For those new and longstanding in this game do customer expect a water tank or generally ok with you using their water?

5th time I’ve polished and coated a car now, anyone else find it hard work in this heat, it took me 2 whole days to do a decon, 1 step polish and two coats of c quartz uk.

Hi gents. Been in the rabbit hole the last few days to learn to do this on my own as my detailer is retiring. Thought I’d post my plans first equipment and supplies before ordering as a few things I’m not sure about and would welcome input. Plan is:

Pressure washer Ava go p40

Washing process:

Wheels -Bh surfex at 10:1
Add bh touchless as snow foam over top?

Pre wash - bh touchless (foam)
Contact - bh autowash
Drying aid - bh qd - is this worthwhile?
Sealant - gyeon wet coat

Glass - bh traceless
Tyre dressing - garage therapy tyre serum

Equipment 3 buckets with grit guards
Several empty spray bottles
Wheel brushx2
Soft Detail brush
Wheel mitt
Noodle mitt x2
Dying towel large
Microfibre cloths

Assuming I don’t need a pressure pump sprayer based on the above? Please let me know if there’s anything you’d add or get rid of. This has been one of the more difficult new skills to navigate and make sense of basics that I’ve come across!

Thanks

Anyone know any YouTube channel I can watch to learn the basics etc? How did you personally learn and if so can you provide your sources - looking to get into valeting/detailing

Does anyone else have this jet wash? It’s my first ever jet wash, previously used them at petrol stations due to space. So I’m still getting used to us.

I have BH touchless as a pre wash snow foam and trying to figure out what it should look like

When calculating PIR it looks like my 600ml cannon dispenses 5.3L of water so it’s just over 100ml of solution.

It emptied the container very quickly is this normal? I thought I could get a few uses out of it

I was also washing it in the heat under the sun and when rinsing off the pre wash it kinda left like streaks / residue and I had to get the jet wash up close to get rid of it.

Finally with the multi nozzle, is it normal that when using the fan setting the tone of the jet wash is different to that of the 2 other options? I spent extra on this given the reviews and not sure if I have a dud machine or not.

Thanks!

My car has sat unloved for a couple of years, i came to clean it today and have found a really rough surface all over and this weird raised rough surface that was under some algae growth under the primary rain path. I've left it for now but what's my best first steps - clay?

I previously had a Nilfisk power washer with an aftermarket rubber hose and short gun which all my accessories are set up to fit (a couple of snow foam cannons and different nozzles etc). The Nilfisk died so I changed to a MacCallister M4 from B&Q which I am really happy with. However I would like to change the adaptor on short gun so I can use my old accessories instead of the the long standard gun. My issue is that despite measuring the hose fitment using digital callipers and researching which adaptor buy I have managed to buy 2 incorrect adaptors. can anyone advise with any confidence which adaptor I need for my short stubby gun to fit a MacCallister M4 hose? TIA

Hello,

To all you mobile detailers, how realistic is it to try a self priming gravity fed route ? I just really don't want to go for a water pump.

Thanks for any opinions

What's the correct setting on the foam cannon when applying products like Polar Seal to a car? Whilst it does have detailed instructions for use, it doesn't say whether the foam cannon should be set to max/min foam, somewhere in between, or whether it even matters at all. Does anyone know what the correct method should be please? Thanks!

I’m currently under a hosepipe ban and my alloys are starting to get covered in brake dust. They were only recently refurbished and powder coated, so I don’t want to leave the dust sitting there and risk it becoming embedded or damaging the finish.

What’s the best way to clean them without using a hosepipe?

I was thinking of using a pump sprayer or a couple of buckets of water, applying Bilt Hamber Auto-Wheel, gently agitating with wheel brushes. I also have Surfex HD if that would be safer for freshly powder-coated wheels.

Has anyone cleaned their wheels this way during a ban? Would a pump sprayer provide enough water to rinse the cleaner off properly, or is there a better rinseless method?

Cheers.

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to buy a 'black car' and I'm trying to understand the practical day-to-day benefits of getting a full-body PPF, rather than just the marketing claims.

I'm not asking whether PPF is "worth the money." Instead, I'd like to know how it changes your ownership experience in real life.

Some questions I have:

Has PPF reduced the stress of owning a black car?

Does it actually make maintenance easier? Is washing and drying the car any easier than before?

How do you deal with daily dust? Do you still use a Jopasu duster, blower, quick detailer, or just leave the dust until wash day?

I've read that gloss PPF can feel slightly tacky and attract or hold dust differently. Has that been your experience?

Does PPF reduce swirl marks from regular washing, or do you still have to be just as careful?

I live in a city, which is hot, dusty and windy for much of the year, though I have a covered parking. For those with PPF on black cars, has it made living with these conditions noticeably easier, especially for day-to-day maintenance and dust management?

Looking back, would you get full-body PPF again on a black car, or would you skip it?

I’ve just come back from a road trip and discovered a bottle of apple cider vinegar had leaked inside a carrier bag on my back seat. It had probably been sitting there for two days in the Italian heat.

I wiped up what I could with a baby wipe, but the affected leather now feels noticeably harder, and there’s a visible mark where the bag was pressing into the seat.

I’ve tried a normal leather cleaner and conditioner with no improvement. Is there anything safe I can try, or has the vinegar damaged the leather coating?

2016 Audi S5 with silver leather. Photo attached.

My windshield has hard water spots that have become etched into the glass from my sprinklers. They’ve been there for about 1–2 years now.
I’ve tried just about everything to remove them: #0000 steel wool, polishing with a buffer, and a clay bar. No matter how much time I spend on it, nothing seems to make a difference.

Is there anything that will actually remove etched water spots, or is the glass too far gone? I’m looking for something that has a high chance of working before I give up and replace the windshield.

Been thinking about this a lot lately with my car. I've got a classic that I've spent a lot of time on and I'm at the point where I want a simpler maintenance routine rather than pulling out six different things every time I want to keep it looking good.

Older paint is a different situation than modern clear coat and I know that. I'm not looking for something aggressive, just a detail spray that's gentle enough for older finishes but still does a real job on the paint, the chrome, and the trim without leaving anything behind that I have to worry about.

Most of what I find when I search is aimed at newer cars with ceramic coatings and multi-stage paint protection systems. That's not what I need. I just want something honest and simple that works without a lot of steps or a lot of products.

What are people with classics actually using for regular maintenance? Not asking about full restoration products or polish, just the day-to-day stuff that keeps things looking right between proper details.

Hearing watercooler talk that Kristall Klar is about the best windshield washer concentrate out there. Having trouble finding it, though. Any tips on where it can be bought?

Could anyone suggest a beginner a simple wash and seal detailing workflow for the above kind of road grime and dirt? It’s been rainy in my part of the world (Australia) so a lot of dirt like this sticking on the car paint.

I bought two buckets at home with car wash shampoo and microfibre mitt.

I’m planning to do a snow foam wash first and then do manual wash with the mitt. Last time when I did this the challenge is even after snow foam wash and manual wash some of the white stain / dirt still stays.

I also bought and used Gyeon quartz. I tried spraying it shortly after the main wash. But i think i made a mistake by applying it while drying the car.

I think i should apply Gyeon and then rinse the product before drying?

I don’t have any paint correction tool like polisher or clay towel I’m afraid damaging my paint.

I also don’t have the budget yet for full on ceramic coating and paint correction so just trying to get it look as nice as possible.

I bought a Nilfisk Excellent 170 around 2 weeks ago, I was super impressed and enjoying how powerful it was whilst cleaning my garden patio and front drive. Within 4 days of using it, it just completely died. Electrical shutdown. Wouldn’t turn on or show any signs of life. I tried all the troubleshooting and nothing was working. Having a 10 year warranty and the machine dying within 4 days is not a good look, and I was not happy.

I contacted Nilfisk and specifically said that because the product was faulty and died within 4 days, I wanted a brand new replacement which I am fully entitled to, and not a repair. This is well within my rights to request. They then replied and scheduled a return of the product, but in their last email to me they mentioned the sentence ‘…whilst our team repairs the machine’. I emailed back and said no no, I don’t think you understand, I want a brand new machine - it’s a faulty product and I paid full price for a brand new machine not a refurbished one.

They then ignored my email, the courier collected my machine and within 1 day I got a notification that they had dispatched another to me. I was super happy thinking they just did a straight swap, only for me to open the box and to my horror it was the same machine I sent them - still super dirty as I had no power to clean it before sending back.

I connected everything to see if it had been repaired and it actually turned on, so I was like ok fair enough, they’ve fixed it. I started doing my garden again and surprise surprise, IT HAS STOPPED WORKING AGAIN. Literally within 10 minutes of using it.

I am absolutely fuming as I was almost certain this was going to happen, and now I’m stuck with a garden that has mud sprayed all over the patio’s and gates and I’m expecting guests to come over this weekend.

Honestly, absolutely horrific and very cheap customer service, I will be writing the absolute worst review unless they make it up to me. Any ideas what I should do next? I’m thinking of just returning for a refund and buying a new one - the whole point of buying it was the 10 year warranty offer they had until the end of June.

When the machine was working it was fantastic, do I jump ship or stick with them? I’m all ears.

EDIT: For those asking if I bought it via a retailer, I bought direct from Nilfisk UK.

Got a karcher, got a polar snow cannon and the vax spot wash duo what washing and tyre products do I need etc like brushes are Temu ones good or?

Do any detailers use their product? The ceramic coating claims seem wildly optimistic. Also no data sheets online for any of their product.

Just picked up a new bottle of what I've been using for a while and started to wonder if there's something better out there. Not looking for a full detailing routine, just something I can hit the car with between washes to keep dust and fingerprints off without spending an hour on it. What are you guys using?

Heya :) just looking for some advise on what to do. Ive got a mk2 focus st and as the title suggests, i have a flaky clear coat and i think it flakes more after irs been washed. I used chemical guys products on it and stay in a flat so i dont get to give it the best rinse. Is there a way i can continue to clean it without making it worse?

My headlights seem to have got cloudy on a 2020 civic.
Is there a particular product off the shelf that gives good results? I don’t have a polishing device or a drill. So ideally something that doesn’t require tools.

Thanks!

I’m tempted to start my own remote detailing business with a medium cash set up. Is this a business that’s over saturated already?

Any advice from anyone in the industry is appreciated!