Detailing Thread [For Newbies][ARCHIVED]

[stubby]

IMG]
finally able to post 2 pics. hirap pala mag post ng pic. i opened another window pa to copy-paste the ubbcode. could i just be doing it the hard way lang?

anyway, virgin pa tong ride ko from any detailing. 2 months old pa lang. having read the advices of our trusty gurus, here's my action plan for this weekend's first exterior detailing job on my ride:
1. wash with water+shampoo mixture using a cotton chenille mitt
2. rinse off water+shampoo mixture
3. clay on the clean wet surface
4. rinse off clayed wet surface
5. dry with chamois
5. use mothers cleaner wax via WOWO method using microtex suede to apply, eurow microfiber to buff
6. use 3M IHG - wipe on every 2 panels using microtex suede, then wipe off the 2 panels using eurow microfiber
7. use mothers reflections using megs applicator pad to apply, buff after 24 hrs using eurow microfiber

comments please. question lang po - may i use the same microfiber for buffing the cleaner wax, IHG, and reflections wax? again, maraming salamat po!

[stubby]

zechs, parang nag-cra-crash course ba ako sa detailing? hehe. siguro dala lang ng excitement and enthusiasm. thanks for the advice bro, will take it as a gradual learning process. pareho tayo sir, not much time on my hands. i actually only have sundays to detail the car. kaya nga yung 24 hrs "hazing" (tama ba 'tong word) time for the pure wax is medyo questionable pa. but what im really looking forward to, after hours of labor, is the prize of seeing my ride with that pristine gloss and shine!

[ILuvDetailing]

Stubby: Maybe you can replace the chamois with a waffle weave microfiber towel. Checkout bigberts.com for availability.

Chamois is kinda grabby, which if not used properly will cause swirls.

Pare pareho tayo, I also have only sundays to wax my car... but I wash on weekdays lalo na rainy season ngayon. Just take your time to read and try out different products and ofcourse research. happy detailing.

[ILuvDetailing]

BTW Nice Ride. Pareho kayo ni Patopig He's Mazda 3 is Red By the way.

[chain]

si theveed at dehadista ang guru dito, ako guru guruhan lang

uy hindi ako guru.. hehe this thread is a great area for all of us to pick up a thing or two with regards to detailing..

[chain]

stubby: yep.. same vehicle yun.

when it comes to wax application, try to work in even and thin layers.. you don't have to plop it.. you'll just have difficulty in product removal later on.. sayang pa yung excess.

BTW, as ILD said earlier, part of the fun in this comes from trying out new products, combos and figuring out which works for you / your preference.

[chain]

stubby: hmm, nice work BTW. get some pics na may fluorescent or sun shots... para makita talaga natin yung results nyan...

you'll notice that eurow MF's are a bit grabby at first.. these will soften up after a washing or two.

also, with that color, maganda durability ng products mo. they tend to last longer as compared to darker colors.

[stubby]

ILD, i bought a microtex chamois, as recommended dito sa thread. i like the results naman, so i guess eto na lang gamitin ko for drying. medyo may kamahalan din at 250 kaya sayang naman kung bibili pa ako nung waffle weave. wa na ko fera bro! hehe

magkapatid nga rides namin ni patopig kaya sana magparamdam ulit si patopig para i can also get some advices din fr a kapwa-mazda3 driver. mukhang busy pa yata sa pagdedetail...hehe

dehadista/ILD, since this will be my first detail for my car, il make do first with what i have. the products that i have and will use are all recommended naman dito sa thread and sa PAD. nag short list ako talaga habang binabasa ko tong mala-telenobelang thread nating ito. as i move on to future detailing sa ride ko, i do intend to mix up and try other combos as you guys suggested.

dehadista, yung pics ng mz3 ay yung condition niya as of now. hindi ko pa ito nadedetail. i still plan to do my first detailing job this sunday.

sirs, can you give an assessment of my car's condition thru those pics? will my plan of action, as ive posted along with the pics, be ok...or do i make any adjustments? really appreciate inputs niyo mga bros!

[ILuvDetailing]

stubby: Well if its the Microtex Chamois then its pretty good, other Chamois become hard after you wash it, hence the need for the plastic container to keep it soft, Microtex stays soft even after several washes. However I only use this chamois for the bumpers, weather strips, windows and pillars, the rest I use a waffle weave... hehehe call me OC pero nasanay na ako sa waffle weave.

Its really hard to assess your car thru pictures, but if you can get some sun and flourescent shots like what dehadista said it would be much better.

[ts1n1ta]

more pics more pics!



kotse ko more than one month ng madumi. eeeooow..

[ILuvDetailing]

ts1n1ta: Linisin mo tsikot mo tapos post pics here.... more pics! reflection pics of ts1n1ta's ride

[chain]

stubby: oops.. kala ko tapos na and you took some shots. hehe anyway, hirap gawan ng accurate assessment yan from your pics.. kung may sun shots ka mapapansin kagad natin kung may swirls and defects yan..

yan kasi advantage ng white.. hindi halata masyado. hehehe

if you notice sa detailing products, halos dark colored cars ang ginagamit as model unit. mas dramatic ang changes.

pero from the looks of things, it seems hindi pa.. regular maintenance ang hinahanap nyan.

tsinits: ok lang rainy season kasi.. understandable yun.. hehe

[chain]

more pics! reflection pics of ts1n1ta's ride

hahaha...

honga!

[stubby]

ILD, dehadista, il post some sun and floursecent shots pero malamang this would be after i detail the car na this weekend. hiniram ko lang kasi camera sa sis ko. anyway, i guess the sun wont show up these coming days....may bagyo yata dahil napaka-gloomy sa labas! nakakahinayang talaga mag detail tapos uulan lang pagkatapos. kung puro shine lang kasi ang maidudulot ng detailing at wala namang protection, eh wag na lang sana mag-detail di ba....but because of the protection it gives considering the weather elements, dapat talaga mag-detail.

understandable yung using dark colored cars (especially black) as an example kasi napakaganda nga naman ng kulay na ito kapag na-detail. i gives both shine and depth. i too wanted a black mz3 at first but i chose white for two main reasons - 1. ganda ng contrast between the color and the front headlights & rear tail lights, 2. white is the easiest color to maintain next to silver/gray.

speaking of black colored cars, i-echo ko din yung call ninyo kay ts1n1ta....reflection nga naman dyan!

[chain]

these days, car wash almost every other day.. lalo na after going through a rain. hindi ko matiis pag may film ng dirt lalo na on a dark colored vehicle such as mine. nangangati akong linisin yung auto ko! hindi kasi kaya ng CCD yun eh.

Stubby: BTW, if you have Mom's Reflections, ganda yan.. one of the better products out in the market. this weekend nga I'll be trying a Mom's S/G, Reflections Combo on dark green.

[ILuvDetailing]

i-echo ko din yung call ninyo kay ts1n1ta....reflection nga naman dyan!

O ayan ts1n1ta, may bago ka nang fan

[chain]

teka, uulitin ko uli yung call.. hehehe

Reflection Pics naman tsinita!

[stubby]

bibili na ako ng mothers clay bar sa isang shop sa edsa. how do i know if the bar is in good condition, yung bang hindi "expired" ang dating. i remember a thread stating it must be soft and moist. what other characteristics of the bar do i look for para masabi kong maganda condition niya. TIA!

tanong ko lang ulit....sa 3 step detail ko, can i use one microfiber towel to buff the cleaner, the IHG, and the wax? or do i have to use one towel each to buff each step?

also, i plan to use the microtex suede for the cleaner wax kasi madalas kong gagamitin ang cleaner wax not only pag nag 3 step ako every 3 or 4 months but also every two weeks pang maintenance. what cheaper alternative can you suggest i use to apply the IHG kasi hindi ko naman ito gagamitin madalas, tuwing 3 step lang. puti naman kotse kaya di masyado talaga gagamitin tong IHG di ba. parang ayoko kasing bumili pa ng isa pang suede at P230 (mahal kasi) tapos gagamitin ko lang every 3 or 4 months.

naku, pasensya na po talaga sa kakulitan ko....TIA ulit!

[stubby]

dehadista, ikaw yata nag advice sa akin ng moms reflections eh, kaya eto bibili na mamaya! ako din, nangangating linisin ang kotse pag may film of dirt fr the rains. sinyales yata talaga 'to ng isang detailing addict eh....hehe!

ILD, may fan club ba? kung meron, sign me in! hehe!

[ILuvDetailing]

tanong ko lang ulit....sa 3 step detail ko, can i use one microfiber towel to buff the cleaner, the IHG, and the wax? or do i have to use one towel each to buff each step?

Preferably you'd have to use one for each, but if its not soiled up with wax then you can still use it.

also, i plan to use the microtex suede for the cleaner wax kasi madalas kong gagamitin ang cleaner wax not only pag nag 3 step ako every 3 or 4 months but also every two weeks pang maintenance. what cheaper alternative can you suggest i use to apply the IHG kasi hindi ko naman ito gagamitin madalas, tuwing 3 step lang. puti naman kotse kaya di masyado talaga gagamitin tong IHG di ba. parang ayoko kasing bumili pa ng isa pang suede at P230 (mahal kasi) tapos gagamitin ko lang every 3 or 4 months.

You can buy 'em Miguars foam applicators from Hans Tools, Last Time I check its around 90 per