Water mark etchings can be difficult to remove. You will either need to polish them out or you can try the Chemical Guys Water Spot Remover. The Water Spot Remover is a good formula for spot treating very light etchings. If the etchings are deeper or if they are numerous we suggest polishing the paint. Generally you start off with a light polish and use more aggressive ones as needed. Starting with the Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205 and then moving up to the Meguiar's Ultra-Cut Compound M105 is a common combination. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

 

Leather and leatherette is not naturally shinny so virtually anything that adds a noticeable shine is not going to be good for the leather. I prefer to use natural based products can be readily absorbed in to the leather. Anything leaving a shine is probably going to be bad for the long term health of the leather. Locally you may be able to find the Lexol Leather Conditioner and Lexol pH Leather Cleaner, which works satisfactory. I still highly recommend the Leatherique Prestine Clean and Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil because of the outstanding results this combo provides. It leaves a beautiful matte finish on the leather that helps keep it looking great for years to come. Best of all the
Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil is our February special so you can save big on it. If you have any other questions please let me know.

Greg @ DI

 

Ok, I attempted to get the headlights better and still not getting the results for the passenger side. Perhaps I am not sanding enough? I used 2000 and then 2500 and went straight to meguiars plastx. I have some meguiars m205 coming saturday and also have a PC with menzerna intensive polish. Ordered some extra pads from you and they should be here saturday as well so I'm gonna detail the whole car sunday. For the headlights, you recommend doing 1500 grit and work that in harder this time and move to 2000 and then 2500? After that use Menzerna intensive polish with orange pad and move to Meguiars m205 with white pad? Or do I have it all wrong

Btw here are pictures after today: Driver side looks better than passenger

 

Using a polish will increase the intensity of shine after wax though anyways right? so polishing the whole car would be good anyways.

 

Does this include the parts of the dash and so forth that are not leather, better without shine as well? I just ordered both the rejuvenator and prestine clean. Lookin forward to using it!

 

The Leatherique combination seems like it would be a pain to do since you'd have to let the seats "cook" in the rejuvenator oil. Would it be okay to just use that maybe one or two times a year or so?

Also when I clean the leather with Lexol I usually use a soft brush and add a little bit of water to it and then combine it with the cleaner. Is that okay to do?


Yes^ if it's shiny it'll be more prone to collect dust and other stuff. 303 Aerospace protectant all the way!

 

Please remember it is possible for the haze to form on the inside by moisture collecting in there so just make sure it's on the exterior. I do see what you are referring to in those pictures. I think I would probably just wait and use the M205 and a white pad and see how that goes. It's very possible you'll need the M105 as well to get them more optically clear. After that maybe go back and start over again with the 1500 or 2000 and repeat your process. Again I highly recommend reading the articles I referenced above for more information and advice.

 

Oh yea polishing the whole car will provide a huge improvement in it's appearance. Additionally it will allow a sealant or wax to bond to the clear coat better as well. Polishing is the most important step in the detailing process in my opinion when you want the best shine possible.

Thank you for the purchase. For vinyl and plastic pieces you can use something with UV protection but a heavy silicone based product can cause pre-mature fading. If you want great UV protection from a safe product check out the 303 Aerospace Protectant or the Optimum Protectant Plus. Both work great and leave a darker looking finishing without the glossy and oily feel. A nice thin coating is ideal for best results.

I understand Leatherique can seem like a pain. This application method is for the absolute best results possible. However you can apply it just like a traditional product as well and get very good results. I've used it in a very quick manner before and still got great results when in a time crunch. I love the "baking" method but sometimes it's just not possible. I typically recommend this application be used about 2 - 3 times per year depending on how much UV exposure and traffic the seats receive. Using a soft brush can help work it in the grooves of the leather, but I don't recommend using water. Using more of the Rejuvenator Oil would be a better choice going forward. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

 

Ohhhh, thought that the only time you would see significant results were if you were to use the "baking" method or it wouldn't be worth it to use lol. I'll probably order some soon then and okay no water.

Thanks

 

You can definitely get very good results without that method with those products. If you get time to try it I do recommend it, but you'll be fine without it. Don't forget the Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil is on sale through February and we're have a $2.99 s/h promo with 10% off (except sale items and DI Packages) when you use the coupon code MarFlat on orders over $50.

 

ok cool...so what products would you recommend for a full detail? the car is in excellent shape already and is clayed and waxed regularly but what are some products to use to give that shine that extra "pop"?

 

Usually I recommend a full detail at least 1 - 2 times per year and then just wash and protect it as desired in between as desired. A full detail to me consists of a wash, dry, clay bar, polish, sealant and/or wax. This process will deep clean the paint and make it really shine again while protecting it for months to come.

Wash/Dry - most swirls come from this process so quality products and techniques are critical. Check out our detailing guide for this step and other steps to maximize your efforts. Here are two awesome kits if interested.
DI Packages Washing and Drying Basic Kit
DI Packages Washing and Drying Starter Package

Clay Bar - This step deep cleans the paint so it's free from stubborn build ups not removed by the washing process. This may seem complicated or different but it's pretty simple and basic. In short spray some clay lube on the paint and glide the bar side to side and picks up micro contaminants in the paint. Here is an excellent value on a clay bar and lube - DI Packages DI Gentle Fine Grade Clay Bar 100g & Clay Lube.

Polish - This is the step where you really restore the paint to like new again. You can permanently remove swirls, oxidation, etc. not just temporarily hide them. I was not sure if you were considering getting a buffer or if you were just saying you won't be using one. I highly recommend you consider getting a Porter Cable (PC) as they are so easy to use, vastly improve your results while saving you time and energy. We have some affordable kits that give you the PC, backing plate, pads and polishes you would need here DI Packages Porter Cable 7424XP, Meguiar's Polishes and Hydro Pads Starter Kit or DI Packages PC 7424XP with M105, M205 and 5.5" pads. Both kits give you the M105 and M205 polishes with the PC that are going to help you really restore the paint to like new. Best of all the PC is easy to use and completely safe even for a first time user. Again check out our detailing guide for step by step instructions and other helpful hints.

If you prefer to do a hand application I generally just recommend a one step process with a foam applicator and Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205.

After polishing protect and enhance the shine with a sealant or wax. Waxes last about 2 - 6 weeks so we generally recommend a sealant which lasts 3 - 6 months. The Blackfire Wet Diamond with Polycharger is my favorite sealant. It provides a remarkable shine with durable protection while easy to apply. You can apply it by hand or use a blue pad and your buffer. If you really want to you can apply a wax on top of the sealant for added protection and shine. The Poorboy's World Liquid Natty's Blue Wax is a great option for a quality liquid wax that works on all colors. If you want a bit more gloss from a paste wax try the Chemical Guys 50/50 Limited Series Concourse Paste Wax or any of the Dodo Juice waxes. These options are applied by hand only but the exceptional gloss makes it well worth it.

I hand remove all of the excess product with a clean DI Microfiber All Purpose Towel. These towels are paint safe and help quickly remove the left over clay lube, polish, sealant, etc. I'd suggest getting about 5x - 10x of them.

Now step back and admire how awesome your vehicle looks. If you have any other questions please let me know!

Take care!

Greg @ DI

 

ok awesome! so how much of a difference would it make if i hand applied all the steps as opposed to a buffer? because a buffer is a little out of my range for right now

 

Polishes actually permanently correct the way the clear coat/paint looks, while a sealant and wax can only enhance the way it already looks. This why most detailers feel polishing is the most important and that is also why a buffer is most critical. The wash, clay bar, sealant and wax can all be done by hand and there is little difference. However polishes need to be worked in with more pressure and passes for best results and a buffer is a huge help. Polishes have micro-polishing particles that need to be worked in to the clear coat over and over again. It can be done by hand to some extent but a buffer provides up to 6800 Oscillations Per Minute where as a hand application can do a couple hundred at best. If you do it by hand I recommend just sticking to the M205 and use medium pressure throughout. I think a hand application of the polish would be a big help but the buffer gets you professional like results. It's hard to quantify the difference but it would be noticeable. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Greg @ DI

 

hmmm ok thats good to know...i think i'll do it without the buffer for now (it was cold air intake or buffer) and when the weather improves in the summer time i think 'm definitely going to buy a buffer. Can't argue with the results for sure. Thanks for all the info its much appreciated!