Today I did some detailing...

randy hickey

Decent weather today for a spot of Spring cleaning.

Here's a before and after of a Mark IV Golf that's been parked up for about six months, complete with free gratis coating of Saharan sand.


BEFORE:

[IMG][/img]

[IMG][/img]

AFTER (a quick powerwash,2BM, and a quick going over with Autosmart Cherry Glaze.):
[IMG][/img]
[IMG][/img]

georgefalls

Had a go with this stuff:
http://www.cleancar.ie/gtechniq-c4-permanent-trim-restorer-15ml.html
Scuttle panel was very grey. Not too bad at all now. Expensive product for such a small bottle. Just hopes it lives up to its claim of lasting for two years.

Marty McFly

I think it does I used it based on a recommendation of Metzergeister about 6 or 7 months ago now and it is still holding up well imo.

MetzgerMeister

Marty McFly wrote: »

I think it does I used it based on a recommendation of Metzergeister about 6 or 7 months ago now and it is still holding up well imo.

I used it on my car when I got it over a year and a half ago and it's still perfect.

JAMES VTI S

Make sure the area is properly clean, if you wipe apc on a MF cloth and black comes off it's not clean.

MetzgerMeister

A good scrub with IPA wipes or something like that beforehand until no more black comes off is advised by Gtechniq to promote proper bonding.

Vegeta

Cleaning the car on Sunday I couldn't believe the amount of tar on it. I removed it all extensively last Summer for a DA polish but there is more on it now than last year. Can't wait to get at it end of next week.

Anyway, have a question, anyone got recommendations for removing annoying "no parking" stickers from windows??

I sprayed it heavily with glass cleaner and used my thumb nail to scrape the stubborn glue off. Took ages though.

MetzgerMeister

I use this stuff and I find it excellent:

Well I have to say that the Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer, aside from the annoying spelling of 'quick', seems to be pretty damn good in bringing up a polish-like finish on a 2BM'ed car.

I've only used it once or twice, very briefly, so my opinion may yet change drastically, but as it stands, I'm very much liking it.

I would imagine it really comes into it's own when you have actually clayed, polished, etc. and its being used as a 'top up' of sorts in the following days/washes.


I also bought a €1.99 Tyre Shine in Boyds in Drogheda. Curiousity. Used pretty much a full tin of it on the ould fella's wheels (Focus) yesterday, and took a look at them again today. They are noticeably darker, to be fair. They had a decent shine off them on day one, today they were much more 'matte' in appearance, but they were still dark. Id say the effects will be gone by Thursday.

Mind you, I'm still not overly impressed with any tyre shines I've used since whatever product my mechanic had ages ago. Nothings lasted as long or looked as good as whatever that was (mind you, i've only really used OAC's Glitz.. so.. But I do have some AutoGlym instant tyre shine that I'll try out in the coming day or two.

Well I went to work on the bonnet today. Stone chips still letting it down, but the following set of before and afters comprise 3.5 hours of my life


Before I start, I was using the Meguiar's replacement clay bar today (I 2BM'ed the bonnet, dried it an then clayed it before polishing, glazing and waxing). This is the Meguiar's replacement clay bar packaging:




This is the clay bar:




:rolleyes: What a crock. My own fault, I suppose.




Photo of car bonnet, for context:



Closer shots...

Before (only working on the left side of the 'groove'):




After:





Before:




After:




More central on the bonnet this time...

Before:




After:





Before:




After:

Now, for the part where I fcuk it all up:


Before:




After:






Hmm.. not too pleased with that mark on the left still being there. Better get my 1500 grit sandpaper..





Woops.. that wasn't 1500 grit.. it was 150 grit (they looked so similar, even though I knew something didn't quite feel right...)


Anyway, it'll polish out I'm sure....






Hmm.. maybe it won't. Lets try to lessen the 'strength' of the 150 grit marks by using 1500 to soften them up a bit, and then polish it again:






Seems to have worked! Let's go again:





And once more, for luck!






One scratch more than I'd like, but the repetitive polishing has made it an overall cleaner finish. Whodathunkit.

(After putting the camera away, I copped the minor scratches to the right, and went over them again. They're good as gone now, but that longer horizontal scratch is still there, but I know that 10 minutes will take it out).


Before:




After:





Those little white marks on the 'bump' of the groove on the bonnet didn't move much, so I 1500 grit sanded them and polished again:





That'll learn 'em! :P


Very, very quick, half-assed glaze, quick wax and she's better than ever:







Today I learned, that with the 1500 grit paper (I'll actually pick up something finer soon enough) and a shed load of Meguiar's ultimate cut compound, I can make pretty much every scratch vanish. The results were remarkable after a small bit of wet-sanding and a lengthy polishing.

ALSO, to anyone using Chemical Guyz Hex-Logic pads, do yourself a favour and never go near them again. I was using a Microfibre pad for my D/A there tonight, and it was doing the same work in a fraction of the time. I think (stress, think) I was using an Orchard Auto Care Microfibre pad, but I'm open to correction (Curran might know.. :P )


EDIT: Just for clarification, cos I realise it can be confusing - the paintwork on the rav is scratched, but not at all blotchy. The 'blotchy' looking paint on the rav, is actually a reflection of the half-assed and given-up-on-halfway-through painted ceiling, which was neglected for so long that the MDF ceiling started going mouldy, and has white marks from the lads pressing paintbrushes against it to 'dry them out' when they were doing DIY bits and pieces years ago.

Just thought I'd point it out as I obviously know what Im looking at, as I've been in the shed, but for ye guys, ye might think the paint is blotched to ****e and the DA is only making it worse.

RandomAccess

@KKV how the heck did the car get all those scratches? Do you drive through a hedge often?

Ps I wouldn't be keen on being that aggressive on the paint without a paint thickness gauge, even though they are mad expensive.

RandomAccess

RandomAccess wrote: »

@KKV how the heck did the car get all those scratches? Do you drive through a hedge often?

Ps I wouldn't be keen on being that aggressive on the paint without a paint thickness gauge, even though they are mad expensive.

Well I didn't buy it new, so it came to me like that.


But it is amazing. The whole thing from tire to spoiler is covered in swirls. So I don't think it's from driving, as the people who had it that I bought it off seemed to have taken care of it.

I think it could've been from someone 'cleaning' it. The entire thing is swirled out of it.


As for damaging the paint, having to get a panel resprayed isn't a big deal to me, so I'm just gonna keep ploughing away as I am. If I tear the paint off it somewhere that's noticeable or that annoys me, I'll just get it sprayed.

There is a bit of paint scratched off the bonnet, but to be honest, my plan for later on in the year, when i get the time, money, etc and can be without the car for a day, I plan to go and get a new bonnet, but the one belong to the Diesel version of the Rav, as it has a pretty decent looking hood 'scoop' on it, that I would like:




So that'll ultimately be the way I go, I'd say (assuming it'll fit my Rav, and wont cost an arm and a leg).

Noccy_Mondy

How do you have the balls to take sandpaper to the car like that, I'd go spa if I put all them marks on it :eek: Turned out well in the end though!

Noccy_Mondy

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

How do you have the balls to take sandpaper to the car like that, I'd go spa if I put all them marks on it :eek: Turned out well in the end though!

Ah, I'd consider it a last resort on a new car or a car in great shape, but there's just too many imperfections on the paintwork of the Rav, so I reckon a light bit of wetsanding will be needed all-round to try and clean it up a bit.

I'm used to making a mess of things by now anyway, so it's not (as) scary any more.

Curran

Deleted User wrote: »

I was using a Microfibre pad for my D/A there tonight, and it was doing the same work in a fraction of the time. I think (stress, think) I was using an Orchard Auto Care Microfibre pad, but I'm open to correction (Curran might know.. :P )

They were the Autobrite Microfibre Pads

IK09

KKV what compound are you using, you seem to be doing alot of work (im mean applying...then re-applying). You need an aggressive compound to cut that paint properly. Are you breaking the compound down completely?

Curran

It does seem like his technique needs some refinement - but its a learning process. Initially I thought he was applying too much polish on the pad and as a result it was having no effect due to not breaking down. I spoke with him when he picked up the MF pads and adviced him to use less and to make sure its breaking down so it becomes clear, and to work it a bit more. Not really sure what has happened this time, as I would have thought improvement to be a bit better, given the soft paint, with each pass than was can be seen in the pictures!

Oh, I should probably clarify - the pad was CAKED in polish. So much so I'm on the lookout for some more meguiars ultimate cut. I have an upholstery brush there that i was using, after every panel to scrub the polish out of it. I went way overboard. But I was doing so to try and compensate for the MF pad supposed increased cutting power (incase i accidentally polished the paint away).

But much like the hex pads, the "be careful using these, they can do damage" warnings turned out to be a bit false, so I do plan to re-do the bonnet again (properly, and probably using CG's Pro-Polish 3N) but Im still happy enough with the difference in the bonnet.

Paddy@CIRL

Fair play to you KKV, really enjoy reading your learning process. You're certainly a braver man than me!

After last week's disaster and only getting to enjoy (Larry's) hard work for less than 18 hours before destroying it up Sally Gap, it got worse over the weekend thanks to the Saharan dust. I didn't bother doing anything with it all week as I wanted to wait until it had passed.

I went through my usual wash routine today of Bilt-Hamber Autowheels sprayed onto wheels, left to dwell and power washed off. I foamed the car with CleanCar's own foam and whilst it was dwelling, agitated the wheels with a wheel brush. Rinsed, then two bucket washed using a lamb's wool mitt and Chemical Guys Glossworks shampoo. Rinsed again and the water was absolutely glued to the paint. I'm not sure why as there was a coat of Black wax put on only last week, but the combination of bad weather and Saharan dust done a number on it. Dried the car off and got a coat of Chemical Guys Black Light on, left it for 15 minutes then buffed it off. I left it for around an hour to cure (they say another 15 minutes is plenty but it was lunch time) and then got a nice thin coat of CG Black Wax on again using a damp applicator. Whilst this was bonding, I dried the wheels, applied a dressing to the tyres and a coat of ArmorAll Wheel Shield (magic stuff). I buffed the wax off after 15-20 minutes but will leave it over night before giving it another coat tomorrow.

Result so far:



I noticed when waxing that the car is covered in tar, despite only being de-tarred and clayed before Christmas. Thankfully you can't see it but knowing it's there is driving me nuts. Another thing to add to the list for when the good weather returns...

vectra

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

Rinsed again and the water was absolutely glued to the paint. I'm not sure why as there was a coat of Black wax put on only last week, but the combination of bad weather and Saharan dust done a number on it..

Funny you should say that.
I haveput 3 coats of Britemex extreme elements on mine over the past 2 weeks and was delighted with the result.
Washed it last friday and the beading/sheeting was excellent as expected.

Like you'r car, mine got covered in that dust so decided to leave it pass as well. Washed the car today and the water was glued to the car as well.
Dried it off and put a coat of Britemax Max Shine on it.
Happy days again

Can anyone tell me, is the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound in Halfords, the same thing as the Meguiar's Ultimate Cut Compound (M105)" that Im using on the Rav at the moment, in 'simpler' packaging?


In other words, are these the same thing?

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_804743_langId_-1_categoryId_212511#tab4

VS

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-Ultra-Compound-MICROFIBRE-POLISHING/dp/B0073CLXA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396570428&sr=8-1&keywords=m105

Vexorg

Third post here might have the answer ... http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?47226-Ultimate-Compound-Ultimate-Polish-vs-M105-M205

Vexorg

Vexorg wrote: »

Third post here might have the answer ... http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?47226-Ultimate-Compound-Ultimate-Polish-vs-M105-M205

Hmm, seems 105 is the better 'cutter' of the two. But then it seems to be a fairly marginal difference, too (according to those posts).

Vexorg

Yup the M105 seems to be designed for professional use with a rotary and wools pad, so will probably will cut fast as a result of using a rotary with a wool pad. This would work well for an experienced detailer and is an aggressiveish cut to remove sanding marks quickly

The Ultimate compound is designed for use with a DA and has a longer buffing cycle, so you can take a little longer to get the desired result with less liklihood of doing any paint damage.

Tried out some AutoGlym Rapid Detailer today. Did the brothers bonnet (which hadn't been cleaned since I detailed it a while back)





The image doesn't do it half enough justice. It's feckin' great! The shine off the car was something else. Now, this isn't something I'd be in a mad rush to do to my own car (the idea of rubbing dust and dirt around the surface with a MF cloth is a bit cringey) but, despite all logic working against it, it seems to have done a scratch-free job on the brothers car. It looks really, really well.

Definitely be picking up some more.

Also, it's about a fiver cheaper per 500ml bottle (VS Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer... in Halfords, anyway), and it's just as good. May aswell be the same product.

Just googling around. Turns out Rapid Detailer is the consumer name, and "No. 54 - Fast Shine and Lube" is the trade name. So to buy a 5ltr of it, I need to find a rep. Meh.

Anyone know who the local rep is for Louth? AutoGlym's site suggested Leinster something (Leinster Car Care or something I think?) but they don't seem to exist anymore.

I reckon, with 3 for 2 in Halfords, I'll pay €22 for 1.5 litres, whereas it's £30 (sterling) for 5 litres in the UK, so would like to get a price for it for over here. I'd say there'd be a nice saving, and not having a dozen bottles lying around would be handy, too.


EDIT: Turns out postage from that site is only £11 anyway. So not too shabby. Not something I'll be buying in the immediate future, but when Im low on my rapid detailer I'll certainly be taking a mooch..

Anyone used this yet?

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/autoglym-bullsh***it-repellent.php?cPath=78


Note: link contains a swear word, you need to remove the three ***'s from the link above

randy hickey

That link doesn't work for me KKV - I'm guessing it's this stuff though?;

focus_mad

Gave the car a good wash yesterday..

Snow foam
iron cleanse
Chemical guys wheel clean
chemical guys shampoo (red one)
chemical guys alloy seal
chemical guys black light

Hopefully get a wax on it in the next day or two..

Delighted with the finish as it had been looking rough!!!

stimpson

Can you not get those rims any shinier?

focus_mad

stimpson wrote: »

Can you not get those rims any shinier?

hmm...I'm going to guess sarcasm?

mb1725

stimpson wrote: »

Can you not get those rims any shinier?

I was just thinking how careful you'd have to be with high kerbs! :eek:

focus_mad

mb1725 wrote: »

I was just thinking how careful you'd have to be with high kerbs! :eek:

I've slightly kerbed the back left, it was either me or the fire brigade!!!

But otherwise I have survived!!!!

focus_mad

focus_mad wrote: »

I've slightly kerbed the back left, it was either me or the fire brigade!!!

The fire brigade threatened to kerb your wheel?! The bastards! :mad:





Nice job though.




Can I ask ye guys, what are the ancient, deeply buried secrets of cleaning fabric seats? I kinda feel like I don't really know what I'm doing, and not getting anywhere with them as a result.

I have Tesco Foam Upholstery Cleaner, which sprays on like a foam and dissolves, then I usually rub it in rather aggressively with a microfibre cloth, then I also have Chemical Guys fabric clean, which I do the same with, and whenever I come across stains I use a tough brush to try and get rid of them.

But the end result, though maybe marginally better, isn't all that great. The blacks don't really go black, the whites don't really go white, the reds don't go red, etc. it's all still very faded looking.

(I know worn seats are worn seats and there's no miracle cure, but I'm sure I could be doing better than I am).

Gonna wander off to google but ye guys usually are fairly on the ball.

nd

This probably isn't helpful but his videos are interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0EOb2nEWtk&feature=player_embedded#t=508

toastedpickles

Motto of today "I like my cars like I like my women, filthy and sweedish" :pac:

Cleaned it up today in preparation for its nct failure on friday

Some befores







And magic! It's all clean again!





Scrubs up well!

So, I gave my brother's wife's car a going over. I had actually wanted to clean this for a while. Just to see what kind of before/after I could get out of it. The brother owns the Megane that I had on here a couple of weeks back. This is the Wife's Citroen Xsara...


The wide photos of the whole car actually make it look nice and hide a lot of the dirt (could be the bright colour?) It was actually caked in dust and dirt.























(This roof picure was actually not taking as a 'before', it was after the Foam and 2BM, these black specs would not move until the claybar came out)

And the afters:

focus_mad

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The fire brigade threatened to kerb your wheel?! The bastards! :mad:





Nice job though.




Can I ask ye guys, what are the ancient, deeply buried secrets of cleaning fabric seats? I kinda feel like I don't really know what I'm doing, and not getting anywhere with them as a result.

I have Tesco Foam Upholstery Cleaner, which sprays on like a foam and dissolves, then I usually rub it in rather aggressively with a microfibre cloth, then I also have Chemical Guys fabric clean, which I do the same with, and whenever I come across stains I use a tough brush to try and get rid of them.

But the end result, though maybe marginally better, isn't all that great. The blacks don't really go black, the whites don't really go white, the reds don't go red, etc. it's all still very faded looking.

(I know worn seats are worn seats and there's no miracle cure, but I'm sure I could be doing better than I am).

Gonna wander off to google but ye guys usually are fairly on the ball.

Cheers man.

Ah I was on a tight street and needed to get out of the way for the fire brigade to pass = slight kerbage!!!

I use autoglym fabric cleaner, spray a HEAP of it on and rub vigoursly with a damp cloth, has worked for me getting chocolate off the black seats!

IK09

HUBCAPS....oh the humanity.

Chimaera

Deleted User wrote: »

The fire brigade threatened to kerb your wheel?! The bastards! :mad:





Nice job though.




Can I ask ye guys, what are the ancient, deeply buried secrets of cleaning fabric seats? I kinda feel like I don't really know what I'm doing, and not getting anywhere with them as a result.

I have Tesco Foam Upholstery Cleaner, which sprays on like a foam and dissolves, then I usually rub it in rather aggressively with a microfibre cloth, then I also have Chemical Guys fabric clean, which I do the same with, and whenever I come across stains I use a tough brush to try and get rid of them.

But the end result, though maybe marginally better, isn't all that great. The blacks don't really go black, the whites don't really go white, the reds don't go red, etc. it's all still very faded looking.

(I know worn seats are worn seats and there's no miracle cure, but I'm sure I could be doing better than I am).

Gonna wander off to google but ye guys usually are fairly on the ball.

Having a wet vacuum cleaner is very useful for this, since you can use lots of water to rinse out the fabric afterwards.

I usually go in heavy with foaming upholstery cleaner and a stiff bristled brush, though on bad carpets I've used carpet cleaner.

The trick for me is using a cotton cloth (an old towel is good) to rinse the fabric with plenty of water and then vacuum it out immediately. Rinse the cloth lots in a bucket or basin of clean water, and change the water regularly, particularly if you're working on light coloured fabrics. Avoid warm/hot water unless you're sure the fabric won't shrink.

On very dirty fabrics you'll repeat this a few times, and you may be surprised at what colour things are supposed to be!! On my car, I thought the headlining was beige until I cleaned it for the first time and discovered it was actually grey. It took two goes to get it clean too.

Colash

Does anybody want to enlighten me on the ins and outs of using a clay bar ? I'm a complete novice with a clay bar and I'm looking to give the car a going over at the wknd . I've always used Auto Glym SRP but wish to get in a bit deeper and remove some surface imperfections that the SRP won't shift

hoodie6029

Colash wrote: »

Does anybody want to enlighten me on the ins and outs of using a clay bar ? I'm a complete novice with a clay bar and I'm looking to give the car a going over at the wknd . I've always used Auto Glym SRP but wish to get in a bit deeper and remove some surface imperfections that the SRP won't shift

This got me started with claying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD9Qc84vSyY

Colash

Colash wrote: »

Does anybody want to enlighten me on the ins and outs of using a clay bar ? I'm a complete novice with a clay bar and I'm looking to give the car a going over at the wknd . I've always used Auto Glym SRP but wish to get in a bit deeper and remove some surface imperfections that the SRP won't shift

One of the most daunting things when I started, but it's actually simple.

Get some lubricant (i use a car shampoo, diluted heavily), slap it in a spray bottle. Break off a piece of the clay bar and spray some of your lubricant on it (this will soften it up). Knead it a bit and then flatten it into pancake shape.

I tend to use a piece thats about 2 or 3 inches wide in circumference.

Spray your lubricant onto the car to help the claybar glide (otherwise it just sticks to the car) and with very little pressure (under its own weight, really) make several passes across the paintwork, working in small areas at a time.

You'll feel the paint's roughness become much smoother. You'll need to continuously keep the lubricating up or the claybar sticks. Every now and then check the underside of the claybar and if it's dirty, knead it until you have a fresh surface again.


Sounds like a lot of work, but it's essentially just wiping the car down, but slower.


Youtube has a half a million videos on it, that I found helpful (though i realise boards advice is generally better than random video on el tubo).






I pulled the Rav up at the back of the house today to give it a quick rinse. I've been putting it off long enough, so the plan was to give it a quick wash and then detail it during the week.

I went up to the shop to get a few small bits and bobs (corner shop, not detailing related) and on the way back, a neighbour that often drives past when I'm cleaning stopped me and asked me did I clean and valet cars (he was obviously enquiring to get his own done).

I told him I don't really, it was just more of a hobby, but if he wanted to park up in front of my car, i'd give it a quick once over for him. He offered to throw me a couple of Euro, but I said no, it was grand.


I have it a snow foam, rinse, 2BM, iron cleansed the wheels, gave them a power washing, used some wheel cleanse on them (they were pretty bad, caked in brake dust), dried it off, APC-ed the wheel wells (but didn't go mad), APCed the tyres, applied some glitz (which, annoyingly, looked great, compared to how crap it looks on my own tyres ), hand polised the bonnet and then waxed the bonnet.

I've no idea why i polished and waxed the bonnet, but it looked pretty good, anyway. :P

It lashed rain during the cleaning, and immediately afterwards. :mad: I got soaked.








(you can see my tyre shine application is a bit patchy at best, here. I blame the rain for rushing me )






So that's my good deed done for this quarter!

Colash

Thanks lads . Any tips on a good clay bar to use ? I might hit halfords on Friday

nd

this was the first video i saw that mentioned claying

I've only used one clay and it worked grand.

http://www.cleancar.ie/valetpro-clay-bar-100g.html

I bought the blue stuff.

Colash

Colash wrote: »

Thanks lads . Any tips on a good clay bar to use ? I might hit halfords on Friday

Halfords get a bad rep but they're a pretty solid shop, in my opinion.

That said, I wouldn't be queuing up to get a clay bar off them. Most of their clay bars come in kits and are fairly heftily over priced. I'd go with an online retailer like detailingshed or cleancar and just get a claybar on it's own.

You usually get a bigger bar at a lower price.

Am I only able get Meguiar's #105 off CleanYourCar.co.uk?

I just realised I've used so much of it on other cars and re-doing my bonnet over and over that I probably don't have enough left to do my own feckin' car

(plan is to use that polish as it's so aggressive, and then use the AutoGlym stuff from then on). I don't think My Chemical Guys Pro Polish 3N will ever get used

Noccy_Mondy

Can one of you cleaning nerds suggest a proper decent tyre polish that makes the tyres as black as coal? I'm sick of having the car jet black and the tyres just meh. I clean them with APC first and then use that Simoniz stuff and the Aldi back to black stuff, lets just not talk about that one... So any suggestions, and linkys too, pwease