Today I did some detailing...

Curran · 20-04-2015 8:45pm

Are you giving the tyres a good cleaning before applying - you'd should give them an APC clean each time you apply a dressing.

quadrifoglio verde · 20-04-2015 9:19pm

Curran wrote: »

Are you giving the tyres a good cleaning before applying - you'd should give them an APC clean each time you apply a dressing.

Oh....its one of those tyre shines:(

Ill try it out at the weekend and report back.

Curran · 20-04-2015 9:50pm

To be honest, they're all like that....if you want to get the most out of them!
They'll pick up a lot of dirt between coats, so you dont want to be putting on a fresh coat over dirt.

vectra · 21-04-2015 1:14am

You have to give the tyres a good scrub prior to Blackout application. It lasts ages then and looks great.
I love the stuff.

toastedpickles · 23-04-2015 10:48pm

Today i cleaned the 900, it was a tad dusty

So i washed it, detarred the bodykit (yes it has a bodykit) Only found that out the other day, clayed it, polished it and waxed it, done the wheels and tyres and took care of the trim too, looks rather well! So piccys!

As I said, a tad dusty"

Obviously 24 years of dirt are gona show, and the claybar holds no lies, in a tiny space it gathered up this

Not as bad as some, but none the less

I let my brother do the alloys, he's never done any detailing before and i think they turned out well!

Next up was the bodykit and trim bits

The arches were really faded

And sometime later

The proper trim colour on the right and faded on the left

And the finished article!

MetzgerMeister · 24-04-2015 10:38am

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

Oh....its one of those tyre shines:(

Ill try it out at the weekend and report back.

How else do you expect it to adhere and perform properly without cleaning the surface first

JAMES VTI S · 26-04-2015 9:35pm

A buddy from the local boxing club asked me if i could give his van a little lift, the tirm was looking weathered and both outside and inside needed cleaning, the paint needed a bit of a polishing and the break calipers were to be painted.

With eight hours on tap to get it done i was in for a busy one, Sure why not says i

He wanted the calipers colour coded to the body so i got the paint matched and mixed then a serious wash with acid was in need before a scrub with a wire wheel.

Next that ugly, weathered trim was to take on a whole new appearance.

8 hours and i'm finished, breaks, inside, outside done and ready for a photo shot.

Thanks for looking.

Noccy_Mondy · 27-04-2015 1:15am

That trim on the transits is so bad for fading, family members ones are the same.

galwaydude18 · 27-04-2015 1:31pm

What did you use to brighten up the plastic trim? Bumper etc.?

JAMES VTI S · 27-04-2015 1:33pm

Soloution finish.

166man · 27-04-2015 1:57pm

Good lord that is one seriously clean van for a near 9/10 year old vehicle. That's a stunning job, man!

Might I ask how do you make/buy this solution stuff, good friend has a Transit connect 2005 and it'd be exactly what he is looking for to re do the trim. Is it a permanent finish?

JAMES VTI S · 27-04-2015 2:00pm

Nothing is pernament really, i4detailing is where I got it from.

Curran · 27-04-2015 3:11pm

Things gone a bit quiet on the customer side over the winter James?? Doing lots of jobs for buddies...wonder would you be bettee spending your time handing out leaflets...anyways..hope it picks up in the coming weeks.

That Solution Finish seems a lot like CarPro PERL. What kind of durability is it giving...I know its not permanent; but a lot better than some trim dressings out there. Is it giving 3-4 months?

166man; CarPro DLUX is a semi permanent coating, good for over a year!

Alanstrainor · 27-04-2015 8:02pm

Hadn't got a chance to wash mine in a couple of weeks, and it was driving me mad. Got around to doing a wash, polish and wax yesterday. Autoglym HD wax, and Chemical Guys wax, the car came out well, I might put on another coat at some stage this week. Having underground parking has it's advantages! :cool:

bbari · 27-04-2015 8:19pm

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Having underground parking has it's advantages! :cool:

Do you think the car gets more dust in the underground car park then it would outside ?

Alanstrainor · 27-04-2015 8:22pm

bbari wrote: »

Do you think the car gets more dust in the underground car park then it would outside ?

No, well not in my apartment at least. It seems to be pretty dust free to be honest.

nd · 27-04-2015 8:31pm

Just wondering James where did you get the paint matched?

Noccy_Mondy · 27-04-2015 8:40pm

Alanstrainor wrote:

Hadn't got a chance to wash mine in a couple of weeks, and it was driving me mad. Got around to doing a wash, polish and wax yesterday. Autoglym HD wax, and Chemical Guys wax, the car came out well, I might put on another coat at some stage this week. Having underground parking has it's advantages!

Probably hadn't even driven it since the last wash.... :pac:

JAMES VTI S · 27-04-2015 9:04pm

nd wrote: »

Just wondering James where did you get the paint matched?

I went to my local automotive refinishing specilast - Swiftco In Newcastle west Co, Limerick.

nd · 27-04-2015 9:06pm

Thanks. They are not that far from me. And how do they do it. By the paint code or?

JAMES VTI S · 27-04-2015 9:10pm

Yep, now they were unable to get a metallic match for these calipers as it was water based and would have taken too long to dry but to be honest that would have been over kill for calipers in my opinion anyway.

Thay are very nice lads behind the counter and it's a world of polishing equipment from Flexipads and more

Alanstrainor · 27-04-2015 9:30pm

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

Probably hadn't even driven it since the last wash.... :pac:

I'm covering massive miles now, maybe about 300km in the last month :pac:

EDIT: Actually, I had a trip to Cork in the last month! That must have done it!

*Kol* · 01-05-2015 11:10am

50Cal Ambush Foam after 30 mins. Good dwell time.

nd · 01-05-2015 12:04pm

It's still a liquid (it hasn't dried to a powder)?

*Kol* · 01-05-2015 12:33pm

nd wrote: »

It's still a liquid (it hasn't dried to a powder)?

Yes still wet but needed to be rinsed at that stage. I would probably leave it ten mins less but I got distracted on the phone.

TheBigGreen · 01-05-2015 1:24pm

*Kol* wrote: »

50Cal Ambush Foam after 30 mins. Good dwell time.

I found it excellent too, must get some more!

*Kol* · 01-05-2015 2:11pm

TheBigGreen wrote: »

I found it excellent too, must get some more!

I have used the demon foam which was not too bad to be honest. I am going to try the Karcher foam too as it's handy to get. Would be good to have a fall-back if I run out of 50Cal.

cena · 01-05-2015 9:31pm

How much foam did you put in the bottle. I can't get 5 mins of dwelling using the same product

*Kol* · 01-05-2015 10:04pm

cena wrote: »

How much foam did you put in the bottle. I can't get 5 mins of dwelling using the same product

I have a karcher lance so the bottle is quite small. I would say I put about 200 ml and the rest water. If I was using demon foam I would use it 50/50 to water.

cena · 02-05-2015 9:36pm

*Kol* wrote: »

I have a karcher lance so the bottle is quite small. I would say I put about 200 ml and the rest water. If I was using demon foam I would use it 50/50 to water.

You won't get 3 washes using 200ml. Sure the bottle is only 500ml or have you a bigger size

JAMES VTI S · 02-05-2015 10:01pm

Got a call form a buddy in Cork city that was going to a wedding in two days and his car would be available for a few hours (9AM to 3PM), he wanted whet ever possible in 6 hours, both interior and exterior were to be done. I advised on an interior detail and exterior protection detail.

I started with the interior leather first.

Then i moved onto the plastics and steam cleaning.

I finished the interior with a hoovering and moved to the exterior. :rolleyes:

The usual was carried out, wash, clean, protect, you know the score.

50/50 of the difference

< LEFT = Before / After = RIGHT >

JAMES VTI S · 02-05-2015 10:01pm

Being a V6 this car has twin exhaust tips and while ticking over i noticed how dirty and crappy they looked covered in grime and tar.

Just a wash and de-tar, no where 100% detailed but good enough.

JAMES VTI S · 02-05-2015 10:01pm

:cool: SHE'S A BEAST :eek:

Thanks for looking

JAMES VTI S · 02-05-2015 10:07pm

Excuse the last few over exposed pictures, something just clicked with me looking back on them and i think i'm going to use spot metering less in sunny lighting and switch to evaluative metering instead.

*Kol* · 02-05-2015 10:24pm

cena wrote: »

You won't get 3 washes using 200ml. Sure the bottle is only 500ml or have you a bigger size

I was thinking that. The bottle is only 500ml. I might try using 100ml next time and see how it goes.

cena · 02-05-2015 10:35pm

*Kol* wrote: »

I was thinking that. The bottle is only 500ml. I might try using 100ml next time and see how it goes.

I would like to get it in a bigger size and try more foam in the bottle. I have used the 100ml and its not very foamy

Hal1 · 02-05-2015 11:27pm

Wow fair play, that's some turn around in only a few hours. Is that a chemical used on the seats prior to steam cleaning or just steam?

JAMES VTI S · 03-05-2015 12:39am

Thanks.
Yes, good old APC.

Senecio · 03-05-2015 7:04am

Great job on the Lexus interior, but what amazes me is.

How can people let their interior get into that state in the first place? Looks like it hadn't even been wiped with a damp rag since it was driven off the forecourt. Absolutely disgusting!

JAMES VTI S · 03-05-2015 9:30am

THanks, Senecio.
This car has a full toyota service history, it is very well maintained, when your busy things get over looked I guess.

*Kol* · 03-05-2015 9:35am

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

THanks, Senecio.
This car has a full toyota service history, it is very well maintained, when your busy things get over looked I guess.

Very easy to see on a cream interior too. Can you imagine the amount of dark interiors going around that are that bad but just don't look it.

JAMES VTI S · 03-05-2015 9:41am

:pac: I don't have to imagine as I deal with them most days, most people think leather is a quick wipe and move on, it's not fabric it won't hold grime.

Detailing is not everyone's chosen subject.

mik_da_man · 03-05-2015 12:25pm

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

:pac: I don't have to imagine as I deal with them most days, most people think leather is a quick wipe and move on, it's not fabric it won't hold grime.

Detailing is not everyone's chosen subject.

My car has a black leather interior, what's the best process to get it properly clean?
I have a steam cleaner that I was thinking of using..

JAMES VTI S · 03-05-2015 5:12pm

Hoover to remove all debris.
APC.
Dwell.
wipe with a white cloth.
repeat tell cloth removes no more grime.

Or you can use something more dedicated like Autoglym leather cleaner.

mik_da_man · 03-05-2015 6:43pm

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

Hoover to remove all debris.
APC.
Dwell.
wipe with a white cloth.
repeat tell cloth removes no more grime.

Or you can use something more dedicated like Autoglym leather cleaner.

Do you scrub the seats at all?

JAMES VTI S · 03-05-2015 6:49pm

Can do, if they need it. A shoe polishing brush is brilliant.

Curran · 03-05-2015 8:06pm

Be careful with the APC's, some wouldnt be suitable for leather. You only need a mild solution also.
As James said; spray on, gentle scrub, buff down with a microfiber cloth and repeat as necessary!

166man · 04-05-2015 1:44am

Indeed, have to be careful using APC on leather as afaik it can strip the laquer top coat off the leather and allow dye transfer etc.

I'd personally only use a dedicated leather cleaner, but I find the Autoglym one pretty useless.

*Kol* · 04-05-2015 10:50am

I have armorall leather wipes and they seem to be quite effective at removing dirt. I was surprised.

*Kol* · 04-05-2015 10:53am

Defeated by the weather yesterday I tackled under the hood.

Today I did some detailing...

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