Car Detailing - What products are your go to?

[DFB FGXR6]

My 5-liter Trace-less and Touch-less v2 arrived today.

Bilt Hamber Trace-Less
Bilt Hamber Trace-Less Super Wetting Glass Cleaner - Detailing Shed

Bilt Hamber Touch-Less Pre-Wash
Bilt Hamber Touch-Less V2 Snow Foam Pre Wash - Detailing Shed



I gave Trace-less a quick whirl, it certainly has a strong solvent aroma peppered with a scent, and it flashes away to a streak free finish with minimal towel effort.

Use on interior and exterior glass plus acrylic, and infotainment screens. Safe on tinted glass, mirrors, spectacles and hard glazed surfaces. Only use clean lint-free cloths free of detergents and fabric conditioners – these will cause smearing.

For Touch-less v2, its double the concentration and will require me to recalculate the panel impact ratio match my pressure washer and foam cannon outputs.

[Top_Ghia]

Dog hair. How do I deal with a lot of dog hair?
I’m buying a cheap Hyundai i30 that got traded in at work. I was looking for a cheap third rainy day/shopping cart for times the Dark Horse needs to stay home. Besides the front bumper paint peeling off it’s pretty straight.
But the interior is quite a mess. There’s a lot of rubbish everywhere and a lot of dog hair. What’s the best method to remove it?
Will it just vacuum up? Do I use a brush on a drill? Do I comb it up somehow?
I’m actually looking forward to this little restoration project.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

Dog hair. How do I deal with a lot of dog hair?
I’m buying a cheap Hyundai i30 that got traded in at work. I was looking for a cheap third rainy day/shopping cart for times the Dark Horse needs to stay home. Besides the front bumper paint peeling off it’s pretty straight.
But the interior is quite a mess. There’s a lot of rubbish everywhere and a lot of dog hair. What’s the best method to remove it?
Will it just vacuum up? Do I use a brush on a drill? Do I comb it up somehow?
I’m actually looking forward to this little restoration project.

You will get it eventually by vacuuming alone, but it will be long and tedious. A couple of "helpers" I have discovered -

Lily Brush (or similar) - these are rubber combs that help drag the pet hair into a single point, you can the suck it up with the vac. I have the Lily Brush, but Detail Factory have a range of them now.............on special now at the moment too.

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...y-pet-care-kit







Fur-reel - This is a vacuum attachment that has rubber prongs that grab the hair out of the carpet as you vac. Again, they "help".

https://www.willysgarage.com.au/prod...and-fang-combo



Quick Detailer - this works as an anti-static agent. I use Paint Gloss, but any non-protective quick detailer will do (think Boss Gloss, Megs Last Touch ect). Simply mist onto the surface you are vacuuming, again, use with the above for the full effect.

[Trendseeker]

I just noticed that Meguiars have a “coming soon” product that might do the job.

https://www.meguiars.com.au/product/...-hair-remover/

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Trendseeker

I just noticed that Meguiars have a “coming soon” product that might do the job.

https://www.meguiars.com.au/product/...-hair-remover/

Typical Meguiar's, lets everyone else innovate and invest in new products, sits on their hands, then arrives a decade later with their version proclaiming it to be the latest and greatest. Been like this ever since 3M took over.

[Trendseeker]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Typical Meguiar's, lets everyone else innovate and invest in new products, sits on their hands, then arrives a decade later with their version proclaiming it to be the latest and greatest. Been like this ever since 3M took over.

Agreed. They’re also getting into protective paint coating, “coming soon”.

https://www.meguiars.com.au/product/...paint-coating/

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Trendseeker

Agreed. They’re also getting into protective paint coating, “coming soon”.

https://www.meguiars.com.au/product/...paint-coating/

LOL!

That paint coating went on sale this time last year at SEMA. And it's still hasn't arrived in Australia?

Again, typical Meguiar's, and more specifically, Meguiar's Australian importer/distributor. And that's before I mention how totally outdated both US and AUS websites are, everything is out of date, while some products are not even represented despite being in stores. At the end of the day, they are geared towards bricks and mortar retailing, so a up to date website doesn't seem to be a priority.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

You will get it eventually by vacuuming alone, but it will be long and tedious. A couple of "helpers" I have discovered -

Dog hair is easy to remove just by wetting your hands and wiping over the surface with them.

[OneMadMan]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Dog hair is easy to remove just by wetting your hands and wiping over the surface with them.

Agree Rocky...
I use a pair of washing up gloves, dry. Just put on the gloves, wipe all of the hair to one spot, pickup the majority of it, vacuum up the rest. Simple. No money involved apart from the 10 pack of washing up gloves from major supermarket chain.


One Man.

[BENT_8]

Looking for advice to restore moderate oxidization on RV gelcoat finish.
Would assume its similar to boat gelcoat.

Anyone got experience or can direct me to the right products?
I have a 9" rotary buff and auto polishing experience but many years ago now.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Looking for advice to restore moderate oxidization on RV gelcoat finish.
Would assume its similar to boat gelcoat.

Anyone got experience or can direct me to the right products?
I have a 9" rotary buff and auto polishing experience but many years ago now.

If it's similar to marine I would start here......

https://www.whitworths.com.au/mainte...dware?cat=1494


There's usually 2 types of RV construction now.

Filon fibreglass type side walls on motorhomes and caravans are not very durable in the long run, they usually only have a warrant span of 5 years.

Cargosheet powder coated smooth sided aluminium wall are a tougher type of construction and generally only need the clean to keep the surface looking new.
Not as much ribbed sided around these days.

[CyberWasp]

A Question for DFB FGXR6

Have you had any experience with this Product from Collinite?

I saw it on a Video being applied on top of anther brands coating and it came up like glossy glass.

If it is really that good I would like to see what it did if applied it on top of the Wolfgang Gloss Sealant you have had much success with.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

A Question for DFB FGXR6

Have you had any experience with this Product from Collinite?

I saw it on a Video being applied on top of anther brands coating and it came up like glossy glass.

If it is really that good I would like to see what it did if applied it on top of the Wolfgang Gloss Sealant you have had much success with.

image

Sorry, I haven't had any experience with Collinite products outside of 845 Insulator Wax. I went looking for posts on Bead-Coat on Autogeek with no valuable information worth sharing, its virtually unknow. That's about all I can say.

[DFB FGXR6]

Some Aussie AMMO content from when he was here a few months ago.

[stannoplan]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

A Question for DFB FGXR6

Have you had any experience with this Product from Collinite?

I saw it on a Video being applied on top of anther brands coating and it came up like glossy glass.

If it is really that good I would like to see what it did if applied it on top of the Wolfgang Gloss Sealant you have had much success with.

I believe Jon from Forensic Detailing included it on his latest sealant test, there are 3 in the series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHbBwzS05pM

ah, and a stand-alone video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip0if7DcHbs

Anyone treiwd the SiRamik Lustrous the poms rave about?

[DFB FGXR6]

Bilt Hamber Touch-less v2

While I was late to the Bilt Hamber Touch-less party, I now see it as valuable addition to my cabinet. Touch-less is a sugar-based biodegradable pre-wash soap that contains no phosphates, solvents, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and caustic soda. This makes it's safer to use, and unlike solvent-based soaps, is free rinsing. Touch-less also contains corrosion inhibitors.

https://detailingshed.com.au/product...QTmmfn05gfNxhe
https://autobuff.com.au/products/bil...Ixd7LweIBrbNaL
https://www.ppcco.com.au/products/bi...Sfo2fib8EFINaf
https://www.carcareproducts.com.au/p...ess-v2-foam-5l

The main claim to fame with Touch-less is it's ability to make the subsequent contact wash considerably easier and safer. It's important to note that while the product is called "Touch-less", that doesn't mean completely touch-free washing, rather you "touch" the car "less"...............if that makes sense.



There were two reasons why I resisted Touch-less, the ultra-high alkalinity and the convoluted process of arriving at a dilution ratio. The pH concern is valid, but it seems the alkalinity of Touch-less works very differently to other high-pH products. Touch-less was designed to work with modern surface protection, it can break down surface level dirt and grime but leave your coating or sealant intact.

As for the dilution process, well that is a little more complicated. Rather than offering a recommended dilution ratio, Bilt Hamber want you to calculate a specific number to suit your individual application methods and achieve an accurate "Panel Impact Ratio" (PIR). Doing it this way helps account for your specific foam cannon, pressure washer or pump action sprayer, which then means the soap will work as designed.

The latest v2 version of Touch-less now available, which is significantly more concentrated than before to help account for high flow pressure washers. For the original version, I had to run at near full strength due to it being diluted too much by my setup. So, let's look at how we calculate the desired PIR when using a pressure washer and foam cannon. Bilt Hamber want you to achieve between 0.5 and 2.0% PIR's, for dirtier vehicles go straight to 2.0%, then adjust down as needed.

First, you need to measure the flow rate of your pressure washer and foam cannon set up. A higher flow pressure washer will naturally dilute the soap more, a lower flowing machine the opposite. To start, fill up the foam cannon bottle to the full mark, which is typically 1000ml. Also make sure the foam dial is set to maximum. Next, discharge the foam cannon into a bucket until the cannister is empty. If your bucket has a lid, use that to partially cover the bucket and prevent splashing. Also, make sure the syphon straw is not sucking air when you as you approach empty, you will skew your measurement otherwise.



From here, you need to measure out how much water was discharged into the bucket(s). In my case, I'm running a Kranzle KHD/10 that flows 10-litres per minute, paired with an MTM FP22.2 foam cannon. In this test, this setup discharged 17-litres / 17000 ml into the bucket.

From here, we get into the numbers. To achieve a 2% PIR, 17000ml is multiplied by 0.02 to arrive at 340 ml of Touch-less and 660 ml of water. At the other end of the scale, a 0.5% PIR would be 17000 x 0.005 to arrive at 85 ml of Touch-less and 915 ml of water. Obsessed Garage also provide a PIR calculator on their web listing for Touch-less, you just select your unit of measurement, the foam cannon discharge number and desired PIR.

https://www.obsessedgarage.com/colle...ber-touch-less





So, while it might sound complicated, once you have measured the flow of your foam cannon, you can write the various PIR rates on the bottle and you are set.

How to Use -

Touch-less is best applied to a dry vehicle and allowed to dwell for as long as possible. You will unlikely use a full 1000ml of Touch-less on a single vehicle, you should get two to three cars per dilution, so having a separate bottle to store this in is a good idea. The longer Touch-less is on the surface, the more it will break down contamination. I would however caution against letting it dry, you certainly don't want that. I've found you can lightly mist sections that are drying faster than ideal to keep it active. After the dwell period, thoroughly rinse the car and move onto the contact wash.

You will notice Touch-less is a runny foam, not shaving cream thick. This doesn't necessarily mean your PIR is too weak or compromise the dwell period. It does however help with the rinse-off.

I have tested Touch-less on a filthy service loan car, foaming it on, leaving to dwell, then rinsing off. I then hit it with Hydr02 and air dried the car. The end result was a loan car that went back clean and shiny, and a stunned service advisor..................all without even touching the paint.









You can see the dirt has been emulsified and drawn from the vehicle in this image -



Stupidly, I didn't take an end result image, so you will have to take my word for it regarding the results. Would I have taken a towel to the paint after that without a contact wash, unlikely. But what it did do is demonstrate the products ability.

Touch-less is a product you won't always need. For a well-maintained garage queen, I have never needed it. But on heavily soiled vehicles driven in all conditions, Touch-less significantly reduces your effort come contact wash, easily removing bugs, road film, dust and dirt without the need for specific products. Yes, it is expensive, but NO other soap of this type can come close to Touch-less.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

If it's similar to marine I would start here......

https://www.whitworths.com.au/mainte...dware?cat=1494


There's usually 2 types of RV construction now.

Filon fibreglass type side walls on motorhomes and caravans are not very durable in the long run, they usually only have a warrant span of 5 years.

Cargosheet powder coated smooth sided aluminium wall are a tougher type of construction and generally only need the clean to keep the surface looking new.
Not as much ribbed sided around these days.

Cheers, I know from my time in RV dealers that the Jayco type flat walls, which I assume is the 1st material you refer to is pretty much impossible to polish.
We had 'specialists' come through who could get it slightly better than we could but nowhere near back to original finish.

What I have on the front of my van is more of your traditional fibreglass and is raw under the lift up front but has a smooth and shiney gelcoat finish.
It oxidizes and shows water spots like unloved gelcoat can.
I did a bit of research and discovered a 3 step RV resto kit from Maguires, an oxidize remover, finishing polish and maintenance wax.

Have gone over it with the 1st step by buff and its come up like new.
I should have taken some before and afters to tell the story.

Im selling the van and had a fussy buyer look at it Sunday who was turned off by the weathered look so I figured $100 is worth the spend to avoid any further lost sale.

I'll throw a pic up once im done.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Cheers, I know from my time in RV dealers that the Jayco type flat walls, which I assume is the 1st material you refer to is pretty much impossible to polish.
We had 'specialists' come through who could get it slightly better than we could but nowhere near back to original finish.

What I have on the front of my van is more of your traditional fibreglass and is raw under the lift up front but has a smooth and shiney gelcoat finish.
It oxidizes and shows water spots like unloved gelcoat can.
I did a bit of research and discovered a 3 step RV resto kit from Maguires, an oxidize remover, finishing polish and maintenance wax.

Have gone over it with the 1st step by buff and its come up like new.
I should have taken some before and afters to tell the story.

Im selling the van and had a fussy buyer look at it Sunday who was turned off by the weathered look so I figured $100 is worth the spend to avoid any further lost sale.

I'll throw a pic up once im done.

I bought the Megs RV polish for the front of my van but it didn't really do much. Sounds like I need the oxidisation remover. Cheers.

[DFB FGXR6]

How did I let this thread drop off the first page?

So, to bring it back to the top, just a little reminder that the usual Black Friday sales have already begun.

Waxit have launched strong and are offering "up to" 50% discounts store wide. And if you are into kits, they have you covered! Personally, I use this sale as an opportunity to restock on bulk products, especially Carpro and NV brands. If you haven't tried Carpro Reset before due to the premium price, now is the time to discover its brilliance. It's also a good time to stock up on iron remover, usually a premium priced product, that includes iron-remover wheel cleaners like Purge.

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/specials
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/car-detailing-kits
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/carpro
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/iron-removers

The Detail Store have also launched early. Discounts are variable and retrieved via Code: BF24.

https://www.detailstore.com.au/

[fordomatic]

I am considering this, so stupidly cheap

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...32271049588825

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

I am considering this, so stupidly cheap

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...32271049588825

VERY cheap! I'd guess they don't sell many of those 21mm 6-inch, hence the ultra-sharp price to clear them.

[CyberWasp]

Please don't post any more of these links or promotions.

You all know this will keep going until you find yourself setting up something like this.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

image

Please don't post any more of these links or promotions.

You all know this will keep going until you find yourself setting up something like this.

I initially loved those lights, but they are absolutely useless for detailing as they create shadows. Notice how dark that room is despite there being a LOT of light fixtures. And the hex shape reflections in the paint is distracting and very harsh on your eyes. Hex lights are probably best for detailing studio customer presentation bays and not an actual working bay. The Rag Company actually just removed them from their studio for these reasons.

[CyberWasp]

Maybe Tunnel Lights might be a better option.

I just wish I had the space and budget to attempt to build it.

[stannoplan]

With Black Friday very close I feel the need to re-stock. Probably already have 3 of everything but its an addiction.

Any thoughts about your go-to products that you love and what you would grab at a bargain?

I'm thinking for my top ups:
- CarPro Essence/Reflect- so shiny, gentle, easy gloss
- P+S spray bottles or Kwanzar dual action - a joy to use
- P + S Brake Buster - great for weekly wheel and tyre maintenance
- Perl - for everywhere, Plastic, Engine, Rubber and Leather, doesn't like water though
- looking for a killer, external door rubber / external trim product - tried them all. 303 Aerospace ok, Lustre works well, Solution Finish, Cerakote, Bead Machine almost the best so far, all of the above combined
- Megs QD, so, so easy.

Hope to start a discussion and find some new things;)

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by stannoplan

With Black Friday very close I feel the need to re-stock. Probably already have 3 of everything but its an addiction.

Any thoughts about your go-to products that you love and what you would grab at a bargain?

I'm thinking for my top ups:
- CarPro Essence/Reflect- so shiny, gentle, easy gloss
- P+S spray bottles or Kwanzar dual action - a joy to use
- P + S Brake Buster - great for weekly wheel and tyre maintenance
- Perl - for everywhere, Plastic, Engine, Rubber and Leather, doesn't like water though
- looking for a killer, external door rubber / external trim product - tried them all. 303 Aerospace ok, Lustre works well, Solution Finish, Cerakote, Bead Machine almost the best so far, all of the above combined
- Megs QD, so, so easy.

Hope to start a discussion and find some new things;)

I'll give you some thoughts from your list -

CarPro Essence/Reflect - These two are a delight to use, I probably couldn't top those. If you need a little more cut while still finishing nicely, check out Sonax Perfect Finish.

P+S Spray Bottles or Kwazar - The Kwazar's all day long. The only exception to that would be for heavy duty alkaline or tar remover solvents, the Kwazar's don't like those.

P & S Brake Buster - Again, hard to top. You could always try Shine Supply Wise Guy. This is quite a bit stronger, so dilute it out further than the normal 50/50 mix if you want to use it more regularly, I just use it as a tyre refresher.

Carpro Perl - Another benchmark. Alternatives could include P&S Dynamic or Shape Up, or even Meguiar's Hyper Dressing.

External Door Rubber/Trim Product - Solution Finish is the best for longer term restoration of heavily faded trim. For something mid-term, I really like Carpro Reload on rubber and plastic trims, it has a darkening effect without washing off in the rain or the next wash, or attracting dust. Shorter term, check out Koch Chemie Plast Star, this seems to last longer than usual water-based dressings like 303 and Perl.

Megs Quick Detailer - always nice to have, but check out P&S Paint Gloss as well.

If you are looking for something new or different, perhaps look at the following -

Shine Supply Shift - this is a lovely pH neutral soap that foams well, has great lubrication and has a delightful coconut-lime fragrance.



3D Ceramic Matte Tire - this is such a sleeper, producing minimal to no gloss, just a deep dark finish.



P&S Clarity Creme - again, another sleeper. This stuff is far easier to use than CeriGlass, but still delivers crystal clear, squeaky clean glass.



Ethos Foam Party - another pH neutral soap, and as the name suggest, this stuff FOAMS! Smells amazing, highly slick.



P21S Polishing Soap - this is one of those "if you know, you know" products. Can be used on most metal surfaces, in particular exhaust tips.



TRC Rip'n'Rag - high quality "disposable" microfiber, super handy for dirty jobs that would ruin an otherwise good towel. The Ultra version is great for coating removal.



Armour Detail Supply Amplify and Pilot - these are my two favorites from the brand, Amplify is the easiest drying aid and topper you will use, and Pilot interior cleaner/detailer is my favorite of its type. Actually, the whole range is worth looking at.

[DFB FGXR6]

My Waxit Black Friday purchase. Only realized after the purchase that I also needed another 4-litre of Reset.





It's also great to see new Carpro products launched for Sema are arriving in short order. WheelX is a iron remover type wheel cleaner, it offering more lubrication that IronX alone.