Auto Detailing FAQs | Doing your own paint touch up

If you are looking to do your own paint touch up, the first thing to do is to get your expectations straight. I have a friend who was fond of saying paint touch up is “good from far, but far from good”. It is not meant to make the area look new again. It’s primary purpose is to retard rust from setting in, and if you happen to have chips on a plastic bumper where the contrast may be black surrounded by white paint, it will at least make it white on white. It is quite likely that your attempt may make the area look like you have fingernail polish on your vehicle. It is best for small chips, particularly on door edges & area low down, where it is not directly in front of your face, so to speak. A hood that has developed too many chips may unfortunately look like it has chicken pox if you try to get every single little imperfection. Again, your primary purpose is to get people who are a short distance away to see the whole car & not have their eyes automatically drawn towards the imperfection.

Now that that is out of the way, how do you begin? First you must locate your paint code. It is often in the lower left corner of your manufacturer’s label (often located in the driver’s door jamb). For example, a Toyota may have a paint code in the lower left corner that says C/TR: 040. The paint code is “040″. Here is an example of a Ford Ranger’s manufacturer’s label below:

The paint code is circled in red.

Your next step is to buy the touch-up paint. If you have a fairly common paint color, you may be able to find it at your local Walmart, NAPA, Checkers or other care care store. If not, you may have to call your dealership parts department. If they do not have it in stock, they may have to order it for you.

Supplies needed:

• napkin or paper towel (as lint free, but sturdy as possible)
• touch-up paint (may or may not come with built in brush &/or roller ball applicator)
• soft tip brush(es), q-tips, paint sticks (probably optional)
• dremel, rust eraser, screw, screwdriver, nail (something to remove rust, if present)
• wax & grease remover (optional-for larger chips, if not grinding out rust first)
• color reducer (optional)
• excess paint remover (optional)

It is important to catch the rust before it sets in too deeply. If the rust has been there for a while & has caused the paint to “bubble”, you may have a slightly larger problem, especially if it is on your roof where the metal is fairly thin or if it is right next too a window or weather stripping where it will quickly spread through the grooves all around the glass or rubber. At that point you may have to have a professional look at it and decide whether or not you want to put the cash into your project to take care of the problem or just let it go.

Getting back to the subject at hand. Below is an example of a small area of damage with most of the rust already ground out:

A dremel is my favored tool to remove rust, but whatever you have handy that can remove the rust without damaging the surrounding paint will work.

Once you get out all of the rust (you may have to remove a little of the surrounding paint since rust tends to work it’s way through the metal & under the paint. Look for little cobwebs or spider legs under the paint), wipe the area with your wax & grease remover if it’s a larger chip (again larger areas will not tend to look good, you will probably want to thin out the touch up paint as much as possible {color reducer} & use many thin coats if you are not using a spray gun or air brush {not included in this discussion}.

If your touch-up paint is a little old, it may have hardened somewhat. You can thin it out temporarily with color reducer you can pick up at an auto paint store, but it will probably be cheaper for you to just buy another tube of touch-up paint unless you are going to be doing this a lot. They will probably tell you that the reducer is made for a particular paint system, but for our purposes there’s a good chance anyone will do just fine. If you do have to thin it out, it’s probably best to put a small glob (of the paint) in a water bottle cap (or something similar), add a couple drops of reducer, then mix it until it’s liquid.

Next choose your tool. You want to use one that will allow you to keep within the boundaries of the damaged area, but not have to take too many strokes to finish filling the area. Here are a few common tools that are used.

Walmart often carries a number of soft brushes in their crafts area. I sometimes use one of their very fine brushes for small chips. If you have to use something larger than the brush that usually comes with the touch-up tube, you are probably trying to tackle something a little too big for paint touch-up…unless it’s fairly low to the ground & not normally visible.

The following pictures show the touch-up on this chip after successive coats.

After three or four coats of touch-up paint (did not use clear coat on this one). As my friend Mark Ryan was fond of saying, “far from good, but good from far”. From a short distance away, the casual onlooker is unlikely to notice it, though the owner, who knows exactly where to look should still be able to find it relatively quickly.

Another technique would be to cover the area with more touch-up paint than necessary, let it dry for may 10-30 minutes depending on the type of paint and the amount in the location, than wipe over with excess paint remover (& possibly a plastic straight edge) until the area is flat again. You may end up “popping out” or wiping away too much paint and have to start over, but your results can be good with this method (not shown here).

Thank you for again tuning in to another episode of “Adventures in Detailing”.

Again, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email or call.

Share This

Auto Detailing FAQs | Polishing Headlights

Are your headlights starting to oxidize or haze?  If they’re just starting, pretty much anyone can make their headlights bright & shiny again.

Supplies needed:

• soft terry cloth
• rubbing compound, compound wax or maybe even cleaner wax
• microfiber cloth (optional)
• wax or sealant (optional)

If your headlight is just starting to develop a haze, all you need is a little bit of compound on a soft terry cloth, rub with moderate pressure over the entire headlight with most of your attention over the hazy area.

You should see and feel the compound spread over the headlight and gradually disappear as you work the surface of the headlight. Then flip your folded terry over & wipe away any residual compound.

If you like you can apply some wax & if you use a microfiber, you can use it to polish any smears away.

If your headlights are heavily oxidized they likely will need some additional attention. Stay tuned for a future episode of “Adventures in Detaling”.

Thanks for visiting.

Share This

Auto Detailing FAQs | Removing scratches from under your car’s door handles

Ever wonder how those unsightly marks develop under your car’s door handles?

Supplies needed:

• terry cloth or shop rag
• automotive compound (rubbing compound or compound wax, but pretty much any type will do for this job. You will usually want to go with a finer grade of wax the deeper/darker the color of your vehicle)
• wax (optional)
• microfiber cloth (optional)

Well, whether they got their from your nails, keys, rings or some other way, luckily for you, they’re relatively easy to reduce to near unmentionability.

Just take a little bit of compound (pretty much any kind & any grade…as long as it’s made for automotive paint. I would suggest either a rubbing compound or a compound wax to one-step it.) on a clean terry cloth or shop rag & rub for a few seconds underneath that handle making sure to cover all scratched areas. Wipe off the excess with a clean portion of your cloth & then again (if preferred) with a clean & dry microfiber…& voila! You are done! Of course you may go over it again with a wax to add protection if you like.

This is a simple procedure, but as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

As always, thank you for visiting us at “Adventures in Detailing”!

Share This

Auto Detailing | Metal Polish & Cleaning

Today “Adventures in Detailing” has a quick question for our readers.

What type of soft metal polish do you like best? We have tried several different brands, but we are always willing to try something new. Please let us know what you like best. If we have an overwhelming response one way or another, we’ll let you know.

When polishing the shiny silver “metal” on your vehicle, it is important to know what it is made out of. If you have shiny silver bumpers & rims that are stock (direct from the manufacturer) parts, chances are they are made out of chrome, which is a hard, resistant metal. Custom rims, on the other hand are often made out of a soft alloy or aluminum, & those shiny silver strips sometimes found around your windows are usually actually plastic. After market stick on pieces with a silver finish are often just painted across the top.

When using any product, of course, follow the directions & safeguards contained on or with the product. Chrome is a tough material & you can use virtually any cleaner on it. Usually we will use a chemical wash(acid base) to start, then follow with a chrome polish as necessary.

Custom rims & other soft metal parts: If you use a chrome polish on soft metal alloys or aluminum, it will show scratches. Their are metal polishes made directly for some custom rims (eg. Billet), but any polish made specifically for soft metals should work without scratching the surface (provided you’ve cleaned it & are using a clean soft cloth). So far, Adventures in Detailing prefers Mother’s^tm as a polish & Gord’s^tm for a polish with a protectant factor as well. We have found Mother’s Mag & Aluminum^tm polish can sometimes partially restore the silver plastic around the windows as well.

After market adhesive stick-ons: DO NOT use a chemical wash on these. It will take the painted finish right off. Adventures in Detailing recommends just using soap & water & maybe a little spray wax if you really want to.

Share This

Auto Detailing FAQs | Removing Hard Water Spots from Glass

Hello, oh ye faithful “Adventures in Detailing!” followers!   We have been asked, yet again, “How do you remove hard water spots from my windshield?” Since this is such a commonly asked question, I think it is time to revisit it (last time was in February, I believe). So here goes:

DO NOT use either method on the glass of your rear-view (side) mirrors, it is way to fragile for either of these methods. Consult a professional.

Polishing method: (This is the method i recommend for the front windshield)

• items you will need:
  • glass polish
  • clean (not necessarily new) terry cloth, or #0000 steel wool, or Scotch-Brite^TM pad
  • chamois
  • glass cleaner, terry cloth, microfiber
  • shaded area. Make sure the glass is cool to the touch during this operation.
• With Terry Cloth:
  1. Fold your terry cloth so that you can easily manage it with one hand.
  2. Hold most of it balled up within your fist so that you do not accidentally get your glass polish on your car’s paint. A glass polish is for glass only. Use your knuckles on the folded part of the terry cloth to give yourself a little extra pressure if needed without straining your fingers. (Read the instructions on your glass polish, some of them, like Diamond Magic^TM are abrasive enough to scratch glass if you use too much pressure.
  3. Work the polish into the glass with fairly small circular motions (except along the edges and corners). If you do not use too much polish you should be able to see the hard water spots through the polish & feel a gritty texture when you first start. As you continue to work on it, you should feel the area smooth out & see the hard water spots in that area disappear. Continue until that half of the windshield is done. You will probably need to work harder around the rim of the windshield, where the wipers do not touch, however, do not neglect the face of the glass as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had guys produce great results around the rim of the windshield, but end up with cloudy (water spotted) areas within the wiper blade area because they didn’t think it needed to be done. If you get the glass really clean, you will notice the difference.
  4. Dampen your chamois, wipe off the glass polish residue, then proceed to the other side.
  5. repeat steps 1 – 3 above on the other half of the windshield.
  6. use your glass cleaner to remove any remaining residue & make your glass sparkling clean!
• with #0000 steel wool or Scotch-Brite^TM pad
  1. dampen your steel wool before proceeding. Lubricating your steel wool is always a good precaution to help prevent scratching.
  2. use the same steps as with the terry above. You should not need to use as much pressure & should be done fairly quickly in most instances. If you still have hard water spots (irregular ovals, made by the minerals concentrating along the edges of the water spot as they dry) after using steel wool & glass polish I would recommend seeing a professional. Chances are your glass has been etched by an acid content within the water spot (often found on the Big Island and Mainland) or by the sun magnifying it’s rays with the water spot (this usually takes a while to actually do damage, but sometimes we have to high speed polish after a car has been hit every day for more than 3 months with water sprinklers).

Liquid water spot removal method:

Make sure your glass is COOL (not even warm, COOL) to the touch. If your glass is etched by grit from the wiper blades, it will quite likely stand out after you are done & quite possibly be a distraction while driving. You may want to have a professional look at it, instead. (Then again, if you’re considering replacing the glass anyway, this method might be worth trying first.)

• you will sometimes hear people saying to use white vinegar. That is because vinegar is acidic & can melt out the hardened minerals in the hard water spot. Combine #0000 steel wool & a chemical wash or liquid water spot remover (yes, feel free to use white vinegar if you like, anywhere from one part vinegar & two parts water, to straight vinegar for a stronger solution) as a lubricant (again, this is only for glass, not paint).
  • If you have drips running down from your window over the paint of your car, they can stain your paint.
  • if you rub glass polish over your paint, it CAN & probably WILL scratch your paint
  • if your rub steel wool on your paint, it WILL leave scratches on your paint
  • wear gloves.
  • if you are misting the windshield with a chemical, wear a respirator…or at least a bandanna to keep excess chemical fumes/mist out of your system.

Well, those are your two most prevalent home-gamer methods. Both are not without their own inherent dangers, but can be very effective, & can yield outstanding results if done correctly.

As always, please feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Gavin

Share This

Auto Detailing FAQs | Cleaning your car’s headliner

Ever had a can of soda explode in your car? Not pretty, sticky little spots all over. For most of your vehicle it’s not too much of a problem. A couple issues could be the amount that soaked through the carpeting or upholstery into the foam layer underneath, & how long the soda sits on plastic, leatherette or vinyl & if it’s caustic enough to start eating through the dye. Today though we are going to focus on something you don’t usually pay much attention to; the headliner.

The headliner is the (usually cloth) material covering the underside of your roof. What is the problem here? Why can’t we just clean it like your carpets or upholstery? Well, the problem is how it’s attached. It’s only held up there by water soluble glue. That means if you soak it with all-purpose cleaner, or even soap & water, it may not be long before you start feeling something tickling the hair on the top of your head as the cloth starts to droop & fall. If this happens to you, you can either have a new headliner put in professionally, or if it’s not in the budget, get a whole bunch of tacks to keep it from blocking the view out of your windows. I know someone who did this & she’s perfectly fine with it so far, but I’ll issue the precautionary anyway…Watch out for falling tacks!

So what can you do? If you insist on trying to clean this surface yourself, try to keep it as dry as possible. You could usually vacuum it, especially if someone’s been smoking in your car for a while. You can also mist a little bit of cleaner on a brush or cloth & then brush lightly over the surface, but you don’t want to allow any of that liquid to get through the surface cloth to the glue above it.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line.

Best wishes & thank you for listening.

Share This

Auto Detailing FAQs | How long does a car detail take?

Hi all! This is a question Adventures in Detailing hears almost every day.

Depending on who you ask, you can get a variety of different answers on this one. Let’s break down our “detailers” into a few categories here. Obviously, I will be generalizing. But pretty much any “detail” company should be able to fit at least loosely within this framework.

• Drive through car wash (not really a “detail”, but it is a request.
• Volume detailers
• Quality detailers

Drive through car wash.

• Advantage: cheap, quick (even if you have a line, under 20 minutes is likely), no hassles, you’re pretty sure about what you’re getting out of it before you start-even if it’s your first time
• Disadvantages: no detail work, may or may not include an interior vacuum-if it does, it will be quick & dirty. very minimal protection if any

Volume Detailers;

• Advantages: quick, cost to value is usually pretty good, will meet the expectations of almost anyone who has not had a detail before. protection will usually last from 4 – 8 weeks. average time of detail will be about 2.5 hours.
• Disadvantages: check your cup holders, center console, interior pockets, mirrors, dashboard & interior glass (especially out in the sun)

Quality Detailers:

• Advantages: You should be able to expect a top end job from a company that bills themselves out to be a top end or quality detailer. Even people who have had detail work done before should be happy with the work done by one of these companies (or individuals). Usually all or almost all of their Detail Technicians will have many years of experience under their belt.
• Disadvantages:
  • Cost: the price will usually be slightly above to extravagantly above the cost of the volume detailers. Many will operate, whether knowingly or not, under the mantra of “Cost is only an issue in the absence of value.’ Something I first read from a guy named Bachrach when I was in the finance field more than a decade ago.
  • Time: Time is held to more importance by some than others. The good thing is you can schedule yourself to be doing something else (anything from working, to watching movies, to housework, to spending time with your family) while your detail is being done. Either make arrangements to drop your vehicle off at the shop, have it picked up or possibly even have it done at your home or office. Obviously time is a factor. Details from a quality centered detailer can average anywhere from 5 to 10 hours, so make sure you either have alternate transportation or have something else to do.

Hope this helps you decide what you’re looking for. Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions…& as always, thank you for listening.

Share This

Auto Detailing FAQs | What is Auto Detail Clay?

Adventures in Detailing answers an often asked question; What is Auto Detail Clay & should I use it?

The relatively short answer to this would be, “a natural or man-made resin that looks like the stuff you used to play with as a kid, but made to remove contaminants from your car’s paint or glass without harming (when used correctly) the surface…& yes, you should use it.”

Auto Detail Clay should be used after you wash, but before you polish or wax your vehicle. Clay bar can come in different grades. The deeper or darker the color of your car’s surface, the finer grade of clay you will want to use. White & silver are your most forgiving colors. If you have black paint, you will want the finest grade of clay you can get. Detailing Clay is used to get out surface contaminants like industrial fallout, paint over-spray, light tar, really light cement, brake dust & other pollutants that can adhere to your paint and help promote oxidation and eventually paint failure. If you have not used detail clay before, wash your car, place your hand within a plastic baggy & run your fingers over the surface of your vehicle. You may be amazed to feel how many little bumps there are on your paint. Detailing clay can remove these surface contaminants making your paint smooth & ready for polishing or waxing.

Note: clay is not meant to remove scratches from within your paint. If you have clear coat scratches or oxidation, that is a job for compound or polish, not clay.

What you will need:

• a just washed vehicle
• a bar of automotive clay
• a lubricating agent (detail spray or soapy water)
• terry & microfiber cloth

How to clay:

• perform this procedure in shade or when the sun does not cause your vehicles surface to heat up
• mold the detail clay into a flat, thick “cookie” shape. You should be using on average 1/2 to 1/3^rd bar of clay. A bar of clay can often last between 5-10 cars in average condition.
• work from top to bottom.
• spray or lubricate the paint or glass.
• hold the clay in the palm of your hand & rub it gently back & forth over the surface. You may be able to hear a whispery sound as it picks up the contaminants on your paint. It shouldn’t take for the whispery sound & gritty feel to disappear.  After you have gone over your area (recommended about a 2′x2′ area at a time) for a while it should become silky smooth & ready for your polish, wax or sealant. You can wipe it down with your terry & microfiber & move on.

It may take longer if you are trying to get out visible spots from a neighbor spray painting a house or something similar. You may want to consult a professional (or call me for advice) on bigger jobs like this.

Thanks for listening!

Share This

Auto Detailing FAQs | The Difference Between Wax & Paint Sealants

This week Adventures in Detailing covers the question, “What is the difference between a wax & a sealant?”

Carnauba is pretty much the industry standard as far as wax is concerned. It is derived from the leaves of a Brazilian palm & is much sought after by car care enthusiasts because of the deep, rich, wet look that it gives to the finish of a vehicle whose paint is in decent condition. Wax will usually afford protection for your paint for about 6 – 8 weeks.

For any protection application it is best (if not necessary) to clean your paint first, this is not only washing your car to remove the dirt, grit & grime, but using automotive clay to pull out the surface contaminants (like industrial fallout, paint over spray, light tar, very light cement), many of which may not even be visible to the naked eye & polish to even out the micro-scratches in the finish & get rid of oxidation (kind of like scrubbing away dead skin when you take a bath).

Paint Sealants are man made polymer synthetics that bond to the paint for longer term protection. They are often sold by dealerships as part of an “Environmental Protection Package”. Paint Sealant will often continue to protect your vehicle for about 5 – 12 months. They tend to have more of a hard, glassy shell appearance, not quite as desirable as the carnauba deep, wet look.

So, which should you use? It depends what your objectives are, but my recommendation would be as follows:

• if you have to choose between one or the other & you are the typical person who spends more time driving their car & not so much caring for it, then use the paint sealant.
• if you like to spend a couple hours a month or more on your car, put down a layer of sealant first, then add a wax layer to enhance the appearance. You can continue to wax once a month (or more often if you choose). One great thing about carnauba is you can keep adding to the protective layer. If you happen to miss 3 or 4 months, your sealant will be there like an armor coating for your car to help repel contaminants, UV rays, etc

I would like to mention however, that while adding protection is a must if you want to keep your paint in good condition, it is not a cast-iron solution. You can still get (as an example) hard water spots on your car if you park next to a sprinkler, or your finish can get etched by the acid in the bird droppings left on your hood or roof. The protection merely gives you a lot longer to get rid of the offending contaminant before it has the chance to do any real damage to your vehicle (& probably make it a whole lot easier to remove as well).

As always, thank you for listening.

Share This

Auto Detailing FAQs | Cleaning Stock Rims & Tires

Adventures in Detailing has been asked to cover an often overlooked area…your vehicles rims & tires.

It IS possible to just scrub, dry, then throw on some tire shine…& your tires will look better, but for best results, let’s try a slightly different procedure.

Equipment:

• pressure washer (or garden hose)
• tire brush
• all-purpose or wheel well brush (optional)
• spoke/wheel brush (optional)
• spray bottle degreaser or all-purpose cleaner
• spray bottle chemical wash (spoke & wheel cleaner/whitewall cleaner/non-acid or non-caustic cleaner depending on your rims & preferences)
• blower (optional)
• spray bottle tire shine or tire shine gel with applicator or terry cloth
• terry cloth
• nitrile or similar disposable gloves (optional)
• protective glasses

Procedure:

• place your vehicle where the brake dust & runoff from the tires will filter into the ground (preferably on a grasscrete or similar area). You want to avoid having contaminants enter our storm system & find their way out into our ocean ecosystem as much as possible.
• before you start each rim and tire, wet the grass around the area you will be working. This will help to protect the grass & prevent temporary brown patches if you are using anything that can “burn” them. Try to use biodegradable products as much as possible.
• If the sun is fairly strong, position your vehicle so the sunlight does not hit one side or the other directly. If this is not possible, start on the side in the shade. When you are done cleaning that side, progress to the sunny side. Before working on it, feel the rim to see if it is hot. If it is, spray it with water until it feels cool to the touch. Hot rims can show chemical stains which could become difficult to remove.
• If you are working in the shade, you may spray degreaser on multiple tires/rims at once, if you are in the sun, it would be advisable to work on one at a time.
  • if your rim is “open” (the inside is highly visible from the side of your vehicle) & you want to clean it also, mist the inside being sure to cover the areas behind the face of the rim, the switch to stream & hit the areas farther in that the mist did not reach.
  • mist the face of the rim, tire & wheel well.
    • degreaser often works better if you let it sit for a minute, but before it dries. Mist again if necessary.
  • scrub the tire with your tire brush. If your tire has built up grime, road dirt, or old tire shine, you should literally be able to see it scrubbing off with your tire brush. If you are performing this procedure in a driveway, be sure this black sludge/tar gets removed or shot off into the grass or plants where nature will be able to slowly dispose of it. If you leave it on your driveway, it can get on your shoes & then into your interior carpets where it will cause you a much bigger headache.
  • scrub the wheel-well as deep in as you would like to go. If you have a raised truck or a big suv with a wide open wheel-well, obviously this is more important than a car that you can barely squeeze your brush between the tire & the wheel-well wall.
  • if you are working relatively fast, you can continue to the next step, if you are having to put in some scrubbing time you may want to shoot the whole thing off with your pressure washer or garden hose
  • if your rim is open, repeat the procedure you performed with the degreaser with your “chemical wash” to the interior of the rim. (On successive cleanings {if you keep up with it} it is better to use non-caustic cleaners that are less likely to promote rusting. Keeping up with the maintenance of your vehicle will help it to retain it’s value as much as possible!)
  • mist the face of the rim with your chemical wash (if the rim turns white in a mass of tiny white bubbles, spray it off immediately & wipe over with soapy water. Your rim is aluminum or a custom soft metal alloy. You should not use the chemical wash you are using without knowing what you are doing. If you have a custom alloy or powder coated rim, Just use soap & water, then if you really want to, polish with an aluminum polish like Mothers^tm or other soft metal polish).
    • Spray upwards towards the rim as much as possible. You cannot see what is on the sides of the rim facing towards the ground, so these areas should receive most of the action. (alternatively, drive your car half a rim forward or back after you have finished all 4 tires/rims & repeat the procedures again.) Pressure wash the rims off. Imagine your tires are square shaped & try to pressure wash them from all four corners, again paying most attention to the undersides that are not as visible. If you have thin slats or apertures in your rims, it will be better to concentrate on what you can see, roll your vehicle half a rim forward when you’re done with all four tires & repeat the procedure again.
      • If you want to get your rims a bit cleaner, use your all-purpose brush lightly over your rims this is fine for most rims, however if you have a Jaguar, Porsche, or if your rims are aluminum, custom alloy, or just really shiny looking polished chrome it is not worth risking using a brush, stick with the pressure washer or do it by hand with your soft terry or a separate sponge. You can always use a metal polish later.
      • if your rims are wide open & you want to get the insides done, but do not want to remove the tires, you may use your pressure washer, a brush or your hand with a terry. There are brush attachments you can attach to a drill to get behind the face of the rim, but for most people I think these will be unnecessary. If you decide to try to get behind the face of the rim by hand, wear gloves & be careful, some of the rims can have sharp edges. I would advise sticking with the pressure washer, your cleaners & maybe an old toothbrush if you want to get the visible bits behind the front facing.
  • After all your rims, tires & wheel-wells are cleaned, you can either use a blower to be sure they are completely dry & all the water is out of the crevices, or you can chamois down the faces of the rims & go in for lunch (or finish washing your vehicle or start working on the interior, etc) while the sun & wind finishes drying your tires for you.
• When your tires (& wheel wells, if you are going to dress them as well) are completely dry, you may apply your tire shine. Adventures in Detailing would prefer you used a water based tire shine as they are more environment friendly, however, for the comparable dollar spent, solvent based tire shines seem to last a bit longer based on our experience so far.
  • either apply your tire shine with an applicator or put down some terry cloths to protect your driveway or grass if you are using a spray on variety (tire shine may be harmful to your grass or plants if sprayed directly on them & can leave crescent shaped marks on asphalt or cement which may be extremely difficult to remove. It can also be slippery on a smooth surface {though a degreaser or soap & water can usually take care of that problem}). You can also spray 2/3^rds of each tire, then roll have a rim & take care of the rest. This is often a good idea anyway, since most people are not very good at getting the bottom inch or so of the tire…especially if it is not properly pressurized.
  • if possible, let it sit for a while for the dressing (& hopefully protectants) to absorb into the tire (I usually work on the rest of the car then, take care of this step last), then take a mostly clean, dry rag (which you will use for nothing else in most cases) & wipe over your tire to make sure any excess tire shine is removed (I usually go over each tire at least three times). If you do not do this there is a good chance you will have little spots in a rainbow pattern down the sides of your car appear within a couple of days. They will be nearly invisible at first, but will be sticky & attract dust & dirt & not be pretty.
    • If you have selected a “wet” or “shiny” looking tire shine & decide you want more of a matte or “no tire shine” look. Spray a clean terry (which again you will probably not be using for any other purpose) with an all-purpose cleaner (or just make sure it’s damp if you do not have an all-purpose cleaner available) & wipe over your tire repeatedly.

I trust this post has answered your questions…but if not, or even better, if it has generated more, please feel free to give us a call & let us know what you are interested in.

Share This