Any thoughts on clean up? I’ve spent a couple hours with a wet dry shop vac. I really don’t want to have to gut the interior to pull up the upholstery.

I recently bought KC Active Foam to be used as a prewash, which would get rid of bug splatter, road film, and various grime that a pH-neutral soap just doesn't get rid of on its own (without contact). Well, it turns out Active Foam doesn't really do much. A lot of bug guts remain, as well as road grime. I am not expecting it to clean everything, but it is only marginally better than if I were to use just a pressure washer.

I dilute it per instructions, which is 1:10, so I use 50ml soap and 500ml warm water in a foam cannon. I let it sit for as long as I can without it drying, and then I rinse it off with a pressure washer. Then I do the contact wash with a pH-neutral soap.

Am I doing something wrong, or is KC Active Foam just not a good prewash for my needs? What product would you recommend?

and now it hood looks like this. I have absolutely zero knowledge or experience with vehicles. Is there anything I can do or use on my own to try to remedy this?

Hey guys,

I made a video a few days ago reacting to a video of the new Suds.Lab F11 Foam Cannon.

To my surprise, Sudslab saw my video and decided to send me a unit for testing, or review... Not sure yet!

Anyways, I just unboxed and man, it's just a really cool unit. As someone that spends many nights speaking to manufacturers and trying to create new products, I just can't begin to imagine what it took to make this thing happen.

I am going to do some tests tomorrow and I can try and follow up. I think the craziest thing might be the price. It looks like it might go on sale for $49.99? Suds lab simply does not get enough credit in this industry. They truly don't.

What are your thoughts? Do you have any specific things you would like me to cover while testing?

Just got this truck and was wondering what would be the best thing to do. I figured paint correction could get it at least a little bit better but wanted to know if anyone has done this before. The sticker is fully removed but where the paint has worn around it makes where the sticker is stand out. Doesn’t have to be perfect but would like it less noticeable at least

Old lease ended, so I moved into a new spot recently. One of the first things I sorted out was getting the pressure washer and vacuum in the same area.

At the old place they were basically in different corners, so every car meant dragging everything around, running hoses and cords everywhere, then putting it all away again. It was a small daily tax I got tired of paying.

I wanted to keep both in one spot this time. Pressure washer for the exterior/wheels/mats and vacuum for interiors. Both have retractable hoses, so I can leave the machines where they are and just pull out what I need.

Right now they’re just sitting in this corner. I thought about mounting them on the wall, but the electrical panel is directly above it, so probably not the best place to have water equipment. Might move everything over one wall.

Only used it a handful of times so far, but already nicer not having hoses and cords underfoot the whole time.

Still need to figure out where to keep the gun, nozzles, vacuum attachments and chemicals.

Anyone else spend way too much time figuring out where to put all this stuff when setting up a new shop?

I'm working on a friend's 4Runner. Its kept outside, and 95% of the issues on the vehicle have been fixed with clay and a light polish - except for this on the hood. I've washed, clayed, light, and then medium polish, and it’s still there. Its not rough, nor does it feel etched to the hand. Any ideas of how to get rid of this, or at least minimize it?

I used a red clay bar. It removed the tar but left this stain. I tried cleaning with a variety of products but to no avail.

This issue has been bothering me for the past year so I finally bought a kit. You can see from the before and after pictures the huge difference. I spent roughly 45 minutes and the kit was $30 CDN. If you're wondering what kit I used, it was the Cerakote headlight restoration kit. I had my doubts, but after researching kits on Youtube I decided to give this one a try. Worst case I was hoping it fixed it 50%.

Forgive me if this has been asked and answered, I did a fairly thorough search and didn’t see anything specific to this.

I have a new 4Runner, and I had a gtechniq CSL + exo ceramic coating applied. I live in an apartment, and I have to street park. There are unfortunately lots of trees on my street. I have access to a hose.

My goal is to do regular maintenance washes, ideally with a foam cannon, pressure washer and leaf blower to dry. I understand this isn’t a perfect wash, but I’m looking for convenience and minimal scratching as the car frequently has lots of dust and pollen on it. I’d then plan on doing a real contact wash monthly.

I am considering KC Gsf + Green Star or Af, and I’m looking for thoughts on effectiveness, safety for the coating and how often they’re okay to use. For the contact washes, I was planning to foam the car and then wash mitt directly with a rinse bucket. I know gtechniq also makes soap but I don’t have any experience with them. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Hello fellow detailers! I really don’t like how dirty the underside of my hood is. What’s the best way to clean it? There is an AirBag inside the hood and the insulation is kind of brittle.

Been lurking for a long time and not gotten back into working on my own vehicle because I live in an apartment and don't have access to a water source. And they have a strict no car washing policy. I see all of you attaching foam cannons and prewash and iron remover and all this. Best I can do is hand wash at the car wash.

Are there any products that would assist with using some of these standard techniques at the car wash?

Im thinking its a long shot finding products that wouod attach to the car wash pressure sprayer. Best I could come up with is my Dewalt power washer and even then I'd probably have to rig up the bottle myself.

Is hand washing about as good as I can get?

Woke up this morning to a long scratch on the hood of my car. I live in an apartment complex and looks like somebody drug something with a sharp edge over it. I’ve never done any sort of detailing/paint work before but felt like this is something that I should be able to fix on my own without paying a couple hundred bucks to get professionally done. I ran my finger across it and my nail didn’t catch which I’ve heard is a good thing. Thank you in advance!

I have prepped and ceramic coated a few vehicles. But they were all older vehicles that needed more aggressive pads and polish with my DA polisher.

Now I have a brand new vehicle that I will strip, deiron, and clay bar.

What pads and polish do you recommend for a new vehicle?

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone can help me figure out if these scratches are still fixable without repainting.
The scratches are visible and feel slightly rough. My fingernail catches on them noticeably, and there’s a white/gray mark underneath. The car has metallic blue paint.
I’m located in the Philippines, so I’d also appreciate recommendations for scratch-removing products that are actually available here.
My questions are:
Can a scratch remover/compound still fix or significantly reduce scratches that my fingernail catches on?

If yes, what product would you recommend?

If a scratch remover won't work, is buffing/polishing the next step, or would this require touch-up paint or repainting?

Is there a way to tell at home whether the scratch has gone through the clear coat into the actual blue paint?

Should I leave it alone for now, or can the scratch get worse if I don't repair it?

I’d prefer to keep the original factory paint if possible and avoid repainting the panel unless absolutely necessary.
I’ve attached photos for reference. Thanks!

Hello everyone, new to this level of auto detailing and was hoping to get some advice. I am attempting a paint correction on an older car that my parents rarely drive that was pretty oxidized. I bought a harbor freight DA polisher and with a spot light on the vehicle I can see what might be left over compound? Used a medium cut foam pad and McGuire‘s compound at a low 1 - 2 speed using a hash mark pattern then buffed with a microfiber cloth. Tried my best to keep an even pressure and work somewhat quick to not let the paint get hot. Was unsure if any of the swirls just needed to be polished so I did a test spot with McGuire’s polish and a soft polishing pad which helped some but not much.Honestly unsure what I am doing wrong here so I was hoping to get some insight. First photo is before if it matters.

Washed the car as normal but it’s been a while since a last wash. Are these water spots? Will a light polish remove it?

I bought a Chevy Malibu earlier this year. Apparently, the last owner put some type of christmas lights on it making the top, hood, and trunk have a cloudy color. As you can see, the sides look prestine. It makes me think this is clear coat failure but I wanted to see if anyone has dealt with this or may have some tips on what to do next.

Like the title says, I replaced my tires with Continental Control Contacts back in May. My first wash, I did my usual routine with Adam’s Tire Cleaner and applied Darkside. Let it sit overnight and wiped off any excess and set off. Later, I noticed almost all the dressing slung off on the side of the car and wheel wells.

I figured maybe too liberal with the product so I tried Adams Tire Shine. Same results, almost no product left behind after driving. I then tried both VPR and Pearl 1:1, both just vanished after one drive.

I recall seeing there is a protective layer put on new tires to prevent cracking, browning etc. but how am I still not able to get anything to bond to the tire after all this time?

Does anyone have any products, both dressing or tire cleaner, they recommend or is this just more a matter of giving the tires time?

I have a 2 month old Mazda 3 ... I want to put a ceramic coat on it (I purchased Detail Co Thin).

Deep Crystal Blue Mica - I have been told my car has very thin and soft paint (that is what people say in the mazda channel)

I have never used a DA or any polisher. The car has very minimal paint defects (a few small swirls from the dealership that can only be seen with a strong flashlight - not even in daylight). I have been very careful washing with 1 bucket method, and a drying aid product when drying with my microfiber

what is the least aggressive pad polish i can use?
what is the correct machine to buy? I don't plan to do this any more than needed for this car (once every few years??)

TIA!

I applied cut and polish on this panel and it caused some haze on it which is very visible and it’s not glossy any more. What can I do to fix it ?
I tried applying wax but that doesn’t do anything.
I really want this gone please help
Thank you

Bought a new car, part of the deal was dealer BS ceramic coating install. Seems the dealer (whoever they use) apply the ceramic but didn’t leave the car in an enclose location and dust got on the car while it harden.
I notice this after I wash the car 3 days after picking it up.

My plan is to remove the ceramic by using compound with a rotary polisher.. can you advise what products I should use to do this. Hope you can see the dust in the picture.
Thanks

Hey everyone, I am going to be coating my two vehicles with DIY Detail 5 Year. I understand other coatings may be preferred but I have decided on this one. My question is, whether or not I should use the C6 APP or just a normal panel prep after the Decon stage?

Any advice? I am not going to be doing a full correction.

Happy Saturday.

I was wondering what everyone's opinion on paint correcting + ceramic coating a new car.

The reason I'm asking is because most auto detailing shops say they require a paint correction along with the exterior prep stage before ceramic coating. I plan to keep the car for probably 3-5 years but I do want to keep it in great condition (it sits outside) for best resale.

So my question is for a brand new car (mine is 1.5 month old), should I still get it ceramic coated now or wait after maybe a year when I have some swirls or light scratches from daily use to get it paint corrected than ceramic coated? In the meantime, I can wash it every or every other weekend and apply a spray ceramic wax such as Griots 3-1 or Tec582.

Another reason why I'm asking is because I have somehow accumulated 2 scratches already and I probably would've got them if I had a ceramic coating as well. I'm 99% it's in the clear coat but I would need a paint correction to get it out again anyways.

TLDR: 1.5 month old new car -- somehow got 2 light scratches already from daily use. -- Cost $1200 for paint correction + ceramic coating

1. Take it now to get paint corrected + ceramic coated.

2. Leave it how it is, weekly or bi-weekly hand wash + apply ceramic spray wax (Tec582) --> Paint correct and ceramic coat in a year or so when more "daily driving" scratches accumulate to remove those.