im back

[lbcsublime9]

i used to have a 2004 jetta tdi, polished it once with a pc, used to wash it weekly and wax it often, until the dents started and i just couldnt keep up with it anymore.





anyway i just sold it and bought this

but its super salty and dirty, no matter what. i had it for a week and went to the car wash bay just to hose it down, as its been too cold to wash it.



tommorow is suppose to be nice so im going to wash it and wax it. heres a few questions.



what is the difference between liquid and paste wax? id assume paste is harder, but is liquid still good?



i want to seal my wheels, i dont have sealant at the moment, but i was wondering if i could use paste or liquid wax? would it hold up or is it just a waste of time? would full strength simple green be strong enough for degreasing the wheels?



couple random questions

whats the difference between sealant and glaze and does that go on before waxing?

on my jetta i used poor boys polish with sealant, it looked good.

i need some detailing supplies!

 

[Leadfootluke]

what is the difference between liquid and paste wax? id assume paste is harder, but is liquid still good?



i want to seal my wheels, i dont have sealant at the moment, but i was wondering if i could use paste or liquid wax? would it hold up or is it just a waste of time? would full strength simple green be strong enough for degreasing the wheels?



couple random questions

whats the difference between sealant and glaze and does that go on before waxing?



i need some detailing supplies!

In my limited experience, I will try to answer you questions.



Paste waxes tend to outlast liquid, according to manufacturers, but the durability and looks will lie in the preparation of the paint. Both are applied the same, but paste can prove to be a little more difficult to work with [in some cases I have found]



Wax will work great on your wheels. Sealing them is a good idea, but waxing them will protect them better than nothing.



I would not start with simple green. Use a bucket of car wash solution on your wheels first. If that does not work, you may be able to try diluted simple green. I don't know the finish of your wheels, but if they are not clear coated don't start with simple green.



A sealant, from what I can tell, is a synthetic protectant. It has little or no waxes in it. Traditionally, it will only bond to bare paint, and other surfaces, not over wax. It is however, in the same "category" as a wax, i.e. protection, lsp, etc. A glaze is not in that category, it is just going to fill swirls and add gloss to the paint, but not protect it. It will also wash off before the wax/sealants fail.



Although it will be product dependent, you could wash your car, apply a glaze, and wax/seal over it. You could also wax/seal your paint then apply the glaze, but the glaze will wash off instantly, by apply it under the protection, it will last a little longer.



Hope this helps and is somewhat accurate :wavey



What products do you have/have in mind?

 

[lbcsublime9]

simple green is non toxic and biodegradable and most likely ph neutral. definitely safe for wheels i think.... correct me if im wrong



i need some good wax, mf towels, waffle weave drying towels, i good vacuum (feel free to recommend one) a foam cannon, soap, interior spray (recommend me non greasy stuff) wheel brushes, interior dusters





i have basic stuff from the local autoparts store, ill be using zymol liquid wax, easy to use and smells great, i might have some paste wax somewhere but its probably been through crazy temperture changes.



i really need a good but small vacuum and some good dash cleaner. im a construction worker and good my interior very dirty. i do have rubber floor mats thank god.

 

[lbcsublime9]

warm day today, washed and waxed the car with a friend, took my time and ended up bullshitting hanging out looking at the car for 6 hours, didnt do the wheels yet though.



i noticed there are 2 spots on the hood where there is no clear coat, its only noticeable in the light, im alittle worried about it. do you think it would be worth it to mention it to the dealer? the car is 1 week old and 1000 miles now, but the dealer is 7 hours away.



anyway here are some pictures i took.

 

[Lonnie]

Over-the-counter (OTC) Simple Green, while, bio-degradable, cheap, and readily available, is NOT a good APC for today's vehicles. There has been a been a great deal of dicussion within this forum about its use and, after my experience at working at a helicopter manufacturer in the UP of Michigan, learned it was BANNED from use in the Air-Force and military maintenance in general because its corrosiveness to aluminum parts. I now use Meg's Detailing Line All-Purpose-Cleaner (Meg's APC) as my general-purpose cleaner. You could use Simple Green on a vehicle's interior (vinyl and carpets), but with the extensive use of aluminum on cars today, especially within engines and suspensions, personally, it's not worth the risk to use such an APC on a vehicle's exterior. This is also true of an APC called Super-Clean (used to be made by Castol) that comes in a purple jug and available OTC from auto parts stores and Wal-Mart. The 2-butoxyethanol and sodium hydroxide WILL cause "aluminum blume" (clouding or whitening of aluminum) when used in undiluted proportions. That being said, many people feel the cleaning power is worth the risk and will use "properly diluted" solutions to clean their engines and suspensions and then rinse or flush the areas with water to mitigate this problem. However, I don't think you can get all the APC, even diluted, out of all the areas and somehow the APC is left to stand or "puddle" in these somewhat inaccessable areas and discoloration can occur as the APC dries.

Simple Green does make a Heavy-Duty formula, available at Home Depot, for about $16.00 a galllon that is aluminum-friendly, but that makes it about the same price as Meg's APC. It's your car (and money); you decide.