Car Detailing - What products are your go to?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Cheers. It's been well looked after but I don't think any fancy product has been used. Paint still looks quite glossy so it's not like I'm trying to bring something dull back to life.

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The owner wasn't in to cleaning door jambs etc. A bug bear of mine, so will need a bit of love in those areas.

I'll start a thread (another one) in the Everest section soon on my thoughts around the car and transitioning from territory.

In which case, just give it a solid decon wash using Lift or Snow+, an IPA wipe down, then apply Lustre and/or Jet.

I HATE dirty and neglected door jambs, it takes less a couple of minutes to wipe them down after each wash, meaning they never get truly dirty.

Don't be afraid of blasting the jambs with your pressure washer to get the bulk of the dirt off. Just be mindful of your angle, and probably avoid the upper jambs and go from the door latch down. Same for the doors.

Then you can go back with a towel and some form of water-less/rinse-less wash. I find having a bucket of rinse-less (or soapy water) on hand to rinse out your towel as needed very helpful.

[prydey]

When you say ipa wipe down, obviously that's to remove any residue.. I bought some nv clarify a while back which from memory you don't rate at all. Will that work. Otherwise I can get straight ipa from work.

I was thinking of getting a stronger soap as a cheaper option to clean wheels. The spray on ones, while effective, work out to be quite expensive as they don't last very long. Would lift or snow+ be able to perform this double duty?

Thanks again for your great advice.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

When you say ipa wipe down, obviously that's to remove any residue.. I bought some nv clarify a while back which from memory you don't rate at all. Will that work. Otherwise I can get straight ipa from work.

I was thinking of getting a stronger soap as a cheaper option to clean wheels. The spray on ones, while effective, work out to be quite expensive as they don't last very long. Would lift or snow+ be able to perform this double duty?

Thanks again for your great advice.

Sorry, I abbreviated prep spray as IPA, mainly because most of them are IPA based. Yes, NV Clarify will work just fine, in this case you are using it a final wipe over before applying the layer of protection.............be generous with the product too.

And 100%, a higher alkaline car wash soap can be used as a wheel cleaner. In fact, its probably nicer overall to work with. I actually use soap far more often than wheel cleaner on my cars, and that's a pH neutral soap too. Considering you actually drive () your cars, then using the alkaline soap would be more appropriate for you.



While Carpro don't freely advertise the pH value of Lift, I tested it at 12.3...............



NV suggest Snow+ is valued at 8.1 but I tested 12.05..............



That sort of plays out in real world as I find Lift is slightly more aggressive than Snow+.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

In which case, just give it a solid decon wash using Lift or Snow+, an IPA wipe down, then apply Lustre and/or Jet.
.

Finally got around to starting this process.

Washed the car with Carpro Lift, and most likely it's just placebo but to me it looks cleaner. Like it has indeed stripped it back to just the factory finish. Hard to explain but just looks clean.

Some feedback on Lift, I really like it. It foams up brilliant and the foam dwell time is quite long, so even though it says not to let it dry, there was plenty of time to wash the car just using the foam cannon and sponge with rinse bucket. I did back, side, side, front in separate goes but on a smaller car I reckon you could foam the whole car and still have time to hand wash it before it dried.

Another big plus but to me the 'reactivation' seemed a lot less. Something that does waste a lot of time and water with other soaps.

Now for some lunch before tackling the coating part. See how far I get before my back gives out.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Finally got around to starting this process.

Washed the car with Carpro Lift, and most likely it's just placebo but to me it looks cleaner. Like it has indeed stripped it back to just the factory finish. Hard to explain but just looks clean.

Some feedback on Lift, I really like it. It foams up brilliant and the foam dwell time is quite long, so even though it says not to let it dry, there was plenty of time to wash the car just using the foam cannon and sponge with rinse bucket. I did back, side, side, front in separate goes but on a smaller car I reckon you could foam the whole car and still have time to hand wash it before it dried.

Another big plus but to me the 'reactivation' seemed a lot less. Something that does waste a lot of time and water with other soaps.

Now for some lunch before tackling the coating part. See how far I get before my back gives out.

Lift certainly has a fantastic dwell time, which allows it to soak and penetrate dirt and contamination for easier and safer cleaning. I find that it foams brilliantly, then thins down as it dwells, then rinses clear.

Free rinsing is certainly a huge benefit a soap can have, it makes the rinse so much quicker and easier, which also reduces your water consumption. Of the 45 different soaps I have tried, only a select few are truly free rinsing.............

DIY Detail Incredible Suds -

https://autobuff.com.au/products/diy...ncredible-suds



Opti-Coat M-Wash -

https://detailingshed.com.au/product...945222e7&_ss=r



WoWo's Detailer Shampoo -

https://autobuff.com.au/products/wow...e19e6dce&_ss=r



Carpro Reset -

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/ca...iant=799686621



Koch Chemie GSF -

https://detailingshed.com.au/product...42914983444695



Of those, at the moment I'm loving Opti-coat M-Wash, expensive but truly excellent. I've cooled on GSF in recent months, its a great soap but I hate how it's $15 more expensive for a 1 lt bottle compared to when it launched. Over that time, Reset is still the same price and is just as good if not better.

[prydey]

Help...

I cleaned my car with nv clarity after washing with Lift.

Next I coated it with NV Lustre. The experience was as I remembered from doing the territory. Super easy spray on and slick level down and buff dry.

I let that sit for close to 2hrs and then started to top with NV Jet. From memory I did my territory next day so perhaps 2 hours isn't long enough between applications because while the Jet sprays on fine, the buff off is not smooth at all. Very grippy, leaving a very obvious difference in panel feel. I don't know what is going wrong, so help please!!

I did my daughters car with Jet on its own a bit over a year ago and that was fine.

I've given up for now. I'll try again in the morning. I don't have a lot of Jet left so need it to go smoothly.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Help...

I cleaned my car with nv clarity after washing with Lift.

Next I coated it with NV Lustre. The experience was as I remembered from doing the territory. Super easy spray on and slick level down and buff dry.

I let that sit for close to 2hrs and then started to top with NV Jet. From memory I did my territory next day so perhaps 2 hours isn't long enough between applications because while the Jet sprays on fine, the buff off is not smooth at all. Very grippy, leaving a very obvious difference in panel feel. I don't know what is going wrong, so help please!!

I did my daughters car with Jet on its own a bit over a year ago and that was fine.

I've given up for now. I'll try again in the morning. I don't have a lot of Jet left so need it to go smoothly.

While the two can be used like that, from past experience I had a similar problem putting Jet over the top of Lustre, to the point where I stuck with Jet on its own.

This is a known characteristic that sometimes presents itself, sometimes doesn't. I remember the NV guys saying to use a damp towel to begin with, using less product, and spraying into the towel and not direct. Temperature and humidity play a part too.

I hope that helps, I know how frustrating that sort of thing is.

[prydey]

Thanks. I watched a YouTube clip comparing jet, lustre and boost and at the end it was suggested all 3 could be layered, but that mostly lustre topped with jet was a very popular combo.

I guess lustre works fine on its own. Being a flat white car there's no big change in appearance but at least I know it's got a layer on there.

What I did notice most today though is that my rose coloured glasses have worn off and the paint, when viewed in the right light, looks like it's been cleaned with a scourer. Thankfully it's only noticeable if you're getting up close and personal with detailing etc. Even I didn't notice before today.

So if NV Jet continues to be difficult, should I persevere anyway or stop? I only did half the bonnet, front left 1/4 and front passenger door.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Thanks. I watched a YouTube clip comparing jet, lustre and boost and at the end it was suggested all 3 could be layered, but that mostly lustre topped with jet was a very popular combo.

I guess lustre works fine on its own. Being a flat white car there's no big change in appearance but at least I know it's got a layer on there.

What I did notice most today though is that my rose coloured glasses have worn off and the paint, when viewed in the right light, looks like it's been cleaned with a scourer. Thankfully it's only noticeable if you're getting up close and personal with detailing etc. Even I didn't notice before today.

So if NV Jet continues to be difficult, should I persevere anyway or stop? I only did half the bonnet, front left 1/4 and front passenger door.

Lustre has some filling properties, so it can hide a certain degree of imperfections.

I would try another panel using a damp towel and less product and see where that leads you. Ideally in warm temps. NV state this the following for Lustre, which would apply to Jet as well -

If you are experiencing hazing on wipe off (as on some protective products it can take longer to adhere) wait 20-30 seconds before your second dry wipe.

Both products claim 6 months durability, however that doesn't necessarily mean it will last 12 months. So even if you end up sticking with Lustre only, you will still get decent longevity from it without Jet on top.