The 2017 DIY DETAILING ADVICE THREAD

  • Thread starter Thread starter YFCvii
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Black 03 Z06 said:
Tell us what to avoid Toxix. What a mess.
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Personally, I use soap and water for my wheel cleaners. There's just too much risk involved in high acid/high alkaline wheel cleaners that leave that mess.
I avoid Sonax, Meguiar's and a bunch of other major wheel cleaners like the plague. Just not worth having to refinish the wheels because of a product.
 
Since we're posting some shiny cars here I figure I'd put up my ride.
This car has been parked outside 24/7 now - Sitting and being driven in the continuous rain, snow and then baking in the sun while I work on my clients cars in the garage. Still looks good after 2+ months of not being washed.

And since we're posting steps, I'll post what was done on my vehicle:
Thorough Wash - Mix with All Purpose Cleaner to help strip off any old waxes and sealants
Claybar - All painted surfaces + glass + lights are thoroughly claybarred to remove surface bonded contaminants
Iron X - Helps remove baked on iron deposits in paint
Rinse and Dry - Thorough rinse to remove all clay lubricant, Iron X followed by a hand dry
Paint Correction - All painted surfaces conditioned and corrected with Menzerna PF2500 followed by Menzerna SF3500 for optically perfect paint
Panel Prep for Coating - Using Feynlabs Panel Prep removes all polishing oils, silicones and grease to all a perfect, 100% bond to Ceramic Coating
Feynlabs Ceramic Plus 5 Year Ceramic Coating Install - All painted exterior surfaces coated in Feynlabs Ceramic Plus 5 Year
Cure - Let the coating cure for a bit, usually overnight and then I'm good to go

I decided that I wanted to track this car more than I wash, drive it more than I washed it and having the ability to leave it outside without being concerned about my paint getting trashed. Doesn't look too bad, yeah?

Coated.jpg
 
Toxix said:
... car has been parked outside 24/7 now - Sitting and being driven in the continuous rain, snow and then baking in the sun while I work on my clients cars in the garage. Still looks good after 2+ months of not being washed. View attachment 15940
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Hello Toxix,
Beautiful Corvette ... I still remember your acquisition day ....
You know you are Yoda in the Jedi Resistance against the Force that reeks havoc on our fleet ...
I am hoping to be able to initiate my Corvette Detail on the first Friday in May ... and on that note ...
May the 4th be with us all :D
Cheers, Spence
 
Toxix yes your car looks great. I’m certain mine would not look that good sitting outside for a day.
The advice on the wheel cleaning I found very interesting as that’s the first time I’ve read this perspective. Thinking about it there are so many threads around discussing refinishing wheels... perhaps these products can do more harm than good. I’ve got the satin black wheels and I will now stop using that foam and go back to soapy water. Also thanks for sharing sharing your cleaning and finishing steps. There are 100s of “perfect methods” out there... with no photo to back it up. Does the type or colour of the paint change anything for you? Solid colour vs metallic finish etc. Anything specific you would recommend for my black car? Much appreciated.

Derek.
 
Your car looks great Elton. I agree on the wheels. I also tend to shy away from acidic or caustic cleaners. I do spray a wheel protectant a couple times per season though. I find the dust just rinses off a lot easier. Hasn't seemed to negatively affect them in any way yet..... All in all, good advice. When are you opening a satellite shop in Alberta?
 
ddgermann said:
Toxix yes your car looks great. I’m certain mine would not look that good sitting outside for a day.
The advice on the wheel cleaning I found very interesting as that’s the first time I’ve read this perspective. Thinking about it there are so many threads around discussing refinishing wheels... perhaps these products can do more harm than good. I’ve got the satin black wheels and I will now stop using that foam and go back to soapy water. Also thanks for sharing sharing your cleaning and finishing steps. There are 100s of “perfect methods” out there... with no photo to back it up. Does the type or colour of the paint change anything for you? Solid colour vs metallic finish etc. Anything specific you would recommend for my black car? Much appreciated.

Derek.
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This is actually an amazing question. The answer is that most wheel cleaners work perfectly on paint wheels. It's the satin, matte, porous wheels that are a huge problem when using wheel cleaners. They basically absorb the harsh chemicals which permanently stain the wheel. Got a clear-coated, painted, glossy wheel? Use whatever you want, hell, you can even use Iron X for every wash and you won't have a problem, it really is a problem with the non-clearcoated wheels.

I've given a few options to my clients, I can machine polish each wheel with an aggressive metal polish for approximately $300+ and get it looking almost as good as new or they can refinish it. Most, if not all of them trust me to polish out their wheels. Its a headache but I get it, they want to retain the factory finish on their $4500+ set of wheels; I would do the same.
 
Rruuff Day said:
Your car looks great Elton. I agree on the wheels. I also tend to shy away from acidic or caustic cleaners. I do spray a wheel protectant a couple times per season though. I find the dust just rinses off a lot easier. Hasn't seemed to negatively affect them in any way yet..... All in all, good advice. When are you opening a satellite shop in Alberta?
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Good choice. For those of you that have a favorite wheel cleaner and want to try something, go ahead, just don't let it it sit on the wheels for very long. Spray, agitate, rinse. One wheel at a time. Hah, satellite shop, goals man, goals. My farthest client just came to me from Sudbury for a 5 year coating install. Hoping and can't wait to expand but thats many years down the road.
 
Toxix said:
Personally, I use soap and water for my wheel cleaners. There's just too much risk involved in high acid/high alkaline wheel cleaners that leave that mess.
I avoid Sonax, Meguiar's and a bunch of other major wheel cleaners like the plague. Just not worth having to refinish the wheels because of a product.
Click to expand...

If one has a years worth of brake dust built up on the inside of the wheel will soap/water get it off. I have to take my wheels off to change my brake pads out soon so was going to give the wheels a thorough cleaning so this thread is timely. What kind of soap is best? Thanks Toxix.
 
Pep said:
If one has a years worth of brake dust built up on the inside of the wheel will soap/water get it off. I have to take my wheels off to change my brake pads out soon so was going to give the wheels a thorough cleaning so this thread is timely. What kind of soap is best? Thanks Toxix.
Click to expand...

If the wheels are off the vehicle and you have full access to every inch of wheel I think you could get away with a wheel cleaner, the problem I find is that people spray the wheels with wheel cleaner while they are mounted on the car and don't rinse every nook and cranny causing the wheel to get stained.

I would suggest using diluted degreaser and some elbow grease to properly clean wheels. That or any paint safe automotive grade soap will do the trick,
 
Brian just woke up from the winter/spring nap. Haha. Good reminders here. the car comes out this saturday and I'm spending the day getting reacquainted with every nook and cranny!
 
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