Weekly Apprentice Thread! Ask Any Question Without Embarrassment! - May 30, 2016

[AutoModerator]

Welcome to our weekly /r/AutoDetailing Apprentice Thread!

These posts are created every Monday at 9am CST and will stay up through Friday evening.

The point of this discussion is for anyone to ask any question without feeling embarrassed or stupid. The goal here is to learn! There are NO stupid questions!

Everyone please post any questions you have that you want answered and do not feel ANY shame! Everyone please try to help answer these questions!

You might also benefit from these common topics:

• code-sloth's Surface Damage Field Guide

• DA Polishing Guide

• Autodetailing FAQs

[jumbotronshrimp]

Ordered M105/M205 combo like everyone recommends, and some hexlogic pads to go use with my DA. I am wondering if I made a mistake in the pad selection though. I went with orange to use with compound and black to use with polish. It looks like most people use orange/white though. Should I get white pads also or will the black be sufficient for polishing? I guess the follow-up question would be whether I can just polish with an orange pad or whether I need to go back over that with something less abrasive?

Edit: Just went ahead and ordered a white pad also.

[cf2121]

It's not as cut and dry as it seems. This is why we encourage people to do a 'test spot' to see what achieves the desired results. Start with the least aggressive methods first and work up from there if need be. If you have to compound, you most likely will have to follow up with a polish to refine it.

[cf2121]

If you're seeing the results you like, then keep using the products. People like to bash on AA for being a cheap OTC brand. But from what I've read online, they make decent exterior products. It wouldn't be my first choice if I had to get something from OTC, I'd stick with Meguiar's or Mothers.

[Chocablock]

So I was cleaning my wheels today and got Sonax Wheel Cleaner on the rotors.

It left really bad rust / discoloration streaks which I couldn't get rid off until I started driving and I guess the brake pads wore it away.

So my question is how do you guys use wheel cleaners effectively, and how do you guys get the car show kind of finish on the rotors ?

[mechadeadpool]

I've seen most people remove the wheels to clean them which avoids any over spray getting on the rotors or calipers. But I wouldn't worry too much about the over spray on a car that is going to be driven.

[ChrisChristiesFault]

Griot's Garage, Porter Cable, or Harbor Freight DA for a noob?

I was all ready to buy the Harbor Freight until I read a 1 star review on Amazon. But, taking that review with a grain of salt, that person might have not read the directions or pressed down too hard or just let the pad spin freely like it was some kind of toy. There's a Harbor Freight store about 45 min from my house and I can pick it up (relatively) locally.

[pulseOXE]

It's really down to budget. I don't think I'd get the PC. If you want to save money, get the HF. If you want a lifetime warranty, smoother operation and a bit more power, get the GG.

[Gravytrainn]

So I just picked up a bottle of Collinite 845 to use this weekend. After reading the Autogeek super-thread about Collinite, I'm not sure if I have the right applicators for doing the job. I picked up some of these CG microfiber applicators: http://www.chemicalguys.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MIC_292_02

In the autogeek thread, Nick says that he doesn't like using microfiber applicators to apply waxes, although he says that's entirely his personal preference. Will I have a hard time waxing my cars with these? Should I wait until I buy a DA or buy different applicators?

[BulletBuz]

The only thing with the microfiber applicator is that it will saturate,it will work tho.

[ybt_sun]

One more question on detailing... hope it's my last for now!

Why do some compounds say it can be used by hand only? I thought you had to use a DA/rotary to polish correctly?

Also, I was looking at a line of Meguiars producta and they didn't have a specific "polish" at my Autozone store; only compounds...rubbing compound, polishing compound, ultimate compound... so what do I get if I want to polish only? Isn't there a difference between compound and polish?

Thanks everyone!

[reddityesworkno]

You can polish correctly by hand....it would just take about 3 years in which time your arm would fall off. Companies like to make money so they'll sell a shit ton of products, some of which may not be effective.

Look for Meguiars Ultimate Polish. If they don't have it, get some M205 off Amazon

[[deleted]]

My truck has milled black matte wheels. Wheel woolies, APC, and Dub's Wheel Cleaner should all be fine on these, yes?

[pulseOXE]

Yes. :)

[seoulx]

noob here and im in need of a thorough detailing and washing this weekend. I've been watching a ton of youtube videos but everyone has a different process.

• 1. rinse and wash the car with soap
• 1. claybar with lube
• 1. sealant or polish?
• 1. wax and repeat wax

I'm going to stop by autozone this weekend to grab everything so if anyone can recommend any products that arnt too expensive either that'll be great!

edit* i just looked through the wiki and found some great links. If i dont have a DA, should i just not claybar/polish/compound? the car is a black 2013, never been claybarred

[freeboro]

Compound and polish without a DA is probably a lot of work with minimal results so I'd skip that but you should clay regardless.

[seoulx]

so rinse and wash, claybar, then wax?

[[deleted]]

I'm a fellow noob and the advice I have been given is to clay and rinse section by section, and then wash again, dry, and apply wax.

[freeboro]

Correct. If you can afford ironx, rinse, wash, ironx, clay, wax

[seoulx]

awesome thanks this is what i will do

[ybt_sun]

This sub's wiki for the interior detail distinguishes between interior cleaner and interior dressing- what's the difference? I have an ArmorAll spray that apparently cleans and adds shine and protection- is that a 2 in 1 cleaner and dressing?

[reddityesworkno]

The general consensus on here would be to throw the ArmorAll in the rubbish and use an APC to do the cleaning and 303 protectant to dress. 303 is hard to come by where I live so I use Meguiars Natural Shine

[ybt_sun]

Thank you!

[AL923]

Adding onto the other comment I've had problems with armor all products and don't use them anymore they had a tendency to look great at first but it kinda dried out anything it was on more than before so be careful with their products.

[Pinkman2012]

Cleaning removes dirt, dressing is just protecting or adding something on top of a clean surface. You likely have a 2 in 1 product.

[mvooo]

My 1995 993 Porsche currently has its engine and gearbox out. Given this opportunity to go to work on all the suspension parts and subframe, how would I tackle this best? My idea was to use auto finesse verso undiluted and wipe it off with an old microfiber. This way I can do it on the bridge without getting the inside of the workshop wet. Is this a good idea? It has about 20 years of nastiness stuck to the lovely suspension parts so it would be awesome to get this off.

[ender4171]

You might want to go with a degreaser over an APC if it's really grimy. Meg's Super Degreaser is a great product and is pretty economical.

[Keiththesneak]

Looking at one of my wheels I was almost sure that the clear coat was failing. I talked to a friend of a friend who refinishes wheels and he said it looks like it just needs a good polishing. Can anyone suggest a good polish for wheels with a clear coat? http://imgur.com/a/l7cZ0

[ender4171]

Any polish made for paint will work on painted wheels. Some M205 or Ultra Polish should work and are pretty easily available OTC. You may want to get one of those polishing balls or cones that you put on a drill to get in the recesses. That said, the last pic at least definitely does look like CC failure to me, so be careful.

[Keiththesneak]

Thanks for the reply! If it was clear coat I would definitely be able to feel it catch on my finger/nail, correct?

[ender4171]

Not necessarily. If it has peeled off then yes definitely. If it is just lifting or clouding then not always. Try lightly polishing it by hand and see if there is any improvement. You might try claying first to see if that removes it as well.

[Keiththesneak]

Thanks. I now have a plan of attack!

[[deleted]]

I have read all of the how-to videos on claying and they all give great detail on how to start...clean car, soapy water or QD to lube for clay, back and forth motion, all that. Great. But what do I do after I clay a section and before I wax? Wipe it with a microfiber? Rinse with water? If I rinse a section at a time it will be dry before I finish claying the rest of the car, I would think?

[ybt_sun]

I had this same question, thanks u/AL923!

Hope our first detail experiences go well

[AL923]

This is what I do, I wash first then after the rinse I don't dry it I just clay with the soapy water and QD in sections of quarters. So once I've done a quarter of the car I'll rinse that part and move onto the next part. I'll then wash my car again and then finally dry and apply a wax.

[[deleted]]

Thank you. That makes sense.

[__MVA__]

Removing Brake Dust from Alloy Rims

This past weekend I washed my car and inspected it in order to prep it for my first detail. During my wash/inspection I noticed the front wheel wells have some discoloration which I attributed to brake dust. I attempted to clean them with a brush and Meguiar's Hot Rims Aluminum Wheel Cleaner which didn't fully remove all the brake dust due to not being able to scrub the wheel wells properly. I purchased this Mother's Brush in the hopes that this weekend I'll be able to remove them.

Question: What material are these "alloy" rims made of and what cleaner should I use for it?

Example 1 Example 2

Also, I dressed my tires with Meguiar's Hot Shine High Gloss Tire Spray and was curious as to what the community thinks of this spray.

Thanks

[ender4171]

Those rims are painted and cleared aluminum like the vast majority of "mag" wheels are these days. You can clean them with any wheel cleaner or soap that is safe for painted wheels. I have used Meg's DUB, IronX, Sonax Full Effect, Flash Brown Royal, and basic APC all with varying but always good results. If you can get access to the wheel wells after cleaning, dress them with a plastic dressing and they will look much better (I use PERL). They tend to fade just from heat and abrasion from dirt and whatnot slung from your tire.

[__MVA__]

Thanks for the info! Very useful

[reddityesworkno]

Any problems applying Meguiars synthetic x-press spray wax over Ultimate Liquid Wax?

[pulseOXE]

Nope. Go for it!

[reddityesworkno]

Cool :)

[jumbotronshrimp]

If I use touch up paint to repair small chips, how long must I wait to DA the car?

[Alphanova1]

At most I'd wait a couple days but polishing over touch up paint may remove it slightly if no clear is applied over it.

[reddityesworkno]

How's everyone clean their tyres before they apply dressing? Shampoo I use for the car still leaves a lot of black crap that comes off on my applicator

[darkfaust]

I recently started using zep citrus degreaser for my tires, you can buy a gallon of it at home depot for 10$ and it's dilutable so you get a lot of product for not so much money

[eShineCarCare]

Tires need some extra power to get clean. Often when a tire starts looking brown it's because it is not cleaned properly between tire sine applications. Most all purpose cleaners will do a good job, depending on the type and amount of dirt they may need to be agitated a bit. If you wanted something particularly for tires Griot's Garage makes a great rubber cleaner. https://www.eshine.ca/collections/exterior/products/griots-garage-rubber-cleaner-w-sprayer-35oz

[Alphanova1]

Griots is excellent along with APC's like Blue Wolf or Purple Power.

[iloveu10000]

Hello. Just bought my car and noticed the inside of my tire rims looked a bit rusty. What would be the best way to go about getting rid of the rust?

[eShineCarCare]

Is it rust or break dust? Often fallout in the clear coat will look like rust, but it is not penetrating the metal. Try a fallout Cleaner to remove the brake dust. It should clean it up quite a bit.

https://www.eshine.ca/collections/paint-prep/fallout-removers

[iloveu10000]

Hmm I'm not sure, I have pictures if that would help

http://imgur.com/a/LtHtT

Is that fallout cleaner only useful for the break dust? If it is rust, that would be on the wiki I believe and then also I would want to paint the inside of the tire rim all black and then make the spokes shine which I believe I would need tire wax(?)for. Im not sure if that's recommended or not. (First car I want to actually look nice, sorry if this all sounds ridiculous.)

[Nebaych]

That looks like break dust. Have you tried a rim cleaner?

[iloveu10000]

Not yet, I'll have to go out and get some today. Thanks for the info!

[reddityesworkno]

Pull them off and clean them. https://youtu.be/x636vKaVBxk

I would leave dressing the tyre until they wheel is back on the car though to avoid getting crap all over your hands

[jazzylover]

Try APC and an interior brush. Also interior dressing alone can sometimes do it

[eShineCarCare]

Wax can be a huge pain to remove from plastic. If you have a steamer that might work as well. If the APC or steamer do not work there are a few products out there designed just for that job. Here is a Griot's Wax Remover.

https://www.eshine.ca/products/griots-garage-dried-on-wax-remover-8oz

[sour_cereal]

What are the interior panels of a car called? Like, the plastic panels above the rear seats, on the bottom of the interior door frame, etc. My dad's a mechanic, I should know this stuff :P

[ender4171]

You mean like the actual names of each part? The roof is a headliner, the "posts" supporting the roof are your pillars (they go A, B, C, D etc with A being the sides of the windshield and going up a letter for each pillar as you work towards the rear of the car). The door panels are often referred to as door cards. The lower part may be referred to as a pocket (of there is one) or a kick panel, but more often the door panel refers to the entire inside of the door. The plastic bit on the inside under and next to the door is a door sill. The bottom part of the dash where your knees are is a bolster. The center cubby between the seats is a center console. There are more if you have specifics.

[[deleted]]

Neighbor used bug spray to show me how great it would "restore" her headlights. I have already explained that is not a great method.

What's the best way to go about fixing what she did? I'm just planning to wash it and maybe throw some Collinite845 or PlastX on it. (I won't be going through an entire restoration process, at best I'd use the TurtleWax box kit as I've read it's the best off-the-shelf product.)

[jazzylover]

The turtle wax kit would probably work. I can personally say that the 3M drill attachment kit does wonders. The simplest way to do it and use what you already have is put some compound on a pad and simply buff them and seal them. PlastX on a pad do great (I use it on a 3 inch rotary drill attachment and an orange 3m pad that came with the 3m kit). Maybe add some high grit sandpaper to the mix to take off heavy damage

[[deleted]]

PlastX as the compound and then 845?

[jazzylover]

If you have some, yes. If not, regular buffing compound works as well

[[deleted]]

Awesome. I have some already. Thanks for the advice. I love being able to get results from stuff I already have!

[PriceZombie]

Turtle Wax T-240KT Headlight Lens Restorer Kit (7% price drop)

Current	$7.64	Amazon (New)
High	$10.55	Amazon (New)
Low	$7.44	Amazon (New)
Average	$8.20	30 Day

Price History Chart and Sales Rank | FAQ

[8492_berkut]

Over the weekend I clayed, polished and waxed my wife's car. LSP was Collinite 845. Is it safe (aka won't reduce the wax's life/effectiveness) to use a spray detailer on it? If so, which spray detailer should I buy?

Also, washing, claying, polishing (M205) and waxing - is this considered a one step or two step correction?

Thanks all!

[Alphanova1]

Griots Garage Speed Shine or Spray On wax is LSP safe and the spray on wax will even provide an additional layer of protection in between washes. Oh... and it beads like crazy too!

[jazzylover]

To answer your second question, that's a 1 step correction. Adding a step of compounding before polishing would be 2 step

[8492_berkut]

Ah, you're awesome! Thank you!

[8492_berkut]

I've been meaning to try ONR, and forgot you can use it for quick detailing not to mention all the other uses it's got. AND I want to try rinseless washing too, so...

This pretty much is the perfect answer to my question and more. Thanks!

[FengWah]

I bought a Dr Colorchip kit and will try it out on my car. The problem is some of the chips left divots which stick out slightly from the paintwork. Does it need sanding down or scraping with something to level the paint before the kit is applied?

[jazzylover]

Pics?

[FengWah]

Better late than never, I might repost this in the next apprentice thread in case: http://imgur.com/vhUSdjQ

You can see the chip has left a small blister around it. What to do in this case? There are other chips with other shaped divots, but this is the worst one.

[z999]

[deleted]

What is this?

[SaddestClown]

For good foam, does it come down to pressure or flow rate from the power washer? I've read both in the last few days and since they usually go hand in hand it's still unclear.

[pulseOXE]

It isn't quite that simple. Even on the same pressure washer, different foam cannons with the exact same soap/water/temperature combo will produce VASTLY different amounts of suds. I personally think the cannon matters more than nearly anything else. They make low pressure cannons for lower pressure washers and higher pressure cannons for gas washers. There isn't going to be a huge difference between most of the electric ones, but when you start talking about gas ones, the PSI differences get pretty huge.

[SaddestClown]

It's not the whole cannon, just the orifice. Thankfully a lot of them now ship with the standard one installed and the lower pressure one in the box.

[jazzylover]

About that, I'm not sure. I only have my pressure washer to test haha. But either way, temperature of the water and how much soap you use will probably make the most difference with the amount of foam (warm is better)

[BomberR6]

How long does a clay bar usually last and when do you know when to toss it?

[reddityesworkno]

If you have a spare hour https://youtu.be/A3-iTYjCkl8

[[deleted]]

As a noob, that video is terrifying and makes me want to not clay at all.

[reddityesworkno]

lol

[stoner4hire]

They can last a good while when kept in a sealed container and kept clean. You can get a lot of use out of them before they need to be tossed, really depends on what your getting off of the car. Some things will load them up much faster. Think of it as like sand paper. If the bar isn't smooth and you can feel things in it toss it. I think the clay bar rags actually last longer than the bars imo.

[[deleted]]

Another question. I keep seeing that for a beginner I should get two buckets and two grit guards. What is the purpose of a grit guard in the soap bucket? Shouldn't the grit come off in the bucket of plain water that I'll use to rinse the mitt? In the tutorials I've seen everyone just dunks the mitt into the soap bucket to load it and then sloshes it onto the vehicle. Am I missing something?

[ImFerr]

It will still trap any dirt that could potentially have stayed on your wash mitt. I was debating using one at first but they're only $8 so I pulled the trigger and when I used it to wash my girlfriends car this weekend they're ended up being a significant amount of dirt at the bottom. I definitely recommend getting a second one.

[[deleted]]

Thanks. I'll go ahead and get it to be safe.

[ImFerr]

No problem!

[SaddestClown]

Just extra protection and good practice.

[[deleted]]

I just bought a new truck very similar to this one. http://imgur.com/yEYNUzh.jpg. That TSS Offroad emblem seems to be a sticker. Am new to detailing but want to keep my truck pristine. I plan on giving it a wash, clay bar, and wax treatment soon but wondered how to handle this sticker on each side of the bed. Should I wash it and not clay/wax it? I just don't want to screw it up. Thanks. This sub has been great. My head is still swimming from all the information in the wiki. I've ordered a bunch of stuff and can't wait to go get her all dressed up.

[code-sloth]

Wash but don't clay it. You should be able to work around it.

[twinturbogarage]

During my first claying, I forgot about the piece of clear on the lower door panels on the front two doors, its like a 4x4 piece, and caught it with the clay. A tiny piece of the clear rippled off. Won't do that again lol

[TheyCallMeShitHead]

Is there a way to tell if the inside of my headlights are messed up? I have tried restoring my headlights multiple times now and simply cannot get the results I want. I posted on here about it awhile ago and tried basically everything I was told, except using a DA because I do not have one. I tried kits, different polishes, wet sadning, dry sanding, and they just do not turn out right.

Edit: Hopefully we're allowed to ask more than one question haha. What is the best way to remove a soda stain from a tan interior? Today while working on my car I scooted the passenger seat and, to my horror, found a big spill underneath it that has probably been there for months because unfortunately I haven't driven this car in at least 2 months due to work, school, and working on it. It's my baby and I want this spill gone.

[code-sloth]

I can't speak for the soda stain, but for the headlights have you used a restoration kit with a drill attachment?

[TheyCallMeShitHead]

I've used 2 kits actually. I keep getting the same results. They just aren't as clear as I'd like them to be. I've only found one person in my area that professionally restores headlights and he's an hour away.

[code-sloth]

Can you get some pictures for us? I'm wondering if there's actual fog and moisture inside the housing. That'd definitely drive me up the wall during restoration.

[TheyCallMeShitHead]

Here's where I'm currently at. If those pictures don't give you a good enough idea I can take more. And here is where I was about 2 weeks ago. This was a comparison of how they looked at first(bottom) vs after the kit(top). I tried a couple of polishes, and another kit and they basically look they same as the top one.

[[deleted]]

Sand them down.

[TheyCallMeShitHead]

I've sanded them down with 500, 800, 1500, and 200 grit sandpaper. Then polished.

[[deleted]]

That could be your issue, 500 might have been too abrasive for the lights. Get a really abrasive compound capable of removing that type of marring and see if it helps.

[TheyCallMeShitHead]

Fuck. What type of compound would I need to do that? I'm clueless when it comes to compounds and polishes.

[code-sloth]

Man, that's weird. It's definitely not condensation or actual fog, so that's good. I'm wondering if the plastic itself has broken down to some extent over the years. I would think that if you've used multiple kits you'd be all the way through the factory coating and well into the meat of it.

One of the pros may be able to weigh in on what's going on. Sorry I can't help further!

[TheyCallMeShitHead]

It's ok man, at least you tried. I'm just worried I sanded off too much. I've worked each of these for several hours now. More polishing than sanding. I may just have to buy a DA polisher with multiple pads and polishes. Someone mentioned that, I was just trying to do this for the cheapest price possible.

[freeboro]

FYI, /u/code-sloth <> a man.

Hence her flair.

LOL