Car care and detailing

[Jimmy5]

Hi all

Has anyone actually got a how to guide to properly restore paint work without machine polishing and then what correct waxes/polishes to use to keep the paintwork good?

I ask as ive read a few other forums about whats the best polish etc for paint restoration and to be honest im confused lol!

keep hearing about this dodo juice, using claybar etc

Cheers

James

[Gibbo69]

Swissvax is the best wax by far, dodo juice & poorboy offer good cleaning products & accessories:)

Hope this helps

Gibbo:D

[Kris M]

Speak to Jessop on here, hes good with this sort of thing :)

[benj88]

There's that many products to choose from these days.

I would highly recommend pre wax cleaner. Also clay bar is good if a car has never been regularly cleaned. I think it's how you clean it as well, a lot of people i no clean their cars all the time but don't do it properly and that leads to SWIRLS!!

[Jimmy5]

Cheers for the advice

SWIRLS are a problem on my daily corsa, thankfully not on the R5, think I will have a try at this claybar. Is machine polishing the only way to get rid of swirls?

Cheers

James

[benj88]

Pretty much mate. It's amazing the difference a portercable can make. Using snowfoam is good for avoiding swirls. Detailing can get quite anal Lol

[Lexgtturbo]

Detailing can be both quite time consuming and if you first get hooked, also quite expensive. It's a reason for me having 6k+ in detailing supplies and machines in my garage, its a great hobby, but not for the inpatient.

Porter cable is a good DA machine, however if your going to buy a machine I would rather buy a kestrel pro,its a more powerfull machine. I would also recommend buying scholl concepts S17 and S30 and good quality microfiber cloths. Claying is a must before polishing. Also a good sealer or wax is recommended.

Good luck with the Detailing :)

[djinuk]

is there any real diffrence between the typical silverline £45 mops, and the £199 ones sold on detailing sites..

genuine question, im just not sure

[Penfold aka The Dealer]

Detailing can be both quite time consuming and if you first get hooked, also quite expensive. It's a reason for me having 6k+ in detailing supplies and machines in my garage, its a great hobby, but not for the inpatient.

Porter cable is a good DA machine, however if your going to buy a machine I would rather buy a kestrel pro,its a more powerfull machine. I would also recommend buying scholl concepts S17 and S30 and good quality microfiber cloths. Claying is a must before polishing. Also a good sealer or wax is recommended.

Good luck with the Detailing :)

£6k????:eek::eek::eek: f*ck me you car must be clean :) each to there own and all that :agree:

[Lexgtturbo]

Sorry I'm not sure what you mean by "silverline mops", I'm from Norway so I'm not really sure about all of the terms used in the English language.

[djinuk]

silverlines just a brand..

basically its just a cheapo , variable speed polishing mop, ive seen them used a lot by bodyshops for flatting/polishign fresh paint.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0021L95WA/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000T9U9W6&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1PW4JP565YC4JX29VDTX

[Lexgtturbo]

It should be said that I do make money from detailing, not as my main income, it doesn't pay good enough for that, but it does defend the price of equipment and products.

I don't know if I'm allowed to place a link here to one of the cars I've detailed. If not a mod could just remove the link or ask me to remove it and I will comply. Here's a 52 hour detail of a Porsche 996 turbo I did. Exterior only, its in Norwegian but the pictures tell the most of the work done.

http://www.detailersclub.no/forum/topic/5438-ss-porsche-996-turbo-svart/

[Lexgtturbo]

Ah I see... YES there is a big difference between the expensive and cheap buffers. The more expensive ones hold the rpms up with pressure, this makes it easier to break down the polish controlled.

[Lomo]

It should be said that I do make money from detailing, not as my main income, it doesn't pay good enough for that, but it does defend the price of equipment and products.

I don't know if I'm allowed to place a link here to one of the cars I've detailed. If not a mod could just remove the link or ask me to remove it and I will comply. Here's a 52 hour detail of a Porsche 996 turbo I did. Exterior only, its in Norwegian but the pictures tell the most of the work done.

http://www.detailersclub.no/forum/topic/5438-ss-porsche-996-turbo-svart/

Top Job! :niceone:

Could you possibly explain to an amateur like me the advantages of using SnowFoam?

:)

[Lexgtturbo]

Of course the reason for using snowfoam is to further reduce the chance of swirl marks when washing, the foam stays on the car for 5-10 minutes loosening grime and dirt that would get caught up by the washmitt and making swirl marks.

[Lomo]

Of course the reason for using snowfoam is to further reduce the chance of swirl marks when washing, the foam stays on the car for 5-10 minutes loosening grime and dirt that would get caught up by the washmitt and making swirl marks.

Ok, so its just a case of jetwashing the snow foam, leaving it for 10 minutes and jet washing it off?

[Lexgtturbo]

That's correct :) However the thing that reduces the chance of swirl marks the most is using 2 buckets, one with soap water and one with water to rinse the mitt. Dip in soap water, wash, rinse in water and repeat. :)

[BluntyR5GTT]

this whole detailing thing is something iv gradually got into iv not gone as far as buying a machine polisher yet but thats coming lol.

i always give my car a good going over about 3-4 times a year this normally consists of clay,ag pre wax cleanser, ag ultra deep shine polish and ag hd wax this seems to work really well on the tungy grey.

obviously swirl marks are a pig so i want to see if i can go about getting them out sometime iv seen megs to a swirlx that can be used by hand so ill see what that does i think

[Lomo]

That's correct :) However the thing that reduces the chance of swirl marks the most is using 2 buckets, one with soap water and one with water to rinse the mitt. Dip in soap water, wash, rinse in water and repeat. :)

For people not using the snow foam I take it?

[Lexgtturbo]

Swirl-x might take them out however if you're going to use it by hand you'll be wanting to chop your arm off at the end of the job. A good Dual Action machine will make the job much easier for you.

[Lexgtturbo]

For people not using the snow foam I take it?

I use both to be sure, the more you do to reduce the chances of swirls the better :)

[Lomo]

Swirl-x might take them out however if you're going to use it by hand you'll be wanting to chop your arm off at the end of the job. A good Dual Action machine will make the job much easier for you.

I used it once and my arm nearly fell off!! :sad2:

So, in a nut shell..What stages/products would you use..?

[Lexgtturbo]

I used it once and my arm nearly fell off!! :sad2:

So, in a nut shell..What stages/products would you use..?

Washing:
Degreaser sprayed on, let it work for 5 minutes. A good Degreaser could be Chemical Guys Grime Reaper diluted 1:5

Optional snowfoam:
Snowfoaming with a good soap diluted 1:10 in the foam cannon. Let foam work for 5 minutes before pressure washing the car. A good soap can be meguiars hyper wash.

Wash with washmitt and 2 buckets as described above.Same soap as used in snowfoam.

Then its clay time, clay must never be used without clay lube, if you use too little lube the claybar can marr the paint. When it comes to clay, make a pick of you're choice, just remember that it should be medium or fine. If not it will marr like crazy. Good value is to buy Optimum No-rinse because its can be diluted to lots of claylube.

When done with clay, rinse car and dry with a microfiber towel.

I always use professional products that actually removes scratches and swirls so my steps with only a DA machine would be.

Masking:
Use blue or green 3m masking tape, unless you love being tortured with removing glue from unpainted rubber and plastic (masking is vital for you phase 1 owners).

Time for polishing:
Depending on the state of the cars paint you choose what polish to use. I mostly use scholl concepts S17 on a polishing pad followed by S30 on a finishing pad. When using professional products less is more, do not use too much or you're going to make a mess.

When polishing move the buffer slowly across a 2x2 foot surface of the paint until the polish turns completely transparent, then you buff off the remaining residue and inspect. When satisfied with the correction, you're ready for wax or sealer. I prefer a good pastewax myself, again less is more, you should hardly be able to see that you're putting wax on the car at all, the haze time depends on brand of wax. Most are between 5-15 minutes. After that buff off hazed wax and if possible let stand in sun for 4 hours, if not possible let stand in garage or atleast avoid water to hit the paint for the next 4 hours. Buff again with a microfiber cloth and enjoy the sight :)

[Lomo]

Washing:
Degreaser sprayed on, let it work for 5 minutes. A good Degreaser could be Chemical Guys Grime Reaper diluted 1:5

Optional snowfoam:
Snowfoaming with a good soap diluted 1:10 in the foam cannon. Let foam work for 5 minutes before pressure washing the car. A good soap can be meguiars hyper wash.

Wash with washmitt and 2 buckets as described above.Same soap as used in snowfoam.

Then its clay time, clay must never be used without clay lube, if you use too little lube the claybar can marr the paint. When it comes to clay, make a pick of you're choice, just remember that it should be medium or fine. If not it will marr like crazy. Good value is to buy Optimum No-rinse because its can be diluted to lots of claylube.

When done with clay, rinse car and dry with a microfiber towel.

I always use professional products that actually removes scratches and swirls so my steps with only a DA machine would be.

Masking:
Use blue or green 3m masking tape, unless you love being tortured with removing glue from unpainted rubber and plastic (masking is vital for you phase 1 owners).

Time for polishing:
Depending on the state of the cars paint you choose what polish to use. I mostly use scholl concepts S17 on a polishing pad followed by S30 on a finishing pad. When using professional products less is more, do not use too much or you're going to make a mess.

When polishing move the buffer slowly across a 2x2 foot surface of the paint until the polish turns completely transparent, then you buff off the remaining residue and inspect. When satisfied with the correction, you're ready for wax or sealer. I prefer a good pastewax myself, again less is more, you should hardly be able to see that you're putting wax on the car at all, the haze time depends on brand of wax. Most are between 5-15 minutes. After that buff off hazed wax and if possible let stand in sun for 4 hours, if not possible let stand in garage or atleast avoid water to hit the paint for the next 4 hours. Buff again with a microfiber cloth and enjoy the sight :)

Thats brilliant, thanks very much :agree:

[djinuk]

enjoyed the porsche pics lex, quite interesting having a full on detailer on here... is it maybe time rtoc began taking pages from the ford/concourse world.. mirrors , ramps and chrome subframes on order?

[Lexgtturbo]

enjoyed the porsche pics lex, quite interesting having a full on detailer on here... is it maybe time rtoc began taking pages from the ford/concourse world.. mirrors , ramps and chrome subframes on order?

Thanks, I`m quite proud of the work I did on that porsche. If I`m not mistaken when it comes to concourse its all about keeping things original and in pristine condition. However seeing a insanely pampered 5 with every nut and bolt polished and waxed would be a wet dream for me. At the moment my 5 has been neglected for over 2 years now in a garage, but I`ve finally begun rebuilding the engine. So I`m considering the possibility to make every bit of the engine compartment shine :)

Lomo: Youre welcome :)

[djinuk]

I think the engines the easy bit. start with the bodywork/rust issues :), but yea would be cool to see

[Spooky]

I used to spend a bit of time cleaning my cars but I'm getting a bit more in depth now :)

The results definitely speak for themselves :agree:

[Spooky]

What would you recommend for an engine bay clean? Just a degreaser then clean it off?

[D4WNO]

I don't know if I'm allowed to place a link here to one of the cars I've detailed. If not a mod could just remove the link or ask me to remove it and I will comply.


No, it's absolutely fine :)

[Lexgtturbo]

What would you recommend for an engine bay clean? Just a degreaser then clean it off?

A good petroleumbased degreaser would do wonders, pressure wash after 5-10 minutes, but remember to mask off electronics in the engine bay, water and degreaser can ruin you're day if it gets into relays and other sensitive electronics. Also never wash a hot engine.

If there's little or no oil and greasy residue its often enough with a APC (All Purpose Cleaner). Spray on, agitate with brush after about 5 minutes, then rinse.

[Lexgtturbo]

No, it's absolutely fine :)

Good to know, thanks :)

[car.crash]

i only have 1 bucket, can i use it twice :confused:

[Lexgtturbo]

i only have 1 bucket, can i use it twice :confused:

Hehe I think you might have misunderstood a bit, The purpose of the 2-bucket wash is that you can rinse out the dirt from the washmitt before dipping it in soapy water so the dirt particles stays in the bucket with clean water, and not floating around in the soapwater bucket you dip the washmitt in to get lubricated soapy water to wash the car with. If you use this method youll se the colour of the rinse water compared to the soapy water, the soapy water will be as good as clean, and the rinse bucket will contain lots of grime and dirt. In other words less abrasive dirt that caus swirlmarks get a chance to hit the paint.

So if you only have one bucket I would strongly recommend you buy one more :)

[tubby5]

What would you recommend to use on the ph1 body kit,is there anything on the Market that will restore the colour(a product that actually works)

[dangerous dave]

What would you recommend to use on the ph1 body kit,is there anything on the Market that will restore the colour(a product that actually works)

the autoglm stuff id pretty good i think, always used it on my cars.. i remember the clio boys raving about Black WoW, do a google.. they were 50/50'ing the feck out of everthing with that stuff,:devil:

[tubby5]

Cheers mate,that black wow stuff looks like what I need:agree:

[The new Bill J]

What would you recommend to use on the ph1 body kit,is there anything on the Market that will restore the colour(a product that actually works)

I'd try using a heat gun to restore the colour, then use a trim sealant. I bought some of this a while back after hearing rave reviews, I haven't used it yet though:

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/dodo-juice-supernatural-satin-trim-sealant-kit.php?osCsid=3cc92da63e4bbde2e73c54ae2d399ae0

I have read that using a heat gun over time can cause the plastic to go brittle, so I wouldn't do it too often.

[newbstar*]

No ones mentioned gritguard in your wash bucket:eek: yet, worth everypenny. Speak to roy about a kestral da machine, website is autojoy cleaning products.
I like chemical guys products myself awsesome product line and is all impressive.
Also get a wool wash mitt and not a sponge!!

[Lexgtturbo]

I'm used to posting in a detailing forum, so I completely forgot about mentioning gritguard as its something all of the detailers use. It's a genius invention because it traps the dirt particles beneath it and at the same time it prevents turbulence from throwing the dirt up in the washing water.