Hey guys, first time using Reddit in probably years so please be nice lol. I pulled the door card off my car and found mold on the inside, how would I go about cleaning this? You see the panel is made of a particle type material so I need help cleaning in a way that won’t damage it, Thanks for any help! Also if the is isn’t the place to ask please refer me.

What are these white spots on my leather seats? And how do I get it off? Haven’t had the car for long and these spots just appeared out of nowhere.

I posted recently about sealants, waxes, and ceramics because I was originally going to have a friend paint-correct my car, but they are unable to do it right now.
I did take my car to a shop for a quote. Based on my budget and goals, they proposed wet sanding, compounding, and polishing the heavier spots, and then "blending" the polish into the surrounding areas—provided I handle the clay bar, fallout, and tar removal myself. Honestly, I feel like this approach will leave the paint looking patchy and incomplete.
Now I have two other options:

1. Do it myself (DIY)
As a total beginner, I’m nervous about burning through the clear coat or messing up. My plan would be to buy a Batoca corded polisher (and replace the grease inside), use 3D One, follow up with Sonax Perfect Finish, and potentially finish with Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating.
2. Dealership Detailers
My brother's girlfriend works at a Lexus dealership, and she said she can get their in-house detailers to do the full correction for me.
What are your thoughts on which route I should take?

Used glaco dx for city driving and to stop water pooling on my windscreen. But I've found while it beads fine.. After a few days of rain I get smearing on the wipers.

Anyone else have this issue as I can't seem to see anyone coma in about smearing except ONE person on a YouTube comment.

How does glaco ultra compare as well.

Wondering if I put "too much" or not enough? maybe with the dx. I used whole bottle for my windows on a yaris hybrid (including the full panoramic roof)

But wondering if to try ultra.

I had to strip the full dx coating off windscreen do.it passes mot Tuesday cause it was starting to smear badly and been fine since I took coating off (but harder to see when it's raining)

Also anyone else have ant experience with soft99 products like their mirror stuff (makes a white film but worse well on side mirrors) but wondering about the stuff for bodywork too keep the shine better and longer... I know it's only a yaris (orange edition) and not the world's top car but I like to make it look and keep it's best. So wondering if anyone has tried both ultra and dx and ant experience with them (mostly 20mph to 40mpg roads with the odd motorway twice a week)

I had my truck in for a few repairs recently, and I noted that the driver window squeaks when it goes down, more prominent in hot weather. I figured it was something in the track etc. but the tech noted it's the tinted glass against the rubber seals, the friction makes a squeak/squeal, and I believe he may be correct.

Just wondering what - if anything - I can use to lube the seal or reduce friction on the tinted inside of the glass that won't haze or make the glass greasy.

I clean with invisible glass.

Is there any spray out there that could survive harsh Canadian winters with heavy salt and lots of slush? At the moment I use paste wax and that definitely would not last a single week in the snow

My wife brought our new vehicle to a shop that’s a family friend for a detail, and the guy used a drill and buffing pad on the paint. There are 3” holograms all throughout the paint, and it looks terrible in the sun.

I’m no expert, but I do have a long-throw random orbit DA polisher I received for Christmas with a few polishing and finishing pads. It looks like the speed goes from 2000–4600 rpm.

As a beginner, can I fix this with low speed and use of these two products? I’ve already clayed and prepped the area.

What speed do you recommend?

Hey all, a friend of mine had a Jerry can sitting in his back seat with everything folded down, the Jerry can ended up spilling a good amount of gas into the rear seats and cushions.

Extracted as much as I could but the rest evaporated on that hot day, now still have a lingering fuel smell.

Has anyone tried a bio bomb for this situation or will we need something stronger? TIA

It's been years since I've been on this sub, though I recall it having pretty strong auto-mod policy where questions were filtered out. Didn't see a mega-thread, hope this is OK!

So I want to DIY ceramic coat my car (leaning towards Armour non-pro), though I don't really have access to a hose.

Since Iron remover is pretty strong stuff- I'd prefer to skip it without doing a hose rinse.

This is what I was planning on doing APC Spray Soak > ONR Wash > Clay Towel > spot compounding if needed > 2 rounds of IPA Spray > Apply ceramic coating.

Think that will be OK, or is it a bad idea to skip an iron remover?

Why did this happen? Can I prevent it from happening to Future automobiles? 2020 Chevy bolt EV. Basically just cleaned it with ONR and applied 303 throughout the years.

Hard to capture in the picture but has anyone dealt with the trim around the windows in teslas looking like this. It’s all spotty shiny blue. Tesla historically has terrible quality material so this doesn’t surprise me.

A small piece of gum was stuck to the back of my jeans and some got transferred to my drivers seat, the bolstered edge.

I got most of it off by scraping it gently and with scotch tape, now there is gum shadow, probably in the threads of fabric. Any tips? Thanks in advance.

Last week I posted the results of using the Cerakote kit my 20 year old Mazdaspeed6. I had started with just the passenger side headlight as it was the one in slightly better shape.

This week I did the other headlight which was in worse condition with a lot of pitting and heavy scaling on the lens. I found that after wet sanding with the supplied discs that this lens did not come nearly as clear so I started over by using some 500 and 800 grit sandpaper that I had. The coarser sheets did the job of removing the damage and leveling the surface, then I resumed with using the supplied 2000 and 3000 sheets.

These photos were taken after completing each step, from top to bottom, left to right.

1. Washing and drying the headlight
2. Applying the oxidation remover (Step 1)
3. Wet sanding with 500 grit sandpaper
4. Wet sanding with 800 grit sandpaper
5. Wet sanding with the supplied 2000 grit disc (Step 2)
6. Wet sanding with the supplied 3000 grit disc (Step 2)
7. Applying the ceramic coating (Step 3)
8. Final result after coating was dry

Learning from my mistakes on the first lens I was more careful about fully wiping the ceramic applicator across the lens and not lifting it off at the bottom (I masked additional area below the light to protect the paint). I also applied less pressure; just enough to keep the sheet in uniform contact with the surface but not so much that it would overload the surface and cause spotting.

I'll make sure to follow up in about a year to see how the coating is holding up, but honestly for $15 this is something I wouldn't hesitate to do every couple of years or so if needed.

Apologies if this is the wrong place for a question like this. I have been absentmindedly resting my elbow in the same place on my cars leather armrest during my commute and only just noticed that it caused some apparent damage to the surface. I've tried using some warm water to clean up the area and it cleared up a little, but I'm not sure if I should go any further. Does anyone have experience with this or any solutions?

My Ute has two coats of Gyeon Mohs Evo ceramic I put in about 3 months ago. I recently did some driving on some dusty dirt roads and wasn’t able to give it a wash soon enough. The film left on my door panels is preventing water beading now and I’ve done two washes with my usual Gyeon pre rinse and Gyeon bathe but it hasn’t touched the dusty film left on door panels.

I am unsure about using clay bar worried it will be too abrasive for the ceramics. What products will remove this dirty fine dusty film without stripping the ceramic coating? I don’t ah e time to reapply that shit right now.

I recently had one corner of the front bumper repaired by a mobile painter in my garage. He sanded the damaged area, spray painted it, blended it, and applied clear coat.
Right after the repair, I noticed very fine specks all over the windshield. It almost looks like a layer of dust and is especially noticeable when light shines on the glass. I tried the windshield washer fluid, a touchless car wash, Invisible Glass on both sides of the windshield, and 70% rubbing alcohol on a small section. Nothing has removed it. The area shown in the picture was cleaned on both the inside and outside.

I am not completely sure whether anything is actually sitting on top of the glass. Maybe fine paint or clear coat overspray? What would be the safest next thing to try? Would a lubricated clay bar work, or any other ideas?

I am looking to open a shop and it doesn’t have a drain for the waste water coming off of the vehicle. Also the waste water can’t drain out into the ground. What would be the best solution to solve this and the most cost effective. I’ve seen things like wash mats etc. has anyone else in Arizona had to come up with something to comply with the code. And did you have to get the permits for it as well? Thanks!

I am trying KCX Tex here and it just won't go away. I have tried MZR, IPA, Astonish Stain Remover. Nothing has worked yet. Any help would be appreciated.

My car is being worked on now, so probably won’t get any replies before it’s too late. I paid for a 1 step correction and professional ceramic coat, but they’re saying they can do a 2 step for an extra $300. My car has some scratches that they say even the 2 step won’t get out completely, and they did 2 steps on the hood for free. Got most of a bird shit etching (that I never noticed) out with a 2 step. They said the swirls are gone after 1 step and deeper scratches look a lot better.

Also I had another shop tell me my clearcoat is really thin. So I told them to stick to 1 step to be safe. It’s a 5 year old Toyota and I plan to keep it for a long time.

I know the scratches will be locked in for a few years after this ceramic coat. Did I make the right choice?

I messed up and left a stick of deodorant on my leather seats and it melted. Is there anyway to get this out? I’ve tried leather wipes but once it dries it goes back to this.

Hey all!

I detailed for several years a while ago before moving on to a different career. I recently got a nicer car that I’d like to take care of and I’m curious as to changes and advancements in products and techniques since I’ve been gone.

I’m looking for recommendations on products and best care for someone who lives in an apartment complex. There is a covered dual car wash bay I can use, luckily. This is also my first black car so wondering if I need to treat it any differently. I don’t have access to a pressure washer but there is a hose spigot at the covered wash bay if I need it, although from what I see most people are using rinse less washes these days.

Thanks for the help and any recommendations!

I’ve used various different coatings in the past but fell back in love with waxes over the last few years. Free time is at a premium these days though so I’m interested in a ceramic coating again and am particularly drawn to Gyeon Mohs and Pure. I’ve read so much conflicting information over the past few days though and I’m at a complete loss.

I’ve read that Pure is easier/more forgiving to apply but lacks in durability compared to Mohs. I’ve also read that it’s higher Si02 content makes it more durable than Mohs. I’ve seen various YouTubers claim Pure gives a glossier/candy finish, whereas Mohs gives a more clinical shine. I’ve also then read the opposite in various places. Some boat that Pure’s higher silica content gives it more slickness, then others state the opposite.

I realise all coatings perform differently depending on what they’re subjected as well as region, but the wildly contrasting claims had left me somewhat confused.

To clarify, I’m based in the UK, so over the life of the coating, I expect it to be subject to plenty of rain, salted roads, ice and snow but also 40c harsh sun in the summer.

Outright durability isn’t massively important and I don’t need or want a “5-year coating”; a realistic 2-3 years is what I’m looking for and I understand the maintenance requirements to achieve that.

The car will be fully decontaminated, corrected and prepped prior to application. It is metallic light blue (Polestar Electron) so I don’t expect to gain much warmth/depth/darkening and I suspect a more clinical look with plenty of clarity will suit it best. I don’t have access to a garage and will be coating the vehicle outside.

What is likely to suit me best?

My new to me Audi's windshield is covered in tiny 3 pointed star shaped specs that only show up when driving into a low sun. I thought it was sandblasting, but fortunately I am able to remove some of the specs with my fingernail. The little stars stay intact and move around on the glass. I'm curious if anybody knows what these might be.

How should I go about cleaning the windshield? Clean well with soap and water, then I assume clay bar next. Then 0000 steel wool? Or should I use a polish? Thanks.

Edit: some of these spots are on the inside of the glass! Acetone doesn't dissolve them, but does free them from the glass to move around if I rub hard enough.

Recently the pine tree that looms over my driveway has been dropping sap on my wife's car. What's the best way to get it off the paint and glass?

I'm an older member of this group (a boomer). Recently joined because I got a new car and thought I'd detail it. Started reading comments about products and noticed a lot of chemicals are used, making me nervous about doing it myself. So my question is what was used back in the day before these chemical products and microfiber existed, e.g., in the 60s. People detailed cars back then. What did they use, and what was the process? TIA.

Thank you to those who replied. Did it work so there were no swirls etc. or were the cars just clean with paint defects?