Official Detailing Thread

[TDot]

How about sharing cleaning tips. I have this car with the lightest leather interior I've ever had and it has me a little paranoid. So I'm looking for tips on cleaning products as well as protectors as well as what to keep away from the leather, ex. wet jeans...I've heard nightmare stories about jeans.

Also got me thinking in what others are using as soap to wash their car, or wheel cleaners, wax and such.

So share please, lets keep these Ms looking beautiful.

[mrbigruss]

How about sharing cleaning tips. I have this car with the lightest leather interior I've ever had and it has me a little paranoid. So I'm looking for tips on cleaning products as well as protectors as well as what to keep away from the leather, ex. wet jeans...I've heard nightmare stories about jeans.

Also got me thinking in what others are using as soap to wash their car, or wheel cleaners, wax and such.

So share please, lets keep these Ms looking beautiful.

Hey I had the same question a while ago to treat and take care of the Ms leather interior. While at the dealership I asked what the approve / recomend due to the fact my car is still under warranty. They sold Lyxol cleaner and conditioner. Offcourse u didn't buy it there but Auto zone or advance auto sells it for like 3 dollars cheaper. DO NOT USE McQuires leather cleaner treatment. It does hell to leather and leaves it greasy. Use the Lyxol and u can't go wrong

[TDot]

Lexol looks good, there is also another cleaner called Pinnacle. But since I've seen more recomendations for Lexo, I'll go w/ that. There is also a conditioner to get from them as well. I'm going with the Neatsfoot Oil from them since I have tan leather, the other one seems to be for darker leather.

Lexol Cleaner
http://www.amazon.com/Lexol-1112-Leathe ... 604&sr=1-7

Lexol Neatsfoot Oil Conditioner
http://www.amazon.com/Lexol-1412-Neatsf ... 327&sr=1-9

Fiebing Prime Neatsfoot Oil Compound: This one they say is less greasy than the Lexol version.
http://www.amazon.com/Fiebing-PNOC00P03 ... -1-catcorr

[itzonlytone]

I always read that zainos makes the best stuff for all your car cleaning needs, I have never personally tried it but many swear by it. It's quite expensive btw

[jjcuff1]

ZAINO is INZAINO!!!! trust me I have converted many people. My good friend is a OCD car clean freak and washes both his and his wife's car daily almost waxes them daily! He has a dark blue escalade and we used ZAINO Z2 wax and Z6 polish AFTER he had did his wash and wx and considered the car clean. Which is was spotless and shiny. After the zaino went on instantly the cars sheen was doubled. He couldn't believe it. I have had similar experiences on my repainted Z brand new red paint looked immaculate, zainoed it and brought it back to my body shop guy and he couldn't believe the finish.

[TDot]

I got the Lexol, thinking of getting the Zaino cleaning kit. I was thinking of using the leather cleaner every 3 weeks, and the conditioner every 6-8 weeks. Some people are telling me every 3 weeks is too often and I will end up wearing out the leather. Is that true? How often is too much?

[antzrus]

I use Zaino Leather in a Bottle on all my interior surfaces except glass. Works great, smells great!

[TDot]

has anyone used kozak or any other dry wash cloths? This pollen is killing me every morning...by the middle of the week I'm tight that I have to wash again. Now there's construction around me everywhere I turn. I need a quick solution. Any experience?

[TDot]

Share some experience with tire shine products. It's been ages since I've been to the car wash and late last week I went and they put this blue stuff on my tires and they are STILL SHINING. I've gone through black magic, some stuff by meguiars and another joint and none of them have shined like this. What makes it worse is with the stuff I've baught the car has to sit and let it dry for a good amount of time or black crap will splash up on the wheel and fender....and the crap hardens on the rims when it dries like tar. It's rained sines the wash and hasn't affected the shine at all, the stuff I've used would have warn down by now.

So share please...especially if you know what this blue stuff was.

[CPJ LB]

the blue stuff is the good stuff for tire shine...my detailer uses it on my cars....hard to find if you're not in the industry, but once you know, it's easy to get....lasts a long time on my cars and in So Cal, it doesn't rain much so it lasts longer...

http://www.lanescarproducts.com/super-b ... -dressing/

[Larz]

How about sharing cleaning tips. I have this car with the lightest leather interior I've ever had and it has me a little paranoid. So I'm looking for tips on cleaning products as well as protectors as well as what to keep away from the leather, ex. wet jeans...I've heard nightmare stories about jeans.

Also got me thinking in what others are using as soap to wash their car, or wheel cleaners, wax and such.

So share please, lets keep these Ms looking beautiful.

No just wet jeans, but ANY jeans apparently. I assure you I don't wear my jeans more than once between washes, but somehow I notice a dingy build up on my driver's seat every few weeks. There is something about jeans that leaves a sort of residue mostly noticeable on light colored leather. Lotions, sunscreens, and natural skin oils from bare legs also clog the perforations in the leather.
Personally, I steam my leather seats, arm rests, etc twice per year. Not only does it clean the leather, but it also unclogs the perforations which improves air circulation for cooling in summer (which is almost year round in South Florida).

1) I steam an area, then immediately wipe with a microfiber towel doused with Griot's leather cleaner.
2) I follow that with Griot's Leather Rejuvenator and let it sit overnight to soak in deeply.
3) Next day I buff off with a clean microfiber towel. No greasy surface, just supple and soft with a great aroma.
4) Between steaming, I use Griot's Leather Care. It won't clog the perforations like other leather products can.

Here is a great video that shows cleaning techniques from least aggressive to steaming so you can judge which method is best for the condition of your interior:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bd_IqK5ydU

I have heard great things about Lexol and Zaino. I just happen to buy all my car care products from Griot's (as seen in my pics, LOL). For me, it's just easier to buy everything from one place and I can honestly say they have never disappointed me. They are biodegradable with no harsh chemicals, and eco-friendly. They are moderately priced, but a little goes a very long way so they are not expensive to use.

[dball]

for tire shine i have found Tuf Shine to be great. its a semi permanent coating for the tires that you control the gloss of it based on how many coats you apply. it takes some time to use it since you need to completely degrease the tire but the results so far for me have been great. about 3 months and even after all the salt on the roads my tires are still a nice deep black sheen without reapplying anything.

http://www.autogeek.net/tuf-shine-tire- ... e-kit.html

and for the leather care Zaino is great but if you wanna kick it up a notch i think the swissvax leather kit is amazing! of course you pay for it though..

[TDot]

now who decided to go change my title after it has been here in peace for 4 years?

Anyway, anybody can point me to a good cleaning product that will remove grease? My rim well has some stubborn grease on it from when my axel boot broke.

And thanks CPJ, I'm going to buy some of that tire stuff soon.

[Larz]

Not sure what you mean by "rim well". I reckon you mean the inner fender lining or wheel well as we brits say, LOL.
I clean mine with a long handled brush using wheel cleaner, followed by car soap. That removes brake dust, dirt and road grime so I reckon it should also do the job for grease and oil as well. After it dries, I spray it with Griot's under carriage spray. That leaves it looking brand new and also makes it harder for grime to stick to it in the future so future cleaning of the wheel well goes alot easier.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/und ... s&refType=
Hope this helps.

[Six_Legs]

now who decided to go change my title after it has been here in peace for 4 years?

Anyway, anybody can point me to a good cleaning product that will remove grease? My rim well has some stubborn grease on it from when my axel boot broke.

And thanks CPJ, I'm going to buy some of that tire stuff soon.

I'm guessing you mean the inside of the actual wheel? Cheap product would be Dawn dish soap, no worries about damaging your wheels.

Engine Bright, Black Max, Purple Power, Simple Green...
If you have access to a high pressure washer then that's the way to go. Coin-op car wash will do the trick.

[TDot]

The blue stuff is the greatest. I was a little skeptical...I don't know why...but it is official. Its just like the car wash stuff. One spray and wipe and the tires are shining without black gunk flying off the tire while driving afterwards. I've gone through 4 tire shining products including maguires, black *something*, and none of them would shine like this with so little applied. HIGHLY recommended...assuming it lasts at least two weeks...will check back on that but I'm confident it will.

As far as the wheel well, it looks like I just need to do good old fashioned scrubbing because even so max isn't getting it out without some elbow grease.

[TDot]

Meguiar's Wash and Wax (yellow) seems to be an amazing soap.

Story: The other day I was coming home and my car was filthy...the filthiest I've ever had the car due to road work that's been going on around me for the past two weeks. Anyway, I usually have a pail of water and put some soap into it as normal and wash from there. This time I was passing an open fire hydrant and decided to drive through it, then I decided why not soap the car up. This is the amazing part...for me at least...I used 3 dollar coin sized drops of this soap to clean the entire car full of suds. I dropped the coin size once and did the front fenders, hood, front bumper, and windshield. Second dab did the side, rear bumper, and half the roof. Last dab took care of the other side, roof, rear window, and trunk. Only thing not done was the wheels. I was amazed i was able to do so much with no loss of suds.

I just hope Meguire's doesnt screw with the formula of this like they did with the gold.