either car shampoo mix with water, or QD (quick detailing) products

speaking of which, i also want to ask the sifu:
which is better? car shampoo/wash or QD as clay lube?

It all depends on how severe the watermark is. Sometimes vinegar would work, sometimes it wouldn't. It's worth a try as vinegar is very common. Safe? Well...that would be totally up to you. Just like using any chemicals, use WISELY. Rinse thouroughly and don't let it dry (anywhere) while using it. If you want to try, I'd suggest using DISTILLED vinegar instead of those cheap ones that come in recycled bottles. Distilled vinegar contains lesser 'harmful' substance. Best way would be to soak a portion of a cloth instead of pouring it onto the surface, then wipe a little section and see whether that would remove the watermark or not. That way you'd have more control.

I had terrible watermarks on my car when I first got it. Can't seem to remove them using any chemicals (including vinegar). But I've successfully removed 98% of it using ->Soft99 Glass Compound Z<-. It's been my favourite compound for glass for many years now and, so far, it never fails me in removing severe watermarks.

I tell you something that you could try. Use a little bit of toothpaste and do a very small test section with a cloth. Polish GENTLY like you would apply wax. Don't 'scrub' too hard...just gently for a few rounds. If that doesn't remove the 'spots', chances are even clay bar won't be able to do much, better send it to a pro to have a look. If you're able to remove those 'spots', then there's a good chance that a glass polish or normal compoound would be able to do the job.

car shampoo has worked for me for many years. even if I use QD, i'll dilute it 1:4

Most QDs are designed to be use as clay lubes, shampoos are not. Which is better? Then I'd say QD. But hey....I'm a little OCD so I like to use dedicated products for their intended use. Some manufacturers even say can use water for their clay, but I'd still use a QD. My personal experience, I had one clay (by Polyglaze) been 'destroyed' when using it with a shampoo mix whereas it was fine when I used it with a QD. But, saying that, I also had other clays that are not effected when using shampoo. So, until I figure this thing out, I'm sticking with QD as clay lube.

well as far as water as base of clay lubs, so far for my experience no problem. but then again this is on the car body not the windshield. Ive also tried using car shampoo as the base but i still find water which is more effective. the shampoo makes the surface to smooth at times the clay find it hard to have s proper grasp of the surface to remove the grims. wherelse on water based, its just nice to give the surface a little flow just enough for the clay to get the grims out. this just my personal opinion/experience

well guys thanks for the wonderful thoughts and suggestion, im goinna give my windshield a go this weekend and hopeful it turns out well.

ahhh.. ic.. so you can use compound products on glass.. wow.. learned something new today. i just bought ScratchX a week back to remove some isolated scratches on my parents car. Can i use that on windows as well?

Yeah...by all mean do try it. Glass is harder and denser than paint so using polishes/compounds made for paint is quite safe. Personally I've tried *almost* everything from heavy compounds to light polishes and they do work at one stage or another, depending on how severe the problem is. The only thing you'd need to worry is to check the applicator/cloth/etc. often for any grit/dirt picked up. These grit *might* scratch the glass and, being harder than paint, once scratched you're going to face one hell of a task in leveling it again. Imagine those very mild scratches from the wiper....*almost* impossible to remove....!!!

Oh...another thing you'd need to remember when using compounds/polishes on glass - thoroughly wipe/wash the compounds off (this goes to those glass polishes as well), especially on the front windscreen. The glass *might* have some mild scratches or pits that would hold in the compounds/polishes. If you don't wash them off thoroughly, the compound/polish *could* fill them and, once dried, they *might* be very difficult to remove and *could* leave something like what's been described as 'pinhole size whitish pittings'....

hmm i use QD without dilute straight spray o_O
waste? lol

(tengok mike philips just spray je lol)

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Added on December 27, 2012, 4:43 pmlol thanks for the reply. i guess i'm OCD like that too XD
i suppose that answers my question

This post has been edited by Quazacolt: Dec 27 2012, 04:43 PM

If both of you are OCD, then please use "Clay Lube"... not QD.

coz he doesnt pay for it.


question: are you a Final fantasy fan or just into paleontology ?

please at least use shampoo or QD, the idea is to have it smooth so the clay is non-abrasive.
(and my GOD even with QD, which is supposed to be smooth as hell, i still find it f***ing hard to clay on sections as it was too rough)

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Added on December 27, 2012, 5:18 pmwell said. haven't done my big import from autogeeks yet XD

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Added on December 27, 2012, 5:20 pmah i can see where you're coming from.
similar spelling, however not the same. i guess you can say i took reference of that name way back then

This post has been edited by Quazacolt: Dec 27 2012, 05:22 PM

"Clay Lube" it is then...though QD is quite synonymous with clay lube....

Anyone know where can i get "Mothers" Product? Bought a carnauba wax and it's damn easy to apply and buff. Thinking of getting their compound and polish material as well.

I'm planning to buy some stuff from Amazon after conversion + shipping charges it's about the same with the price here. Anyone want to join me for a bigger bulk and cheaper price? We will share the shipping cost.

amazon doesnt do international shipping on most of their detailing products unfortunately

Try these guys. Amazon themselves nop but some of their retailers are doing international shipment directly. Compared a few this is one of the cheapest.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UT...=A1SV1BYDTUK2Z5

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Added on December 28, 2012, 1:21 amAnyone here invested in a cordless impact driver and fit in bosch polishing pads on them? I'm thinking of getting one now.. The B&D polisher doesn't serve the purpose. Only can use them when I'm back in my hometown. Now thinking of a cordless impact driver to assist me in my detailing activities.

This post has been edited by kidmad: Dec 28 2012, 01:21 AM

my car after a rain http://twitpic.com/bpx7wk

nice little beads XD http://twitpic.com/bpx81o

not so nice for the roof though http://twitpic.com/bpx85t

and the rear as well. pretty much just put most of my efforts on the bonnet ^^; http://twitpic.com/bpx8e1

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Added on December 28, 2012, 2:38 am
bro new thread when

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Added on December 28, 2012, 2:39 am
in the long run, best to have a DA polisher instead.

that said, if you have the extra cash, get an impact drill anyways for certain applicators such as the meguiar's foam wheel cleaner (planning to get the kit thingy when i can spare the cash ^^;

This post has been edited by Quazacolt: Dec 28 2012, 02:39 AM

Not too much on a budget issue but the problem is that I'm living in a condo... no where for me to plug in a proper DA polisher.

That's why thinking of Bosch Cordless Drill with the foam applicator. i wonder does it work well? The RPM is @ 1400.. seems promising.

Don't know whether what you're looking for are here but you might want to try ACE Hardware or:
http://carguys.com.my/
https://www.autopolishine.com/
I don't think they have the whole range and sometimes stock is limited, but it's worth a try to get in touch with them. Maybe they can arrange a bulk/group purchases. I know carguys does as the owner is also a detailing enthusiasts.

Still working on it. Work commitments + cuti2 balik kampung + son in ward + school starting = my life story

sorry to hear about your son. hope he gets well soon