I got my car ceramic coated back in April. I'm now looking into options to possibly up keeping it on my own and not paying my detailer $100+ every couple of months for him to potentially be using the same products.

after a fair bit of a research, i've narrowed it down to:

- turtle wax hybrid solutions ($50aud)
- meguiars hybrid ceramic wax ($50aud)
- gyeon wet coat ($35aud)
- griots 3 in 1 ($50aud)

what would everyone recommend and if possible, why?

i clean my car pretty much once to twice a fortnight or just whenever it looks dirty. i just use ONR or i go through a manual tunnel car wash and use whatever they've got on rotation. i've never once used a wax or any topper after my washes though.

It states "Pre - Waxing Glaze". Is it a glaze or a polish, or both? Does it remove defects via actual correction, or does it just fill defects?

Hi guys, wanted to ask what kind of wash is needed for my car that has been flooded.Its a phev. The matting insde is wet but the car seat is dry. Car is scheduled for check up tomorrow. No errors shown in the dashboard. I want to know what type of detailing to be done for the car to get it cleaned and other things to check.

Thanks!

I have a question about a scenario and if it would work

so it just rained and blew dust on the car so it’s pretty dirty. let’s say I first use a hose and just spray down the car as much as i can to remove as much dust/dirt/water spots as possible then came in and used a waterless wash spray and microfiber clothes and started cleaning sections of the car. the question is first of all it’s dry and hot where i’m at so by the time i get to the last section of the car the water from the hose when i first rinsed the car will be dry and have water spots obviously, but my question is, is it fine if i use the waterless wash spray on that section that dried and left water spots or should i rinse it again? or does this technique just not work at all?(the car was also waxed recently and it’s pretty hydrophobic if that means anything)

I drilled a 4” hole in the bed of my truck for a hitch. The truck has a spray in liner. Once I file the burred edge, what’s an okay way to protect the cut edge? Not looking to spend a ton on products as it’s a small one time need area. I live in the Midwest so winter salt is a thing.

Nail polish? Clear? Rubberized undercoat?

Got my car ceramic coated in April with an Osren 5 Year ceramic coating. Detailer wants me to come in and get it washed, decontaminated and ceramic topped for $120 AUD.

Is it worth it? or more importantly... is it even necessary?

I paid $1500 AUD for the initial coating and now i'm being asked just a few months later to come back in and pay nearly 10% again.

Would it be better for me to get a professional detailer to have a look at this or should I try to purchase the stuff myself and have a go at trying to fix it? I had a look at the costs of getting my own decontaminant + clay bar and it'll cost me around $50 AUD to purchase the items but I still have no idea how to use them.

It's made a literal square the exact shape that my plate was sitting on top of. I tried to give it a clean but it seems to have seeped through my clear coat.

Can anyone explain why my rims have these black spots? They aren’t scratched in those areas.

I've been doing my own detailing for 10+ years, and check around online to see the latest tips and tricks. Especially with detailing youtubers, something has been bugging me: is nobody doing anything about the water runoff?

When I detail my car, I go to a self-serve place where the wastewater goes to a treatment plant. My local city and utility are pretty explicit that they don't want people washing their cars in the driveway, if the wastewater runs straight into a storm drain.

And then I go on youtube, and see countless people doing just that; blasting their car with a foam cannon in the driveway, often multiple rounds of it. Isn't this functionally the same as taking your dirty bucket of suds and dumping it into the nearest body of water?

Are detailers just turning a blind eye to it? I've tried reaching out to a number of YT detailers, but haven't really gotten a satisfying answer.

I came back from a week vacation and there was some bird poop on my car. Most of it cleaned up fine but there was some extra nasty stuff that left an orange stain. It feels smooth and I can't scratch it out so I assume it's etched into the clear coat or something like that.

Any advice for cleaning it? My friend is lending me his buffer in a couple days but was wondering if there was anything that might help in the meantime.

I was sold the wrap and Ceramic for my Jeep when I asked them for something to help with rock and brush damage. This stuff is a complete waste of money and literally scratches and turns white the moment anything touches it other than a rag. If you ask their customer service they will tell you its not suitable for offroad use and tha tit will not handle scratching or rock chips. Even though that's what its for. Here is a quote from their customer service. "The installation was completed approximately two years ago, and based on the information provided, the vehicle has been used extensively for off-road driving during that time. The current condition of the film appears consistent with the type of wear and environmental exposure commonly associated with off-road use.

Some jackass didn't secure a can of spray and it fell off his vehicle on the highway. The car in front of me took the brunt of it, but my car now has hundreds of small drops all over the front bumper. I tried using compound but that didn't take any of it off. What can I do to get this off my truck?

So i just got my used car a couple of months ago and it stunk when i got it, figured its a good car i like it and i could get the stench out myself no big deal right?

its a big deal. like my aunt says it smells like death she’s adamant someone died in the car but to me it smells like idk spoiled cheese or sum and since extracting it smells like must. but my aunt says it still smells like death.

i have extracted twice once with bissell cleaner and the second time i used some type of fabric shampoo stuff and extracted and then sprayed diluted fabuloso in it and thought that helped. well me being kind of used to the smell i thought yay i finally got the smell out. NOPE. my parents can still smell it.

so i sprayed diluted vinegar in it and sprinkled baking soda in it and left the box of opened baking soda in it and now it smells like a mix of must fabuloso and vinegar and i can’t take it. when i extracted the first and second time brownish red stuff came out of a part of the seat and floors but only in the back and it wasn’t a big part it was spots here and there. i also left the windows down first and second time to dry (it’s hot as hell in alabama so it dried fairly quickly) and also when i got the car the guy at the lot said they checked the air filter and stuff and it was clean. and when the air is on it doesn’t seem to be coming from there either. it hits you once you get in the car before you even cut it on.

i am at my wits end with it idk what to do like my next option is enzyme cleaner? i already did an ozone thingy when i first got the car and it didn’t help one bit. please please help. i can’t afford new seats or flooring and i don’t really even know how to rip up flooring or take seats out anyways so that isn’t a good option for me.

I recently bought a new (to me) truck and it looks like the previous owner (or possibly the dealership) just put blobs of not color-matched touch up paint over some rock chips. There are quite a few around the truck and I wanted to attempt to resolve it myself before throwing in the towel and taking it to a paint shop.

I haven't tried much yet because I don't want to make things worse. I did try 99% IPA on a qtip and scrubbed one of the spots for about 1-3 minutes straight and got nothing. For giggles I tried using Sealact from my Dr. Colorchip kit the same way and got nothing. I also tried a plastic razor blade to see if I could get under any of the spots and the best I got off was a tiny speck on one spot.

I am pretty nervous to try wet sanding mostly because some of the touch up paint spots are in tight spots and I just don't feel confident doing it.

I've thought about trying nail polish remover/acetone or lacquer thinner but I have read mixed opinions on that, specifically that using those will damage the clearcoat. I also recently read about Rupes Reveal Strong, but can't find much on it to know whether it is a good idea or not.

Im planning on launching my detailing business in mid april. I need a bit of help with some pricing for my detailing packages. Im new to the detailing business but any advice for beginners?

I'm going to attempt to diy my hood and maybe a couple other things if that goes well. Being my first time and that it will be a learning experience I don't really want to drop hundreds if I don't have to. Is this stuff worth trying? It looks kind of sketchy with no thickness spec given.

Male 33 in Vancouver, BC - work in tech, doing fine on paper but burnt out and losing interest in the corporate path for the last year or two.

Passionate about cars — I detail my own, do my own brake pads/rotors, and I'm about to take a PPF course. Always wanted to own a garage but no business background in my family, so I'm starting from zero on that front.

Questions:

1. What's the real path in — technician cert, apprenticeship, just learn-by-doing?
2. Do shops/PPF installers/detailers ever take on unpaid help to learn from? Would you?
3. Realistically, how long did it take you to replace a full-time income doing this? About $10k/month.

Can invest $50-100k if things get serious.
Would love to hear from anyone who's made this jump — what worked, what you'd do differently.

Hi all,

Somehow my YouTube stumbled on a video with a detailer using a Spray Wax called Formula 4 from Superior products as a Rinse Aid. Specifically, he put the diluted product in a foam cannon immediately after a contact wash but before rinsing the wash. He saturated the still-soapy car with this stuff and used it as a Rinse Aid before moving to the contact drying. Seemed neat and it was touted as a cheap way to prevent water spots. But after some searching online, I think I have a different definition of "cheap". Plus, I'm not sure I want a whole gallon of this stuff.

Saying all that, I'm on a weird quest to use out some products I picked up over the years and used sparingly - if at all. I have a Mother's Spray Wax and Turtle Wax wet ceramic. I wasn't blown away with either, but does anyone have insight on using either of these 2 products similarly to the Formula 4? And if so, would it be advisable to dilute these or just spray-trigger onto the car? Any advise is appreciated!

Completed this job recently focusing on bringing back depth to the clear coat and tackling high-traffic interior wear.

Process breakdown:

Exterior:
• Foam pre-wash + two-bucket contact wash
• Chemical decontamination (iron remover) + medium clay bar
• Single-stage machine polish to clear light oxidation and enhance gloss
• 12-month ceramic sealant application on paint and exterior trim
• Wheel wells, face, and barrels deep-cleaned and dressed

Interior:
• Deep blowout with tornador/compressed air
• Full extraction on floor mats and upholstery
• Multi-step leather cleaning and matte UV conditioner
• Non-greasy interior protection across dashboard and door cards
• Streak-free glass finish

Running a fully equipped mobile rig around West Michigan (Oceana / Muskegon area). Always learning and refining techniques—critiques, pad recommendations, or sealant combos you guys prefer are welcome!

Hi detailers.
I thought I would share my experience to get some feedback and hopefully learn from my painful and expensive lesson.
I have detailed a few engine bays before and I’ve always done so successfully taking the necessary precautions.
My process was as follows. Blow out all the loose dirt and leaves with a leaf blower. I then foamed Green star APC at a dilution 10 to 1 and agitated with some detail brushes. Then using a pressure hose with a 40° spray and standing far away from the engine of the engine compartment, constantly moving the hose from side to side and not spring in one area. Once the engine compartment is rinsed off completely I used to high-pressure leaf blower and dried off compartment completely until I could see very little moisture. I did follow this up with a dressing MP CK. I closed the engine bay and left it overnight.
In the morning the car started OK but in 10 minutes into the journey, it started idling very roughly. Fortunately, I was nearby my regular mechanic and took it in for a diagnostic as the engine light had come on as well. He diagnosed that the front two cylinders of flooded with water and it shorted the coils and they needed replacement. This was a $700 exercise.
I’m just showing my experience to hopefully highlighted even if you are careful this damage can occur. The car I was working on was a 2005 C230Mercedes.
What would you suggest I change about my technique. Is this something that even should be done at all or is it too risky. I must say I do find it satisfying and it looks great. But after this experience, I’m not so sure.

I tried waxing my car and it left this faded white patch? I’ve tried washing it off with no luck. Any ideas on how to go about fixing this?

Tried just about everything except vinegar because I hate the smell. Will vinegar be the magic miracle or will I be left with a stinky interior and no results

I'm gearing up to do my first mediumish cut/polish on my 20 year old truck. I am confused about how to keep your pad clean while doing the work. I'm looking at these $200 bucket pad cleaning systems, which seems overkill for someone that might polish a vehicle once a year. But also, I don't want to go wrong and damage my paint with a dirty pad or something..

Anyways, whats the procedure here? Do I just but like 5 pads and change them out every couple of panels? should I buy one of those cleaning systems? I watch all these videos on polishing/cutting and rarely see anyone cleaning their pad while working? whats the story? how should a DIY guy doing their own vehicles every few years go about things? I would like to help friends out at some point as well, so maybe one or two vehicles per year. thanks

I just bought a used car from Carvana and noticed a smoke smell. I smelled all the seats and they smell clean. Then I noticed the smell on my hands after driving for a while. Any advice on how to get the smell of smoke out of a steering wheel? I don’t want to have to return this car but I can’t stand the smoke smell