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-   -   A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/102011-superb-car-cleaning-polishing-detailing-guide-721.html)

That's too much of effort.

Secondly why even waste 7 Litre of water.

Best method is
Step 1: Jopasu Duster to remove dust.
Step 2: Quick Detail QD using CarPro Ech2o diluted in 1:25 Ratio. Simply mist and wipe off.

You would use only 25 ML of water to detail a hatchback.

As for swirls induced by Duster, no matter you clean using rinse-less wash, water-less wash or any other method, there is no escaping swirls and scratches. You can only minimize them.

In my experience since 2011 maintaining Black Vento; Jopasu Duster is still the best way of getting rid of dust and haven't come across a better method.

+1

This is what I also follow on a regular basis. So, after trying out lots of things, I have zeroed in on the following schedule which works for me and provide a good balance between time spent and the return on investment. :D


Daily cleaning: Jopasu duster + quick detail
If your car is waxed, Jopasu duster works really well and takes off all the normal dust in just 10 mins. I use the Jopasu gloves as well to clean the corners, mirrors, handles, wipers etc. After that, if there are any dirt on specific areas which did not come off, I use Carpro ECh2o to clean that area.
It is important to make sure that the MF towel and the to-be-clenaed area is well lubricated (don't be stingy with the cleaning solution). Also, don't use dirty areas of the MF cloth and replace when necessary. Keep a separate dry MF cloth to buff off any residue. You can do this for the whole car if you have time but normally, I don't do it every day.
Time consumed - 15-20 mins.
Products: Carpro Ech20 (1:20 dilution), Jopasu duster, Jopasu gloves, Spray bottle, 2-3 MF cloth.

Weekly cleaning: Waterless wash + interior wipe.
Basically, the same process as above but I do waterless wash/quick detail for the entire car instead of specific areas. You will need more MF towels and more time. Also, I apply Colin or something similar to interior parts and wipe it using some MF cloth.
Products: Carpro Ech20 (1:20 dilution), Jopasu duster, Jopasu gloves, Spray bottle, Colin,3-4 MF cloth.
Time taken: 45 mins

(Bi)Monthly cleaning: Shampoo wash + wax + interior protection.
I try to do this monthly or whenever I have time or the car is super dirty. For a very dirty car, Jopsau + quick detail won't work. So, traditional shampoo wash is the best option, you can use a pressure wash if you have one.
After washing and drying, I use the Meguiars ultimate spray wax which is super easy to apply and takes only 15 mins to complete the whole car. It does not have the protection of a normal wax/sealant but it is very easy to apply and lasts a month or so. Optimum car wax is also a spray wax which is easy to apply and offers better protection but is more expensive and difficult to procure. I also apply some kind of interior protectant (3M/Meguiars) for the dashboards, door trims etc which should stop those plastics from fading etc.
Products used: 3m/Amway car shampoo, wash mitt/sponge, AmazonBasics drying towel, Meguiars Ultimate Quik wax, 4-5 MF clothes, 3M/Meguiars interior protectant, Colin.
Time taken: 2 hours

Depending on the car condition, I might go for a professional detailing once in a year or may be once in 2 years. Hope it helps.

------------
A note on the Carpro Ech20: I am very impressed with this product. It is very sleek and easy to apply. Cleaning power is as good as ONR if not better and the gloss is very good, much better than ONR. Our desi product Proklear might be VFM but not a patch on this product. So, would highly recommend other members to try it if you arr interested in waterless wash or quick detail.

Thank you for your detailed schedule and your note about the CarproEch2o!
I just ordered it as soon as I read your post and am looking forward to trying it out! I am slowly reaching that stage where I will also very soon lock down on my cleaning schedule and what tools I will be using for a particular job. This particular thread has been most eye opening [and bank balance depleting! :D] I should say!

Hopefully you read both the rinseless methods, second of which is very similar in efforts to the dry wash technique you just explained.

The point to note is even with the best of products and materials its the wrong technique used that causes most of the man made paint defects like swirls, marring on the clear coat surface.

In my experience the extra lubrication of water while using ONR (Optimum No Rinse) wash technique gives peace of mind and also reduces the above said swirls and scratches. It ensures very less to nil man made paint defects in our processes. Which in turn reduces the paint correction required.
The duster's lack of lubrication adds friction and concern while using it on our valuable assets.

Do elaborate about them in a post. So we all can learn and improvise.

So I can better the current combination of Duster & Quick Detailing.

I am also very curious to know what is a better way to clean the car daily within a reasonable time than what I am following which is Jopasu+ Carpro Ech20.
The entire point of using a Jopasu is that it does not cause swirl marks and does NOT introduce dirt every time you use if on a separate panel/section.
Also for daily quick detail, it is important to make the sure the surface of the car and the towel are well lubricated and we always use a clean portion of the towel to clean.

If we don't apply the duster at first, it means the car will be full of dust. In that case, we will need like a dozen towels for a waterless wash or something like 2-bucket rinseless method using ONR etc. Both are much more time and resource consuming and not practical for a daily schedule IMHO. If there is any other method, I will be curious to know.

Going a bit off topic here.

We'll be taking delivery of our new Hexa by 3rd-5th Jan. It's June manufactured.

Would like to know what basic exterior treatment I could get done to restore any paint issues (swirl marks, minor scratches etc) caused due to the climate in the past couple months and whatever goof ups the dealer will do while prepping the car for delivery.

I'll be taking over complete detailing (regular washing, waxing etc) appropriately post this treatment. The treatment needs to be acceptable and within 6-7k.

Here's what I have shortlisted for detailing:

Meguiar's G17748 Ultimate Wash And Wax Shampoo
Collinite 840 Pre Wax Cleaner
Collinite 845 Wax
Would like to know the ideal dresser for the interiors and tyres.
Would RainX suffice for the Windshield?

Hi, congrats on your new ride.
The detailing products you have mentioned will be enough to take care of your paint. I am not a detailing expert but would like to suggest you a few products.
Jescar power lock+
A good APC
Microfibre towels
Clay bar or clay towel to remove contamination
Jopasu Duster
Just my 2 cents:thumbs up

Hey Guys,

Was looking up detailing videos (ah the life of a autonut eh?) And came across this

https://youtu.be/59w-eKzmgw4

It is a comparison of spray on ceramic wax options. Meguiars, Turtle Wax Ice and mothers CMX

Has anyone used these? How effective are they?

I usually detail my cars myself with a wax and polish by hand once every 3 months and a 3m detailing every 6. Currently use Waxpol silky polish as the base and forumla 1 carnuba as the final later. Am thinking I can replace formula 1 with this spray on ceramic wax.

The cost differential is insane though. The turtle one costs $12 in the US and 2.4k in India so am planning on picking this up in my visit to the US in Jan.

Guys, please recommend a plastic and vinyl dressing. How good is Carpro PERL?


I have been using STP protectant so far but couldn't get a decent finishing with it.

You need following:

Daily upkeep:
Jopasu Duster
CarPro Ech2o.

Dilute Ech2o in 1:25 (Ech2o:Water) ratio. Spray on panel and wipe off. This will be your quick detailer after doing Jopasu Duster.

Before waxing you might wanna do claying. Recommend CarPro PolyShave Decon Block. This will help in removing all bonded contaminants. Use CarPro Ech2o in 1:40 ratio as claybar lubricant.

Sonax Car Polish. Will remove minor swirls and give a nice shine since it has Carnauba wax. 2 in 1.

For interiors Sonax Cockpit Spray. Gives a nice silky matt finish and has anti-static effect preventing dust buildup on panel.

Would recommend Sonax Windscreen Washer Fluid Concentrate. Has a dilution ratio of 1:100. Best in its class.

This should cover the basics.:D

Try Sonax Cockpit Spray.

Ech2o/ waterless wash was not under my shortlist. I would be covering my car. So I guess it would be sensible to give it a jopasu duster flick and waterless wash before putting the cover on.

Personally feel it would be better to get polishing done whenever needed by an expert. Claying is not required for now since the car would be brand new :) Sonax cockpit spray is not available online, so I would be sticking to carpro perl.

My current shortlist is as follows:

Meguiar's G17748 Ultimate Wash And Wax - Washing
Collinite 845 - Waxing
Meguiar's G9524 Hot Rims All Wheel and Tire Cleaner
Sonax windshield washer concentrate
Carpro Ech2o & Jopasu duster for waterless wash

Carpro perl - trim, art leather and tire dresser. Since it's water based, no harm done, especially to rubber trim. Saw many detailers online advising to use water - based products for the same.

What is an easy way to remove gum residue or stickers from the windscreen or other parts of the car?

I have a few unnecessary stickers in my windscreen which I tried to remove and left a lot of residue - paper, gum etc? Also, as I removed the temporary number plate, there is gum residue on the boot.

Use IPA (IsoPropyl Alcohol). You can get it from a medical store in form of injection swabs - basically cotton swabs impregnated with IPA.

Just yesterday I removed stickers like soandso AC, xyz motor garage and an old L sticker. I applied glass cleaner on it, let it soak around the sticker, got a double sided blade and started slowly scrapping away. If needed, you can respray the glass cleaner. The glue that was left over (in some parts) was picked up by the blade as well.