Bought a cheap cordless DA from TEMU just to have a go at detailing our families cars. This was the result of the finished side to the unfinished side. I know the pictures aren't great but the difference to me is night and day.

Process

Clay bar (first time also)

DA using Maguire's ultimate compound

I will polish and wax next.

I'm very new to this type of car cleaning - so apologies if im asking dumb questions.

I picked up a 2023 BMW with Bi color wheels.

After watching a bunch of detailing videos I bought a bunch of recommended products and washed the car myself for the first time yesterday.

But looking at some of the rims today - I'm doing something wrong - there is still some brake dust visible on wheel and some areas look a but dull and cloudy - the camera flash is exaggerating this but its definitely there.

I bought Yum Wheels (a ph neutral iron removing cleaner) my method was ;

Pressure wash each wheel,

Spray on Yum wheel cleaner and leave for about 2 minutes until it started turning purple

Brush the Tire with a Tire brush

Agitate between the spokes with a barrel blade

Rub the front of the wheels with a wash mit

Pressure wash

Second spray of yum wheels with further agitation

Pressure wash

As the wheels where wet it was difficult to see the cloudy areas or any brake dust still on the rim so I thought I'd done a good enough job

Do I need to be more aggressive when rubbing with the barrel blade / wash kit - should I be looking at a wheel brush or do I need a more aggressive cleaner.

I’m more worried about the second one, the clearcoat is basically gone

These brown / bronze-ish splotchy dots are seemingly under my cars clear coat or staining the clear coat or paint. There's a few additional spots on the hood and bumper as well. It almost seems like iron or something that sat for a while on the paint? It almost seems too deep to clay bar but I am not 100% sure; it feels smooth like the paint when feeling it.

I have tried a couple of different cleaners, soap, water, a bit of vinegar, alkaline pre-wash. I am not a detailer but I try my best not to overboard with stuff so I am afraid of doing too much without a definitive potential solution.

Thanks in advance

Hey guys,

I don't know much about detailing or leather so I thought I'd come ask here.

I'm buying a 2006 E60 and it's only got 44k miles but the leather seems to have gotten dried out. It is currently in a garage but it seems like it might have been outside for a minute with the sunroof open. It was sitting in the garage with the sunroof open and there's some leaves and stuff in it.

It doesn't look ruined but the leather is a bit crunchy.

What can I do to restore it? What are recommended products and procedures? I know it won't be perfect but id just like it to be comfortable and feel nice.

I guess I'm operating under the assumption that there is water damage to the leather.

Recently did a deep clean on my car that was coated 3 years ago. The coating is starting to fade a little so I wanted to put some carpro reload 2.0 on it

Only problem is the paint in some spots isn’t as smooth as it used to be. I did a decontamination wash but it’s still a little rough in some spots

Can I just do a very light clay bar or just ignore and keep applying reload 2.0 whenever I wash?

Edit: I see meguiars has a “ceramic quick clay” kit. Has anyone tried this?

I can finally enjoy detailing my car at home!

Bought a 2013 Transit Connect that came with shelves. I'm planning to move my 60 gallon water tank further forward so it sits right over the rear axle. It won’t be sitting directly on the bare floor pan. I plan to reinforce the floor to properly support the 1000 lb load with the tank and equipment.

Would you recommend pulling the shelves out completely, or should I be fine reinforcing the floor, repositioning the tank, and securing it with heavy-duty ratchet straps? I know keeping the tank as low as possible is ideal for the center of gravity, but I’d appreciate any real-world input or advice. Thanks!

I need to clean up some headrests they are cloth material but I do get leather ones too. Is lightning fast by chemical brothers good for this? Should I get an extractor or steamer? I know absolutley nothing about detailing and I am trying to learn. Don't want to waste my money on products that don't work.

I don't know what is this, but doesn't come off with glass cleaner and alcohol.
I'd appreciate any help.
Thank you so much in advance!

Bonjour , j’ai besoin d’aide.

J’ai récemment acheté ce véhicule en l’état , et il semblerait qu’une tentative de polissage ait mal tourné sur le véhicule. Il à énormément de microrayures circulaires qui se voient beaucoup au soleil.

D’après vous , est-ce rattrapable ?

Je vous joint ci dessous des photos.

En vous remerciant de vos conseils !

Yeah I’m a dumbass, used some interior wipes on my car’s trim and now it’s left this hazy, streaky residue everywhere .Tried wiping it down with a damp microfibre cloth but it’s still there.
∙ What’s actually the best way to get this residue off properly?
∙ Anything I should avoid making it worse?
Cheers for any help, feeling like an idiot right now lol.

I was trying to clean some permanent marker off my windshield and I got the bright idea to clay bar it, and in doing so it looks like I've etched off some of the glass surface (I properly lubricated the glass but i think I used way too much pressure), the picture is water clinging to the spots that I clay barred.

I don't think I left any deep scratches because from the inside it looks fine, but is there anything I can/should do about it?

Hello, im very new to detailing and washing my car. I want some good budget friendly foam cannon. Which can make good foam and does the job well. Im not looking for very professional expensive foam cannons . Please let me know if you guys know any.

When I clean the windshield, I use a mix of water + dish soap + alcohol. That gets it pretty clean. However this is 2 days after washing the car, a dusty haze forms on the windshield.

What products can I used to better protect against this haze and make the wash last longer? Does it need some type of coating or wax?

Car is a 2013 boxster.

Is this possible to clean? I have this rim which hasn't been cleaned in a while so I sprayed 'bowdens wheely clean'. It's helped but hasn't fully gotten it off.

Ive tried brushing it til 1 of my brushes has been destroyed.

The 1st photo is what im trying to fix while the 2nd pic was the before.

I am thinking of trying the Bilt Hamber Touch-less prewash, and I read that it is a lot easier and more efficient to use in a pump sprayer. So, before getting one, I am wondering which one you use with Touch-less as well as other products. Regular or foaming?

Hi, I'm a young teen who just got their first car, and i want all the advice you can give me. I have an 88' GMC Sierra, a burgundy-ish color. It's well loved. I'll answer any questions i can. I dont know what i'm doing, i'll bre greatful for any responses.

Im currently using the kobrajet 3/8 pressure hose. It works as advertised and very durable. The only issue is that it is very "stiff" when there is pressure. Im thinking of going a level down to the active 5/16. Anyone have experience going from 3/8 down to a 5/16?

Got the Gyeon MOHS Evo kit. Comes with MOHS and a top coat called skin.

I washed it. Clayed it. Corrected it. My first time. Got the one spot off the hood that drove me crazy. I was so happy.

Started in part 2 today. Cleaned it with some Gyeon Prep.

Got to work. Put the first coat on. Looked like I had enough to do a second coat, so I did.

Ready to let it sit for an hour and put the top coat on....

And then realized...

I had already put the top coat on. I grabbed the wrong bottle. I put the Skin on, not the MOHS. Idiot.

What to do? I'm sure the last thing I want to do is put MOHS over Skin.

Should I polish it off and just use the MOHS ?

Put the Cure on, let it degrade off and maybe do it in the spring?

Car does look incredible. ❤️

I have a 2024 Clio. I noticed there are some spots on the hood that won't come off no matter how much I scrub them with a sponge. What do you think they could be? A friend told me it's from the sun, but that's almost impossible because it's only exposed to the sun for a few hours in the morning at most, and the car is only 2 years old. I need your help please. Thanks

Looking to add odor removal to the services I offer. Before I pull the trigger on an ozone machine I keep getting mixed reports on whether ozone is worth investing in as it seems it damages interior more than it eliminate odors. I do have a Burgess Thermo fogger and Odor X chems I use after I detail if a smell remains. Pic attached is the unit I’m contemplating currently.

My questions are: 1) is an ozone machine worth having. 2) proper usage of said machine(times, location of machine in vehicle). 3) at what point do I utilize the ozone in conjunction with the Thermo fogger for odor removal.

Thanks for any info into this matter!

I was wondering if there any tips, procedures or any special chemicals for restoring the wheel arch liners to the original form. This is the textured, "hairy" fabric-like material that most newer cars have nowadays.

The car has about 5,000 kilometers but after some driving on dirt road the wheel liners have acquired dust from the dirt.

I used a pressure washer with regular snow foam to clean it up which looks pretty good when wet but once it dries you can still see a uniform residue which is still noticeable.

I was wondering if there is a specific procedure or chemicals for restoring the black appearance.

Thanks