[tmdals0213]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Hi T,

I have only worked with V07 out of those products and I wouldn't recommend diluting it. I'm not sure if warming the butter wax up would make it easier to apply or not, but I will try to find out. As of now, I'd say just follow whatever Chem Guys recommend on the instructions.

Ivan @ DI

thank you! hope to hear back from you soon

[UncleWede]

So before he asked me, my brother paid for one of those Teflon coatings when he bought his WRX. Now he is considering selling the car to get something more appropriate for a family man. He asked me about a slight scratch on his hood, and some other little blemishes around that he wants me to buff out this weekend.

Is there anything I have to worry about differently with one of those coatings? I don't know if he has kept up on the annual application. I know I won't be putting the same coating back on, but does it come off funny or react differently to polishing?

[Alihbaloch]

hey there, my car is 6-7 years old, it got everyday scratches, scratches from cleaning poorly by previous owners i guess.

what product i can use to bring it back to life?
i have never used a buffer before. or any clay wax.

i have used wax and clean it with micro fiber cloth before it cleans it YES, but doesn't take scratches off.

do you recommend the chemical guys foam cannon?

what will you recommend?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

So before he asked me, my brother paid for one of those Teflon coatings when he bought his WRX. Now he is considering selling the car to get something more appropriate for a family man. He asked me about a slight scratch on his hood, and some other little blemishes around that he wants me to buff out this weekend.

Is there anything I have to worry about differently with one of those coatings? I don't know if he has kept up on the annual application. I know I won't be putting the same coating back on, but does it come off funny or react differently to polishing?

In general those teflon coatings are somewhat of a scam in my opinion. Therefore I doubt there is protection left on the surface that would alter the paint correction process unless something was applied very recently. To be safe work on a small and less visible area to ensure your polishing and/or sanding process works as expected.

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Alihbaloch

hey there, my car is 6-7 years old, it got everyday scratches, scratches from cleaning poorly by previous owners i guess.

what product i can use to bring it back to life?
i have never used a buffer before. or any clay wax.

i have used wax and clean it with micro fiber cloth before it cleans it YES, but doesn't take scratches off.

do you recommend the chemical guys foam cannon?

what will you recommend?

I got your PM and sent a reply!

Greg

[Alihbaloch]

Replied

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

In general those teflon coatings are somewhat of a scam in my opinion.

I felt the same, and told him once he asked me AFTER he had already paid for it. We were able to get that "hood sliding like Bo Duke" scratches off the hood no problem, then I sealed it up with my preferred Zaino coating. Got him bucket, washing gear, and some supplies for Christmas so he could do it himself going forward. . .

[russco]

Hi Guys this might have already been asked so sorry if it has. i have an blue e92 and want to get a deep gloss finish on it. I'm for the UK so sun isn't as common as the states like most of you on the forum. which products would you recommend?? also i'm thinking of buying myself a machine polisher but am scared of burning the paint work are the meguiars G220 as good as people say? any advice and opinions are appreciated.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by russco

Hi Guys this might have already been asked so sorry if it has. i have an blue e92 and want to get a deep gloss finish on it. I'm for the UK so sun isn't as common as the states like most of you on the forum. which products would you recommend?? also i'm thinking of buying myself a machine polisher but am scared of burning the paint work are the meguiars G220 as good as people say? any advice and opinions are appreciated.

Glad to see you want to maintain and improve the finish on the E92, that's a great color. Your question is a bit too general as there are way too many products on the market that quite simply do the same thing. Whether you're looking for wash soaps or compounds for correcting paint, you're bound to find 20+ products that people will recommend and that work great. We have quite a few articles trying to kind of narrow this down into what many of the better detailers out there like to use, but even then it comes down to what works best for you. Meguiar's in general has the biggest selection of overall products, from washes, to clay bar, polishes, etc., but that doesn't mean you should only get Meg's products.

For example, we have some Packages that can give you an idea of what products we like to use and you can check out some articles on our Ask-A-Pro Blog to get a better understanding of some of those products.

Personally, as far as the polisher goes, I like the Griot's Garage polisher and the Porter Cable more than the Meg's G220, but I have heard good things about the G220 as well.

Hope that gets you started in the right direction!

Ivan @ DI

[NJ Krish]

Will be getting new VMR 710 with matte black finish coming in tomorrow, I want to keep them protected. What could I use on it? Keeping the matte finish. I was looking up Opti - Coat but stuff like that seems to change it to gloss. With my new rotors and pads the brake build up will be far less, just want to have it protected from salt and dirt etc.

or should I just wash them normally instead.

[Jsoboti]

I wash my car at the touchless car wash at least once a week, I had it clay barred and waxed about 6 months ago.

Before the summer hits (early down here in MS) I would like to have my car professionally detailed. The problem is I don't exactly know what I need. I would like the paint to be well protected and easy to maintain. What should I ask for from a detailer? How much should a good job cost?

[JRV-F82-M4]

Quick question, all I have ever done for my cars is wash them once a week and apply Nu Finish 3 or 4 times per year, what would you recommend instead?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by NJ Krish

Will be getting new VMR 710 with matte black finish coming in tomorrow, I want to keep them protected. What could I use on it? Keeping the matte finish. I was looking up Opti - Coat but stuff like that seems to change it to gloss. With my new rotors and pads the brake build up will be far less, just want to have it protected from salt and dirt etc.

or should I just wash them normally instead.

Anything you put on them will ever so slightly change the appearance. We've done quite a few sets of wheels with 22PLE wheel coating for great protection, but it did add a slight sheen to the wheels. They do still have a matte appearance and unless you have a half/half photo of them it's really not too noticeable. For the protection it provides, I think it's a good sacrifice. However, I personally like the slight sheen to it anyway, but that can be subjective of course.

Originally Posted by Jsoboti

I wash my car at the touchless car wash at least once a week, I had it clay barred and waxed about 6 months ago.

Before the summer hits (early down here in MS) I would like to have my car professionally detailed. The problem is I don't exactly know what I need. I would like the paint to be well protected and easy to maintain. What should I ask for from a detailer? How much should a good job cost?

That's a very tough question to answer. I would first try to find a quality detailer because spending money at a place where you get some shine for a few months and that's it is simply throwing money away, whether it's $100 or $250+. A quality detailer will be able to consult you on what's best and then proceed accordingly based on what the car needs as well as your budget. If you have a car that you know will get swirl marks within a few months even if you take care of it really well, then doing some 2-3+ stages of paint polishing may be pointless. At the same time, it's good to every few years thoroughly correct the paint (as much as safely possible) in order to make it look really good. A good service that improves the paint and protects it for a long time will consist of some level of polishing, then a protective coating application, such as 22PLE or GlossCoat.

Depending on the installers pricing and skill level, you may end up paying anywhere from $500-600 on the low end and upwards of $1200-1500 on the higher end for paint correction and a coating application. Thus, you need to first find a good detailer, evaluate the car and your budget, then find the best service to fit both.

Originally Posted by JRV335is

Quick question, all I have ever done for my cars is wash them once a week and apply Nu Finish 3 or 4 times per year, what would you recommend instead?

If that works fine then it's hard for me to say otherwise. There are many new technologies in protection that have come a long way since NuFinish that you can try out, such as the mentioned coatings above or paint sealants like Blackfire Wet Diamond, that may be worth trying out. On top of that, decontaminating the car once a year and some polishing may also be a good idea if it's never been done or at least in a while.

Hope that helps,
Ivan @ DI

[rxre90]

I got a question I knew iys out there but do you know if there might be a diy on replacinf passenger side windows and or doors

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by rxre90

I got a question I knew iys out there but do you know if there might be a diy on replacinf passenger side windows and or doors

I think you may have better luck in a different forum with that.

[SHEEDI]

Hello,
Would you recommend few best detailers in Queens & long Island NY Area?

Thanks

[tmdals0213]

Hello Greg and Ivan,

I'm sure the answer is in one of the 400 pages of comments.. but can you please give us a detailed answer on the differences between rinseless and waterless products and when to use each of the products and how.

if its okay to use a waterless product and dilute it to use it as a rinseless or vice versa.

Thank you.

[jmedarts]

Hi Guys - I want to give a big thank you to both Detailed Image, and Onsite Auto Detailing of Branford CT. My 07 335i was looking very tired. I had a local detailer take a crack at waxing and glazing her, but didn't get the results I was looking for. I came here to do some research, found this thread, and found Onsite on Detailed Image's website. I had seen a /Drive clean video of a pro polishing a nice Porsche that showed the before and after that I wanted. I sent the video to OnSite and Rick got back to me the next day. He wanted to look at my car before promising anything. He stopped by and examined her tip to tail with an LED light, and let me know very clearly what he could address (the spider webbing and some minor scratches) what he could improve (some deeper scratches) and what was not going to come out with a polish. Rick did the work today, and my car looks fantastic! Results exactly as promised, along with a recommendation on how to keep her looking great. If you are thinking about a service like this in the New England area, don't hesitate! You'll be happy you pulled the trigger. Thanks!

[djessence]

Hello, I have a 2 part question. Is it true that once you use leather conditioner on your seats, you must continue to use it on a regular basis or the leather will dry and crack? Secondly, If I chose to go this route; which leather seat cleaner do you reccomend using?

Sorry one quick last one, what about for the interior, im scared to use anything on the dash because i dont trust those off the shelf cheap cleaner / protectors, Do you recommend any?

[Needbmwpartzz]

Have a sapphire black that's starting to show many swirls,what is a reasonable price to pay for paint correction to remove them?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by djessence

Hello, I have a 2 part question. Is it true that once you use leather conditioner on your seats, you must continue to use it on a regular basis or the leather will dry and crack? Secondly, If I chose to go this route; which leather seat cleaner do you reccomend using?

Sorry one quick last one, what about for the interior, im scared to use anything on the dash because i dont trust those off the shelf cheap cleaner / protectors, Do you recommend any?

Most consumer grade leather is coated with a protective layer from the manufacturer... meaning what you are sitting on is not bare animal hide. This layer helps to protect the leather from normal wear and tear, but eventually any leather surface will begin to show signs of use such as creases/wrinkles. Well maintained leather should never really crack.

Using proper cleaners and conditioners will help to preserve your leather. I have never heard the myth that if you stop using a conditioner it will make your leather dry out faster or anything to that effect.

I personally use Sonax Leather Foam for routine cleaning. It also conditions and protects leather.


For interior plastic and vinyl components, I have a couple of products I like to use. 303 Aerospace protectant leaves a slight sheen and darkens the surface. Einszett Cockpit Premium leaves a matte, OEM looking finish. Both products are water based and will not leave a sticky mess like a silicone based product.

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

Have a sapphire black that's starting to show many swirls,what is a reasonable price to pay for paint correction to remove them?

This depends greatly on your area as income levels, competition, etc will all play a part in the pricing in service based industries.

Unfortunately I do not personally know anyone in your area to recommend you to.

I would suggest getting referrals from other local car enthusiasts who have had correction work done.

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[djessence]

Thank you so much for your reply. I really needed help with these issues. I'm sure i speak for everyone on this forum when I say that you are a great resource and we are lucky to have you here to help us out!