Anyone else really struggle with glass?

[Kristian87]

Used a DA on the underside , su


Oh man, I just fainted ............at the thought.

You can get such a service for the whole car at any local supermarket in England, for the price of a coffee! It's fun to watch lol

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[Kristian87]

You have described to the tee my cleaning process now after coating the car and the glass. My experience so far sure sounds like your wish. Takes half the time to wash the car with better results.

Glad I finally got there haha

Slowly been perfecting my process & knowledge over the past few years, it's the last 10% that's the tough part.

Environment was always a challenge for me - an hours drive to my parents place, a driveway that gets sunlight all day long, and I'm usually pushed for time - mostly because of the sun! It does restrict me from slowing down, thinking and spending some time on the actual "detailing".

New set up coming soon though, in shade, closer to home.

 

[Rapid Red]

You can get such a service for the whole car at any local supermarket in England, for the price of a coffee! It's fun to watch lol

Slick

 

[DFB5.0]

Saw Matt at OG scurrying around on a stool dragging his bucket of wheel cleaning stuff and pulled my mechanic's chair off the wall and gave it a try. Had a shelf below...worked perfectly.

There is something very cathartic about sitting down and cleaning wheels.

After a few decades as a professional gardener, my knee's are appreciating the rest from sitting rather than crouching to clean wheels.

 

[DFB5.0]

I don't seem to be able to find (in the UK) the nice waffle weave bonnets for the invisible glass handle i.e. these type that @DFB5.0 uses :

I had some waffle weave hand held pads that I tried and using all the same techniques with the invisible glass they worked perfectly.

WD

I must have got one of the very last versions of the Stoner tool supplied with the waffle weave bonnets in Australia. Both of my usual detailing suppliers now sell them with the flat microfibre bonnet. Having said that, I notice Obsessed Garage now sell the waffle weave version.
https://www.obsessedgarage.com/collections/stoner/products/stoner-invisible-glass-reach-clean-tool

One solution could be to wrap a waffle weave towel around the head of the tool and secure it with a elastic band. Or put an order in with Obsessed Garage, and order a few extra goodies to make the shipping worthwhile. I'm sure you can guess what I would do.

 

[WD Pro]

My first step is a ritual sacrifice of my old Megs waffle drying towel ...

I don't use it on paintwork anymore so I have nothing to lose anyway

WD

 

[Kristian87]

There is something very cathartic about sitting down and cleaning wheels.

Stop! My shopping list is long enough thanks

I'm 34, but the time spent crouching & cleaning those damn GT wheels really takes its toll!

 

[kilobravo]

DBF: Your post hit home bigtime. I'm twice as old as Kristian and I JUST started using a stool to clean wheels after watching an OG vid. Fortunately, my knees are still operational but the stool was MUCH better and I wonder why I never thought of it before.

I do need to either get the OG 2-bucket thing or just strap my two Homeless Depot buckets together. The one thing I never did previously but saw Matt doing is taking the tip off the wand and putting it right on the gun for wheel rinsing.

As for your wedge towel situation, I don't even use the bare paddle and mesh, I wrap an glass cleaning towel around it.

On another subject, I've been going through Adam's Wheel Cleaner rapidly and it's not inexpensive. Then I saw a rig to spray the wheel cleaner on the wheels from a "cannon" like device with reservoir. It's SUPPOSED to spread the chemical more broadly and thus use less.

Still enroute but will report back when it arrives.

 

[VIPR01]

I purchased another Foam Cannon Bottle & gallon of P&S brake buster exclusively for the wheels. Just don’t forget to swap them out foaming down your car with P&S brake buster/wheel cleaner might be a recipe for a bad day.

 

[Cobra Jet]

1) Some shitty microfibers will leave "fiber dust" all over the glass, which won't be seen until either it's dark outside and headlight beams show it OR it's seen in very bright sunlight at the appropriate (and most inopportune) angles.

2) If you wash your microfibers OR any car detailing towels with any detergents with freaking "fragrances" AND dry them using ANY dryer sheets - that is why you're getting the residual smears and "wipe trails", again later seen in dark with headlight hits or bright sunlight angles. Do NOT use fragrance detergents OR dryer sheets. The fragrance crap leaves a coating on the cloths as well as the chemicals in dryer sheets - thus resulting in the wipe trails and smears. Wash your microfibers or car towels in the washer with a non-fragrance "clear" (dye free) detergent OR wash them in a bucket of Dawn dish soap. Let them dry in the sun OR put them in your dryer WITHOUT any dryer sheets...

I stick with the above plus using 90% isopropyl alcohol on the glass and don't have any schmears...

 

[kilobravo]

If you REALLY want clean glass, and you have or can buy or rent a Dual Action Polisher and some M105 or similar finishing compound, then you can get it all and, polish the glass at the same time.

You'll be amazed at how much contamination accumulates wax after wax. Here's a shot showing half the windshield polished and the other half not. A little IPA to point out the gunk. Keep in mind, the entire windshield is coated in 90 IPA.

 

[Johnnybee]

Hot, hot water 4:1 with 10% vinegar. Use a microfibre cloth to scrub, and crumpled newsprint to dry until it squeaks.

 

[Kristian87]

I’m still to polish my exterior glass, never seem to carve out time for that step when I do a wash

what i want to mention however is something i’ve stumbled across on youtube recently, particularly for the interior windshield - magic erasers. Techniques vary but essentially the “mist” that accumulates, is very oily, which the magic erasers do a good job of sucking up.

i also think the fact i use interior detail on the top of the dash may add to these oils/gasses finding there way on to the interior glass, and driving me mad

anyone else tried this?

 

[ice445]

I’m still to polish my exterior glass, never seem to carve out time for that step when I do a wash

what i want to mention however is something i’ve stumbled across on youtube recently, particularly for the interior windshield - magic erasers. Techniques vary but essentially the “mist” that accumulates, is very oily, which the magic erasers do a good job of sucking up.

i also think the fact i use interior detail on the top of the dash may add to these oils/gasses finding there way on to the interior glass, and driving me mad

anyone else tried this?

I remember when I had my 500 Abarth, the poly coat leather that was used on the dash binnacle would actually off gas in the hot daytime sun and leave residue on the glass. That may be what you're experiencing.

As far as how I clean glass? I use Rain-X glass cleaner and a cheap microfiber. Always perfectly clean result with no streaks, unless I'm trying to clean it in the hot sun, in which case I need to use a lot of extra buffing. The Rain-X has two bonuses, one it repels water, and two it keeps junk from sticking to the glass as easily. For interior windows I use windex vinegar which is ammonia free and safe for tint, with the invisible glass reaching tool for the windshield and back window.

 

[DFB5.0]

Tried a new glass cleaner yesterday, CarPro Clarify.

I spray this onto a microfibre glass towel, wipe the surface then follow up with a waffle weave towel to dry to a streak free finish. I really liked how it performed on the second wipe, evaporating quickly and leaving the glass feeling slick. Compared to other glass cleaners such as Stoners Invisible Glass, Clarify does not have a strong alcohol aroma, rather a pleasing banana scent.

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