[shamanth]

Originally Posted by AJ56

E) Stick to a machine, it will take days assuming you’re working alone even with a machine, don’t even attempt by hand. You have the option of choosing between Dual action, forced rotation and the rotary. I would suggest the rotary as it’s the smoothest, most powerful and the most versatile of the lot.

Rupes- https://www.planetcarcare.com/produc...smart_campaign

Bosch- https://www.industrybuying.com/polis...8aAsv2EALw_wcB

But issue with Rotary machine for an amateur will be, one small mistake could burn/remove paint. Best option is to stick to Dual action, but its difficult to procure in India i guess.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by shamanth

But issue with Rotary machine for an amateur will be, one small mistake could burn/remove paint. Best option is to stick to Dual action, but its difficult to procure in India i guess.

Dual action machines are fairly easy to buy in India, all the major detailing sites carry them.

Rotary takes much longer to burn through paint than a DA, it’s a common myth that’s been busted many times. DA also has much more vibration, is more likely to cause micro marring and cannot accept different sized backing plates like a rotary can. It also costs more and is harder to repair if things go wrong. It’s also less precise than a rotary, due to the oscillation, with longer throw machines polishing edges is almost impossible.

I taught myself how to use both machines, and I can say without doubt the DA was much more painful to get right than the rotary, you have to ensure your backing plate is oscillating otherwise the machine won’t cut, its an added headache than rotary/forced rotation machines don’t require. I also never burnt any paint with the rotary, despite learning on super soft Honda paint.

Finally, will add that rotary leaves the paint cooler than a DA. Heat is the most important factor novices ignore that can very quickly damage paint and DA polishers produce the most heat compared to other machine types.

For any skill level, would still suggest the rotary. Try both out and you’ll see what I’m saying.

https://youtu.be/Vyz6P9XeYrw

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by AJ56

For any skill level, would still suggest the rotary. Try both out and you’ll see what I’m saying.

That's quiet informational, i have a RA polisher which i am using for last 10 years, i was always thinking Rotary for only professional, i think its time to get one Rotary to my toolkit.

Among the one you posted Rupes is 8k more than Bosh, is it due to better machine or customs duty, while bosh is made in India ?

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by shamanth

Among the one you posted Rupes is 8k more than Bosh, is it due to better machine or customs duty, while bosh is made in India ?

Yes, if detailing yourself the rotary is the first tool you should add to your arsenal. Check out Lake Country foam pads to go with your machine.

The Rupes LH 19E is the Cadillac of polishing machines, the best money can buy. Nothing wrong with Bosch but Rupes has higher quality internals and is slightly smoother vibration wise. In car terms think E vs S class. Both are nice but the latter is superior if taken head to head.

Rupes also has a progressive speed trigger in addition to the speed dial, this allows finer speed control, Bosch only gets the speed dial like every other machine. Both have soft start, but Rupes is 300g lighter than the Bosch at just 2.2kg.

Price difference is more than 8k, Rupes is 28-29k online while Bosch is around 12k.

[AltrozAadhithya]

Hello everyone

I have tried detailing my car using Amway silicone glaze and Waxpol hard wax.
First I washed the car using the 2 bucket method and clayed the car. Then I applied silicon glaze and after drying it out I added Waxpol hard wax. It was a tiring job, especially for a person who is detailing his car for the first time.

[CosmicWizard]

Hi,

I had given my car for polishing and seems the detailing guys didn't mask the plastic trim properly and left the rubbing marks all over on the plastic trim They tried to fix it once but it came off in a single car wash. Any idea if there is any permanent fix for this?

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Hi,

I had given my car for polishing and seems the detailing guys didn't mask the plastic trim properly and left the rubbing marks all over on the plastic trim They tried to fix it once but it came off in a single car wash. Any idea if there is any permanent fix for this?

Attachment 2496814

Very common, masking tape needs to be used more often in the industry. Makes cleanup much easier as well.

The reason it’s showing up after the wash is due to trim dressing being applied without actually cleaning the plastic first. Washing removes the plastic dressing and the white residue is visible again.

1) First mask off the painted section near the affected area, you don’t want to hit it with the brush.

2) Wipe the plastic trim with a damp microfibre to remove dust.

3) Take any APC (all purpose cleaner) like Carpro MultiX and use a detailing brush to agitate the affected areas of the trim. You might have to do this 2 or 3 times to get it clean completely.

4) Use diluted car shampoo or rinse with water to neutralise the APC. Wait for the water to dry fully, you should not see any white residue now, if you do repeat step 3.

5) Apply trim dressing of choice, Carpro PERL works very well.

Images below show contaminated plastic trim (right) and plastic trim after cleaning (left). Second image shows what it looks like post trim dressing.

[hypermiler]

My car has amassed a lot of battle scars in the 2 years of ownership (kids at the apartment showing off their prowess in squeezing through narrow spaces, preparing for the future real-world traffic conditions) .

Their handiwork:









About the battle scars, any advice if there are simple ways to minimize the scratches on the car rather than paining the doors? I am not too keen in repainting, as I am worried about how long it would take, the painting quality and if it would match with the original. And what's the use of repainting, if I continue getting scratches post painting as well. So, do not want to spend too much on this...

Was thinking off TurtleWaxColor Magic and cover the scratches with a coat and finish up with a ceramic polish... Would this help? Any other simple DIY that I can do? Please advise

For my last car, got a lacquer pen for similar scratches - it needs a steady hand, but despite that, the results were not good

[rahulb8949]

I recently purchased a Kia Carens 2 weeks back. Loving it so far. But since its monsoon right now, the car gets wet everyday and I, unfortunately do not have indoor parking. So I park my car outside my compound. I used to cover the car before the rains. But since rains have started, when I'm back from office, the car is completely wet, so I don't use the car cover. What is the best way to care for my car during rains?

[jomson13]

Hi guys,

I've been cleaning and polishing my vehicles manually (without polishing machines) so far and the results used to be pretty decent.
I've now moved on to a larger car and polished it over the weekend - it was quite exhausting.
Moreover, my bike's petrol tank has some scratches which need a proper machine and cutting compound to remove. Rubbing in the compound by hand is next to useless.
I'm looking for recommendations for a polishing machine, don't want a fancy / professional grade one but something which does the job without much fuss.

I would prefer a battery operated one (since its easier to use in my parking) but I don't mind the powered one too.

I saw a bosch one (in one of the posts above) for 12k and was wondering if there are any which are cheaper?

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by hypermiler

About the battle scars, any advice if there are simple ways to minimize the scratches on the car rather than paining the doors?

Was thinking off TurtleWaxColor Magic and cover the scratches with a coat and finish up with a ceramic polish... Would this help? Any other simple DIY that I can do? Please advise

For my last car, got a lacquer pen for similar scratches - it needs a steady hand, but despite that, the results were not good

In your specific case PPF would help, but since that won’t actually stop the kids, you’ll be stuck in an endless loop of having it redone every time they tear and scratch it.

Lacquer pens are useless and make the area look worse actually, steady hand or not. There is no easy fix for bodywork and repainting.

Take it to a detailer with a DFT paint thickness gauge and tell him he’s free to use abrasives until about 6-7 microns are removed, no more than that. This should be enough to address 90% of the damage you’ve clicked above.

Hand polishing yourself yields subpar results and takes very long to do even half as well as with a machine. You could buy a machine but it takes some time before one is proficient enough to cut and finish down paint properly.

Finally, to protect use a spray on coating like Gyeon CanCoat. Will last many months.

Originally Posted by jomson13

Hi guys,

I'm looking for recommendations for a polishing machine, don't want a fancy / professional grade one but something which does the job without much fuss.

I would prefer a battery operated one (since its easier to use in my parking) but I don't mind the powered one too.

I saw a bosch one (in one of the posts above) for 12k and was wondering if there are any which are cheaper?

Considering pro grade Rupes/Makita polishers are 30k+, the cheapest decent quality ones you can get are 10-12k, look for Bosch, Shinemate, Dewalt, etc. should last many years. Cordless ones will be even more as the battery and charger add cost.

There are very cheap Chinese ones starting at 3k on Amazon but they’re a gamble as most don’t last even 2-3 months, and some will short circuit in your hand during operation, best avoided.

Originally Posted by rahulb8949

I recently purchased a Kia Carens 2 weeks back. Loving it so far. But since it’s monsoon right now, the car gets wet everyday and I, unfortunately do not have indoor parking. So I park my car outside my compound. I used to cover the car before the rains. But since rains have started, when I'm back from office, the car is completely wet, so I don't use the car cover. What is the best way to care for my car during rains?

Using a car cover is a sure fire way to get swirls and deeper scuffs as the cover is pulled on and dragged off, also movement while applied due to wind scuffs up the paint underneath as it runs over dust already on the paint.

Protect it the same way you would from all the other elements like UV/tree sap/bird poo, etc. put a good quality ceramic coating or even a spray on coating for short term protection and ease of washing. The paint protection ensures nothing actually sticks to the paint and washes off much easier when rinsed.

See below, the right side of the bonnet is coated, stays much cleaner after days of driving in the rains than the left, which is untreated.

[blackbandit]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Good foam shampoo: Gyeon Foam, Carpro Lift.

I got my new car ceramic coated recently. Would like to know how is Carpro Reset compared to the two mentioned by you. Also would like to know other product suggestions to use to ensure the paint stays in top shape. The car is a a black verna. Since I park outside and there is a big tree as well I was covering the car with a car cover to protect it from bat droppings and other contaminants. I have removed it at the moment after going through the posts. Would like some advice on how to protect it from these elements as well.

PS: I will be using a recently acquired pressure washer for washing.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by blackbandit

I got my new car ceramic coated recently. Would like to know how is Carpro Reset compared to the two mentioned by you. Also would like to know other product suggestions to use to ensure the paint stays in top shape. The car is a a black verna. Since I park outside and there is a big tree as well I was covering the car with a car cover to protect it from bat droppings and other contaminants. I have removed it at the moment after going through the posts. Would like some advice on how to protect it from these elements as well.

PS: I will be using a recently acquired pressure washer for washing.

Congratulations on the new Verna!

No, Reset is a strip wash designed to remove old waxes and sealants from paint that is going to be polished and protected. Reset isn’t intended for regular maintenance washing post coating. It’s not pH neutral either and as such I wouldn’t advise regular use.

Gyeon Foam is a gentle pH neutral snow foam designed to be used with a foam cannon and pressure washer, meant for maintenance washes post protection. Carpro Lift is a touchless snow foam designed to break down contaminants without contact with mitts/towels. It is a high pH (12) surfactant so use only on coated paint (ceramic coatings can easily resist upto a pH of 13 for most good brands).

Both are safe on coated paint and will not damage the coating. Personally I stick to pH nuetral shampoos as I don’t like to chemically shock the paint, coated or not.

Post ceramic, you don’t need to apply anything to the paint. Just keep bird poo and tree sap off it as much as possible otherwise you’ll get staining as they are very corrosive and acidic. You can apply Carpro Darkside to the tyres and Carpro PERL to the matte plastic trims (and interior trims if you want) + a good leather conditioner for the interiors.

I would try for a different parking spot as certain types of tree sap and bird poo can stain even when washed within a few hours. The paint will still be protected but you will need machine polishing and reapplication of ceramic in the affected area if you want the stains removed.

If you do get anything on the paint, never wipe even if it’s fresh. Always use your pressure washer to get it off, that is the safest method of removal.

Also, get a mesh filter for your pressure washer from Amazon, and a water softener system if you want long pump life and no risk of water spots on paint. 15m hose and swivel attachment for the pressure washer gun are also nice to have.

[ghodlur]

Experts,

Any suggestions/recommendations for a portable and affordable foam sprayer sufficient for spraying on a SUV(Harrier) in one go. Also need suggestions for a good foam solution.

How does fortnightly car wash with Waterless wash (Carpro Echo 2) fare against foam wash. The car in question is ceramic coated.

[blackbandit]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Congratulations on the new Verna!

No, Reset is a strip wash designed to remove old waxes and sealants from paint that is going to be polished and protected. Reset isn’t intended for regular maintenance washing post coating. It’s not pH neutral either and as such I wouldn’t advise regular use.

Gyeon Foam is a gentle pH neutral snow foam designed to be used with a foam cannon and pressure washer, meant for maintenance washes post protection. Carpro Lift is a touchless snow foam designed to break down contaminants without contact with mitts/towels. It is a high pH (12) surfactant so use only on coated paint (ceramic coatings can easily resist upto a pH of 13 for most good brands).

Both are safe on coated paint and will not damage the coating. Personally I stick to pH nuetral shampoos as I don’t like to chemically shock the paint, coated or not.

Post ceramic, you don’t need to apply anything to the paint. Just keep bird poo and tree sap off it as much as possible otherwise you’ll get staining as they are very corrosive and acidic. You can apply Carpro Darkside to the tyres and Carpro PERL to the matte plastic trims (and interior trims if you want) + a good leather conditioner for the interiors.

I would try for a different parking spot as certain types of tree sap and bird poo can stain even when washed within a few hours. The paint will still be protected but you will need machine polishing and reapplication of ceramic in the affected area if you want the stains removed.

If you do get anything on the paint, never wipe even if it’s fresh. Always use your pressure washer to get it off, that is the safest method of removal.

Also, get a mesh filter for your pressure washer from Amazon, and a water softener system if you want long pump life and no risk of water spots on paint. 15m hose and swivel attachment for the pressure washer gun are also nice to have.

Thanks for the advice. Lift was unavailable hence on the seller recommendation I went with a 500ML reset bottle for the time being. He suggested CarPro Descale but I assumed it would be harsher. Haven't used it yet. Probably will use it on my Figo and order Gyeon Foam for the maintenance washes of the verna. Will order Perl and Darkside as well. For leather will Gyeon Leather Cleaner do ?