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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-767.html)

Thanks.

I will have to first clean up a bit coz the edge of the driver's seat has a hue of blue. I guess this is a transfer from my blue jeans. So a clean(er) is imminent. The only worry I have is about damaging the leather in the process. Hence checking here for suggestions. Already having spent big on the car, am at a modest budget as well.

Yes for leather always use a cleaner followed by a conditioner. I’d recommend Carpro Inside or Multi X (diluted), use filtered water to dilute and get a good leather cleaning brush, spray the cleaner and agitate gently with the brush, dry everything off and apply the leather conditioner, I like using 3D LVP conditioner, buff with a clean towel.

For stronger and more durable protection you can use a leather coating like Carpro Leather, apply after the cleaner.

Thank you. Is 3D LVP available in India? I couldn't find any options other than importing one.

Yes, I get it from 3D India’s distributor directly. Shikhar Srivastava - 9810531780

Sorry for a really silly question but where do you all buy Optimum rinseless wash from in India?

Finally, I found one product that is available in India

You can get them from Greenz Car Care but i found the prices to be higher there.I am from Bangalore and i usally buy it from Nitin who is the main distributor for Optimum.
Call him at +91 96323 27656

Thank you! Super helpful!

After one year of open parking in harsh sunlight in Punjab, my Baleno's (4 years old) headlights have started to fade (as you can see the faded plastic above the black eyebrow area) I always hated this in other cars and now it's happening to mine.


I cannot always keep Baleno covered (the car remains cool due to body cover and rats prefer sitting in the relatively cool engine bay area), also I try to cover the car only after cleaning it properly. Hence my idea to protect the headlights is by coating them with a thick layer of turtle wax super hard shell wax. (I will not buff/clean it off whenever parked).
Bhpian's kindly share your ideas to prevent further fading.

Hello, I recently became a proud owner of a Titan Grey Hyundai Venue (thread coming soon). I am thinking of following this detailing and cleaning routine and wish for other member's opinions on it.

My parking space is closed but not covered.

Daily:
Jopasu duster before covering
Cover overnight.

Once/Twice a month as required:
Gyeon Bathe+ with two bucket method
or
Optimum No rinse wash (wash and shine) (Should I go with a gyeon waterless/rinseless wash as gyeon bathe+ will be primary shampoo?)
depending on dirt and water availability

Every 3-4 months:
Wolfgang paint sealant
Collinite 845 wax
CarPro PERL on trims
Meguiar's Hot Rim Wheel and Tire Cleaner
Meguiar's APC for cleaning everything except paint including fabric seats

Meguiar's quick detailer or diluted meguiar's (which one) to wipe off stains, bird poop etc on the go or in between washes as required

I did consider ceramic coating (and ppf) but they do not seem to be vfm, and after going through (a lot of) this thread I believe great results can be achieved without ceramic.

Thanks

Congrats! Great colour choice. :)

I get your emotion about covering your new car everyday but everyday would be an overkill. You'll gather swirls by using a cover everyday as cover will also get dusty after a while and since you're in NCR, it'll get dusty really soon. I have a black vehicle and my dealer himself dissuaded me not to get a cover as it'd scratch it more than anything, plus doing this is a hassle.

Correct.

This happens when you’ve not protected the clearcoated polycarbonate lens and they start to oxidise (yellow) due to UV exposure. Either get a headlight restoration kit online, 3M sells one, or take it to a detailer and have them wetsand and restore the lens. Apply a ceramic coating for long terms protection. I’d recommend the second option as most people struggle to get rid of the sanding scratches without a powerful polisher.

Please don’t use any cover, no matter how soft it will scratch and mar the paintwork, same for duster. Never touch paint without proper lubrication.

Better than 2 bucket method with grit guards is the multi mitt method using only 1 bucket. Use each side of each mitt no more than once per small panel (half a panel for larger ones), discard and switch to a fresh mitt. You will need 6-7 mitts but it’s much safer than the 2 bucket method.
Gyeon bathe is a great shampoo and you can use it no issue.

Please do not use any waterless/rinseless wash, it will swirl the paint over time, you need to use a pressure washer to get all the abrasive dust off before touching the paint.

Use a foam cannon and multiple microfibre noodle mitts over the foam very gently and rinse with the pressure washer again. Use a leaf blower to dry, again not touching the paint. Any drips can be picked up by dabbing a plush towel gently without wiping. There are cordless blowers and pressure washers available for those in apartments.

There are other ways to maintain your car, but in my decade+ of experience in keeping a finish swirl free, this is the only method where your car can look like it rolled off the assembly line even after 10-15 years of age.

With regard to any wheel and tyre cleaner just don’t let it dry on the surface and you’ll be good. Rest of the products are fine, only Collinite 845, being a pure carnauba blend isn’t durable and will barely last a month, go with a silica infused sealant instead. Wolfgang deep gloss is an excellent sealant, more durable than wax but still won’t last more than 2-2.5 months in our climate.

Do not wipe any bug stains/bird poo as it’s very hard and will scratch the paint, always use a pressure washer to safely remove. In an emergency saturate the area with diluted shampoo, and use the spray bottle to get as much off as possible and rinse with plain water you should be able to get most of it off.

Note regarding ceramic coatings, sealants and waxes from a cost point of view. A pro coating starts at say 25k for 2 years minimum durability. A wash and wax is around 2500 from a quality detailer, this needs to be repeated every month if water beading is to be maintained, unlike a coating which is mostly maintenance free, see for yourself which works out cheaper over 2 years.

Ceramic coating: 25,000 (includes paint correction)
Wash and wax: 2500x24 = 60,000 (no paint correction)

Even if we double the wax interval to 2 months, it’s still more expensive than a coating. Not to mention the superior hydrophobics and chemical/UV resistance offered by a coating.

I might also add, one need not go to a detailer to get a ceramic coating, plenty of diy options as well.

Would like to add a point here for other's benefit - to clean the tyres APC can be diluted 1:5 or 1:3 in a spray bottle depending on the dirt & spary over wheel, wheel wells & clean with brush & rinse off immediately, not to use brush for alloys & can be cleaned by old MF cloth. This proceedure should be done at the beginning before cleaning the painted parts of the car.

I am using Wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant from past 12 years and Collinite 845 carnauba wax from past 3 years on both of my cars. What I do is first apply sealant & leave for a day & then apply carnauba wax the next day. This will add extra protection for the car, thus it will give about 6 month's protection. There is very slight increase in gloss with Collinite wax compared with Wolfgang sealant.

Also highly recommend using basic pressure washer for cleaning cars-DIY & never take to local car washing outlet.

Can anyone assist me in understanding how I can get rid of these stains from my Swift? The marks were left behind by using a TPH cover on the car (Nomex non water proof) during the rains for a few days. I have replaced the cover with another water proof type but not sure how the stains will go. A gentleman I talked to said I could try using a bit of petrol.

Note:- The cover in the pics is not the source of the marks.

Paint transfer is fairly easy to remove, just take a light cut polish like Menzerna 3000 and work it into the paint gently with a towel and buff. Any light cut polish will do, do not use strong solvents like petrol/diesel on paint.