As a 100% mobile detailer whose main focus is ceramic coating and paint corrections, I could not survive without the tips in this video. Circular motions for applying the coating and using a pad washer and damp pad shave hours off the process and deliver top notch results. I can do an exterior detail/decon with the clay towel and iron remover, single step machine polish and ceramic coat in a single day in the comfort of my client's own driveway. Thank you, Yvan!
Thank you for the tips! Disclaimer: I only wash one car, mine. Instead of washing mitts between panels, I put six mitts in a soapy bucket. I use one side of each to wash two adjacent panels top to bottom. Then I flip it over and wash two more adjacent panels. Then the mitt goes in an empty bucket and I grab a new mitt out of the soapy bucket. It usually only takes five mitts, with the sixth as a backup in case I drop one on the ground. At the end, all of the mitts go into the clothes washer along with all of the other microfiber products I used in the process, and they all get washed (gentle cycle) and dried (low heat). I don't need to wash anything but the car during the process. Mitts are cheaper than time.
I've done testing with foaming the car, followed by a contact wash vs. foaming the car, let it dwell, rinse, foam again, contact wash, and the latter option keeps my wash bucket way cleaner. I use clear buckets, and I can see how much less grit is in my bucket utilizing the latter method.
Dont skip the 2nd foam. use your high ph cleaner first and after a dwell and rinse hit it with strait foam for LUBRICATION. care care is a marathon not a sprint. I use only the best.@@Zoranurai13
@@Zoranurai13 I mix KC gentle snow foam with KC Green Star and I get 10.5 ph in the foam canon. I use half for the pretreatment and the other half for the contact wash
You had me at “preservation” and “shiny scratches” …detailing Gandalf sounds very knowledgeable, this is my first video, I’m gonna keep going but could it be I finally found the most complete diy automobile paint detailing in here? Will keep you posted, thanks guys.
Thanx for the content. Agreed the foam rinse foam is a go to. My biggest time saver when doing regular washes is rather than using the traditional 2 bucket method, my second bucket is empty at the beginning. My soap bucket has 4-6 micro fiber mitts, instead of rinsing and then re-soaking I just throw the mitt in the empty bucket and grab a new one then take all the "used" ones, rinse them and throw them in the washing machine on eco mode with an extra rinse, air dry them and put them away.
This has been a life changer for me! I have a LOT of huge trucks with colossal, knobby tires in my market area and that tiny foam applicator wasn't cutting it for me. Initially I thought the flag tipped brush was going to be too sloppy but legit on the first tire my technique was locked in and my accuracy was pinpoint. I'm NEVER going back. From low-profile tires to mudders it's the ft brush every time.
Thank God this channel exists; kept thinking to myself after years of watching car detailing videos ‘all of this seems like overkill’, obnoxious almost and you guys clearly explained that here.
I wash the wheel wells when I wash the tires and wheels. Makes the finished car look so much cleaner with clean wheel wells. The plastic and carpet look darker and mat which I feel helps frame the wheels and helps the paint pop and look shiny. Especially effective on light coloured cars. So I foam the car, tires, and wheel wells let it dwell then rinse. Foam again, wash the wheels, tires and wheel wells and rinse and foam the paint again for the contact wash. I live in Taiwan and we get lots of industrial fallout and the trees leave a soft sap that will stain your paint if left in the sun to bake. The third foam helps soften and dissolve the sap and makes removing the sap easier.
5:05 lol! Thanks for the laughter Yvan 😄 Completely agree with the swapping pads. Ive saved so much time just by using the pad washer every after one panel. Also as a 4x4 enthusiast, im happy to say that i also apply tire dressing by using flagged tip brush. So easy to apply on knobby sidewalls compared to a hexagon or small sponge type applicator. To me, the most overrated method in carwash, is the wheel wash using several type of brushes every time. Sure you can clean the barrels with a long wheel brush, use a paint brush-type for the nuts and crannies, or even a lugnut brush, iron decon, APC, foam. But if you regularly wash your car, all you need is APC, small mitt for the wheels, and a flagged tip brush for the rubber. You guys are teaching us how to efficiently clean and wash our cars eeeeverytime, thank you so much, Yvan and Nick! 🤘🏽 Keep it up 💪🏽
What I use for tire dressing is just a 2-inch natural bristle paint brush. Between 1 and 2 dollars from the hardware store, and they deal with all the sidewall patterns and ridges beautifully.
Yeah, buddy. The FRF method has been my go-to for the last year. I've saved so much product and most importantly TIME. I have an LLC for my detail company but I only take appointments on the weekend so saving time gets me back to my Saturday and Sunday. My family has no complaints.
@@diydetailofficialhow do save product? I see more soap is being used. Foaming has been around for eons but only recently has it claimed that is removing enough grit to not do the 2 bucket method.
Foam, rinse, foam, contact wash with clean mitt or microfiber towel, one wash bucket, do not put a dirty mitt or fiber towel back in the wash bucket. Always use a new clean mitt or towel to wash a section at a time. Only need 4 or 5 clean mitts or microfiber towels to wash most vehicles. Do a section, put the dirty/used mitt or towel in a different empty bucket to be washed later. Take the new one, dip it in your clean wash bucket, wash another section, discard it in the bucket with the other dirty mitts and towels, and repeat. Then rinse, blow off most of the water with an air gun or leaf blower, then dry with microfiber and a drying aid, some type of a quick detail spray to help lubricate the surface and add glossy shine to the vehicle while drying it.
This method is further improved with the use of some plush microfiber towels. Then you get 8 clean sides per wash media and are never using potentially dirty media to clean a panel.
I have been a dealership detailer for a couple years but I actually wanted to be good at it. I’ve done full paint correction on a car in less than 12 hours out of pure necessity and just stumbled on using my pad washer every panel.
I’ve been researching car care methods after getting a new car. The 2 bucket method with a foam cannon sounded like overkill so I’m glad I found this video. Thanks!
Another overrated point is thinking that products can be used in 1 way only. It may (or may not) work better but it will certainly cost much more long term than having 1 product that can be used multiple ways (ex rinseless as wash, clay lube, interior, pad washing, etc)
you nailed it there. even carpro immolube which I tested recently I told Avi the owner of Carpro all the other things I can use it for that he never designed it to do. I cleaned my whiteboard with it and although not ideal, as I had no dedicated cleaner and couldnt get the blue marker imprints off with the duster, the immo at 1:1 sure did. it also can be used as polish extender and a pad cleaner in a pinch. spritz the stained pad, give it a rub with a glove on or use a brush then compressed air blow or or rinse it and bingo, super clean pad. no more stains and it doesn't soften the foam or discolour it. this is why sometimes manufacturers send me stuff as I test things with outside the box methods and on surfaces never designed to be used with it. using polishes on exterior trim is another, not all will stain trim, they fix them.
Hi guys, best thing I ever bought a pad washer (lake 4000), I'm in my mid 60s and still detailing, and I go to is the rotary just let the machine do the work, most vehicles I detail are pre clear coat one stage paint. Keep up the good work and info
Howdy! I've been relearning how to buff/polish without an 8k rpm angle grinder while also learning paint correction. Since I've been watching your videos, I'm learning all about one of your topics. If it doesn't look right, apply more pressure. OMG I'm having a hard time kicking that bad habit. I picked up a 7" cordless rotary polisher, Meguiar's M85 and M210, TW hybrid ceramic acrylic polish and my 20 year old black vehicle is shining once again. Thank you very much for your honesty in this video, and also simply thank you for creating and publishing it!
For me, as a hobbiest who just have (hopefully had) this mentality of "I just have to try this and that", the most overrated processes I've found is: 1) Washing with soap vs. a rinseless. A rinseless works, even in Norway where I live, but people don't seem to believe me 😔 I'm tired of rinsing suds... 2) Using a clay bar. It's inefficient, but I agree: sometimes you have to use it, but in general you don't. Use a clay towel. 3) Cleaning wheel arches. Lasts maximum a day, and never seems to be perfectly clean on a daily driver anyway. 4) Using specific interior products 😂😂😂 My God I have tried many interior products. I remember I was quite shocked when I saw the interior of my friends car, and I asked him what he used to do when he detailed the interior: "Oh, I don't clean the interior, I believe my girlfriend just use a damped microfiber towel." The interior of the car looked so good 😂 Keep on the good work guys 🇳🇴
Brilliant guys. Seriously, I’ve just purchased a new, second hand gem, that I want to preserve, so I have had a deep dive into youtube detailing. You blokes are the best information, without any BS. Simply excellent advice. So very well done and keep up the good work - from Queensland, Australia. Sláinte Patrick H
I did the circular motion with my ceramic coating and it works with any coating. I had 0 issues with high spots and I used way less prosuct. You can do circular motion with a microfiber applicator too, same good results.
I’m not in the detail business,but I’m all for making it easier and less time. My 65 Mustang looks GREAT with ceramic coating . My Terrain looks great without ceramic coating. So easy 😊
I'm so glad I found this channel and this video through Pan's channel. I used to dread detailing my car. I would start early Saturday to get it washed and clayed, then spend Sunday trying to polish and wax. It almost always take up my whole weekend and I was not doing anything other than working on the car. I would even bike or walk to lunch because I didn't want to drive the car in the middle of everything. Most importantly, I would be so exhausted and sore after the whole ordeal. I still did it because I wanted the car to look great but it did wear down my passion over time. After I replaced my car with an SUV I actually never properly detailed it because of the amount of work and time I'd spent. I would just hand wash then a coat of wax at the beginning of spring and then again at mid-fall, while just going through automatic car wash in between every other month just to save time and effort. The car is clean but it's not great, and I can still see swirl marks since the day I took delivery (yes it's kind of like Pan's new car that came pre-swirled). Now that I saw this video and Pan's on prepping and detailing his new car, I think I'll invest in some tools and pick up detailing again on mine. Thank you so much for your advices.
I prefer these types of videos. Yes. The pad washer is fantastic. I just hated hand washing pads after a polishing. It's hard on your hands, too. There is something to cleaning the pad in the washer and cooling down the pad. Thanks guys for the video.
Threw my clay bar out. It marred the hell out of my last car and without a machine polisher recovery by hand was painstaking. Now just good practice low contact washes combined with glazes and waxes/sealants keeps paint looking brilliant. It’ll take a long time until a polish is needed.
Pro Tip - Unlike where you show yourself washing the rocker panels, then washing the hood of the car, wash the rocker panels last. The rockers tend to be dirtiest and less chance of carrying that dirt and grit to the hood of the car.
I would love to see a video showing Yvan’s process for completing an interior detail in a well used vehicle. Not sure if you have done such video but that’s where I struggle with efficiency. During the winter I seem to get mainly interior jobs and some jobs take me longer than I’d like them to. Would love to see what I could do for increasing my efficiency
The best thing to increase your efficiency is take a video of you doing a job, then watch it to see where time is getting away from you. Like a professional athlete, you need to evaluate your performance.
I love the last question, and I did just purchase the brush. I have a cloth covered sponge that responds to my fingers well and I never get anything on the rims. I work it in and am good to go. It never takes me any time and I get a week out of it but probably more if I went longer between washes. I’m looking forward to trying the brush though. I do think a lot of folks overcomplicate things. Meaning if it was dirty and a used a tire rag that was clean, I’m sure it would look great and hold up.
I mobile detail by myself for around 2 years now. I use two of the "clay" Towels and if i had to guess its the exact same ones they are using in the clips here same pattern /color combo in anycase. Ive used other ones as well. I'll say this one thing ive learned is that no two cars are the same (weather per day /driver) Even if same make model and owner between two cars .And Ive learned I know nothing about this business tho ive done 60 or 70 cars not counting my own /family member's vehics since starting I still learn more n more . All that said ...the towel is easier and faster than Claybars ....but the Slickness obtained from using a claybar vs the towels (ive used /had anyway) The claybar wins. WIndows? Again the clay bars even the cheap junky blue ones from amazon take weirdness of windows (Anti fog clients sadly applied to the inside of windshields) water spots ...blade trails or imprints That the towels have zero impact on. The towels > nothing but polish +iron remover +wash . I don't even see them as a replacement for claybars so much as a replacement for wash mits heh as I basically use them with my foam during that portion of the wash. Sometimes i'll use th em with a quick detailer after the vehicle has been coated during a maintainance wash if the client opts for that service. But They shouldn't really be compared to clay bars in my opinion that no one asked for . As they aren't really in the same class . Claybars add a slickness that Im unsure at this point how to obtain without them and as my clients are having me detail daily drivers most of which aren';t in a garage the Synthetic towels won't remove road paint transfer for instance or well anything u can't rub off with your index i wouldn't count on those getting off either lol starting to think I use them purely due to not wanting to waste the money i spent on the two sets i have (and i do find th em easier than the wash mits to clean /maintain and do as good a job during contact wash)
I agree. Clay towels or whatever you wanna call it, can't remove things conventional clay bar can. You need that paint spotless, especially if you are wrapping the car, or applying PPF. When doing normal wash-clay-wax - sure clay towels are great, because they won't marr the paint like a clay bar. But when I am doing paint correction, I do not mind light marring since I will be polishing the paint anyways.
. Just sharing what I've experienced which again is admittedly limited. Hope I didn't come off as argumentative as i wouldnt presume too.. I enjoy the content and information u guys are putting out there.
I would love to use foam rinse foam method. I think it may be a bit risky for me given my footprint. I don't have an indoor wash bay so all washing is done in the driveway in direct sunlight. Letting the foam dwell for just a few minutes may be bad. On that note though, I agree it's most likely the easiest option for those that don't have to worry too much about using more product on one vehicle. (When I first started detailing I was pinching pennies.)
what about a "foam, rinse, chemical" method? Foam and rinse with pressure washer in driveway, then pull in inside the garage to be out of the sun and do a rinseless wash (one bucket, multiple mitts), I could also spray the panels with rinseless solution right before contact with mitt. I'm talking about extremely dirty car only, otherwise just go straight to rinseless.
This might be a stupid question, but can you mix a bit of PH plus or minus to your foam cannon to increase or decrease PH of your shampoo? The PH plus or minus is a spa additive….great channel 👍
the "only using a clean wash mitt" (5 or 6) idea was originally promoted by Brian of Apex detail to give credit due ..... for me he was the first you tuber to promote and do a video on it. there is a lttle extra prep but the wash is actually faster using this method in addition to the safety and quality benefits ... IMHO
Correct/ Clay Bar is not always needed. Polishing/buffing your vehicle use the correct pad with the proper tool, as said pressure creates heat and is not good. Auto paint layers are very thin as in Mils. or a third of the thickness of your fingernail, it is like food plastic saran wrap but thinner. Always use fresh and clean microfiber towels with some type of lubricant or wetness and never use a dry microfiber towel, even when drying off your vehicle as the air will evaporate the moisture. I dry my car with Worx WG521 electric leaf blower with a microfiber towel wrapped and taped on the end of the nozzle in case of accidental touching. It has not happened but better safe than sorry. It is light weight but you should wear ear plugs or muffs for hearing protection, including eye protection when using compressed air. I love the foam, rinse, foam and clean method using two - 5 gallon buckets with a strainer on the bottom so you don't pick up the dirt when dipping your mitt or wash rag in the bucket. Have at least 2 mitts or more, the lower section of your vehicle typically has more filth and needs to be changed for a cleaner mitt. Start wash from top to bottom - common sense. Just like you taking a shower as water runs top to bottom. Waxing in a circular motion, that makes sense, pads are round, not made straight and narrow or shaped like a square. Things are perceived as being swirls in the sunlight, our eyes and pupils are round, the sun is round, the cones that are part of our eye optics. Okay, I need a break, someone called out and said Swirl Ice Cream or Ice Cream Swirl. It takes me about 1 hour to wash my car and if I do a complete wax and polish takes up to another 3 or 4 hours. It is easier to clean the interior of a vehicle than the exterior because I don't eat or drink in my car, non-smoker, no pets, rarely have a passenger, vacuum and wipe things down practically every week. Winter used the All-weather rubber floor mats and clean them once a week, used 3M Scotchguard on the floor carpet ... more like thin all season outdoor carpeting nowadays installed in cars. Floormats are now made with a polyester/nylon material instead of a cloth weave and shag. So they are even easier to clean. Lots of cheap ass plastic. Faux-leather seats easy to clean too, hate the creases - wrinkles that occur as better off with real leather. Automobiles are built with cheapest materials as possible, no quality, just quantity. What we are paying for is the electronic maybe or may not work safety features and the 10 to 20 airbags that are expensive. It's crazy to think that vehicles built 40 to 60 years ago were better, and in fact they are better than today's trash-mobiles. Back then, easy to keep a car looking good with washing and waxing by hand. Today, got all these Car Care products and most don't even work as intended or described. Auto Detailing is expensive so don't over emphasize just make life simple.
Thank you for stating that about clay bar. I see too many detailers try to upsell with a clay bar and polish for every detail and it is not an ideal long term method, The synthetic clays are great and I still try to only use it on full decon steps if organic clay is not needed.
So glad I don't need to use the 2 bucket method anymore. I felt so guilty when I was using it and accidentally forgot to dip into the rinse bucket. I thought I ruined everything!
Been learning from your videos. Ordered your 8 year coating and decon clay towel and it arrived today. Getting a list together of additional DIY Detail products to order so I can clean, polish and ceramic coat 2 cars early fall. Wish me luck. Is there a place to post pics of the finished results for DIY detail?
I washed one of the company cars at work today using the foam-rinse-foam-contact-rinse-dry method and thought I was going to die after getting used to the rinse less wash coat-contact-dry method I use on less dirty cars like it was, but I didn't have any rinse less wash with me.
You guys touched on tire dressing so I've got to ask ... Does modern tire dressing actually DO anything for the tire? Does it increase tire life? Does it stiffen the sidewalls to improve handling? Is there any actual advantage of any kind over a simple but good brush wash? Tire dressing used to be just all show but it's been awhile, so maybe things have changed ...
I missed the Premier! But these tips are the start of new techniques for the advancement of chemicals. Some old techniques may be best for previous generation products but, we have to move on and Thank you Yvan and Nick!
Try a paintbrush to apply tire and even trim dressing. If you know how to paint it's the quickest, most accurate way. Been doing it for 25 years. You can even buy disposable boar hair "chip" brushes and throw them away afterwards.
I love this video seriously so much insight! Actual real clarity, knowledge, and experienced being showcased and explained, great video!!! Thank you, you two!
Foam, rinse and foam has been my way for awhile. I still use a bucket with soaked wash media and use 5 or so towel. I never return a dirty towel or mitt back to the wash bucket. Which is not a waste as you can wash and reuse the towels or mitts.
new to your videos. I like your delivery and knowledge. I appreciate you. I've always been into cars, but taking care of them has always been a learning curve. I am really listening and trying to be more like you guys. Thx for a SHINNY bunch of cars
What are you're thoughts on using gas line anti freeze with a micro fiber towel to remove fresh overspray, has always worked well for me, also removes tree sap & other harmful contaminants.
Does the pad wash work the same for MF Pads as it does for the foam pads or should MF pads be swapped out once they are saturated with product? Also, is compressed air not a good idea for them as well?
Question about polishing with a damp pad (If you guys see this): Whenever I'm using your gold standard polish I wash the pad just like you guys. However, I recently decided to use the Rupes Uno Advanced, which says to not get it wet and has to sit and cure for the coating. Can I still use a damp pad for the AIO products?
Hello, great video again thank you for you work. I was thinking of putting rinselless to foam canon to speed up the process of covering the car with it (using typical 1:256 dilution). WIth sprayer bottle it takes ages. What do you think of it? Can you demonstrate it in a video?
Morning guys....great informative video...Question; my car is quoted with ceramic DuraSlic HG, looks great. I have a small scratch on the fender, not deep but enough that it catches my eye every time. Any advice on how I should approach this on my attempts to remove it would be appreciated. Regards, Edmond M.
I bought a brand new 2025 BMW X5 M60i from the dealer and sold as new. Turns out there is a 4inch razor slice down at least to the base coat, through the new candy paint and love bug, bird poop and tree sap etching in the paint. When I bought the mess to the sales manager and salesman they swore that they could fix it like new, which they could not. What’s worse, unbeknownst to me, they re-buff all the junk into the paint again, ceramic coat over the mess, scratch the mess out of my new car and call it a day. They thought that I wouldn’t catch what they did and now were going round and round about fix. I’m ready to get a lawyer. Any input?
Will I loose to much of my original clear coat? What are the drawbacks. I had trusted them and took delivery. Found the slice when I got the car home the same day of delivery. They buffed the slice saying that it would look brand new but I can see the slight impression. I’m wondering how much life to my paint I’ll loose! I am angry!
Will I loose to much of my original clear coat? What are the drawbacks. I had trusted them and took delivery. Found the slice when I got the car home the same day of delivery. They buffed the slice saying that it would look brand new but I can see the slight impression. I’m wondering how much life to my paint I’ll loose! I am angry!
a little pressure is fine but any more than that you increase heat and wear the pads and can push the marks in the paint down further if you use too much. move slower or make your work area smaller instead of more pressure. the faster your machine speed is, the shorter the working time you have before the paint heats up too much and the abrasives no longer work unless using fast arm speeds more passes. better to change pad and or liquid than crank the speed up. deeper defects need to be left alone or reduced only with paint being so thin now. the other enemy for foam pads is soaking them in a tub or bucket of water whilst you do the car or even longer. water soaking them for a while or too many times speeds up the reduction of density and foam rebound. it takes me ten seconds to clean a pad by hand without a pad washer. spritz my own pad cleaner on the dry pad, rub it, rinse it, squeeze the pad with both hands (don't wring it) and done, no suds and little water usage. reduce pads exposure to alot of heat cycles, that's what the pad washer does best, as soon as you've heated up the pad, the pad washer is cooling it as it cleans it. the two bucket method is obsolete in my world and has been for over a decade and a half, zero bucket or one bucket with several mitts for better efficiency or pressure rinse the one mitt as you wash. I don't use tyre shine anymore its obsolete to me. hoping that carbon nanotube and urethane based tyre coatings or something even better will become the norm and dressings go the way of the dodo, I haven't used them for ten years anywhere on a car. I would never high pressure pre rinse now, my black toyota 86 GTS I pre soak with rinseless, wait then rinse then rinseless soak it again and dry if dusty or rinseless wash properly and then dry if grimey and after three years all I had to do to correct my paint late last year was 3D One with a kamikaze black foam finishing pad and the paint isn't more than soft medium hardness, that's how little marks it had. if your not getting years or decades out of pads like I have for yonks whilst testing for myself and manufacturers, your doing something wrong. some of mine are 24 years old and look 90% like new and have lost little density after 50 to 100 + cars. marine detailing is a different story, that kills pads
Thanks for some great new learnings on things I haven't thought about. Especially the "applying too much pressure to your polisher" in terms of created heat, pad-wash, velcro-harming behavior etc. Thumbs up! To answer your question for personal use on tire applicators, I use the mentioned hexagonal-roundshaped foam-applicator with a tire dressing. I'm not sure if it works any better than a brush, but massaging the dressing into the tire feels more durable than just applying a coating with a brush. I have no idea if my "feeling" works better than a brush in real life though 😄
In the first minute of the video you were applying ceramic coating on a TRX hood decal. My 16 Challenger has black decal stripes on hood and almost the whole roof is covered with a decal. What’s the best way to clean and protect the decals?
Clean with DIY Detail Rinseless Wash, decontaminate with DIY Detail Iron Remover , continue with DIY Detail Water Spot Remover, then ceramic coat for protection
Fantastic video, once again. Would you recommend applying foam over a layer of iron remover and then decontaminating with the clay towel? Another time saver perhaps?
Good content. Whats your experience and thoughts on waterless car wash products? If you do use them what product do you recommend and how do you use it?
Thank you for the video - I have searched for information about waxing an older car with rock chips on the front and hood. I understand paint correction, though not really a viable option on a car with 225,000 miles. Regular wax turns white and looks bad. What would you recommend in this case? I have heard of colored waxes - my car is red. Do they work or a waste of time and money. It is an older car, but still want to make it look its best. Thank you
I don't use a drying aid or some sort of spray and wipe product after washing. I use Griot's Polygloss in a foam cannon, allowing quick spotless drying and amazing gloss. It's so inexpensive by the gallon that I use it every few weeks.
You both keep saying you work on an area of an “8 inch circle” but then in the video demonstrations we see you doing about half the hood in a 18inX36in area. Which one is it? Do as I say, not as I do?
Even in their own video they miss a spot and go over some spots several times. This is why circular motion for ceramic coating is garbage and not recommended. Straight lines and cross hatching ensures that every spots gets at least 2 passes.
Hi guys, great video - my biggest bug bear… break disc flash rusting during washing, especially if you have black wheels. Know anything else other than BH Atom Mac? Tried varying the concentration, applying and blow drying prior to wash, apply during wash, end of wash, always get a flash over and the first time you go down the road the pristine black has a brown tinge on the barrel and spokes, save for washing and immediately driving to pad dry the discs, any other tips?
I appreciate the video as your videos are always educational. Only one time have I had to break out a clay bar on a heavily contaminated vehicle. For applying tire lotion the brush is my go to. I will say machine cleaning tires is great for truck tires and then follow up applying the tire lotion by machine.
im a diy detailer. i do not own a pad washer. do i have to wash my pad every time im done doing a small section of paint? how long until i wash my pad? because i usually wash it with dish soap and dry it spinning it with my polisher.
If I've never deconned my Jeep, never used a clay bar, or whatever, just used Chem Guy's products, like foam cannon with Mr. Suds, diablo wheel cleaner, and tire shine etc. Should I use a clay bar? I just bought the kit for it, but I also don't want to polish the Jeep because frankly, I am not that invested in DIY car detailing. I just want to have the water run off fast and not have it sitting and drying. Is it worth my time to clay bar? I also want to put a coating on it using Adams spray on graphene. I watched a video from Adams where it took him 13 minutes to clay bar an entire car, but I feel like that car has been properly detailed and coated. Any tips for making the process quick?
Yvan has said that not all iron removers are suitable for the clay towel, is there something in the ingredients that I should be looking for if it’s not currently the DIY product that I’m using?
@@diydetailofficial I so appreciate all of your incredible and thorough information! I am starting a small detailing business in the Nashville area and am looking to get a hose (and a foam-gun, probably the Adam's version) rather than a pressure-washer. Is there something you would recommend? There must be something a little lighter and less cumbersome than a garden hose out there. Also-- would you say a 50 foot hose would be the right length? This is for mobile detailing-- something I can throw in the back of our old Range Rover Sport with all my other supplies. Thank you so much for your kind help! You and Pan the Organizer are my heroes... All best, Dana :D
I personally think people care far too much about products being ph neutral. personally use higher ph snow foams as they clean better as a pre wash imo and the trade off for having an effect on the lsp doesn’t bother me - in fact I bet you’ll probably do more degradation to the lsp with abrasion when using foams that don’t clean as well
Can I use just water in my lake country 4000 pad washer? What cleaners are safe to use in my pad washer? Or should I just stick with the lake county powder cleaner? Great video!
If you use the pad washer, at the end of the detail you don't have to use some other cleaner? What's the highest speed you should use with the Gold Standard Polish? A damp pad with any compound or polish will cut better?
I don't have a pad cleaner. For those of us who don't have a pad cleaner how can we determine what a damp pad is ? I have some pad conditioner spray I have used a couple of times, 2 or 3 sprays. Since I am in Florida and it is currently hot out I have been trying to practice on this old car.
Hi guys, great video!! I hope lot of people out there listen and use those methods and techniques because they are really great and that's how I do my job. I always say - let the tools and chemicals do the job for you! pad washing - excellent, 😃 I 100 % agree with all your points except for the first one. I think the way you talk about it and explain it is nonsense. 😉
i’ve been buying your product and and been happy with the results. I have question when using a rinseless wash what is your recommendation on when to apply iron remover?
It’s the best move I made this year switching to gold standard polish. Great with my da polisher and easy to remove. Love the product. Hope you have a similar experience also.
I stick to actual clay bars because I got a Nanoskin when they first came back and, even following the directions and tons of lube, it left this orange peel like look to the paint that I had to buff out
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I appreciate acknowledging the importance of minimizing the aches and pains on the body when detailing
Thank you.
As a 100% mobile detailer whose main focus is ceramic coating and paint corrections, I could not survive without the tips in this video. Circular motions for applying the coating and using a pad washer and damp pad shave hours off the process and deliver top notch results. I can do an exterior detail/decon with the clay towel and iron remover, single step machine polish and ceramic coat in a single day in the comfort of my client's own driveway. Thank you, Yvan!
Great to hear!
Is a single step machine polish outdoors okay to do?
Exactly
Thank you for the tips! Disclaimer: I only wash one car, mine. Instead of washing mitts between panels, I put six mitts in a soapy bucket. I use one side of each to wash two adjacent panels top to bottom. Then I flip it over and wash two more adjacent panels. Then the mitt goes in an empty bucket and I grab a new mitt out of the soapy bucket. It usually only takes five mitts, with the sixth as a backup in case I drop one on the ground. At the end, all of the mitts go into the clothes washer along with all of the other microfiber products I used in the process, and they all get washed (gentle cycle) and dried (low heat). I don't need to wash anything but the car during the process. Mitts are cheaper than time.
Great tip.
I do the same, except I use MF towels.
Gents, love the no nonsense, practical approach to car washing, polishing and coating. As always enjoyed the vid, learned tons. Awesome job! Cheers.
Glad you enjoyed it
I've done testing with foaming the car, followed by a contact wash vs. foaming the car, let it dwell, rinse, foam again, contact wash, and the latter option keeps my wash bucket way cleaner. I use clear buckets, and I can see how much less grit is in my bucket utilizing the latter method.
Skip the second foam as it is really overkill. But using a good alkaline foam-dwell-rinse is good practice
Great point!
Dont skip the 2nd foam. use your high ph cleaner first and after a dwell and rinse hit it with strait foam for LUBRICATION. care care is a marathon not a sprint. I use only the best.@@Zoranurai13
Agreed
@@Zoranurai13 I mix KC gentle snow foam with KC Green Star and I get 10.5 ph in the foam canon. I use half for the pretreatment and the other half for the contact wash
You had me at “preservation” and “shiny scratches” …detailing Gandalf sounds very knowledgeable, this is my first video, I’m gonna keep going but could it be I finally found the most complete diy automobile paint detailing in here? Will keep you posted, thanks guys.
Welcome aboard!
Thanx for the content. Agreed the foam rinse foam is a go to. My biggest time saver when doing regular washes is rather than using the traditional 2 bucket method, my second bucket is empty at the beginning. My soap bucket has 4-6 micro fiber mitts, instead of rinsing and then re-soaking I just throw the mitt in the empty bucket and grab a new one then take all the "used" ones, rinse them and throw them in the washing machine on eco mode with an extra rinse, air dry them and put them away.
Great tip!
Agree 100% with the one bucket and always using a clean mitt or towel to wash.
The brush for tire dressing .. what a brilliant idea!! Thank you guys for sharing your knowledge and making detailing more fun!!
Thanks for watching!
This has been a life changer for me! I have a LOT of huge trucks with colossal, knobby tires in my market area and that tiny foam applicator wasn't cutting it for me. Initially I thought the flag tipped brush was going to be too sloppy but legit on the first tire my technique was locked in and my accuracy was pinpoint. I'm NEVER going back. From low-profile tires to mudders it's the ft brush every time.
Thank you.
I just buy a €1 sponge, cut it up into 6 or 8 bits and use them, lasts a few years to get through them.
Which one it's better? PPF or CERAMIC COATING?
Thank God this channel exists; kept thinking to myself after years of watching car detailing videos ‘all of this seems like overkill’, obnoxious almost and you guys clearly explained that here.
Thank you!
I wash the wheel wells when I wash the tires and wheels. Makes the finished car look so much cleaner with clean wheel wells. The plastic and carpet look darker and mat which I feel helps frame the wheels and helps the paint pop and look shiny. Especially effective on light coloured cars.
So I foam the car, tires, and wheel wells let it dwell then rinse. Foam again, wash the wheels, tires and wheel wells and rinse and foam the paint again for the contact wash. I live in Taiwan and we get lots of industrial fallout and the trees leave a soft sap that will stain your paint if left in the sun to bake. The third foam helps soften and dissolve the sap and makes removing the sap easier.
Good tips.
5:05 lol! Thanks for the laughter Yvan 😄
Completely agree with the swapping pads. Ive saved so much time just by using the pad washer every after one panel. Also as a 4x4 enthusiast, im happy to say that i also apply tire dressing by using flagged tip brush. So easy to apply on knobby sidewalls compared to a hexagon or small sponge type applicator.
To me, the most overrated method in carwash, is the wheel wash using several type of brushes every time. Sure you can clean the barrels with a long wheel brush, use a paint brush-type for the nuts and crannies, or even a lugnut brush, iron decon, APC, foam. But if you regularly wash your car, all you need is APC, small mitt for the wheels, and a flagged tip brush for the rubber.
You guys are teaching us how to efficiently clean and wash our cars eeeeverytime, thank you so much, Yvan and Nick! 🤘🏽 Keep it up 💪🏽
Thank you.
Really my favourite detailing content on the web and my go to products now! Brought the fun back to detailing and upped my efficiency ten fold!
Wow, Thank you.
Back when I was a detail tech, my go to for tire dressing was a cheap paint brush....worked great. Awesome video BTW..great tips.
Thanks 👍
What I use for tire dressing is just a 2-inch natural bristle paint brush. Between 1 and 2 dollars from the hardware store, and they deal with all the sidewall patterns and ridges beautifully.
Excellent
Glad to see another person using the same as myself.
I spray universal high shine and don't touch it at all
@@Rabbit.760 And get overspray on the wheels, and half of your product just blows away in the air.
Some of us have more sense.
@DjNikGnashers I mean for the product you use and know about maybe. If you didn't think of that, then ya, only some of us indeed, have more sense
Yeah, buddy. The FRF method has been my go-to for the last year. I've saved so much product and most importantly TIME. I have an LLC for my detail company but I only take appointments on the weekend so saving time gets me back to my Saturday and Sunday. My family has no complaints.
Excellent
@@diydetailofficialhow do save product? I see more soap is being used. Foaming has been around for eons but only recently has it claimed that is removing enough grit to not do the 2 bucket method.
Foam, rinse, foam, contact wash with clean mitt or microfiber towel, one wash bucket, do not put a dirty mitt or fiber towel back in the wash bucket. Always use a new clean mitt or towel to wash a section at a time. Only need 4 or 5 clean mitts or microfiber towels to wash most vehicles. Do a section, put the dirty/used mitt or towel in a different empty bucket to be washed later. Take the new one, dip it in your clean wash bucket, wash another section, discard it in the bucket with the other dirty mitts and towels, and repeat. Then rinse, blow off most of the water with an air gun or leaf blower, then dry with microfiber and a drying aid, some type of a quick detail spray to help lubricate the surface and add glossy shine to the vehicle while drying it.
Nice process
No more two bucket washing for me. One bucket with several mitts. A dirty mitt never goes back into the bucket. No contamination of wash - ever.
That works!
This method is further improved with the use of some plush microfiber towels. Then you get 8 clean sides per wash media and are never using potentially dirty media to clean a panel.
Started doing that too. The second bucket is now used to toss the once used mitt or towel into!
I have been a dealership detailer for a couple years but I actually wanted to be good at it. I’ve done full paint correction on a car in less than 12 hours out of pure necessity and just stumbled on using my pad washer every panel.
Good
I’ve been researching car care methods after getting a new car. The 2 bucket method with a foam cannon sounded like overkill so I’m glad I found this video. Thanks!
@@tracimaxson1247 Thank you.
Another overrated point is thinking that products can be used in 1 way only. It may (or may not) work better but it will certainly cost much more long term than having 1 product that can be used multiple ways (ex rinseless as wash, clay lube, interior, pad washing, etc)
True
you nailed it there. even carpro immolube which I tested recently I told Avi the owner of Carpro all the other things I can use it for that he never designed it to do. I cleaned my whiteboard with it and although not ideal, as I had no dedicated cleaner and couldnt get the blue marker imprints off with the duster, the immo at 1:1 sure did. it also can be used as polish extender and a pad cleaner in a pinch. spritz the stained pad, give it a rub with a glove on or use a brush then compressed air blow or or rinse it and bingo, super clean pad. no more stains and it doesn't soften the foam or discolour it. this is why sometimes manufacturers send me stuff as I test things with outside the box methods and on surfaces never designed to be used with it. using polishes on exterior trim is another, not all will stain trim, they fix them.
Thanks Matthew
Thank you to all the Veterans pass and present who gives us this great life 🎉. 🙏🏾 nosale
Thank you
Hi guys, best thing I ever bought a pad washer (lake 4000), I'm in my mid 60s and still detailing, and I go to is the rotary just let the machine do the work, most vehicles I detail are pre clear coat one stage paint.
Keep up the good work and info
Thanks for sharing!
Glad To See Another 60+ Guy Doing IT Well...😊
Between you guys and Pan the organizer I’ve switched from
A two bucket method, trying and becoming a firm believer to foam rinse foam method!
That is awesome!
I might just practice this today. Foam…rinse…foam…start hand washing from top to bottom…done deal
I stopped doing the cross-hatching on coatings a few years ago and was keeping it to myself! Glad to hear my theory in practice is shared!
Wonderful!
Howdy! I've been relearning how to buff/polish without an 8k rpm angle grinder while also learning paint correction. Since I've been watching your videos, I'm learning all about one of your topics. If it doesn't look right, apply more pressure. OMG I'm having a hard time kicking that bad habit. I picked up a 7" cordless rotary polisher, Meguiar's M85 and M210, TW hybrid ceramic acrylic polish and my 20 year old black vehicle is shining once again. Thank you very much for your honesty in this video, and also simply thank you for creating and publishing it!
Thank you.
For me, as a hobbiest who just have (hopefully had) this mentality of "I just have to try this and that", the most overrated processes I've found is:
1) Washing with soap vs. a rinseless. A rinseless works, even in Norway where I live, but people don't seem to believe me 😔 I'm tired of rinsing suds...
2) Using a clay bar. It's inefficient, but I agree: sometimes you have to use it, but in general you don't. Use a clay towel.
3) Cleaning wheel arches. Lasts maximum a day, and never seems to be perfectly clean on a daily driver anyway.
4) Using specific interior products 😂😂😂 My God I have tried many interior products. I remember I was quite shocked when I saw the interior of my friends car, and I asked him what he used to do when he detailed the interior: "Oh, I don't clean the interior, I believe my girlfriend just use a damped microfiber towel." The interior of the car looked so good 😂
Keep on the good work guys 🇳🇴
Just a damp micro-fibre towel? Sounds good. I'll try that in future.
Thank you.
Brilliant guys. Seriously, I’ve just purchased a new, second hand gem, that I want to preserve, so I have had a deep dive into youtube detailing. You blokes are the best information, without any BS. Simply excellent advice. So very well done and keep up the good work - from Queensland, Australia. Sláinte Patrick H
Great to hear!
You guys have become my new "go-to" for detailing. Thought I'd let you know.
Thank you.
I did the circular motion with my ceramic coating and it works with any coating. I had 0 issues with high spots and I used way less prosuct. You can do circular motion with a microfiber applicator too, same good results.
Good to know!
I’m not in the detail business,but I’m all for making it easier and less time. My 65 Mustang looks GREAT with ceramic coating . My Terrain looks great without ceramic coating. So easy 😊
Sounds great!
I'm so glad I found this channel and this video through Pan's channel. I used to dread detailing my car. I would start early Saturday to get it washed and clayed, then spend Sunday trying to polish and wax. It almost always take up my whole weekend and I was not doing anything other than working on the car. I would even bike or walk to lunch because I didn't want to drive the car in the middle of everything. Most importantly, I would be so exhausted and sore after the whole ordeal. I still did it because I wanted the car to look great but it did wear down my passion over time.
After I replaced my car with an SUV I actually never properly detailed it because of the amount of work and time I'd spent. I would just hand wash then a coat of wax at the beginning of spring and then again at mid-fall, while just going through automatic car wash in between every other month just to save time and effort. The car is clean but it's not great, and I can still see swirl marks since the day I took delivery (yes it's kind of like Pan's new car that came pre-swirled). Now that I saw this video and Pan's on prepping and detailing his new car, I think I'll invest in some tools and pick up detailing again on mine. Thank you so much for your advices.
Wow, thanks for sharing, you can also join our Facebook group
bit.ly/DIYDetailFacebookGroup
I prefer these types of videos. Yes. The pad washer is fantastic. I just hated hand washing pads after a polishing. It's hard on your hands, too. There is something to cleaning the pad in the washer and cooling down the pad. Thanks guys for the video.
Good to know!
Threw my clay bar out. It marred the hell out of my last car and without a machine polisher recovery by hand was painstaking. Now just good practice low contact washes combined with glazes and waxes/sealants keeps paint looking brilliant. It’ll take a long time until a polish is needed.
Good
Thanks for talking about lacquer paint. I have lacquer paint and most so called “experts” never address non clear coat paint.
You are so welcome!
Pro Tip - Unlike where you show yourself washing the rocker panels, then washing the hood of the car, wash the rocker panels last. The rockers tend to be dirtiest and less chance of carrying that dirt and grit to the hood of the car.
Thank you.
Absolutely
I would love to see a video showing Yvan’s process for completing an interior detail in a well used vehicle. Not sure if you have done such video but that’s where I struggle with efficiency. During the winter I seem to get mainly interior jobs and some jobs take me longer than I’d like them to. Would love to see what I could do for increasing my efficiency
The best thing to increase your efficiency is take a video of you doing a job, then watch it to see where time is getting away from you. Like a professional athlete, you need to evaluate your performance.
I love the last question, and I did just purchase the brush. I have a cloth covered sponge that responds to my fingers well and I never get anything on the rims. I work it in and am good to go. It never takes me any time and I get a week out of it but probably more if I went longer between washes. I’m looking forward to trying the brush though. I do think a lot of folks overcomplicate things. Meaning if it was dirty and a used a tire rag that was clean, I’m sure it would look great and hold up.
Thanks for sharing!!
I mobile detail by myself for around 2 years now. I use two of the "clay" Towels and if i had to guess its the exact same ones they are using in the clips here same pattern /color combo in anycase. Ive used other ones as well. I'll say this one thing ive learned is that no two cars are the same (weather per day /driver) Even if same make model and owner between two cars .And Ive learned I know nothing about this business tho ive done 60 or 70 cars not counting my own /family member's vehics since starting I still learn more n more .
All that said ...the towel is easier and faster than Claybars ....but the Slickness obtained from using a claybar vs the towels (ive used /had anyway) The claybar wins. WIndows? Again the clay bars even the cheap junky blue ones from amazon take weirdness of windows (Anti fog clients sadly applied to the inside of windshields) water spots ...blade trails or imprints That the towels have zero impact on.
The towels > nothing but polish +iron remover +wash . I don't even see them as a replacement for claybars so much as a replacement for wash mits heh as I basically use them with my foam during that portion of the wash. Sometimes i'll use th em with a quick detailer after the vehicle has been coated during a maintainance wash if the client opts for that service. But They shouldn't really be compared to clay bars in my opinion that no one asked for . As they aren't really in the same class . Claybars add a slickness that Im unsure at this point how to obtain without them and as my clients are having me detail daily drivers most of which aren';t in a garage the Synthetic towels won't remove road paint transfer for instance or well anything u can't rub off with your index i wouldn't count on those getting off either lol starting to think I use them purely due to not wanting to waste the money i spent on the two sets i have (and i do find th em easier than the wash mits to clean /maintain and do as good a job during contact wash)
I agree. Clay towels or whatever you wanna call it, can't remove things conventional clay bar can. You need that paint spotless, especially if you are wrapping the car, or applying PPF. When doing normal wash-clay-wax - sure clay towels are great, because they won't marr the paint like a clay bar. But when I am doing paint correction, I do not mind light marring since I will be polishing the paint anyways.
Good points
. Just sharing what I've experienced which again is admittedly limited. Hope I didn't come off as argumentative as i wouldnt presume too.. I enjoy the content and information u guys are putting out there.
Thank you.
I would love to use foam rinse foam method. I think it may be a bit risky for me given my footprint. I don't have an indoor wash bay so all washing is done in the driveway in direct sunlight. Letting the foam dwell for just a few minutes may be bad. On that note though, I agree it's most likely the easiest option for those that don't have to worry too much about using more product on one vehicle. (When I first started detailing I was pinching pennies.)
In that circumstance, DIY Detail Rinseless Wash would be the best option.
what about a "foam, rinse, chemical" method?
Foam and rinse with pressure washer in driveway, then pull in inside the garage to be out of the sun and do a rinseless wash (one bucket, multiple mitts), I could also spray the panels with rinseless solution right before contact with mitt.
I'm talking about extremely dirty car only, otherwise just go straight to rinseless.
That works great
This might be a stupid question, but can you mix a bit of PH plus or minus to your foam cannon to increase or decrease PH of your shampoo? The PH plus or minus is a spa additive….great channel 👍
Ph is only a small component of what actually cleans.
@@diydetailofficial But if you increase the PH of a car shampoo, won’t it attack the road grime better, meaning less physical contact?
@@chiefmissile Acid or basic it's the ph of the chemicals used to "clean" or emulsify the dirt/grease. it's not the ph alone.
the "only using a clean wash mitt" (5 or 6) idea was originally promoted by Brian of Apex detail to give credit due ..... for me he was the first you tuber to promote and do a video on it. there is a lttle extra prep but the wash is actually faster using this method in addition to the safety and quality benefits ... IMHO
Thank you.
Correct/ Clay Bar is not always needed. Polishing/buffing your vehicle use the correct pad with the proper tool, as said pressure creates heat and is not good. Auto paint layers are very thin as in Mils. or a third of the thickness of your fingernail, it is like food plastic saran wrap but thinner. Always use fresh and clean microfiber towels with some type of lubricant or wetness and never use a dry microfiber towel, even when drying off your vehicle as the air will evaporate the moisture. I dry my car with Worx WG521 electric leaf blower with a microfiber towel wrapped and taped on the end of the nozzle in case of accidental touching. It has not happened but better safe than sorry. It is light weight but you should wear ear plugs or muffs for hearing protection, including eye protection when using compressed air. I love the foam, rinse, foam and clean method using two - 5 gallon buckets with a strainer on the bottom so you don't pick up the dirt when dipping your mitt or wash rag in the bucket. Have at least 2 mitts or more, the lower section of your vehicle typically has more filth and needs to be changed for a cleaner mitt. Start wash from top to bottom - common sense. Just like you taking a shower as water runs top to bottom. Waxing in a circular motion, that makes sense, pads are round, not made straight and narrow or shaped like a square. Things are perceived as being swirls in the sunlight, our eyes and pupils are round, the sun is round, the cones that are part of our eye optics. Okay, I need a break, someone called out and said Swirl Ice Cream or Ice Cream Swirl. It takes me about 1 hour to wash my car and if I do a complete wax and polish takes up to another 3 or 4 hours. It is easier to clean the interior of a vehicle than the exterior because I don't eat or drink in my car, non-smoker, no pets, rarely have a passenger, vacuum and wipe things down practically every week. Winter used the All-weather rubber floor mats and clean them once a week, used 3M Scotchguard on the floor carpet ... more like thin all season outdoor carpeting nowadays installed in cars. Floormats are now made with a polyester/nylon material instead of a cloth weave and shag. So they are even easier to clean. Lots of cheap ass plastic. Faux-leather seats easy to clean too, hate the creases - wrinkles that occur as better off with real leather.
Automobiles are built with cheapest materials as possible, no quality, just quantity. What we are paying for is the electronic maybe or may not work safety features and the 10 to 20 airbags that are expensive. It's crazy to think that vehicles built 40 to 60 years ago were better, and in fact they are better than today's trash-mobiles.
Back then, easy to keep a car looking good with washing and waxing by hand. Today, got all these Car Care products and most don't even work as intended or described. Auto Detailing is expensive so don't over emphasize just make life simple.
Thank you.
How often do you to use the Decontamination Towel? When you use the towel, you have correct /polishing the car?
When needed, following our instructions, no need to polish
What is the brand/style of applicator pad you used at the beginning of the video showing the circular application of the ceramic coating?
Thank you
It’s the applicator that comes with every DIY Detail coating.
Thank you for stating that about clay bar. I see too many detailers try to upsell with a clay bar and polish for every detail and it is not an ideal long term method, The synthetic clays are great and I still try to only use it on full decon steps if organic clay is not needed.
You are so welcome!
So glad I don't need to use the 2 bucket method anymore. I felt so guilty when I was using it and accidentally forgot to dip into the rinse bucket. I thought I ruined everything!
No fear
I use a 2" paint brush with the bristles cut down a bit for tyre shine
Nice
Been learning from your videos. Ordered your 8 year coating and decon clay towel and it arrived today. Getting a list together of additional DIY Detail products to order so I can clean, polish and ceramic coat 2 cars early fall. Wish me luck. Is there a place to post pics of the finished results for DIY detail?
Yes, our facebook group, bit.ly/DIYDetailFacebookGroup
@@diydetailofficial Thank You!
I washed one of the company cars at work today using the foam-rinse-foam-contact-rinse-dry method and thought I was going to die after getting used to the rinse less wash coat-contact-dry method I use on less dirty cars like it was, but I didn't have any rinse less wash with me.
Thank you.
You guys touched on tire dressing so I've got to ask ...
Does modern tire dressing actually DO anything for the tire? Does it increase tire life? Does it stiffen the sidewalls to improve handling? Is there any actual advantage of any kind over a simple but good brush wash?
Tire dressing used to be just all show but it's been awhile, so maybe things have changed ...
A good tire dressing will help protect from oxidation.
To apply tyre shine I buy 6 x foam scourers from ALDI for 75p and use the foam side.
Good
5 truly top tips for us enthusiasts to follow. Simple but sound, sound advice gents. Thank you !
Glad you enjoyed it!
I missed the Premier! But these tips are the start of new techniques for the advancement of chemicals. Some old techniques may be best for previous generation products but, we have to move on and Thank you Yvan and Nick!
Thank you! Cheers!
Try a paintbrush to apply tire and even trim dressing. If you know how to paint it's the quickest, most accurate way. Been doing it for 25 years. You can even buy disposable boar hair "chip" brushes and throw them away afterwards.
Good tip
I love this video seriously so much insight! Actual real clarity, knowledge, and experienced being showcased and explained, great video!!! Thank you, you two!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Foam, rinse and foam has been my way for awhile. I still use a bucket with soaked wash media and use 5 or so towel. I never return a dirty towel or mitt back to the wash bucket. Which is not a waste as you can wash and reuse the towels or mitts.
Perfect
I have never used clay mitts or clay bars, but after this I think the towels look really good. Can you use your shampoo was as a lubricant?
Yes
new to your videos. I like your delivery and knowledge. I appreciate you. I've always been into cars, but taking care of them has always been a learning curve. I am really listening and trying to be more like you guys. Thx for a SHINNY bunch of cars
Thanks and welcome
What are you're thoughts on using gas line anti freeze with a micro fiber towel to remove fresh overspray, has always worked well for me, also removes tree sap & other harmful contaminants.
It can be a little rough on a sealant, but yes works
Does the pad wash work the same for MF Pads as it does for the foam pads or should MF pads be swapped out once they are saturated with product? Also, is compressed air not a good idea for them as well?
The pad washer works with all pads
Question about polishing with a damp pad (If you guys see this): Whenever I'm using your gold standard polish I wash the pad just like you guys. However, I recently decided to use the Rupes Uno Advanced, which says to not get it wet and has to sit and cure for the coating. Can I still use a damp pad for the AIO products?
Follow the manufacturers instructions, or do a test
Hello, great video again thank you for you work. I was thinking of putting rinselless to foam canon to speed up the process of covering the car with it (using typical 1:256 dilution). WIth sprayer bottle it takes ages. What do you think of it? Can you demonstrate it in a video?
Good idea
Morning guys....great informative video...Question; my car is quoted with ceramic DuraSlic HG, looks great. I have a small scratch on the fender, not deep but enough that it catches my eye every time. Any advice on how I should approach this on my attempts to remove it would be appreciated. Regards, Edmond M.
You will need to polish that area and coat again.
I bought a brand new 2025 BMW X5 M60i from the dealer and sold as new. Turns out there is a 4inch razor slice down at least to the base coat, through the new candy paint and love bug, bird poop and tree sap etching in the paint. When I bought the mess to the sales manager and salesman they swore that they could fix it like new, which they could not. What’s worse, unbeknownst to me, they re-buff all the junk into the paint again, ceramic coat over the mess, scratch the mess out of my new car and call it a day. They thought that I wouldn’t catch what they did and now were going round and round about fix. I’m ready to get a lawyer. Any input?
Refuse delivery of the car, call BMW corporate.
What if they’ve agreed to paint correction?
Will I loose to much of my original clear coat? What are the drawbacks. I had trusted them and took delivery. Found the slice when I got the car home the same day of delivery. They buffed the slice saying that it would look brand new but I can see the slight impression. I’m wondering how much life to my paint I’ll loose! I am angry!
Will I loose to much of my original clear coat? What are the drawbacks. I had trusted them and took delivery. Found the slice when I got the car home the same day of delivery. They buffed the slice saying that it would look brand new but I can see the slight impression. I’m wondering how much life to my paint I’ll loose! I am angry!
Sorry for the double post!
Tyre dressing.
I use a 3 inch paint brush.
Its quick and effective.
Good
a little pressure is fine but any more than that you increase heat and wear the pads and can push the marks in the paint down further if you use too much. move slower or make your work area smaller instead of more pressure. the faster your machine speed is, the shorter the working time you have before the paint heats up too much and the abrasives no longer work unless using fast arm speeds more passes. better to change pad and or liquid than crank the speed up. deeper defects need to be left alone or reduced only with paint being so thin now. the other enemy for foam pads is soaking them in a tub or bucket of water whilst you do the car or even longer. water soaking them for a while or too many times speeds up the reduction of density and foam rebound. it takes me ten seconds to clean a pad by hand without a pad washer. spritz my own pad cleaner on the dry pad, rub it, rinse it, squeeze the pad with both hands (don't wring it) and done, no suds and little water usage. reduce pads exposure to alot of heat cycles, that's what the pad washer does best, as soon as you've heated up the pad, the pad washer is cooling it as it cleans it. the two bucket method is obsolete in my world and has been for over a decade and a half, zero bucket or one bucket with several mitts for better efficiency or pressure rinse the one mitt as you wash. I don't use tyre shine anymore its obsolete to me. hoping that carbon nanotube and urethane based tyre coatings or something even better will become the norm and dressings go the way of the dodo, I haven't used them for ten years anywhere on a car. I would never high pressure pre rinse now, my black toyota 86 GTS I pre soak with rinseless, wait then rinse then rinseless soak it again and dry if dusty or rinseless wash properly and then dry if grimey and after three years all I had to do to correct my paint late last year was 3D One with a kamikaze black foam finishing pad and the paint isn't more than soft medium hardness, that's how little marks it had. if your not getting years or decades out of pads like I have for yonks whilst testing for myself and manufacturers, your doing something wrong. some of mine are 24 years old and look 90% like new and have lost little density after 50 to 100 + cars. marine detailing is a different story, that kills pads
Thank you.
Thanks for some great new learnings on things I haven't thought about. Especially the "applying too much pressure to your polisher" in terms of created heat, pad-wash, velcro-harming behavior etc. Thumbs up!
To answer your question for personal use on tire applicators, I use the mentioned hexagonal-roundshaped foam-applicator with a tire dressing. I'm not sure if it works any better than a brush, but massaging the dressing into the tire feels more durable than just applying a coating with a brush. I have no idea if my "feeling" works better than a brush in real life though 😄
What’s important is that you feel it’s working for you.
Clear coat preservation is something i always consider especially on newer cars with less paint..
Great
In the first minute of the video you were applying ceramic coating on a TRX hood decal. My 16 Challenger has black decal stripes on hood and almost the whole roof is covered with a decal. What’s the best way to clean and protect the decals?
Clean with DIY Detail Rinseless Wash, decontaminate with DIY Detail Iron Remover , continue with DIY Detail Water Spot Remover, then ceramic coat for protection
Fantastic video, once again. Would you recommend applying foam over a layer of iron remover and then decontaminating with the clay towel? Another time saver perhaps?
Yes you can!
Good content. Whats your experience and thoughts on waterless car wash products? If you do use them what product do you recommend and how do you use it?
We have DIY Detail Waterless Wash, but we don’t suggest it for more than dust removal.
Thank you for the video - I have searched for information about waxing an older car with rock chips on the front and hood. I understand paint correction, though not really a viable option on a car with 225,000 miles. Regular wax turns white and looks bad. What would you recommend in this case? I have heard of colored waxes - my car is red. Do they work or a waste of time and money. It is an older car, but still want to make it look its best. Thank you
Forget wax and use DIY Detail Ceramic Gloss. It will not build up like a wax, and lasts much longer
I don't use a drying aid or some sort of spray and wipe product after washing. I use Griot's Polygloss in a foam cannon, allowing quick spotless drying and amazing gloss. It's so inexpensive by the gallon that I use it every few weeks.
Good
You both keep saying you work on an area of an “8 inch circle” but then in the video demonstrations we see you doing about half the hood in a 18inX36in area. Which one is it? Do as I say, not as I do?
The circular motions we do with the pad are approximately 8 inch circles, to then cover a larger area
Even in their own video they miss a spot and go over some spots several times. This is why circular motion for ceramic coating is garbage and not recommended. Straight lines and cross hatching ensures that every spots gets at least 2 passes.
I always forget to quarter my clay towel, but I am super gentle with it.
That’s odd for you to not follow instructions.
Hi guys, great video - my biggest bug bear… break disc flash rusting during washing, especially if you have black wheels. Know anything else other than BH Atom Mac? Tried varying the concentration, applying and blow drying prior to wash, apply during wash, end of wash, always get a flash over and the first time you go down the road the pristine black has a brown tinge on the barrel and spokes, save for washing and immediately driving to pad dry the discs, any other tips?
Unfortunately no magic. That flash rusting happens on damp days as well.
When I’m done drying I move the car back and forth in the drive riding the brakes and then with a cloth dipped in rinseless wash I wipe down the rims
I appreciate the video as your videos are always educational. Only one time have I had to break out a clay bar on a heavily contaminated vehicle. For applying tire lotion the brush is my go to. I will say machine cleaning tires is great for truck tires and then follow up applying the tire lotion by machine.
Great tip!
im a diy detailer. i do not own a pad washer. do i have to wash my pad every time im done doing a small section of paint? how long until i wash my pad? because i usually wash it with dish soap and dry it spinning it with my polisher.
Ideally, yes, take a look at this video for a cost effective way of cleaning your pads
th-cam.com/video/bdINJ-3Mc0U/w-d-xo.htmlsi=akEDPzOPfM1pco_z
Hi guys, excellent video I have a question can we add APC to rinseless wash and form the car?
Yes you can, but it’s a big waste of product.
If I've never deconned my Jeep, never used a clay bar, or whatever, just used Chem Guy's products, like foam cannon with Mr. Suds, diablo wheel cleaner, and tire shine etc. Should I use a clay bar? I just bought the kit for it, but I also don't want to polish the Jeep because frankly, I am not that invested in DIY car detailing. I just want to have the water run off fast and not have it sitting and drying. Is it worth my time to clay bar? I also want to put a coating on it using Adams spray on graphene. I watched a video from Adams where it took him 13 minutes to clay bar an entire car, but I feel like that car has been properly detailed and coated. Any tips for making the process quick?
Here’s a great way to clean and protect your Jeep.
th-cam.com/video/fDebsMbDpNw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QuFQtDt9xyQMz_UX
Yvan has said that not all iron removers are suitable for the clay towel, is there something in the ingredients that I should be looking for if it’s not currently the DIY product that I’m using?
There are many factors
I just started my detailing biz, i love watching u guys!
Thank you.
Great stuff, guys! Thank you so much for all you do.
Thanks for watching!
@@diydetailofficial I so appreciate all of your incredible and thorough information! I am starting a small detailing business in the Nashville area and am looking to get a hose (and a foam-gun, probably the Adam's version) rather than a pressure-washer. Is there something you would recommend? There must be something a little lighter and less cumbersome than a garden hose out there. Also-- would you say a 50 foot hose would be the right length? This is for mobile detailing-- something I can throw in the back of our old Range Rover Sport with all my other supplies. Thank you so much for your kind help! You and Pan the Organizer are my heroes... All best, Dana :D
Can you put your coatings over PPF? Thank you. Love the products so far
Yes you can!
I personally think people care far too much about products being ph neutral. personally use higher ph snow foams as they clean better as a pre wash imo and the trade off for having an effect on the lsp doesn’t bother me - in fact I bet you’ll probably do more degradation to the lsp with abrasion when using foams that don’t clean as well
Great video btw
Thank you.
Any advice or tips for Clear coat peel. Can it be restored manually without a repaint?
Unfortunately not
If pressure slows cut or speed slows cut why is the 5-5-5 method recommended for a severe defect?
Because you stop before heat is created.
th-cam.com/video/_PeDOW30xRI/w-d-xo.html
Can I use just water in my lake country 4000 pad washer? What cleaners are safe to use in my pad washer? Or should I just stick with the lake county powder cleaner?
Great video!
We use DIY Detail Rinseless Wash at 256/1
@@diydetailofficial perfect! I was curious incase I run out of the powder or just want another option
If you use the pad washer, at the end of the detail you don't have to use some other cleaner? What's the highest speed you should use with the Gold Standard Polish? A damp pad with any compound or polish will cut better?
At the end of the detail they are clean. Use the lowest speed your machine will go. Never tried a polish or compound that didn’t work better damp.
I don't have a pad cleaner. For those of us who don't have a pad cleaner how can we determine what a damp pad is ?
I have some pad conditioner spray I have used a couple of times, 2 or 3 sprays. Since I am in Florida and it is currently hot out I have been trying to practice on this old car.
Https://th-cam.com/video/wsxWcCuspug/w-d-xo.htmlsi=m2oXqnQdNQb7F0Qw
Hi guys, great video!! I hope lot of people out there listen and use those methods and techniques because they are really great and that's how I do my job. I always say - let the tools and chemicals do the job for you! pad washing - excellent, 😃 I 100 % agree with all your points except for the first one. I think the way you talk about it and explain it is nonsense. 😉
Thank you. Give circular vs cross hatch a try for your next coating, you may be surprised.
Where do you fit in tar remover in the washing process? After the contact wash?
After the contact wash.
@@diydetailofficial TYSM!
i’ve been buying your product and and been happy with the results. I have question when using a rinseless wash what is your recommendation on when to apply iron remover?
Do your contact wash, then apply the DIY Detail Iron Remover using the Perforated Synthetic Decontamination Towel .
I don’t use two buckets method for a long time. I use one bucket method with 4 towels. Save lots of time
Great
How do you not apply pressure when working on the sides where we tend to have to do so just to keep the DA, etc., on the vehicle?
Just enough to touch the car.
A made the leap and ordered some gold standard polish. I'm coming from meguiars ultimate polish and I'm hoping to be impressed.
Please let us know once you’ve tried it . bit.ly/DIYDetailFacebookGroup
It’s the best move I made this year switching to gold standard polish. Great with my da polisher and easy to remove. Love the product. Hope you have a similar experience also.
Could y'all do a video on mold removal?
No, mold removal needs to be done by properly equipped and trained professionals, it is not a job for a detailer.
I stick to actual clay bars because I got a Nanoskin when they first came back and, even following the directions and tons of lube, it left this orange peel like look to the paint that I had to buff out
The Perforated Synthetic Decontamination Towel is very different, and much safer.
What grit sandpaper stratch will the Bauer hand sander remove? Could you make a video as to what we should expect from this machinee. Thanks
About 2000 , video coming soon