as long as their soft and you keep them clean.

 

step ladder that ****!!!

man we need to start posting some pics... i wont be able too for a month as she will be only coming out mid april

 

^ We do. Only coming out mid April? wut


can't right now as the civic is in a million pieces in the garage. lol

 

What about dat wheel/tire cleaner doe

 

is it cheaper to buy straight from chemical guys instead of going through autogeek?

Got the zr1 out of the garage and put some carnuba on it. Went for a drive and sun went down so didnt get any sun shots. for most of the car being carbon fiber, the paint actually does not have as much orange peel as i expected.

 

Ya mid april as I want to wait a little for the salt to wash away with the rain we are going to probably get... Plus I need tires too lol...

It's probably cheaper to buy direct from Chemical Guys certainly now that they have some many awesome specials going on!

 

Btw Vette looks great!

 

This is why I stick to GDD Dave

 

any good All purpose cleaner, or even the wheel cleaner it self depending on what your using will work.

At work, I just end up using the wheel cleaner to clean tires. It's easier that way.

 

I don't really break my head to much with wheel cleaners... I just pick one and use it lol... The chemical guys one got some good reviews but I never tried it. Last summer I finished my Meguiars off so I will probably try their stuff.

As for tire shine I prefer a spray bottle instead of gel or foam as they get messy when applying compared to spray!

 

depending on how often you wash/clean the rig, a wheel cleaner isnt all that much needed.

i recently started using opticoat tire gel diluted 1:1 in a spray bottle, works well.

 

Tire is shine is something I'm really wanting to get into. I've been using the Zep stuff at my work, and it looks great, but it slings like a SOB. Drives me nuts.

 

Optimum Power Clean is still what i use for cleaning wheels and tires. for daily drivers that are kept up relatively well and haven't been unwashed for months on end, most of the time 3:1 OPC will work great if the wheels are cool and it can dwell. 1:1 or full strength will work even better if the wheels have been dirty longer, etc., especially for tires that are browned and stuff. it just depends on the car, environment, brake pads, etc. it's perfect for cleaning wells, suspension components, engine **** if it's dirty enough, under carriage...dirty leather at 10:1+. ****'s too flexible.

if you deep clean, prep and Opti-Coat, no matter HOW dirty the wheels get you won't even need Power Clean for them. Of course it will still help with the brake components and tires so you end up using it anyway but the difference in cleaning an uncoated wheel vs. a coated wheel is dramatic imo.

glad to hear you're trying Opti-Bond, RedBoost10. i don't prefer it to Optimum Tire Shine in terms of performance or anything; in fact i think Tire Shine on your favorite applicator is an amazing tire-preserving medium sheen shine. but if you can get the dilution right, it's comparable and will be at least half the price as OPT Tire Shine because of said dilution. and you can use it in wells too (at a higher dilution), though i don't. i use cheap *** Hyper Dressing at 4:1 for wells and love it.

imo using a spray bottle to apply tire shine makes wheels gather dirt way quicker imo. i only use an applicator - my go-to is a round foam core terry applicator. i've been using the same one forever. wipe that **** on with precision yo!

 

I spray it on an applicator then apply. Hate getting tire shine overspray on the wheels like you mentioned, just a dust magnet.

When I bought the optibond, I also bought another tire shine that had good reviews. Can't remember what it was at the moment.

But yeah like you mentioned, when diluted it's cheaper, lasts longer, and I've been using it for trim and molding and wheel wells too as well as engine bay hoses etc.

I was stuck on poorboys natural trim shine for a long time and was using that for tires and the above mentioned areas. But you go through it very quick, especially of your doing a larger size tire like on a truck. The optibond spreads way easier and goes further.

I'll have to see what the other product I bought is. Haven't used it much.

 

Not change topics so abruptly, but what do you guys recommend for cleaning interiors? Such as vinyl, plastics, carpets, inside of light housings, etc.
I was washing my car yesterday and while doing the windows I noticed how neglected most of my interior is. My headliner and sun visors are particularly nasty

 

This is why I like my GDD detailing thread. These guys are extreme

Mid week my Volks go on for good. Hope to polish the wheels up tomorrow with my Poor Boys sealant. Any particular method of application?

I'll clean the tires off with soap/water to start and use a wheel brush I have to see if that is a good start.

 

Allow me to introduce you to my good friend Mr.Junkman who also owns a Vette.
He does not believe in spending $$$$ on expensive waxes.

Can you guess the popular wax used here?:

Here's the info on all they hype about wax:
If your clearcoat isn't polished to remove all the imperfections, well, all the wax does is fill in those minor imperfections.

 

I love the Junkman. Great vids and very informative

 

At work, I prefer steam.

However a good all purpose cleaner, some towels, maybe a brush will do fine.


I'm currently waiting for my carpet to dry so I can put it back in. Pulled it out and pressure washed it. I was disgusted with what came out of it.

 

or you could always find a detail shop, and have them do an interior detail and then you just maintain it from there.

 

If it's really bad and you don't have a steamer or a shop vac bring it to get it detailed/shampooed professionally. After you will just have to maintain it which will be a lot easier.

 

I'm more of a DIY'er so if it's something I can do at home I rather do that. Saves money and I can recoup any cost by doing friends and family members cars.
So a steamer would be the best way to go about it? Would it be better to remove all the panels and do this out of the car? With the steamer do I still use some type of cleaner?
Sorry for all the questions

 

If you don't have access to a steamer what I do is take my seats out and I soak them with water and lightly misted my carpets. I take a spray bottle and fill it with about 90% water and then the 10% is Gain HE washing machine soap (I like the fresh mango apple smell lol). I mix that well in the bottle.

On the wet seats and carpet I spray generously. On the parts in my car that are suede I rub with my hands to clean and get them all kinda foamed up. On all the other areas, I use a brush. On the seats, I hose them down and then take my shop vac and start sucking it all up. On the carpets, I lightly mist them again and then use the shop vac also. On the carpets, I spray them 2 times to make sure all the soap is gone.

The only issue with this that it takes at least a day to a day and half to dry up. My car is a summer car so I don't mind that much as I have another car but if not you need to plan it out.

Yes a steamer would be ideal but I only do this once a year and then just maintain it!

 

Thanks for the tips DaveSi! I'm going to set aside a weekend soon and tackle this.

 

Steam works great, and it's fast. However it's not required. Check out Chemical guys nonsense.

A good cleaner, and some towels/ brushes can get the job done.


now, if they carpet is "really bad", pull it out and pressure wash it. Next, it really helps to have access to an air compressor. But use an air chuck, and air chuck the **** out of the carpet. This will get the remaining crap out , and some water. You will need to set a few days aside for it to dry though.
I've been waiting for mine to dry for a few days. lol Although, it's really just the padding under the carpet...