How to Clean your car (properly)

[Murphy]

Whilst reading a few posts on the scooby.net, i came across a chap who has is own valeting business. He had posted a thread with before, during and after pictures and explanations on how to get a car minted to the MAX !

So. I thought i would pass his information around. So far i have used a couple of the products recomended by this chap and the results are fantastic. All i need now is a £1000 credit account :D

How to wash your car (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_wash.html)

How to clean your paint in preperation for polish (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_clean.html)

How to apply your wax (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_protect.html)

In between maintainence (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_maintain.html)

Interior Clean (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_interior.html)

Wheel Cleaning (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_wheels.html)

Engine bay cleaning (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_engine.html)

Some very pretty pictures !

Leon Cupra (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/leon0406/cupra2.jpg)

Range Rover Sport - before pic (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/rrsport0306/sport1.jpg)

Range Rover Sport - After (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/rrsport0306/sport10.jpg)

Range Rover Sport Wing - before (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/rrsport0306/sport3.jpg)

Range Rover Sport Wing - after (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/rrsport0306/sport6.jpg)

Civic Type R - before (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/ctr0406/typer1.jpg)

Civic Type R - before (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/ctr0406/typer2.jpg)

Civic Type R - after (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/ctr0406/typer7.jpg)

Civic Type R - after (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/ctr0406/typer8.jpg)

[pzorb]

Excellent info, but slightly scared at how much some of those products cost!

[t5owner]

Excellent info, but slightly scared at how much some of those products cost!

Like wise although i may well give some of them a try

Cheers

[adriancole]

Check the cost of this glaze / wax...tis on the Zymol site, their most expensive wax is £7118 a pot, yes that is seven thousand one hundred and eighteen pounds......mind you you get a free refill for life if i am reading it correctly

http://www.zdouk.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=11

Remember seing this on Fifth Gear with the detailer chap who charges up to a couple off grand for his full detail which takes place over a week as he leaves the waxes to dry for up to a few hours between coats etc.....

His site is

http://www.miracledetail.co.uk/auto-detailing-home.html

Starting price £500......

Cars Look V shiney...

Adrian.

[Nathlm]

Erm I just get Hamish to do it for me! or little bear when he is not busy - how lazy am I!!

[adriancole]

Yes im waiting for my little one to get old enough to do mine........

[Wobbly Dave]

I have bought some Clay bar and a second bucket. I also invested in a microfibre polishing mit.

Makes a difference to the soapy water you put onto the car - noticed it doesnt get so grimy - so that must be a good thing. Takes a bit of remembring to rinse out the lambswool every couple of wipes.

[barberecpw]

Check the cost of this glaze / wax...tis on the Zymol site, their most expensive wax is £7118 a pot, yes that is seven thousand one hundred and eighteen pounds......mind you you get a free refill for life if i am reading it correctly

http://www.zdouk.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=11

Remember seing this on Fifth Gear with the detailer chap who charges up to a couple off grand for his full detail which takes place over a week as he leaves the waxes to dry for up to a few hours between coats etc.....

His site is

http://www.miracledetail.co.uk/auto-detailing-home.html

Starting price £500......

Cars Look V shiney...

Adrian.


Yeah, that really expensive wax...i heard that you can eat the wax its so pure. (assuming this is the stuff) its true!, there is a car wax that can be eaten if you be so inclined. I saw it on telly not to long ago.

yum.

[arbee]

some good links there, i used to be a bit of a clean freak when i did the shows with my last cars, trouble is the Gul has so many little imperfections it doesnt motivate you so much...

[adriancole]

Mine too, has lots of little imperfections, though apparently some detailers can get all these out with a bit of buffing!!...been quoted £250 to make my black V70 shine like new adn take all the imperfections out...whether it will work is another matter....

[Rufe]

i washed my c70 today, using a little idea i never thought of before (honestly), the 2 bucket method. i read this thread with interest, as i have allways been a power wash at work kind of person (well its free and easy lol) but now i have the c70, i thought i would try a bit harder.

on the back of this thread alone, i went out and bought 2 new buckets, a bottle of Autoglym bodywork shampoo, and a bottle of Autoglym polish, a lambswool mitt, and a polish mit, and also got hold of a good supply of valeter cloths from work, along with some other little nice things too (interior clean, glass cleaner, wheel acid, new magic tree etc)

spent a couple of hours giving the car a really good wash and dry, and even though i only washed it 2 days ago and weather has been great, i couldnt believe the difference it made. didnt have time to polish it as it was getting dark. im away for the weekend at rockingham, but on monday i am off work, so will be out there again giving it the full works, including the polish this time, and i think i will convince myself to give the car a good clay bar treatment before i polish it too.... better read up on that though, its all new to me.

3 washes in less than a week, just because of this thread.... a new me is born! lol

cant beat the satisfaction of a good clean car though, fair play. :)

[adriancole]

Yes, id love to do mine too at the moment though currently off games due to breaking collar bone and ribs, so cannot lift or do anthing like polishing or buffing...am just looking at the my car getting very dirty.....

Those detailers sites are quite inspiring so i cannot wait to get out the cloths and clay...

[arbee]

Anyone have any idea if t cut will be too abrasive with a polishing machine? Do i need a milder cutting agent?

[adriancole]

Yes i read that it is one of the more abrasive ones, there are other ones which contain less abrasives and do the same thing....though cannot remember where i saw that....

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/

it was here, read somewhere, there are lots of how toos as well, esp on machine polishing

[Murphy]

I am pleased you got something out of it Rufe. You should take some before and after pics on monday and get them up :)

Andy

[Wobbly Dave]

Gonna take mine right back over the next couple of days - Wash it, clay it and polish it. Have a freedom test drive to attend on Sunday and hopefully mine will outshine the new cars?

[arbee]

yeah i hope to do mine too aswell, the paint is quite flat, tho it may be a characteristic of the colour to some extent. Gonna give it a polish/'cut' and those links above are swaying me to buy a machine (if even a relative cheapy) to get the best out of it. I've seen cars after a mop and it does make a massive difference!

[Murphy]

I wouldn't bother with a buffer. If you just get some clay bar, and work that body until it is like silk. Then use a 'body scrub' to ensure any tiny fragments are removed, then apply your polish :)

[Wobbly Dave]

Gonna get a touch up pen too for the little chips/marks around the door frame

[arbee]

I wouldn't bother with a buffer. If you just get some clay bar, and work that body until it is like silk. Then use a 'body scrub' to ensure any tiny fragments are removed, then apply your polish :)

I originally saw those things as 'buffers' but that term is misleading - the usefulness of the machine is to do the actual polishing part, ie removing the dull paint, the buffing part, ie removing the residue can be best done by hand as not too much effort is involved. Unless the car paint is particularly dirty with tar etc i cannot see the point of claying if you intend on polishing straight afterwards.

Wobbly, already got a 250mm tin of cellulose 'gul' to touch it - thats my intention too :)

[S40xs]

I've recentley signed up at detailingworld.co.uk, not had any chance to test any of the hows too's out as yet due to financial and time restrictions - not to mention i need to sort out the damage on one of my doors and touch up some paint!

They seem a friendly bunch with loads on info!

Wobbley - does the clay make that much a difference?

[Wobbly Dave]

Dunno yet - got side tracked this weekend getting stuff ready for the BBQ

[Rufe]

i couldnt find a clay bar for love nor money yesterday. tried everywhere around here, sold out.

so i made do with another good wash and a good polish, but was a bit gutted no where had clay bars to try. cars looking pretty clean at the moment anyhow :)

[Wobbly Dave]

You can buy claybar from the site at the top of the list.

[Murphy]

Clay bar makes loads of difference.

[Wobbly Dave]

I have already started with the claybar and it is suprising the muck that is coming off with it.

[Rbphot]

The Clay bar is great, Had my car valeted/Hand wash at the weekend then went over it with Meguiars Quik Clay, and loads of crap was lifted up.

Than put a coat of the Meguiars NXT polish/sealer on, will be putting a second coating on this weekend, even with one coat the shine is amazing.

Tip get good quality cloths/terry towling ones like Meguiars.

Will try to post a pic after the next coat.

Ray

[Wobbly Dave]

Bought some cloths. Do I need to seal after claying?

[arbee]

Bought some cloths. Do I need to seal after claying?

Absolutely, stick some lush wax/sealant over the top as the clayed paint is bare to the elements. will also give it a deeper shine too :)

[Wobbly Dave]

Washed, Clayed and Polished my car this last Sunday with assistance from Titch and Bubba (big thanks!).

The depth of shine is substantially better than polishing alone. I will post some pics later.

When I come to clay it next time (in about 6 months or so) I shall do a 2nd stage wash to remove the excess lubricant/clay residue.

I used Presta fast wax to achieve a great shine, made evident by the way the water fell off when it rained this morning.

[Murphy]

I use a body scrub after the clay bar, then a polish - the result is knock out !

[Wobbly Dave]

I am wondering if I have got sufficient sealing of the paint following the claybar? Should I be thinking about removing the polish with paint cleaner and then using a sealer?

[Murphy]

I use this stuff after my clay bar dave:

http://www.shop.edirectory.co.uk/autosave/pages/moreinfoa.asp?recordid=1346652&cid=225&afid=88888

http://im.edirectory.co.uk/products/225/i/a1016.jpg

Then a bit of meguiars gold class

http://www.meguiars.co.uk/images/specs/G7016_L.gif

http://www.meguiars.co.uk/


That is pleanty.

[Rbphot]

If you go onto the site on the last post, and use the online advice, you will get a good idae what products the recomend depending on time and what end result your looking for.

Ray

[Wobbly Dave]

Just order some more bits to improve my wash and polish techniques.

[arbee]

I'm seriously considering importing a Porter Cable polishing machine from the states - maybe I could do the rounds on the forum to help pay for it!

[Wobbly Dave]

I'd be paranoid that the risks of damaging the paint with a machine rather than by hand, would far outweigh it's advantages.

Get stuck in with the claybar first and see how you go.

[arbee]

yeah the clay bar, i see can seriously help take the crap off the paint, but I am sold on the idea of a polisher - the dual action machines such as the 'PC' are meant to be a lot safer than the rotorary only machines. take a peak and read some testimonials on detailing world - you'll be convincved!

[Wobbly Dave]

Having read some more it would be interesting to see if some of the more serious defects I know of on my own car could be addressed with a P/C 7424. Fingernail test is imminent!

[Wobbly Dave]

This is what Meg's said about my car


Meguiars Car Care Guide:5232
Especially Prepared for: Wobbly Dave

Vehicle: Volvo C70 T5 1999
WHAT YOU TOLD US


Your Paint: Undercover - Never
Paint Condition: Light Colour Original Paint New/Like New
Appearance Goals: Absolute best all of the time

Time Goals: Whatever it takes to make my car look its best
Noticeable Imperfections: http://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickno.gif Nonehttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickyes.gif Tree Saphttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickyes.gif Fine Swirlshttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickno.gif Stains/Blemisheshttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickyes.gif Bugshttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickno.gif Heavy Swirlshttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickno.gif Water Markshttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickyes.gif Road Tarhttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickyes.gif Scratcheshttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickno.gif Industrial Fallouthttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickno.gif Oversprayhttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickno.gif Bird Droppingshttp://uk.instantcarclinic.com/asp/images/tickno.gif Oxidation/Fading
The information you have provided helps us advise you on the best way to take care of your paint finish. Please ensure you also read the label information on the bottles before using products.

Wash
Why this is prescribed...
Regular washing with a non-detergent, gloss-enhancing product will help preserve shine and maximize the life of the wax/polymer sealant coating. Mass market washes claim they won't strip wax but they do.
What to Use...
You can safely & easily remove dirt, grime and fresh contaminants using MEGUIARS GOLD CLASS WASH.

The advanced formula has special conditioning agents that leave the paint finish so slick that the water actually sheets off. Apply using a soft sponge or wool mitt.
Frequency...
Since your car is often exposed to the elements you should wash it every week as contaminants tend to get baked on very quickly.


Note:If you notice some contaminants aren’t being removed when washed, try increasing wash frequency.

Surface Prep.
Why this is prescribed...
Even though your paintwork is in new/like-new condition, it will still need a surface prep step to correct the imperfections you told us about and to maximize the clarity of the finish.
What to Use...
Most of the problems you described can be safely removed using MEGUIARS SCRATCH X which is a mildly abrasive formula that's totally safe for prepping a new/like-new finish. However, baked on contaminants and some swirls, scratches or etch marks can be difficult to completely remove. Scratch X will dramatically improve the finish. Apply using a Meguiars Hand Applicator Pad, then wipe-off with a Meguiars Ultimate Wipe Cloth to avoid any surface scratching.
Frequency...
You will only need to repeat the process if & when the same problems reoccur. However, since your car is often exposed to the elements, you may need to use MEGUIARS QUIK CLAY occasionally to remove bonded surface contaminants.

Polish
Why this is prescribed...
You told us that your are looking for the best possible finish, however since your car isn’t a dark colour you can achieve maximum results without needing an individual polish step.
What to Use...
You can use one of our unique formulations that will polish & protect in one step.

Protect
Why this is prescribed...
Polishing oils bring out colour & shine and Waxes keep the finish that way, by protecting it from the elements. Our special one step polish & protect formula also enhances wetness of gloss & shimmering effect.
What to Use...
To bring out the full richness of colour and create clear, sharp reflections while adding long lasting protection, we recommend MEGUIARS GOLD CLASS WAX.
Apply using a Meguiars Hand Applicator Pad, to the entire car and allow to dry to a haze. Wipe off with a Meguiars Ultimate Wipe Cloth.


Frequency...
Considering your time & appearance goals and the fact that your car is often exposed to the elements, we recommend you reapply every 2 or 3 months.

Maintain
Why this is prescribed...
Since you're very particular about your vehicle looking its best, this will help you keep that "just waxed" look in between washes.
What to Use...
To safely & quickly remove dust, grime, waterspots, fingerprints etc & keep you car looking sharp every day, you should try MEGUIARS QUIK DETAILER. Simply mist on then wipe off with a Meguiars Ultimate Wipe Cloth anywhere, anytime
Frequency...
Use as often as you like in between washes.

[Wobbly Dave]

few pics of my efforts

[M44K TS]

I'll post some of mine later, washed and chamoised it yesterday, gonna attack it with some polish then the presta wax, normally comes up nice afterwards

[Murphy]

Looks mint dave. Good effort :)

I will try and get some pictures up before the weekend.

[Wobbly Dave]

Still not entirely happy with the depth. Think I could get better. Wondering myself about buying one of those american PC things.

[arbee]

Still not entirely happy with the depth. Think I could get better. Wondering myself about buying one of those american PC things.

looking good dave, the thing with silver is they look clean even when they aren't but on the otherhand, never give that ultra deep glossy shine like you would get with a darker colour. I tell thee - the stuff I've read about them PC things is convincing stuff :)

[Wobbly Dave]

Think us 2 could split the difference? How much are they?

[arbee]

They work out between £150-200 including duty and shipping etc and depending what extra bits you might want. Bit of a distance between us to share mate :) i think I'll just talk nicely to Mrs arbee at chrimbo....

[Wobbly Dave]

Now that I can see the clear coat properly I notice an number of light swirls and scratches. Until I can get hold of a PC to do it - I am gonna go ahead and use the techniques and hand polishes and scratches removers to improve the top layer.
Washed the car again last night (only for the 3rd time this week) - still feels like glass (even on the lowest panels nr the wheels) - still tempted to clay it again?? What's happening to me??? AAAAARGGHH!

[Murphy]

Get on here http://www.meguiars.co.uk/

I ordered a catalogue - it comes with a news letter etc. Arrived the next day with all nice products to chose from. They do a scratch product dave that takes the swirls out ?

[Wobbly Dave]

Been there (see their instant clinic suggestions further up).
Tech Wax - I believe. I already have a shed load of stuff on order already. I can pick up the wax and cleaners from the local motorfactors (as they have a large megs selection). Predominantly I am waiting for the fibre towels & applicators to arrive (should be here today)

[adriancole]

Just done the meguires 3 step process on the car.....

Washed in meg gold wash
Then did step one of the Deep System Paint Cleaner by Meg

Very nice, lots swirls taken off, car not that shiney, though looking much better

Then Step 2 Deep System Polish by Meg

Really has now come up a mirror finish, can see very nice reflection, all swirls gone, though has shown a couple of scratches up...

Next Step is a Wax...though as i started it started to rain big time....so later today for taht...

ALl in all very happy with the stage up to the polish, car looks great with a real mirror shine, with wax i think will be superb.

One slight thing though....it now makes me want to have the bonnet and roof resprayed as i can now see all the imperfections.....

[Wobbly Dave]

You'll need to clay it though, wont you???

[S40xs]

Right I've now got a list of the cleaning agents/protector's/ surface prep's that Meg's has advised me (Same as Wobbley's)

But which towels should i be going for? what do they all do - man my head is so messed up with all this stuff......

Below is what im going to be ordering soon, not cheap is it??

Code Description Option Quantity Total Price Action
G7164 Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner 14.99
G10307 Scratch X 8.99
G1116 Quik Clay Detailing System 11.99
G7016 Gold Class Clear Coat Liquid Wax 12.99
A3316 Quik Detailer: Mist and Wipe 6.99
A7301 Luxurious Lambs Wool Wash Mitt
9.99
Total Basket Value: £ 65.94

[Engineer]

looking good dave, the thing with silver is they look clean even when they aren't but on the otherhand, never give that ultra deep glossy shine like you would get with a darker colour. I tell thee - the stuff I've read about them PC things is convincing stuff :)

This is deep low down under cover silver lol. :)

[adriancole]

You'll need to clay it though, wont you???


My paint is very smooth at the moment, feels very soft so left out the clay bit, couldnt feel any bumps or stuff, though the bonnet really does need a respray now as i can see all the little stone chips that have taken off the black and the undercoat is showing through.....

Time vs effort for me, esp as i am one armed at mo due to broken collar bone.

All the cleaning took about two hours up to the wax coat, looks fantastic and deffo needs a respray on roof and bonnet, so feel that respray next will really improve the look and overall effect..

My black colour looks fantastic all polished up, so am happy that all the work has revealed the next stage in the beautification of the car......

[Wobbly Dave]

Right I've now got a list of the cleaning agents/protector's/ surface prep's that Meg's has advised me (Same as Wobbley's)

But which towels should i be going for? what do they all do - man my head is so messed up with all this stuff......

Below is what im going to be ordering soon, not cheap is it??

Code Description Option Quantity Total Price Action
G7164 Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner 14.99
G10307 Scratch X 8.99
G1116 Quik Clay Detailing System 11.99
G7016 Gold Class Clear Coat Liquid Wax 12.99
A3316 Quik Detailer: Mist and Wipe 6.99
A7301 Luxurious Lambs Wool Wash Mitt
9.99
Total Basket Value: £ 65.94
looks like a good list you have there. I spent some more today on Megs body scrub and picked up the touch up pen from Volvo - done a few of the larger deformations. Feel a bit "crickey!!" about doing the chips on the bonnet though. Slowly building up the layers of paint.

Still need some tech wax or glaze/sealant for the next attempt - namely de-swirling

[adriancole]

looks like a good list you have there. I spent some more today on Megs body scrub and picked up the touch up pen from Volvo - done a few of the larger deformations. Feel a bit "crickey!!" about doing the chips on the bonnet though. Slowly building up the layers of paint.

Still need some tech wax or glaze/sealant for the next attempt - namely de-swirling


HOw you use the touch up pen??? will that do those little stone chips??...i do have loads.........

adrian

[Wobbly Dave]

The kit costs about a fiver from Volvo. You need to get your paint code (off the VIN plate on the inner nearside wing)
You get 2 pots, one containing basecoat and one of topcoat. In the top of the top of the base coat is a little red thing that pulls out to reveal a mini wire brush, which you use to scratch away down to the metal and remove any rust/crap. I have some fairly big chunks missing out of the doorframe edge. After removing flaky paint and rust from the hole, I shuck the basecoat and applied a minute amount, with the little brush. Make sure you scrape most of the paint off the brush and the shaft - so you dont drip!! Basecoat is recoatable in about 20 mins. So I just went around the car touching in here and there. I am looking to leave at least 5 coats of base and 3 of clearcoat. Hopefully the spots will be level or proud of the original paint so I can cut the lacquer to level.

[adriancole]

great, thanks for that, have some bits to do, so maybe will not need a respray if i can do this....

[Wobbly Dave]

I'll take some pics to give you an idea of what can be filled.

[arbee]

A quick tip for touching in chips - when the chip is very small - use a tooth pick! basically put a tiny amount of paint on the end of the pick, then gently put it into the chip and the paint will transfer to the car. takes longer but means you wont go over the edge of the surrounding paint with these chips. those brushes may be fine but are rarely fine enough!

[adriancole]

thank you.......looks like i will be bent over the bonnet for a while....... ;)

[Wobbly Dave]

Bitten by the bug quite bad. I find myself taking pics of my own cleaning stuff :frown:

Is this the beginning of the end of my sanity?

Just got and extremely please to have bought

Megs NXT TechWax
Megs ClearCoat Body Scrub
Megs Applicators
Megs Terry Towels
Megs Microfibre Towels (not sure what the difference is)
Megs Microfibre WM

to put with a whole load of other stuff.

[S40xs]

VPCUK is proud to present Wobbley's Volvo cleaning service.

Blimey Dave bet your wallet is feeling the strain for all that, must hand it too you thats the way im slowly going......:troutslap

[Wobbly Dave]

It's WOBBLY :slap: and the term is "detailing" :slap:

WDVDS (Wobbly Dave's Volvo Detailing Service) - catchy eh?

Go stand over there and give me 100 lines...

"I must spell the moderator's username correctly or else be chastised."

Dunno about 75 quid on "products" (gulp)

[BigShrek]

I used to do valeting (as a side job) and still got contacts with Autoglym the ultra gloss is some cracking stuff

[S40xs]

It's WOBBLY :slap: and the term is "detailing" :slap:

WDVDS (Wobbly Dave's Volvo Detailing Service) - catchy eh?

Go stand over there and give me 100 lines...

"I must spell the moderator's username correctly or else be chastised."

Dunno about 75 quid on "products" (gulp)

I choose to be chastised. Thats an awful lot of slapping your handing out there "Wobbly" :kiss:

[Wobbly Dave]

There are now about 4 or 5 levels in my cleaning system for a full detail (paint work alone)

[Wobbly Dave]

I choose to be chastised. Thats an awful lot of slapping your handing out there "Wobbly" :kiss:

I forgive you - so long as I have the lines by tea time (and none of this copy and paste malarky) #finger wag#

[S40xs]

I forgive you - so long as I have the lines by tea time (and none of this copy and paste malarky) #finger wag#

Monday tea time ok? Busy weekend and all....

[Wobbly Dave]

Sorry - cant stop - got car to wash (damn!)

[S40xs]

Runs out to purchase a cd for Wobbly.........

Enjoy......!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002P36.02._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1060010647_.jpg

1. Carwash
2. Six O'clock DJ (Let's Rock)
3. I Wanna Get Next To You
4. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
5. Zig Zag
6. You're On My Mind
7. Mid Day DJ Theme
8. Born To Love You
9. Daddy Rich
10. You Gotta Believe
11. I'm Going Down
12. Yo Yo
13. Sunrise
14. Righteous Rhythm
15. Water
16. Crying
17. Doin' What Comes Naturally
18. Keep On Keepin' On

[nealer]

:grumpy:

Not bloody fair ... been travelling - car minging from sitting in the airport carpark.. get home ... big package with my clay bar, new mitt, towels, wax etc. sitting waiting for me ... and its feking started to rain!!!

Ah well ... :(

[adriancole]

my favourite is the real sheepskin buffing mit.....

[st1t5]

Iv got tons of Autoglym in my garage but im going to be spending a small fortune when i get back on clay bars etc etc etc ..

I wish i had never seen this thread ... its costing me a fortune ... :biggrin:

[adriancole]

snap, total cost of all polish and mits and micro-fibre cloth about £70 so far, though car is looking fab.....must get some pics in the gallery

[nealer]

Iv got tons of Autoglym in my garage but im going to be spending a small fortune when i get back on clay bars etc etc etc ..

I wish i had never seen this thread ... its costing me a fortune ... :biggrin:

me too ... A few years back I had bought a car from Gmund Cars that had been preped by Swissol.. the finish was unbelievable - so of course I wanted to maintain it - bought one of their kits .. and ... fek'd the finish up completely and had to get the professionals in again. After that I (read as wifey) swore (read: wifey swore lots at me) I'd never spend the money on these products again (read: wasn't allowed to :( ).

I know similar links have been posted on the previous pages ... but thought the video on this page was good.

http://www.swissol.co.uk/webpage/how_to_use.asp

[Daz T5]

Interesting thread this, car valeting & product development has come a long way since i used to do it for a living a few moons ago! Having said that, there are much cheaper ways to achieve results than shelling out on these products. The approach to cleaning your own car will invariably be different to how you approach it commercially, but the below list used to be the valeters exterior survival kit!
TFR (traffic film remover)
Tar, wax & glue remover (sounds like performs similar task to clay bar?)
T Cut
UCP (polish with a slight cut)
Carnuba wax (no cut, purely for finishing)
Glass cleaner (found that liquid forms are the best - tip - fine wire wool is good for removing stubborn foreign bodies)
Vinyl gel
Wheel acid (be careful with this!)
Tyre dressing

Interior is another matter, used to specialise in these!

Oh, and on the topic of touching in, the brushes in the kits are normally too big, get a small artists pure bristle brush, and clean it out after with celly thinners. build up the coats in the chip, cut it back with T cut then apply laquer, and then cut that back level, jobs a goodun!!

Long & short of it is, chemicals used in the right order:)

[Wobbly Dave]

Spent pretty much the whole weekend detailing the C70 (all by hand). Had to start late-ish afternoon to avoid the heat/Sun on Sat.
After the wash (Megs Soft wash) - 2 bucket method with my new Megs microfibre wash mit - I dryed the car. Found the terry towels harder to work with than the chammy but they say chamois can scratch?
The car had already been clayed the weekend before so decided to skip and use paint cleaner instead.
Then set to with scratch X and Megs DC #1 paint cleaner to clean the paint. Many scratches were self inflicted with my now binned hydrofoil (only used on glass)
Paint cleaning - about 1.5 hrs. Used the new megs applicators which are really good.
Next was the Megs NXT Tech Wax with foam applicator (supplied in box) - another 1.5 hrs. Quite tough to apply and buff - used the new microfibre towels and terry towels.
Final coat - Presta Fast Wax - Megs applicator - nice and quick to go on. Took effort to get up to a sheen but the towels make it a lot easier.
SUNDAY
Started to detail the wheels by removing them and messing with all kinds of sprays and stuff, including mer wheel wax and long life tyre dressing but got really miffed with it. You cant really see the inside of my rims anyway.
Re-washed the car and dried it again - did another coat of presta. This is the only time I have seen my car shiny with the drying wax still on the car.

Detailied the cockpit - vac-ed floor and polished dash.

Shoulders and arms ache like never before but the car is looking fab.

Weather was not kind and the sun didnt shine on Sunday eve. This is about the best shot

[Wobbly Dave]

This is after the 3rd stage (first coat of Presta)

[nealer]

that looks fantastic ... great depth in the shine ... I'm sure your absolutely knackered. (i hope you spent the time to tidy up all the products and clean your towels!)

Btw Dave .. look like showers tomorrow - leave the car in the garage!
http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/UKXX0018.html

[Wobbly Dave]

I am knackered. A bit disappointed I couldnt get the light to show her off. I have already washed all the applicators, M/F towels and terry towels using fairy non-bio on a 40 degree wash. All tidied away.

The car will go to work with me as usual - which is why I am either washing or rinsing every night or every other night. Hope this will not wash off the products I have applied?

Total time spent - about 12 hrs over two days

[Wobbly Dave]

Here is another one of the front. I have noticed (not that I didnt already know this) that it is incredibly hard to get good depth on light colours.

This frontal shot looks quite flat but the car actually glows (trust me)

[dreadly]

Nice... - I tried getting my black car to look something like that.

I have a few surface laquer scratches I dont know how to shift?
I can't seem to get rid of the water streaks after washing it? - Using a Halfords artificaial shamy?

[Wobbly Dave]

Ditch the chamois for anything other than just the windows. If you read detailing world you'll find this thread...

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4536

Preparation is the key and it really does depend a lot on how much time/effort you're prepared to put in. If you do a proper detail every 3 months, have good washing technique then you should be able to achieve reasonable results. BTW - Do you live in a hard water area?

As I have found the basic hand detail should include

Wash (2 bucket method - no sponges)
Dry (towel not chamois)
Clay
Paint Clean (optional)
Glaze/Polish
Wax

As it said on D/W - Bad Wash technique creates swirls - which are fine scratches in the clear coat. You need to fill'em or flat'em (machine only).
The polish layer - I used (tech wax) was designed to fill the swirl marks and seal the clayed/cleaned paintwork. I used the fingernail test to see if I could remove the heavier scratches. If I could feel my nail make contact with the scratch then I'd know that scratch X wasnt going to work and would need to be machined out. Otherwise I had reasonable results with scratch remover on a stockinette cloth.

[adriancole]

Nice detailing Wobbley......very shiney and wet looking.....

I too spent several hours on the car over several days, having to clean it each time i wanted to do the next step in the process.

Cleaning as before and i used the same as you did, that techno wax from Meg and am pretty happy with the final outcome though i did balls up hte application on the last coat and kept getting the applicator wet......in the end i just did it anyway and left it to dry before buffing it, though buffing took an age and still have the odd mark on the car from the wax which i will see to today..

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/oaksman/wheel.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/oaksman/picture1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/oaksman/picture.jpg

NOw it looks like i will have to take the wheels off and paint the bell bits on the disks to stop them rusting....


Adrain

[Wobbly Dave]

Someone nicked yer shoes?!

Good wetness and depth in that finish as far as I can tell. I am blessed in so much as my stone chips dont show the same as yours.

Also coz I have the split rims the insides of the wheels almost cannot be seen which is not the same for the perfos so I guess you'll have to get on to that too - bummer!

Tech wax is a synthetic polymer glaze/polish, isnt it? Dont you therefore need a wax to go over the top? (as a final layer?)

[adriancole]

Someone nicked yer shoes?!

Good wetness and depth in that finish as far as I can tell. I am blessed in so much as my stone chips dont show the same as yours.

Also coz I have the split rims the insides of the wheels almost cannot be seen which is not the same for the perfos so I guess you'll have to get on to that too - bummer!

Tech wax is a synthetic polymer glaze/polish, isnt it? Dont you therefore need a wax to go over the top? (as a final layer?)


Lol, its summer now so dont wear em!!

Yes stone chips do show, so am slowly going through them all....will take a while...

So reading up on the tech wax, i believe you dont need a coat over the top, (dont quote me, may be wrong), though it makes it look much better if you do and use a carnuba jobby on it......shine goes deeper and more lustrous and adds another protective layer on top which cant be a bad thing. read that on detailing world somewhere, there are photos showing synthetic wax vs natural carnuba and then one on top of the other...on a red car it looked really noticable....will try and find that link

I am going to do all the chips and then do another two coats tech wax to get a really good shine and protective layer and then do a nice carnuba wax, probably from Zymol or Swissol..

Wheels, am activly looking for a differnt set, prefered are some Propus split jobbys which i want to make two tone....they would hide the brakes, though any other set of wheels are welcome at the moment as the other three wheels on the car in in bad shape.....took the best wheel in the photo...Titans, Volans or Propus .....whichever comes first....though do have two Propus....difficult making a set of them....

Interior is next, though mine is excellant condition, well up till yesterday when i shut the catch for the seatbelt in the door and it pierced the leather/vinly door card on the edge, :( now i just keep seeing the cut......

Leather feed is a must though...

Adrian

[Wobbly Dave]

In the process of buying one of these....

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-sfxpol-kit.html

and getting my shine on!

[arbee]

that seems quite a good deal Dave - is that who youre buying from? whats the shipping like?

[Wobbly Dave]

Yeah - autopia works out best.

You apply to one of the Mods on DW for a discount code. 60$ shipping IIRC - he is gonna send me the details

Best to read the Import a P/C thread on DW for all the details. Gonna get the extension, transformer and plug from a mate in the building trade. Shouldnt be too much. Gonna order some 4" sonus pads at the same time

[adriancole]

excellent, be interesting to see how the buffer/polisher comes along Wobbley, must admit bit to scared of ballsing it up myself to try one of them, though i bet once the technique is mastered the results are going to be fab.....

Do you plan on using an old wing or something from a scrapyard to test out your new machine and get some practise or are you going to just dive in..?

[Wobbly Dave]

I have a few panels left over from the black C70 to test out on first.

[S40xs]

For all those that has a Costco card, they are doing 4 turtlewax wash mitts (all sheepskin) 2 of which are plain, 1 has a bug remover on one side and the other is a applicator all for £10. They also have 20 microfibre towels for a tenner or 50 terrytowels for £20.

I picked up the 20microfibre towels & 4 wash mitts for £20......Bargin or what!!
Also picked up some Maguiers stuff from Halfords, didnt have much in tho, no clay......
Heres what i bought in one day!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y287/S40xs/IMAGE_00345.jpg

[Wobbly Dave]

David G, one of the detailing suppliers on DW (members only) - carwashnwax has an offer on Sonus Grey claybar for 6 quid Inc P&P - which is cheaper & better than megs clay kits and for 12.95 he does a bottle of superior sonus QD/clay lube. yet to try mine (already did it with the megs clay and that was great!!)
Was very pleased with the Megs GC applicators - very nice to use! Have to admit to being a bit snobby about the MF cloths and only bought megs/sonus ones so far.

See my new friends... (Chemical Guys)

[Wobbly Dave]

and the boot tidy (I know - I really have lost the plot now!!!)
Good to see your collection growing though!

Think I need help?

[adriancole]

Snap...I have the same boot tidy......

What are the new friends like?

Why you choose them?

Do you prefer using chemical petrolium based products rather than the natural organic plant based ones and why Wobbly?

[Wobbly Dave]

What are the new friends like?

TBH honest Adrian - I dont know yet - only time and effort will tell (only got them today - 30th June)

Why you choose them?
chose the spider - coz I still have swirls (and loss of job means no PC for a bit) - and that product seemed the best by hand.
I have done tonnes of reading on DW and I wanted to stick with one/two ranges of producer. Megs and CG seem to be ok, again only time will tell. I wanted to do the full monty. Wash>>clay>>polish>>glaze>>seal>>wax.
Dont know too much about the glaze and seal but the CG stuff seemed to be well regarded.

Do you prefer using chemical petrolium based products rather than the natural organic plant based ones and why Wobbly?
CG by name does not mean Chem by nature. The carnuba is Brazilian ivory/white AFAIK - but I am no expert.
Spent a lot of time with Megs DC1 as a filler/cleaner and I can still see the swirls, so ultimately I was disappointed - Wondering if I will ever get rid of'em without a P/C (which is still on the shopping list).
Ultimately I wanna have the best detailed Volvo in the group going to Trax

[adriancole]

Great, thanks for the answers, i asked myself whether to go down the petrochemical route or natural a la Zymol and a few others.....esp being a bit of an eco nerd myself.

DO i really want to be outting petrochemicals on my hand to be absorbed into me??....still asking it too....

funny you should mention the swirls, after washing my car, the swirls have now come back, weird as after the polish it looked fantastic and swirl free....so the meg tech wax seems not up to washing.....it filled to swirls, what were left after the cleanse, now all back.....now want to try sometihng that will really get rid of them....by one hand....so interesting to see your results with the Chemical Dudes

Commiserations about job, I too am out work at the moment, though due to injury and cash is def tight, so all hand products are for me the way forward, esp as i do have time on my one good arm/hand...so expect my motor to be shining too in time for Trax.....at least i have the lux of spending time on it!!

Adrian

[dan_burdock]

Being a car valeter, detailer its hard work although the 855t5r is the experimental vehicle, I have found autosmart mirror image is good for a quick shine for the average joe, but zymol Vintage Glaze has got to be the ultimate finish, if used correctly. I have just started using Pimp Stixxx for the nasty areas on cars and they are spot on.
Dan

[Wobbly Dave]

For tomorrows meeting I finished today after about 6/7 hrs work
Wash (megs soft wash)
dry (sonus drying towel - is fabulous)
Used the CG wheel cleaner 1 in 5 dilution and was impressed - and its not acidic - with the battery drill attachment, which on technical wheels like the BBS split rims is a godsend.
Rim Wax - to bring out the wheel shine (heat resistant too!). Got all the wheel cleaning stuff from carwashnwax- Top marks.
Thought about getting back to the base again (stripping all the wax off) and reclaying - but I didnt have enough time - waited till after the footy for the shade anyway.
Used the CG Sealant with 3x Carnuba. Goes on real easy and buffed up nicely too, followed by the XXX wax. Again great to use. I will do the full monty again soon.
Car looks great - the reflections have deepened and the wetness/gloss is fab. Really pleased. Got dark before I could photograph - but I am sure there will be a few in Wigan tomorrow - QD job when I get there!

[Wobbly Dave]

Big box from the USA - Porter cable with ALL the accesories has arrived. WOW. Waiting for the extension, plug and transformer, plus other bits.

Very poor but excited about the new toys. Watch me get me shine on! init!

Swirls and scratches - your days are numbered!!

[st1t5]

Dave ....... your obsessed man lol.

[Ryan_pat]

Check the cost of this glaze / wax...tis on the Zymol site, their most expensive wax is £7118 a pot, yes that is seven thousand one hundred and eighteen pounds......mind you you get a free refill for life if i am reading it correctly.

does this come with free cars for life? damn man lol

[Wobbly Dave]

Dave ....... your obsessed man lol.
it took you this long to notice??? LOL

[Wobbly Dave]

does this come with free cars for life? damn man lol
I believe that the pinnacle souveran wax circa 40 quid is more than good enough.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/shop/wax/pinnacle-souveran/p_8.html

or the signature wax

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/shop/wax/pinnacle-signature-series-ii/p_12.html

but it is completely pointless if you dont prepare the surface before hand.

[arbee]

dave get that PC spinning! Can'tg wait to see the results - how much is the transformer? I see Screwfix have stopped doing the cheap one :(

[Wobbly Dave]

bought the semi expensive on - about 58 quid - but it has 2 outputs - so I bought a halogen twin 500w jobby on a stand. With the plug and extension - total about 91 quid. Ordered some poorboys ProPolish to finish out the middle stage, (after the CG swirl remover). If you look on DW I have put together my plan. If you are not busy - I could do with a hand?

[T5ER]

bought the semi expensive on - about 58 quid - but it has 2 outputs - so I bought a halogen twin 500w jobby on a stand. With the plug and extension - total about 91 quid. Ordered some poorboys ProPolish to finish out the middle stage, (after the CG swirl remover). If you look on DW I have put together my plan. If you are not busy - I could do with a hand?
how good is the swirl and scratch remover mate, i have tried 3M finesse but to no avail

[arbee]

I reckon the lamp will make a huge difference to your work wobbly - i often find a good finish looks great until you see it in bright light!

Edit - sorry missed the other bit - Would love to give you a hand and play with the PC but away this weekend, Barton on Humber (nr Hull) and then down to Last of the Summer Wine country. Camping. In a Mini. With the roof down. :)

[Wobbly Dave]

how good is the swirl and scratch remover mate, i have tried 3M finesse but to no avail
only time and practice will tell but seeing the results on DW - I am confident. We tried it on the black c70 cab - if you remember and the swirls after a single hand pass were defo less. the PC can do a lot more than by hand. I have bought the swirlbusting pad as well. I am gonna take photos along the way to show how.

[Wobbly Dave]

Its all here now. Turned my front room into full sunny day with the 1K floods. PC has now been converted with the new plug. We'll see tomorrow how well I do.

[Wobbly Dave]

I had my first stab a couple of weekends ago - Found Volvo top coat very hard to flat. Results were OK...
I have just finished compiling these shots, from that attempt.

http://www.bigredvolvos.co.uk/galleries/july_2006_CYC.htm

I also had another go today with a more aggresive polish and was able to get a much better result - but I didnt have time to do anything more than 1 polish and 1 wax. CG Instawax is an all in one sealant and wax. One truth to be had - it doesnt matter how expensive the top layers are - without the proper preparation - it dont matter one bit.

[JUDGENINJA]

That looks pretty good, but I think you'd have to work a miricle on my body work to get anywhere near that...

[Wobbly Dave]

Sadly I am setting a precident on detailing world as not a soul can tell me how to budge the topcoat into submission - though I am pretty close now.

I am sure that given the practice I can turn anyones Volly around

[S40xs]

Looking good Dave, your certainly putting the effort in to it. I've been a little lazy in the cleaning dept now down to cleaning every 2 weeks.

P.S what size are your new centre wheel caps, how much you pay and where did you get them from - I've been missing one for years and me thinks its about time i got some more.

Mike

[Wobbly Dave]

I have no idea how big they are - they are one size fits all - but I dont know if the 40 series are any smaller than the rest of Volvo?

Been chatting on DW about my polish and I think I have made mistakes with my technique - so I will have another go this weekend and see if I can get the result I am after.

[S40xs]

I have no idea how big they are - they are one size fits all - but I dont know if the 40 series are any smaller than the rest of Volvo?

Been chatting on DW about my polish and I think I have made mistakes with my technique - so I will have another go this weekend and see if I can get the result I am after.

Bet your arms are getting one hell of a work out from all this!

[Wobbly Dave]

Polishing with the PC is not hard - the machine is easy to use and is not too heavy.

[MarkE]

Bought a PC and a ridiculous amount of gear after going to a demo day in June organised by one of the guys from Detailing World. Suffice it to say my jetwash days are behind me :

After washing, claying and polishing (http://www.markeaston.org/v50/pix/polished4.jpg)

After sealing (http://www.markeaston.org/v50/pix/sealed4.jpg)

I heard people talk about having obsessive cleaning disorder but it really does grab you.

[Wobbly Dave]

Looks flawless Mark - well done. What polishes and pads did you use? Any technique advice?

[arbee]

Bought a PC and a ridiculous amount of gear after going to a demo day in June organised by one of the guys from Detailing World. Suffice it to say my jetwash days are behind me :

After washing, claying and polishing (http://www.markeaston.org/v50/pix/polished4.jpg)

After sealing (http://www.markeaston.org/v50/pix/sealed4.jpg)

I heard people talk about having obsessive cleaning disorder but it really does grab you.

that looks mint! the benefits of a dark coloured car eh! :)

[RobA]

that looks mint! the benefits of a dark coloured car eh! :)

yeah, and one thats pretty new and not had years of battering like most of ours :)

[Wobbly Dave]

I can restore them - restore them all!! MRMRMRMMRMRMUURURURUHAHAHAHAHA! (eveil laugh)

[MarkE]

Looks flawless Mark - well done. What polishes and pads did you use? Any technique advice?

Cheers, Dave.

Megs #80 Speed Glaze after the clay bar. 6" finishing pad (softest) on the PC with passes at speed 3 and 6.

The sealant (I used Klasse SG at the time, but I've switched to Wolfgang Deep Gloss sealant now - it just wipes off with no effort, leaving you standing there grinning like a loon :) ) went on with a microfibre pad.

Pinnacle Signature wax (a decent budget buy at the time but it's going to be Pinnacle Souveran when this runs out...) went on with a polyfoam applicator.

As long as you know how to handle the PC (and it's pretty much common sense stuff - stop and start the machine on the car, don't try to cover too much area at a time, don't use too much product, don't be scared of speed 6) you can't really go wrong.

Full details and a whole load of extra pics HERE (http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=21642)

As RobA pointed out, the car is nearly new which does have its benefits. At the open day, though, we used the same products as above on an ancient Mitsi Colt which had horribly faded and dull red paintwork. With very little effort, it came up like new again.

And arbee - Yeah, it looks great for the first ten minutes after you wash it. Then you spend two days getting annoyed at dust for landing on it. Then you feel like you need to wash it again. If I didn't think it's absolutely the best colour for the V50, it would really wind me up.

[T5SLAVE]

WOW...to MarkE, taking a photo of himself in his wing, that finish is just amaaaaaaaaazing. U n Dave truely r very, very special when it comes 2 this 'ole car paint finishing/detailing business. I love keepin up2date with this thread, I only wish I had the tools n skillz 2 produce a finish like that on my car:sorry:

Do either of u sell ur services???

Mark.

[MarkE]

Do either of u sell ur services???

I'd like to do it as a sideline but I haven't got the time, TBH.

That said, I did my dad's car this afternoon :)

PICCY (http://www.markeaston.org/v50/pix/s40_detail1.jpg)
PICCY (http://www.markeaston.org/v50/pix/s40_detail2.jpg)
PICCY (http://www.markeaston.org/v50/pix/s40_detail3.jpg)
PICCY (http://www.markeaston.org/v50/pix/s40_detail4.jpg)

To anybody in the NW who is interested in having their car detailed, I can recommend Iain AKA FinerDetails as his work is stunning (and he's been doing this for a lot longer than I have :) )

FinerDetails Linky (http://www.finerdetails.co.uk/)

[Wobbly Dave]

When I started out learning about this stuff then investing in the gear, the idea was always to offer it to the forum. I am looking to practice and get good before I commit. There are a few mates around here with T5 who will be used to hone my skills.

As I get better I reckon that deep scratch removal and chip fixing will not be out of my grasp.

I compared my own paint with Lances under street light late yesterday and the comparison is very noticeable.

[Wobbly Dave]

I will be investing in some pinnacle souveran for shows where longevity is not important.

[T5SLAVE]

When I started out learning about this stuff then investing in the gear, the idea was always to offer it to the forum. I am looking to practice and get good before I commit. There are a few mates around here with T5 who will be used to hone my skills.


I'll keep an eye on this 1 then m8:) Sure I can clean a car pretty good, been practising 4 enough years...but that's like saying I can cook a pretty good roasty then goin 2 a top notch restaurant n eatin the best, LOL! I'm lookin 4ward 2 Trax m8, where we can chat about the possibiliy of u MAYBE one day givin my 'ole bus the serious treatment:anmflower would love 2 see how well it comes up espesh considerin the majority of the paintwork 'll b new by the time u (possibly?) get round 2 doin it...