iron remover that I got as a freebie with an order a while back but only 250ml bottle.
I remembered detailed image was having a 20% sale on Gyeon products so I just picked up 2 liters of it with free shipping for $28. Pretty good deal if gyeon works well, I have only ever used carpro IronX

 

Now I just need to decide if I am going to buy a rubbing compound.
I have some cutting pads from meguiars as well as buff and shine that I could use with m205 or scholls s20 black. Those are more of a polish than a compound but I have read the scholls can cut pretty well with those pads I have. I'm not afraid to polish but idk if I should be cutting/compounding. Figure if I use a cutting pad with a polish I give myself a little safety net.
Any input? @driverdog @SouthBoundSteve @briarpatch @cmiller219 @jason.bird ?

I do plan to practice on my brother 95a Chevy pickup that has had nothing more than basic car washed for the last 20 years.
Will be using dallas paint correction ceramic coating on that truck for sure and will likely use it on mine too.
I have plenty of pads, ironX, clay, eraser, also some carpro essence for some shine aka jeweling. only think I do not have is a cutting compound which I could order. But maybe I can get decent cut with cutting pads and m205 or scholls s20 or even essense?

 

I need to get more also. I’m down to about a quarter bottle. I have some Optimum Ferrex I haven’t tried yet. Should’ve used it on this one.
I didn’t feel a ton of contamination with the mitt though. The IronX seemed to have gotten most of it out.

 

I have some compounds at the house I could send. I know I have some Megs, and Carpro Clear Cut. That reminds me, I was supposed to check and see if I had extra pads for you. Completely forgot.

 

Got poison oak or sumac bad on my hands and arms believe the oils have to be on my steering wheel, shifter, center console, and door. What can I apply to these areas to kill potential poison oils but not damage any interior?

 

Man, I have no clue on that one. Bleach will do it, but ruin your interior. I’ll check around.

 

Oh man sorry, that sucks I hate poison ivy ughghhh. Any interior cleaner should work really, even soap and water, you could add a little rubbing alcohol.

 

I'd be up to trade something or pay for it. No freebies! You've already done way too much for me man

 

If you can find it, there's a product called Technu. They make a spray and a lotion...get the lotion. It will neutralize the oils that cause the problem(s), and has some fatty acids in it, so I think it will be safe for your steering wheel, etc. I'd follow that up with some conditioner for any areas you treat with it. At least with poison ivy, the oils break down after about 12 hours...not sure about sumac or oak.

 

I am going to start using Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax: what is the right hand mitt, etc. to use [and the right process] to avoid scratches and swirls to my paint?

Thank you very much for your assistance.

 

I'm interested in that as well.

 

I actually prefer the one without wax. (The blue one). The one with wax was prone to streaking, and didn’t seem to clean as well. I ended up giving it away. Just my opinion, but I think you get better results with regular ONR and a sealant of your choice. (You wouldn’t have to apply sealant every time you wash.)

Again, this is my opinion, but I don’t feel like a mitt is the best choice for washing with ONR. For one thing, you have to have a microfiber towel handy to wipe it off. In addition, with a mitt you’ll have to keep rinsing it out, which kind of defeats the efficiency and speed of the product. Just like with a regular wash, I just prefer using a lot of towels instead of rinsing a mitt over and over.

It’s an incredibly easy process l nothing to it:

Soak a towel, fold it twice.
Take the wet towel in one hand, and a dry one in the other.
Wipe it on, wipe it off.

Flip the towel regularly to keep from rubbing dirt onto a panel. Use your judgement on how often you flip it. I don’t do more than one pass per side. I know @booyaa does the same. I don’t like anything touching my paint more than once. (No need to flip the drying towel as often.)

Keep in mind this product is not for a vehicle that has caked on dirt and mud. It’s for light cleaning. If there is more than just dust, pollen, etc on your paint, at the very least rinse it off first. Otherwise you’re going to get scratches.

These towels are pretty reasonable, and work very well with ONR:

Chemical Guys MIC_506_12 Professional Grade Premium Microfiber Towels, Gold (16 in. x 16 in.) (Pack of 12)

$35 Chemical Guys MIC_506_12 Professional Grade Premium Microfiber Towels, Gold (16" x 16") (Pack of 12) - Safe for Car Wash, Home Cleaning & Pet Drying Cloths

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A8MZ7IA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_XpR9CbF4XWJTC


ONR can also be diluted to make a really good interior cleaner. (1:16)

One other thing. Carpro makes a similar product called Ech20. It’s more expensive, and doesn’t wipe off quite as easily, but it leaves more gloss. I would definitely recommend this over the version of ONR that has wax in it.

 

I can tell you guys this much and take it for what its worth...

when i wash im not even playing around anymore

i filll up a bucket with DI water OR distilled water and soap and i soak 20 microfiber mitts

i use one for one pass.. flip it and a next pass and im done with that one

i go thru all 20

no WAY no HOW is debris scratching my shit

rinse with DI water

profit

 

This question reminded me that Ech20 (ONR competitor) was what pretty much got me started on the detailing fixation. Particularly this thread by @NewImprovedRon :

https://www.tundras.com/threads/carpro-ech2o-concentrated-waterless-wash.16381/

Followed with my first detailing themed thread a few weeks later:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/carpro-ech20-showoff-and-a-question.17855/

@SouthBoundSteve will always be the OG.

 

I have a bottle of ech20 coming. So much for not buying more stuff.

 

So I just had my truck detailed w/ ceramic coating via a reputable mobile detailer.
Do you tip the detailer? if so, how much? or is that included usually as a "hidden" cost?

 

Ech20 and @SouthBoundSteve are the 2 reasons I got into detailing as well. The first "real" stuff I bought was ech20 and hydro2 at Steve's recommendation and things kinda took off from there. I think it was the ease of use of those 2 carpro products that made me realize that I actually could care for my vehicle and make it look better than paying someone else could. Detailing has come a long way from paste waxes, California dusters, leather chamois, and armour-all. It's now easier and faster to detail your own vehicle and the protection and gloss is much better. No more 6 hour wax jobs that protect for a month and look good for a week

 

Tips are not a hidden cost, at least for me. Depending on time, I almost always throw in a few 'extras' that were not part of the original agreement. Never promise what you can't deliver, but always deliver more than you promised. If you believe the detailer did more than you expected, a tip is at your discretion.

 

So my Porter Cable 7424 decided it is retired. Given that I'm overwhelmed with DA Polisher choices and looking to narrow down to 3 to choose from. I do think I want a change from the PC to something more ergonomic. Opinions?

 

I am still learning polishing, but the consensus seems to be that you can’t do better than a Griots without forking over a lot of money for a Rupes. I got it for 125.00 on Amazon a while back.

 

Grabbing a GG 6 now. Thanks