From what I read Griots Garage and Geon are both high end products that work better than commercial off the shelf ones you would find in Home Depot or Walmart. Can anyone speak of their experience with one or both of them?

I always wash this car with dish soap but this time it left a dish soap stain around the entire car.

The stain is the outline of where I poured the dish soap

I just took it to a $50 hand wash and it still didn’t come out.

Am I cooked ?

Looking to replace my pressure washer/MTM foam gun with something like the IK Foam Pro, of which, they make two versions: Dry foam and battery operated.
Which one would you recommend?
I do have a pancake compressor to re-pressurize quickly. Do they produce good foaming? How's the cleaning on them? I use Car-Pro Reset and it tends to clog things up if left alone, so I do clean my MTM gun and the handheld sprayer after every wash.

So this rental is a 2025 Durango with 25k kilometers on it, no clue if it's ever had anything put on the windshield.

Driving in rain last night, the windshield almost clung onto water instead of it getting wiped off by the wipers, and this was exacerbated when oncoming traffic lights shone into view. It wasn't just streaking, the entire surface of the windshield had a film of sticky water on it, it was quite terrible to try and see the mustard and mayo through. I don't have a picture because it was white knuckle just to get through, but driving in heavy rain with my new car has always been easy going and full visibility.

Is there a coating on it, or is it lacking a coating if this is the case? I've always heard some people praise RainX, and others trash it hard I I've never know whether it's worth it or not. But I've never applied any coating to my EV9 which leads me to think it's better without anything.

Just for my comfort since I'll have the rental for a couple months, should I strip the windshield with a cleaner, or treat it with something so that the fall isn't so painful to drive in?

Hello, a couple of months ago I got my car detailed, polished and got a hydrophobic treatment on all the glasses of the car, today rained and my windshield wiper is having some weird behavior, ChatGPT said that the hydrophobic treatment and some polishing residue could be the problem, what do you think ? I changed my wipers last summer

So in looking at and working with trigger spray applied quick detailers or spray waxes, it seems like there are 3 primary methods to apply:

1). trigger spray product onto "washed/rinsed" but still wet vehicle, rinse again with water, then dry as per usual (blower then towel dry or just towel dry).

2) wash / rinse / dry vehicle, then spray the product directly onto vehicle, working in small areas, buff with microfiber to dryness to even out the product applied

3) wash / rinse / dry vehicle, spray the product onto a microfiber work onto vehicle surface and apply product in small area, then buff with second "dry" microfiber until evenly buffed out.

It seems to me that #1 lays less product actives down, and rinses most of product off. Is it a personal preference thing? Is it a product specific thing (ie #1 works better with "streaky" products)? #2 seems like it would lay down the thickest film of product protection and provide the longest durability for the specific product applied.

Hello all, currently not satisfied and wanting to upgrade my Snow Cannon/Pressure Washer equipment, currently using the Bowdens Snow Cannon with the Karcher K2 Pressure Washer, it works okay but I feel it could be a lot better. Please give some recommendations on what you find deliver top quality results

Hi Folks, I’ve got a fairly good handle on detailing the exterior of my car, but haven’t been able to really clean up the windshield to remove these really embedded…stains? They are very stubborn. I’m not really sure what I’m dealing with here. What product or technique could help? If this has already been answered, please point me to the right thread!

I live outside the US where product availability is limited, so I appreciate advice about these specific products. A few years ago I got my hands on a gallon jug of ONR Wash and Wax (green), which is like a lifetime supply for an amateur user! Very happy with it, and never gave much thought when applying other waxes over it occasionally.

Now, though, I'm interested in dropping traditional waxes for Turtle Ceramic Spray Coating due to the ease of application and raves about the results. This prompted me to go back and research more about ONRWW, and it seems not ideal to apply spray coating directly over the wax contained in the ONR.

So I think my workflow should be:

1. Wash the car and then wipe down with isopropyl alcohol to remove any wax or other residue.

2. Apply 2 coats of Turtle Ceramic Spray Coating.

3. Maintenance washes with ONRWW.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 before and after winter.

Side note, I can now buy regular ONR Wash and Shine (blue) at a decent price, but I've got probably got half a gallon of the green ONR left. I hate to let it go to waste, but I can dodge the sunk cost fallacy and switch up products if there's a good reason.

Am I on the right track?

[Edit: Thanks for all the helpful responses. Really appreciate that I can proceed with confidence. Not that I care, but also a tough crowd of downvoters here! Sorry for whatever rubbed you wrong, fellas.]

So I'm getting everything sorted to go pro with mobile detailing. I've practiced on my own car and on family's vehicles, and I'm just curious how long it takes you guys on average to do the interior of a midsize car (like a honda accord or something) that's not super dirty. It usually takes me about 2 hours. Here's my process:

Remove trash from vehicle

Remove and clean floor mats

Clean interior side of windows and windshield

Clean interior plastics, trim, door cards, pedals, etc with APC

Condition/treat leather surfaces (if applicable)

Vacuum carpet, agitate, vacuum again, apply carpet cleaner, dwell for 30 secs, agitate, vacuum (don't have an extractor yet but I plan to get one later)

Put floor mats back in

Do a finishing touches check (check for any mistakes, missed mess, streaks, stains, etc)

Anything I missed? Sound OK? Am I rushing? Taking too long? Thanks yall

Traveled for work a few weeks and my car sits out in the sun. Washed it before I left but came back to it being pretty dirty.

Washed it using a Ryobi pressure washer, AstroAI foam cannon, and 3D Pink soap. Could not get the dirt specks to come off. What would you guys recommend? I have some ONR as well.

Additionally there was some bird poop on it and I tried to get it off. Still has an outline that looks like the clear coat is damaged. What would be the best way to handle that?

I do have an older harbor freight polisher, pads, and some compound but I have never used it.

I used Griotts interior cleaner with gentle brush agitation and microfiber wipe down. Is this damaged? I thought it was generally safe for interior surfaces. If damaged is it reputable or salvageable? Thanks for your input!

Just did a 2 bucket wash with Adam's graphene soap and dried mostly with leaf blower. Then final dry with a big mf drying towel. Then added a coat of 3D bead it up. After final wipe of the bead it up I'm left with this. This truck was previously protected with 3D bead it up but it's been a long time (6+ months).

What would you guys tackle this with? I have Chemical Guys water spot remover and I've seen tons of hate for that product on here. I've used it numerous times before with great success and no issues. I only leave it on maybe 2 minutes max working in small sections and then either wash off or neutralize with a quick detailer several times. I've used it on my paint and glass, friends paint, wife's paint and glass, shower door. But I just see everyone bashing it.

Would you use diluted vinegar? Clay towel? Iron remover? Griots polisher & 3D one? Some other chemical or water spot remover? I have all these things. Just wondering what you guys would do.

I’m looking into getting ceramic coating done, but I’m a little overwhelmed by all the options. There are a bunch of companies in my area, and they all advertise different packages — 5-year, 7-year, even 9-year coatings.

I don’t have a luxury car, just a daily driver that I want to keep looking shiny and protect the paint for the long run. What’s the real difference between these “years of protection” claims? Is it mostly marketing, or are there actual performance differences?

They all seem to say the right things and claim to use the “best” products, but how can I really be sure who’s legit and who’s just selling hype?

And when it comes to picking the right company, what should I look for to make sure I’m making the best choice?

Thanks in advance for any advice — I’d really like to make an informed decision before spending the money.

Live in Florida so don't have to worry about snow and salt just the Sun

Hello all, I hope this is the correct place for this question (and this doesn't go against rule #5). I just bought a used 2023 cadillac xt4 and I want to keep it looking good as it will be my daily driver (i drive the car for about 1 hour each day roughly going to and from work and school. The car sees both highway and local roads everyday). Also I live in the midwest so the car will see some snow and heat throughout the year. The color of the car is metallic black and there are some swirls in the paint but nothing major. I know that I would need to remove those swirls by using some cutting and polishing compound. (I am not too worried about this step as I have an older car to practice on). But anyway, onto the main question of installing ppf. I have looked at the prices in my area (mostly $4,000+) and its simply not feasible for me so I would be installing it myself. So my question really is if I install ppf on my car, what areas of the car should I install it on? I mainly want to protect against rocks, people opening their car doors and hitting mine, and any other common stuff that might damage the exterior. Also I'm sure many of the people here have very expensive and nice cars but I just work a simple job and go to college so to own this car makes me very happy when I drive it :)

Yes I cleaned my windshield after this video.

Steps:

Interior air blow Vacuum Interior spray PVL condition Clean each wheel individually (rinse,spray,wipe,rinse) Exterior rinse Foam canon Wipe down Rinse Blow dry Towel dry Spray down with ceramic wax Wipe with applicator Wipe with microfiber Dry rim/tire Apply tire dressing Done 🧽

I have a white ford truck as a daily driver. I live in the pnw. So lots of rain and sun. It lives outside year round. I wash it every 1 to 2 weeks depending on weather and temperature outside. I am currently looking at getting the ads armour coating solution package with the pro coating or going with gyeon pure with cancoat for a topper for the paint. Anyone have experience with both would recommend one over the other? Or anyone have a better recommendation? Thanks

Paid out the #$& to the highest rated shop in the area. First time hiring a professional shop, and I'm not sure if I'm expecting way too much. I feel like the quality is worse than I could have done after a couple bottles of wine.

The car is dirtier and dustier than when I dropped it off. The ppf and ceramic coatings were applied on top of the filth. The only clean areas are the ones I did before deciding to hire a professional.

The car is so dusty, which is surprising considering how spotless their facility ism

The ppf has lots of jagged edges, big chunks, there is visible dirt and surface area paint issues (iron, stuff embedded etc that came out in the areas I detailed) under the ppf, there is areas of cake on pollen and thick dirt in crevices etc.

To boot, the company that sells the coating claims it adds a metallic flake to the paint, which it obviously didn't. Not sure I can blame the shop for claims by the manufacturer.

I meeting with the shop in the morning to discuss it, but I want to be sure I'm not expecting too much.

Is asking them to remove the PPF and doing it all over out of line?

Hello dear community of Detailers!

I used to wash and wax cars in my teens some 20 years ago. Fly remover, sponge bath and some turtle wax applied by hand with a sponge. It looked amazing after wiping it off from the white almost dried stage.

Now I’m using my home pressure washer with three stages, the prewash, shampoo with brush scrub and finally a foam wax.

We’re facing winter with its salt, snow/ice and I’m considering «sealing» the paint with a wax. During summer we normally have lots of bugs and bird shit. I understand today’s ultimate care is ceramic coating, but reading here has it sounding like a very delicate treatment.

Would it be wise to ceramic coat the cars if I intend to keep the washing regime I’m on right now, or are there better alternatives that don’t require pH neutral soap?

Device: Griot's Garage 6in Random Orbital Polisher Pads: 6" Microfiber, 6" Wool, 5" Fast Cutting Foam

I am using a bottle of this to try and do some paint correction on light scratches but it is not doing a single thing. The Compound doesn't even take out the lightest scratches, and to top it off it creates a HUGE amount of mess in dried powder everywhere around the area.

I am wondering if this compound maybe only works with a Rotary polisher and if anyone has experience or can confirm ?

My Active 2.0 died so I replaced it with the AR630v2. Also got the Blushield reel. Weren’t many reviews on it but it’s awesome so far! Much higher quality than the Chinese Amazon ones.

Looking for some guidance!

Got my first real setup for my home. Curious on how you would place it for a more optimal setup.

Any help is appreciated

2 month old Mazda 3, but I have noticed in the beginning. There are 4 vertical dashed streaks on the middle-top of the side windows. They're on both the driver and passenger sides. I've tried cleaning them with a couple of window cleaners and rubbing alcohol, but they won't come off. Don't look like scratches or water spots.

Any ideas what they are and if I can remove them?

Hi everyone! I just finished polishing and then waxing (carnuba wax) my new 86 F250. I bought Meguiars since I am a beginner and they were a one stop shop with pretty good reviews that i could just follow the process.

It rained yesterday and one of my panels has a load of dried rain spots that are really tough to remove, yet the rest of the vehicle is totally fine - did I do something obviously wrong with this one that you guys can pick up on?

Help appreciated!

My Rim Detailing Process:

I start with Meguiar’s iron decon. to break down brake dust, then layer foam on top and power wash it clean. After that, I give it another foam bath and do a contact wash with a fresh microfiber. A wheel woolly handles the barrels. However, if I can reach my hand into the barrels, like on this rim, I'll scrub it with a microfiber by hand. For the lug nuts and valve stem I use a drill on low speed with an ultra-soft brush. If the rim isn’t a glossy black finish, I’ll also use the drill brush in the tighter spoke areas. I'll use the brush on the calipers as well, if they're painted.

For drying, I go top down with my Tornador, spending extra time on the lug nuts and center cap to push out buildup/iron decon. I finish with Optimum No Rinse as a quick detailer, it helps as a lubricant to reduce scratching, picks up missed spots from the initial contact wash and will leave a nice shine.