Ask a Professional Detailer...

Any idea how to get rid of permanent water spots on the windshield?

Vinegar can help get rid of very light build ups on the glass. More commonly I use the Glass Science Glass Scrub to help remove the marks. It does a great job of removing all kinds of builds up on the glass including nasty water marks. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI
 
hey Greg i got a coupke questions for you i have a black ls and the paint is in decent shape but i have a few light scratches on it not deep easily removed but not too sure how to remove them. I had a dent on my door got it fixed and got the front and back passenger door repainted it then got keyed =[. i tryed taking out the light scratches by hand and it came out a little but the wax left a haze on the paint im not sure if this can be removed or if it ruined the paint. the doors were painted about 2 months ago. Also I want to buff my car but have never buffed a day in my life and dont want to murder my paint. Any tips for a first time buffer or maybe an idea of something i could practice on ? Your knowledge would be much appreciated.
 
hey Greg i got a coupke questions for you i have a black ls and the paint is in decent shape but i have a few light scratches on it not deep easily removed but not too sure how to remove them. I had a dent on my door got it fixed and got the front and back passenger door repainted it then got keyed =[. i tryed taking out the light scratches by hand and it came out a little but the wax left a haze on the paint im not sure if this can be removed or if it ruined the paint. the doors were painted about 2 months ago. Also I want to buff my car but have never buffed a day in my life and dont want to murder my paint. Any tips for a first time buffer or maybe an idea of something i could practice on ? Your knowledge would be much appreciated.

Where are you located in NJ? I can find someone who really knows what they are doing. Are you close to Totowa?
 
Where are you located in NJ? I can find someone who really knows what they are doing. Are you close to Totowa?

im in clark right next to rahway exit 135 off the garden state totowa is about 45 min from me
 
hey Greg i got a coupke questions for you i have a black ls and the paint is in decent shape but i have a few light scratches on it not deep easily removed but not too sure how to remove them. I had a dent on my door got it fixed and got the front and back passenger door repainted it then got keyed =[. i tryed taking out the light scratches by hand and it came out a little but the wax left a haze on the paint im not sure if this can be removed or if it ruined the paint. the doors were painted about 2 months ago. Also I want to buff my car but have never buffed a day in my life and dont want to murder my paint. Any tips for a first time buffer or maybe an idea of something i could practice on ? Your knowledge would be much appreciated.

Glad to hear you are looking to bring your paint to the next level. A professional detailer can help you out as well. However a quality detailer will charge you a good amount and you can save a lot by doing it yourself. Doing it yourself is easier than you might think with a little detailing knowledge and the right products you would be amazed what you can do by yourself. Not to mention it also gives you a tremendous amount of pride. If you are looking for a quality kit that gives you essentially everything you need check out the links below:

DI Packages Porter Cable 7424XP, Meguiar's Polishes and Hydro Pads Starter Kit

Blackfire Wet Diamond with Polycharger with a Lake Country Blue Fine Finishing Pad

The kit above comes with buffer, backing plate, pads and polishes you need. The Meguiar's M105 should be used first with the cyan pad follow that up with the Meguiar's M205 and the tangerine pad. This combo removes swirls safely and easily. The clear coat will look more optically clear and give you that deep and glossy reflection. Additionally it will feel smoother so the sealant or wax will bond to it better. The package comes with the Porter Cable 7424 XP which is completely safe and easy to use for anyone. Check out our detailing guide for step by step instructions.

After polishing enhance the shine and provide durable protection with the Blackfire Wet Diamond. This can be applied by hand or with the buffer and a blue pad. The shine should be stunning at this point and last for months.

If you have any questions about this process please let me know I'd be happy to help!
 
Blackfire wet diamond is my favorite sealant right now. Looks amazing under a coat of Supernatural!

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Just a reminder this is a great place to ask any questions about cleaning, protecting and enhancing the look of any surface your vehicle has. Don't hesitate to ask any detailing questions, I'll do my best to help!

Greg @ DI
 
I have a project car in my driveway and I was wondering how to remove tree sap from the paint? I don't know what to use and it has been there for a long time, any tips would be helpful.
 
I have a project car in my driveway and I was wondering how to remove tree sap from the paint? I don't know what to use and it has been there for a long time, any tips would be helpful.

I would recommend the Stoner Tarminator. If the sap has hardened and been baked in the paint it's going to be more difficult. Another option is mineral spirits as well. The sooner you get to it the better.

Greg @ DI
 
i know this may be a simple question...but what should i use to prevent any swirl markings on my clear? im looking for ways the dry off the car and to remove polish and wax without swirling up the car...
 
i know this may be a simple question...but what should i use to prevent any swirl markings on my clear? im looking for ways the dry off the car and to remove polish and wax without swirling up the car...

Detailing spray and clean microfiber cloths. You can dry with an air blower, compressed air, or a waffle weave microfiber.

Using the proper washing technique will do the most for saving swirls in the paint, though.
 
I have a random and a little odd question. I'm driving my mark from Kansas City to Pennslyvania in June, I plan on doing all my detailing work at home so I don't have to pack EVERYTHING to detail the car at the car show. What's the best way to protect my hard work from bugs and road grime on the drive out?
 
I have a random and a little odd question. I'm driving my mark from Kansas City to Pennslyvania in June, I plan on doing all my detailing work at home so I don't have to pack EVERYTHING to detail the car at the car show. What's the best way to protect my hard work from bugs and road grime on the drive out?

Well the strongest protection would likely come from a clear bra. I have also seen some drivers literally tape up the entire front end of their car with masking tape if you are really nervous about rock chips, etc. After that I would say a sealant and wax combination would be your best bet to help dirt, dust, road grime, bug smear, etc. Upon arrival I'd use a degreaser like Stoner Tarminator or the Chemical Guys Bug Bugger & Tar Remover to help remove the build ups. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI
 
I'm wondering whats the best way to make the faded, black plastic trim on the bottom of my bumper black again.Its not painted. Is ArmorAll tire foam safe to use?
 
I'm wondering whats the best way to make the faded, black plastic trim on the bottom of my bumper black again.Its not painted. Is ArmorAll tire foam safe to use?

You can use just about any dressing on the rubber, vinyl or plastic trim, however some may not last very long. I'd highly recommend the Chemical Guys Black on Black or the TUF SHINE Black Restore Kit. Both option should help restore the trim for a much longer period of time and really make it look like new again.

Here is an article on the Black on Black which was formerly known as Fade 2 Black - http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/chemical-guys-fade-2-black-product-review/

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI
 
What is the best way to clean dust and dirt out of the air vents without pulling the whole dash apart?

Thomas
 
What is the best way to clean dust and dirt out of the air vents without pulling the whole dash apart?

Thomas

Pektel had some good answers above. I would also suggest using compressed air to blow them out, before you do any other interior cleaning. My favorite tool would probably be the DI Brushes Boar's Hair Detailing Brush. It's very soft and delicate so it can be used on the vents and other tight spaces safely.

Greg @ DI
 
IDK if this thread is alive, but ill try here first before starting my own

I recently bought a griots 6" polisher and it came with very mild polish, some wax and a pad for each.

I washed my car, clayed it, and polished it. About half of the swirls came out, guess i need to polish for longer, and maybe with more pressure?

I started around 330 and around 615 i was ready to wax. It was getting dark and chilly, i had about an hour left of light left to work.

I applied the wax to the car, let it setup and wiped it off, but it was dusk at this point and i couldnt really tell how the paint looked. The next day i noticed "smear" marks, not swirls and not holograms.... but it seemed like the wax was never really wiped all the way off.

I sprayed qd and wiped the car down with a clean mf and the marks are still there, just in whatever direction i wipe in. Very ugly, and annoying to look at.

I am wondering

1) what can i do to remove these smear marks, and
2) what caused them to begin with?

I have some ideas, like it was too cold, or the wax wasnt dry before i started removing it, or that i applied too much wax...all of which could be true, this is the first time detailing my car in 4-5 years, and i really dont know what too much wax is, or if it was dry enough.

i only applied a few dime sized drops to my pad, and that seemed like enough for each section.

i dont have pics, as it turns out it is starting to rain (have to laugh at that:D) and its impossible to get pictures in this light. But basically its like a haze is still on the paint, and depending on which way i wipe, the direction of the haze changes.

Any ideas?

Should i wipe it down with a 50/50 solution of ipa and start over when the weather is nice enough? This time with less wax, and more cure time?

Oh and its a black car, so yeah, pita to maintain and detail. Might as well let it be dirty, just looks dirty 30 minutes after washing anyways.

EDIT:

Also, imperfections seem to be amplified now that i polished the car. The hood is covered with tiny little pits, or cracks, from rocks or hail idk. ...these are not coming out with a polish, so do i need to buy a glaze and fill em in? If so, do i start the process over but this time glaze after polishing?
 
Quick intro...

Hello all,

My name is Ivan and I will do my best to help out on the forums for the foreseeable future. Greg the owner has been extremely busy keeping up with the growth of Detailed Image (in large thanks to this forum), but didn't want to keep the forums unattended. I'll try to revisit as many threads and messages as possible, but if I miss something I encourage anyone to either post again or send a private message with any inquiries. I am a professional detailer in the Chicagoland area and I have been working with Detailed Image on a variety of projects for well over 5 years now. You can read more about myself as well as some articles I have written over the years on my profile page of the DI Ask-a-Pro Blog. I'm very happy to be getting back into the forum world and hope to assist many of you with any questions on car detailing products or techniques.

Well anyway, enough about me, let's get back on the topic of car detailing!

Ivan @ DI
 
Josh, thanks for the great questions, I'll do my best to answer them. Sealants are made in labs to replicate what waxes do, but better. This is done by taking the molecular composition of wax and removing elements that don't add to greater shine, durability, etc. In general sealants give you a longer lasting shine and better protection than natural waxes. For best results make sure you have taken all the necessary preparation steps to clean and smooth out the clear coat (wash, clay, polish). The cleaner and smoother the clear coat is, the better the sealant will bond to it. The very high melting point of sealants makes them more durable and resistant to nature’s elements, abrasions and harmful contaminates. Contaminates have a more difficult time bonding to the clear coat, through the sealant, therefore its easier to remove contaminates during the washing process. Sealants typically give you full protection for 3 – 12 months depending on the sealant you select and how many coats are applied. It will also enhance the looks of the vehicle by providing a more reflective surface. I think waxes offer a deeper gloss and more of the "wet" look, therefore I often top my sealant with a carnauba wax. One of my favorite carnauba waxes is the Poorboy's World Natty's Blue Paste Wax. This wax adds lots of that deep gloss for a show car finish. However I really like knowing I have the underlying protection from a sealant.

As for layering sealants it depends on what sealant you have. Sealants can be mixed with chemical polishes (Klasse All In One and Poorboy's World Polish w/Sealant), carnauba waxes (Poorboy's World EX) and some are just pure sealants (Poorboy's World EX-P, Klasse HGSG, Menzerna FMJ * My personal favorite). Generally speaking you can't layer sealants with polish in them. The cleaners in the polish make it hard for this product to layer, while there may be exceptions here. Pure sealants and sealants with carnauba wax in them should be able to be layered. However some of these sealants need more time to cure. Once they have cured or reached their flash point, they become hard and can have more layers put on top of them. You can layer a sealant before it cures but you'll loose some of the durability, from not letting the bottom layers fully cure.

I also find sealant far easier to buff on and off, especially with the Porter Cable 7424 or other good buffers. The Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket (FMJ) is so easy that I've had customers call me and ask if they were doing right. I assured them that it was supposed to be that easy and slick when you remove it. I also remove a lot of sealants after buffing 1 - 3 panels, they tend to cure relatively quick. To get 100% sure full cure you may need to wait a little longer.

As for clay bars versus generic clay I'm not sure that I can explain there molecular differences. I think some general observations I have is that clay bars for automotive use are rather firm and tight together. This helps pick up contaminates as opposed to having the clay stick to the contaminates on the clear coat. Some manufacturers make a softer clay bar like Clear Kote Clay Bars. While Clay Magic makes a much firmer bar. Both work great in my experiences. I have yet to try generic clay, so I don't have any user experience. Maybe you could try it and let us know how it goes. Sorry I don't have more specific information.

Thanks again for the great questions. Feel free to ask more, we're here to share our information with the LVC community.

Greg @ Detailed Image
Great information, thanks. Just what I was looking for.
 

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