Questions from a newbie...

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nolimit06

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Hey guys! I am new here and I love the wealth of info I have found so far. I have always enjoyed cleaning my car as well as others. Two cars I frequently wash is my 2008 Hyundai Elantra and my parents 2013 Dodge Charger. Right now I am wanting to learn on my car and then take what I learned and apply it to the Charger. I have always been interested in going the full mile when cleaning my car but I never have because frankly I have not known where to start. I am finally getting a day off from work Friday and I really want to make my car shine! Here is my situation and I want opinions based on them.

My car is a dark blue, almost a Navy Blue. The car has never been hand waxed/polished, engine bay has never been cleaned and the interior has only had basic armor all and vacuuming done. I live in a apartment complex so I have to use my local car wash which is great. My interior has a few stains on the floor mats and the front seats and center console are pretty dingy from constantly using them. (I have attached pics) Right now I am limited to car care products from AutoZone, Advanced Auto and Wal-Mart. I am interested in doing the clay bar and sealant/wax on the body and my windows have those horrible water spots that never go away and I want those gone as well. Also my wheels are pretty bad, I work on a site where there is mud frequently and my tires are taking a beating and need opinions on cleaning those and possible options to prevent so much build up. Oh and one more thing, where the washer fluid nozzles are there are stains that I have never been able to get rid of. Would clay remove it? I am using that orange RainX fluid and it stains everything and is super sticky.

Images: 08 Elantra - Imgur

So I guess my question is... What products do you recommend from the above stores to do my exterior, interior and engine bay? Also what kind of rags/cloths and how many?

Thanks in advance and I am sorry if this is posted in the wrong area.

Feed back please
 
Honestly there are so many different products to choose from. I highly suggest you checkout the how-to's and detailing classes plus the million other youtube videos first. Are you going to use foam gums or 2 bucket system? Try to get some up close shots of the paint so we can see what it looks like. Do you have a machine to compound and polish the paint?

Detailing can get very expensive, you can easily spend a few hundred bucks on your first purchase. First get the basics buckets, car shampoo, brushes, micro fabric towels, pads etc.. You better of getting everything from this site as it can save you more money in the long run.
 
First off Welcome to AGO!

There are a lot lot of very good products that can purchased OTC.

What part of NC?

If You are close to me I can help you take it to the next level and hook you up on some chemicals before you buy.
 
I am in Eastern NC SE of Raleigh. I do not have access to a garage or any power tools. I am just wanting to get the basics done for now until I am able to save up some extra cash for the more exotic stuff. I am going to be doing this first thing in the morning so I should be able to use the car wash to keep my car out of the sun while I clay and wax the car.

EDIT: I will also get some up close shots of my car in it's current condition when I head out to work in about an hour. Anything in particular you guys need to see?
 
Definitely clay.
Clay is clay but I prefer the QD in the Mequiar's kit.
If mud is an issue for you, use pressure washer.
Get Meg's Ultimate Compound and hand apply to your windows for those water spots. As to the stain on the windshield washer, are they plastic or painted? If painted, clay will do the trick. Actually, even if plastic, I think clay will do it.
 
Welcome to out group.

For now, and I hope this is not against forum rules, which I don't believe it is, but I'll make some suggestions, that will hopefully get you squared away for now, until you wish to knock things up a notch in the future with tools, or many of the products sold here.

Firstly, toss the Armor All in the Trash, or relegate its use to a child's toy wagon. Next, evacuate your Washer Fluid Resovoir of that stuff, and simply switch to the $1.00/gal blue stuff available anywhere.

Do you have a Car Quest, or NAPA in your area? These two businesses are dealers for Duragloss products. Everything they make is outstanding, and high quality.

If not, many Walmarts today showcase a fairly decent selection of Meguiars products, and so do AZone OReillys, Advanced Auto.

Have a good Car Shampoo on hand, A good Micro Fiber Chenille Wash Mitt, Good Applicators, and MF Towels for removing polishes, and waxes-sealants.

A good Carpet Shampoo, and Carpet Spot Remover that many use here is Folex, available at Home Depot. I've used it and it is good.

A Mother's Clay Bar Kit with Spray Lube is available at any Walmart, or the other places I mention above.

A good all purpose mild finishing polish which is superb quality, and is versatile, that it can be used by hand, DA, or Rotary, is Meguiars 205. As easy to apply as a wax.

Sprayway Glass Cleaner is excellent, is commonly found at Home Depot for about $2.85/can. Stoner's Invisible Glass is also good.

To keep your windows cleaner, and easier to clean, simply use a product such as Rain-X. While Rain-X may only last 1-1/2 to 2 months, it really sheets water-rain nicely, is easy to apply, is easily gotten almost anywhere.

As for any suggestions of a good all purpose cleaner type wax-sealant, I highly recommend Duragloss 501 Marine-RV Sealant. Very durable, has excellent paint cleaning properties, easy to use, and is a very durable product. Many here like this product, and the price is very low. This product can also be used on wheels of any type to good effect.

As for Rubber, and Vinyl Trim, again, look to the Duragloss Line, they have virtually all listed here on AG so you can investigate, and study them.

Other local sources you might have in your area for detailing goods, are Auto Supply Paint Shops. Many usually carry the Meguiars line, and others like 3M which also make good products.

Hope this helps. Mark
 
Wow thanks for all of the info! I do have a Car Quest here so I will check them out as well.
 
You may not be aware about the disadvantages of the use of products like Armor All, so I'll explain.

Although we've all probably been guilty of using this widely available product, it does not last, it turns tires brown, it poorly protects any vinyl-rubber-plastic trim, it washes off in the rain, or after a car wash, and worstly of all, it does crack rubber. Yep, you'll prematurely crack the rubber on your tires with this stuff.

And since it doesn't last, it truthfully is an extremely expensive product when you come to think of it.

There's absolutely no foul against using both a clay bar, and a cleaner wax on all glass to remove water spotting, and road films. Many here do it, and I have.

To evacuate your windshield washer resovoir without the need to remove it from the vehicle, something like a turkey baster may help empty it.

I've never used any fancy type cleaners in my life, never had a need. What's most important, keep wipers clean, and change them on a regular basis. Down here in the desert, that's about once a year.
 
nolimit06 said:
Wow thanks for all of the info! I do have a Car Quest here so I will check them out as well.
Click to expand...

I have one here, and I've found whatever they do not have in stock, they can get within 2-3 days at most.

Again, all they make are just great, and you can easily do a search within this forum on Duragloss. I think you will find not a single post, where somebody had said any of their products are any less than exemplary.

I'm going to "rattle" off a small list of DG products for you.

Car Wash Soap... Duragloss #901. Excellent concentrate, nice Cherry smell.
Duragloss 601 Polish Bonding Agent.... a Product used before their Sealants to add longevity to all their Paint Sealant Products.

Duragloss #501. One of the best Cleaner-Sealants on the Market, and tough as nails, with extremely high gloss shine.

Duragloss #271. An excellent Rubber Bumper, and Flat Black Dressing, which dries, is waterproof-durable, and works well on Plastic Trim also.

Duragloss #111 and #105 These are purer Synthetic Sealants, which have less cleaner in them than #501. Both are superb.

And last, but not least, Duragloss Aquawax. Many love this product, as do I. A great product to use as a Detailer Spray after washing, or can be used while the car is still wet after washing, to lessen water spotting. I really like this stuff, will always be in my arsenal. Super easy, and super slick results, with a slick feel, and a high gloss look.


These are just a few. All that they make is truly good stuff!
Mark
 
Again thanks for sharing all of this. This is going to make things much simpler than going and buying blind. I do have 2 questions for you. What's the best way to clean and protect wiper blades and how are most of theses products applied? I use Bosch Icon blades.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
 
For the exterior try Nu-Finish, your paint seems to not be in really bad shape from the pics.
The Nu-Finish is a polish and is easy to use with great results all for a good price. Will also give you protection, like two products in one, a polish and protection which can be done by hand.
Clay it good first that way you'll get all of the benifits of the NF.

The tires I'd go with Meguiar's Endurance Tire Dressing, makes them look dark black and great shine and last a couple of weeks, a little goes a long way.

Tuff Stuff Carpet cleaner works very well, it will also clean your seats up too.
All of this won't cost you much and your car will look much better.
When the money is right come here and everyone will do their best in giving you good advise on which products are good and for a decent price

Keep us updated.
 
I've heard of some folks here using a product such as CarPro Eraser to wipe clean their Wiper Blades. While such may not hurt, it's probably unnecessary.

I have simply used the products that I'm cleaning my glass with on a paper towel. I think the main idea is to remove road films, oils, and of course dirts which can scratch glass. Any coatings, waxes, Rain-X, Aquapel, etc etc etc will lessen drag, which lessens wear on glass.

Eraser is basically a diluted form of Isopropyl Alcohol. A 15% IPA Mix will probably accomplish the same things.

OK, now onto a little topic of credibility, who has it, who who's blowing smoke up the dupa?

Most here are not only good detailers, but phenominal practitioners of the art. Mike Phillips, our forum Guru-Expert will not steer you wrong.

I've seen in real life many so called detailers, and folks who work in dealerships, and detail shops, who I wouldn't trust a walmart Murray Bicycle to, let alone a road bike like my Schwinn 50th Anniv, Paramount, which I have about $4K sunk into.

I've owned many new vehicles, as well as many highly desireable classics, like my '67 Vette, a '68 SS368 Camaro, a '66 TBird, Lincolns, Trans Ams, SUVS, Pickups, Bass Boats, and other hobbies are Astronomy, with uber expensive Telescopes, and Firearms, most imported, but many highly collectable Colts.

I don't wish to "soapbox" too much, nor show any such pics, to veer this thread off topic, but you'll find many such extremely diverse, knowledgeable, and kind folks here. One I know, who's a respected member here, is BobbyG. Great man, and he has a list of his own hobbies-interests as long as my arm.

Please do stick around. The 2008 Hyundai Elantra is a nice car, my boss has a 2009, and sadly, it looks like Butt, cause he doesn't take care of it.
They've come a long way, and I see them as a "best buy" today.
Mark
 
I haven't use these products specifically, but why not check out Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish, both are available at your local stores.

I usually stick to the more professional line.

If you don't want to work by hand get a machine if not get these, i've only used the machine versions but these should do the trick.

Of course I would need to see pictures or better yet, see it in person, but based from your introduction your car "Might" need paint correction.

Paint correction followed by sealant and wax will really bring out the shine a lot.

http://www.autogeek.net/ccs-euro-foam-hand-applicators-trio.html

If you don't want to correct the paint and want to just make it nice and shiny, you could get some glaze (more on that later, don't know what specifically you want)

As far as clay, I just use this. It might look expensive but 100 vehicles is hard to beat (that is how many uses it gives you, according to the advertisement)

A regular clay kit is usually around $20.

$20x100=$2,000 that is a lot of money you'll be saving, if you keep at it, plus the clay bar if dropped once you'll have to throw it away.

Speedy Prep Towel
http://www.autogeek.net/speedy-surface-prep-towel.html

That and watch a bunch of you tube videos and ask as many questions as you'd like before getting started.

If doing paint correction do a test spot first. IMO this has saved me a bunch of time.

Just helping out as much as I can
Good Luck,
Art
 
As requested here are more pics of my car. I've been unemployed for a while and just started a new job so its a little dirty but don't judge to much. Based on what you see what's the best route to take?

http://db.tt/fR8vs7aV

Thanks again!

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
 
HateSwirls said:
For the exterior try Nu-Finish, your paint seems to not be in really bad shape from the pics.
The Nu-Finish is a polish and is easy to use with great results all for a good price. Will also give you protection, like two products in one, a polish and protection which can be done by hand.
Clay it good first that way you'll get all of the benifits of the NF.

The tires I'd go with Meguiar's Endurance Tire Dressing, makes them look dark black and great shine and last a couple of weeks, a little goes a long way.

Tuff Stuff Carpet cleaner works very well, it will also clean your seats up too.
All of this won't cost you much and your car will look much better.
When the money is right come here and everyone will do their best in giving you good advise on which products are good and for a decent price

Keep us updated.
Click to expand...

Nu Finish, I used it once 20 years ago in florida, on some old ladies car, who demanded I use it. Offered absolutely no cleaning, or polishing abilities. The car looked like ass before I started, and looked like ass after.

As a Sealant, and after full correction processes have been done, then maybe yes, I could maybe believe Nu Finish might be a product to offer some protection.

Now onto Mequiars Endurance Tire Gel. I got two bottles here, regular, and high gloss, and I don't really know why I keep them on the shelves of my tool shed, which probably exceeds 130 degrees in the New Mexican Summer Heat, I have no idea? In fact, thanks for reminding me, these are products wasting shelf space which need to see the trash. They'll go manana, I promise.

This product I have found is total garbage IMO, greasy, it's Armor All personified, nothing but silicones, will brown, crack, cause mayhem to your hands, every applicator it touches, and term "endurance"? Well, it might last a week. Not to mention the sling all over your paint, and fender wells.

If you like the du rag boom boom toons sonic assault through the hoods look on your tires, then this is it!
Mark
 
What is bugging you the most on your car? There was a little bit of everything in your pictures. I would just make that paint nice and shiny again or fixed because that is what I specialize in.

Do you want to fix it or mask it? (Mask = hide, not truly fixed but presentable)

I detail paint for the most part, your engine looked dirty too, easily cleanable, based off what I saw. (Not saying it is)

Stick around and ask a ton and you'll learn a ton

Art
 
MarkD51 said:
Nu Finish, I used it once 20 years ago in florida, on some old ladies car, who demanded I use it. Offered absolutely no cleaning, or polishing abilities. The car looked like ass before I started, and looked like ass after.

As a Sealant, and after full correction processes have been done, then maybe yes, I could maybe believe Nu Finish might be a product to offer some protection.

Now onto Mequiars Endurance Tire Gel. I got two bottles here, regular, and high gloss, and I don't really know why I keep them on the shelves of my tool shed, which probably exceeds 130 degrees in the New Mexican Summer Heat, I have no idea? In fact, thanks for reminding me, these are products wasting shelf space which need to see the trash. They'll go manana, I promise.

This product I have found is total garbage IMO, greasy, it's Armor All personified, nothing but silicones, will brown, crack, cause mayhem to your hands, every applicator it touches, and term "endurance"? Well, it might last a week. Not to mention the sling all over your paint, and fender wells.

If you like the du rag boom boom toons sonic assault through the hoods look on your tires, then this is it!
Mark
Click to expand...

How much does nu finish cost? Like $10-$20

If over the counter, Just get some Meguiars Ultimate Wax IMO
 
The biggest thing i want is a nice looking clean car and to clean as many nooks and crannies i can get too. As far as fixing I don't have a lot of money to spend right now. I'm looking maybe $100 right now, again stuff I can get locally. I'm going to check out the Duragloss and I guess the clay kit from meguiars unless there is one better. The vinyl cleaners will do the trick under the hood right?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
 
Oh and I read somewhere you should start on the interior first then do the exterior. Does this matter?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
 
What we did was clean the inside nice and thoroughly, we then closed the doors and moved to the exterior

Then in the end you just inspect and touchup then move on to the next car.
 
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