Birds, trees, and kids.................

B

BostonBull

New member
I posted this in the product discussion forum, and just realized i wanted it here originally, uggh!









Parking under trees, Hickory Trees to be exact, in the driveway. Birds crapping all over the passenger's side of my car and in the fall I get Hickory nuts banging off of it. On top of that we have 3 year old twins who LOVE to touch the paint!



Looking for something that will protect from all of this, as best as possible, last a while, 6~ months?, and allow washing debris/stains off easily.



Will be working all of this by hand, no machines.







Cars are:

2010 Honda Accord Alabaster Silver Metallic

2012 Honda Pilot Touring White Diamond Pearl









What will "protect" the interior trim, like a wax/sealant, from the kids unique messes? Food, drinks, sticks, glitter, etc. Those with kids I am sure can appreciate this!



Located in Massachusetts, just north of Boston to give you an idea of temps, rain, and climate.









***I have ordered the following products already, but am open to ANY suggestions and changes to keep these looking great with my limited knowledge***





ONR, Opti Clean, and a few new microfibers from Autoality.



I have Eimann Fabrik, 303 Aerospace, Mequiar APC (green color), and Folex.
 
I've always been happy with the protection the Klasse twins have offered. Do some research before dropping the coin - some folks say it's hard to apply by hand. I've only applied it via 7424. My second choice (or maintenance product) would be Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. Nothing will help with hickory nuts.



For the interior, I'm a Scotchgard lover for carpets and cloth upholstery. I spilled two extra-large cups of coffee in the passenger footwell of a car with a light interior. I had zero stains or smells, and I attribute that to Scotchgard. For leather, I use 303 Fabric Protector.



Of course, the best solution is prevention. I have a two year old and she is severely limited on what she can eat or drink in the car. Ideally, she'd have to tough it out, but that's not feasible. Milk and water to drink and non-sugary cereals only (e.g., Cheerios). Cheerios can be vacuumed or picked up easily by hand. Cheetos and related stains, not so much. The same rules apply for me (especially after the aforementioned coffee cup incident). No sugary drinks either - they're sticky and they stain.
 
I'll post it here, I would do HD SPEED and HD POXY or HD POLISH (more cut) and HD POXY. Very easy and simple process and you will get a beautiful finish and good durability
 
Car covers not option, use the cars too often, with 3 kids under 4 we are constantly on the move!



Cutting down the tree is a very real reality, it has defects in it any way.



A good pruning is in order for sure!
 
BostonBull - here are a few things that I recommend that have helped me take back the cars from the wife, kids and elements.



I started doing regular weekly cleanings on our vehicles. One week I will tackle my car, the next hers. I try to keep these quick and more of a maintenance or up keep since I do 2-3 major cleanings a year on our vehicle (Spring - Fall and usually one after a trip to the beach :) ). I also try to use products that are simple and / or multi-functional. ONR is great as you have one product that has many uses. For interiors I do a quick vacuum trying to just get the visible stuff and use a product like Folex or ONR for any spots that might be apparent. For the interior I personally like Meguiars QID since it can be used on plastics, vinyl and leather, it cleans well and has a nice scent too. I don't clean the glass every time but more on an as needed basis. Just doing the small mini clean ups has kept the cars looking good. I don't have to invest alot of time either (20 minutes or so).



For the exterior I love using ONR - since you already own ONR I assume you also use a rinseless wash. Using ONR for maintenance washing, I work opposite as I do when doing a full clean up. I start on the exterior panels, once completed the remaining solution in the ONR bucket is then used to clean the rims using a schmidt mitt for tires. I will then spray the tires with Armor All touchless tire foam and walk away.



I suggest picking up a good sealant - like Opti-Seal. Once prepped properly the sealant has done a great job of making future washes easier, and it looks great too.





I know you were looking for more product suggestions, but the regular small mini up keeps have made the biggest difference for me. I am sure being in the same boat that it isn't always feasible to be cleaning the car for 4-5 hours at a time.



Good luck



edit: I too work on a Honda Pilot get yourself a rubber brush that can bought from specialty detail site. They are sometimes known as pet hair brushes but do a great job to help clean the rear cargo area of the Pilot. The rug used loses its nap when heavily vacuumed.
 
Great post!



I do love ONR, and own Folex, etc.



QID leaves a pretty glossy shine behind, I prefer duller clean looks. What interior detailer cleans, protects, and has an anti static base?



Opti Seal I will look into, I have OCW and love it so far!





Need a great carwash to supplement ONR when I need a traditional deep clean.
 
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