I have been a member for a short period of time and might I say that I've managed to get some pointers on how to restore and maintain the paint of our cars. My detailing experience started at level zero and this forum really inspired me on how to do proper techniques in cleaning the car, basically the do's and don'ts of paint maintenance.
Ever since I became a member of Autopia, I started to build interest in auto-detailing as well as building my collection of MFs. :grinno: The fact that detailing supplies are very scarce here in Qatar, I had to do with the stuff that I found in the market. I was fortunate to at least get a hold of Meg's Cleaner and NXT wax, Sonax Speed Wax, Formula1 Shampoo with Carnauba Wax, Sonax Clay Bar. It was quite disappointing not to find a Sheepskin Mitts as well as a Grit Guard. I had no choice but to improvise so the Mitts was replaced by Sonax 2 in 1 car Sponge then the grit guard was substituted by a strainer (Inomata Green Plastic Colander, 9" | Chef Tools) which was put upside down. I was surprised to see that it functioned the same as a Grit Guard as when I emptied my pail, all the dirt was beneath the strainer. :clap:
So today, I headed to my local car wash. Had a little argument with the car wash boy as he's insisting that he'll do the washing. I told him, stand aside and I'll show you how to really wash a car. The only part that I let him touch in my car was the wheels and wells as I forgot to bring with me my tire cleaner. While doing the wash, I kept on remembering the things I've read in the threads here. One thing that made me smirk this morning was when the wash boy mentioned that just a few seconds after he passes the power wash, the car seemed already dried as the water kept on sheeting.
I just applied the Sonax Speed Wax after drying the car properly and was surprised how the car looked brand new. I'm glad I came to know of this forum, without this, I might have been stuck with the improper way of cleaning the car.
One thing that I've learned is that buffing without a rotary/orbiter is VERY painful in the shoulder.
Here's some pics of the car after the simple detailing I've done to it today:
Here's just after I finished detailing the exterior/interior and paint of the car ^^
The roof of my car
No post-edit done, just used Grey Scale to emphasize the shine of the paint :clap:
Looking forward to my next detailing session.
Sorry for the long post. Was too excited on posting my first-hand experience with detailing my own car. :bow
I really need to learn on how to correct the micro-marring. My car's filled with 'em. :tsk:
Ever since I became a member of Autopia, I started to build interest in auto-detailing as well as building my collection of MFs. :grinno: The fact that detailing supplies are very scarce here in Qatar, I had to do with the stuff that I found in the market. I was fortunate to at least get a hold of Meg's Cleaner and NXT wax, Sonax Speed Wax, Formula1 Shampoo with Carnauba Wax, Sonax Clay Bar. It was quite disappointing not to find a Sheepskin Mitts as well as a Grit Guard. I had no choice but to improvise so the Mitts was replaced by Sonax 2 in 1 car Sponge then the grit guard was substituted by a strainer (Inomata Green Plastic Colander, 9" | Chef Tools) which was put upside down. I was surprised to see that it functioned the same as a Grit Guard as when I emptied my pail, all the dirt was beneath the strainer. :clap:
So today, I headed to my local car wash. Had a little argument with the car wash boy as he's insisting that he'll do the washing. I told him, stand aside and I'll show you how to really wash a car. The only part that I let him touch in my car was the wheels and wells as I forgot to bring with me my tire cleaner. While doing the wash, I kept on remembering the things I've read in the threads here. One thing that made me smirk this morning was when the wash boy mentioned that just a few seconds after he passes the power wash, the car seemed already dried as the water kept on sheeting.
I just applied the Sonax Speed Wax after drying the car properly and was surprised how the car looked brand new. I'm glad I came to know of this forum, without this, I might have been stuck with the improper way of cleaning the car.
One thing that I've learned is that buffing without a rotary/orbiter is VERY painful in the shoulder.
Here's some pics of the car after the simple detailing I've done to it today:
Here's just after I finished detailing the exterior/interior and paint of the car ^^
The roof of my car
No post-edit done, just used Grey Scale to emphasize the shine of the paint :clap:
Looking forward to my next detailing session.
Sorry for the long post. Was too excited on posting my first-hand experience with detailing my own car. :bow
I really need to learn on how to correct the micro-marring. My car's filled with 'em. :tsk:
