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Search is useless, need cleaning stuff where is best?
- Thread starter RobDickinson
- Start date
Audietron
Active Member
i have car foam wash kit with water blaster but only used once... too much work and too much to clean around afterwards. not worth it when same can be done for around $20 at no-touch car wash.
I always use no touch car wash... perfect for car, never found any scratches... trick is when entering go as slow as you could to position more time under wheel areas - as they have undercar/wheel arch washers at entrance.
If using works, their bug-protection helps to make sure no insects are sticking for long time.... insects sticking creates acidic reactions similar to bird *sugar*.
Check out Chem Guys - they are based in Christchurch.
www.chemguys.co.nz
Have a look through their pages for products, tutorials and guides
Car Detailing | Car Grooming Products | Chemical Guys NZ
The full range of Chemical Guys leading auto detailing supplies now available in New Zealand! Buy all your automotive detailing products online from car wax to car polish and full auto detailing kits. Wholesale car care products for mobile auto detailing professionals, detail shops and car...
www.chemguys.co.nz
Have a look through their pages for products, tutorials and guides
eh that all seems a bit hipster tbh! too many optionsCheck out Chem Guys - they are based in Christchurch.
Car Detailing | Car Grooming Products | Chemical Guys NZ
The full range of Chemical Guys leading auto detailing supplies now available in New Zealand! Buy all your automotive detailing products online from car wax to car polish and full auto detailing kits. Wholesale car care products for mobile auto detailing professionals, detail shops and car...
Have a look through their pages for products, tutorials and guides
Steve_Chch
Member
I'm sure that this is one of those subjects that everyone has their ideas and opinions on... But I'll chime in since I accidentally went a fair ways down the detailing rabbit-hole a while ago 
Detail Depot and United Car Care are both pretty good places generally. Carpro (detail depot) is very good stuff, I use Reset (shampoo), Lift (snow foam), Retyre (tyre cleaner) and PERL (water based SIO2 dressing, diluted for various purposes. I like it 1:1 for low-profile tyres).
Chemical guys have a couple of good products but mostly a bit of a marketing company IMO.
United Car Care carries Fireball, it's ok but sometimes a little expensive and a step down from Carpro. They also carry a good deionising water filter (I used to have a black Audi RS3 that lived outside. It was so nice to be able to wash the thing even in the sun and not have to worry about water spots! Big difference to the glass too - I use deionised water for the windscreen washer too so no water etching in the glass).
For good microfiber towels I like The Rag Company; Amazon is your best bet for those. Carpro MFX for washing the towels / mits.
Foam cannon: MJJC foam cannon is oft re-badged at much higher price points. Currently have that and PA Italy one, the MJJC is my personal fav at the moment.
Carpro Lift is a good snow foam at an ok cost with reasonable efficacy, but if it's only light dust say on the car I'll use Carpro Reset which is an excellent shampoo and okay for the foam cannon if road film isn't too heavy.
(Minor point on snow foam: There are many out there that might produce lots of foam but don't actually work all that well).
Meguiars detailer line is also worth considering and generally good value too, Spraystore carry it but I see even Repco has some of their stuff these days.
Their D149 Quik Interior Detailer might be old but is still my favourite for maintenance interior cleaning (I even use this stuff on the TV and computer monitors at home). Their APC and degreaser are quite versatile as well, and if you're detailing a european performance car with dusty breaks you'll grow to love D140 Wheel Brightener. Not that you're likely to need that with the Tesla...
Detail Depot and United Car Care are both pretty good places generally. Carpro (detail depot) is very good stuff, I use Reset (shampoo), Lift (snow foam), Retyre (tyre cleaner) and PERL (water based SIO2 dressing, diluted for various purposes. I like it 1:1 for low-profile tyres).
Chemical guys have a couple of good products but mostly a bit of a marketing company IMO.
United Car Care carries Fireball, it's ok but sometimes a little expensive and a step down from Carpro. They also carry a good deionising water filter (I used to have a black Audi RS3 that lived outside. It was so nice to be able to wash the thing even in the sun and not have to worry about water spots! Big difference to the glass too - I use deionised water for the windscreen washer too so no water etching in the glass).
For good microfiber towels I like The Rag Company; Amazon is your best bet for those. Carpro MFX for washing the towels / mits.
Foam cannon: MJJC foam cannon is oft re-badged at much higher price points. Currently have that and PA Italy one, the MJJC is my personal fav at the moment.
Carpro Lift is a good snow foam at an ok cost with reasonable efficacy, but if it's only light dust say on the car I'll use Carpro Reset which is an excellent shampoo and okay for the foam cannon if road film isn't too heavy.
(Minor point on snow foam: There are many out there that might produce lots of foam but don't actually work all that well).
Meguiars detailer line is also worth considering and generally good value too, Spraystore carry it but I see even Repco has some of their stuff these days.
Their D149 Quik Interior Detailer might be old but is still my favourite for maintenance interior cleaning (I even use this stuff on the TV and computer monitors at home). Their APC and degreaser are quite versatile as well, and if you're detailing a european performance car with dusty breaks you'll grow to love D140 Wheel Brightener. Not that you're likely to need that with the Tesla...
I’m pretty fussy about the maintenance of my car and I have used many car care products. I have found Autoglym products to work well, smell nice and are not caustic.
Supercheap Auto stock them in NZ.
Autoglym | Supercheap Auto New Zealand
Buy Autoglym online - Supercheap Auto New Zealand
www.supercheapauto.co.nz
Audietron
Active Member
Hope your kids or niece/nephew not reading this post.... they will hold you forever for your level of attention to cleaning car and blackmail to get their way around - lol. Respect for loving car and spending precious time behind it.I'm sure that this is one of those subjects that everyone has their ideas and opinions on... But I'll chime in since I accidentally went a fair ways down the detailing rabbit-hole a while ago
Detail Depot and United Car Care are both pretty good places generally. Carpro (detail depot) is very good stuff, I use Reset (shampoo), Lift (snow foam), Retyre (tyre cleaner) and PERL (water based SIO2 dressing, diluted for various purposes. I like it 1:1 for low-profile tyres).
Chemical guys have a couple of good products but mostly a bit of a marketing company IMO.
United Car Care carries Fireball, it's ok but sometimes a little expensive and a step down from Carpro. They also carry a good deionising water filter (I used to have a black Audi RS3 that lived outside. It was so nice to be able to wash the thing even in the sun and not have to worry about water spots! Big difference to the glass too - I use deionised water for the windscreen washer too so no water etching in the glass).
For good microfiber towels I like The Rag Company; Amazon is your best bet for those. Carpro MFX for washing the towels / mits.
Foam cannon: MJJC foam cannon is oft re-badged at much higher price points. Currently have that and PA Italy one, the MJJC is my personal fav at the moment.
Carpro Lift is a good snow foam at an ok cost with reasonable efficacy, but if it's only light dust say on the car I'll use Carpro Reset which is an excellent shampoo and okay for the foam cannon if road film isn't too heavy.
(Minor point on snow foam: There are many out there that might produce lots of foam but don't actually work all that well).
Meguiars detailer line is also worth considering and generally good value too, Spraystore carry it but I see even Repco has some of their stuff these days.
Their D149 Quik Interior Detailer might be old but is still my favourite for maintenance interior cleaning (I even use this stuff on the TV and computer monitors at home). Their APC and degreaser are quite versatile as well, and if you're detailing a european performance car with dusty breaks you'll grow to love D140 Wheel Brightener. Not that you're likely to need that with the Tesla...
You got class and patience to clean... I am lazy as and mostly end up with drive thru touchless in-between visit to detailing guys for inside out cleaning touch-up as cut a deal for 4 year car maintenance when wrapping brand new car.
I found these guys are good at spoiling someone who loves their Tesla... I recently bought plenty stuff from them.
🔋Tessories - NZ's Best Range of Tesla Accessories
🇳🇿 One Stop Shop for All Your Tesla Accessories. Premium Accessories for Tesla Model Y & Model 3. Floor Mats, Spoilers, Organisers, Interior Accessories, Exterior Upgrades and more! ⚡Buy with Confidence, Ships from Auckland.
tessories.nz
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Steve_Chch
Member
Lol! Yeah it might've got a little out of hand... I'm an electronics technician, when I start learning about something I sometimes don't know when to stop, and then I can't dial it down againHope your kids or niece/nephew not reading this post.... they will hold you forever for your level of attention to cleaning car and blackmail to get their way around - lol. Respect for loving car and spending precious time behind it.
You got class and patience to clean... I am lazy as and mostly end up with drive thru touchless in-between visit to detailing guys for inside out cleaning touch-up as cut a deal for 4 year car maintenance when wrapping brand new car.
I found these guys are good at spoiling someone who loves their Tesla... I recently bought plenty stuff from them.
🔋Tessories - NZ's Best Range of Tesla Accessories
🇳🇿 One Stop Shop for All Your Tesla Accessories. Premium Accessories for Tesla Model Y & Model 3. Floor Mats, Spoilers, Organisers, Interior Accessories, Exterior Upgrades and more! ⚡Buy with Confidence, Ships from Auckland.
.I have it down to a pretty streamlined process though, I time-budget 90mins for a full exterior maintenance wash which includes the wheels & cleanup after.
Audietron
Active Member
That explains, you got experience and passion combined... I am lazy person working in physically lazy digital world, so 20 minutes drive thru touchless drive while eating some drive-thru chips/drink from McD does the job - lol.Lol! Yeah it might've got a little out of hand... I'm an electronics technician, when I start learning about something I sometimes don't know when to stop, and then I can't dial it down again
I have it down to a pretty streamlined process though, I time-budget 90mins for a full exterior maintenance wash which includes the wheels & cleanup after.
My all previous cars used to need some efforts for wheel arch, but Audi service centre was very kind and letting me drop my car even outside service appointment for free wheel clean and dressing... I guess I am certified Lazy and they spotted it from distance -
.
I re-read your post and saw your interest in a snow foam lance.
The lances themselves are relatively cheap but you need a pressure washer to run them, go for one made with brass fittings and with connector suited to your pressure washer.
I own a Gernie pressure washer and if I was looking to replace my snow foam canon I would probably go for something like this.
Adjustable Snow Foam Lance Cannon Pressure Car Washer Bottle for Nilfisk Gerni | eBay
EASY TO INSTALL AND USE: The foam lance can be directly connected with Nilfisk, Gerni Pressure Washers.Turn the top knob right / closed to get the thickest mixture, adjust the nozzle to get a proper spray pattern, and let it loose.The adjustable snow foam lance can accurate mixing and foam...
www.ebay.com.au
With respect to ceramic coatings, the preparation is all important so that all surface contamination is removed before applying the ceramic coat. As a result I chose to get a Detailer to do a paint correction and apply a ceramic coat for me and I concentrate on weekly maintenance.
I had it ceramic coated when I bought it but that near 3 years ago now, pain is ok but not exactly perfect..
Dont have a pressure washer at the moment, if its not worth it i'll just carry on with a bucket!
Dont have a pressure washer at the moment, if its not worth it i'll just carry on with a bucket!
Yep its because its parked on the drive an gets covered in all sorts!
Pains ok but damage is more from stonechips/bird poop etc than washing
Pains ok but damage is more from stonechips/bird poop etc than washing
thesmokingman
Active Member
Here's my simple setup, SunJoe pressure washer, Tool Daily foam cannon, Chemical Guys Mr Pink soap, Chem Guys Mitt, that's all I use for a cermaic coated car. Wash, light rub down with mitt, chamois dry. A pressure washer is a must imo, it's great utility. I also use it to clean our PV panels besides the zillion things one can do with it.
If your car already has ceramic, you might want to try a booster like Mckee's MKCS-130 sio2 booster. I use it every couple of months on our cars, shorter duration for cars that park outside. When I did ceramic myself I spent I around 200 bux or so on a random orbiter, pads, and various compounds.
Steve_Chch
Member
The main active ingredient is Ammonium Bifluoride (strong acid), and yes it can dissolve water spots on your paint. There are a few important caveats.
- If the water spots have been there for a while, they'll have etched into the clearcoat anyway and will thus require polishing to remove, so you're probably better off claying and polishing to begin with (ceramic coating isn't quite the magical force-field on water spotting that many marketing departments might like us all to believe btw, but it can help a little sometimes)
- Ammonium Bifluoride is kinda yucky stuff. The molecule is small enough to pass through the skin barrier and enter your system, and it needs to bind to minerals... which it will leech from your bones. Wear gloves, and don't let it get in your eyes
- And it'll etch glass, hence the warnings about that (and it can apparently happen fast)
Otherwise I tend to reach for more benign water spot products (e.g. Carpro) and if that doesn't work satasfactorily I'll generally reach for the DA or spot hand polish.
It's a fabulous wheel cleaner, safe for most wheels, and cheap (1:10 is adequate for normal vehicles, I used 1:4 for the Audi). But personally I'd only try it on paint in the above situation since I already have it on hand, and maybe if all else fails and I really didn't want to polish.
Yup. I tried Rejex. Not cheap but easy to use and the finish is great. It’s the only time I have waxed a car and the results have matched my imagined goal.
