Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Technical Stuff (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/)

-   -   A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/102011-superb-car-cleaning-polishing-detailing-guide-499.html)

Thanks again! I got someone to bring the Meguiars water magnate and a set of Cobra MF. So all I need to get is the clay bars and Collinite. One thing I heard is that Collinite is sort of hard task to apply though its durability and effect are well spoken
about. Any suggestion how to make the task easier? I do not have any DA polisher/ erupt. Just applicator foam and the
MF towels. I shall contact Mr. Nirmal this week. Thanks again! Cheers :)

I was taught how to swim in a pool first. For a beginner in detailing, it would be more helpful for him if we tickle his interest with simple products and then he will slowly learn to move to more complicated products on his own. If I recommend to him some boutique products with complicated application processes, it'd be like throwing him into the ocean to learn to swim. And this can have a negative effect on his interest.

Thats how I started. First it was a bottle of 3m liquid wax and a sponge and my interest to protect the paint. Slowly, started to learn about more stuff. Then bought a bottle of collinite, some megs clay etc and moved onto my first full detail. Had I started first with some exotic sealant, wax etc and not got the hang of the process, I'd never have carried it on as a passion. Perhaps I'd never have come to this thread at all.

Collinite has something special. Its been there for ages, and if it still exists as a family business that means people are buying it. And there's no doubt about the protection it gives.

Yes after that first or second session we do seem to move onto even better products. My collinite now comes out only for my wheels and other surfaces that are bound to take a beating on the road. I moved onto Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint sealant. Now im thinking of coatings as I learn more and more.

If you leave it for too long it will be hard to remove the product. I keep it for 5 to 10minutes and then buff it off.

Also, what ive done if you check back a few posts of mine, is transferred the collinite into another bottle. Can be any bottle with a with a turret top so that its easy to pour the product onto the pad.

To get the easiest application, best is to place the new bottle in which collinite has been poured, in a small tub of hot water taking care that the plastic doesnt melt. This will get the wax in the thinnest liquid stage. Give it a good shake and then apply on the pad. You hardly ever need a DA or any machine to apply waxes or sealants unless if you want to do a fast job. Ive a DA too but I had applied wax and sealant by hand before I got the DA.

Read this thread for more info on the legendary wax :- http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...d.php?p=528187

Collinite 845 is not hard to apply. Rather it is the easiest to apply Collinite product.

After unscrewing the cap place your applicator pad on the mouth and tilt the bottle to get product onto the pad and tilt back. That's all the product needed on initial passes on the paint. Then fold the applicator pad in your palm or between all 5 fingers so as to spread the product over the face of the pad.

Using just the pressures of your fingers to move the pad over the panel spread the wax using back and forth movements, overlapping the previous pass by not more than 50%.

After 15 seconds swipe your finger on the waxed portion. If the swiped area is clear, as in you can see the paint, its time to buff off the remaining wax. If the swiped portion is hazy, it means it will need more time to dry. Dry times differ depending on temperature & humidity. Incase it dries up before you could buff it off, simply reapply bit more wax and wipe off.

Do a small section first so that you can figure out drying times before doing larger sections. Then over the next panels you can reduce the amount of product you take on the pad.

Its not as hard as it sounds. It is the way almost all waxes are applied. Just try it.

Thanks for clarifications and tips on the usage of Collinite 845! Will certainly try and publish some pictures the coming week. Cheers

An important aside about pressure washers....

Warning: Use only Low pressure on your car. Probably it will say as much in the pressure washer manual. Higher pressures are capable of doing real damage, let alone stripping a surface treatment.

Any tips on how to remove polish from windshield as the cleaner guy accidentally cleaned it using mf meant for buffing collinite ??

Any strong detergent (pril/vim) or Iso propyl alcohol.

I would suggest don't bother removing it, there are many who apply collinite to windshields (including me).
If at all its applied to your windshield then it will bead like crazy during rains, you will need less wiper usage so enjoy :)

but this will also result in hazy glass with which it would be nearly impossible to drive in night.

I've read about this cause effect situation a few pages back. But we don't listen to good advice, do we? And experimented with Meguiars Nxt 2.0 on the windscreen. Satisfied after my initial experiences, I regularly apply Nxt 2.0 to my windscreen, during my detailing sessions.

I never had any hazing problems and driving in the rain becomes much easier with the water droplets rolling off the glass. This effect is more pronounced on the highway, where the head wind disperses all the rain. During incessant rains, the coat begins to wear off after an hour, and one can see the beading effect coming down slowly and steadily. Once, I had to drive through 5-6 hours of heavy rains. Towards the end, the beading effect would be around 10-20%.

The negatives that I noted was that the wiper movement becomes jittery as the smoothness of the windscreen is not uniform when the coat starts to wear out. So in the later part of the above mentioned journey, I had to use the windscreen washer (with sonax clear view concentrate added) liberally so that wipers clean smoothly without the jerks.

Whenever I feel the windshield being rough, I use Megs 105 + Cutting pad with a rotary on the glass. Does not remove scratches but makes it smooth plus the wipers work as good as new with zero streaks.

Clean it with Megs PerfectClarity and I'm done!

Nice. My next question would be - does PerfectClarity (or 105) add any beading properties to the glass? If yes, then it's the best of both worlds - water beading and smooth wiper operation.

I have a separate clay bar for the glasses; to remove stubborn particles. This smoothens the surface and Megs Nxt has cleaning agents which further clears up the glass.

I haven't faced the hazy glass effect till date plus I drive regularly at nights neither any issues with wipers.
As I said after applying Collinite-845 on the complete car the left overs from the applicator pads for me normally end up on the windshields. Had been a good experience so far until recently I started using RainX from last rainy season.

Hi

My car has just completed a long trip clocking over 7.5k kms as of now which wud be over 8k by the time I get back home :)

Now the car is covered with muddy slush and I am sure a wash will reveal several tar marks as well. I have always detailed my car myself but this time I am scared because of the mammoth effort it might require and my ability to do it all alone.

I am in delhi for few days before i head back home so I was wondering if I should get it cleaned and detailed here. What do the experts suggest? Should I attempt it myself or go for professional detailing from 3m or some other?

Also, please help me locate 3m outlet in delhi. I can't seem to find it. Do they even exist in delhi? How much do they charge? Or suggest me some other detailing point. I want the best persons on my car even if it means paying a slight premium.

Contact Notorious on this forum. He should be able to help you as he is a leading detailer in Delhi.
3M is a waste of money as their products are outdated and you can get so much better for the same price or even less.