Need Exterior detailing advice...

[kenz88]

How do I remove the rough contaminants on the lower sides of my car,the mud and dirt etc. Because after washing my car the paint feels rough and doesn't feel clean. Is there a easier way to remove the contaminants aside from using a clay bar? And if I use the clay bar should I also go on to polish, glaze and wax my car?

Also another thing is that I notice is some kind of water mark on my window that I can't seem to remove. Its kinda sticky and something like melted rubber or something. How do I remove that cause I tried washing my car with car shampoo and use a kangaroo fine glass window cleaner but no luck and then I tried using vinegar and still nothing.

With the current cleaning problems that I have, do you think I am better off sending my car to a professional detailer? How much would it cost if I have it cleaned by a professional? How much would it cost if I also get a waterless engine cleaning. And can you guys recommend me a professional detailer near manila, ermita, pasay? Hopefully with reasonable pricing Thanks!

[indiej]

if you use a bug and tar remover, follow the instructions on the product label and disregard the method below.

tar/asphalt could be washed away with a mitt but sometimes stubborn enough to need long-play claying.
try this on one panel only, on the lower side for suspect tar contamination. can be done on tarred glass

wash (always with car shampoo) the test panel. spray kerosene on the panel. Gaas or Kerosene is less than 60 pesos per liter at the gasoline station. 1 liter is enough.
if those are tar or asphalt roughening the panel they would start to melt and you can rub them off easily with a cheap microfiber towel damp with kerosene after about 5-10 minutes
then immediately rinse the surrounding area with water, shampoo and rinse again.
feel and compare with other untreated panels. if this method proves effective, still be careful and test yet another spot til you get the hang of it.

i'd clay afterwards but kerosene softens paint so it's better to do the next steps a bit later.
what i do is wash the car, remove tar, wash again. Then clay, polish, seal 1-2 panels only.

if you can handle it, always try/test first before having others take a chunk off your budget.

[umi001]

You could probably use clay for both your issues. Claying really isn't that difficult - after you wash, soak the panel with lube, and rub away with your clay. If you use a fine clay, knead often, and don't use too much pressure (just enough to keep the clay on the panel), you shouldn't be causing any marring requiring polishing later on.

[igan210]

ginawa ko yung kerosene spray sa lower sides of my car, very effective, nawala yung rough contaminants sa paint...ang kinis na ulet =)

saka na ko bibili ng clay bar...ang mahal eh...hehe

if you use a bug and tar remover, follow the instructions on the product label and disregard the method below.

tar/asphalt could be washed away with a mitt but sometimes stubborn enough to need long-play claying.
try this on one panel only, on the lower side for suspect tar contamination. can be done on tarred glass

wash (always with car shampoo) the test panel. spray kerosene on the panel. Gaas or Kerosene is less than 60 pesos per liter at the gasoline station. 1 liter is enough.
if those are tar or asphalt roughening the panel they would start to melt and you can rub them off easily with a cheap microfiber towel damp with kerosene after about 5-10 minutes
then immediately rinse the surrounding area with water, shampoo and rinse again.
feel and compare with other untreated panels. if this method proves effective, still be careful and test yet another spot til you get the hang of it.

i'd clay afterwards but kerosene softens paint so it's better to do the next steps a bit later.
what i do is wash the car, remove tar, wash again. Then clay, polish, seal 1-2 panels only.

if you can handle it, always try/test first before having others take a chunk off your budget.

[grace_glide]

what's the brand of your kerosene spray? where can i avail of it? thanks a lot... got same problem here. after application, could the clear coat be washed away with it too? ty

[shadow]

what's the brand of your kerosene spray? where can i avail of it? thanks a lot... got same problem here. after application, could the clear coat be washed away with it too? ty

Ordinary kerosene lang ginagamit

[MrQ5]

na obserbahan ko nga din pag nag kerosene ka parang claying effect, kumikinis yung lower half, kaya lang di ko ginagawa ito madalas baka masira clear coat, at pag bugs naman pansin ko di effective ang kerosone. bought some P100 bug and tar remover * ace hardware still on observation of its efficacy and how safe it is on paint.

[grace_glide]

Ordinary kerosene lang ginagamit

thanks! i just hope it doesnt ruin the clear coat, my car is kinda new but im feeling the rough lower surface on my panels already.

[Hansipot]

i'd clay afterwards but kerosene softens paint so it's better to do the next steps a bit later.
what i do is wash the car, remove tar, wash again. Then clay, polish, seal 1-2 panels only.

* Indiej, If I may ask you? Was there ever an instance where you experienced the problem with kerosene softening the paint? If so, I guess the paint you are pertaining to was the clearcoat and not the paint (base coat) itself. And if it is so, how did you apply the kerosene? Was it manually done or with a machine? And lastly, what was the condition of the clear coat that was applied with? Is it still stock or a repaint one?

Please bear with me but I' m very curious. I own a car wash/detailing and body repair/ painting shop here in Laguna. I do the painting myself. In my five years of experience, we have always used kerosene as a cleaning agent to remove bugs and tars and other paint surface contaminates. I have also used almost all kinds of rubbing, polishing and waxing compounds, from high end to reasonably priced. And even the more complicated to use water based.

Kerosene is cheap, friendly and can practically be used as a cleaning agent to remove paint surface stain and other contaminates.

[indiej]

in your case kerosene is nothing to worry about, the only concern here in detailing is that if and when paint softens it becomes susceptible to marring or swirls. i personally didn't encounter any problem. i use thinner to clean before doing touch-ups too. i don't see much difference from solvents in wet paint that needs to be outgassed.

btw, i envy you refinishing peeps. i just hope more of you show an interest in detailing since you might know the notoriety of body shops among detailers so you may well "address" their concerns.

depending on the area riddled with tar spots, i use a household sprayer, after 10 minutes, wipe the tar with cloth or; sometimes i apply it using a cloth and use the same to wipe off the softened tar after 10 minutes, then wash.

my paint is largely oem, with clearcoat, done from the factory, there is some refinish but i gave it a year before i waxed it and it hasn't been buffed.

[Hansipot]

Thank you for the reply. It's time to separate the facts from the myths.

Kerosene does not harm nor damage the paint of your car as long as it is used as a cleaning agent to remove paint surface contaminates. It also leaves a glossy finish after. It will also help to keep the gloss if a sealant wax is applied afterwards.

Cleaning with kerosene is good on the lower portion of the cars where deposit of road contaminates like asphalt,brake pad particles, etc. are commonly accumulated. Though, for a complete surface or paint stain cleaning- or commercially called "detailing" , I would advise to go with cleaning agents with advanced chemical formulation to do job (Formula 1, Meguiars, Mothers, Dupont, APC, Wurth, 3M, etc.). Be conscious only as some brands, after the buffing, THE RESIDUES TEND TO HARDEN and stays in the edges of door trims and panels.

Initially, when you brought up the issue that the "paint softens" with kerosene, i thought it was applied on a repaint job with the clear coat not properly gelled and cured. Thank you for enlightening me on this matter.

[olidotcom]

good thread.. thanks din... i was also using 'kerosene' to remove those stubborn asphalt and brake dust... i was worried when i read that it softens the paint..

almost time for me to buy kerosene again because im already feeling and seeing some spots on the lower half of my van.. :S

[indiej]

thanks hansipot. when Does kerosene become harmful to paint? how does it help keep the gloss and do you mean it can be used together with sealants? which sealants in your experience? thanks, always ready to learn, esp. from actual experience.

[Starex_Gold]

Before I use kerosene. Ngayon diesel na. Ganun din naman, mas mura pa

Nalaman ko yun nung nagpa-rustproof ako ng car dito sa Shell gas station na kakilala namin. Diesel yung gamit nung gasoline boy sa pag-tanggal nung mga tumalsik na coat sa body panels.

[Hansipot]

More on the "softening the Paint" issue...

What exactly does it mean when you say paint is softening? Literally, lumalambot ba yun pintura? O ito un para lumolobo o umaalsa? O ito un pakiramdam na bumabaon un kuko mo pag idiniin mo siya sa clear coat ng sasakyan mo?

I think it is necessary to understand the type of clear coat applied to your car. For it will make things easier for you to choose the right products (cleaning, polishing and sealant wax) in order to keep and maintain the good look and gloss of the paint of your car.

Me nababasa kasi ako sa mga threads dito, na pagkatapos magpa wax or detail, mga tatlo o apat na gamitan lang ng sasakyan, nawawala na un gloss ng sasakyan. Mayroon naman iba, tumatagal un kintab ng sasakyan nila ng ilan buwan. Ano ang dahilan nito?

Car manufacturers kasi, consider the weather in the country they sell or market their cars. So goes with the car paint manufacturers. They make paints and clear coats that will adapt and behave according to temperature variant of the country of destination.

Kaya me malalambot na clear coat (yun bumabaon ang kuko pag diniinan)at me matitigas din na clear coat (un para kang kumakalmot ng salamin) pag ini apply ng mga repaint shop dito sa atin. Ganun din sa mga bagong sasakyan.

Sa pagbili ng sasakyan, mahalaga malaman ung klase ng clear coat na naka apply sa sasakyan. For it will later play an important role in the maintenance and looks of the car.

Napag aralan na ang weaknesses ng clear coats at me mga perfected formulation na lumabas ang mga chemical suppliers (which can be applied on the surface of the car as polish and wax) that will keep its good look and shine. Kailangan lamang na matched un chemical na gagamitin nyo sa clear coat. Marami kasing variant na lumalabas, mostly Euros and US na cleaning agents, polishing compounds, and wax sealant. Puro hindi bagay dito sa klima sa tin.

Pinakamaganda, mag experiment. pag hindi nagtagal un kintab, malamang hindi matched un wax sealant sa clear coat. Un behavior nila hindi pareho.

Ang isa pang common error, pag nagpa carwash, huwag magpapagamit ng CHAMOIS pantuyo. Malakas makatanggal ng wax ito, at mawawalan ng proteksyon un pintura ng sasakyan. Ang lakas din maka swirl marks. Use super absorbent micro fiber cloth na gaya ng Microtex at 3M na lang. Thank you.

[indiej]

quid pro quo hansipot if you please. questions are for the facts that you mentioned. i too am very curious but not overly cautious hence the experimenting.

[Hansipot]

*indiej, kerosene like any other cleaning agent will become harmful if used improperly or applied directly to the paint (esp. rubbing compound). Or in the amount of pressure you will use.

Kerosene, like paint thinner, and diesel are practically safe on clear coats. I even mix kerosene with car shampoo if i want instant shine to my pick up.

Wax sealants that I was referring to are Carnauba wax- like Turtle Wax, Formula 1, and the like. you can also buy a pure Carnauba wax (in paste form) at Allyson Chemicals along G. Araneta, QC.

Allyson also sell Silicone Emulsion, a cleaning agent we use to clean the dirt and stain of dashboards, all plastic panels, leather interiors, and rubber seals. Silicone emulsion does not only clean, but it also conditions and brings the color of all rubbers and plastics back to black (ito lang yun Bring Back to Black cleaner ng Meguiars).

[indiej]

yes, literally, it softens but not that extreme that it's that tangible. just enough to make it susceptible to marring, so i've read. since it is a fact that not all clearcoats are created equal, i tend to err in the side of caution. and my advice asks for others to do the same.

about car manufacturers and clearcoats (CC), they do sell them here with extremely thin and/or soft CCs. i can't say they chose the paints for best performance.

waxes too are not created equally. durability is more dependent on the formulation rather than the variances in temperature among continents. there are countries in europe and states in the US that are particularly hot. reading what works for them is helpful. i can say the same with the contributions in forums here.

how long the car remains shiny is not solely dependent on the products used, among others, it's also dependent on the care and usage of the owner. take for example a detailer who wants to not shampoo a car applied with sealant, i don't see how that will outlast the care i give to car paint.

there's just too many variables, in turn there are best practices.

sorry for the delayed response, i'm switching between your last 2 posts so i may not miss some queries but it's confusing. i also want to post cordially cos the written words may have a different tone from my intention.

[gearhead000]

Ang isa pang common error, pag nagpa carwash, huwag magpapagamit ng CHAMOIS pantuyo. Malakas makatanggal ng wax ito, at mawawalan ng proteksyon un pintura ng sasakyan. Ang lakas din maka swirl marks. Use super absorbent micro fiber cloth na gaya ng Microtex at 3M na lang. Thank you.

Right now, I use this as my drying cloth.



Okay lang ba ito? Bilis kasi makatuyo plus minimal wringing lang. Mura pa. Or baka pwede eto muna para lang makuha yung malalaking water beads. Then saka MF naman to finish off.