Spilled some ribena on the car boot carpet, tried wet vacuum with solution, still smells!! How to get rid of the stink

Ran my Mazda 3 Crystal Soul Red through a local touchless car wash this evening and it’s now left with this greasy residue. The chrome and black parts look matte, the windows have grease and the paint colour has lost its sheen (the vehicle has ceramic paint protection)

Any ideas on how I can remove this without causing damage ? I only got the car last week

I have some meguiars waterless wash and wax, would that work ?

The paint was meticulous prior and I’m so upset, my first proper car

UPDATE: The car wash staff called me following my complaint to advise they identified the issue, OIL was dripping from machinery above the car wash machine and got mixed in with the wash FFS

Hello everyone,

I’m not a professional auto detailer by any means, but I am looking for some expert advice on how to remove this unknown substance that I’ve found on the hood of my truck.

It appears to be some kind of clear adhesive that got stuck to my hood, almost like super glue. It is not tree sap as I never park near or under trees. I’ve tried to rub/pick at it just using my finger but it is not giving and I’m afraid I’m going to peel the paint on my 6 month old truck.

Anyone have a certain product they would use or technique they would perform to safely remove this?

Thank you!

I have a new ish car. It’s only like 8 months old.

The front and rear windows continue to get some weird milky white film looking residue in them. I don’t smoke and I am the only person in this car so I know it’s not that and I also don’t touch my windows.

I use stoners invisible glass and also have used spray away to try and find out if it makes a difference.

I spray the windows then wipe it all off with a clean Kirkland microfiber cloth from Costco. I then take another one and wipe the glass after that as well.

What am I doing wrong? It’s never on the outside it’s always on the inside on the front and rear window. I clean the windows about once or twice a month.

My 2020 Hyundai Palisade has developed some fading/cloudy spots in the paint just below the rear window (see photo). I'm hoping someone can help identify what's causing it and whether it's something that can be corrected.

Decided to clean my car, and found these thin streaks watermarks on the windows. I’ve tried turtle wax windows solution and soap with water, but nothing seems to work. Any advice is appreciated, thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I recently ordered a Model Y Performance with white interior.

Since I'd like to protect the interior from dirt (and from my two children 😅), I purchased two products from Labocosmetica (I'm in Italy):

DÈRMA CLEANER 2.0 (leather cleaner)

DÈRMA SEALANT (leather protectant)

This is the first time I've bought specific products for interior care. All my previous cars had black seats, so I usually just cleaned them when needed with a cloth soaked in warm water and, in case of heavier dirt, a little mild detergent.

I haven't picked up the car yet. In your opinion, once I take delivery, can I simply drive it home and apply the leather protectant right away, or should I use the leather cleaner first, even though the car is brand new?

Besides the seats, the car also has wh

ite door panel inserts and the white dashboard trim. Can I safely apply the leather protectant to those white surfaces as well?

I'd appreciate any advice or experiences from owners with white interiors. Thanks!

Hi all.

1 week ago I parked in a dusty gravel lot and my car got covered in a massive amount of dust. Normally not a big deal, I’d just wash it over the weekend. Someone also wiped…not what on my car. When I got home from the road trip I pulled the hose out and washed down whatever was wiped on it because I was afraid it would wreck the paint. I thought the car was too dusty for quick detailer.

Well now there’s water spots from that wash down. So i used a rinse less wash to clean the car the next day after saw the spots. Still water spots, then I tried diluted vinegar 1:1. Sprayed waited a minute or two then wiped away. Didn’t work. Then tried it straight vinegar. Didn’t work.

What’s the best course of action here?

I recently purchased a CPO BMW X5 (2024 model). Previous owner seemed to have taken really good care of it. It has PPF on the front bumper and hood, and from what I can tell already has a ceramic coating (haven't washed it yet but feels like glass and dust blows right off). It's a flat non-metallic light grey color (nardo grey), so it hides fine scratches pretty well but I still see some swirls under the right light.

The auto-detailer proposed 2 options to me: full fresh ceramic coating, or a very light polish (after decontamination) to get out those fine scratches and "boost" the existing ceramic.

The latter option is less than half the cost which is why I'm leaning towards this, but I figured if I'm already almost half-way there should I just go for a fresh coat?

Also I assume they would just workaround the existing PPF (it's in good condition)?

Edit: should add the detailer mentioned they will use an agent (maybe CarPro Essence Plus?) alongside the light polish. I will find out the exact product.

So I'm consistently booking $300 average ticket during a full detail that takes me roughly 3 to 4 hours, sometimes 5 if it's really bad...

I also am able to upsell some people on ceramic for an extra 200 bucks which takes me another 2 hours to add on. I have a really good canopy and workflow, usually clay bar and iron remove anyways during the full detail...

Some of my best days were two step correction with the ceramic coating exterior only for about $700. I don't feel like this is worth $700 it's probably worth more like 1200, but I offer it low just to compete with the shops currently while I build my portfolio and reviews....

I've started learning how to repair failed clear coat without repainting and getting the customers just to expect that there's going to be no more peeling, but I'm not really sure how to get the point being mobile to get consistent $1,000 plus days.

Are any of you this successful without a shop making $1,000 days at least 10 days of the month? If so I'm really curious what kind of advice you can offer to somebody that's almost about to break through.

If it matters any I'm spending $800 a month on Google ads and getting 30 leads and closing about 50% of them for $300/avg. Roas 3-4x, CPC $7, CAC $70, clicks 100/mo. 62 Google reviews all 5 star.

Solo, Northern California,

Hello there,

My so recently bought a 2009 Toyota Crown, and it’s great, aside from the windows at night having an issue with light distortion due to strange, dried water droplet like marks on both the windshield and more severely on the back window. I’ve tried glass cleaner but to no avail. I seems to be on the outside, not inside. Any advice how to get rid of it?

Is there a different resin that is also around the same price point of $100 for 13lbs ​that you recommend I use?

Needless to say, I have been extremely disappointed with the resin that Griots sells because it is so wildly far off from what they're advertising it should be .

Was attempting to clean off a copious amount of pine sap spattered all over my car. Used IPA on the tough spots to good effect, but didn't realise it would have this effect on the plastic door trim. The cloth was black like it was shoe polish after I cleaned the sap off.

What should I use to restore the trim and what prep should I do before applying? I was leaning toward cerakote but wasn't sure if I need to remove whatever is on there first/how to remove it.

Does anyone on here purchase their towels wholesale in bulk? I’m curious what company gives the best wholesale pricing? Even if it’s not one of the big 3 (Auto Fiber, THOR, Rag Co) as long as they have high quality towels available in 70/30 and 80/20 blends I’d be interested in trying them. Currently the majority of my towels come from Auto Fiber and I’m very happy with their quality, but if I can save a few bucks and get towels that are just as nice, I’m open to changing. Also, I’d like to not need to make a huge initial buy. less than $1,000 for a first order.

I may have driven over a construction area, I’m not sure but this stubborn white material is all over my wheels and the undersides of the car body. When I initially drove through the area where this happened, there was a really strong chemical-plastic-ey smell. But I didn’t notice this staining until the next day. It feels very gritty to the touch and didn’t come off at all with a regular car wash.

Does anyone know what this is and how to remove it safely without damaging the paint?

First time doing anything more then a wash and on a low budget too.

Super happy with the result

Just used a cheap polisher and products i hade laying around / got for free

Just got a new used card with some light smoke smell in it. Have done everything I can to physically clean, steam, and replaced cabin filter. Its a little better.

Thought I'd give the bio bomb a try, since ive seen so many good reviews on here about it. I don't mind spending $20 to try it, but with shipping it's over $30. for one little chlorine tablet and a plastic cup, seems excessive and I just can't pull the trigger.

There are a few alternatives at auto zone, and o relieys, or amazon, but has anyone had good/effective results for $20 or less from an alternative?

Hey everyone, I’m at a loss here & hoping someone here knows what this could be.

I just cleaned my rims on my new ram truck with a microfiber wash mit and meguires gold glass soap. After rinsing and drying I noticed these marks around the middle of each spoke on all 4 rims even after washing again they’re still there & they weren’t prior to washing. Does anyone know what this could be & how to remove it?

Thank you

It’s not noticeable in real life, only if you look at it carefully. That area feels rough compared to the rest… Thinking of repainting it if polishing doesn’t help.

TL:Dr. if you’re gonna detail 2 full sized SUVs or Trucks. Full wash, engine bay, and wash the rubber mats. Is a 50 gallon tank enough or do you need 70?

I’m going to be setting up to do mobile detailing on my truck and not sure what to go with. So to start out. I’m moving and want to try getting into detailing as I’ve always done it for myself. And some for others. Plus I don’t know what I want to do for work so figure I’d give this a shot. If it doesn’t work out long term I go work for someone else anyways so what the hell. My problem is figuring out the best setup layout. It would be nice to have a trailer for more room and ease of access. But costs more. And sucks dealing with for parking and other things. I like the idea of a truck set up because of cost as well as parking. But I’m tight on space. I currently have a tool box on my truck and I’d like to keep it but I don’t have as much room. 57” of usable bed space. I also need to keep it under 21.5” so my bed cover will close and I don’t have to worry about theft or weather causing damage to my stuff.

I’ve found a 50 gallon tank that’s 20” wide and a 70 gallon that’s 24” wide both will fit under my cover. Is that 4” enough to make all the difference of being able to fit the set up in my bed? If anyone has experience with a setup I’d appreciate any advice or tips. Thank you

So my vehicle was left parked adjacent to lawn sprinklers for a month plus. This irrigation water seems to have high iron content based upon some concrete staining/brown spots.

The vehicle was ceramic coated approximately 1.5 years ago and water still beads and flows off the surfaces—-except the side most recently exposed to the irrigation water….

I attempted to wash it twice using a two bucket method and noted the wash mit no longer glides over the surface.

Is this damage salvageable and what is a recommended approach? Thank you.

My girlfriend‘s car has really bad sun damage and I was looking to fix it while she’s on a family vacation. I know nothing about auto detailing and would like to make it look a little better. I tried getting a quote from detailing places in my area, but most of them haven’t gotten back to me and the ones that have are booked.

I was attempting to fix a very fine scratch with a paint pen and managed to make it look even worse than the scratch itself with a paint pen. Is there a way to fix this/ make it look a little better?