Detailing living in an apartment??

L

Lord Banshee

New member
Ok so what would you guys suggest. I have the worse of all.. no garage, cars everywhere and no trees...



So far my best bet has been going to an unbusy self serve car wash and doing most of my work there. But 10 dollars for water eats at you. Just wondering if anyone else that lives in an apartment that keeps care of their car, what method do you do?





On a side note i am getting a PC 7424 for X-mas from my girlfriend. I guess i will have to wait for those cloudy days to use it :nixweiss . But i really need it, i am not sure what i have done to my poor paint buy my hood and side view mirrors are in bad shape... :(
 
For washing a very light amount of dirt, look at Poorboys Spray and Wipe. For more serious dirt, look at Protect All's Quick and Easy wash. Both of these are perfect for washing while living in an apartment.



If you dont have shade and you want to work on your car I reccomend the products made by ClearKoat and Poorboys World. I have used many of their products with no problems on very bright and hot days.



Hope this helps :D
 
Yeah, QEW is your best bet for washing. It's easy to use even in direct sunlight.



As for polishing with the PC, you might want to consider a power inverter that you can plug your PC into and use your cars battery for power. That way you can do your polishing in the self service bay, if it's not busy. However, I've never tried this or known anyone who did, it's just an idea off the top of my head.



S100 paint cleaner and wax are also good products to use if you will be working in direct sunlight.
 
I feel for you. I lived in apartments most of my life. I recently bought a townhouse that has it's own garage, because I got tired of dealing with it. It has been great having a place to keep the car, and being able to wash and detail it whenever I want.
 
QEW and Spray & Wipe are both great when you don't have the option of breaking out a hose. I use Spray & Wipe for light dirt/dust and QEW for heavier dirt when the car wash in my complex is down or unavailable (like now since it got below freezing last week).



If you have heavy dirt a common practice is to use the diy pressure sprayer to knock off the heavy dirt and then go home & use QEW. Lots of folks up North do that in the winter with good results.



For working in direct sunlight you cannot beat Poorboy's products. Their line is designed to work in direct sunlight...the issue with sunlight is that it heats up the body panels which speeds up the flash/cure time. Poorboy's SSR series is great at correcting defects and you could use EX or EX-P as a last step to protect your great look.
 
im sorry but can someone tell me what QEW stands for? i have been trying to figure it out and i cant. i think it stands for quick exterior wash but im not sure.

thanks
 
shaunthebadass said:
im sorry but can someone tell me what QEW stands for? i have been trying to figure it out and i cant. i think it stands for quick exterior wash but im not sure.

thanks
Click to expand...



QEW = Quick & Easy Wash. It is made by a company called ProtectAll
 
Burlyq,



Not sure what to make of you but it seems like most of your posts have had an attitude attached. No one has said any product will work better in the sun than in the shade but there are products that work just as well in the sun (Poorboy's, for example).
 
hftw Audi 6 said:
QEW, never used it but have heard toss of amazing things and have read up on it, sounds like a good thing to try!
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It is one of those things, like Spray & Wipe or a QD, that you have to try before you really believe it. A member saw my car yesterday after a QEW wash & commented that it really works well...he is waiting for winter to really hit before using his.



QEW won't replace Perls or P21S or Pinnacle, but when I need to get in a quick wash I'll use it year round now.
 
Any suggestions on a power supply (outside of the converter) for detailing in an apt?



I'm moving into one next year, and i think my DeWalt and PC will work much better with electric power than not.
 
RedCivic95DX said:
Any suggestions on a power supply (outside of the converter) for detailing in an apt?



I'm moving into one next year, and i think my DeWalt and PC will work much better with electric power than not.
Click to expand...



Take your detailing needs into consideration when you are looking at apartments. Many newer complexes have nice car wash bays, but there are a few places that will not allow detailing...obviously you want to avoid these.



The same things come into play with townhouses & condos. On the whole I'd say apartments may be more tolerable than some home owners associations.



Well I live in a ground floor unit and there are 2 outlets on my patio so that's what I use. If you live on a ground floor unit there are many advantages (especially if you have a nice home theater system) that outweigh the disadvantages of having someone above you IMO. Another advantage of living on the ground floor at most newer apartments is that your storage area tends to be off of the balcony or patio...this gives you easy access to your supplies as you detail so you don't have to lug them all to your car.



My last apartment had an attached 2 car garage, but that's history now. I am looking into a garage where I currently live and plan to move to a townhouse with a garage next year.



When I lived in town a few years ago it was a challenge, but I got to know a neighbor and she would let me run an extension cord through her window.
 
Thanks guys, i think might have to try this poorboys stuff.



On a sidenote, i have a lot of the Quick Detail by Mothers, But it seems to leave residue behind.. Like oilly streaks. i have tried to spray it on the car it self then wipe from top to bottom and i also tried to spray it on the rag. Same result. Reason why i don't use it. Is it something that i am doing wrong or does mothers just do that??
 
You may want to consider using 2 towels for the Mother's QD...one to work the product with and the other to buff it off.



I have relegated the Showtime for clay lube use only, but that's partly because I have so many QDs...
 
Hmmm, maybe I should start renting out my driveway and see how long it takes either the city or HOA to shut me down.
 
mtodde,

Doing this, use on cloth to put on and another to take off. same method as appling polish?



On the poorboys stuff is this a great combo by hand and/or PC?



Start

1. SSR1

2. Poorboys Polish with carnauba

3. EX-P or EX-sealant



Anybody try their Natural Look Dreassing for the inside?
 
Lord Banshee said:
mtodde,

Doing this, use on cloth to put on and another to take off. same method as appling polish?



On the poorboys stuff is this a great combo by hand and/or PC?



Start

1. SSR1

2. Poorboys Polish with carnauba

3. EX-P or EX-sealant



Anybody try their Natural Look Dreassing for the inside?
Click to expand...



If you apply like a polish with 2 microfibers I think you'll be happy with the results; I always use a front & back motion that goes with the airflow rather than side to side or circular motions.



Depending on the level of defects, if any, you may want to subsitute SSR 2.5 for SSR 1. SSR 1 is great, but if you are going to use PwC it may be redundant. I'd do both, but I'm more anal than most. I like EX on darker cars & EX-P on metallic & lighter paint, but have seen a lot of great pics of EX-P on dark cars too.



Natural Look is a good product, however it leaves a shinier finish than I prefer on my dash. I like the fact that it cleans and protects and use it sometimes on my doors & plastic. It works great on tires BTW.
 
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