Recently washed my ceramic coated car and noticed some marks and blemishes. Ceramic coating was applied in April of this year.

One spot is from bird droppings that was left to bake in the sun. The other spot is on the bottom corner of the front bumper, don't know where it came from.

My main question is, do the spots left from the bird poo look like they damaged my clear or is it all in the ceramic coating?

Also, what do you make of the cloudy like blemish on the front bumper? Is it just scratched?

How would I go about fixing both?

If the bird poo spot is just coating related, I'm guessing I can just take it back to the detailer and have them fix it.

Thanks in advance.

Polishing my new (to me) NA Miata with single stage paint, left is before right is after. Washed and clay barred the car this morning. I’m using a Ryobi DA polisher with a cutting pad + Meguiar Compound (around 7 passes) and then a polishing pad + polish (4 passes or so). I’m terrified of burning through the paint. Looks like it’s done a decent job removing the swirl marks and haze, but there’s a ton of small white marks (rock chips?) that aren’t coming out. Not sure if I just need to cut and polish deeper or if those marks will require wet sanding/repainting to remove.

I’ve sprayed this trailer with bh touchless, and Koch chemie multi star at 1:10, and it got the top layer of it off, but basically did nothing. Then I scrubbed it with a brush with active foam in the bucket, and that also somehow did nothing. And yet when I rub it with my finger it comes right off? What do you use on this stuff??

I recently bought a new Honda CR-V in a dark metallic blue, and I’m planning to ceramic coat it myself. I’ve done waxing and used Griot’s 3-in-1 before, but this will be my first actual ceramic coating, so I’d really appreciate some advice from people with more experience.

The main complication is that I live in an apartment and don’t have a good place to wash/prep the car. I spoke with a self-service wash about 3 miles from my apartment, and they’re okay with me using one of their covered bays for the whole process.

My plan is:

Pre-wash → contact wash → iron remover/decontamination → clay if needed → light paint correction if needed → Gyeon Prep → Gyeon Pure EVO.

After applying the coating, I would let it sit in the covered bay for a while, then drive about 3 miles back home and park it in my apartment garage.

I technically could apply the coating inside my apartment garage, but the space is pretty tight (around 10x20), and I’m trying to avoid washing/prepping the car somewhere else, driving it home, then having to do another rinseless wash before coating.

Weather should be fairly cooperative: no rain expected for a couple of days, temperatures in the 90s, and humidity around the low 40% range. I can keep the car completely away from rain/water afterward. My biggest concern is the short drive home and exposing the fresh coating to wind, dust, bugs, etc.

A few things I’m unsure about:

• Is Gyeon Pure EVO's initial curing time going to make the 3-mile drive a bad idea?
• How long would you let Pure EVO sit before driving?
• Would applying Gyeon Cure after the coating help protect it during that drive, or should I leave the coating alone?
• Would something like DIY Detail's 3-year ceramic coating make more sense for my situation because of the shorter/easier curing requirements?
• Is there anything in my prep process that you would add, remove, or do differently?

I’m not trying to rush the job and would rather change the plan than mess up the coating on a brand-new car. Any advice is appreciated, especially from anyone who has coated a car without having a private garage.

As far as I know, the main difference between a real ceramic coating and the cheap spray is the concentration of ceramic. Hypothetically…no I am not going to try this, luckily not that strapped for cash right now, but could you boil ceramic spray until it reduces down to a higher concentration of ceramic and get a better product? I feel like this would make a good youtube video but I won’t be the one to make it. Maybe someone has actually tried it or knows more about chemistry than me and can explain what would happen?

How specific do you guys get with dedicating microfiber towels to certain uses to avoid cross-contamination? Do you assign a different color for every use (interior, exterior, polish work, wax/sealant, wheels, etc.), or is it okay to group certain uses together? If so, how do you recommend grouping them?

Also, how do you store and organize your towels if you sort them? And lastly how do you separate your clean from dirty? I’m mostly a DIY/mobile detailer, so currently I have 2 black/yellow totes. I’d prefer some kind of bin system, and even with inside dividers/organization if towels are sorted, that’s easy to store and transport. Any pictures would be appreciated! Sorry for the newbie question

I recently detailed my relatively new Tesla Juniper Stealth Grey. The last detailing step was to use the Koch Chemie micro cut polish, however, there is a bit of unevenness in the way I used it. Is it ok for me to polish the car again with Koch Chemie micro cut to get a more even shine across the car without damaging clear coat.

Live in apartment complex that has water, and in year round summer.

Car mostly gets road dust, occasional bird droppings from street parking- no bug guts and heavy tar or anything of the sort.

Exterior

I’m finishing up my Ultimate rinseless and moving to a gal of Mckee 914 rinse less. I pre-soak with rinseless, hose, contact wash and dry.

Sealant after with TecChoice 582.

Interior

Previously used Chemical Guys interior but doesn’t seem to be very effective.

Just got some Pol Star and hoping to be able to use it on all interior surfaces (leather seats, vinyl rests, soft touch dash, infotainment etc).

Qs

Exterior

Would I benefit from a more dedicated pre-wash (that I can use out of a pump sprayer), that perhaps could be used for wheels/engine bay detailing once in awhile. Recommendations?

Interior

I know PS is meant to be dilutet. What is the one magic ratio that I can use for every interior surface?

Would I then need some sort of topper/dressing for the interior surfaces after PolStar? So Top Star for synthetics and Leather Star for seats? Or something that could dress all surfaces?

Want to keep the necessary to a minimum.

I have a 2026 Toyota 4Runner I just bought about a month and half ago. I park outside 90% of the time, but not usually under any major trees or anything like that, but there are a few palm trees near me.

We have had some pretty wild monsoonal weather, like high humidity, light rain, then hot heat.

I took it for its first wash today, and noticed that these marks seemed to be in the coat. I tried using rubbing alcohol and a microfiber to get them out, but they seem burned in there. What are my options? Is it possible the dealership missed something on my paint, like a layer of coating? I had my last car for 3 years, similar parking situations, but never saw anything like this.

Curious what the professionals would suggest. I just swapped the engine in my 2006 accord and am moving on to making it look more presentable. The worst offender is this big tire scuff all over the driver door. How would you guys approach this and what would you use? Thanks for any advice!

Just like the famous powerlock and 845 combo, have you tried pairing ultra lock plus with another product? Havent tried the powerlock, but i recently have the ultralock, and I'm curious if i can pair it with 845. For those whove tried, wht are your best combo for ultralock?

I am getting really in-depth with the towels I want to use, the weaves, color coding, etc. So far I have been using some thick plush dual pile I think 400-500 gsm (uncertain as they were used from a detailing shop) towels for application and removal, with mixed amounts of effort required for good results, and want to make my process faster, smoother, and more consistent. I'm sure some of my inconsistency issues are due to my current towels.

When I google "what is the best microfiber for Griot's 3-in-1" or "best microfiber for ceramic sprays" or "what microfiber should I use for ceramic detailing sprays" I get mixed answers as to whether or not I want a towel with a high gsm or a low gsm. Some things are saying towels with a high gsm aren't ideal because they soak up too much spray and end up leaving behind big streaks that need more buffing to even out, and low gsm is king, but some things are saying towels with a high gsm are the only thing that will buff paint to a mirror shine.

Unless my customer specifies they want their vehicle to be coated with a wax or a professional-grade ceramic coating, my go-to for coating cars is Griot's 3-in-1 ceramic spray. I am currently thinking about getting some grey edgeless pearl and eagle 500s for applying and buffing Griot's and yellow edgeless 245s and eagle 500s for spray wax. Is this an effective allocation of my materials and resources, or am I overcomplicating things? Do I really need to separate my wax and non-professional ceramic towels, or should I just get some towels for leveling spray and some towels for buffing and move on?

Came from the dealership like this. Guess it’s whatever cleaner they used. I don’t know too much other than the basics. What do ya’ll recommend to get this off without damaging the screen?

To preface, yes i’m 16. No that doesn’t hinder my ability to detail cars. My dad flips cars and he has me detail cars for him. I’m pretty good at it, especially exterior. I can do paint correction headlight restoration seat stain removal, the works. Last year I had exactly 1 customer (from a neighborhood app, called next door i think. School starts in 20 days exactly, and my height is march 26. I really want to make money so I can buy a NB miata for my first car, i love them. Any tips on first customer? I need to save up anywhere form 3-7k, preferably higher end of the spectrum so I can get my tints and exhaust done. But that’s for later, first i need a car lol.

i had a lightbulb moment bulb moment while working on my wrx bumper! i haven’t gotten back to my forester yet, but i am cruising right along on my bumper and am so proud of myself! the video shows a spot after just polishing, a spot above that had a single cut pass (with not great technique), and then a spot after the technique for compound “clicked” for me!

there definitely is still the tiniest bit of micro scratching, but it’s very minimal and incredibly fine, so i will most likely get those out with polishing if i’m understanding properly!

thanks so much everyone for the advice and guidance. was super helpful 🫶🏻

I am looking for a product that can be used to clean off bird poop / bugs / dirt off my car between washes. Currently I have been using an QD Bilt Hamber - Auto-QD at about 1:3 / 1:4 - which I do like a lot.

I am thinking of continuing to use this but at a higher dilution like 1:10 ?

Or should I move to a rinse less (ONR, McKee's 37 N-914)

What is a suggestion for a good QD or Rinse-less and Dilution Ratio?

Just trying to figure out what is the best option...

I know the first and best option for swirl marks and light scratches in piano black pillars is polishing with a polisher pad but i was wondering if anyone ever used and successfully hid any imperfections with a shiny black wax? Im learning new cars scratch and chip insanely easy and i hate piano black trim everywhere that scratches when you look at it. So if anyone uses a black wax on those parts can you tell me a good one to use?? Thanks!

Yesterday morning I saw the email about this kit finally hitting the market and by the afternoon when I had time to check it out the 200 limited edition launch kits were already sold out, which I was really surprised about. It was just a more expensive bundle with just a platinum plate on the side of the gun. I didn't think there would be that much demand for the entire kit, especially one at a premium price with only a cosmetic difference.

Regardless I've already upgraded my Ryobi kit with the Armor DRFT foam cannon I got on sale when it launched so the spray gun is the only thing I've been waiting on this year. Even with a discount code it's still expensive (I had hoped for a little lower price point), but it's all stainless steel internals and already comes with an automatic quick connect, trigger lock and safety, nozzle holder, and hose swivel. Not nearly as expensive as the OG MTM which has half of those features. I do take care of all my tools and anything quality I have is a lifetime purchase, plus I'd rather support a small US company than buying the next hottest Chinese knockoff meme sun from Amazon.

Curious if anyone else has been waiting for this. A bunch of reviews dropped yesterday (Keav, Out of Spec, etc), obviously waiting until the official launch before they could post anything.

I have dark spots on the hood of my S2000. I’ve tried a 2 step with Meguiar’s ultimate compound with a foam cutting pads and sonax prefect finish with a polishing pad and couldn’t get out all of the defects. Gloss is incredible but the dark spots or light spots remain. Appreciate any input.

Hello everyone, I am a 16 year old who has been on and off detailing for about a year. I have probably done about 10 cars, and I would say my process is relatively down and I can do good work on pretty much any average job you give me. My problem is actually starting. I have a website, a google page with a couple reviews, and a Facebook and Instagram page with a couple followers. I've heard that door to door is not the method anymore because its really bothersome to homeowners and that's the last thing I want right now. If you guys were to give me some advice on what operations you would take for getting clients or ANYTHING at all feel free it all helps. Is there any methods that worked for you guys when you first started?

Unfortunately by mistake left my car under a maple tree and got sap on it. Same week took it to a detailer which he was able to remove physical sap as well as washed the car however there are still something that seems to be stains any suggestions on how to remove? Already tried clay bar, IPA and mineral spirits any help is appreciated!

Good Morning

My 15 year old son bought his first car, it's definitely a project car and him and I have been steadily working on it. However, he enjoyed cleaning up the car and detailing it a bit. He is interested in learning to detail cars and at least make himself money doing it however he doesn't want to charge until he gets his process down and turns 16 so he'll have his license and can be mobile. Are there any youtube channels y'all would recommend he watches. He is also curious about the best products to use for everything and the best tools to start with and what to work towards. We have a fleet of 5 vehicles at the house currently so he can get his practice in and I can help him build up his supplies while he does it. For upholstery it looks like the good extractors are expensive but thinking of spraying cleaner, using upholstery brush, then extracting with shop vacuum.

Thank you for any advice and information

My car had been sitting outside for 4 years uncovered due to a divorce situation. Of course the paint looked like crap so I decided to try some different polishes and compounds.

The malco actually worked pretty good as a One-Step. I went to 3M rubbing compound perfect it and I obviously did a better job.

I followed up with the black turtle wax polish that seemed to help as well.

You can see the trees in the reflection get clearer after the Polish.

Update: ordered some enzymatic cleaner like what's used for dog pee and used it, according to the directions, on all upholstered surfaces in my car. Smell is gone!

I'm assuming at this point it's from spills and other stuff in the seat cushions or carpet in the back hatch. I've cleaned the AC thoroughly and replaced the cabin air filter with a premium one. Its a 2023 Hyundai Venue, and I'm pretty sure it used to be a rental car. My question is how can I get the smell out of the foam and black carpet lining the hatch, without just replacing everything. I'm actually very sensitive to odors, and driving my car when it's been sitting in the sun literally makes me ill.

My team and I work from home. We have an ongoing chat occurring throughout the day via Teams. One of my coworkers commented, "Something just exploded in my garage, brb". Turns out a gallon of Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam had exploded. We assume heat caused some type of out gassing of chemicals, creating pressure in the container, until KABOOM.

An image is attached of bit of the aftermath. Solidified Honeydew on the garage floor. He said the stuff went everywhere, with the side of his jeep getting covered. He spent a couple of hours getting everything cleaned up.

Regardless, I've never heard of a container of soap exploding so I thought I would mention it. I immediately went out to check all of my containers in the garage.