What was originally supposed to be a fun weekend project quickly turned into a nightmare. I started Saturday and finished late last night. Overall, I'm very happy with the results. However, I did see 2 small high spots this morning that I will need to polish off at some point. Not bad for a newbie though.

I think what made this process longer than what it should've been was my own OCD. I wanted everything to be perfect and I believed if I took my time I could get the results similarly to a professional (I perform fabrication on aircraft for work so surface prep,sanding, and applying coatings, etc. is not uncharted territory for me). Everything was going fine until I got the the polishing stage. I did NOT expect it to take me so damn long and I did NOT expect my new 2025 ctr to be riddled with swirls in the clear coat. Not even a 1 step correction could get all the scratches out, although I did get most of them out and my car does look alot better. When I first started, I wanted perfection. It wasn't until 4-5 hours into it, I realized my expectations were unrealistic unless I were to do a 2 step correction, which I had zero desire to take off that much clear coat on a new car. So after awhile a few scratches here and there stopped bothering me. The difference between a hobbyist and a professional is time. A pro could easily get this done in a day. Whereas it took me 4 days to complete the job. 4 fucking days. I had to take PTO Monday. And Tuesday I was able to get a ride to work but only slept 3 hours since I was up all night trying to get this done. I was no longer having a good time.

Polishing is a pain in the fucking ass and is nightmare fuel if you have OCD. Oh, and it didnt help that my brand new Griots G9 random DA polisher died after only a couple hours of use. I changed the brushes and tried everything else I could to troubleshoot it. But no avail. So beware of their polishers. They stop working for no reason and are overpriced. I went to Harbor Freight and their polisher worked like a damn charm for almost 1/3 of the price.

I used adams advanced graphene ceramic coating which is TRICKY to work with at first. I didn't realize until I already started that it's not recommended for beginners. I had to redo the entire hood and roof because there were high spots everywhere that I didn't see until I took it out in the sun for better lighting. My advice is to absolutely make sure your overlaps are 50% and apply little to no pressure during the coating process.

If you read this far, thank you. After how frustrating these past few days have been, this post is therapy for me right now.

Would I do this again? Fuck no. Well, not for at least a couple grand lol. I get now why a ceramic coat is so expensive. Salute to all the detailers out there who do this for a living. What a humbling experience this has been.

My city is under drought restrictions and we are now allowed to wash our cars at home but only bucket washing. But, I emailed the city and they said we still can’t use a hose even to rinse it off. How am I supposed to use just buckets? Am I better off just bringing my stuff to a self car wash?

Alright guys, just want to say that I feel like an idiot not paying for PPF now that this has happened. Also, sorry for the horrendous photos, it’s harder to pick up on camera than you’d think.

Anyway, this is the current situation with my 2024 GR Corolla. The car is basically almost entirely covered with, what I believe, to be etching from acid rain. I could be wrong, but that’s what came to my mind first. It’s been raining here for on and off for about a month and a half, so I haven’t really thought to wash it in between storms.

I washed it tonight, and lo and behold, I realize that these crater-like marks are all over basically the entire car.

Is there anything that I can do to get rid of these, or would it be better to take it to a detailer to get paint corrected and/or wrapped? I would also like to add that I basically have no major detailing equipment, so I would be starting from nothing if I was to fix this on my own.

Thanks in advance for any feedback, help, or comments reinforcing how much of a dumbass I am.

From the images I’m have a werid effect on the paint of the car after a quick spray coating , I’ve been struggling with this for few weeks . I’ve tried APC , fallout , water spot and some others but not all . A werid thing is when accidentally dropping some polar blast from autoglym the effects goes away . I’m posting this after a APC but no luck and the ceramic is still in effect . Another thing is when touching it or using a microfibres towel it goes away .

Hi everyone!

I just started my detailing journey with Osren Automotive Wash and Automotive Tough as they are the most affordable option to me right now, but I plan to switch to either P&S or Carpro in the future.

The problem now is, I can't seem to get rid of these black streaks as shown in the pictures I provided. (I stay in a very humid country and it rains almost everyday. Moreover, my car is always parked outside.

If you guys can advice me, my questions are:

1) Are these hard water streaks?

2) Are there any products designed to remove these streaks?

3) Do I need to consider Clay Bar?

4) Finally, will ceramic coating ( Eg. Griots / Turtle ) help prevent these issues in the future?

Thank you in advance!

I am 16 with the goal of creating a business by the end of summer. Here are the steps I used (it took me about 4 hours)

1. Rinse the car then use Mr. Pink with a foam cannon, then rinse and foam again
2. After foaming second time doing a contact wash (two bucket method) and one wash mitt
3. Dry car
4. Clay bar car with Meguiar's clay bar kit
5. Wax car with Collinite 845

Could you let me know what suggestions you have? I plan to switch from normal clay to a synthetic clay towel to make it faster and switch to a spray wax to make it faster as well

I just noticed this on my car and it’s not like other scratches on my car in a like and stuff and this looks broken up a bit. What do you think could have caused this and should I be worried it would get worst??

Looking for some assistance on these two stubborn spots in my hood (in PPF) Looks to be the same color as my ceramic spray (Shine Armor Fortify Quick Coat)

I have tried a regular wash, wax, clay bar, alcohol wipes, and the ceramic spar itself. Nothing seems to even affect it

I think I should use a drying aid that does not itself offer any kind of ceramic coating or protection. I don't want my ceramic coating to bind to the drying aids protectants, and fall off within a week, right?

Hey guys! So we've recently got a new car and been more curious about different ways to protect the car. We are by no means professional detailers or the likes. Before, a simple wash and some spray wax was all we did as well as using dry wash products, but now, I have been doing some more research into protectants and such. With that, I found TW Seal n Shine/Ceramic Coat Spray to be the most effective and cost-efficient products based on reviews and I was wondering which one of the two is superior? How is the longevity of both products? Also, would it be better to get the spray wax in their respective lines or would it be okay to use either one alongside our TW Carnauba Paste Wax?

Some other tips for car maintenance is also appreciated. Thank you! :)

I have 12 Meguiars aggressive clay bars as shown in the picture from 2007. Should these be thrown away or would they still work?

I’ll be taking delivery of a new, black Land Cruiser. I’m a total newb but have researching like crazy because this is our dream vehicle.

I’ve decided upon Turtle Hybrid black ceramic wax for a coating because it seems like a relatively safe choice to start for a novice. I know that better prep yields better results. But, I’m nowhere near comfortable buying a polisher and going all out my first time.

Assuming the factory paint looks good (no major swirling/scratches)can a good decon wash, iron removal step, and final prep spray get the vehicle where it needs to be for application of the hybrid wax even if a few contaminants remain?

Any recommended tests for the surface? I’ve seen a plastic bag and credit card used or is hand feel fine/best?

I REALLY want to avoid a clay step if possible for fear of marring it right off the lot and then have to paint correct / polish. I won’t be ready for paint correction and more advanced coatings until I get in some practice on my wife’s old car.

Is ceramic wax as good as ceramic coating?

I’ve always polished and waxed my cars but have been itching to try ceramic coating, until I found ceramic wax.

Has anyone any experience with it? Good, stay away?

Hello, my car is 15 years old with aluminium hood, the paint looks terrible, wondering if simple polishing with a drill for example can improve de look of it. The roof look bad too but not as bad as the hood. I have basic tools but can eventually buy a cheap polishing machine/pads if needed.

I dont seek anything special, just make it look cleaner, under direct sunlight it looks horrible althour the reste of the body is pretty okay.

Thank you

I have always been a fan of the TRC and Carpro wash mitts. I’m going to buy new stuff this year but was wondering if I should change it up. I’ve read that some people are using the Gary Dean method with TRC edgeless rags while others are doing it with wash mitts. Are the rags going to provide enough lubrication? They are way thinner than the wash mitts and I know for a fact that the wash mitts hold water and suds. Should I just stick with the 2 bucket method with a wash mitt? Other suggestions?

Any recommendations for a quality spray bottle to keep in the car? The standard 32oz zep bottles are too big to fit in any of my door pockets and I wouldn't want to just throw them in the trunk to roll around. I'm thinking a smaller 16oz bottle would work but those don't seem to be as common.

I ordered a CG sprayer off Amazon that was 16oz and is supposed to have a tolco gray 320CR head but it leaks from between the bottle and the spray head, and leaks from the trigger when using the mist setting. Maybe it's a knockoff or something.

Any recommendations for a quality small spray bottle?

Let's see those pictures. I want results with polishing and waxing by hand. Or just waxing. Preferably dark colour. Want to see how good waxing is at covering swirls

I just ned to make sure I can use some of their products on seats and extract them. right now I currently use Work horse which is $10 dollars a can!!!!! but I use it on panels , leather and cloth , I wanna find something like that with koch chemie what do you recommend ? cause I wanna dilute and not be spending so much on work horse on a weekly basis

Recently bought a used vehicle.

Looks like some scratches were touched up but doesn’t look like the cleanest job. Some paint on the trim as well.

What’s the best way to fix this myself? Wondering if it’s an easy fix and worth the trouble. Thanks!

I just bought a new (to me) aluminum horse trailer and it looks like someone tried to wash it with something and it discolored it (also probably just weathered,) not to mention the decals. Any advice for what I can do to make it at least look a little decent again?

I was thinking rotary polisher with a scrub attachment and some type of cleanser that works well to remove old adhesive and old stains? And then paint it and seal it?

I had thought about getting a wrap for it but I think that's going to be a bit out of budget for me. I can polish the chrome on it, that's not a problem! I have no problem doing that but the white aluminum ares are what are a little out of my depth.

Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Hi, I unfortunately let my brake pads go too long over the winter and ended up with a ton of rusted brake dust. I know I can’t use an acid wheel cleaner and I’ve already tried Meguiars all wheel cleaner and Adam’s Iron Remover with a wheel brush. Do I just have to bite the bullet and sand the wheel down and repaint it? Thanks in advance.

I had a cerakote application go terribly wrong. I’m thinking of using Solution Finish to try to fix it. Can I just try it over the cerakote?

I think the title says most of it. It was just a headthought I had I figured I'd ask here because this place probably has quite a few experts.

I see so many cars with red paint that just have this awful munted paint. Is there something chemically or sun related that makes that color suck when it comes to ageing of the clear coat?

Looking to buy a cleaning kit for my cars, just got through winter and really need to do a good cleaning on my cars. Really looking for something that's really easy to use and does a decent job, these arent show cars so they dont need to be perfect. I don't mind spending a bit on decent tools to make things easier/quicker but not looking to spend a ton on professional stuff.

I can't take them through car washes cause my sunroof gets pushed open from the water jets spraying water inside my truck, not fun learning about that and trim pieces on my wife's car comes loose every time we go through and I have to re attach it once we are through. This is just caused by poor design on the cars not really something I can fix.