The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

This is a thread I have put up on other sites and it is amazing how many people have little things they do that most never think of. In my house, vinegar and bleach are king and queen. The wife really goes overboard on trying to kill a germ. lol

Anyway, this week was detail week for our autos and I thought I would share my way of beading off rain and snow. Wax your windows! Doesn't have to be a through job. I spread it on lightly and either buff it out or wipe with a clean towel. The rain will just bead off for months. I do all windows. Cheaper and better than Rain-X.

Another car tip.

The headlights on my X-Terra and pickup truck starting fogging up some time ago and contned to get worse. I tried cleaning, buffing and even wet sanding with 600 grit. Nothing worked and the sandpaper made it worse. I ended up buying Turtle Wax Lens Restorer. It comes with everything you need to do 2 or 3 vehicles and cost less than 10 dollars. It did a very good job, but was not perfect despite repeated applications. Grade = B

If you do give it a try, consider this...

Do final lens clarifying compound on all vehicles / lights at the same time. The reason is the kit comes with plenty of lube, pads and spray, but only 1 small sealing wipe (prevents future occurrence).

Let final application of compound dry completely and I mean completely. At least an hour.

On initial application of compound, really rub it hard and keep it wet when you use the pads.

Bottom line is the product did a VG job and I did a total of 3 vehicles (4 lights for me) for under 10 dollars. The reason for only 4 of the 6 lights being affected is unknown, but every vehicle had worse fogging on the side of the battery. Could be a chemical reaction between the battery and the plastic...my best guess.

The non battery side of the Nissan Frontier was not affected at all and the non battery side of the X-Terra, only slightly. The 3rd car, a Dodge Sebring was the worst of the 3 with the battery side being almost non-salvageable.       

Yea, I used to buff my car with a high speed buffer when I was younger. I would always go over all of the windows when buffing the final wax coat. It would clean, polish, and apply a light coat or wax to the glass. Just make sure the wax you are using is a regular wax or glaze and not a cutting compound or wax with abrasive

Use a thick white toothpaste to clean your foggy headlights - magic!!

I use Meguiars Gold, best wax on the market IMO and I have tried them all. It is about 12-15 dollars a bottle, but worth it. Never use a rubbing compound, ever. That really cuts the paint. Meguiars lasts a long time and takes the heat and cold very well.

I have heard that, but didn't try it. The main thing is not to use something abrasive as almost all headlight covers are plastic and easily scratched. Did not want to take the chance. The kit I bought works more on dissolving the fog more than "scratching it off", but glad it worked for you.

If you want to get the smell of cigar/cigarette smoke out of your car, a few moist fabric softener sheets will do the trick.  I discovered this when I let a friend of mine borrow my car and he smoked in it.

I would have figured that stuff would have been more like polishing compounds where the cutting agent or grit just got finer and finer. Isn't it like a 4 or 5 step process with different compounds ?

I detailed cars for about a year and a half in the early 90s and I rarely used the stuff in the stores, never got good results. Depending on the color of the car and how much I was getting paid I always did a 3-5 step buff and wax and used stuff from local suppliers that serviced the local dealerships. That stuff worked so much better. Detailing cars made me not want to do my own, ha ha. Needless to say, I haven't buffed or waxed anything in years. Is that Meguiars Gold a one step cut and wax type thing ?

Not a smoker, but heard cutting an apple in 1/4's and leaving it inside the car with windows closed also absorbs the odors. 

I can not believe that these car makers haven't figured out a way to make headlights without them looking disgusting after 3-4 years.  That is really irritating, as my Altima is starting to fog up and it annoys the crap out of me.  I'm considering dropping the $400-500 to get new headlight assemblies just to get rid of it. 

I did the buffing/wet sanding process on my previous car and it was never the same again.  I am wondering if maybe applying a vinyl protective film to them will help prolong their life.

Yes, Gold is a cleaner & wax combo. There is probably better industrial waxes, but all I know is after 6 months my truck still holds a bead and looks fantastic. I have a friend that details airplanes. I will have to ask him what he uses. 

Tony, I tried your toothpaste idea on a particularly stubborn spot and it didn't help. Maybe it was the wrong brand lol (Ultrabrite).

Anyone out there notice the correlation on my theory of the battery side attracting the fog through chemical reaction. Maybe it is just a coincidence, but all 3 cars I did were only foggy on the battery side.

Can someone tell me how to wash my car without getting white streaks and stuff on it? (It's a black car if that matters.)  I usually get it detailed, but want to cut that down to every other month or so.

Note: I have not washed a car in years. So, I might not even have the right tools.

Fill a 1 liter bottle with water, a couple of drops of bleach and a few pebbles.  Then, place it in the back of your toilet tank.  It still gives you enough water to adequately flush even the most stubborn of turds, yet saves you water with every flush.  It saves you money on your water bill, without a loss in performance.

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! As I said in my earlier post, I am pretty happy with how my X-Terra came out and I am anal about my truck. There are several "anti-fog kits" on the market. The guy at Discount Auto told me they were pretty much all the same so I bought a cheaper one (Turtle Wax). Meguirs makes one as does many others.

Besides, if you did splurge for new lights, how long before you have the same problem? The replacements will be the exact same thing you already have.   

I actually have an interesting one I just learned.

To clean microfiber couches:

1. Vacuum really well.
2. You're going to need the following: rubbing alcohol, a clean sponge, and a scrub brush.
3. Spray the area you want to clean with the alcohol.
4. Rub with the sponge to get out the stain or dirt.
5. Then go over the microfiber with the scrub brush.

I learned this after my pup had thrown up on my white couches. Now the spot that I cleaned is nice and white and I need to do the whole damn couch. (Note: DO NOT EVER BUY WHITE COUCHES.)

Yeah, I figure they'll last me another 4-5 years and by then the car will have close to 150,000 miles on it and probably be done-for.  But, at least I'll have nice clean headlights!

On the headlights issue,are they getting condensation in the inside? Or is it the hazy cloudy on the outside?

My Mom's Dakota headlights were really yellow,then she got in a minor fender bender.She broke the passenger turn indicator,on the side and the turn signal cover on the bottom.(and the bracket that held everything).I replaced both headlights with cheap P.O.S.,and on her new one(just the passenger side) got condensation,then filled up with water.(blew the bulb) All the silver reflective material inside the one headlight fell off..It was a nightmare,Eventually I got some Anzo USA replacements for $120 on Amazon..They've been awesome...they have the bulb turning the wrong way...

My point is,when I pulled that one off,it was missing the little thumb screw with the rubber gasket on the side.It was what caused the Headlight to get condensation,then fill up with water...The Anzo's didn't have a screw,but like a "U" shaped rubber tube..

My experience with headlight restorers.
I used Mother's Headlight restoration kit on my taillights of my truck (I got it on sale at the Irish Mafia,O'Reilly's ) for like $12.It came with a polish ball,microfiber cloth,and bottle of the cleaning liquid. I had ok results,the tail lights weren't all cloudy,just the edges that curve around to the side.

The stuff bailed me out big time somewhere else...

My comment on White couches...My mom learned the hard way when a 4 year old hillbilly "tagged"  the side of one of her two white couches with purple marker. ;)

I will use the microfiber clean up technique,with my two dogs...

Headlights: Only on the outside. If you have condensation on the inside, it is another issue.

Saw the Mothers, but I went with another brand. I liked the fact the Turtle had 4 sandpaper pads of varying grit. All were smoother than 600 grit.

To Brian: Love the Altima! We had a Maxima for years. The thing was gas and go and driving it was like sitting in a cockpit of a 767. lol

Here is one that I don't use, but someone out there might like it.

My Mother-In-Law uses empty toilet paper rolls to keep electrical cords stored in (toaster, crockpot...). She just folds them in 3 or 4 equal lengths and stuffs it in. 

Does anyone who live in cold areas "winterize" their lawn equipment? I was told I should drain the gas and oil in my mowers, weed-eaters and blowers for the winter. I can see draining the gas, but what could go wrong with the oil??