New guy from Albuquerque

[abqhudson]

Hi.

Are there any Albuquerque detail specialists who frequent this forum? My black 2005 Mercedes is wearing me out. And trying out every product known to man is wearing my billfold out. I do enjoy all of the comments and continue to search for a miracle product or two for my car. I'm thinking Sonax PF is next. Don't think there is any Opticoat nearby.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Welcome to AGO from Las Vegas.

Not sure if there are any members in that area.

[Robert8194]

Welcome to AGO

[Chris@AutoCleanse]

Welcome to the GEEK.

[MarkD51]

Having owned two black vehicles in my life, I can sympathize with how hard upkeep is. Compound that by living in NM, a quite dusty state at times, and it is virtually impossible to get 12 hours of joy from a full weekend of detailing.

Unless the vehicle sits in some museum.

As you well know, black shows everything. Just a careful wash job by hand with the best products, and the vehicle can then look like you ran it through an automatic car wash a dozen times.

Consider some more permanent products. This might ease the work.

A product like the DP Paint Coating sold here is easy enough for an average car care enthusiast to apply, not too expensive, should offer better resistance against towel induced swirling, where after a wash, you should be able to get away with a good quality Detailer Spray to eliminate any water spotting, dust, lint off the paint.

Before the use of the DP Paint Coating, just like any other final product, the paint should be swirl free, and cleaned beforehand. The DP Paint Prep Polish is recommended to use prior to the coating, insures best bonding.

For plastic trim as well, a product like Carpro CQuartz DLX will give protection longer than just days, or weeks. Again, a fairly easy product to use, apply, just a little bit of sensible prep beforehand is required.

A good tire gel from the likes of Optimum will keep the tires looking nicer longer, and there's other tire care products that people like here, like Tuffshine.

Just a few I mentioned, not a whole lot to invest.
Hope this helps,
Mark

[Evan.J]

Welcome to the forum!

[BeachZone]

Welcome Hudson! You're gonna love this place!

I am from ABQ as well, the NE Heights to be exact. What model of Merc do you own? I have done a couple black Mercs and they can be quite a pain so I feel you! Don't hesitate to reach out to me with ANY questions/concerns and I'll be happy to help with everything I can


-Beach

[af90]

Welcome!

[peter hurcos]

I'm from the general area. I'm a protect my investment guy more than a detail hobbyist. I go for a bang per minute/buck spent approach.

I think the biggest timesaver for me is the rinseless wash. Turtlewax rinseless works just fine. Google up the Garry Dean approach on youtube. Get the 24 pack microfiber towels from Sams Club. You can take care of the car at night in the garage. Only two gallons of water required. Very important in the Duke City. Best of all, you can get a lid to your Home depot pail, toss your MF towels in, and clean your car some night at your leisure. I have a bucket I mixed up two weeks ago in my garage waiting to be used.

There are reasonably priced sealant/waxes out there that are very durable and don't entail adding another layer of clearcoat to your car in your backyard. I've had exceptional results with the Collinite 476 paste wax---in fact it was kind of hard to strip from the car after three months. I bet the 915 fancy-dan wax would be plenty durable and the 845 would be easy, cheap and durable. Duragloss sealants are reasonably priced, as is the Klasse sealant.

I tried the nanoskin sponge (fine, not medium) yesterday. It worked just fine, but it didn't seem like a huge efficiency improvement over a conventional clay bar.

I order the Duragloss Aquawax spray wax. It works great, but for some reason it requires about 16 hours to reach maximum shine in our area. Weird. I notice Autogeek is having a sale on a well-regarded competitor. Might want to give it a try.

I like the rinseless method so much, that the two bucket grit guard method with a microfiber mitt is now reserved for stripping the paint.

The Kit with estimated prices:

mf towels $15.

Home Depot Buckets $10

Wax/sealant about $20 (year's supply).

Duragloss spray wax $20 for two, about a year's supply.

grit guards, waffle weave towel, conventional car shampoo for your twice a year wax stripping washes---$20 or so.

So you are in business for $60 or so. Your rinseless wash shampoo costs about $1.25 per wash. I ordered the Duragloss rinseless product in bulk from Autogeek. Haven't tried it, but I'd be shocked if it weren't good.

Avoid the temptation to experiment if you have something that works. Avoid the temptation to buy products with extraordinary prices.

The "works" with wax stripping, claybaring (or nanoskinning) sealant, and spray wax is time consuming, but after that, you can do the rinseless wash followed by the spritz of the Aquawax. Takes me about an hour (at night, remember, not your precious weekend) and you will be fine for 4 or 6 months.

Sure you can do more, like appy a glaze, apply a sealant, apply a beauty wax then the spray wax, but you wanted easy and cheap, right? This will get you 90 percent of the way to a showpiece and protect your car.

[Anomander]

Welcome