Search results

Hey folks, I got a Miata with a cloth/fabric top. I will take this car for an occasional spurt on dry days in the winter, so the cloth top may get dirty, yet it will be too cold for an outside wash. I know I can wash her paint with rinseless wash type of thing (QEW, DP 4-in-1), but what...

I just got a winter car/people hauler. It's a 2002 Mazda Protege5 in a striking Lightning Yellow color, which is a single-stage paint. Unfortunately, the previous owner did not take very good care of the paint (though he took great care of all things mechanical). The car got its first claying...

A friend of mine just acquired a mid-80's Mercedes 300D diesel. The car runs well, but its exterior could use a lot of love. I'm looking to majorly improve the looks of car (looking for 80% type of improvement, not a show car). I've never worked with this Mercedes paint though, so I'm not...

Just did a wash of the nasty, salty car with the Optimum No-Rinse Wash (after rinsing most of the sand and salt off in a coin-op wash first). I followed directions and diluted 1.5oz for 3 gallons of water (w/ a splash extra, maybe more like 1.7oz). I've washed my car with QEW many times...

Hey folks, So I've been making it a point that my car never ever see an automatic car wash, even of a touchless type (the touchless ones here are of the Laser kind, feel very harsh on the car with the strong jets, plus they don't really clean well). I've been washing my car at home in the...

Start with some delicious beverage: Put on some good music: Prepare the weapons of dirt destruction: That's QEW w/ 3/4oz Mother's QD... And get to washin: Dirty side: Side in progress: Side clean: Dirty rear, after misting/spraying with QEW...

A friend of mine just bought a 2006 Mini Cooper S in British Racing Green color. I figured it should get waxed properly while it's very new: it will be easy and just in time for the New England winter. The dealer prep was crap. Charged $180 for this? The car had dealer-installed swirl marks...

Hey folks, I was helping a friend remove dealer-installed swirls on a black 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo via PC and Poorboy's SSRs. I was getting a ton of hazing from SSR 2.5, and when I tried to clean it up with SSR1, I got rid of most of it, but some still remained. THe final product...

Hey folks, I'm going to be helping a friend detail his Sunlight Silver Mazda, photo here. These are the waxes that I have: Poorboy's EX-P (new formulation)Meguiar's #21Mother's Reflections Advanced Car Wax (don't have Top Coat though) I was going to top with Zaino Z8 regardless, but...

I have access to a PC DA polisher, so my springtime plans include the #1 most important thing: 1. Remove light swirls and minor scratches from Winning Blue Mazda paint (on my RX-8). Polish said paint. However, I am also planning on helping some of my friends out. So I will also want to...

Hey folks, I have only 2 places with leather on my car: the steering wheel and the shifter (knob + boot). The other day I tried using Meguiar's Rich Leather Wipes... not such a good idea. Sure, the shifter boot looked fantastic (blacker and shinier), and so did the steering wheel. After...

Ok, this is click, but not much brag... I finally put the summer shoes back on my 8, which are the stockers. They only had 6K miles on them before I took them off for the winter. However, the wheels had lots of tar and stuff on the inside, probably due to all the under-construction highway...

What does LSP stand for? It's not in the Secret Decoder Ring (wink wink!) and it seems like I know what it is by folks' use of the term in threads, but I'd like to know exactly. Liquid? Sealant?

salt-plated exhaust :p did someone say underbody wash time?

ok... total n00b alert here: I have an exhaust with polished 304 stainless steel tips. They are turning yellow from heat and have tons of salt on 'em. In other words, they could use some polishing. Now, I have "Mothers Billet Metal Polish" that I inherited from someone -- is that OK to use...

Hey folks! Figure it's time to introduce myself! I used to own a 2003 Mazda Protege, which I was quite fond of. I lurked the forums, looking for paint chip advice. I drove 90K miles in 2 years, 35K of those miles in harsh New England winters. I drove past those highway salting trucks and my...

Sorry if this is a little long-winded. I got a new car less than three months ago, and this time I decided to go "all out and hardcore" and "do the Right thing" with the detailing. The only thing I had time to do before winter hit was Dawn wash, claybar, wash, then Zaino Z-5 and a finish of...

I have a set of brand new, never-installed alloy wheels and winter tires. With the temps dropping to 18 degs Friday night and chance of snow Monday night, I think it's time to put them on. Since they are so clean, it would be a shame not to wax/prep them before putting them on. However, I...