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DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #122
Ok, that should be easier to deal with than the later IS350's.
Firstly, open the bonnet and then mask off all of the surrounding paint work. Get as much done with the 3-inch machine using a cutting pad. At that point I use the Rupes iBrid with a 1-inch pad to do the sunken crevices, otherwise, wrap a microfiber towel around your finger and work those areas by hand.
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DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #123
I can mask around it but am tenuous about getting into the tight angle on the lower left corner which is much like the Mazda's.
Just to expanding on this topic, I should point out that polishing headlights will remove any remaining UV coating that was applied at the factory. This means that the oxidization will return again, probably faster. While that is not ideal, the reality is that the lenses are already compromised anyway, the only way to eliminate more damage would be by applying some PPF or just replacing the lamps altogether. You can also use specific sealants to protect them for a period of time, something like Mekee's Headlight Protectant -
Shop McKee's 37 - Headlight Protectant Spray Online - CarCareCo
I would also point you towards a new product that Waxit have just launched, in fact I'm about to order some myself -
Invision Headlight Restoration Kit – Waxit Car Care
Headlight Restoration – DIY – Invision Sales
This kit comes with a "clear-coat" to help mitigate future discoloration.
Meguiar's also have a similar kit -
Meguiar's Two Step Headlight Restoration Kit | Supercheap Auto
GT 550
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@DFB5.0 you're a mind reader.
I've been researching the UV protection aspect and was wondering about PPF and also clear coat paint in a can from Supercheap, but couldn't find anything definitive on whether the UV protection afforded by these approaches is worth the effort.
I found the McKee's and others like it got mixed reviews regarding efficacy but that's to be expected, have you tracked a car over time after applying it?
I recently did the lights on a BA with a Turtle kit that was on sale but it appears discontinued. They have another version although maybe it's just repackaged:
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/turtle-wax-turtle-wax-headlight-restorer-kit/283622.html
The kit I used consisted of wet and dry, cleaner, and a sealant but the BA now stays under cover for lengthy periods so it's hard to tell if it's been worth it.
I've been researching the UV protection aspect and was wondering about PPF and also clear coat paint in a can from Supercheap, but couldn't find anything definitive on whether the UV protection afforded by these approaches is worth the effort.
I found the McKee's and others like it got mixed reviews regarding efficacy but that's to be expected, have you tracked a car over time after applying it?
I recently did the lights on a BA with a Turtle kit that was on sale but it appears discontinued. They have another version although maybe it's just repackaged:
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/turtle-wax-turtle-wax-headlight-restorer-kit/283622.html
The kit I used consisted of wet and dry, cleaner, and a sealant but the BA now stays under cover for lengthy periods so it's hard to tell if it's been worth it.
Last edited:
OP
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DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #125
Rattle can clearcoat would not give the finish required, there would be too much orange peel.
The McKee's has been on my Ranger since March, it seems fine so far, but it's also winter and has not been roasted in the sun. I expect the oxidization to return at some point, at which point I will try the new Waxit offering.
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@DFB5.0 I'm thinking about trying a rinseless wash for door jambs. However, on all of the sites I've looked at the question of 'why not just use a normal wash' is often debated but doesn't seem to really get answered.
At this stage the advantage of a rinseless wash - assuming careful suds management when using normal wash - isn't apparent to me but you're not one to give in to marketing hype so I can't imagine it'd be in DFB's Cabinet if it didn't pull its weight.
Can we have your wisdom on this one please?
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DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #127
Stoner's Tarminator - A Detailing Sledgehammer!
Stoner Tarminator 10oz – Stoner Car Care (USA)
Stoner Car Care Tarminator Tar Sap & Asphalt Remover 10oz - MACS Auto Detailing (UK)
Stoner Tarminator Tar & Sap Remover 295ml - AutoBuff (Australia)
I have had a bottle of Stoner's Tarminator in my cabinet for a while now. I first learnt about this product while watching Matt from Obsessed Garage using it to clean brand new tires in preparation for dressing.
(119) OG Wheel & Tire Products - Stoner Tarminator - YouTube
As the name suggests, Tarminator is primarily designed for removing stubborn tar, sap and bug deposits. In comparison to citrus oil based tar removers, Carpro TarX for example, Tarminator is a much stronger solvent and should be used with care. In fact, it can be harmful to clear plastics, adhesives, decals, and solvent sensitive materials. Being mindful of that, it's best used to spot treat contaminants with the aid of a microfiber towel, making sure to rinse well afterwards to remove any residue.
Tarminator can also be used to remove baked-on carbon deposits from exhaust tips. Best applied to the towel rather than the tips themselves, and again, rinsed afterwards.
The main reason why I got a bottle of Tarminator was for tire prep.
Whatever is in this product works really well at deep cleaning rubber. Tarminator will strip any lingering oils, release agents, fitment soap and other contaminants from a tire sidewall, leaving a completely bare surface ready for dressing. It's best applied into a towel rather than directly to the rubber to avoid overspray onto the wheels. Once applied to the towel, scrub the sidewall aggressively. You will destroy a towel doing this, so choose wisely.
In my experience, some tires clean easier than others. The Michelin PS3's on my XR6 seem resistant to a variety of other rubber cleaners. Tarminator had no problems stripping them bare!
Tarminator is not a product that will be used very often, but it's certainly good to have around.
Stoner Tarminator 10oz – Stoner Car Care (USA)
Stoner Car Care Tarminator Tar Sap & Asphalt Remover 10oz - MACS Auto Detailing (UK)
Stoner Tarminator Tar & Sap Remover 295ml - AutoBuff (Australia)
I have had a bottle of Stoner's Tarminator in my cabinet for a while now. I first learnt about this product while watching Matt from Obsessed Garage using it to clean brand new tires in preparation for dressing.
(119) OG Wheel & Tire Products - Stoner Tarminator - YouTube
As the name suggests, Tarminator is primarily designed for removing stubborn tar, sap and bug deposits. In comparison to citrus oil based tar removers, Carpro TarX for example, Tarminator is a much stronger solvent and should be used with care. In fact, it can be harmful to clear plastics, adhesives, decals, and solvent sensitive materials. Being mindful of that, it's best used to spot treat contaminants with the aid of a microfiber towel, making sure to rinse well afterwards to remove any residue.
Tarminator can also be used to remove baked-on carbon deposits from exhaust tips. Best applied to the towel rather than the tips themselves, and again, rinsed afterwards.
The main reason why I got a bottle of Tarminator was for tire prep.
Whatever is in this product works really well at deep cleaning rubber. Tarminator will strip any lingering oils, release agents, fitment soap and other contaminants from a tire sidewall, leaving a completely bare surface ready for dressing. It's best applied into a towel rather than directly to the rubber to avoid overspray onto the wheels. Once applied to the towel, scrub the sidewall aggressively. You will destroy a towel doing this, so choose wisely.
In my experience, some tires clean easier than others. The Michelin PS3's on my XR6 seem resistant to a variety of other rubber cleaners. Tarminator had no problems stripping them bare!
Tarminator is not a product that will be used very often, but it's certainly good to have around.
OP
OP
DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #128
I use a rinse-less method on door jambs as it's less messy than trying to do it during the wash.
On poorly maintained door jambs, I use my pressure washer to carefully blast away as much dirt as possible. Sometimes I will then apply APC, agitate and then re-rinse. I then use ONR on a dedicated towel to finish them off after drying the rest of the car.
On well-maintained door jambs, after washing and drying the rest of the car, I will use either my drying aid or ONR to "clean" while drying those areas. I hope that makes sense?
Products like ONR or McKees N-914 offer more cleaning ability than regular quick detailers or drying aids. If your jambs are on the dirty side, most certainly use the rinse-less type products. If you are merely drying, perhaps "dusting" the jambs, then just use your regular drying aid.
For rinse-less for the car overall, I rarely use this method and when I do, it's only if the car is dusty or mildly dirty. I just prefer using lots of water and lots of soap, it feels safer to me.
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DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #130
Was up early this morning to take delivery of my boss's new car, a Mazda CX-5 Akera in Eternal Blue.
They even splurged on the Turbo engine; I think I may have influenced that a little.
After advising to skip the dealer protection packages, the aim of this detail was to install paint and interior protection.
I normally start on the exterior but switched that around today as I had to go out mid-morning. As you would expect for a brand-new car, there was not a lot to do on the interior. I simply vacuumed the carpets and used a damp microfiber to dust off the dashboard and door trims. There were a couple of specific treatments though.
A quick misting of 303 Fabric Guard on the carpet mats and boot floor.
With the customer wanting the leather to be protected, I decided on Colour Lock Leather Shield. Being brand new, I only felt the need to clean the front seats, the rest was given a wipe with a damp microfiber. In this case, I'm using Colour Lock Mild Leather Cleaner.
Once clean and dry, it was onto the Leather Shield. Colour Lock offer two leather protection products, Leather Shield is for new leather less than 3 years old. Leather Protector is then used from 3 years and older.
Leather Shield protects against abrasion, color transfer and general wear and tear in those first three years. After that, it is then a case of feeding/protecting the leather with Protector.
Application is easy, simply wipe the product on with a cloth or application sponge and allow to dry.
That was it for the interior, save for cleaning the glass. No scented cleaning products were used or needed, nor did I apply any scent...........a car only smells like this ONCE!
Moving to the exterior, it was onto cleaning these stunning 19-inch wheels. Brake Buster for the tires and wheel arches as usual, then NV Purge for the wheels.
This was my first chance to try my new EZ Detail GO Brush. I bought this specifically for wheel arches, a job it does very well.
https://autobuff.com.au/collections/ez-detail/products/ez-detail-go-ez-wheel-brush
Again, a new car so minimal to no iron-reaction.
The car has been with the owners for two weeks, this will be it's first wash in that time on my instruction! Knowing that they would be using a foam sponge, the "blue soap from the supermarket" and a 30-year-old chamois, I didn't want them to create more work for me!
Pre-soak with OG Decontamination Soap, a rinse, re-foamed and then contact washed was the sequence.
Thankfully, the paint felt lovely and smooth, meaning I could skip the clay step. Even so, I did do an iron-decon just to safe.
As always after using IronX, I like to take the extra few minutes to re-foam the car and then rinsing to remove any residue. I then applied Gyeon Wet Coat to the wheels and wheel arches.
The car was then moved inside and meticulously dried using my blower and a towel. It was then wiped down from head to toe with Carpro Eraser in preparation for the next step.
Now for the interesting part, well for me at least. And I have to say the daunting part as well. Save for applying a ceramic coating to wheels and trim, I have never used a ceramic coating on the paint of a vehicle before. Some could say it was foolish to practice on my boss's car, but I choose a very user-friendly coating to begin with; Gyeon Can Coat EVO.
Can Coat EVO is a 12month coating, up from 6 months for the original formulation. Unlike more hardcore coatings, Can Coat is much easier to apply, flashing instantly with minimal residue to remove, meaning it requires less micromanaging to get right.
I chose to apply Can Coat with a microfiber applicator block rather than a folded towel. You use very minimal product, only two to three spray per section. It's also advised to spray the coating into the towel/applicator away from the car to avoid inadvertent over-spray. Do not spray directly onto the paint.
Application is simple; apply the product to the applicator, work the product over the surface before buffing immediately, making sure to overlap your buffing to prevent high spots. I will say it can be hard to see where Can Coat has been applied to, my only complaint with the product. It took me about an hour to get around the car, some of that was me just getting used to the product.
While Can Coat can be used across all surfaces, including glass, I chose to use Gyeon Quick View for that role.
I then applied Dr. Beasleys Metal Coat to the exhaust tips and dressed the tires with Koch Chemie Plast Star.
Can Coat needs 12 hours to cure and should not be exposed to water during that time. To mitigate this, I applied Gyeon Cure to the whole car. Cure also improves slickness.
Something interesting to note when giving the engine bay a quick wipe down with OG Drying Aid, this $60,000 car has a prop-rod. So, it's not just Ford Mustang's that miss out on proper bonnet struts, seems Mazda are stingy in that department as well.
To go with the detail, I also put together a care package for the car. Sticking with the Gyeon theme, I went with a bottle of Bathe for washing in conjunction with a Rag Company Cyclone Wash Pad. I also put in a bottle of Bead Maker as a drying aid and coating maintenance product. Knowing the chamois situation, I gifted them a couple of towels, a Big Green Sucker and a Aquatouch BIGDOG
The interior on this CX-5 is stunning! Excepionally well-made and sporting a variety of lush, soft touch materials. I really like the leather trim, having a plum/chocolate hue to it rather than the predicably boring all black interiors that most cars on the market have.
The Eternal Blue paint has a really nice purple flake to it in direct sunlight, emphasized by the Can Coat and Cure combination.
As for Can Coat, it was very easy and forgiving to work with. This coating does not produce crazy slickness and gloss, however that is balanced by ease of application and terrific water behavior.
This car was a pleasure to work on. I'm really happy with how the car came up, being brand new made it so easy, making a change from the neglected and filthy customer cars I normally deal with. The best bit was seeing it driving out of the garage and down the street, it just looked so perfect.
They even splurged on the Turbo engine; I think I may have influenced that a little.
After advising to skip the dealer protection packages, the aim of this detail was to install paint and interior protection.
I normally start on the exterior but switched that around today as I had to go out mid-morning. As you would expect for a brand-new car, there was not a lot to do on the interior. I simply vacuumed the carpets and used a damp microfiber to dust off the dashboard and door trims. There were a couple of specific treatments though.
A quick misting of 303 Fabric Guard on the carpet mats and boot floor.
With the customer wanting the leather to be protected, I decided on Colour Lock Leather Shield. Being brand new, I only felt the need to clean the front seats, the rest was given a wipe with a damp microfiber. In this case, I'm using Colour Lock Mild Leather Cleaner.
Once clean and dry, it was onto the Leather Shield. Colour Lock offer two leather protection products, Leather Shield is for new leather less than 3 years old. Leather Protector is then used from 3 years and older.
Leather Shield protects against abrasion, color transfer and general wear and tear in those first three years. After that, it is then a case of feeding/protecting the leather with Protector.
Application is easy, simply wipe the product on with a cloth or application sponge and allow to dry.
That was it for the interior, save for cleaning the glass. No scented cleaning products were used or needed, nor did I apply any scent...........a car only smells like this ONCE!
Moving to the exterior, it was onto cleaning these stunning 19-inch wheels. Brake Buster for the tires and wheel arches as usual, then NV Purge for the wheels.
This was my first chance to try my new EZ Detail GO Brush. I bought this specifically for wheel arches, a job it does very well.
https://autobuff.com.au/collections/ez-detail/products/ez-detail-go-ez-wheel-brush
Again, a new car so minimal to no iron-reaction.
The car has been with the owners for two weeks, this will be it's first wash in that time on my instruction! Knowing that they would be using a foam sponge, the "blue soap from the supermarket" and a 30-year-old chamois, I didn't want them to create more work for me!
Pre-soak with OG Decontamination Soap, a rinse, re-foamed and then contact washed was the sequence.
Thankfully, the paint felt lovely and smooth, meaning I could skip the clay step. Even so, I did do an iron-decon just to safe.
As always after using IronX, I like to take the extra few minutes to re-foam the car and then rinsing to remove any residue. I then applied Gyeon Wet Coat to the wheels and wheel arches.
The car was then moved inside and meticulously dried using my blower and a towel. It was then wiped down from head to toe with Carpro Eraser in preparation for the next step.
Now for the interesting part, well for me at least. And I have to say the daunting part as well. Save for applying a ceramic coating to wheels and trim, I have never used a ceramic coating on the paint of a vehicle before. Some could say it was foolish to practice on my boss's car, but I choose a very user-friendly coating to begin with; Gyeon Can Coat EVO.
Can Coat EVO is a 12month coating, up from 6 months for the original formulation. Unlike more hardcore coatings, Can Coat is much easier to apply, flashing instantly with minimal residue to remove, meaning it requires less micromanaging to get right.
I chose to apply Can Coat with a microfiber applicator block rather than a folded towel. You use very minimal product, only two to three spray per section. It's also advised to spray the coating into the towel/applicator away from the car to avoid inadvertent over-spray. Do not spray directly onto the paint.
Application is simple; apply the product to the applicator, work the product over the surface before buffing immediately, making sure to overlap your buffing to prevent high spots. I will say it can be hard to see where Can Coat has been applied to, my only complaint with the product. It took me about an hour to get around the car, some of that was me just getting used to the product.
While Can Coat can be used across all surfaces, including glass, I chose to use Gyeon Quick View for that role.
I then applied Dr. Beasleys Metal Coat to the exhaust tips and dressed the tires with Koch Chemie Plast Star.
Can Coat needs 12 hours to cure and should not be exposed to water during that time. To mitigate this, I applied Gyeon Cure to the whole car. Cure also improves slickness.
Something interesting to note when giving the engine bay a quick wipe down with OG Drying Aid, this $60,000 car has a prop-rod. So, it's not just Ford Mustang's that miss out on proper bonnet struts, seems Mazda are stingy in that department as well.
To go with the detail, I also put together a care package for the car. Sticking with the Gyeon theme, I went with a bottle of Bathe for washing in conjunction with a Rag Company Cyclone Wash Pad. I also put in a bottle of Bead Maker as a drying aid and coating maintenance product. Knowing the chamois situation, I gifted them a couple of towels, a Big Green Sucker and a Aquatouch BIGDOG
The interior on this CX-5 is stunning! Excepionally well-made and sporting a variety of lush, soft touch materials. I really like the leather trim, having a plum/chocolate hue to it rather than the predicably boring all black interiors that most cars on the market have.
The Eternal Blue paint has a really nice purple flake to it in direct sunlight, emphasized by the Can Coat and Cure combination.
As for Can Coat, it was very easy and forgiving to work with. This coating does not produce crazy slickness and gloss, however that is balanced by ease of application and terrific water behavior.
This car was a pleasure to work on. I'm really happy with how the car came up, being brand new made it so easy, making a change from the neglected and filthy customer cars I normally deal with. The best bit was seeing it driving out of the garage and down the street, it just looked so perfect.
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GT 550
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@DFB5.0 nice work! And no problems with your job security then 
.
This thread is getting scary. No sooner do I decide to look into something for a particular purpose than I look at the latest post and
.
Today it's:
.This thread is getting scary. No sooner do I decide to look into something for a particular purpose than I look at the latest post and
.Today it's:
That's twice! If you could just forecast in advance what I'm going to want next I could save a fortune in freight
OP
OP
DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #132
Well, saving him about $1300, I think that speaks for itself.@DFB5.0 nice work! And no problems with your job security then
This thread is getting scary. No sooner do I decide to look into something for a particular purpose than I look at the latest post and
Today it's:
That's twice! If you could just forecast in advance what I'm going to want next I could save a fortune in freight
OP
OP
DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #133
Waxit launched their new version of NV Boost last week in Australian; Boost v2.
Get Nv BOOST V2 Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care
The original formulation was pretty unique for this type of quick detailer/drying aid product.
Get Nv BOOST | Nova QD | Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care
"Boost contains ingredients that fill in molecular coating imperfections that help improve the gloss, slickness and water beading of the surface. It doesn't create a layer over the top which completely changes the look, or the way the car beads, it tries to emulate the characteristics of your coating when it was first applied.
The layer also helps against water spotting, Boost will break down after a PH Neutral wash taking surface contamination off with it, reducing the chances that minerals will etch into the coated surface. Concours Nova Boost is the easiest of the spray coatings to apply, as it effortlessly flashes off with a couple of wipes making it extremely quick to apply."
So, the concept of the product was to provide lubrication during the drying process and adding to the coating without masking it. At the next wash, the product would be removed and the cycle repeats.
Boost v2 is different, more like the rest of these spray sealants used as drying aids. It will add gloss, slickness and protection but unlike v1, it will stay bonded to the paint during the wash process, even when subjected to high pH soaps and chemicals. As a standalone, Boost v2 will give 3 - 6 months of durability. Think of Boost v2 as a watered-down version of NV Nova Jet.
In use, I was never wowed by Boost v1, it was ok but not fantastic. Boost v2 is much nicer to use, offering better gloss, slickness and seems to have more lubrication. Boost v2 is also noticeably cheaper than v1 in 500ml form.
Boost v2 is well worth a look, especially if you already use other NV coatings.
Get Nv BOOST V2 Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care
The original formulation was pretty unique for this type of quick detailer/drying aid product.
Get Nv BOOST | Nova QD | Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care
"Boost contains ingredients that fill in molecular coating imperfections that help improve the gloss, slickness and water beading of the surface. It doesn't create a layer over the top which completely changes the look, or the way the car beads, it tries to emulate the characteristics of your coating when it was first applied.
The layer also helps against water spotting, Boost will break down after a PH Neutral wash taking surface contamination off with it, reducing the chances that minerals will etch into the coated surface. Concours Nova Boost is the easiest of the spray coatings to apply, as it effortlessly flashes off with a couple of wipes making it extremely quick to apply."
So, the concept of the product was to provide lubrication during the drying process and adding to the coating without masking it. At the next wash, the product would be removed and the cycle repeats.
Boost v2 is different, more like the rest of these spray sealants used as drying aids. It will add gloss, slickness and protection but unlike v1, it will stay bonded to the paint during the wash process, even when subjected to high pH soaps and chemicals. As a standalone, Boost v2 will give 3 - 6 months of durability. Think of Boost v2 as a watered-down version of NV Nova Jet.
In use, I was never wowed by Boost v1, it was ok but not fantastic. Boost v2 is much nicer to use, offering better gloss, slickness and seems to have more lubrication. Boost v2 is also noticeably cheaper than v1 in 500ml form.
Boost v2 is well worth a look, especially if you already use other NV coatings.
OP
OP
DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #134
Another week, another of my boss's cars and another Mazda!
I last did this car in February 2021, today was a bit different though at a chilly 0 deg C / 30 deg F 9am drop off. This 2014 CX-5 is a family car and has done just on 170,000 km on the clock.
Being too cold to have my hands in water, I decided to do the interior first. I don't remember the carpet being this reluctant last time! Sand and grass were resisting the Karcher, even with the help of the Tornador. I actually had to vacuum the interior twice, as the Tornador tends to stir things up and displace debris onto already cleaned areas. There was no other way though.
Being a family car, I needed to clean rather dust the rest of the interior surfaces. Today, I used a new item from Waxit, the Aquatouch Junior.
Aquatouch JUNIOR – Waxit Car Care
This is similar in concept to the Carpro Inner Scrub Mitt, although it has a softer reverse side for the application of dressings. I actually prefer this pad compared to a mitt as I find mitts cumbersome. Teamed here with P&S Express interior cleaner, it had no trouble lifting the ingrained filth.
Notice how the pad started off white and then turned a lovely shade of brown.
The remaining residue is then wiped away with a clean interior towel.
Another new item for me to try was the VLB from The Rag Company.
Vinyl & Leather Interior Scrub Brush | The Rag Company
This brush was designed to clean vinyl and leather, hence the VLB name. These have an unusually soft set of "bristles" or "fibers" to deep clean dirty leather. The shape of the brush is also very handy for getting into the corners and different shapes a seat present. Here, I have teamed it with Koch Chemie Pol Star.
It was then onto the exterior. While it looks clean in the pics, white always hides dirt on camera, so there was a healthy amount of wet winter grime accumulated on the wheels and body.
My first move was a complimentary engine bay clean. I mean, this is the bosses car after all.
After a quick rinse, I'm using Green Star and some brushes to loosen any stubborn dirt.
After another rinse, I then applied Koch Chemie Motor Plast, distributed with a little compressed air.
I then dropped the hood and left the engine running while I cleaned the wheels to help dry it out.
The wheels were taken care of with my usual combination of Purge and Brake Buster. Strangely, these Cooper tyres did not offer much in the way of browning.
Today's soap of choice was Carpro Lift, which had no trouble "lifting" the road film during the pre-soak phase. During the wash, I did need to use some Koch Chemie Bug Remover, although the tar deposits needed no chemical assistance.
Carpro Lift is not as slick as Reset, nor does it have that amazing scent either. But it does cut through the grime very well.
I then used Gyeon Wet Coat as what is now being termed a "rinse aid". That basically means it makes the water bead rather than sit flat on the surface of the paint, making drying easier with the help of a bower.
With the car mostly dry, I grabbed some Meguiar's HCD to mop up any remaining water, add some protection and ramp up the gloss left by Wet Coat. I really like the ease of use and results this product provides.
The glass was then cleaned, the interior of the windscreen needing two cleanings, the second with a new set of towels.
I then applied Mothers Naturally Black to the unpainted exterior trim, doused the wheel arch plastics with Hyper Dressing and coated the tyres in Gyeon Tire Express. This dressing is not a favorite of mine, it's ok but not great like, say, Carpro Perl or NV Onyx. So, I'm using it up on someone else's car!
With some extra time to spare, I also attended to the exhaust tips. I have a pet hate of clean cars with dirty exhausts, such a minor detail really brings down the overall appearance. Being a diesel, I had to get out the Autosol to deal with these.
With the customer on the way, I had a little time to add some protection to the leather. Pol Star apparently does have some protective element to it, but I decided to use some Bowden's Leather Guard as well.
A misting of my favorite interior scent and it was ready to go!
The car looked stunning driving away down the street. White tends to hide the amount of work that went into making it look so good. My body sure knows though!
I last did this car in February 2021, today was a bit different though at a chilly 0 deg C / 30 deg F 9am drop off. This 2014 CX-5 is a family car and has done just on 170,000 km on the clock.
Being too cold to have my hands in water, I decided to do the interior first. I don't remember the carpet being this reluctant last time! Sand and grass were resisting the Karcher, even with the help of the Tornador. I actually had to vacuum the interior twice, as the Tornador tends to stir things up and displace debris onto already cleaned areas. There was no other way though.
Being a family car, I needed to clean rather dust the rest of the interior surfaces. Today, I used a new item from Waxit, the Aquatouch Junior.
Aquatouch JUNIOR – Waxit Car Care
This is similar in concept to the Carpro Inner Scrub Mitt, although it has a softer reverse side for the application of dressings. I actually prefer this pad compared to a mitt as I find mitts cumbersome. Teamed here with P&S Express interior cleaner, it had no trouble lifting the ingrained filth.
Notice how the pad started off white and then turned a lovely shade of brown.
The remaining residue is then wiped away with a clean interior towel.
Another new item for me to try was the VLB from The Rag Company.
Vinyl & Leather Interior Scrub Brush | The Rag Company
This brush was designed to clean vinyl and leather, hence the VLB name. These have an unusually soft set of "bristles" or "fibers" to deep clean dirty leather. The shape of the brush is also very handy for getting into the corners and different shapes a seat present. Here, I have teamed it with Koch Chemie Pol Star.
It was then onto the exterior. While it looks clean in the pics, white always hides dirt on camera, so there was a healthy amount of wet winter grime accumulated on the wheels and body.
My first move was a complimentary engine bay clean. I mean, this is the bosses car after all.
After a quick rinse, I'm using Green Star and some brushes to loosen any stubborn dirt.
After another rinse, I then applied Koch Chemie Motor Plast, distributed with a little compressed air.
I then dropped the hood and left the engine running while I cleaned the wheels to help dry it out.
The wheels were taken care of with my usual combination of Purge and Brake Buster. Strangely, these Cooper tyres did not offer much in the way of browning.
Today's soap of choice was Carpro Lift, which had no trouble "lifting" the road film during the pre-soak phase. During the wash, I did need to use some Koch Chemie Bug Remover, although the tar deposits needed no chemical assistance.
Carpro Lift is not as slick as Reset, nor does it have that amazing scent either. But it does cut through the grime very well.
I then used Gyeon Wet Coat as what is now being termed a "rinse aid". That basically means it makes the water bead rather than sit flat on the surface of the paint, making drying easier with the help of a bower.
With the car mostly dry, I grabbed some Meguiar's HCD to mop up any remaining water, add some protection and ramp up the gloss left by Wet Coat. I really like the ease of use and results this product provides.
The glass was then cleaned, the interior of the windscreen needing two cleanings, the second with a new set of towels.
I then applied Mothers Naturally Black to the unpainted exterior trim, doused the wheel arch plastics with Hyper Dressing and coated the tyres in Gyeon Tire Express. This dressing is not a favorite of mine, it's ok but not great like, say, Carpro Perl or NV Onyx. So, I'm using it up on someone else's car!
With some extra time to spare, I also attended to the exhaust tips. I have a pet hate of clean cars with dirty exhausts, such a minor detail really brings down the overall appearance. Being a diesel, I had to get out the Autosol to deal with these.
With the customer on the way, I had a little time to add some protection to the leather. Pol Star apparently does have some protective element to it, but I decided to use some Bowden's Leather Guard as well.
A misting of my favorite interior scent and it was ready to go!
The car looked stunning driving away down the street. White tends to hide the amount of work that went into making it look so good. My body sure knows though!
OP
OP
DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #135
A subject that has had me wondering about for a while is the TDS of the water I use to wash cars with.
I know a lot of people get worked up over the hardness of their tap water and the effects it can have on automotive surfaces. The main concern with water drying on the paint surface is the minerals left behind in conjunction with heat or sunlight etching into the clear coat. The result is water spots.
Water spots can be very difficult to remove. Sometimes, an acid-based water spot remover can reduce or remove them. In other cases, they may need to polished out. Water spots can even return depending on the climatic conditions and minerals that initially caused the damage.
TDS is an abbreviation for Total Dissolved Solids and is a measure of the total concentration of dissolved substances and minerals contained in water. TDS is measured with a TDS meter -
This kit also came with a pH meter, something I want to have a play around with on a variety of detailing chemicals I use.
As a base line, I trailed the TDS meter on some demineralized water. As it should be, the reading was 0 ppm.
I then did a series of readings of my tap water over the course of the day.
I got readings ranging from 92 ppm and 109 ppm. The below pics put these readings into context.
So, a reading at around 100 would seem to indicate that my tap water is at the lower end of the scale and is ideal for drinking. Readings above 170 ppm are considered hard water and it may be worth using a deionizing filter to reduce the risk.
In my case, I have never really had issues with my water causing water spots. This is mainly because I work quickly when washing in the sun or by washing cars in the garage. For that reason, I have not bothered to look into a filter. Taking these readings has given me peace of mind.
As mentioned earlier, the TDS kit also came with a pH meter. While the TDS meter can be used right out of the box, the pH version should be calibrated.
In my case, I went with the single step calibration which requires a testing solution made up from a buffering powder and 250ml of distilled water. Once dissolved, the meter is left for 5 minutes in the solution and set once it reaches 6.86.
Now for the fun part.
For context, this is the pH scale, ranging from Acid at 0 right through to Alkaline at 14, with neutral being 7.
In broad terms, a product leaning towards either Acid or Alkaline will have more cleaning power than a pH neutral product. There are exceptions though, for example, NV Purge wheel cleaner is considered pH neutral but is exceptional at cleaning filthy wheels.
There are also times when certain types of "dirt" or contamination will require a specific pH range to remove. Greasy/oily tyres require an Alkaline cleaner to cut through that grease. Using a pH neutral product here will simply move that contamination around rather than dissolving and encapsulating it before being rinsed away. Think along the same lines when attempting to remove a wax or sealant, hence the use of high pH "strip" washes.
The first product I wanted to try was P&S Brake Buster. I have only ever heard anecdotal pH figures for Brake Buster, but never an official figure. It's known as an Alkaline cleaner, but how Alkaline? Here, I'm testing a small quantity of un-diluted product.
The reading stabilized at 12.17, a figure that is about what I expected. This is why Brake Buster cleans so well undiluted, and why it loses grunt when diluted.
Going in the other direction, the acidic Carpro Descale.
The reading at 3.72 shocked me a little -
Again, I knew Descale was acidic but not how acidic. That figure would most likely go up once diluted though. This is why Descale is such a great cleaner and why it can reduce or remove water spotting.
The next step from here will be to test a variety of diluted products including Koch Chemie Green Star and Brake Buster.
I know a lot of people get worked up over the hardness of their tap water and the effects it can have on automotive surfaces. The main concern with water drying on the paint surface is the minerals left behind in conjunction with heat or sunlight etching into the clear coat. The result is water spots.
Water spots can be very difficult to remove. Sometimes, an acid-based water spot remover can reduce or remove them. In other cases, they may need to polished out. Water spots can even return depending on the climatic conditions and minerals that initially caused the damage.
TDS is an abbreviation for Total Dissolved Solids and is a measure of the total concentration of dissolved substances and minerals contained in water. TDS is measured with a TDS meter -
This kit also came with a pH meter, something I want to have a play around with on a variety of detailing chemicals I use.
As a base line, I trailed the TDS meter on some demineralized water. As it should be, the reading was 0 ppm.
I then did a series of readings of my tap water over the course of the day.
I got readings ranging from 92 ppm and 109 ppm. The below pics put these readings into context.
So, a reading at around 100 would seem to indicate that my tap water is at the lower end of the scale and is ideal for drinking. Readings above 170 ppm are considered hard water and it may be worth using a deionizing filter to reduce the risk.
In my case, I have never really had issues with my water causing water spots. This is mainly because I work quickly when washing in the sun or by washing cars in the garage. For that reason, I have not bothered to look into a filter. Taking these readings has given me peace of mind.
As mentioned earlier, the TDS kit also came with a pH meter. While the TDS meter can be used right out of the box, the pH version should be calibrated.
In my case, I went with the single step calibration which requires a testing solution made up from a buffering powder and 250ml of distilled water. Once dissolved, the meter is left for 5 minutes in the solution and set once it reaches 6.86.
Now for the fun part.
For context, this is the pH scale, ranging from Acid at 0 right through to Alkaline at 14, with neutral being 7.
In broad terms, a product leaning towards either Acid or Alkaline will have more cleaning power than a pH neutral product. There are exceptions though, for example, NV Purge wheel cleaner is considered pH neutral but is exceptional at cleaning filthy wheels.
There are also times when certain types of "dirt" or contamination will require a specific pH range to remove. Greasy/oily tyres require an Alkaline cleaner to cut through that grease. Using a pH neutral product here will simply move that contamination around rather than dissolving and encapsulating it before being rinsed away. Think along the same lines when attempting to remove a wax or sealant, hence the use of high pH "strip" washes.
The first product I wanted to try was P&S Brake Buster. I have only ever heard anecdotal pH figures for Brake Buster, but never an official figure. It's known as an Alkaline cleaner, but how Alkaline? Here, I'm testing a small quantity of un-diluted product.
The reading stabilized at 12.17, a figure that is about what I expected. This is why Brake Buster cleans so well undiluted, and why it loses grunt when diluted.
Going in the other direction, the acidic Carpro Descale.
The reading at 3.72 shocked me a little -
Again, I knew Descale was acidic but not how acidic. That figure would most likely go up once diluted though. This is why Descale is such a great cleaner and why it can reduce or remove water spotting.
The next step from here will be to test a variety of diluted products including Koch Chemie Green Star and Brake Buster.
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