Cool. Just wanted to clarify since its Osren place, wouldnt be nice to be raising competitor products in their premise. I am okay with either date.

A few topics I can think of demo and discussion:

1) Machine polishing techniques. Think alot of guys watch videos always see polishing done on horizontal panels like bonnet/boot, but equal challenges comes from vertical panels.

2) “Cheat sheets” in detailing. Think everyone pretty much know some of the best practices always preached by pros, but behind the scenes there are always corners we cut and it didnt kill our car.

3) Interior detailing. Probably the most underemphasized topic in detailing.

4) All the non-metal exterior detailing, example plastic trim, windshield, rims and tyres.

Just a few suggestions. Feel free to add more.

It depends on your height. A 2-step stool is definitely a must have, but if your hand wash mitt can reach half the car from the side while standing on the stool, then I think the broom/mop stick is not necessary. But some ppl dont like climbing up and down stools during washing, so the mop stick makes sense for them.

I am 5’8”, and the SUVs I have aren not very high, so I use 2 step stool and normal hand wash mitt

Well, not much u can do when using a stool. Generally I move it 8 times. 4 times during wash, 4 times when drying.

Hey, thats the same stool I use also! This is the slightly higher one, there is also one slightly lower. I bought at subang hardware shop cuz it was RM25 cheaper than the hardware shop near my place. Good thing about this stool is strong yet lightweight. Quite balanced.

Mmm, what brand of claybar u looking for?

Used it during my early years of detailing, decent claybar for bargain price off the shelf.

Other that the ones u mentioned, I can only think of the addition of Mothers and Osren only. There isnt a big variety in the market mainly because of 3 reasons I can think of:

1) Claybar can last quite long for home detailer, so buy once and maybe u wont be buying again for next 5-10 years
2) Claying step is one of the less-mentioned steps especially in commercial detailing, most of the time u hear tar/bug removal, polish/wax, etc, but not claying, and claying cant be advertised as an independent service
3) More popular in the recent years are clay cloth and claypad, which is easier to use because u just need to rinse in water bucket between claying, faster than claybar where u stop to fold over the bar and reopen fresh surface.

Whatever claybar u choose to buy, do avoid the commonly marketed 3M claybar from China. I have bought and tried them before, they look and feel like a typical claybar, but doesnt work well at all at claying. Just my 2 sen.

Yes, clay cloth and clay pads are reusable. Regular rinsing in between claying in a bucket of water or use water hose off the clay surface and u can continue working with it.

Only important thing is for storage after use, u should keep it in a jar/bottle filled with water. This is to prevent the claying surface from drying out.

However, before u run out and buy one, just sharing my past experience that clay cloth performance lacks abit compared to claybar. Example, if u run a claybar 10 circles on a car paint surface vs running a clay cloth/pad 10 circles, I find that claybar in that 10 circles cleans more than the clay cloth/pad.

This is just my experience, probably others can share if they had better performance.

Hmm, whether clay cloth will do more marring than claybar I am not sure, but from my experience claying process generally does create some marring whether we like it or not. Think thats the reason why Larry AMMONYC got mention in his previous videos that only clay when necessary.

Probably one theoretical possibility also is the lubricant used when claying. I know some ppl who use claycloth may just use plain water as lubricant to clay the car. Personally I think its always better to use some fluid that is more slick, like ONR or Megs Quik Detailer/Last Touch.

I should be okay with the date, nothing on that day.


Guess its a matter of expectation. I spent 2-3 afternoons claying my car before CNY, shine came back, applied Carpro Reload cuz no time to polish before CNY. Marring is only visible when under streetlamp light, otherwise I close one eye. At least next round when I have time to do the polish, claying should hopefully be faster.

Lol, then we end up pancing each other to buy products liao.

Personally I shut off from the noise after a while. Whenever I do polishing, its only 3-4 hours a day, and the break intervals are longer. Minimize annoyance to neighbours. Besides, its not as annoying as actual wall drilling, because wall drilling is hard impact on walls and the vibration noise is much louder.

I use a similar solution, which is SuperClean Tough Task Cleaner-Degreaser. It is alkaline based instead of SuperClean All Wheel Cleaner which is acid based. It is somewhat milder than Cartec Wheel Cleaner that I have also used before, but it is truly fantastic in cleaning tyre walls. It cleans so good just like the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikggFvDGiD4

I used Meguiars Wheel Brightener before. The one reason I didnt like it in the end was because if it ever splash onto my spectacles for whatever reason, the etching is permanent, end up I have to change my spectacles lenses.

To your question on how to get a gallon of it, I have also asked a similar question, contacted some ppl and scouted around online and offline. Unfortunately I have found no answer as this product I only managed to find in ACE Hardware only so far. Importing is also impossible without a license as this product is corrosive.

If u can find a way to import, please share. Thanks.

Mmm, I heard of the fab serbuk and generally clothes powder detergents before as an option for cleaning. However, I am also generally not a fan of using clothes detergents because they are strong enough to literally strip your hands from all oils and moisture, leaving the hands very dry for an hour at least. I suspect prolonged use will cause eczema to flare up on my hands. But thanks for the idea anyways.

Yes, I discovered the power of Meguiars Wheel Brightener during my shop detailing days, we used it for regular quick cleaning of customer car rims. However, what I also noticed is that Wheel Brightener cant compare to Super Degreaser when it comes to cleaning those ultra-ultra-stubborn-and-old brake dust from rims. Wheel Brightener may not be able to break such grime up, but Super Degreaser definitely can.

Personally, I just bump a small notch up from using regular car wash soap to mild alkaline cleaners because my cars tend to have an excessive amount of brake dusts. No more acid cleaners, no worries.

Definitely agree with u on the safety matter. However, I guess that as with any typical home detailer and car enthusiasts, ppl naturally shun off the task if it required them to suit up each time. While most of us dream of being like Larry AMMONYC always wearing his rubber gloves when detailing, in reality I think most ppl when it comes to typical car washing, if they used the chemical once and it didnt harm them, then it is assumed there is no harm.

With regards to smell of chems, Meguiars Wheel Brightener itself doesnt have that much of a strong smell if I were to compare it to alkaline based cleaners, which have a sharp sting to the nose when accidentally breathing its spray mists. However, it is still corrosive and it definitely can etch spectacles lenses because they are made of essentially plastic, so its definitely a handle with care product.

Definitely agree also on the frequency of use. I think if a home detailer is generally hardworking, disciplined and regularly cleans his/her car, then most of the mildest wash soaps and detergents work fine. Stronger chemicals should only be used as and when required.

We mixed both Wheel Brightener and Super Degreaser 1:4 for that stubborn brake dust removal. Super Degreaser can solve some aggressive cleaning issues that Wheel Brightener cant.

Spray some, then agitate with typical toothbrush, comes out pretty much spotless. If u ever encounter especially BMW/Mercs that have those stubborn brake dust spots between the spokes of the rims, definitely worth giving this a try.

This post has been edited by blurcase: Mar 19 2018, 11:11 PM

The paint clearcoat hardness is the main difference. Many European cars clearcoat are much harder than Japanese/local car clearcoat, so u may need a more aggressive machine to be able to shave off the defects more efficiently.

Hmm, unfortunately the reality of white cars require more frequent care. I agree with slk recommendation of cleaner wax instead of polish because polish is more abrasive and u would be polishing too frequently. Cleaner wax such as Meguiars Cleaner Wax (available in ACE hardware, red colour tin), should be able to provide what u need.

Try to avoid putting too much pressure to remove dirts when applying your wax. What u could be doing is lifting the dirt and using the dirt to scratch your paint surface each time u do it.

Since u are quite semangat to do it every 3 months, perhaps I would recommend also u get a simple DA polisher with finishing pads. That way u can use your machine to do your waxing, that would save u a ton of time and effort instead of doing it by hand. Application of wax can be also much more even.

Mmm, well, realistically speaking u need the DA machine to gain the skill and experience, not gain skill and experience then only buy DA machine. Machine polishing is alot of learning from doing, and u can also watch alot of youtube videos to learn the basics first.

In terms of the pads, usually the softest foam pad (also commonly called finishing pad) is the right pad for wax application.

To be honest, for stuff like tree sap or tar spots, u just need a specific cleaner that can disolve it so that u can remove it safely and with very minimal pressure too. There are plent of bug/tar/treesap removers that u can use pre or post wash, no additional pressure required.

Just remember that polish is not used to remove stuff like tar/bug/treesap, its used to remove scratches. But all polish creams are a form of abrasive themselves, too much pressure and u are adding scratches while removing stuff.

Aww thats unfortunate. Probably can try again next time. We catchup another round cuz I still owe u something.

Erm, its a crack, not something u can remove. U can try to fill the crack with some kind of rubber or plastic filler, else u probably have to change that plastic part.

Think the coating part is the trickiest. Have to make sure to buff before it becomes too dry. At least thats based on my experience.

Meguiars Last Touch, diluted 1:1. The gallon bottle can last a very long time if just use as clay lube alone.