EntropySink
Entertainment & Artistry => Sports/Outdoors & Manpoon => Topic started by: KnuckleBuckett on August 17, 2015, 12:04:51 PM
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Exterior.
Immediately wash and clay it.
Wash it with car shampoo. Never dish detergent.
http://www.autogeek.net/mg7164.html
http://www.autogeek.net/supreme-microfiber-wash-mitt.html
If you want to get fancy and make it easy as hell, get a foam gun. They are pricey but will last forever. This makes washing a car a snap. Much better for the paint also. Soak the bottom panel, front grille first. Then wash it top down. The mitt gets into the little corners.
http://www.autogeek.net/auqufofogun.html
Clay it. Really important for a new vehicle. I use pinnacle. When you use up the lube you can make your own. That is for next year.
http://www.autogeek.net/piulpoclkit.html
Dry it. I hate to say this, but the best way to dry it is by driving it on the highway. Yeah you might get a bug or two but it beats rubbing the finish with a rag any day of the week. After you drive it dry, dab up the remaining wet spots and clean off the rear bumper because it will pick up dust.
Seal it. Start the sealing on a Friday and continue to coat every 12 hours until you run out of weekend.
Refer to the earlier post for wipe on walk away products.
Upkeep. For odd wiping and removal of aerial bombs use this.
http://www.autogeek.net/finish-kare-425-detailer.html
Get your microfiber towels locally if you can. Get a couple of ten packs. Wash them only with each other.
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Microfiber-Cleaning-Cloth-Pack/dp/B009FUF6DM
Keep cotton off of your finish.
Clean your car. Inside and out. At least four times a year. Seal it when it is clean. Good sealant is cheap and wipe on and walk away. OptiSeal (http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti-seal.html) A bottle of this should last two vehicles at least four years if not six. Clean the car, dry it, and put this on. Done. No wiping it off. Ten to twenty minutes per vehicle. It will layer if you wish to add a coat or two. If so wait 12 hours for each coat to cure. Coat 2 and beyond will take about half the time.
Not a tool at all, I'm going to try that optiseal stuff. I've been looking for something like that.
There are a couple of other awesome options.
http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-c2-liquid-crystal.html
Some light wiping required. More like removing a soft very light dust. Easy as pie.
Very durable.
http://www.zainostore.com/product/Z-CS.html
Pricier but best in class.
Yes.
P21S TAW and a Pinnacle bug sponge. Cut the sponge in half. That makes it last 2x longer and much easier to handle. I use an electric or serrated knife.
If you ever get desperate use a shower scrubby thingy.
http://www.begreeninfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/shower-puff.jpg
Soak the area well and use normal car wash soap to loosen the easy stuff. Then spraying the TAW on the sponge only work it in. Keep at it until all is well. Wash the area again with car shampoo and rinse really well.
http://www.autogeek.net/p2totautwas.html
http://www.autogeek.net/pinsafscrub.html
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Interior
Clean leather, carpet and cloth (never headliner) with 1 part Woolite to 9 parts water. Get an empty sprayer at Walmart.
If you have leather, condition it BEFORE cleaning it. Let the conditioned seats sit in the sun for a few hours. Then use cleaner on a mf to gently work out the dirt. After it dries condition it again letting the conditioner cure over night. You don't need very much product.
Use your wipe on walk away sealant on all plastics, chrome and sealed wood trim. Coat the surfaces when you seal your paint. Layer them. When the last layer has cured for 12 hours use a clean microfiber to wipe any excess off.
Clean your seals and condition them with this. Car doors, trunk, and hood. Twice a year.
http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einszett-rubber-care-stick.html
Doorjambs are easy. But a 1.5 to 2" paint brush and with a bit of water and car shampoo you will have them done in a couple minutes. Wipe off excess crap with mf towels. Same technique around the trunk.
Glass. Clean it 3 x and then use your Aquapel. Aquapel is cheapest on ebay.
http://www.autogeek.net/glass-cleaner.html
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Get form fitting Winter grade floor mats for the front back and trunk.
http://www.carid.com/floor-mats.html
Seat covers are up to you. For non-leather seats they seem worthwhile to me for at least the front seats.
http://www.wetokole.com/
http://www.shearcomfort.com/
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I've always used armor-all on the dash and other interior vinyl. Looks good and seems like it protects fairly well.
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I recommend weather tec floor mats. pretty expensive but def worth it!!!
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I've always used armor-all on the dash and other interior vinyl. Looks good and seems like it protects fairly well.
Not a fan of any Armor All product. They use silicone as well as other low end ingredients. Though it can look nice it has the downside of build up and nothing cuts silicone build up except manual removal. Another note. Your dash should never be shiny. The last thing you want is more glare inside of your car. Shiny looks fancy but it is rough on the eyes, even at night.
I avoid Rain-X for the same reason. Rain-X is silicone in an alcohol carrier. Works great at first. Then comes the streaking and chattering wipers. Weekly reapplication is the only cure. The only way to remove it from the glass is by polishing.
Interior plastics are served fine by the external paint sealant if it is a wipe on walk away.
If you want my advice for a dedicated interior vinyl and trim sealant try. It is matte and very effective. Autogeek sent me a sample last year and I was impressed.
http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-c6-matte-dash.html
My all time favorite brand just went through a complete re-formulation and I am not happy with the results thus far. Arrrrgghh!
In the end use whatever brand you are happy with, as these are only recommendations per what I have learned over the years.
In case you are wondering, yes. I used to use ArmorAll products. For years. Now I know that there are better products for my cash and car.
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I recommend weather tec floor mats. pretty expensive but def worth it!!!
Any quality floor mat or seat cover is pricey.
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Thank you! Unfortunately, a lot of this stuff is going to have to wait until I get settled again and can order it, but I really appreciate the thourough instructions!
I did apply the Aquapel you long ago recommended to me because I had some in the house!
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FYI, for anyone that doesn't know, Knuck details cars on the side and I can personally vouch for the excellent condition of his own cars. :)
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Thanks! :)
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I figured this great info should have its own thread for easy referencing so I split up the pertinent replies.
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Knuck, I used some of your advice and on Sunday I cleaned the exterior and waxed it. I also used opti seal on top of that. Not sure if that was correct or not, because I was getting quite a bit of streak and had to buff quite a bit.
I also think I used to much wax because when I was buffing I had balls of wax. I'm doing our other car today and will use less wax....or should I just use the sealant??
The bug spray I ordered also worked pretty good along with that bug scrubber - it worked better than anything else I tried!
What do you recommend for a spray on wax in between coats?
What about for black wheels?
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KNUCK/?????!!!!!????
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Sorry. Was out. Ironically working on our car finishes.
Wax is meh. It is fine for looks, but not so great at protecting the finish. I use it for looks after multiple coats of sealant on the Lexus.
Wash the paint, dry well, seal 3 or 4 layers at half a day apart. Want to wax? Wait 12 hours and then wax.
When sealing or waxing a little product goes a looong way. Also since you have to remove excess wax, use lots of clean microfiber towels. Use one per quarter flipping each around regularly. They need to be clean and only washed with other MF products.
The Optiseal you applied is useless. Has to go directly on the clean dry paint and will not adhere to wax. Sorry.
Spray on Wax? Nothing beats this. Nice stuff to use all over inside and out. Nice feel too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005JPJMI2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
Only comes in that size. Nice stuff. Get a nice industrial spray bottle for it.
Tires..Clean them well and rinse really well.
Try this...
http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guys-extreme-vrp-dressing.html
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The Optiseal you applied is useless. Has to go directly on the clean dry paint and will not adhere to wax. Sorry.
So now how long will it take until applying Optiseal will make a difference? how many washes?
Whoever waxed the Jeep before has hit some of the plastic areas on accident and there are white marks - what do you recommend to take those off?
One more question, what do you recommend for treating the rubber seals on the doors and roof?
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The Optiseal you applied is useless. Has to go directly on the clean dry paint and will not adhere to wax. Sorry.
So now how long will it take until applying Optiseal will make a difference? how many washes?
No idea. You could really do a clay and wash and that might help.
Whoever waxed the Jeep before has hit some of the plastic areas on accident and there are white marks - what do you recommend to take those off?
Sigh...a blow torch? Seriously though that is often a polish off kind of deal. You may be able to use a soft toothbrush and of all things smooth peanut butter. A couple of other things that have worked for me over the years are pencil erasers (I like the white ones), and those Mr/ Clean Magic Erasers. For trim not paint. Work a spot and test each method before going bat shit. This is also (not tested by me http://www.autogeek.net/best-car-wax-remover-plastic-trim.html) supposed to be decent.
One more question, what do you recommend for treating the rubber seals on the doors and roof?
Rubber seals are easy. Use this http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einszett-rubber-care-stick.html
Cloth roof?
RaggTopp makes a nice kit that should do the trick.
http://www.autogeek.net/fabric-convertible-top-care-kit.html
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thanks knuck. And no, it is a hard top.
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In general here are few brands that are pretty solid in just about their entire lines. There are plenty that only have a product or two that I left out but these are good starting places. Not in any special order and I am not including glass and polishing product lines. Also keep in mind things in this industry can change in a single year. Ultima used to be my go to for most of my product, but this year their new formula ruined their entire line.
Pinnacle and Pinnacle XMT
Meguiars
P21S
1z Einszett
Chemical Guys
Standouts
Gtechniq
Zaino