Details by David

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4LH3fWSRak)

Wheel, tire, and Wells cleaned.  Products used megs wheel brightener, megs super degreaser, Gyeon wet coat (spray on rinse off).  Tools used detail brush, wheel woolie, tire brush

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJ101dVnkI)

A recent test of Meguiars Wheel Brightener with zero agitation.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeAVNPt1hhQ)

The sound of a ryobi pressure washer dying :( RIP

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Some of the tools and products in my detailing arsenal

1. Harbor Freight Dual Action Polisher- first DA polisher I ever bought. Works great but it less powerful than the flex. Mostly used to apply waxes and polish headlights or small areas

2. Flex 3401 Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher-used to compounding and polishing to remove imperfections and swirls in the clearcoat

3a. Gilmour Foam Gun for water hoseused for a foam presoak before washing 3b. Foam Cannon for pressure washer similar to the foam gun but it is used with a pressure washer and it produces much much thicker foam. It is used to presoak a vehicle to help break down some of the road grime etc before washing

4. Short Pressure Washer Gun- much easier to use in tight areas and for washing normal size cars

5. Drill Brushes (soft, medium, and stiff)- one of the best tools ever. These are used in a cordless drill to clean a lot of various thinks. I use the soft brush to clean leather, vinyl, plastic and door panels etc. The yellow gets used on carpets and floor mats. I have yet to use the red one as it is very stiff

6. Pump Sprayer with Meguiar’s D114- used for a presoak for rinseless washes (washing a car without a water hose)

7. Adjustable measuring cups-well they measure stuff in adjustable increments

8. Small Wheel Woolies-these are great for cleaning tight areas and hard to reach areas in the interior

9. Auto Finesse Brushes- I use these to clean various items in the interior and sometimes exterior. Usually paired with Meguiar’s APC

10. Meguiar’s All Purpose Cleaner- this stuff is awesome. It is diluted 10:1 and cleans most anything 

11. Meguiar’s Synthetic Spray Wax D156-used after a wash for added protection between sealant applications (smells fantastic)

12. Long Pressure Washer Gun- I use this for cleaning trucks, vans, and Suvs

13. Chemical Guys V07 spray sealant-I rarely use this anymore. It is relegated to wheels as a gloss enhancer after cleaning

14. Work Gloves- never used these for detailing yet

15. Wheel Cleaning Tool Bag with 4 piece wheel woolie set, wheel well brush, soft tip wheel  brush, lug nut brush, and tire brush. These get used to clean the various parts of wheels, tires, and wheel wells. Some wheels requie different tools for a great cleaning

16. Wetsuit gloves for cold weather washing- if you wash you car in cold weather you should invest in some of these

17. 3 piece brush set-I have yet to use these as they are too stiff

18. Razor-to remove stickers from glass

19. Carpet Brush-used to clean carpets where the drill brush can’t reach

20. Paint brushes-mostly used for interior cleaning in crevices, around A/C vents, etc

Below are some of the products that I have been using. I have several from Meguiar’s Detailing Line (not sold in local stores and most are only available in gallons). Reviews of each product will follow soon as well as other products in the arsenal.

Meguiars D114 Rinse Free Express Wash

Meguiar’s D101 All Purpose Cleaner

Meguiar’s D110 Hyper Wash

Optimum Tire Gel

Meguiar’s D156 Synthetic Spray Wax

Meguiar’s D120 Glass Cleaner

Meguiar’s D170 Hyper Dressing

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How to wash your car :)

Steps I use to wash a car

Major Step #1-Wheels, Tires and Wheel Wells

Start with wheels and tires as they the dirtiest part of the car. If you clean them last you will inevitably get more water and dirt and cleaning products back on the your car. Clean the wheels and tires first and you will not have to worry about this. Clean each wheel, tire, and wheel well 1 at a time. Finish 1 before going on to the next • Fill up 2 buckets (3-4 gallons each) both with grit guard • 1 bucket clean water to rinse brushes etc. I bucket with car wash soap and water • Spray wheel wells and tires with an all-purpose cleaner/degreaser and let it dwell • Spray wheels with a wheel cleaner and let it dwell • Use brushes for the wheel wells and tires to agitate the dirt and debris every brush or tool gets rinsed off in the rinse bucket before going back into the soap bucket. The more dirt and debris you get off of the tools you use the better. You don’t want to put the dirt back into your soap bucket with all of your cleaning tools • Use Wheel Woolies to clean the rims and barrels (best wheel cleaning tool Ever!!) • Rinse everything off (at home I use a pressure washer-mobile details I use a hose and nozzle) The pressure washer saves a lot of time 

Here are some of the tools I use for wheels, tires, wheel wells etc (plus foam cannon/guns for paint as well)

Foam cannon for pressure washer 

Foam gun for water hose 

3-Wheel Woolies these are the best tool ever for wheel cleaning. I highly recommend them (not cheap but so worth it) 

Chemical Guys Gerbil wheel brush (ok-not as good as the woolies)

Chemical Guys Wheel Brush (soft flag tipped bristles) awesome brush

Chemical Guys Wheel Well Brush  (soft flag tipped bristles) awesome brush and gets hard to reach wheel well gaps

Tire brush-very stiff bristles-used only on tires

Stiff bristled wheel well brush (rarely ever use this as the Chemical guys one is so much better

Major Step #2 Washing the Car

Wash your car in the shade or early morning or late afternoon if possible. Avoid washing a car that is hot to the touch, You will be fighting water spots all day. • Rinse out your 2 buckets from the wheels (some people like myself have buckets they only use for wheels but most people probably won’t use 3 or 4 buckets) • Fill up your 2 buckets with water 3-4 gallons (with grit guards to scrub your wash mitt etc.) • Add your car wash soap to the water and mix. Do not use Kitchen/dish soap. If you have nice wax on the car you want to keep it! Use a mild car wash soap. • Rinse with a hose and nozzle (or pressure washer) and try to get as much loose dirt off as possible. Optional step Foam Cannon presoak-this is used with a pressure washer to make a thick foam that sticks to the car and starts loosening the dirt/road fil etc. • Start washing the car at the top and work your way down. Using your wash mitt/pad etc. clean in long straight lines. You do not need to scrub hard.  No need for crazy circles either  • Rinse your wash mitt often in the rinse bucket before getting more soap • Rinse the panel that you have cleaned and do not let the soap dry on the car • Repeat these steps until you have washed the entire car • Take the nozzle off of the hose and use a low pressure stream to flood the car with water. The water will run off of the car better this way leaving you less to dry • Use a leaf blower or a nice drying towel to dry the car. I use a leaf blower –if your car has a nice wax or sealant on it the water blows off very easily. It also works to get water out of crevices and mirrors etc. • If you use a towel make sure it is very clean and designed for car drying. I would be leery of the cheap towels at local stores. There are much better and safer options available

Major Step #3 Dressing the Tires and Wheel Wells

• Most people will put product on the tires to make them shiny but a lot of people do not put anything on the wheel wells. This creates a very contrasting look that calls attention to the wheel wells. • Using your tire gel of choice on a foam applicator apply a thin even coat of tire gel to entire face of the tire • Wipe off and excess and any that you got on the wheels. • I would not use tire shine gel on the wheels well. It will take forever and use a lot of product.  I use Meguiars Hyper Dressing diluted 4:1 (water 4:Hyper dressing 1). I highly recommend this product. It can be used on interiors, tires, wheel wells, plastic trim, engine compartment trim etc.-it is only sold by the gallon though. 1 gallon will probably last you forever washing just your own vehicle

Sit back and admire your work.

 You are done! The more often you clean your car the quicker this process will be. If you maintain your car well you may not need to use the degreaser or wheel cleaner either-just car wash soap.

Tip Avoid drive through car washes like the plague! They are the #1 cause for swirls and scratches for the average vehicle. They use too much pressure. They can drag dirt etc. across the entire length of your car. They use very harsh chemicals that can strip your wax. Are they faster than doing it yourself? YES Are they better? Not a chance Are they as satisfying as doing the work yourself? Not at all. 

Car Wash Soaps I use. Meguiar’s Hyper Wash  Duragloss, Chemical Guys Mr. Pink, Chemical Guys Maxi Suds 2

Wax/Sealant I recommend Menzerna Powerlock, Collinite 845. It’s amazing, easy to use, and lasts a very long time. New favorite sealant Garry Dean’s Vitality Shield. Even easier than 845 and so much quicker to wipe off the minimal residue. It is pricey but worth it!

David Dear

Check out my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/detailsbydavid

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Cleaned my wheels in the garage using a rinseless wash product and no water hose. Rinse free washes are a great way to clean your vehicle when the weather isn't cooperating or its too cold, too dark etc.

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Day 1 with the new Flex 3401 polisher