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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-795.html)

Any good APC (all purpose cleaner) will remove mild to moderate levels of mildew stains, Koch Chemie Greenstar is a good one I’ve used for a long time now. Dilute with soft water before use.

If wiping doesn’t fully remove, use a soft bristle detailing brush to agitate before wiping. Neutralise the cleaner with final wipes with plain water in a towel.

There are better and more durable options out there compared to Turtle. Gyeon Cancoat if you want in spray form, or Carpro UK 3.0 if liquid is ok. Both are very easy to apply and Cancoat will easily last 6-8 months and UK 3 will go 1 year+ with safe washing. Wash - IPA wipe - apply.

:eek:
Both are way costly and over the budget.
Can't convince my wife to spend this much just for maintenance lol:
Any cheaper options ?
Yesterday I did a coat of 3M wax and just love the gloss ! Was thinking of applying a spray of Seal N Shine to top it off !

Yes, suggested Cancoat as you wanted something durable. You do get multiple coats out of one bottle, lowering your cost per use.

If you’re ok with reapplying every 1-2 months, wax is fine, won’t bead water aggressively though. Seal n Shine you can use but it’s a sealant and more durable than wax, which requires it to be applied before the wax. When layering protection, the golden rule is start with the more durable product and follow through with the less durable one over it.

We recently got a new car, looks like it’s a dust magnet or the shiny olive color of the car makes it look dusty within few hours. The other car is metallic brown in color, it doesn’t look that dusty, although both are adjacent to each other most of the times.

We have a covered parking space for both the cars. I was thinking to get a leaf blower to remove this dust rather than getting the car covers which I feel is a big pain. I simply hate to put it and remove the car covers on regular basis, never ever has that worked for me. Earlier I remember in few months it used to get so dirty that I even hated to touch it.

So now a quick question, how effective is “leaf blower” for displacing/removing this dust on regular basis ? Will it be helpful or just a waste of money ? Anyone specifically using it for dust removal ? If yes, what brand & technical specifications are recommended ? Or any other way to deal with this dust situation ?

Thanks in advance !!

Yes, super effective. Leaf blower is the only safe way to dry a car without any risk of towel induced swirling, it’s also the quickest assuming your paint is coated/protected.

Don’t get anything under 2500-3000W as the small ones don’t have the air volume for the job. I’ve used the Black and Decker GW3030 for many years now and it’s brilliant. Stihl also makes a decent blower but it’s slightly less powerful. Wear earmuffs when using.

The only other option to safely remove dust without a pressure washer which gets it wet and takes longer, is using compressed air. If you’ve got power near the car, a small 220V compressor is a great tool to have.

Keep in mind when air dusting, it’s not going to remove everything 100%, but you’ll get 90% off and it’ll look clean unless you’re very close to the paint.

This is how quick it is after 2 days of driving and parking in the open on a coated car-

https://youtu.be/Hmk57OOQLz8

Any suggestions on the compund to use to remove sun films from door windows? My 9 year old sun films have started deteriorating and is chipping off rapidly.

Edit: It seems the films have multiple layers and the top part was only chipping away. Now i managed to peel off the films and only the glue residue remains.

For old film removal use a metal blade, use at a very shallow angle to ensure you scrape over the glass and not into it. Follow through with tar and adhesive remover like Carpro TRIX to remove glue residue.

Rubbing compound can also be used to tackle glue stains but won’t do much against actual film material, for that the blade is the quickest method. It’s fairly safe provided you know what you’re doing.

Thanks, i had managed to remove the film without anything. The glue came off using rubbing alcohol.

What's a solution to keep the sheen on a black car that is cleaned by the apartment security guard everyday?

Can I apply wax spray once in a while or will it get removed by the daily cleaning?

That’s like asking how to survive a headshot from a high caliber sniper rifle lol:.

In other words, please don’t. Not just wax, no matter what you apply to the paint (wax/sealant/ceramic/self healing clearcoat/PPF, etc). It will get completely destroyed over time owing to the heavy abrasion inflicted by that daily wipedown.

To give some perspective, on soft paints the daily cleaner will take off 5-7 microns within a 2-3 year period, and around 10+ microns over 6-7 years.

Your entire paint system has just 25-30 microns of clearcoat when new on most factory produced cars. (Hand painted exotics are an exception.) With the final 5-7 microns being fused with the colour coat udnerneath, shaving paint this thin will result in failed clearcoat patches over time.

Invest in a small pressure washer and leaf blower and look into touchless rinsing with occasional contact washes using multiple mitts/towels.

Thank you. I understand the issue better now. But let me add a little more context. Hyderabad has a very dusty environment. Add to that I visit construction sites often resulting in the watchman having to clean the car thoroughly. On top of all this, the color of the car is black so there is always a thin layer of dust.

Given all this, there is no way I can stop him.from cleaning the car on a daily basis. So, what would be the best solution? I'm okay to do somthing on my own or though a detailing shop regularly of required.

Thank you in advance.

Happy to help. See post 11915 of mine above. Gurgaon is as dusty (if not worse) and my cars are black too, it takes around 6 minutes to see visible dust settle on a freshly washed car.

So, just use a leaf blower to air dust at home. This can be done as often as you like in a day and takes about 50 seconds to cover the entire car. Wear a dust mask.

Every 2-3 days take a pressure washer to it, followed by air. If your paint and glass is ceramic coated, you won’t even need to wipe after these steps are done.

For foam washes where contact is made with the paint, rinse thoroughly, foam it up and very gently wipe the paint top to bottom. Use multiple mitts (6-7) with one mitt per panel (2 sides per mitt), noodle type microfibre works best. Rinse off the remaining foam and dry with a blower. This takes around 45 mins and should be done at least once in 15-20 days to remove road film buildup.

For the detailer, use them initially to get a high quality ceramic coating everywhere, paint, glass and wheels.

As for maintenance, some may offer a quick rinse with soap, but most don’t have leaf blowers and using towels to dry will leave fine marring behind unless one is working in a surgically clean environment and drying aid is sprayed liberally post wash before drying (impractical to implement after every wash).

They will however, have an air compressor and with the right attachment this can be used instead of the leaf blower to dry safely.

Do not let the detailer polish your paint every 6-12 months as mechanical abrasion will again remove too much clearcoat in the long run. A good coating does not require constant reapplication and will go at least 3-4 years before showing any signs of wear (reduced water beading).

The only maintenance a quality coating may require is tar and ferrous removal and in certain cases, a mineral remover to tackle hard water stains. All three chemicals used here are non abrasive and do not damage the coating itself.

I know I said thank you in advance but you deserve to hear it one more time. Thank you very much and although I doubt I can keep up with what you suggested, I'll try my best. :thumbs up

Need suggestions as to how I could remove a black permanent marker mark ( a 2 digit number written by the rto while renewing the registration at 15yrs��) on the bonnet. The colour of the bonnet is metallic grey. I have tried various stuff including vinegar etc. No luck so far!

sir just use a dry erase marker over the permanent marker and wipe it with dry microfiber.