New to Forum - Need Advice

[Roll Tiges]

Hello and Happy Monday! I am the ultimate rookie when it comes to detailing vehicles. I just joined this forum and I need some advice. I have a black 2015 Toyota Highlander XLE with black leather interior. I purchased the car new and I have taken very good care of it as I do with all my vehicles. I am a little embarrassed to say I have only used Duragloss Aquawax 951 on this vehicle and I think it makes it look great. I have used nothing else on it. Yes, I am a rookie.. Please give me advice on what cleaner, polish, wax I should be using. I want something that is easy to apply and remove as I do not have a buffer/polisher. Any advice on removing the bug marks that seem to have embedded in the paint on the front bumper is also appreciated. As far as interior, any leather conditioner I should be using? I haven`t put anything on the leather seats since I purchased the vehicle. I do trust you all since you are the experts. Thanks in advance.

[tom p.]

Roll, welcome aboard! Are you looking for guidance on a polisher/polishes/pads? What specifically are you wanting to move on to?

[Roll Tiges]

Sorry I wasn`t very clear. What should I be putting on my vehicle? Again, all I have put on is the DuraGloss Aquawax. I assume I need to be putting on something like a mothers carnuba wax etc...??? What brand/type of polish/wax do you recommend??? I don`t have any idea what is good for black paints or what would work best. I am also looking for a product to try and remove the bug marks embedded in the paint of the front bumper area. It may be too late at this point. What brand/conditioner should I be using on my black leather seats? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[maurofc70]

welcome to Autopia....I would suggest an all in one ...which means clean...polish and protects....I use Blackfire One Step which you can use by hand...there are other products out there out there....but blackfire is one of the best...lots of luck...

[Roll Tiges]

Thanks for the reply. An all in one is what I am definitely looking for right now. My wife also has a new black Acura SUV so I will try Blackfire on hers as well.

Any advice on brands/product for my black interior leather seats? I assume I just need to find a conditioner. Thanks again.

[tom p.]

Roll, there are some new consumer type products out recently that are targeting black cars specifically. Maybe something like that would help. I don`t know the brand names, somebody else here will. Maybe Turtle Wax is one of them. I`d look at their website - - they`ve really upped their game in the past 12 months.

I`ve got many leather products. I kind of like the Griot`s products for leather, I see them at Advance Auto Parts. That, and a nice Tampico brush is all you need if you are trying to keep it simple.

Your weekly washes and wash media, I believe, represent 90% of the effort required to keeping your cars looking great. Again, I`m loaded with the specialty products that are ordered on-line. Somebody here should be able to suggest a great OTC car wash you`d find at W*mart, etc.

Bug residue? Can be a challenge depending upon the type of bug and how long it`s been permitted to sit and eat into the paint. Some folks in the USA see really tough conditions, I really don`t get too many bugs to deal with in my area and probably don`t know the best products to attack that. If severe, I`d be reaching for my polisher to clean that up after hitting it with various chemicals/bug sprays.

[maurofc70]

Duragloss has a good leather cleaner and conditioner....I used there products a long time ago...good stuff

[maurofc70]

Duragloss has a good leather cleaner and conditioner....I used there products a long time ago...good stuff

One other thing...you might want to use a clay bar to clean any contaminants off your paint....its not hard to do

[Stokdgs]

Welcome to the Forum, Roll Tiges -

I would try some hot water and a thick cloth to hold it the longest, on one of those embedded bugs, and see if that helps soften it and it will come off easier..
Just be careful not to scratch your paint if this is on painted surfaces..

If you decide to use a claybar, just know that they can sometimes marr the surface and then you may need to polish that marring out..

I live in the farmlands now and I hit a zillion things everytime I go anywhere..
What I do is not let them stay on too long, and wet them really good for awhile, again, to soften them up, and then wash them with a chenille mitt and a good soap.. I can usually get them off that way..

A zillion leather cleaners and conditioners out there.. Just keep the leather clean of dirt, and stuff, and it will usually last a long time.. If it`s real leather and a thick slice, it should go a long time... When was the last time you ever saw a cow with leather problems ??? Yeah, I haven`t seen any either, and I grew up in Texas..
Dan F

[Lonnie]

Roll Tiges: Welcome to Autopia!!

I have bad news for you concerning your bug-embedded "stains" on a painted bumper. They are more likely "etched", meaning a chemical reaction has occurred between the bug guts that were allowed to stay on the paint surface for an extended period of time and bumper paint. It has literally "burned" (etched) the paint (clear coat, actually) and if it is a light etch it MIGHT some out with some machine compounding OR require some serious wet-sanding to mitigate that "stained" appearance. Not something a novice can easily do. Deep etching required a repaint of the area to "fix" it.
As far as a product to remove bugs, I`ve used Poorboy`s World Bug Squash. It works very well at "dissolving" bugs without requiring excessive rubbing with a bug pad that will scratch/swirl/marr clear coated paint. The important thing to do is to remove bugs as soon as possible and not let them dwell on painted exterior surfaces for extended periods of time (more than a week). Grasshopper guts are the worst and any moisture (humid days or rain) will accelerate the etching. Bird dropping are even worse. Seagulls and Canadian Geese droppings are horrible and should be removed that same day, even if it just spot washing.

As far as leather care, there are a lot of different products to use. I would suggest Griot`s Garage 3-in-1 Leather Care Creme (NOT the liquid spray!) for something easy and effective for your leather care.
If you want something a lot "better", but more expensive, look at Colourlock Leather Care.
More forum thread info on leather care, please see:
Most Effective Leather Reconditioner
See post #54 from Stokdgs about Spinnybeck Leather Care products!!!!


Want to know the latest about what to apply to an exterior paint, sometimes referred to as a Last-Step Product or its acronym LSP, see the recent thread discussion on graphene coatings: (Very lengthy, but great info on this new product development!)
Is Graphene the next big thing for coatings?

[Roll Tiges]

Thank you all for great information. Lonnie, I agree with you. I believe they are etched in the paint already. I live in Kansas and the bugs are horrible many months in the year. Thanks again to everyone. I have enjoyed this forum so far. Great info.