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**Murr1525** · Jul 5, 2012, 06:27 AM

Re: Detailing Noob With Questions (General & Product Related)

1. The wheels are covered in brake dust, road grime, and dirt. I was looking into purchasing wheel cleaner, but I have no idea which is best for my wheels. They are oem, but I'm not sure if they are aluminum or anodized etc.

Well, one of the wheel cleaners like the Hot Rims Wheel and Tire, All Wheel, or Aluminum Wheel Wash would be fine, esp once we get to see any pics to identify the wheels. You can also use a paint cleaner on them after if they are painted.

2. The chrome trim + wheels have water spots etched into them, and would like a simple home remedy. I've heard aluminum foil and water, steel wool, windex. What should I do?

Etched in can be tough, though again SwirlX would be a starting point.

3. Is it ok to swirl-x an entire car? My car is a silver, but if I look close enough I can see swirls all over. Is it safe? Is it the right thing to do, they are minor swirls, at least they don't show much, but they are all over.

Yes, it is quite safe. Though depending on how bad they are, Ult. Compound may be more effective. But you can always SwirlX this time to at least shine it up, and then go back over with a stronger product in the future if needed.

4. So I really want my car to shine, who doesn't? My car is clean, but not glossy and reflective as I believe it could be. I have a tight budget ~$30, no detailing power tools. I have Ultimate Wash & Wax, Quick Detailer, Ultimate Quick Wax, and I recently clay barred (a month ago). What can I do/what do you suggest I do to improve my shine by hand and for under $40?

Well, as noted, UC may be needed. You also would probably want some Nxt 2.0 (which is cheaper) or Ult. Wax to use as your main coat of wax, then can use the Ult. Quick Wax after future washes. (And if on a budget, using Gold Class Soap followed by UQW is probably the better option.)

5. A general question, but I have some microfiber towels, supreme shine towel, and applicator pads that are dirty. The pads have a rubbing compound & wax on them. I've heard you can just throw them in the washing machine without bleach, and they are good to use again?

I tend to wash the foam things by hand, but others use the machine for them as well. The MF towels can all be machine washed, just keep them separate from anything cotton/terry cloth.

We certainly dont buy new towels every week...

6. This question is for Meguiar's themselves lol. Your headquarters is in Irvine correct? Since I am local, could I go there and would I be able to buy products & talk to a product adviser?

No you cant buy anything there. But you can sign up for a Saturday Class or Thursday Open Garage to get to learn about things, and both are free.

**OCx** · Jul 5, 2012, 12:49 PM

Re: Detailing Noob With Questions (General & Product Related)

Thanks for the response Murr!

Here are the pictures as promised...

Pictures of the chrome trim/black B pillar swirls: Any advice on what to do here?

There turns out to be very little swirls, in fact it was a challenge to find them. I guess I shouldn't have let the dealer wash the car, that's when I noticed them. After two washes since, they are very rare and unnoticeable haha. Here is a picture of current paint condition, ignore the face that I chose to take a picture of the worst area, had some dirt built up in this area :p

Here is the chrome trim with water spots:

Last but not least, here are the wheels. Like I said, they are OEM, and I'm not sure what type of rim they are. You can see there are areas with water spots, and the inner drum is loaded with dirt, and brake dust.

Another question: What is a good cleaner for exhaust tips? Mine are stainless steel I believe, but once again I am just guessing with what type of material haha

Here is a picture of the tips:

**Murr1525** · Jul 5, 2012, 01:19 PM

Re: Detailing Noob With Questions (General & Product Related)

Yeah, I think the general advice above will hold true. Trying something mild like SwirlX on those surfaces would be a good start.

As for the wheels, those look painted, and same advice, although you will want some kind of a wheel brush to get back into the barrel. If you find a little extra spending money, you could look into something like the IronX or TRIX products, to spray on the wheel. Then use the Brake Dust Barrier to seal things up a bit. Seems to be working well on my wheels, as far as making cleaning easier.

If on a budget, Ult. Compound would work... though the Hot Rims Mag and Aluminum Polish would be better. They look pretty clean, so just terry cloth may work to apply it. But #0000 steel wool is good to, esp if dirtier.

**OCx** · Jul 5, 2012, 05:17 PM

Re: Detailing Noob With Questions (General & Product Related)

So I made a trip to auto store and bought me some "Hot Rims All Wheel & Tire Cleaner". It definitely got rid of a lot of gunk esp in the lug holes. That barrel got a little cleaner, but I don't think any product could clean it without a proper scrub. Next week or so I plan to borrow a jack + stands, and get all 4 wheels off and clean them once again with the cleaner but with some real scrubbing. I was also able to clean most of the black B pillar trim with the Quick Detailer. The chrome still has water spots etched into them, and they will not come out with scrubbing, I need some sort of product for it. I'll look into swirlx like your recommended, and as soon as my Ultimate Wash & Wax runs out, i'll pick up some ultimate wax and gold class wash.

**Murr1525** · Jul 5, 2012, 05:56 PM

Re: Detailing Noob With Questions (General & Product Related)

Well, Ult. Quick Wax for after furture washes with the Gold Class soap.

Ult. Wax would be the main wax when detailing, though nxt 2.0 is good to and a bit cheaper.

You can use the paint cleaner when you actually have the wheels off.

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Detailing Noob With Questions (General & Product Related)

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