[Johnjk]

Reading other posts on detailing has me motivated to get my 2011 looking good before the snow flies (or sticks in our case). I have a bunch of different old cleaners, waxes and sealers and all need to be tossed out. I've used Mothers, Zymol and 3M products in the past with good results.

Probably the last time I detailed a car was a good 10 years ago and technology has changed. What are some of the products you use today and like? In the past I have used a random orbital polisher I use for application, but like to take it off by hand. I could go with what I've used in the past, but is there anything better out there?

 

[Keebz489]

Clay bar is he way to go on any car, even more so on darker color cars, you won't get any swirl marks. It's TRUELY amazing what dirt it pics out of the paint. I have always liked 3m products, but just bought mothers synthetic wax, after a bunch of reading this is what I'm going to use. I did it in a test area and loved ot

 

[exploreco]

I mainly use all Meguairs products. Most of what I use is from their professional line. Go on easy and off easy with great results. For over the counter equivalents in Meguairs, I would recommend Ultimate Polish, followed by Ultimate Wax. I use a dual action polisher. My white Pilot looks wet and is swirl free. My metallic Black Venza looks even better. As mentioned, always clay first. I use the Nanoskin Autoscruber on my dual action polisher and feel I get better results than clay. I have never felt my Pilot so smooth. And it can be done in half the time of clay. Love it. I got a wild hair to try out Colonite 845 because I kept seeing everyone rave about it in the detailing forums as a good wax for the winter, so I am going to try that on my Venza this weekend and will be able to compare how it holds up compared to the Meguairs Ultimate wax.

 

[sfulmer]

Nanoskin autoscrub instead of clay bar

You do not realize how large the Pilot is until you have to thoroughly clay bar the whole thing.....including the roof. I just detailed my previously owned and poorly taken care of black 06 Pilot exl and used the Nanoskin Autoscrub DA 6 inch pad with a dual action polisher and it cut my clay bar process in at least half! It even worked on the exterior glass. Research it and you may find one on sale on line. I saved money and bought a Harbor Freight dual action polisher for $50 and it worked great. Meguiars D151 paint reconditioning cream and Megs Ultimate Liquid was what I used to do my paint correction and I am very happy with the results. Good luck and make sure you put at least a half day aside to get the results you want.
Scott>

 

[sfulmer]

pin stripe removal

Forgot to mention that to remove my aging pin stripes from the Pilot I used an eraser wheel with my power drill. Worked great for very little money and very little time and effort.:grin:

 

[plplplpl]

:bling::claphead: Headlights look good, too. Did you do anything special there?

 

[BoatR Don]

After doing some resaearch & reading reviews... I decided to used Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant on my new Pilot.

I did use clay for the first time but have to say I didn't notice much being removed... however... the resulting sealed surfaces were super smooth and slick.
Application was way easier than any wax, polish I've used before.
I can't report about durability but it was soooo easy to apply I'd be happy to reapply sealant every 3 mos but doubt that will be necessary.
Mine is a silver and would expect the shine on darker colors to be even more noticeable.

I'm looking into using sealants on fiberglass / gelcoat boat surfaces based on this positive experience.

 

[Johnjk]

Thanks for the responses. I ended up using the Meguairs ultimate polish and wax and doing it by hand. Long day but the surface is nice and smooth. I spent the weekend before patching up all the little stone chips and scrapes on the hood and fenders. Needed to get that done before road salt season hits. I definitely need to pick up a dual action polisher to shorten the process in the spring.


I am starting to get some haze and glazing on my headlights, mostly in front of the DRL's and a bit over the low beams. Any recommendations for products to use there?

 

[jadebox]

Sorry for digressing a little, but ...

After you clay bar and wax as others describe, you can keep it looking nice by washing it often. If you wash your car at home, screw an RV water filter onto the garden hose. You can pick one up at Wal-Mart for under $20. It will filter the water to prevent spots so you don't have to manually dry the vehicle. If you do get spots, use "detailing spray" and a micro-fiber cloth to wipe then off. Some detailers use spray foam window cleaner as detailing spray (mainly because it will also clean windows, I think).

If you get obsessed with this, carry detailing spray, microfiber cloths, and a "California Brush" with you. Use the brush to wipe off dust.

Something easy to do is to apply "tire black" spray or gel to the tires. It is amazing how making the tires look new will pep up the look of the entire vehicle. Clean windows, especially the front window also have the same effect. If your windshield gets dull, try Zaino Z-12 Glass Polish (test in an inconspicuous place first).

Modern headlights have plastic covers that can dull over time. Not only is it a safety concern, it looks bad. I haven't had any success polishing the covers, so when our Odyssey's became hazy, I bought a set on eBay and had our mechanic install them.

-- Roger

 

[Yoda]

I am starting to get some haze and glazing on my headlights, mostly in front of the DRL's and a bit over the low beams. Any recommendations for products to use there?

3M makes a headlight restoration kit that is relatively easy to use & does a fabulous job. I don't recall the exact name, but I've seen it in auto parts stores & hardware stores. I redid my wife's 99 Suzuki Grand Vitara headlights last spring & they came out looking like new.

I topped them off with Meguiers ultimate finish & they should stay good now.

 

[sfulmer]

I actually replaced it with Eagle Eyes HD476-A101R that I bought off of Amazon, the driver side had a replacement of the same type on it when I bought it. I initially tried to polish the passenger side out but discovered afterwards that there was a build up on the inside of the lens. When I bought it three months ago it was $75. It took me a little over an hour to put it in because you have to take the whole front grill/bumper assembly off to gain access to the headlamp assembly but was worth it to gain the clean looking result. There are videos on line to help with the project.
Good luck!

 

[Johnjk]

Thanks for the responses. I'm gonna try the 3M kit first. I can feel the haze / crud on the surface of the plastic lens. If it doesn't work, I may live with it a bit longer since it is not impacting my low or high beams yet. Housing replacement on the 2011 does not look to be a quick or fun job.


Merry Christmas Everyone!!

 

[noware]

Klasse twin would be a great cleaner and sealant and top it with Zymol pure wax to neutralize the shine.

 

[karlox]

Duragloss topped with Collinite 845 is my fave combination. The shine and protection will last for several months.