Aussie S650 Paint protection and detailing thread

[DFB5.0]

Polisher training wheel about to go on, and dumb questions follow....

Q) After claying, do I rinse the car with the pressure washer and dry before the next step of polishing?

Q) Or just wipe off with MF towels as I clay around the car?

Traditionally, people would wash and dry the car, then begin claying. Thing is, considering the car effectively gets wet again via the clay lube, you end up drying the car twice by doing it that way. It took me many years to figure that out.

I use the 3-pH method for the decon process. You can pick up or substitute wherever you see fit -

1. Apply iron remover to dry paint, allow to dwell. (this is the pH neutral part)

2. Foam an alkaline soap over the top, allow further time to dwell (this is the high pH part)

3. Rinse

4. Contact wash with an acid leaning soap (this is the low pH part)

5. Rinse

6. While the vehicle is still wet, go ahead with your clay step. I apply clay lube to each panel as I go.

7. Rinse (this removes the clay lube)

8. Dry using a prep spray as your "drying aid" (Gyeon Prep, Carpro Eraser ect). Doing this removes any lingering chemical residue, helps flash away moisture, and helps you to properly see the paint without anything masking imperfections

Because you will be polishing, don't micro-manage the clay step, especially since you are using the TRC clay scrubber. Just get in and get it done, then move onto the taping and polishing step.

Couple of other pointers -

- You can never use too much clay lube. I put it into a pump action or battery-operated sprayer such an iK Multi or Solo 260Li.

- That Gyeon Clay Lube is dilutable. While you can use it neat, Gyeon suggest it can be diluted up to 1:25, but I do it at 1:10 (91ml of product to 909ml of water, and because you will likely use it all or more in one session, you can use tap water).

- Be generous with the prep spray after polishing/before applying your protection (wax, sealant, ceramic coating).

Hope that helps.

Sponsored

 

[bfets]

Let us know how you went Adam. Hopefully you now need to wear sunnies around that CRV to keep yourself from being blinded.

 

[5.0ALM]

Correct. You want to give it a good rinse with the pressure washer and dry before polishing.

Traditionally, people would wash and dry the car, then begin claying. Thing is, considering the car effectively gets wet again via the clay lube, you end up drying the car twice by doing it that way. It took me many years to figure that out.
......

Thanks guys.
It also helps if you look at the actual bottle for directions.

... as I did the following day.

Mixed it up 1:10 into a Dilute spray bottle.

It came up well after my 1st gingerly attempt.
No photos - too busy with the job at hand.

Mostly went middle of the road using F6.01 and a yellow pad.
Supermarket car park scuff mark along the door came off with H9.02 and yellow pad.
Quite happy with the result.
I think some Collinite 845 wax is next.

I now also fully appreciate why one might lay an old bath sheet towel down along the scuttle panel and over the wipers!

As a side note, when I last washed the Mustang a few weeks ago, it was the first time after the wax was applied with the detail before.
Wow! The water just slid off.
The Ego blower was half-day Harry on that job.
I have never been so impressed with a single car detailing product like the 845 wax.

 

[Frogdog1]

845 is on my car right now. So far, so good.

 

[bfets]

Thanks guys.
It also helps if you look at the actual bottle for directions.

... as I did the following day.

Mixed it up 1:10 into a Dilute spray bottle.

It came up well after my 1st gingerly attempt.
No photos - too busy with the job at hand.

Mostly went middle of the road using F6.01 and a yellow pad.
Supermarket car park scuff mark along the door came off with H9.02 and yellow pad.
Quite happy with the result.
I think some Collinite 845 wax is next.

I now also fully appreciate why one might lay an old bath sheet towel down along the scuttle panel and over the wipers!

As a side note, when I last washed the Mustang a few weeks ago, it was the first time after the wax was applied with the detail before.
Wow! The water just slid off.
The Ego blower was half-day Harry on that job.
I have never been so impressed with a single car detailing product like the 845 wax.

845 is awesome. Very hydrophobic and I've always been impressed by its durability. Obviously doesn't last as long as a ceramic coating, but for a wax it's impressive.

 

[DFB5.0]

Thanks guys.
It also helps if you look at the actual bottle for directions.

... as I did the following day.

Mixed it up 1:10 into a Dilute spray bottle.

It came up well after my 1st gingerly attempt.
No photos - too busy with the job at hand.

Mostly went middle of the road using F6.01 and a yellow pad.
Supermarket car park scuff mark along the door came off with H9.02 and yellow pad.
Quite happy with the result.
I think some Collinite 845 wax is next.

I now also fully appreciate why one might lay an old bath sheet towel down along the scuttle panel and over the wipers!

As a side note, when I last washed the Mustang a few weeks ago, it was the first time after the wax was applied with the detail before.
Wow! The water just slid off.
The Ego blower was half-day Harry on that job.
I have never been so impressed with a single car detailing product like the 845 wax.

Well done! Proud of you!

 

[5.0ALM]

Clearance?

I'm getting low on this and was checking my local SCA stores for stock, but this is the situation:

Autobarn stores have nil stock at the higher price point of $17.99.


Most of my local Repco have it in stock but at $20.
Aware of the stock situation and gouging?

Detailing shed - out of stock.
Car Care Products - in stock

Time for a panic restock!
At least it comes down to $19 with your RACQ etc membership.

Why would SCA be clearing out such a good product?
Does not make sense.

 

[DFB5.0]

Clearance?

I'm getting low on this and was checking my local SCA stores for stock, but this is the situation:

Autobarn stores have nil stock at the higher price point of $17.99.


Most of my local Repco have it in stock but at $20.
Aware of the stock situation and gouging?

Detailing shed - out of stock.
Car Care Products - in stock

Time for a panic restock!
At least it comes down to $19 with your RACQ etc membership.

Why would SCA be clearing out such a good product?
Does not make sense.

I've been told the importer of this brand is very hard to deal with, namely being hard to get consistent supply. I wanted DS to carry Tarminator, but was told it wasn't worth the hassle of dealing with the importer. So even though the product sells, they end up getting stuck without stock for an indefinite period.

If you look at the Stoner AU website, it carries the full line Stoner Car Care line. Then take note the likes of CCP, Detailing Shed and the big box stores, they don't bother offering anything other than the glass products. That is the direct result of the situation outlined above.

Australia Stoner

Stoner | Car Care Products Australia
Stoner Car Care - USA - Detailing Shed
Stoner Invisible Glass - Shop Online | AutoBuff

Suitable replacements? The closest I've found is P&S True Vue, which can be bought RTU or as a concentrate in gallon form. Problem here is, the RTU is similar money, but comes in a smaller bottle. The gallon will mix up many, many litres of product though.

P&S True Vue Glass Cleaner Tint Safe Professional - Detailing Shed

You could also use something like Carpro Eraser, which works well and smells amazing................. but is also more expensive.

At the moment, I'm not actually using a specific glass cleaner. Instead, I've been loving Koch Chemie RRW (at 128:1), ADS Hero (at 128:1) and Carpro ECH20 (at 100:1). These have been working so much better than any of the dedicated glass cleaners, from Invisible Glass and True Vue, to virtually useless BH Trace-less snake oil. When mixed with demineralized water, those products average out at $0.60c to $0.70c per 500ml dilution! RRW is my favorite.

Koch Chemie (RRW) Rapid Rinseless Wash | Rinseless Car Wash – Waxit Car Care
ARMOUR Detail Supply HERO Rinseless Wash - Detailing Shed
CARPRO ECH2O | Waterless Car Wash and Rinseless Wash with SiO₂ Gloss – Waxit Car Care

 

[bfets]

Spoke to Matthijs today, the guy that wrapped my Dark Horse with XPEL at MADinc here in Perth.

He has now left MADinc and taken the bold step to start his own venture, Wraptory. He asked me to spread the word, so here goes...
For anyone looking for a good PPF job north of the river here in Perth, his shop is in Wangara.

https://www.wraptory.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/mrxpel?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

https://www.instagram.com/wraptory?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

 

[DFB5.0]

An eclectic mix used on the Mustang today......................

Working left to right -

ADS Adapt - Used as a light drying aid to mop up remaining drips of water after blow drying. Great on glass and door jambs too.

Bilt Hamber Atom Mac - Applied to the brake rotors after cleaning the wheels, then again after the final rinse/before blow drying. This stops flash rust forming on the rotors, turning the freshly cleaned black wheels orange.

Carpro Reset - The best soap on the market! Used as a wheel cleaner as well.

 

[DFB5.0]

It's SEMA week, and so many brands are showing off new products.

For whatever reason, Carpro don't actually have a booth at SEMA, but they do use it as a sounding board for new products. To mark the 15th anniversary of the Carpro brand, they have unveiled a brand-new look to their entire lineup.

Yeah yeah, new labels, so what? Actually, back when Carpro hit the market 2010, the detailing market was vastly different. Firstly, there was less competition, especially at the premium end of the market. As more and more ceramic coating-based brands came to market, Carpro needed to ensure they stood out. The products spoke for themselves, but the way Carpro presented their brand was a breath of fresh air.

To start, they stepped away from the traditional bottle designs and the overly crowded, messing looking labels. In the early days, that meant clear plastic bottles teamed with a clean, simple and colour coded label layout. A few years later, they transitioned to a smoked semi-translucent bottle in 500ml and 1-litre sizes, as well as a unique 4-litre bottle. This coincided with a new label design that has been on the market until now.

Those outgoing labels were what drew me to the Carpro brand. It looked fresh, clean, easy to read and recognise. The form factor was high, backing up the functional excellence of the product itself. Brand presentation then became a priority within the industry, especially for companies aiming for the same pro-sumer customer. I'd also say with the introduction of these new brands, the fresh look won over younger detailing enthusiasts who wanted something more modern than what the high-sock Corvette crowd were using.

 

[DFB5.0]

The second generation iBrid Nano was well overdue. The original was a pioneer in this sector, but its fallen behind as new interpretations have come along. I think the original was perfectly proportioned, especially the long neck type. The latest new Nano sees a significant improvement in a few key areas -

- Increased power and torque, to the point where it can handle significant downward pressure, which was a drawback of the original.

- The ability to fit the larger backing plate in rotary mode, the previous one was restricted to the small backing plate. There will also be a 3-inch adaptor in the future.

- Increased battery capacity. You can also use the previous generation batteries, just at reduced machine output. The original a/c power cord will work too.

- The quick-change head system is seriously impressive. The original was a pain to change the movement adaptors, a fiddly process that required using a special tool and a lock button on the head. These ones lock in place with a magnet.

I always loved the iBrid Nano for its slender form factor, something that wasn't achieved with the Flex PXE-80 and ShineMate EB210. The drawbacks were many, but overall it was the best of its type. But in 2025, the original Nano was well overdue for improvement.

I'm now taking bets as to how much the greedy Australian distributor will charge for the new Nano. The old one was only available in kit form in Australia, retailing at a ridicules $1100 for the short neck and $1150 for the long neck. My prediction, $1300.

 

[DFB5.0]

As per previous years, Waxit have launched their Black Friday sale early. I may or may not have run riot taking advantage of the sale to restock bulk quantity products.

A few shopping notes -

- Please avoid the Mirch brand. I tried several products from this brand a few years ago, nothing wowed me, and in two instances, I had one product cause damage to a set of wheels and a timber workbench. Probably an isolated case, but as I said, nothing really stood out, most of it was given or thrown away.

- Since taking on Koch Chemie and slashing prices earlier in the year, Waxit have begun raising prices on selected products. So, take advantage of the 20% discount to restock key favourites. For me, that would include GSF, Active Foam, Green Star, Pol Star, RRW, Motorplast, CES, Eulex, S0.02, Quick & Shine.

- Carpro is also on 20% discount. Now is the time to buy Reset, Hydr02/Hydr02 Lite, Eraser, Perl and Reload. Also check out the Dab Dab wash mitts.

- Iron Remover and Iron-Remover Wheel Cleaners are typically the most expensive products to buy, especially in bulk. So, now is the perfect time to buy them. Of these, NV Purify and Purge are the value plays.

- NV products are always great value, but even more so right now. This would be the perfect chance to stock up on Snow, Boost v2 and the above mentioned iron removers. The Cleanse and Nourish leather duo are well priced too.

- Solution Finish is finally back in stock and very well priced. Stick with the small bottle, it will last you for years.
Solution Finish Products Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care

- In the "Refurbished" section, Shine Supply Wise Guy is discounted by 14% due to missing labels. The fact that this product is diluted 1:1, the missing label is no big deal.
Refurbished | Shine Supply Wise Guy 473ml – Waxit Car Care

- If you want/need affordable spray bottles, the Carpro Dilute in both sizes are great value. I like these because they have a dilution calculator on the side.
CarPro Dilute | Waxit – Waxit Car Care

- The Aquatouch Arctic Electric Foamer is very good value at the moment. I don't love these, but for those without access to a pressure washer, they are a workable solution. An iK e Foam Pro 2 is three times the price!
Aquatouch Arctic Electric Foam Gun – Waxit Car Care

- While it may appear to be an odd thing to highlight, but measuring cups are always handy to have, especially when this cheap.
Economax Measuring Cups – Waxit Car Care

- These foam applicators are so cheap that you can use and abuse, then throw away.
Economax Wax Applicator (2pk) – Waxit Car Care

- It's also a good time to restock/expand your polishing pads. As always, the ShineMate stuff is awesome value, but so too is the Lake Country SDO range, in some cases they are cheaper than the ShineMate.
Search: 17 results found for "Black diamond" – Waxit Car Care
Search: 62 results found for "Shinemate flat" – Waxit Car Care
Search: 10 results found for "SDO" – Waxit Car Care

- As always, Waxit have the best polishing starter kits going, now paired with KCx compounds.
Car Care Starter Kit | Waxit – Waxit Car Care

- And finally, the ShineMate EB210 & EB212 duo kit is heavily discounted. This includes both machines, storage cases, a battery charger, two 2.5 ah batteries, a 4-inch pad assortment and the EB210 accessory kit.
ShineMate Mini Cordless Duo | EB210 & EB212 Car Polisher Kit – Waxit Car Care

Happy shopping!

 

[5.0ALM]

This detailing caper must be catching on, and becoming big business... Ka Ching!

My local recently re-opened all-new (got wiped out in the 2022 floods) Green & Red monopoly store that I love to hate, has been featuring this at the entry.

Several weeks ago I purchased this, and to be honest have been very disappointed in it.

Target vehicle was a 2016 Mazda 3, kept poorly.
I was half expecting the faded exterior black trim to show some signs of being a richer and deeper black, but nope. Perhaps it was too late to start applying this product to this particular car, or it still requires many more applications. (?)


From a promo email this morning, I'm aware that Repco are now joining the detailing party with their own "Eclipse" brand.
https://www.repco.com.au/know-how/shopping-guide-eclipse


It's not disclosed who the actual blender / manufacturer is.

Taking their wash mitt as an example, it's obviously aimed at the consumer, not pro-sumer/enthusiast, as it's only an 80/20 blend.


I'll probably give some of their products an obligatory try, like I do with Bowden's Own, because, frankly, I can't stand the thought of living in a country that doesn't make "stuff" anymore.

Sometimes a standout product... thinking Stoner's Invisible glass (made in USA), is hiding in plain sight in these local big box stores.

 

[DFB5.0]

Several weeks ago I purchased this, and to be honest have been very disappointed in it.

Target vehicle was a 2016 Mazda 3, kept poorly.
I was half expecting the faded exterior black trim to show some signs of being a richer and deeper black, but nope. Perhaps it was too late to start applying this product to this particular car, or it still requires many more applications. (?)

I've always wonder how effective a product can be when labeled as "cleans and restores/protects". Probably fine if the surface isn't too far gone, but you'd find it wanting if you needed cleaning power or full restorative ability.

In this case, you'll probably need a restorative product like Solution Finish, which is a semi-permanent dye for black plastic and rubber. Clean it with APC, then a thorough IPA wipe down, then apply the product. This stuff soaks into the plastic rather than a dressing that sits on the top.

From a promo email this morning, I'm aware that Repco are now joining the detailing party with their own "Eclipse" brand.
https://www.repco.com.au/know-how/shopping-guide-eclipse

Taking their wash mitt as an example, it's obviously aimed at the consumer, not pro-sumer/enthusiast, as it's only an 80/20 blend.

I'll probably give some of their products an obligatory try, like I do with Bowden's Own, because, frankly, I can't stand the thought of living in a country that doesn't make "stuff" anymore.

Sometimes a standout product... thinking Stoner's Invisible glass (made in USA), is hiding in plain sight in these local big box stores.

From what people have told me, the products are ok, but not exactly brilliant. Nothing wrong with that, but if you really ENJOY washing your car rather it being something that HAS to be done, you may be disappointed.

You alluded to it being a consumer brand. Going off the images, the dead giveaway of that is the tubs of "Polishing Cream", "Cutting Compound" and good old fashioned "Cut 'n' Polish". So outdated, both in terms of terminology, but also the products themselves.

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