Curious if there is a forum consensus of the best video(s)/thread(s) to learn to properly clean/care for your car?

If you're gonna do it yourself realize that 98% of the common wisdom is urban legend + marketing hyperbole, rather than the boring science of getting something clean without damaging it.

Basically you don't need more than ~$50 of stuff to have your car look better than 99% of people who spend thousands; if you use the right technique.

Here's your basic starter kit and a similar one and one with a bit more detail, but more rambling.

In short, you don't need expensive pressure washers or foam cannons - those are purely for fun & add zero value ... but they are FUN!

1. Do a nice wash w/ good technique
2. Do a good panel wipe with IPA (50% isopropyl alcohol, 50% de-ionized water)
3. Put on a cheap but decent sealant
4. Wash your car every 3 weeks or sooner (prevents "contamination")
5. put on more protection every 3ish washes

Functionally this is the exact same as $3,000 of professionally applied ceramic coating.

Technique trumps product by a mile.

GrussGott wrote

Functionally this is the exact same as $3,000 of professionally applied ceramic coating.

No sealant is exactly the same as a good even DIY ceramic coating. That part is horse shit. Otherwise the rest is decent advice minus the brokie attitude, you can get better results by spending a little more, you just need to know what to buy and where to spend it.

Topic is also beaten to death with lots of searchable advice/videos/reviews/etc.

tdott wrote

No sealant is exactly the same as a good even DIY ceramic coating. That part is horse shit.

Great! Then you'll be able to quickly explain exactly what's FUNCTIONALLY different between a good water-based sealant applied 4x/year and a resin-based ceramic!

Because I've asked the chemists who design this stuff zillions of times over the last decade and never a single a time have they been able to explain it.

Just FYI, here's how those convos go:

Given that convo has been replayed at least 50x, you can understand why I'm happy to be corrected & so excited you're finally going to have the answer!

I will note there might be a pros-only exception product coming out, though ... but first I await your answer!

Carnauba wax-Sealant-Glaze-Ceramic

As GrüB points out, the difference is longevity. This has been my experiences and findings with research and contacts.

GrussGott wrote

Great! Then you'll be able to quickly explain exactly what's FUNCTIONALLY different between a good water-based sealant applied 4x/year and a resin-based ceramic!

Has a glossier wet/look, last longer, cleans easier, holds up to harsher chemicals, better protection, less maintenance....and you don't have to apply it 4x /year.

tdott wrote

Has a glossier wet/look, last longer, cleans easier, holds up to harsher chemicals, better protection, less maintenance....and you don't have to apply it 4x /year.

So exactly same as a sealant just longer lasting - which doesn't matter if you're reapplying - so not horseshit, so your mouth got ahead of your knowledge. Cool, happens to all of us.

Because so much more wet & glossy than this, right? Totally $3k worth, right? No. (btw, those wheels have 2 coats of DLux and 2 of Gliss, i.e resin-based ceramic coating)





PS - Just FYI: the #1 thing that adds gloss is paint enhancement polishing - like by FAR. This is all easily verified with a gloss meter.

I did a quick non contact maintenance wash on my X5 over the weekend. I just couldn't be bothered to get out all my gear so I took some on my kit with me to my local jet wash. I mixed up 2 litres of Bilt Hamber Auto Foam @ 80ml to 1920ml of water for my Marolex pump sprayer and the same amount again for my BigBoi electric foamer. Firstly I soaked the car using the pump sprayer then I foamed over the top of that (probably a bit of overkill really) using the BigBoi. First time I'd had chance to try out the electric foamer, I have to say that I was very impressed indeed, 2 litres was ample to cover the car including under the arches (the actual capacity of the foamer is 1.8 litres but you can get a full 2 litres in it) after giving it all a good rinse off I did another rinse using spotless water. I then went for a quick blast, in sports plus mode, down the nearby duel carriageway just to blow off some of the water. For saying it was a completely contactless wash I'm pleased how it came out.

It has PPF applied to the full front end, headlights, mirror caps, A pillars, sills (rockers) and the door jams, it is also fully Gyeon ceramic coated too.

GrussGott wrote

So exactly same as a sealant just longer lasting - which doesn't matter if you're reapplying - so not horseshit, so your mouth got ahead of your knowledge. Cool, happens to all of us.

Because so much more wet & glossy than this, right? Totally $3k worth, right? No. (btw, those wheels have 2 coats of DLux and 2 of Gliss, i.e resin-based ceramic coating)





PS - Just FYI: the #1 thing that adds gloss is paint enhancement polishing - like by FAR. This is all easily verified with a gloss meter.

Absolutely. The more layers of anything, wax to PPF, that is between the paint and your eyes, the less glossy the look will be, physics be like it is.

malvern_man wrote

I did a quick non contact maintenance wash on my X5 over the weekend. I just couldn't be bothered to get out all my gear so I took some on my kit with me to my local jet wash. I mixed up 2 litres of Bilt Hamber Auto Foam @ 80ml to 1920ml of water for my Marolex pump sprayer and the same amount again for my BigBoi electric foamer. Firstly I soaked the car using the pump sprayer then I foamed over the top of that (probably a bit of overkill really) using the BigBoi. First time I'd had chance to try out the electric foamer, I have to say that I was very impressed indeed, 2 litres was ample to cover the car including under the arches (the actual capacity of the foamer is 1.8 litres but you can get a full 2 litres in it) after giving it all a good rinse off I did another rinse using spotless water. I then went for a quick blast, in sports plus mode, down the nearby duel carriageway just to blow off some of the water. For saying it was a completely contactless wash I'm pleased how it came out.

I've had similar positive experience with non-contact wash and surprising results.
In a cheap $8 garden sprayer from Lowes, I mix concentrated car shampoo:degreaser:bug remover at 3:1:1 ratio with water. Pre-soak the car with my mix and then $2 at the local self-wash gives me 4 minutes of pressure washing to get her 90% clean.

I've also been using the same method without the pressure washer and just the rain that we've been getting in California recently.

icj_45e wrote

I've had similar positive experience with non-contact wash and surprising results.
In a cheap $8 garden sprayer from Lowes, I mix concentrated car shampoo:degreaser:bug remover at 3:1:1 ratio with water. Pre-soak the car with my mix and then $2 at the local self-wash gives me 4 minutes of pressure washing to get her 90% clean.

I've also been using the same method without the pressure washer and just the rain that we've been getting in California recently.

Smart! In case you don't know, check out the worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx"]worx hydroshot, which you can get for $80 on sale, and use to spray your prewash as well as rinse and skip the self-wash. No hose or running water required so you can do it anywhere. I bring it on road trips and do a wash in the parking lot!

Also, you car buy super cheap pre wash concentrate from O'REILLY'S made by Superior Products:
Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink"]Pink Perfection is great for a strong wash & bugs
Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road"]Road Warrior is a great degreaser for road film
Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry"]Cherry Foam is a great shampoo (dirt buster is better for bucket washes)

I use them all pretty much every wash

GrussGott wrote

1. Do a nice wash w/ good technique
2. Do a good panel wipe with IPA (50% isopropyl alcohol, 50% de-ionized water)
3. Put on a cheap but decent sealant
4. Wash your car every 3 weeks or sooner (prevents "contamination")
5. put on more protection every 3ish washes

Functionally this is the exact same as $3,000 of professionally applied ceramic coating.

Technique trumps product by a mile.

GrussGott, I have been following your various threads on this topic and have also watched a bunch of videos. I am new to this, so I am not sure if I have everything down. I tried the following process on a very old vehicle and the results looked reasonable, but not sure I am ready to try it on a newer car.

i. Cleaned the wheels using wheel cleaner and power wash.
ii. Sprayed prewash on the car
iii. Used foam gun with the pressure washer (based on previous threads, I believe I can skip this step) to cover the vehicle with foam.
iv. Waited 5 minutes and rinsed using power wash.
v. Used deionized water and McKee's 37 N-914 to do rinseless wash (one-bucket method). After washing each panel, also applied Turtle wax seal and shine as a drying aid before moving on to the next panel.

Questions:

1. Please let me know if this is a reasonable approach or if I am doing something wrong?

2. I have a battery powered blower. Should I use it at any point in this process, example, between the power wash and rinseless wash, or between the rinseless wash and wax?

3. I have read that you can top Turtle was seal and shine with ICE spray wax. Do I just apply it directly after the drying aid panel by panel or after I have done the whole vehicle?

DarthBeemer wrote

Questions:

1. Please let me know if this is a reasonable approach or if I am doing something wrong?

2. I have a battery powered blower. Should I use it at any point in this process, example, between the power wash and rinseless wash, or between the rinseless wash and wax?

3. I have read that you can top Turtle was seal and shine with ICE spray wax. Do I just apply it directly after the drying aid panel by panel or after I have done the whole vehicle?

Q1:
Is it reasonable? Well ... I don't know lotsa factors to consider ...

Generally wheels/tire need a nice degreaser / APC / Wheel cleaner depending on how dirty they are and if they're ceramic or sealant coated or not. Either way, the way I do my wheels is either spray on (via foam cannon or Zep sprayer or Marolex pump sprayer or Hydroshot) some Superior Products Road Warrior (or P&S Brake Buster), let it dwell, then use soft bristle brushes soaking in SP Green All, then spray off the brushes, then rinse the wheel, then next wheel/tire. For brushes I like the EZ detail for the barrels, a long handled boar's hair & detail brush for the faces and a tire brush.

The car, I usually do a pre-wash which is Superior Product Road Warrior or Pink Perfection and let it dwell - but not dry!! - and then rinse. Sometime if there's more road film than dirt (e.g., lotsa rain driving but not a lot of visible dirt) I'll do a doors pass just to agitate that road film.

Then I pull the car into the garage and use the hydroshot to spray down the whole car with rinseless + de-ionized water. Then I use the Garry Dean Method to do a rinseless wash but not dry! Sometimes I'll go panel by panel or, if the car isn't too dirty, I'll go side-by-side by doing the top (windows up) first then the back half, then the front half. I usually wash the whole car before I dry.

If the car was real dirty, I'll go back over a whole side with a new chenille mitt just to ensure it's fully clean.

Q3:
Then I go back and either just dry or put down a drying aid and then dry. And, yeah, you can do SnS every time, or every few times, and do spray wax over it every time or do it inbetween SnS times, which is what I usually do: SnS every 2ish months, spray wax most times inbetween.

Q2:
I have an Ego blower just for car use, but honestly I don't use it other than to blow out the mirrors, fuel door, bumpers, wheels, etc since I like to apply protection during the drying process or I'm in a hurry and just want to dry 'er down.

I've found the technique keys are:

• Light pressure!
• Work top to bottom
• Left to right overlapping passes
• Change media and / or rinse the media often
• Be slow and methodical, never rush

I've checked with scangrip lights and I'm not getting ANY marring doing it this way ... but that doesn't mean I don't have any marring It happens when someone brushes by your car when it's dirty or just by mistakes or whatever. It'll happen.

This is why long-term ceramics aren't right for me - I probably have about 10 places on my X5 I'm going to polish out here soon.

And that's also the thing:

Polishers are cheap and paint enhancement polishing is easy, safe, and you pretty much have unlimited clear coat for this by which I mean 1 step polishing takes off so little clear coat it's irrelevant. Obviously if you get deep catch-your-fingernail scratches then you need to do more than paint enhancement but if you're taking good care of things generally you won't need much if any of that.

And anyone that wants gloss, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IT!

No product, ceramic or otherwise, will look remotely close to a new polish.

Note this is also why new car "paint correction" can be a bad idea: they're chopping down your clear coat on day 1! Like before 99.9% of people will even notice or care!

It's why I think all this "paint correction" stuff is a scam mostly.

A lot of this stuff - like pH neutral shampoo: as if the World your drives in is pH neutral - is kinda scammy and plays on people's emotions. /rant

GrussGott wrote

Q1:
Is it reasonable? Well ... I don't know lotsa factors to consider ...

This is great stuff. Thanks!

GrussGott , In this statement,

I've found the technique keys are:

Light pressure!
Work top to bottom
Left to right overlapping passes
Change media and / or rinse the media often
Be slow and methodical, never rush

Are you still referring to a drying method ? If so what is the media you speak of, towels?
Thanks

Subscribe and watch Pan The Organizer on YouTube. You're doing yourself a favor by doing it correctly by watching someone who has detailed for over 20 years. He does provide recommendations, but he doesn't shill for products and provides honest reviews and time-lapsed comparisons. Such a great, thorough channel. To add, he seems like a genuinely helpful and kind human. He also provides his videos in multiple languages.

Tejas1836 wrote

Carnauba wax-Sealant-Glaze-Ceramic

As GrüB points out, the difference is longevity. This has been my experiences and findings with research and contacts.

Glaze is in the wrong spot (much weaker than a wax). Shouldn't even be considered an LSP if you ask me. Don't even know who uses them any more.

grannyknot wrote

GrussGott , In this statement,

I've found the technique keys are:

Light pressure!
Work top to bottom
Left to right overlapping passes
Change media and / or rinse the media often
Be slow and methodical, never rush

Are you still referring to a drying method ? If so what is the media you speak of, towels?
Thanks

Both wash & dry!

I like chenille mitts for washing because after each pass you can shake them to rejigger the fingers and get a new surface even though you haven't flipped the mitt. Also, at least in my testing, they prevent marring better than any other wash media.

For drying I like 12" Gauntlets from the rag company, and for applying drying aide I like their big pearl mf covered sponge.

Occasionally I'll also use the twistress but generally I like the the Gauntlets

B58-M340iX wrote

Subscribe and watch Pan The Organizer on YouTube. You're doing yourself a favor by doing it correctly by watching someone who has detailed for over 20 years. He does provide recommendations, but he doesn't shill for products and provides honest reviews and time-lapsed comparisons. Such a great, thorough channel. To add, he seems like a genuinely helpful and kind human. He also provides his videos in multiple languages.

Lol

Dude his industry nickname is literally Pan the Advertiser because he's been busted a zillion times for shilling. And lying.

Doesn't mean some of his content isnt good but he's basically a used car salesman:
DIYers are best off watching someone like Matt Moreman of Obsessed Garage: you may not want his process but you'll understand WHY

GrussGott wrote

Lol

Dude his industry nickname is literally Pan the Advertiser because he's been busted a zillion times for shilling. And lying.

Doesn't mean some of his content isnt good but he's basically a used car salesman:

If you already know what you're doing then he's got a few good nuggets, but if you don't, hang on to your wallet!

DIYers are best off watching someone like Matt Moreman of Obsessed Garage: you may not want his process but you'll understand WHY

What do you think about the Wolfgang Auto Bathe Shampoo ? => https://www.wolfgangcarcare.com/wg1000.html

GrussGott wrote

Dude his industry nickname is literally Pan the Advertiser because he's been busted a zillion times for shilling. And lying.

Completely disagree with you on his content - he explains exactly how to use products, why you use them, the science behind them, provides product comparisons, and announces upfront if something is sponsored. The vast majority of his content is not sponsored. I'm not sure where you getting this about Pan. He does not just stick to 1 or 2 products and recommends many different brands that do the same job.

Example:

B58-M340iX wrote

I'm not sure where you getting this about Pan.

Dude. THE ENTIRE DETAILING INDUSTRY. Many lawyers have been involved. Emails were published. Pan made videos about it!

This is not an opinion. It's not an i-don't-agree thing. It's just facts.

It's like saying, "... but Enron is a quality energy trading firm! I'm not sure where you're getting this "

Broadly, if you want to understand how the detailing influencer industry works & gets paid, Scott HD does a good job (e.g., $5k pro-actively put in your paypal acct to do "unsponsored" reviews):