Detailing Tips & Tricks....

[holden#1]

export tyre shine... $3 / can from supercheap

easy to apply, cheap, looks good, seems better than armour all, brings up plastics real nicely, lengendary stuff...

however, I have been told that on hot days it leaves residue on windows (interior)
any of you detailers got advice on this one??

for the price it seems to be magic, and appears to outperform anything else...

[Lish]

any 'oily' substance that coat your plastic, dash board etc will leave a residue on windscreen. The worst of the lot is armourall..I've never tried this one you speak of as I don't like to put anything on the dash - they just attract the dust and it sticks to it and makes it look worst in about half a day.
The only way to remove this oily substance is to have a damp chamois in your glove box and wipe it over regulary. Not forgetting to wash the chamois regulary to remove the oily build up.
I simply wipe my dash and interior of the car with a damp chamois during regular cleans to keep it looking spick. If the interior has built up dirt and grime mix a little methylated spirits and water (1/4 metho 3/4 water) in spray bottle and clean with that...roof lining, sunvisors, door trims etc etc.

[Stewart1000]

this is a really good thread.

i got an 87 VL, and as you could imagine 18 years of sunshine would leave it looking pretty dull, i was wonderign what should i use to polish it, it is gold.

and what type of paint do you recoment to get it resprayed in 2pac or acrylic?

[MikeVXSS]

2 pac if you can afford 2 pac lasts longer and looks better longer.

[Lish]

A good cut n polish to cut back the weathered layer and then give it a spick shine is the way to go. I'm not really going to say brands as there are so many out there and we all have our own preferences...I personally prefer the Turtle Wax, Meguiars and Mothers brands. It may take a couple of go's but it all depends on the severity of the damage as to how good you are going to get it.
As far as the paints are concerned...I'm not a spraypainter and really don't know much about paints...sorry not the person to ask that one....maybe someone reading this does ????

[VY Equipe]

what is the best product for the black trim on the outside of the car, i mean like mud spats, and the bumpers of a vn?

[holden#1]

I swear by export Tyre Shine (supercheap $3 / can)
cheap
effective
natural looking
easily applied
shine lasts awhile
as far as these sorts of things go - does'nt attract large quantites of dust

this is a pretty personal sort of thing but...

[Lish]

yep....armourall or export tyre shine lol
is the best for black bumpers, black door strips, the black strip around windows, door handles, tyres...
I just don't like that stuff for interiors of cars...but agree with Holden#1..it's a personal sorta thing...

[minux]

yep....armourall or export tyre shine lol
is the best for black bumpers, black door strips, the black strip around windows, door handles, tyres...
I just don't like that stuff for interiors of cars...but agree with Holden#1..it's a personal sorta thing...

I personally wouldnt reccomend using armor all to anyone, it cuts plastic and rubber life drastically.

[VY Equipe]

thats what i have heard too, i usually use spray and whip for interior.

Mr Sheen works great in the engine bay..........again personal sort of thing

[Lish]

yeah it does....but not having any kinda protectant on the black rubber/plastic is worse...it's much like going in the sun without sunscreen....it will cause the rubber to discolour and eventually crack.

[Aggro_VE]

Problem with armourall is the high level of silicone, I used it for years not knowing the affects it can have, now after recommendations I use 303 aerospace protectant gives same level of protection yet without the high level of silicone, wish I knew about this years ago but you learn something new everyday .

[holden#1]

where do ya get this 303 aerospace protectant?

[Aggro_VE]

Arrr shit! trying to remember....think it was either supercheap or autobarn any good auto store should have it, great stuff, and great protection without the greasy slippery too shiny look.

[vlv8vic]

what does the silicone in armourall do thats so nasty? ive been using it for ages... might use something different when it runs out.

[itchy pits]

hey m8...
is there something that can be rubbed into the passanger air bag cover for vr/vs commys do slow down or reduce the corners from coming up ? ?

cheers
itchy

[holden#1]

yes we demand an answer to this one!!!!

just contemplating using araldite to glue them down. i find araldite to be one of the best glues around..

it really *hits you when the airbag cover comes up...

I did make a thread earlier on on this topic... got a few suggestions like blutack(??!!)
supposedly Holden sells new airbag covers for $160 or so!
I wonder what glue they come primed with? or are they a clip on design?

if I do glue down I realise if I have a crash the missus will most likely get smacked out with the cover or something...

[holden#1]

these links should help;

Passenger side Airbag Cover
Passenger Airbag Lifting .. Common?
Passenger Airbag Plastic cover lifting. what to do??

[Stewart1000]

thanks lish, ill get soem good quality cut n polish and see how she turns up

[dephilile]

I personally wouldnt reccomend using armor all to anyone, it cuts plastic and rubber life drastically.

i use a product called kitten (it's in a red spray bottle). is this as bad as armorall?

[dephilile]

what is a cheesecloth?

got any ideas on an easy way to remove dead bugs from the front of the car (i.e. number plate and front bumper). no matter how much i scrub they don't wanna come off the work truck (it gets washed like once a year).

also, i have some paint marks on my drivers side door from where other cars have opened their doors into mine. what's the best way to remove these?

cheers

Phil

[Lish]

chesecloth is available from the auto shop near the cleaning stuffs....it's a soft woven cotton.

for the bugs...get a blue car wash ENJO mitt - they are fab! (www.enjo.com.au) just a bucket of water and no chemicals...so easy and so quick...works on the same principal as the towel trick being that the water softens them for easy removal but a lot less mucking around and much quicker. SABCO also do a cheaper version in Woolies and Coles...just as good I reckon. They wont scratch your car (I use mine on our tiger mica SS paintwork) they also get the lil pesty things off the number plate. (You can also use the glove to wash your whole car with)

SOME paint marks can be removed by a good cut n polish ....but this all depends how deep they are and how much paint is there.... if it's just light surface then most definately will come off

good luck

P.S. the wet towel trick is to cover the bumper and number plate with a wet towel and keep wetting the towel until the bugs are soft enough to be washed away....here is another thread about the same problem Bug Stains....

[ZER0]

great thread... awsome info!

could you suggest anything to look for when you hire a proffesional detailer. mines due for a full on clean up, there's about 150 different detailing mobs in the phone book i wouldnt know where to start?

[Lish]

now thats a hard one zero....word of mouth is the best info of all...that failing I would recommend one that has been established for a long time, a clean workshop area, lots of cars waiting to be cleaned (busy always means good)...

[ZER0]

thanks Lish, i was looking more towards a mobile detailer, is it better to take it to a work shop?