TravelGal Requests Assistance

[TravelGal]

Thanks to the boss for allowing me to have this thread.

Background. I purchased a three-pack of Windows 10. It's on my desktop, Larry's desktop, and a laptop. I LOVE the laptop even though it's old because I like the keyboard. It's a Lenovo from 2010. BUT the battery is dead so it has to stay plugged in.

1) Can I run it this way indefinitely or will the whole thing eventually croak because there is no battery life?

2) If croak, will Microsoft allow me move that Windows 10 onto another laptop I have that is now running Windows 7?

Merci.

[WickerBill]

1) Yes you can. And with some Lenovos, you can also replace the battery. Tell me the model number and I'll point you in the right direction.

2) Also yes. You can reinstall Win10 and when it tries to activate itself, it may have you call an automated phone number to confirm yourself, but it's pretty painless for something coming out of Redmond.

[TravelGal]

I'm going to call you "Staples" because that was easy.

Model Y530.

I'm surprised Microsoft is so flexible on this issue but glad to know it. I'd like to keep this laptop but I do need to be able to move it around. The entire point of having it. :)

[WickerBill]

Here is the battery at Sears: http://www.sears.com/xtend-laptop-batteries-lenovo-ideapad-y510-y510a-y530/p-SPM9478227222

And also cheaper at a site I've never heard of: https://www.laptopbatteryexpress.com/Lenovo-Y510-Y510A-Y530-Battery-p/len-y510.htm (but this site gets a pretty good score on resellerratings.com (8.7/10) and on Google Shopping (92% positive).


You are fortunate that in your model, the battery is easily replaceable without opening the laptop. That's one huge benefit of your machine being a little older - many newer model Lenovos have to be taken apart for battery replacement.

[TravelGal]

Amazing. I was told years ago that batteries were not available so I assumed that still to be true. When I looked this morning, they were both the same price, no cost for shipping. I placed the order at Sears to keep them in business one or two more minutes before bankruptcy. Also, they participate in iGive so my preferred charity gets a penny or two. Besides, when you get to check out, you see" Xtend Laptop Batteries Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 Y510p Y510A Y530 Battery. Sold by Laptop Battery Express - a Sears Marketplace seller" That's the same alternate place you found and THAT place requires you set up an account. With Sears you can check out as guest. Both allow payment by PayPal, which is my payment option for my business. When it arrives I'll check YouTube for a replacement video. Surely some guy in India has already posted it. :)

Next question. I mistakenly asked Firefox to save a password. How to do I go about cancelling that? Merci beaucoup.

[WickerBill]

In FF, click the three-bar menu icon (far right). Choose Options. Choose Privacy and Security. Find and click the "Saved Logins" button.

:)

[Insomniac]

I'm surprised Microsoft is so flexible on this issue but glad to know it. I'd like to keep this laptop but I do need to be able to move it around. The entire point of having it. :)

They're flexible because you bought the licenses at retail. If it came with your computer, they'd be quite rigid.


Amazing. I was told years ago that batteries were not available so I assumed that still to be true.

Lenovo may've stopped making them, but usually other companies will continue to manufacture/refurbish them well after that point.

[TravelGal]

In FF, click the three-bar menu icon (far right). Choose Options. Choose Privacy and Security. Find and click the "Saved Logins" button.

:)

Holy Croak! What a raft of entries. Poolhost wins. At least 20 by the time I reached the one I wanted to delete in the first place. Thank you, Mr. Staples. Worked like a charm. I'm taking Easter off so everyone can enjoy the rest of their weekend. :thumbup:

[TravelGal]

They're flexible because you bought the licenses at retail. If it came with your computer, they'd be quite rigid.

Lenovo may've stopped making them, but usually other companies will continue to manufacture/refurbish them well after that point.

Ah, good to know Insomniac. Larry was always very leery of software that came already installed. I had asked at Best Buy but maybe it was just the wrong time. Anyway, I'm glad a new battery is on its way.

[WickerBill]

How'd the battery work?

[TravelGal]

How'd the battery work?

The daaaaam thing hasn't arrived yet. I should have known better than to order from "Sears." It must be the extra step of relaying theorder to the other joint but it was supposed to be here last Friday and hasn't arrived yet. Maybe today, according to the tracker.

[TravelGal]

Updates: The battery arrived just as I was heading to Florida for the spreading of TravelMom's ashes. I've been back a week but no time to tinker because I'm leaving tomorrow to take the trip I won last December. It was meant to be the crowning experience of my many trips to Tahiti. Larry was so thrilled that I won, he even agreed to go with me. As departure gets closer, it gets harder to keep moving, packing, etc. as the reality of his being gone is demonstrated in yet another way. See you guys the week of May 20.

[SteveH]

I hope you have a good time, TG. :thumbup:

You know where I was last week. So there were a few thoughts of you and Larry along the way.

[nrc]

Updates: The battery arrived just as I was heading to Florida for the spreading of TravelMom's ashes. I've been back a week but no time to tinker because I'm leaving tomorrow to take the trip I won last December. It was meant to be the crowning experience of my many trips to Tahiti. Larry was so thrilled that I won, he even agreed to go with me. As departure gets closer, it gets harder to keep moving, packing, etc. as the reality of his being gone is demonstrated in yet another way. See you guys the week of May 20.

I'm sure that will be tough at times. Just remember how thrilled he was that you were getting to go and enjoy it the way that he would want.

Have a great trip.

[Kiwifan]

Thanks for the updates via FB Gal. Looks exciting. I really hope you can get some enjoyment from your trip, I know Larry would want you to have a good time.

Take care, Rusty.

[TravelGal]

Thanks for the encouragement on the trip. It was hard. Even though or especially because it was a trip I'd wanted to take for at least 20 years. The Marquesas are beautiful and the freighter truly is a hybrid with lots of freight going on and off but fabulous meals and very nice accommodations.

Larry's memorial is a week from Saturday. I started looking through pictures on his computer to make a slide show. His and my computers are the same hardware, both running Windows 10. He gussied his up with a lot of extra programs so when I look at his photos, it offers me the choice to "add to a Creation." I did that with about a dozen photos a couple of days ago. Now, when I open any folder in pictures, I can add individual photos to the "creation" but I can't find it itself to bring it up to copy onto a drive to take it to the luncheon. Where the devil is it? It has a separate name (Larry June 9) but no search will bring that up and I can't see it in Pictures or in Libraries. On his computer, when I open Pictures, it says, "This is Photos" and describes all the wonderful things you can do with them in your creation. That's jake but where the H is it? Sigh.

[gerhard911]

OK, I am basically guessing here but look to see if Windows Moviemaker is installed on his computer. You might find it there.

[SteveH]

Search your disk (C?) for the file name using Windows Explorer. If you’re not exact, search for what you know is in the file name.

https://www.digitalcitizen.life/open-file-explorer-windows

When you find it, load it on your PC to see if it will play without the software that created it.

[TravelGal]

OK, I am basically guessing here but look to see if Windows Moviemaker is installed on his computer. You might find it there.


Search your disk (C?) for the file name using Windows Explorer. If you’re not exact, search for what you know is in the file name.

https://www.digitalcitizen.life/open-file-explorer-windows

When you find it, load it on your PC to see if it will play without the software that created it.

On it. Will report back tomorrow. :)

[TravelGal]

Progress (?) report. Using the search term "The Photos" revealed the file. It's now on the start menu so I can find it easily. I can add photos, create a slide show, add music if I like BUT every time I try to export it, it says something like, "oops, there's a problem. try again." Today, I'll be trying to figure out how to copy it before I spend a lot more time adding photos. It's definitely some sort of app that downloaded. That's all I know so far.

[gerhard911]

Try double clicking on the file. If the app registered the file type with Windows it should load. If it doesn't start an app right click on the file and select properties to find the file extension. You should see "The Photos.xxx". xxx is the file extension and could be useful in determining what app created it.

[TravelGal]

My patience is fairly short this this stuff. Double click or right click, it just opens the file. When you read the properties, it just says "app." No file extension. Eventually I found "About this app: Microsoft Photos 2018.18041.15210.0 " That's all I can find. I spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out how to delete or uninstall it since it affects every single picture on his computer. No luck. I eventually figured out how to email the pictures I want individually. It will be laborious but I can't get them to go en masse so I that's the best I have. :irked:

[Kiwifan]

I have a photo taken a few years ago Gal. It pops up on my screensaver quite often and I always wonder if you would like a copy. Especially now. :cry:

I appreciate you are having issues with your pictures at the mo but I can email you the pic if you would like an extra one of Larry.

Rusty.

[TravelGal]

I'd love it, Rusty. They are all so precious to me now.

[gerhard911]

My patience is fairly short this this stuff. Double click or right click, it just opens the file. When you read the properties, it just says "app." No file extension. Eventually I found "About this app: Microsoft Photos 2018.18041.15210.0 " That's all I can find. I spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out how to delete or uninstall it since it affects every single picture on his computer. No luck. I eventually figured out how to email the pictures I want individually. It will be laborious but I can't get them to go en masse so I that's the best I have. :irked:

That's an app that is included with Win 10. Go to the start menu and scroll down through the application list until you get to "P". Select "Photos" and it will launch the app. I haven't played with it but you will see a 'Create' menu item that may let you make a slideshow (video) of your photo collection.

[TravelGal]

That's an app that is included with Win 10. Go to the start menu and scroll down through the application list until you get to "P". Select "Photos" and it will launch the app. I haven't played with it but you will see a 'Create' menu item that may let you make a slideshow (video) of your photo collection.

Thanks G911. I can do all that. What I can't seem to do is export or even copy it so having the slideshow does me no good. Back to it right now, however, as I promised the guy that's hosting the memorial that I'd have him the a/v by today.

[gerhard911]

Well, I just played around with it for 5 minutes and was able to select a handful of photos plus a short video and then 'create' a video of the collection. It took a bit of time to compose (I chose the 'largest size' option) but when it finished it told me the location where it saved the .mp4 file. It also gave me options to 1) View in this app, 2) View in File Explorer or 3) Share on social media, email or another app.

If you View in File Explorer you should be able to copy the .mp4 file to a flash drive or burn to a CD or DVD. Share on social media gave me options to upload to Facebook, Youtube. etc.

When you select 'create' what happens? :confused:

[TravelGal]

Sorry for the late reply. Because I couldn't get it to work, I took my chisel and quill pen and spent HOURS getting a folder of 110 photos together. To answer the question. I can create the album in Microsoft Photos. The problem initially was to share it. I eventually figured out how to email individual photos. To export the album one can choose One Drive or Sway. Whatever they are. NOW the problem is that it closes as soon as I make a selection or in about 15 seconds if I don't do anything so I can't do anything with it at all. Too weird. I'll probably keep working at it but this week is over committed so it won't be for a while. Thanks for trying to drag me through it.

[TravelGal]

WB, just so you know, a friend came today to copy the "Larry file" onto a jump drive to make a slideshow for Saturday's reception. I handed him the box with battery for the laptop (remember that?), he turned the laptop over, popped out the old battery, put in the new battery and smiled. Took no more than 20 second. The battery is now up to about 75% charged and I'm looking forward to having my old laptop fully functional by this afternoon. :D

[WickerBill]

WB, just so you know, a friend came today to copy the "Larry file" onto a jump drive to make a slideshow for Saturday's reception. I handed him the box with battery for the laptop (remember that?), he turned the laptop over, popped out the old battery, put in the new battery and smiled. Took no more than 20 second. The battery is now up to about 75% charged and I'm looking forward to having my old laptop fully functional by this afternoon. :D

Excellent!

[TravelGal]

Since several of you read this thread, I'm going to post this here. Do any of you collect models of planes? Specifically of different airlines? I have Xiamen Air 787-7 Scale 1/500 and somewhere Fiji Airlines somewhat larger. Probably more in various places in my office. Before I pop them in the garage sale bin, I thought I'd see if anyone here wants them. I don't mind paying (US) postage.

[TravelGal]

No takers on the model planes. Fine. Into the garage sale bin.

I learned yesterday that Kelly Blue Book is not an absolute valuation of your car, based on its attributes. It's that and comps, exactly like real estate. Therefore the Acura that was worth $5800 on April 28 is worth $4900 today, apparently due to lower sales prices in my zip code. Bummer.

[Kiwifan]

No takers on the model planes. Fine. Into the garage sale bin.

I learned yesterday that Kelly Blue Book is not an absolute valuation of your car, based on its attributes. It's that and comps, exactly like real estate. Therefore the Acura that was worth $5800 on April 28 is worth $4900 today, apparently due to lower sales prices in my zip code. Bummer.

I hear you re car valuations, it’s one way traffic for sure.

Sorry about the late reply on the model planes, only just saw it. If only we were closer, lol. I had a whole carton of planes that my lad had collected over the years and was reluctant to throw them out. Now he has kids they have been recycled. :) Funny looking back at brands that have since passed into aviation history.

[TravelGal]

First in a string of embarrassing questions. My email is set up so that pictures don't open immediately. This is to keep out viruses, of course.

Each email starts with the same note (with the name of the sender) Example: "To protect your privacy, remote images are blocked in this message. Display images. Always show images from info@hideawaysafrica.com. "

I've never accepted the "Always show "option even though I get emails from the same suppliers all the time. I was afraid that someone would spoof their address and, bingo, I'd get a virus. It's tiresome and time-consuming to have to click on "Display images" for nearly every email. Is choosing "Always show" an acceptable option for suppliers I know?

[WickerBill]

Is choosing "Always show" an acceptable option for suppliers I know?

Yes, IMO.

[nrc]

Agreed. I manually whitelist people and businesses that I trust. It's highly unlikely that an image could infect your computer. There may have been vulnerabilities like that in the past but it's pretty well trodden ground at this point so as long as your system is current and gets updates I think you're safe.

The concern about these images is more privacy. Email mass marketing systems embed tracking in their emails that allow them to know who has read their email. The link to an image in the mail is specifically keyed to let them know that the email sent to your address was viewed and probably from where.

If you don't care if they know this, you're ok to whitelist them.

[TravelGal]

Thank you!!!! WB and nrc. So, the message was correct, it's more about privacy than viruses. You can tell I learned this stuff ages ago and haven't updated my mental hard drive. I rather assumed that everyone used a program like Constant Contact that tells you who opened and who deleted without opening. Revealing that through images does not bother me. If I start getting "associated" emails from places I never heard of, I'll stop the practice. Right now I've now started accepting and discover that doing that adds the address to my address book. Loving that too.

[TravelGal]

Today's embarrassing question. Thinking of my phone chargers, am I saving anything by removing them from the socket when they are not charging the phone? I read once that they should be removed but I don't really see why since they are not attached to the phone at that point. I guess the same question goes for any corded electronics. :confused:

[SteveH]

Sure, you'll save some. It may be imperceptible though. And it isn't just limited to cell phone chargers.


How to Find the Wasteful Energy Vampires in Your Home (https://lifehacker.com/how-to-find-the-wasteful-energy-vampires-in-your-home-1548909531)

[TravelGal]

Sure, you'll save some. It may be imperceptible though. And it isn't just limited to cell phone chargers.


How to Find the Wasteful Energy Vampires in Your Home (https://lifehacker.com/how-to-find-the-wasteful-energy-vampires-in-your-home-1548909531)

Yes, I thought it applied to everything. I can't say this is 100% helpful but it does make me realize which items are *probably* drawing power all the time, i.e, the TV and my new super-duper washing machine that does everything but fold the clothes for me. I'm still not clear on the cell phone charger though. It's not "off" when it's plugged in but it's not "on" because the power is not passing through to phone. Big edit: I found this in the comments section: "unplugging your cellphone charger when you're not using it, will save you about 2 cents a month (not worth all the extra effort / wear on the charger in my opinion)," Base on 2015 prices but still useful.

"it is not always obvious whether you are physically breaking the circuit when you turn it off, or whether you are merely instructing some electronics to turn off the lights on the front panel. Once again, one can often make a good guess from the design of the switch: a "hard" off switch must physically break the electrical circuit and will thus usually have a more defined mechanical action than one that does not."

[G.]

Kind of related - I have an exhaust hood over my stove, with 2 regular bulb sockets.
The lights are settable for High - Med - Low and of course Off. The setting uses 3 membrane switches to turn on/off at the given level.

I use 40 W incandescent bulbs in it.

973

I swapped the bulbs out with 2 bright LEDs, with a higher color temp (3500 I think). It gives much nicer stove lighting, better contrast, etc., and goes well with our new counter-tops. They are dimmable.

Similar to this (but with the standard base):

974

I now have a 4 position light setting: High - Med - Low and almost off. :laugh:

If I take one LED out, and put the incandescent in place of it, then both lights stay dark when the thing is turned off. It seems like the Pulse-width modulator leaves behind a bit of residual energy, enough so that the LEDs can just light up. The incandescent gives the circuit the right load to shut off fully.

Anyone else see this before?
I like the night-light effect, but am I burning the control circuit?

[SteveH]

If I take one LED out, and put the incandescent in place of it, then both lights stay dark when the thing is turned off. It seems like the Pulse-width modulator leaves behind a bit of residual energy, enough so that the LEDs can just light up. The incandescent gives the circuit the right load to shut off fully.

Anyone else see this before?
I like the night-light effect, but am I burning the control circuit?

Four or five years ago we completely renovated the kitchen. Put in several light cans in the ceiling. In the past year or so, the original incandescent lights have burnt out. I was replacing them with LEDs. Then one day last Dec. I evidently replaced the last incandescent with a LED and then they starting winking on in secession even though the switches were off. That really messed me up! :laugh: I couldn't figure out what the H was going on. After much Google I concluded that the 3 -way switches in use did not entirely cut the circuit. There was always a small amount of voltage present. As long as an incandescent was in the circuit, it would 'use up' the electricity. But once I went full LED, it was flashing light time. I replaced one LED with an incandescent, problem solved. That was much easier/cheaper than replacing the switches.

I think I have a video on my phone, if so I'll post it.

:edit: can't get a .mov file to post

[indyfan31]

Kind of related - I have an exhaust hood over my stove, with 2 regular bulb sockets.
The lights are settable for High - Med - Low and of course Off. The setting uses 3 membrane switches to turn on/off at the given level.

I use 40 W incandescent bulbs in it.

973

I swapped the bulbs out with 2 bright LEDs, with a higher color temp (3500 I think). It gives much nicer stove lighting, better contrast, etc., and goes well with our new counter-tops. They are dimmable.

Similar to this (but with the standard base):

974

I now have a 4 position light setting: High - Med - Low and almost off. :laugh:

If I take one LED out, and put the incandescent in place of it, then both lights stay dark when the thing is turned off. It seems like the Pulse-width modulator leaves behind a bit of residual energy, enough so that the LEDs can just light up. The incandescent gives the circuit the right load to shut off fully.

Anyone else see this before?
I like the night-light effect, but am I burning the control circuit?

Interesting. I replaced the halogens in my range hood with LEDs and didn't see that problem. Bright , Dim, and Off work just as before.

[indyfan31]

. . . . I'm still not clear on the cell phone charger though. It's not "off" when it's plugged in but it's not "on" because the power is not passing through to phone. Big edit: I found this in the comments section: "unplugging your cellphone charger when you're not using it, will save you about 2 cents a month (not worth all the extra effort / wear on the charger in my opinion)," Base on 2015 prices but still useful . . .

Unless these devices have changed drastically since I was a kid (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong anyone), a phone charger is just a DC power supply. It's made up of a transformer to step-down the voltage from 110v to 5 or 6v, a diode to convert the AC voltage to DC , and a "smoothing" circuit to give you a more constant DC flow.
The transformer (https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science-and-technology/computers-and-electrical-engineering/electrical-engineering/transformer)is the culprit. The AC current flows through a coil of wire that's next to (but not connected to) a smaller coil of wire. Induction (https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science-and-technology/computers-and-electrical-engineering/electrical-engineering/induction) produces the lower voltage in the smaller coil that goes on to charge your phone.
While some chargers have a circuit that turns off the power to the phone to avoid overcharging it, there's nothing to stop current from flowing through that initial coil of wire, unless you unplug it. And yes, it's miniscule.

[TravelGal]

Indyfan31, you've explained why all the cell phone companies suggested you unplug the charger from the phone as soon as the phone is charged. I routinely do that. I've decided not to bother unplugging the charger from the outlet though. Too minuscule vs wear and tear.

Today's question is seriously something for the techno-dudes and dudettes here. CNet says "the FBI wants you to reset your router. The VPNFilter malware problem is getting worse." They give instructions. It all sounds like a giant pain to me. As a look at the array of "stuff" near me, I see a big Time Warner modem and that's it. A router seems like a thing of the past to me. Used have a Linksys. What do I need to do? Thanks.

[SteveH]

Indyfan31, you've explained why all the cell phone companies suggested you unplug the charger from the phone as soon as the phone is charged. I routinely do that. I've decided not to bother unplugging the charger from the outlet though. Too minuscule vs wear and tear.

Today's question is seriously something for the techno-dudes and dudettes here. CNet says "the FBI wants you to reset your router. The VPNFilter malware problem is getting worse." They give instructions. It all sounds like a giant pain to me. As a look at the array of "stuff" near me, I see a big Time Warner modem and that's it. A router seems like a thing of the past to me. Used have a Linksys. What do I need to do? Thanks.

Power everything off. Wait 30 seconds. Power everything back on.

Actually you probably don't need to wait 30 seconds. Maybe 10?

[TravelGal]

CNET says "factory reset" (I left out the word 'factory'). They say to 1) Upgrade firmware. 2) Factory reset. I'm happy to reboot but I don't see how I can reset. The larger question is whether I should be writing this up in my newsletter for my less-than-me tech savvy travel agent constituency. Do people still have routers?

[TravelGal]

Today's conundrum. Car is in Larry's name only. Insurance is in my name. To keep covering me, insurance says to have the car put into my name "soon." (The policy includes coverage for "other authorized drivers" so I don't see it's a big deal but I don't know.) Honda Finance has the title while I'm paying it off so I can't do this unilaterally. If I call them and tip the hat the Larry has passed away, will they insist I pay it off? It's a little more than I have in the sofa cushions at the moment.

[TravelGal]

Today's conundrum. Car is in Larry's name only. Insurance is in my name. To keep covering me, insurance says to have the car put into my name "soon." (The policy includes coverage for "other authorized drivers" so I don't see it's a big deal but I don't know.) Honda Finance has the title while I'm paying it off so I can't do this unilaterally. If I call them and tip the hat the Larry has passed away, will they insist I pay it off? It's a little more than I have in the sofa cushions at the moment.

Issue resolved. Registration renewal arrived from the DMV. What to my wondering eyes should appear but the ownership is Larry OR me. Who knew we were so smart when we bought this car? :laugh:

[TravelGal]

It's been a while but I thought this was the best thread to ask:

How do you wash your car? Seriously. Or more to the point, how should I wash mine, bearing in mind that I will be standing in the street with a hose. What products do you use? The finish and even the "wax" are still in good condition. Meaning, it beads up when it gets wet, which, as you can imagine is about 5 times a year here in SoCal. Local drive-through car washes have awful reviews so I thought I'd try to while away a 100 degree day with some TLC on my ruby red Honda Accord.

Thoughts? Thanks.

[WickerBill]

The two bucket method is the only reasonable way to wash your car yourself. It is pretty involved - one 5 gal bucket and sponge with warm water and meguiars gold (or similar) car soap in it and a grit filter at the bottom. Second bucket with clean water, clean sponge, and clean wheel brush. Wash as you would expect. Rinse by using clean sponge (or cloth or whatever) and crucially, wring it out over the dirty bucket before putting it back in the clean water.

For that kind of effort, I would suggest a self-wash. One of those places you can drive into and spend $4 in quarters and use a wand. Here's why: you're in California, so they're using super gentle soap by law. You'll get soft water instead of the hard water from your outside spigot, so you won't get water spots. You'll get great water pressure to really blast some grime off. And you'll get it done in 6 minutes instead of 40.

What's more important in my mind is what you do after. Unless you're driving a show car, I'd highly suggest an instant detailer like:

https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-08216-California-Instant-Detailer/dp/B0002U1TZ8


After a wash and dry, even if you dry it by driving it, use the detailer to get any water spots off, get it uniformly clean, and give a nice surface on which to put the following:

https://www.amazon.com/Surf-City-Garage-100-Exterior/dp/B001JT1CGC


The detailer and the Speed Demon will take about 5-7 minutes each and you will love how your car looks.


Once every six months, use this in between the detailer and the Speed Demon:

https://www.zainostore.com/product/Z-CS.html

It's $30. But that bottle will last you seven years. And the seal and durability it provides will put any other wax* to shame. This stuff is WIWA (wipe on walk away) - so you can wax your car in like five minutes. No elbow grease - just apply it to a good clean surface, let it cure for 45 minutes, then Speed Demon on top of it for amazing shine and great beading.

By the way, the Z-CS works incredibly well on glass, too - puts RainX to shame (not that you have to worry much about rain). Also protects aluminum and alloy wheels.


That was a long way to say this: Go through a self-wash, drive it home, use the detailer, use Speed Demon. Every so often, go through a self-wash, drive it home, use the detailer, use Z-CS, use Speed Demon. The whole process is a half an hour.

* ceramic coatings applied by professionals excepted

[WickerBill]

One more thing. Get yourself these:

https://www.amazon.com/FIXSMITH-Microfiber-Cleaning-Cloth-All-Purpose/dp/B083DN8KNB


Use those to apply the detailer and the Speed Demon. Wash after use. Replace when they're matted even after washing.


The Z-CS will come with its own applicator.

[SteveH]

I have been coating my car twice a year with Gtechniq Liquid Crystal C2V3 (https://usa.gtechniq.com/products/auto/perfect/exterior/paint/c2-liquid-crystal) It can only be applied in the shade. After a wash, spray it on a section then take a microfiber towel and buff it until dry. It is a hydrophobic coating, meaning that it is so slick that water won't even bead up. Dirt doesn't stick, either. Subsequent washing is a breeze.


BTW, whatever you end up using, think twice about ordering from AutoGeek. It is owned by :tony:

[G.]

I do none of these.
If I wash my car, all I see are the scratches and dings that I didn't know where there.

:gomer:

[TravelGal]

Thanks! I wondered about a self-wash. I just noticed one this week. Might be a good thing to try out on this 100+ degree weekend but I'll wait until I have one of the aforementioned products to use afterward. Tempting though.

[nissan gtp]

One more thing. Get yourself these:

https://www.amazon.com/FIXSMITH-Microfiber-Cleaning-Cloth-All-Purpose/dp/B083DN8KNB


Use those to apply the detailer and the Speed Demon. Wash after use. Replace when they're matted even after washing.


The Z-CS will come with its own applicator.

never put microfiber in the dryer (unless on no heat), it ruins them. I also use microfiber detergent