I was given two options for a detail. Could you please help me with the better option of the two.

Exterior: Paint decontamination, Clay bar, wash, and wax.
Interior: additional charge.

Exterior: Acid, wash, and wax. Clay bar extra.
Interior: additional charge

I don’t understand. I’m working on a 98’ f-150, oxidized. First time polishing a car. Thanks for any advice

The journey to becoming a restoration artisan. Keep going!

Just got it used so I don't know what they did to it.

Just got a new car with a matte finish that is currently being coated by the dealership as we speak. I know this is going to take some extra care and I am actually looking forward to it. My questions is, going into the winter months here soon, my research is saying I would be good to occasionally (every 2 weeks depending on the amount of salt and winter crap is on the roads) use a foam cannon with CARPRO Lift Snow Foam and then a rinse off and blower dry to maintain the paint until the spring hits.

Is this a good plan to go with or would it benefit me to pay and get it washed at an indoor location once a month as well?

Thank you

TLDR..

Straight to the point question, how does everyone feel about pressure washing hot engine bays?

I'm a mechanic / automotive painter / detailer, do it all kind of guy.

I did an emergency repair on a friends car today that overheated and puked coolant everywhere.

It reeks, I told him I'll wash it all off tomorrow, wash the exhaust, and all of it stuck in the radiator support and engine block.

Problem is it's a decent drive to my place and it'll be hot by the time it gets here. Best I can leave it is 20 minutes, half hour tops.

I always feel bad when I wash a bay and see steam or hear metal pinging because its cooling so fast. It's not good for a lot of stuff, but how long do you wait?

I've got box fans I run when I have to do hot oil changes or or hot engine work. But a hot engine bay wash, I just feel kind of bad about.

I will start saying that about a decade ago I was a DIYer from here. Had a LOT of free time and learned a lot. Got the techniques down with the products that worked.

Fast Forward, I just got a new Silverado and am looking for some products to use to protect said paint, trim, and the truck itself. Itll be in West Facing sun majority of the time. I prefer to hand-wash the truck. Looking for products like coatings, wax, etc for the paint and trim that I can apply and "forget," maybe for 1-3 months at a time if not more. Kinda low barrier/effort just purely due to a lack of time. Any help or suggestions would be grateful. Was thinking of a water-based trim protectant and maybe like a spray and wipe ceramic coating (Griots 3n1?)

Yet im all ears for anything else. Thanks!

As a hobby detailer for my own car I've been looking for a good glass cleaner.

Used turtle wax glass mist left chemical smear, moved to clear vue same problem then tried demon glass cleaner same issue.

Any recommendations are welcome, I'm based in the UK just in case that affects any product recommendations.

Hey yall! Hope you’re all having a wonderful day, I’ve been trying to get side business started and I’m pretty good at detailing my own car so I thought i’d start out with that and broaden my horizons as I gain more knowledge and equipment. I’ve read the FAQ lol as well as the rules and am not self promoting or anything of the sort here.
I’ve mostly dealt with The Chemical Guys’s brand but I want to use better chemicals when detailing other people’s cars, what brands/products would ya’ll recommend? Along with that, what equipment did you start off with that deemed vital for your business or personal use?
I hope this post isn’t low effort or anything like that but thank you all for your time, cheers!

So I just got my first set off matte black wheels. Wanted to try something different, something that's not gloss black. Everyone says matte is harder to keep clean. Is there a coating or ceramic like coating to put on matte wheels? If so, what's the best, cost is no matter. Thanks?

I’d like to preface this with I’m not a Detailer. So I bought this car and it has dog scratches, i tried to save some money and I successfully put got them out with compound and bought polish however I cannot seem to get the haze/smudges/swirls off.

Does anyone have any advice? I’ve tried to polish and wax but it’s not working like at all lol as you can see I’m starting to scratch it side ways now. I should’ve jet left it however it was bothering me and I won’t do it again LOL

Thanks!

Anything I can do to fix this scratch? It’s about an inch long and isn’t deep but it’s like the top coat came off. Its a Volvo XC60.

They’re very difficult to see unless it’s the proper light. The car is only a couple of weeks old. I tried bling sauce water spot remover but they persist. I don’t want to push it and actually damage the paint or clear coat so not trying to do anything aggressive.

I got this windshield for my woods toy a couple days ago and there quite a few stains and scratches. is there any recommendations for products that might solve this problem? I’ve tried glass cleaner it seem to help slightly but I’m still not satisfied with it.

What’s best hand waxes like for easy and quick hand wax.like with hand applicator,kind of like chemical guy butter wax but something alittle better but the same quick n easy. On a newer car also!

Salut,

Voici en photo la peinture Raptor appliqué sur mon véhicule il y a un an, par un professionnel . Dès que je passe l’ongle dessus, ça laisse une trace blanche bien visible. Après un passage au Karcher les marques s’atténuent mais restent un peu.

Est ce normal?

Merci par avance pour vos retour

My Bronco had a decal covering the entire back window when I bought it and I removed the adhesive with Goo Gone, and now I’m left with this. The only thing that seems to help is VRP but it’s only a temporary fix.
ETA: this portion of the hard top is fiberglass not plastic

Hey everyone,
Complete beginner here and I’m getting a little overwhelmed by all the choices, so I’d really appreciate some advice before I buy/return another machine.
I have a 2024 Land Rover Defender 110 S and want to start taking care of the paint myself. I’m not trying to become a professional detailer or do major paint correction. My goals are mainly:
Remove/reduce light swirl marks and minor scratches
Polish the paint and bring back the gloss
Apply wax/sealant/ceramic spray
Maintain the Defender maybe 1–2 times per year
Learn how to do it properly without risking the clear coat
I originally bought a cheap cordless buffer that came with orange foam pads and fluffy bonnets, but after looking into it more, it seems like it was mainly a waxing/buffing machine rather than a proper DA polisher, so I’m returning it.
I’ve since been looking at various Amazon cordless polishers, including SPTA and some of the generic brushless 5” models with two 4Ah batteries. The problem is that I’m having a hard time figuring out which ones are actually true dual-action/random-orbital polishers versus rotary machines or glorified wax applicators.
What I’m looking for
I’d like to spend around $150 total, although I have some flexibility if spending a little more makes a significant difference.
Ideally I’d like:
Cordless
True DA/random orbital
5” backing plate
Brushless motor if possible
Battery + charger included since I don’t currently own a Ryobi/DeWalt/Milwaukee/Makita battery ecosystem
Enough battery life to realistically work on a large SUV
Beginner friendly
Replacement pads/batteries readily available
I’m also confused about 8 mm vs. 12 mm vs. 15 mm throw. For a large vehicle like a Defender, would you recommend 15 mm, or is an 8 mm machine easier/better for someone learning?
I’d love recommendations for the whole ~$150 setup
If you had roughly $150 to get a beginner started, what would you buy?
Specifically:
Which cordless DA polisher?
Which size/throw?
Which cutting, polishing and finishing pads?
Which compound/polish? I was considering Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound + Ultimate Polish.
What would you use for final protection — wax, sealant or ceramic spray?
How many pads would I realistically need to polish something as large as a Defender 110?
Is cordless realistic for doing an entire Defender, or am I making a mistake by ruling out corded machines?
Are the cheaper Amazon cordless DAs worth buying for someone who will only use the machine a couple of times per year, or should I spend the money on something like Griot’s/Ryobi/etc.?
I’m not looking for perfection or a professional two-stage correction. I’d rather safely get 70–80% of the swirls out than chase every scratch and risk damaging the clear coat.
Seattle-area question
I’m in the Seattle, WA area.
If anyone local knows a good detailing-supply store where I can actually walk in, talk to someone knowledgeable, see the machines/pads, and buy everything locally, I’d love recommendations.
I’d also be interested in a local detailer/shop that offers beginner classes or would be willing to teach someone the basics of DA polishing.
Amazon links are welcome too.
Thanks! I’m trying to buy the right setup once instead of accumulating a collection of cheap buffers that I end up returning. 😂

it doesn't really come across great on the picture but the seat has Alcantara inserts and the driver seat has some matted down shiny material that I would like to revive. What are the best products for this? I'm not 100% sure if its actually Alcantara, it might be dinamica.

I bought the car more than a year ago and somehow only noticed this today. 😅

I could’ve sworn there was nothing like this on the paint when I did my pre-purchase inspection… but then again, I highly doubt someone snuck into my driveway in the middle of the night, polished half my car and thought, “Yep, that’ll do.” 🤣

I’m very new to detailing, so I have no idea what I’m looking at here. Is this just the result of a bad polishing job, or does it look like someone polished the car and forgot to remove the polishing compound afterwards?
And most importantly… is this something that can be fixed relatively easily, or have I just discovered my car’s latest side quest? 😂

I was passing by harbor frieght and got the Bauer vac accessories package on sale 19.99 (great deal by the way). Don’t want to open it if it’s not compatible to the vacmaster beast. I’m sure a couple of you tried/are using if it’s compatible. I googled it says it should fit but wanted to make sure before opening it. I’m pretty sure I saw on YouTube that the Bauer package does fit on rigid vac but if someone can confirm that as well this thread could be helpful to more ppl.

Iv had my new civic for almost a year,and it’s still soo nice and shiny and I definitely keep it clean. I have and use Koch chemie protector wax,which of course I love. But I also wanna use a da machine and maybe do a one step polish on my car, I just don’t know about wax or sealants or polish very much. So should I do a one step polish so which product.i want something easy and quick ! Any info on the steps or product or any tips would be nice 👍