I’m diy started like 4 months ago 1) absolute p&s 2) 3) pictured

Obviously all after my Costco Adams bucket which doesn’t count cuz it’s the hook that got me down this damn rabbit hole

4) mint wash from luminus
5) maniac wheel and tyre arriving tmrw lol

And yes have polishers (that’s more than 1-don’t ask) AC vac steamer press washer hand held blower all the brushes and even platform ladder to reach the roof of suvs. 5 ceramic coatings and 2 cerakote headlight sets in boxes waiting to use this month. Some say I have addicted personality. I call it ocd. Learning lots from all of you so keep the knowledge and tips flowing- sorry for all the noob questions

And don’t worry I won’t buy and CG or Armorall products!!!

After being impressed with the results of the Cerakote Trim Restorer on my 20 year old Mazdaspeed 6 I decided to give their headlight restoration kit a shot. I'm also a fan of their Rapid Ceramic Tire Coat, so I had high hopes for this kit as well.

• Top photo is after just washing and drying the headlight.
• Middle photo is after completing the first 2 steps in the kit, which were applying the oxidation remover and then wet sanding with 2000 and then 3000 grit sandpaper.
• Bottom photo is after applying the ceramic coating.

I think the results speak for themselves. We'll see how long this lasts as I've seen people reporting anything from weeks to years before needing to redo them. While this is likely not as permanent as polishing and recoating the headlamps with more pro-grade materials, given the cost ($15 USD), time (~30 minutes), and effort (very easy DIY) it was well worth it. At minimum it improves the cars appearance a lot by removing an eyesore and will certainly improve the headlight's performance at night.

The instructions were clear but they didn't mention one aspect of application that I discovered after the fact. I may need to redo this headlight either with another kit (or attempt to stretch the remaining half of the kit when I do the other headlight). I ended up with streaking all along the bottom of the headlamp due to the way I applied it. The directions say to wipe down horizontally from the top and then overlap 50% of the last wipe, moving laterally across the surface. I realised too late that I shouldn't have stopped at the bottom and just lifted the wipe up, as that created a row of square-shaped marks. I should have wiped all the way through, and onto the masking tape to avoid stopping on the light's surface.

Hey everyone, took my car back to the ppf installer for quality check and ceramic coating, unfortunately they told me that it would cause more damage if they lift and attempt to remove the dust particles and that it would be less noticeable after a while under the sun.

This seems to be the only issue all through out the car (I had full body ppf).

Im ngl I’m getting a little bothered by it knowing theres dust under the ppf and I can definitely feel the bump when running my fingers across.

I know that ppf installations are impossible to get perfect at all but is my case on the acceptable side?

Edit: 1st pic right door, 2nd pic right headlight

Please explain what the difference is.

The reason I ask is I'm seeing "Mobile Detailers" listed that sound like the same thing carwashes would do like vacuum/treat interior and wash exterior/apply spray wax or ceramic coat.

I can't find a specific thread that explains the division. I'd assume detailers go more into paint correction and body work?

Sorry bout the dumb ass question.

Went to a retailer recently and he said this kind of damage isn’t repairable. Just strip and repaint? What even is this from? Car is mint otherwise. Few scratches he fixed

After a month of no washing, I cleaned my car to the best of my ability and the CarPro DarkSide always makes my tires look brand new!

Next step tomorrow is protection with Polish Angel High Gloss + LUMiNUS ECLIPSE Paste wax, hopefully the combo will make the red pop!

A few months ago I (stupidly) left my coffee on the roof of my car as I drove away. Unfortunately it was a relatively hot & sunny day and I didn't get the chance to wash my car. Even though it has been washed many times since, there's a residual/ghost mark persisting. Any suggestions?

Hey everyone!

I’m planning to start a mobile auto detailing service in Northern Europe. I’ll be starting part-time on weekends alongside my regular job. I'm aware of local startup grants, but they require being registered as unemployed, which I can't afford right now due to financial commitments. So I'm building this on a tight budget out of my own pocket.

Since we have strict environmental laws here regarding wastewater on public streets/driveways, I'm looking to build a very lean setup (likely relying on rinseless washes, steam/interior cleaning, or client-provided water/power connections initially).

For those who started mobile detailing on a shoestring budget:

1. What were the absolute essential tools and chemicals you bought first?

2. How did you handle exterior washes efficiently without carrying a full van with a massive water tank and generator?

3. What is the one mistake you made when starting out that I should avoid?

Since I'm based in Europe, I'd also love to hear any recommendations for brands/products that are easily available here.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Build quality is actually decent, I’d say much better than MTM’s reel. Handle is smooth, wheels are great, the brakes hold the cart well, locking mechanisms are simple but effective. Installation of the cart itself is not that bad as some influencers said on YouTube such as complaining about lacking of 17mm wrench or certain hard to reach spots, I’m ok with these I’d say I’ve seen much worse designs.

One thing annoys me is that the mounting hardwares are not included, so you have to buy your own M8x20mm bolts, washers and nuts to secure your pressure washer. Well I understand that Active thinks everyone might use different pressure washers but they should at least provide the mounting hardware of their own products (2.0, 2.3, 3.0).

Talking about the price as an Active 2.0 user, I think when you can buy a decent pressure washer for $319 and when you want to upgrade your washing experience with a reel cart you have to pay $419 is crazy. I’d say a reasonable price for me is about $300 ~ $350. Overall good products, I’m happy with it.

I'm looking to buy a cordless pressure washer and looking for recommendations, I live in a flat with no outdoor tap so needing something that can draw from a bucket but with decent enough pressure. I've read that Worx hydroshot are good but maybe a little outwith my budget, so want to hear peoples suggestions of others

For those of you who detail full time and run your business, when did you find it the right time to hire? Right now, we are consistently doing 15k a month after being in business for about 8 months (started in December of 2025) with the whole vision of scaling it to two units quickly. We feel we are ready to hire, the only downside is the winter months are approaching. Since we started in the winter, we don’t have the best data to confirm whether or not we should hire. We have ran the numbers, and only need about 13k/month to cover everything from payroll to supplies. We have a good amount saved up in the event we do hire and the winter is not good, but we also don’t want to run ourselves into the dirt after working 7 days a week for the past 8 months growing this thing. Open to any and all responses.

I’ve been using Jescar for years but I know it may be outdated. What’s the best sealant today? Thank you for your help.

5 years old MTM Hydro PF22.2. I replaced the filter maybe a year or two ago. I’ve got hard water in my area and didn’t have DI water until recently. Can I clean these up a bit? My understanding is I can’t use vinegar on the zinc or nickel plated parts. A rebuild kit + a new 1/4 QC is the half way to the price of some of these Active or DRFT cannons now that may even be better? Spend the time or spend my money on something new?

These are 2004 stock ford ranger rims. I’ve pressure washed them and scrubbed them with a rim cleaner. I was hoping for some advice!

Love this brush for cleaning wheels. But the end just came off and looks dangerously scratchy. What’s the cheat code to replace the end with what?

Goal for this post:
Get a general opinion from people in the detailing business that can give me an honest answer if I can just roll with this stuff and get great results. By "great," I mean clean, good looking car inside and out with a shine on the outside. I'm also looking to keep it simple and perfect my technique before exploring a ton of products.

As a weekend warrior, I'm not looking to be a business and "go pro," can I get good results with my soap (3 pack given to me for free), ONR for interior, and lucas slick mist to finish? I understand the Armor All is a PH neutral soap and there are tons of better possible options, but 3 gallons were given to me for free. I'd prefer not to go down the product rabbit hole.

Other stuff: I have a Ryobi pressure washer, foam cannon, microfiber towels/mits, shopvac, leaf blower.

Exterior process:
Add soap to foam cannon and spray car when dry
Brush tires, wheels, and running boards
Let soak for 3-5 min
Rinse car from bottom up
Spray foam again
Use mits/towels to contact wash
Rinse from top down
Dry with leaf blower
Apply Lucas Slick Mist with one towel
Dry with new dry towel

Interior Process:
Vacuum from back to front
Use ONR with 256:1 dilution on all interior except carpet.

Thanks in advance.

Anyone used Koch chemie wash and wax ?
How does it compare to others on the market. 5 liters on sale now at the rag company. Thanks in advance

I got a cx5 that I want to remove cigarrete smell and I got mzr koch chemie for the fabric, wondering if I can use it on the soft plastics on my cx5 2021

Thanks

Did a walk around on my lexus gx today before a wash and i noticed two issues:
1. Etching on the “chrome” trim on the grille. I tried water, spray wax, iso propyl alcohol and goo gone. Nothing- any advice?
2. Looks like a rock chip on the hood broke through the ppf but it looks so ugly and mis shaped. What happened? Is my ppf bad?
This is a 23 gx460, has xpel ppf since new (sept 23)

I just bought a used 2025 Black GMC Sierra EV Denali with 3k miles on it and it has some swirls and spider webs. I am wanting to do a complete paint correction on it and then put some Gyeon Syncro EVO on it for coating.

I have been buying all new product as my old stuff has been sitting in my garage for 15 years and has probably split, separated and gone bad through all the freezer thaws in the winters

What do you guys think about waterless wash? I'm in an area where there are often water restrictions so I'm using WW to clean my car every other week. The "pro" detailers say you can only use WW to clean a clean car and that you have to use a bunch of towels to avoid scratching your car, but I don't find this to be true. I use one 16 x 16 microfiber towel (70/30) to clean - using as many clean sides as I can - and another towel to dry. The only drawback to WW is that its a high volume product and most are not dilutable so they can get expensive. I've found Optimum's to be the best one so far. It cleans well and is dilutable up to 4:1

This photo was taken during the morning but I see similar haze at night when cars pass by or during rain. I applied rain X over a year ago and have since tried several methods to remove it - if it’s even that. My wipers are new.

i have an older car and im trying to make it as not old and crusty looking (ts is like 20 sum years old and has stains in places that i didnt even think was possible to stain.) i just wanna go from a nasty stained tan to black. is RIT DyeMore dye okay to use and can i get pointers? ive been doomscrolling ab it on tiktok and people say you can and some say you cant. some people give tips and others say it didnt work. thats lowk why i hate tiktok, to much mis not enough information. anywho sorry to ramble but please help a girl out🙏🏼😭

I’ve detailed plenty of cars and this is the first time I’ve seen this. The cluster was filthy before I started, I gave it a half second of steam from a far distance to loosen up the dirt on the surface and get it damp, then wiped gently with invisible glass on a glass towel. I noticed the marks immediately after I was done and they almost seem like they’re behind the acrylic, is my process wrong, what am I looking at, and how can it be fixed?

TIA

I’m looking to build my mobile detailing setup out of my 2026 Tacoma 5 ft bed. Was curious if anyone has a solid setup for this vehicle already / any recommendations setup wise. I still need to buy a water tank and generator too so any recommendations would be amazing.