The Beadophiles

vectra

I don't think anything in the Megs range would touch the Collie. How did you find the 476?
I use the 845 and it is a breeze to use.

I have also got a sample pot from an Irish outlet to test,
Easy on.. A Little harder than Collinite 845 to remove which I expected and it is a solid wax.

Much more clarity in the shine,,
Much deeper shine.
Car appeared to be much redder.
Beading today is as good as identical to the 845.


Gtechniq Smartglass. > How so you find it when driving?
Have you tried RainX before to compare it? I am about to get something better than RainX.

vectra

OH.
Nice beading by the way :P

MetzgerMeister

I think it's a bit of a pain having to have the applicator damp because I don't know exactly how damp it needs to be and how often to re-wet it. I know you need a damp applicator when using a solid wax but this is actually my first time using a solid wax.

The Gtechniq is an absolute joy to watch in action. The minute you move off, the water just flies off the glass, it's brilliant. Even when I washed the car at the weekend, the suds just sheeted off and left behind 0 residue. I had a few beads of water on the rear windscreen and I swear, I have never had such an easy time drying glass. It's usually one wipe to remove excess water then a dry cloth to get rid of streaks. I just wiped a cloth over the rear windscreen and the beads didn't even streak :eek: and that was job done.

The front windscreen is annoying me because I haven't treated that yet, only concentrated on polishing out the worst of the scratches and water etching. I only had 3.5" rayon spot pads when I started polishing the glass but I got 6.5" from ebay and they arrived yesterday. Will be focusing on the windscreen at the weekend and giving it 3 coats of SmartGlass along with giving all the other glass another coat just for good measure.

I would strongly recommend this stuff to everyone as it's only €15 for the stuff and it comes with a residue remover which you use to remove the residue once it's dry and hazed but it's a waste of time if you have water etching on your glass. You need to get CeriGlass from CleanCar to get rid of it. It comes with rayon blocks which you use by hand and although it would take ages to remove scratches, this method will remove water etching.

And yes, I have tried RainX and although it's good, it's nowhere near as long lasting as this stuff. The RainX goes on as a layer on top of the glass but the SmartGlass is a chemical bond so it physically becomes part of the glass.

Scortho

The last few times I've waxed my car Ive got nice beading afterwards. However after the waters dried off the roof dark spots appear on the surface but not everywhere where there was water lying. Maybe 50 dark spots 1cm wide.
The car was clayed beforehand.
Anyone any ideas how to stop this?

MetzgerMeister

Have you got any pics of this?

Scortho

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Have you got any pics of this?

Eh not at the moment. The next time I see it ill take one and post it up.
Your car looks great by the way. How many coats of wax should you use?

Curran

Nice shots and beads there Metz!

Cant go wrong with the 476s....very durable too!!

Scortho wrote: »

The last few times I've waxed my car Ive got nice beading afterwards. However after the waters dried off the roof dark spots appear on the surface but not everywhere where there was water lying. Maybe 50 dark spots 1cm wide.
The car was clayed beforehand.
Anyone any ideas how to stop this?

Think you'll find that with the reasonable amount of dry weather we've been having, the roads are pretty dusty. So there is a lot of air borne dust. It's settling on your car. When it rains, the car beads, and anywhere the water has run off, has taken the dust with it, anywhere the beads are, the dust sits in the bead of water and when it dries it ends up on the car!

Happened mine last week....wasnt too dirty but very dusty. Hosed it down - got called away and didnt get back to it...was covered in tiny spots. Didnt get a chance to clean it afterwards - looked a right state!

Scortho

Curran wrote: »

Nice shots and beads there Metz!

Cant go wrong with the 476s....very durable too!!





Think you'll find that with the reasonable amount of dry weather we've been having, the roads are pretty dusty. So there is a lot of air borne dust. It's settling on your car. When it rains, the car beads, and anywhere the water has run off, has taken the dust with it, anywhere the beads are, the dust sits in the bead of water and when it dries it ends up on the car!

Happened mine last week....wasnt too dirty but very dusty. Hosed it down - got called away and didnt get back to it...was covered in tiny spots. Didnt get a chance to clean it afterwards - looked a right state!

Cheers! Is there anyway to prevent this because it looks like crap afterwards. It feels like all the hard work has gone to waste.

MetzgerMeister

You can use a quick detailer which you spray on and wipe off with a microfibre cloth, taking the dust with it. You should be careful though that there isn't any muck or gravelly stuff on the car as this will scratch it. Be especially careful around the bottom of the car as this is where the majority of gravelly muck builds up.

You should only have dust on the car in dry weather but there's always muck when it's wet. In the case of only dust, you'd get away with using a quick detailer all over the car. In the wet, quick detailer on the top half, wash the bottom half and then quick detail it to get the gloss to match.

There's a number of excellent products for you to chose from HERE

Curran

Orchard Autocare's Perfection is a personal favourite of mine....so easy to use. Spray on, buff off!!!
Adds great gloss and depth, and can be used on paint, glass, plastic trim...protects everything!! Happy Days!

Curran

A car cover is another option!
Make sure its a soft one though!

Scortho

Curran wrote: »

A car cover is another option!
Make sure its a soft one though!

Ah Jeysus it's a polo. Don't think I'd go that far. Just want it to look reasonably nice!

gollywog

Here's a couple of my beading

MetzgerMeister

Nice :cool:

gollywog

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Nice :cool:

Cheers man, she looks nicer in person, its hard to get it on a camera phone

Curran

What have you got on the car gollywog?

MetzgerMeister

Curran wrote: »

What have you got on the car gollywog?

I'm guessing Britemax Vantage.

gollywog

Curran wrote: »

What have you got on the car gollywog?

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

I'm guessing Britemax Vantage.

Yup yes indeed! But i have a coat of auto finesse tripple underneath too

Ded_Zebra

This was taken at 166mans house on Thursday. This is 2 coats of Extra Gloss Protection put on the previous day.



Looks ok in the pic but I think the people that were there will confirm that it was biblical beading I swear :cool::cool:

Curran

Looks goods from here!

Ded_Zebra

Curran wrote: »

Looks goods from here!

just not close together as they would be it they were made by rain if ya know what I mean.

Curran

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

just not close together as they would be it they were made by rain if ya know what I mean.

Know exactly what you mean!
Extra Gloss Protection looks great on silver and it looks like you managed to get you paint to pop. Good work. Beads are high too...cant get much better than that! :cool:

sean1141

Just before I washed the car I gave it a spray of the hose to knock off the loose dirt

dgt

Well, at least the rain tests for beads....



And my yoke...

Curran

Dont be shy about telling us what you used!

gollywog

Curran wrote: »

Dont be shy about telling us what you used!

Curran, quick question, any sealants work well on red?

Curran

gollywog wrote: »

Curran, quick question, any sealants work well on red?

Are you specifically looking for a sealant, as you want durability? Because, generally waxes look better on Red. Have you seen Vectra's red Octavia? Serious look on it....think its Britemax Vantage?

dgt

Curran wrote: »

Dont be shy about telling us what you used!

Whoopsie!

A good claying and G techniq P1 on both cars, sealed with Autoglym on the 406

MetzgerMeister

Curran wrote: »

Are you specifically looking for a sealant, as you want durability? Because, generally waxes look better on Red. Have you seen Vectra's red Octavia? Serious look on it....think its Britemax Vantage?

Gollywog uses Britemax and if I'm not mistaken, he introduced vectra to Britemax

Curran

Am I taking you up right?

You used gtechniq P1 on both cars. You added nothing extra to the Blue car? And applied Autoglym on the 406? What Autoglym product?

gtechniq P1 is a polish, there is no protection from it. Any beading you see from it, is the oils in the polish and you'll find that it will run/wash out with rain or washing the car. It needs something to be applied on top to seal it in, if you want to get any length of time durability wise.

Curran

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Gollywog uses Britemax and if I'm not mistaken, he introduced vectra to Britemax

Ahhhh!

Never used any Britemax products yet, but want to after seeing how well Vectra has made it look.
You used it Dave? Its another one of those products on the "Want to get in" list!
Perhaps gollywog or Vectra can report back....
Is the durability poor on it? Is that why you are looking to change gollywog?


gollywog; perhaps the best of both worlds is what you need...wax and durability. Have you heard about Bilt Hamber Finis-Wax. Its extremely durable and it looks great on all colours. Available in small pots so you arent forking out a large wedge on a product you are unsure about!

MetzgerMeister

Nope, haven't used it myself. When I find a wax I like, I stick to it for a good while until it's finished. I'm on Collinite 476s at the moment but will be getting 845 fairly soon.

Curran

Thought you were going gtechinq?

dgt

Curran wrote: »

Am I taking you up right?

You used gtechniq P1 on both cars. You added nothing extra to the Blue car? And applied Autoglym on the 406? What Autoglym product?

gtechniq P1 is a polish, there is no protection from it. Any beading you see from it, is the oils in the polish and you'll find that it will run/wash out with rain or washing the car. It needs something to be applied on top to seal it in, if you want to get any length of time durability wise.

Pretty much..... I'm very new to the world of detailing and still have lots and lots to learn. I need to invest in a decent wax aswell.... Think of it as trial and error.... Worlds and worlds apart from what I used to be like! :eek:

Autoglym super resin polish.... Very light sealer to my understanding!

Both cars have dents, chips and paint defects that need to be corrected too

MetzgerMeister

Curran wrote: »

Thought you were going gtechinq?

I am on the wheels at the weekend but I won't be doing the car itself for a good while. I have a lot more correcting to do before I can gtechniq the paint

It won't be a waste though because a few of my customers have asked me about the beading on my car and what I used so the collinite will come in handy there.

vectra

Curran wrote: »

Ahhhh!

Never used any Britemax products yet, but want to after seeing how well Vectra has made it look.
You used it Dave? Its another one of those products on the "Want to get in" list!
Perhaps gollywog or Vectra can report back....
Is the durability poor on it? Is that why you are looking to change gollywog?


gollywog; perhaps the best of both worlds is what you need...wax and durability. Have you heard about Bilt Hamber Finis-Wax. Its extremely durable and it looks great on all colours. Available in small pots so you arent forking out a large wedge on a product you are unsure about!

Hell there,

Dave is correct, Gollywog introduced me to Vantage which I am glad he did.
Absolutely love the stuff.
Like butter to apply and as usual a little goes a long way. > "Less is more"

Nice smell off it too.

As for durability.?

I would probably be the wrong person to ask that as I am not one to leave it too long on any particular lsp.

I will always find the time to "Top it up" with another coat.
But yes, I do get plenty of beading with it for ages, the reason for top up is I like the freshly waxed look.

I also use Britemax Spray and Shine every couple of weeks to help it look good :P


Winter coating for me is collie 845
Again I would find a dry mild day to apply extra coats.


Britemax Vantage - warm wet shine

Collie 845 - Glassy Glossy look. More like a sealant finish ( Which it is sort of )

Hope this helps

By the way.
Both waxes are a breeze to use.

Curran

No Autoglym Super Resin Polish is the same...people think it has protection, but doesnt...its the oils that give beading for a few days.

The processes, in order....
Wash
De-Tar
Clay
Polish*
Glaze
Protection - Wax or Sealant

You can get some polishes that are All-in-One type products that have protection in them, but generally combo products are a bit Mickey Mouse.
The polishing step is slightly different for hand and machine. Hand polishes, such as AG SRP, have fillers in them, to help fill/hide the lighter swirls. They need to be sealed in, or else will just wash out. They will remove oxidation, give depth and shine, but do not give any correction (perhaps a tiny amount if you get an aggressive polish and work it in until your arms hang off ) Hand polishes are designed to take protection on top of them as they are filler polishes. Best to stick with something from the same manufacturer when layering on top of polish. So in your case, Extra Gloss Protection would be a nice sealant....then you'll see real beading!

After machine polishing, its best to wash the polish off the car, as the oils prevent bonding of the protection of your choice. Once washed away, the paintwork is at its best point to go onto the next step. Glazes at this point would do a similar job as the filler polishes. Will help hide any remaining defects after machine polishing and give an extremely wet look. However the glaze also hinders bonding of protection...glazes are great for show cars, to get the ultra wet look, or for anyone really into doing lots of work on their cars as protection would need to be topped up more frequently.

Curran

This flow chart might simplify it all a bit!



Any questions....fire ahead! I'll be glad to help....and there are plenty more on here who know the ins and outs!


PS:
Whats the story with the dedicated Detailing section??

MetzgerMeister

That's a nice chart but there's one thing I don't agree with - washing after claying isn't optional, it's obligatory IMO.

Whenever a new forum is suggested and the voting happens, they give it 6 weeks to get the votes in. I think we are on week 6 right now so it will more than likely go ahead next week.

Curran

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

That's a nice chart but there's one thing I don't agree with - washing after claying isn't optional, it's obligatory IMO.

Would agree with you 100%

Also, dont like the glaze step, unless the car is going for a show, or if the car has had a very light correction and the paint still needs defects to be hidden. After any decent correction, the paint work will look amazing from 5 yards away...its only if someone is up close and the sun is out for defects to be very obvious.

Bebo stunnah

Here's my attempt. It's been a week and a half since cleaning it before the c&c in Cherrywood this month, whats ye think?

Curran

Bebo stunnah wrote: »

Here's my attempt. It's been a week and a half since cleaning it before the c&c in Cherrywood this month, whats ye think?

Looks OK! What did you use on it?

Here for the honest opinion!

Excellent beading should be much rounder, tighter, and much more raised.

Bebo stunnah

I'll have to try harder for the next post so!

To be honest, not a whole lot was done, washed and waxed this time round. The last time I had it clayed, but it took me 7 hours to do everything! The next day I felt like I had been hit with the car! Perhaps I was doing it wrong

Curran

What wax did you use?

Claying the car for the first time can be a long, and painful , process! You'll get quicker at it. The first time anyone does it, they are cautious and probably over-do the area being worked on slightly. But after you give the car a good claying, and apply a decent wax, you should get better beading! The car could be due another clay, and thats why you havent quite got the perfect beading this time around!

MetzgerMeister

Bebo stunnah ya sly horse with your RX8 :P

Also, being hit by a car is exactly how I feel after doing my car or a customer's car

Bebo stunnah

Cheers MM! Was wondering if anyone would pick up on it!

I used the basic Turtle Wax on it last time. I tried the Turtle wax Creme on it, found it quite tough to wipe off though. Originally I was thinking of going for the HD wax that AutoGlym have but hadn't the money. I have a feeling it needs a polishing, haven't any means of doing it yet, but dreading having to do it by hand

MetzgerMeister

Whether or not it needs to be polished is irrelevant. Give it a proper clay, sealant (Jetseal 109) and a wax (Collinite 476S or 845).

Both waxes are half the price of AG HD wax but are just as good IMO.

The Jetseal is pricey but you could do without it if you don't like the price (€35ish) but you'll certainly get your money's worth.

Harcrid

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Bebo stunnah ya sly horse with your RX8 :P

Also, being hit by a car is exactly how I feel after doing my car or a customer's car

Customers car? Are you now offering some sort of detailing service then?

MetzgerMeister

Celtxx wrote: »

Customers car? Are you now offering some sort of detailing service then?

I've been valeting for years....

Harcrid

I knew you did your own cars but didnt think you had a sideline in it. Interesting...... :-)