/r/AutoDetailing
The best place on Reddit for all things detailing. Cars, planes, boats, and more. Dive in and make every detail count!
Welcome to r/AutoDetailing
The best place on Reddit for all things detailing. This subreddit is a hub for enthusiasts and professionals alike to discuss keeping our vehicles in the best possible cosmetic condition. While cars hold a special place here, our passion extends to planes, boats, hobby toys, and more. Share your projects with before and after pictures, seek advice for your detailing business, or discover new techniques and products. Dive in and make every detail count!
Common Links:
Rules:
Rule 1 - Don't Be A Nuisance
- Treat others as you would like others to treat you.
- Participate in good faith, be respectful, and do not insult others. Remember, there is a person on the other side.
- Toxic behavior, trolling, or any attempt to exploit or scam community members will not be tolerated and will result in expulsion from the community.
- Read more
Rule 2 - General Content & Quality Standards
- This subreddit is dedicated to discussing auto detailing (cars, boats, planes, hobby toys, etc.)
- Stay on topic in posts and comments.
- All content must be safe for work.
- New accounts cannot create posts.
- Accounts without an email cannot post or comment.
- URL shorteners & affiliate links are not allowed.
- All content must be in English.
- Follow Reddiquette
- Read more
Rule 3 - High-Quality > Low-Quality Content
- This subreddit emphasizes high-quality auto detailing content.
- Low-quality content is not permitted and is removed at moderator discretion.
- Read more
Rule 4 - Restricted Content: Assistance Questions
- Assistance questions such as asking for help solving problems are limited.
- Better outlets for these questions include:
- www.HowToAutoDetail.com
- Our Discord
- Our Assistance Megathread
Rule 5 - Restricted Content: Self-Promotion and Advertising
- For Everyone
- You need to participate here fully before promoting your business/channel/etc.
- Self-promotion is judged at mod discretion but generally follows a ratio of 1 self-promotion for every 10 organic.
- You may include your business name and location when you post. Do not list these more than once per post or include your website.
Rule 6 - Prohibited Content: Auto Repair Posts
- Vehicle repair (mechanical, electrical, body shop, etc.) posts are not permitted.
- Read more
Rule 7 - Prohibited Content: Location-Specific
- Location-specific or local questions often come in the form of asking for detailer recommendations in a specific city or state. These posts are not permitted.
- Better outlets for these questions include:
- r/TheDetailDirectory
- The subreddit for the city you're looking for a detailer in.
Understand Our Complete Rules
- The rules in this sidebar are condensed for brevity.
- For detailed versions of our community standards, visit our full rules page.
- Please note that you are accountable for adhering to all rules.
/r/AutoDetailing
814,823 Subscribers
dark fury, best price to get for the gallon
Trying to get Dark fury gallon size for a good price. Alot of sites want like 40 bucks after shipping etc. Anybody having good success getting it for a much better price? I usually pay 25 ish for a gallon wheel cleaner
00:41 UTC
Should I spray this on 13 year old leather seats?
I have a new-to-me 2011 Toyota 4Runner with leather seats. The seats are in pretty good shape, they just need to be shined up. Before I found this thread, I used Chemical Guys leather such and such and it left the seats dry and colorless. I want to restore the supple look and feel of the leather. I have conditioned them with Muguire’s Ultimate Leather Detailer, but they still don’t shine. I was thinking about spraying this boot protector to shine them up again. Is this a terrible idea? Hit me with your thoughts.
23:34 UTC
Suggestions to "fix" paint? Looks like a black haze. Closer? Not so sure.
23:08 UTC
Waterspots on carpro ceramic coating
Hello, as title said i have problems with carpro ceramic coating i installed 2 layers of Uk 3.0 and one layer of SIC, before that 2 step polish, waited between coatings for 1h then i let coating rest for the night, baked ceramic on sun for few days and finally waited 7 days to fully cure and after i washed my car i wiped it with a towel but on hood i misted few spots that i didnt realize and today when I washed car again i spotted few spots of waterspots buildup from last time. How is this possible if SIC is designed to prevet waterspots? Am i doing something wrong? Is combination of Uk and sic not god? One detailier sad that after every carpro coating apliccation he apply Reload 2.0 and that waterspots dont occur after that Can someone help why do they occur if i did everything right and have SIC that supposed to prevent that
22:27 UTC
is there anything that will actually help wheels stay clean?
I feel like the only way to get the layer of brake dust/road grime off of my wheels is manual wiping/scrubbing. Is there any sort of treatment or coating that could be applied that would make it more likely that the wheels would come clean with the pressure washer at the coin-op wash?
I applied 303 graphene to my wheels when I switched the summers on, but a couple of weeks later I've got to wipe dust off of them again, even after doing a basic spray wash
or am I dreaming?
20:28 UTC
Optimum Power Clean vs. Opti-Coat Power Clean
Could anyone explain how these two products differ? They are both for sale on Optimum's website, but I can't figure out what distinguishes them besides color.
20:27 UTC
Wheel cleaning tips needed
I can never figure out how to clean these parts of the wheels. The outside of the rims come out super clean, but I can never figure that out
Tips would be appreciated
20:23 UTC
Drying Aid When Sealant Isn't Needed?
I'm relatively new to all of this and was wondering what is a good option for a drying aid during weekly ONR washes when a sealant isn't needed. Assuming I want to use Opti or Hyper-Seal every couple months as my drying aid/sealant, should I use some sort of spray wax for the other washes? Thanks.
20:08 UTC
Should I buy supplies from Walmart?
I would like to know if any detailing supplies that Walmart carries in stores are worth using. It would mainly just be more convenient for me to be able to go pick it up and use it the same day but I want at least decent quality stuff. (I could take a picture of what the shelves at my Walmart look like but there is definitely a lot of Chemical Guys stuff)
19:46 UTC
New Bronco Waxing
Hey, just got a black Bronco and bought Griot’s 3-in-1 ceramic wax spray based on some previous posts on this sub.
As part of the dealerships addendum, they said they were going to apply on Cilajet (I’ve read since that I probably should’ve opted out of it) but I’m not 100% sure if they did.
Assuming the Cilajet is on there, should I wait for my first waxing or go ahead and do it now? I park my car outside under a tree so I want to make sure it’s best protected from the elements.
17:49 UTC
dog hair... is this the best i'll be able to remove or you think it can get better?
before and after photos and i'm wanting to know if there is room for improvement in the future, or you think this is the best i can get?
i used a shop vac to vacuum, a window squeegee for the long flat areas, and then i used these black nitrile gloves to get in the crevices and the smaller spots the squeegee couldn't fit and overall they did very well.
i have a ram 1500 crew cab with an 8 year old german shepherd that LOVES to ride. so whenever i can take her somewhere, she hops in and stays in the back w/ the seats up.
when i do clean my truck, i only just vacuum it as best i can and never really put forth an effort to clean the carpet because i know it's only return but today i decided to see how much i can actually get out.
17:11 UTC
Touch up paint or sand+primer+paint on 15 year old bumper?
18:29 UTC
Using ONR for phone screens
I've been using ONR for a long time on vehicles, and recently found it to be a great way to clean phone screens as well. 1:256 in a little spray bottle, and wipe off with a microfiber. 0 scratches on my screen now even when cleaning it while dusty. Thought I'd take the time to share this!
17:08 UTC
Gyeon leather shield on a perma stained seat - any advice?
I bought a tesla model 3 with white interior a month ago and it has a dye transfer stain on the driver seat. I’ve tried every suggestion to get it out except alcohol and no results unfortunately.
I bought gyeon leather shield and i saw a youtube comment that said not to put it on seats that have been stained
Should i avoid application on the stained part or am i good to coat the seats fully just like normal? Thanks for any advice
15:51 UTC
Persistent cigarette smell on the steering wheel of my car
I bought a used car from a former smoker, I managed to eliminate a large majority of the smell thanks to a combo of seat cleaning + ozone treatment.
However, the smell of tobacco persists on the steering wheel of the car. I may wipe with various products, it remains. When I drive and sniff my hands the smell of cigarette is strong...
What can I do to get this smell out of my steering wheel?
15:30 UTC
How do u get rid of this like little small stains?
14:57 UTC
Car detailed after ceramic coating and now swirled.
I took my brand new car to a professional detailer for ceramic coating in August. They did an initial light polish and coated the car and it looked amazing. I recently took it back for a maintenance wash since the coating was full of contaminants after a harsh winter. The same guy who coated the car washed it, decontaminated the paint and “topped up the coating”. When I got the car back it was covered in light swirl marks and scratches.
I’m very picky with my car and I’m very careful when washing it. I use the two bucket method and only clean wash mitts and towels. Over the winter I’ve incurred a few marks here and there, but overall I think I did a decent job. I also only ran it through touchless washes and the occasional self wash.
I asked the detailer about the swirls because it looks terrible. He told me the contamination was removed so now I can see swirls. To me this makes no sense. Would I have not seen the swirls after washing the car by hand myself? Someone please tell me if I’m in the wrong because I’m bringing the car back and want to have all my ducks in a row.
13:33 UTC
Wife decided to wash a car...
Hey guys! I didn't think this day would come but here I am asking how to sort put the stains left on matte black bumper plastics?
The car is Citroen C4 cactus (see the pic)
Story is that I take care of our family car without ever asking wife to do anything, as most guys I enjoy maintaining my "stuff". But one day I came home exhausted from work trip and since she had time she wanted to clean the million bugs I killed while driving on highway in the spring. So she did that but not with soap and water but some cleaning kit with wax in it...
So, wax stains stayed on the white paint as well but it's not to drastic, the real horror is the stains that left on matte black plastic (and this car has it for 3 cars). Water and wax she mixed for cleaning was dripping down the car sides and ruined black bits on car.
I tried soap and water, tried washing on gas station, tried alcohol and tried nail polish removal on small part of the bumper and nothing works.
Sorry for this long interlude but if you have some ideas to fix this let me know? Or should I just find local detailing shop and go get it fixed professionally (I would like to save a buck if possible)?
Thanks
13:00 UTC
Removing sikaflex with caramel wheel
Hi I removed a spoiler and it left chunks of sikaflex. I'm looking at caramel wheels and there seems to be 2 types, for those that have used them which one would you recommend?
Thanks.
07:59 UTC
Do we recommend these cheap microfiber towels for cleaning?
I’m aware they are not soft and plush enough to buff out polish, but how about cleaning very dirty parts?
Would they cause micro scratches and swirls on the paint?
04:27 UTC
EXPERIENCED DETAILERS! OPINION NEEDED TO SETTLE DEBATE FOR CERAMIC COATINGS.
I paid a detailer for polish and ceramic coating. When I did my cars first wash after the polish and ceramic, the car paint was puddling showing no beading or hydrophobic properties. I told the detailer that did it if even did the coating because it’s showing no signs of a ceramic coating but he said he did. He said not all ceramic coatings bead and i said that’s a lie. Not ALL COATINGS bead like waxes and sealants but i said all CERAMIC coatings should bead and have hydrophobic properties and have glass like effects from the nano technology and 9H hardness. He said that’s a lie but i said it’s not. Am i wrong? Is he lying and just didn’t ceramic coat my car? I wanna end this debate with him to prove it.
03:22 UTC
Tips or videos on efficiency
I recently started working for a buddy doing detailing. We've done cars, trucks, sprinter vans and airplanes. It's only been about 3 weeks and I feel that I'm working hard at learning and building a process, however every day I work I keep hearing be more efficient. I understand when it comes to mobile detailing, the faster you can get work done, then the more jobs you can do and the more money you can make. However I've been doing it for only 3 weeks and not every day has work. I've always had the mindset of work on the quality and the efficiency will come with repetition. Quality is important to me and I don't want to give a customer back a half ass car. It's not my Business name it's my buddies. Does anyone have any tips that really helped them or videos that were really helpful? I'm enjoying the work, however the constant pressure of efficiency is difficult at times.
00:57 UTC