[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

When soaked+wet cloth, it is not rubbed at all. In fact one could rinse it off.

AJ56, is there any non-wood-fibre disposable tissue that one could safely use?

None that I’m aware, tissue paper is way too abrasive for your car paint, personally I’d never use. Even if we don’t wipe, the act of placing a wet towel and later picking it up is enough movement to risk scuffing, safest is to use a spray trigger at point blank range repeatedly (use any good shampoo/APC) and later rinse with clear water, all this assuming a pressure washer isn’t handy.

Originally Posted by NaveenKD

Mine is a month old XUV700 with full body PPF (XPEL) done. I was following the instructions given by the PPF installer.

• Wash vehicle only once in 15 days or 1 week
• Never Use pressure wash, rinse the vehicle with water (bucket or pipe)
• Apply a good PH neutral Shampoo (ShineXpro in this case applied through IK Foam 2.0)
• Wash with either Mitt or MF cloth which is already soaked in same shampoo water
• Rinse the vehicle again
• Dry the vehicle using separate MF clots for 1) Roof, Windshield & Bonnet, 2) Body Panels and 3) Glasses and Interiors
• Rest of the days dust with Jopasu dsuter

Due to scarcity of water faced in Bangalore and to consume less water, i am planning to Rinseless wash.

Couple of questions:
1) Is Rinseless wash (ONR, UWW , Proklear etc …) safe on PPF?
2) Should i stick to base variant such as Rinse and Shine, or can use solvents having Wax
3) While dry wiping the car, not to leave any streaks, is there a good dry agent that can be suggested?

Before I answer will just point out, those instructions are exactly what you should follow if you want to swirl up your PPF in short order. In fact just do the opposite and you’ll be better off.

1) Wash as often as you feel necessary, washing more often avoids heavy contamination build up on the film and reduces the risk of permanent etching and staining.

2) There is absolutely no restriction on using a pressure washer over PPF compared to bare paint. If the job is not done correctly and edges are not tucked in then it’s a different case. Obviously follow the same safe practices as you would on paint, do not exceed 150 bar/2200 psi, maintain 12-16 inches from the paint surface, do not use very aggressive nozzles on the spray gun, etc.

3) ShineX is a low quality shampoo with mediocre lubricity at best, try Koch Chemie GSF/Chemical Guys Honewdew or even Meguiar’s NXT if you want something better.

4) Use a foam cannon, follow the multi mitt method, do not use a single mitt/towel to wipe the entire car.

5) Do not dry with towels, PPF is even softer than paint (which is super soft to begin with), or you will end up putting swirls into the finish. Use a powerful leaf blower to blow water off, dab any drops with a 550 gsm towel or higher.

6) Never dry dust your car, Jopasu or otherwise. It will abrade the film as you are essentially dragging tiny rocks and debris (dust) over the high gloss finish. Use your leaf blower to blow loose dust away, like an air duster.

Rinseless washing is relatively safe (much safer than waterless) but you need to pre rinse with a pressure washer anyway prior to wiping if you’re to do it correctly (note: rinseless washing is not to be confused with waterless washing where no pressure washer is used.) I find it takes just as long to rinse - wipe and buff than it is to rinse - foam - blow dry.

Still, it is not as safe as the traditional foam wash I’ve outlined above as there’s going to be dust settling on the panels as you start the final wipe/buff to remove the rinseless solution, unlike using a blower which is contactless.

Do not use carnuaba wax based products on PPF or ceramic coated surfaces as carnauba is a mild abrasive, use silica based spray sealants over the film like Gyeon Cancoat if you want to add hydrophobic properties to it.

Originally Posted by sumeetchawla

Hey folks!

While going through this forum, it seems I shouldn't wash my car daily? But I also have an open car parking and most of the cars accumulate dust if not cleaned daily.

Would love your suggestions on how to take care of a new car so that it stays brand new as much as possible?

1. How vital is ceramic coating? Does it help? PPF seems very expensive compared to Ceramic.
2. Am thinking of getting a Jopasu duster brush. I always used it for my previous car and was very satisfied.
3. Should I ask my car cleaner guy to wash only once or twice a week? (We do have hard water in our society).
4. Am also thinking of giving him micro fibre clothes so that he only uses that to clean my car. Though I don't expect him to use that always :(
5. Obviously thinking of getting a premium creta car cover. Any recommendations? But I am sure there will be a time when am just too lazy to put it on every time I park the car.
6. Any other accessories or brushes I should get?

Any other recommendation is really appreciated. Looking forward to your replies.

Thank you.

Sumeet

You can wash your car as many times as you want (multiple times a day if you want), but it must be done safely if you want the gloss to be retained over time.

1) Yes a coating helps greatly in making the exterior surfaces very easy to clean owing to the extreme water beading properties, they also provide semi permanent chemical and UV protection.

2) Please don’t dry dust your paint (coated or not), it will cause swirls.

3) Eliminate car cleaner and look into safe washing (see above)

4) Do not use a car cover unless you want to scuff the paint edges, doesn’t matter how soft the lining, it will scratch.

5) Get a small pressure washer and leaf blower (cordless if you don’t have access to power) along with a good pH-nuetral shampoo, all purpose cleaner and microfibres + wheel and tyre brushes and tyre dressing. Just basics, otherwise there are dozens of different detailing products I can list for different needs.

Also get a good dash cam and tyre inflator along with a seat belt cutter/glass breaker tool.

[sapien]

Originally Posted by sapien

Hey everyone, we recently welcomed a shiny new XUV700 in Silver! I am considering giving it a protective coating. Specifically looking for top-notch Ceramic or Graphene coating services in the western part of Pune, including areas like Baner, Balewadi, Aundh, Kothrud, Wakad, etc.

Originally Posted by sapien

After researching, here are some competitive quotes for Ceramic coating on a Silver XUV700:

1. **Aquatint Baner**:

2. **Carspa Baner**:

3. **3M Pashan**:

We finalized Carzspa Bavdhan,Pune. Here's more on how- https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/other...e-bavdhan.html (CarzSpa - Car Detailing Studio, Pune[Bavdhan])

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

Need help.

I am seeing lots of rust like below on chrome strips & Suzuki logo on alloys in my year old XL6 /. Service center have cleaned them once and its back to shiny but I see this coming back in 2 weeks time again. I understand this is happening due to NCR hard water and cannot be avoided but is there a preventive measure that we can take or how can we remove them safely without affecting nearby paint.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. I am worried as car cleaning guy cleans my car only when i ask him which is once in 2-3 weeks.

Attachment 2578161

Spray this and wipe.

https://www.themicrofibershop.com/pr...t-remover-0-5l

Alternatively, you can also use carpro iron-x

https://store.ultimatedetailerz.com/...x-lemon-scent/

[sumeetchawla]

Originally Posted by AJ56

5) Get a small pressure washer and leaf blower (cordless if you don’t have access to power) along with a good pH-nuetral shampoo, all purpose cleaner and microfibres + wheel and tyre brushes and tyre dressing. Just basics, otherwise there are dozens of different detailing products I can list for different needs.

Thank you so much for such a detailed post. Do you have any recommendation for a good power washer? I stay in an apartment building and might not have access to a water pipe. Electrical outlet is still possible. I have seen some power washers which can use a bucket as a source too?

Also, if possible, can you link to any existing post or share the bare minimum products to get? Like: Shampoo, dressings (for inside and tyres) Or anything else that I might be missing.

I am super excited about maintaining my new car and I think having a car care routine every sunday might be very therapeutic too haha

After doing some more research, I shortlisted these three solutions:

• Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Seal N Shine - Improved Formula
• Sonax 314300 Concentrate Gloss Shampoo (1 L)
• PROKLEAR® Waterless Dry Car Wash Concentrate Dilutable 200 times RAW Xtreme CX Carnauba Wax Rinseless / Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate 250ml - 100 washes Makes 50 liters

I already ordered a bunch of 500gsm micro fibres. Now I only need to figure out is a good pressure washer which might run from a bucket and on a battery! that would be so cool.

Also, anyone here from Kolkata? What is the best place to get a professional ceramic coating done from? I got a quote from excelleratemotors and they are charging 32k (which I think is a bit over priced?)

3M Car care quoted 25k and I am yet to get a quotation from Ceramic Pro.


I also have a labrador. So any dog parents with cars who can share any specific tips, I will be really grateful. One concern in my old car was that my dog's paws would scratch the outer surface when he used to hang his paws out the window. I thought of getting a PPF done only for doors but am scared that PPFs on white are usually not recommended.

[jna4cob]

Got Soft 99 Fusso Wax, world's most durable wax made in Japan. After application, car seems to be super glossy, slick and extremely hydrophobic. It is based on fluorine technology (PTFE) and should easily last a year. Got them from Elpis components. I tried other sellers but they were quoting exorbitant prices. Elpis gave me at a discount of 63% as there is a sale going on till March 31st. The product seems to be genuine and neatly packed. Customer support is excellent and the product was shipped within minutes of placing the order. I have also ordered Soft 99 Ultra Glaco. Waiting for the item to be delivered.

[RedOne]

Need some advice on Ceramic/PPF/Wax

I have always detailed all my cars myself, which currently is a light dusting with Jopasu before use (typically once in 2-3 days), wash with Dodo Juice rinseless wash once in 4-5 weeks or as required and wax with Collinite 845 every 3 months, with a pre-wax cleaner if required and a polish (with mild agent) one in 2-3 years to correct any issues and for swirl removal. A spray and wipe with Chemical guys QD as or if required in between. I LIKE doing all this this.

I am now considering whether or not to get a Ceramic coating done, with PPF for bumpers and mirrors. Objective is improve long term protection and finish. Does it make sense or just continue my current routine? Do I have to miss my detailing routine, or is there a similar routine for ceramic coated cars? Car is a white Volvo (known for hard paint), 6 years old, with very good paint.

Thanks in advance!

[Artyom]

Originally Posted by jna4cob

Got Soft 99 Fusso Wax, world's most durable wax made in Japan. After application, car seems to be super glossy, slick and extremely hydrophobic. It is based on fluorine technology (PTFE) and should easily last a year. Got them from Elpis components. I tried other sellers but they were quoting exorbitant prices. Elpis gave me at a discount of 63% as there is a sale going on till March 31st. The product seems to be genuine and neatly packed. Customer support is excellent and the product was shipped within minutes of placing the order. I have also ordered Soft 99 Ultra Glaco. Waiting for the item to be delivered.

Oh Man i have been searching for this for long. From where did you get it. Can you share some details with me?

[.sushilkumar]

Originally Posted by Artyom

Oh Man i have been searching for this for long. From where did you get it. Can you share some details with me?

You should be able to get from below

https://www.elpisindia.in/

Edit- Blow is their online shop link
https://shopelpis.com/collections/all

[sumeetchawla]

Originally Posted by sumeetchawla

Thank you so much for such a detailed post. Do you have any recommendation for a good power washer? I stay in an apartment building and might not have access to a water pipe. Electrical outlet is still possible. I have seen some power washers which can use a bucket as a source too?

Hey everyone!

I was thinking of getting Ceramic coating done but most of the people were quoting super high and were going to do paint correction anyway. So I thought why not try and maintain the colour of a new car, with good practices as recommended here. If, in a year's time I find it too difficult to maintain, then I might go for some detailing service. Also, I understand that one has to still maintain the car in a similar fashion even after a ceramic coating.

So I got my initial setup done. Spotted a pressure washer when I visited the local metro cash and carry store and just went for it. Then started my buying spree of different shampoos and other detailing stuff. Here is my initial set:



I also got the Karcher K2 compatible foamer. It foams but not as thick as I have seen in some Youtube videos. I used the turtle snow foam shampoo.

I have washed twice in two weeks till now and its so much fun!

After the washes, I have applied the Turtle Ceramic Spray (Sealant?) thing and it seems to be nice.

Though the biggest problem I seem to have is with the glass. I bought the 3M glass cleaner and it just made it worse. I didn't realise it while cleaning it during the day but at night every incoming light was hazy and I could see the streaks on all the windows and the sun roof

Also, I have an open parking. So the day I washed it, the next day it drizzled and the car is full of dried water spots now. All that effort gone in vain haha

Woud love if you all can share some tips for :

1. How to clean/maintain glass surfaces?
2. How to clean the car of those pesky dried rain drop spots?
3. How can I generate really thick form using a Karcher k2 foamer?

I also spotted this solution from Glaco which has really amazing hydrophobic properties. I might try that sometime as rainy season is about to come.

I told the dealer not to put their brand vinyl sticker but they still did it nevertheless. Need to remove that. To be honest, it's free marketing. If they are putting stickers, they should give more discount! Here are some pictures after my first DIY detailing session.

[vivek2652]

Recently I purchased Turtle Wax Ice Seal N Shine. Contrary to popular belief I didn't see any shine/water beading/sheeting with respect to wax products . Does anyone else feel the same thing about this product?

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by sumeetchawla

Thank you so much for such a detailed post. Do you have any recommendation for a good power washer? I stay in an apartment building and might not have access to a water pipe. Electrical outlet is still possible. I have seen some power washers which can use a bucket as a source too?

Also, if possible, can you link to any existing post or share the bare minimum products to get? Like: Shampoo, dressings (for inside and tyres) Or anything else that I might be missing.

I am super excited about maintaining my new car and I think having a car care routine every sunday might be very therapeutic too haha

After doing some more research, I shortlisted these three solutions:

• Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Seal N Shine - Improved Formula
• Sonax 314300 Concentrate Gloss Shampoo (1 L)
• PROKLEAR® Waterless Dry Car Wash Concentrate Dilutable 200 times RAW Xtreme CX Carnauba Wax Rinseless / Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate 250ml - 100 washes Makes 50 liters

I already ordered a bunch of 500gsm micro fibres. Now I only need to figure out is a good pressure washer which might run from a bucket and on a battery! that would be so cool.

Also, anyone here from Kolkata? What is the best place to get a professional ceramic coating done from? I got a quote from excelleratemotors and they are charging 32k (which I think is a bit over priced?)

3M Car care quoted 25k and I am yet to get a quotation from Ceramic Pro.

Happy to help. If you have access to 220V, you can use a portable water container to draw from as nearly every pressure washer can draw from a bucket/tank. You’ll get much better performance than cordless machines, pressure washers start at 6-7k and can go as high you want, under 70k I’d suggest staying away from Karcher and Bosch, specially their domestic line up as they’re cheaply made and don’t last (also are very difficult to repair).

Look at Chinese machines which are good value and can last quite a long time (the ones branded in India are also Chinese imports in most cases). Will suggest a trolley type as it makes movement easy, don’t get anything with a hose under 10m (15m is better), induction copper motor, for flow rate you want at least 9-10L/min and for pressure you want at least 120 bar.

Products: there are hundreds of detailing products aimed at every specific surface on your car, I’ll list the basics-

Snow foam shampoo: Koch Chemie GSF snow foam, Chemical Guys Honeydew snow foam, Gyeon Q2M Foam

Tyre and trim dressing: Carpro PERL (can be diluted if you want)

All purpose cleaner (APC): Koch Chemie Greenstar, Carpro MultiX

Iron + tar remover: Carpro TRIX

Clay: Northwolf, Simoniz blue clay

Spray Sealant: Gyeon CanCoat 2.0 (much better than traditional waxes/paint sealants)

Glass cleaner: use 25% strength IPA (buy lab grade IPA from Amazon)

Towels: TRC (The Rag Company) Eagle Edgeless 500 if you want the best out there, if not, these are also good- https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=...2&dct=1&adurl=

Surface prep: Carpro Eraser (use just before applying paint protection)

Avoid waterless washing/Jopasu duster if you want to keep swirls away, you can use an air blower like a contactless duster in between the pressure washer cleaning.

Yes detailing your car is very therapeutic, once you get started you’ll never go back. 32k is not overpriced when it comes to ceramic coating provided a top tier brand is being used and the installers are good with years of experience behind them to correct paint to near perfection.

Also ensure they’re approved installers for the brand they’re using. You can check this by going to the brands India website and looking at the list of authorised installers.

Originally Posted by RedOne

Need some advice on Ceramic/PPF/Wax

I have always detailed all my cars myself, which currently is a light dusting with Jopasu before use (typically once in 2-3 days), wash with Dodo Juice rinseless wash once in 4-5 weeks or as required and wax with Collinite 845 every 3 months, with a pre-wax cleaner if required and a polish (with mild agent) one in 2-3 years to correct any issues and for swirl removal. A spray and wipe with Chemical guys QD as or if required in between. I LIKE doing all this this.

I am now considering whether or not to get a Ceramic coating done, with PPF for bumpers and mirrors. Objective is improve long term protection and finish. Does it make sense or just continue my current routine? Do I have to miss my detailing routine, or is there a similar routine for ceramic coated cars? Car is a white Volvo (known for hard paint), 6 years old, with very good paint.

Thanks in advance!

Don’t get partial PPF, it will yellow in a short amount of time and the panels you’ve covered with it will stick out and look ugly. You will also have uneven orange peel as the PPF sections will have much more optical distortion than the factory paint.

If those two points are the objective, getting a coating and professional paint correction will massively improve the gloss and provide long term protection to the coated surfaces. You can still follow all those steps but it’s not needed (don’t do rinseless washing and jopasu anyway as it swirls up paint, even on harder Volvos and it prematurely wears out the ceramic’s hydrophobic properties).

The only change you’ll make is to switch the carnauba based waxes with a silica based spray sealant (again not needed on a pro coating for the first few years but can be done no harm.)

Originally Posted by sumeetchawla

Hey everyone!

Here is my initial set:

Attachment 2592132

I also got the Karcher K2 compatible foamer. It foams but not as thick as I have seen in some Youtube videos. I used the turtle snow foam shampoo.

I have washed twice in two weeks till now and its so much fun!

After the washes, I have applied the Turtle Ceramic Spray (Sealant?) thing and it seems to be nice.

Though the biggest problem I seem to have is with the glass. I bought the 3M glass cleaner and it just made it worse. I didn't realise it while cleaning it during the day but at night every incoming light was hazy and I could see the streaks on all the windows and the sun roof

Woud love if you all can share some tips for :

1. How to clean/maintain glass surfaces?
2. How to clean the car of those pesky dried rain drop spots?
3. How can I generate really thick form using a Karcher k2 foamer?

It is a lot of fun and quite satisfying when done correctly. K2 has a very low flow rate, you want at least 8-9L/min of flow at 120 bar or above to get decent foam density, the Karcher bottle is a soap dispenser and doesn’t foam anywhere near as thick as a proper foam cannon will. Also use soft filtered water in your foam cannon, avoid hard water.

I’d suggest upgrading the hose to something steel braided (stock is nasty PVC that kinks and tears very easily), at least 10m in length (stock is 6m) with a swivel for ease of handling. A short gun will also be nice as you can’t get inside the wheel arches with the stock long gun.

1) Use 25% strength IPA (iso propyl alcohol, use RO water to dilute) and the two towel method for perfect glass every time, spray into the first towel and make 2 passes, follow through with your dry towel. Don’t mix the towels and you won’t have any haze/streaking.

Use a bright flashlight to check your glasses once you’re done, you can never get glass perfect without bright, direct light.

2) If they’re fresh they’ll come off with a snow foam during the contact wash, do not wipe over dust and mud without the pressure washer rinse as this will scratch. If they’re etched into the paint, use a dedicated mineral deposit remover like Puris D19 to chemically remove.

3) You can’t, that Karcher bottle is the worst foam cannon I’ve ever used (quite an achievement given how many I’ve tried), I believe it’s not even a foam cannon, just a soap dispenser hence the results. It’s also too small volume wise to do even one car properly.

Also, flow rate is very important for thick foam, see my points above.

Get a foam cannon like this:

https://www.amazon.in/JPT-Complete-O...2C1079&sr=8-19

Adapter to match the Karcher fitting to the quick connect on the foam cannon: https://www.amazon.in/Pressure-Adapt...s%2C198&sr=8-6

[sumeetchawla]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Happy to help. If you have access to 220V, you can use a portable water container to draw from as nearly every pressure washer can draw from a bucket/tank. You’ll get much better performance than cordless machines, pressure washers start at 6-7k and can go as high you want, under 70k I’d suggest staying away from Karcher and Bosch, specially their domestic line up as they’re cheaply made and don’t last (also are very difficult to repair).

Look at Chinese machines which are good value and can last quite a long time (the ones branded in India are also Chinese imports in most cases). Will suggest a trolley type as it makes movement easy, don’t get anything with a hose under 10m (15m is better), induction copper motor, for flow rate you want at least 9-10L/min and for pressure you want at least 120 bar.

Wow, thank you so much for such a detailed reply. This is a treasure trove of knowledge. I will try to upgrade the foam cannon in a few months as I just got them

But love your suggestions on the products. Will try to get them as soon as possible. I have been watching youtube videos on how professionals clean their cars and they use most of these stuff. One down side I see of buying a SUV like Creta is that it's so hard to clean the top vs a low sedan haha.

Thank you again! this reply answers all the questions I had.

Just one last question: Do you think is it worth getting a Ceramic Coating done and any particular brand your recommend?

PPF is definitely better but I don't want to spend 1.5+ lakhs on it. Already spent over 20k for DIY detailing stuff. Also, I have read at multiple places that PPF on white always shows the yellowish tinge cause of oxidation.

[DrViz_26]

New to this thread! Excellent details.

Expecting some good guidance for my situation as well!

Napoli Black XUV 700 - less than a week old. The color is hard to maintain with my daily commute in city.

My friend who owns a detailing shop with 10+ years of experience swears against PPF as he says it would still need the same amount maintenance.

When it comes to detailing, I feel it’s a lot fun and satisfying process.

I currently own:

The Jopasu duster
3M car shampoo
Turtle wax - Upholstery cleaner
Turtle wax - Spray wax
Turtle wax trim restorer for the black plastics outside the car - Bought this because - I feel even if the painted parts are detailed well - a faded plastic always makes the car look older

Need suggestions / links for:

1) Any change in the above products - I guess mostly the shampoo
2) Good quality pressure washer
3) How to maintain the glass surfaces
4) The turtle wax spray - with my own use makes my car look dull and matte. The gloss is completely gone - NEED ALTERNATIVES
5) Any new products to add to the detailing regime
6) Is detailing easier after ceramic costing is done?

PS: I am not investing on PPF so redirecting the budget to detailing. So good quality products and explanations are welcome.

[arnieshwartz]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

You should be able to get from below

https://www.elpisindia.in/

Edit- Blow is their online shop link
https://shopelpis.com/collections/all

Thank you! I have never heard of Fusso Coat and up until now was considering going for Collinite's legendary insulator wax, No. 845 along with a polisher.

The vehicles at home are now 7yrs and running, and the exterior needs some TLC. I'll give the Fusso Coat a try first and see how it goes.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by sumeetchawla

Wow, thank you so much for such a detailed reply.

Just one last question: Do you think is it worth getting a Ceramic Coating done and any particular brand your recommend?

PPF is definitely better but I don't want to spend 1.5+ lakhs on it. Already spent over 20k for DIY detailing stuff. Also, I have read at multiple places that PPF on white always shows the yellowish tinge cause of oxidation.

Happy to help.

PPF is definitely not better, quite the opposite in fact but that’s another discussion. Yes it will yellow and this shows the most on light colours like white and silver. It is worth getting a coating as it’s the most durable form of paint protection which adds a lot of chemical and UV protection to the clearcoat and makes cleaning a breeze as well due to hydrophobic properties.

You still have to wash safely though, no matter what you put over the paint.

Good brands for pro coatings- Capro, Gyeon, SystemX, Modesta, Optimum, Feynlab, etc.

Originally Posted by DrViz_26

New to this thread! Excellent details.

My friend who owns a detailing shop with 10+ years of experience swears against PPF as he says it would still need the same amount maintenance.

When it comes to detailing, I feel it’s a lot fun and satisfying process.

Need suggestions / links for:

1) Any change in the above products - I guess mostly the shampoo
2) Good quality pressure washer
3) How to maintain the glass surfaces
4) The turtle wax spray - with my own use makes my car look dull and matte. The gloss is completely gone - NEED ALTERNATIVES
5) Any new products to add to the detailing regime
6) Is detailing easier after ceramic costing is done?

Welcome Dr. Viz, your friend is correct in that it needs even more maintenance as it’s much softer than bare paint, swirls easier and is not as workable as paint is. You can barely polish film, no rubbing compounds can be used, neither can stone chips be filled in and you still need to put a coating over it for long lasting hydrophobic properties.

1) See my post above this, have mentioned some products including snow foams. Also eliminate the Joapsu as it scratches the paint with dry abrasion. Use a leaf blower instead as an air duster.

2) Without knowing your budget I cannot say as it’s a very wide range.

3) Two towel method of cleaning with 25% IPA.

4) Check the bottles expiry date and move on from Turtle, much better brands are available in the industry. Try Koch Chemie, Capro, Rupes, Gyeon, Menzerna, etc.

5) Any specific need? There are dozens of products to pick from aimed at different surfaces on a car.

6) Yes much easier.