Washing/Detailing routine for newbie...

[ksmi]

Originally Posted by Scooser

Life’s too short!

So is a piece of string! Was that a trick question?

Funny,no body has mentioned 'elbow grease' I haven't got much of that these days.

Now you cleaning Guru's, Is Snow Foam the right way to go for starters on a car that has been standing outside,unused, for over a year and is VERY mucky? hose it over beforehand?

Regards,Keith.

[Whippy]

Pressure wash, get off all the grit N gunk.

[Petey80]

Pressure wash first, then snow foam.

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by ksmi

So is a piece of string! Was that a trick question?

Funny,no body has mentioned 'elbow grease' I haven't got much of that these days.

Now you cleaning Guru's, Is Snow Foam the right way to go for starters on a car that has been standing outside,unused, for over a year and is VERY mucky? hose it over beforehand?

Regards,Keith.

If it’s really bad then pressure wash (steam if you can, but watch pressure ) then foam then pressure and if cleaned up enough shampoo.

[ksmi]

Thanks for the input chaps,I don't have a pressure washer(yes, I know) so hose with soft brush attachment?? for starters and then garden pressure sprayer for Bilt-Hamber Surfex application? then B-H Auto Wash Shampoo?

Thanks again,Keith.

[Petey80]

NO!! Don't use a brush unless you want loads of little scratches/swirls all over your paint work.

Hose it down first, the spray on the Bilt Hamber stuff and allow to dwell and do it's work for a few minutes, then hose that off.

[GusGecko]

Originally Posted by junior 7178

Question...

I've followed I-S's routing to the tee, and have a top layer now of Meguiars 2.0 wax, 2 layers in fact.

If i wanted to try and get a bit more 'shine' on the car, what's the best method? I understand wax should always be the top layer? Can i just keep adding more layers of wax, or will that not make any difference?

Or do i need to add more layers of polish? If so, can i just polish over the wax or do i need to remove the wax first?

You can't layer polish...polish is abrasive and strips away micro layers of clear coat. The majority of shine/gloss will come from polishing and getting the clear coat as smooth and defect free as possible - like a mirror.


Waxes/sealants are then used to protect that finish (adding a micro layer on top) you can layer these but will probably need to properly cure/harden - sometimes 24hrs before adding a second layer.

You can wax over a sealant but not the other way round.

The attached image shows different levels of damage - depending on what your trying to correct will determine what level of cut you need. A polish, is usually a fine/light cut and can be used to remove light swirls/scratches or the finishing stage after using harder cutting compounds.

Best used using a DA polisher, but results can be had using LOTS of elbow grease and microfibre pads.

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by ksmi

Thanks for the input chaps,I don't have a pressure washer(yes, I know) so hose with soft brush attachment?? for starters and then garden pressure sprayer for Bilt-Hamber Surfex application? then B-H Auto Wash Shampoo?

Thanks again,Keith.

Find a garage with a coin op if road legal but only use the pressure wash, blast it off, move car some where shady, spray on the Bilt, go for a coffee, then back to pressure wash off again, then home ( hose off again) then a shampoo and 2 bucket wash.

[I-S]

Originally Posted by junior 7178

Question...

I've followed I-S's routing to the tee, and have a top layer now of Meguiars 2.0 wax, 2 layers in fact.

If i wanted to try and get a bit more 'shine' on the car, what's the best method? I understand wax should always be the top layer? Can i just keep adding more layers of wax, or will that not make any difference?

Or do i need to add more layers of polish? If so, can i just polish over the wax or do i need to remove the wax first?

Sorry, I missed this before.

Adding more wax isn't going to give you what you're looking for.

Shine comes from a smooth surface that is free from defects. If you run your fingers over it it should feel like glass.

Look carefully at the image GusGecko posted.

Now look back at my original post.

The steps that I took you through do the following, with reference to GusGecko's picture:

First you clean loose dirt off the top - shampoo and mitt.

Then you take of stubborn dirt and fallout with the clay.

Then you effectively, on a microscopic level, sand down the very top of the clearcoat to reduce the depth of the scratches into it. Instead of microscopic scratches you want the top of the clearcoat to be flat and smooth. This is what Polish does - it is abrasive, it is very finely sanding your paint, it is removing a very small amount of the thickness of the clearcoat.

Before you get too worried about that, polishing by hand is NOT going to burn through it. That is possible with a machine, but by hand? No.

The next step, the Autoglym SRP, is a polish that includes optical fillers. This is basically some transparent material that gets left behind into the remaining microscopic scratching to reduce the visual effect of those scratches.

The EGP step provides a harder sealant over the top - again, microscopically thin, but the idea is that it bonds over the SRP fillers (which would otherwise wash out in a couple of weeks of typical british weather) and covers everything over.

The wax on top provides additional longevity and greater water repellancy, and it can enhance the final glossiness.

So, to answer your question, if you want it to look shinier than it does you need to spend more time on the stage with the Paintwork renovater. Using that by hand with the white pad, you should spend 10-15 minutes per door-sized panel working the polish. Follow the directions and Farecla's videos on how to apply it by hand.

When you apply the polish, at first you should feel some resistance as the polish cuts the paintwork, but it should ease up and start to glide more easily as it refines the surface somewhat. Keep working the polish - the G3 polishes are "Diminishing Abrasives" - that means that as you work them the abrasives in the polish break down and get smaller, so they refine themselves (with non-diminishing abrasives you need to use progressively finer grades).

Working the car by hand is hard work, there's no two ways about it. It will take hours to go over the car properly with paintwork renovator.

However, what you will find is that next time you do it it will be easier. What you have done so far has refined and improved the paintwork already.

Some people have said rather abruptly that there are other things to do in life. That's definitely true. I do a proper polish like this typically once per year. Even with a year in between, it is noticeable that each year it is less bad than the last.

So.... I'd suggest enjoy the car for now, but come september or so get it ready for winter weather. Give it another polish and go over the steps again.

If you're feeling like you're getting into detailing and want to try taking it up a bit, then try replacing the Autoglym SRP and EGP stages both with a single coat of CarPro Essence. You can apply and work this by hand, but make absolutely SURE that you do not leave any trace on your paint - buff it off, buff again and buff again. This will probably bring the shine you're looking for. Apply Wax on top of the Essence.

[I-S]

So, this weekend I finally got around to putting the shelves in...



Really it's totally normal, everyone does this....

Really I need to finish up a bunch of things there that won't get replaced. Carpro PERL alone replaces about 4 other products (bumper/trim gel, tyre dressing, rubber/vinyl care, possibly gummipflege, possibly something for leather).

At least both cars are clean for once!