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Is it just me, or does cotton absorb moisture better than microfiber? I know that if you take a 500g microfiber towel and a 500g cotton towel and submerge both in water, the microfiber towel will absorb more water, but I'm talking about when you're using a towel for something like cleaning...

I just ordered an 1800 psi electric pressure washer, and I'll have it next week. I've never had a pressure washer before. What steps in the detail process does the pressure washer really speed up the process and/or make the job a lot easier? I know it makes floor mats a breeze. I would assume...

I've recently added HF acid to my arsenal for heavily neglected wheels. I've found that some plastic center caps are completely unaffected by it, while other plastic center caps will be bleached white. How do you deal with plastic center caps when using HF acid? And taking the wheels off the car...

I had a tennant carpet extractor, but I love my rigid wet/dry vac so much that I was constantly reaching for it instead of the extractor, so I sold the extractor on CL (for $75 more than I paid for it). It sure would be convenient to have a sprayer rigged up to my rigid, though. Anybody got any...

I was at Waffle House the other day, and there was this guy there cleaning the windows. He's with a commercial window cleaning company. Glass is one of my least favorite parts of a detail, so I ask him what he uses. Water with a little bit of dish soap. He squirts it on, squeegies it off, and...

I randomly saw this sealant mentioned in a thread and started looking it up. The product description states that it will hide light swirls, meaning it's got fillers. This immediately piqued my curiosity as something I could use on low budget details to provide a little extra sparkle. Does #21...

It's time to replace some worn out pads. I love my hydrotechs, but am wondering if the hybrids are even better. My philosophy is why would a company release a new product line unless it's better than their last release. Anyone who's used both, chime in and let me know how you think they compare...

I bought a cheap air compressor the other day. This is the first time I've detailed with compressed air, and it was amazing! Blowing out air vents, buttons, door pockets, cup holders, and seams was a huge time saver. No more scrubbing with a toothbrush! I've read about people using air to blow...

So I just bought a Tornador and am about to pick up a 110v 21 gallon air compressor that puts out 4.7 cfm at 90 psi. Now the question is, how do I power this thing while I'm mobile? I don't know much about compressors, tools, and electricity in general, but from what I've read, using an...

For me, the easiest way to remove water spots from the windshield and windows is to just grab the DA and make a quick pass or two with some compound, usually Meg's Ultimate Compound. After I'm done, I'll go back and do a mineral spirits wipe down to remove any polishing oils, but I'm wondering...

One thing I've noticed in looking at several member's websites is that some of us list prices and some don't. Which do you do, and why?

Sorry for the long post. If anyone doesn't want to read all the details, here's my question- Do newer Jag's have anything unusual or unique about their paint? Today I was working on a black 09 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas with less than 10k miles. The car has sat in the original owner's driveway...

I was just on Meguiar's website, and I can't find their sanding discs listed in any of their products pages. I found the unigrit sheets and sanding blocks, but not the discs. Does anybody know if they've quit making them? I love their unigrit papers. NOTHING else comes close to them. They cut...

This is so frustrating. I just got a brand new set of microfibers in. I used them on one job, working outside, underneath some trees. I'm always very careful to not drop them on the ground, but when I got home, I've found bits of grass and leaves in them. The leaves must've fallen out of the...

I removed a pin stripe, well not really a pin stripe but a long pin stripe sticker shaped like barbed wire. Now there's an outline left from where all the other paint around it has faded. It's on a 10 year old neglected work truck that's never been cared for. Will compounding/polishing eliminate...

I've got a correction job Sunday, and due to their location, I'm going to have to remove some defects using a 3 in pad on my DA. I always feel weird buffing with a tiny pad on my big Griot's. The machine seems way too powerful for such a small pad, and if I use it at speed 5 or 6, it feels like...

I did a headlight job today. Temp was 99 degrees at the time, humidity was 40%. I was working outside in the shade. I mixed my Spar and mineral spirits 50/50, just like always, and applied with a blue shop rag, just like I always do. About 30 seconds to 1 min after I would apply the spar mixture...

I gotta do the headlights on a dodge ram, and its got these domes about the size of baseballs that stick out on top of the rest of the lens. Hard to describe. Any tips on how to effectively sand these, particularly when I'm at the dry sanding grits? I'm using 3" sanding discs on a drill..... I...

I've had a few people ask me to do this. I tried it on 1 car, but it got over spray everywhere. Do any of you guys spray paint wheel wells or trim pieces? If you do, how do you prevent/deal with the over spray? How much of the car do you need to tape off when doing this?

Does anybody else do this? I've found that even after I shampoo and extract the mats, they'll look really clean on the surface, but if I then submerge them in an APC/water mixture (or even just plain water) and let them soak, there's still an amazing amount of filth left in them, underneath the...