Car Detailing

merc190

Anyone on here into cleaning their cars or should I say detailing. Where do you buy your products and what do you use. Can the bilberry wheel cleaner be sourced in Ireland?

8vjohn

I use mostly auto glym. It's easy on and easy off stuff. It's reasonably priced too. There are people big into detailing and use "Poor Boys", Meguirs" and the like. For wheels I found the turtle wax polish and protect kit very good. It's very time consuming though.
The way I detail my car is as follows: 1.Wash the car using a mitt and two buckets 2.clay the car 3.polish the car 4.use a good sealnt to protect the polished surface 5.wax the car with wax of your choice. Bear in mind that you can buy waxes up to 200e!!

TestTransmission

This is something im hoping to get done in the next few weeks,

What products do you use?Where do you buy them?
Do you use a soft or a hard clay?

8vjohn

Have a look in halfords, they have a comprehensive range of detailing products including the full range of auto glym.

8vjohn

Also, check out detailer.ie. There's a lot of work to detailing a car that a lot of people don't realise

TomMc

merc190 wrote: »

Anyone on here into cleaning their cars or should I say detailing. Where do you buy your products and what do you use. Can the bilberry wheel cleaner be sourced in Ireland?

ValetPro have a dealer in the North. He is on DW http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=95021

otherwise www.smartfinishcare.com have the best range of any detailing supplier over here, or www.micksgarage.com if you just wanted a few bits and pieces.

L-M

There's nothing a bit of elbow grease and a normal bit of T-cut, polish, a decent enough bit of suds, a bucket of water and a hoover won't do for you detailing wise. A new clean paint brush is a must for cleaning the interior as well.

A good three to four hours will do you know harm:D

philstar

instead of going to mass.....i wash my car better for the soul

i say why use a valator when you can easily do it yourself

milltown

Galvo101 wrote: »

I recently got my Audi detailed by a guy in South Dublin. He's been trained in the States, very reasonable and does a great job. He's also mobile and takes out scratches too, saves a respray. His website is www.premiercarcare.ie. I'd really recommend him......

Two out of your three posts pimping the same detailing guy!?
He must have made quite an impression on you.

Neilw

8vjohn wrote: »

Have a look in halfords, they have a comprehensive range of detailing products including the full range of auto glym.

Ahh good old chalkey glym, the favorite of the classic car owner
Average at best with poor durability. Wouldn't rate many of their products, glass polish is very good tho.

Brands which are much better performing and better value would be the meguiars detailer range, poorboys world, chemical guys. Collinite make some of the most durable waxes on the market.

ucd.1985

Limerick man wrote: »

There's nothing a bit of elbow grease and a normal bit of T-cut, polish, a decent enough bit of suds, a bucket of water and a hoover won't do for you detailing wise. A new clean paint brush is a must for cleaning the interior as well.

A good three to four hours will do you know harm:D

T-cut is one of the most harmful products to your paint work. It is far too abresive.

I would never recommend anyone to use it. Go for Megs Scratch X instead.

ucd.1985

Neilw wrote: »

Ahh good old chalkey glym, the favorite of the classic car owner
Average at best with poor durability. Wouldn't rate many of their products, glass polish is very good tho.

Brands which are much better performing and better value would be the meguiars detailer range, poorboys world, chemical guys. Collinite make some of the most durable waxes on the market.

In fairness the AG Super Resin Polish is widely accepted as a very good product by many detailing ethusiasts.

Neilw

ucd.1985 wrote: »

In fairness the AG Super Resin Polish is widely accepted as a very good product by many detailing ethusiasts.

SRP is ok at filling minor swirls but it does not last more then a week or two tops, durability is terrible.
Bilt hamber autobalm is just as good, gives better gloss and lasts much longer.

Most of the autoglym products are old school at this stage and better can be bought for the same or less cost, thats the point I'm trying to make.

vectra

ucd.1985 wrote: »

In fairness the AG Super Resin Polish is widely accepted as a very good product by many detailing ethusiasts.

It is once you top it off with a good wax
I use "Harly wax"
Puts a long lasting beading on my car

ucd.1985

vectra wrote: »

It is once you top it off with a good wax
I use "Harly wax"
Puts a long lasting beading on my car

Invested in Dodo Supernatural myself.

vectra

ucd.1985 wrote: »

Invested in Dodo Supernatural myself.

Is that the mad expensive stuff in the fancy container?

Neilw

vectra wrote: »

Is that the mad expensive stuff in the fancy container?

It's expensive alright, around 100 euro's or so. You can buy it in the nice wood container or in a plastic container for less.

vectra

Neilw wrote: »

It's expensive alright, around 100 euro's or so. You can buy it in the nice wood container or in a plastic container for less.

Thats the one.

MarkR

I've never used a sealant. I usually pick up my stuff in halfords when there's an offer on. What sealants do they have there, and what would you recommend?

vectra

MarkR wrote: »

I've never used a sealant. I usually pick up my stuff in halfords when there's an offer on. What sealants do they have there, and what would you recommend?

This is the wax I use and actually the seller I bought it from
Harly Wax
I like it
Others may not
But
when I give my car a good wash... a Polish with AutoGlym SRP and 2 coats of this stuff it turns a lots of heads.
Plus
the wax seems to last ages on the cars even through winter :cool:

ucd.1985

Neilw wrote: »

It's expensive alright, around 100 euro's or so. You can buy it in the nice wood container or in a plastic container for less.

Yeah, I just got it in the plastic container. €69.50

I know its a lot but offers a great finish and long lasting protection.

Will be giving the car a full detail after exams and will post up pictures then.

kuntyballs

A two bucket wash with Kent microfibre wash mitt, dried with a microfibre towel, followed by a Meguiar's quick clay is how I start. Then another wash/dry etc. followed by an Autoglym Super Resin Polish by hand, topped up with a final seal or two of Collinite 476 wax on the bodywork, and Poorboy's wheel sealant on the alloys.

If you follow the online guides on how to use the above products properly and take your time, there's very little you can do to make your car look better, other than getting a professional detailer to properly correct your paint, or spend a small fortune on swissvax etc.

For filling in (not correcting) swirls, there's very little that will touch the Autoglym SRP. It's a great product. And Collinite 476 is peerless in it's price range for durability and finish. Just make the effort to prep the car properly first with a decent wash and clay and you will not be disappointed.

I've an Alfa GTV looking grubby outside, that's just waiting for the right weather until I can make it look as magnificent and shiny as it deserves. Hopefully I can post some pics of my results up next week.



P.S. I got some cotton/polyester wax/polish applicator pads in Tesco last week for only 24cent! Haven't got around to using them yet but they look like they're very good quality from what I can tell, and for that ridiculously low price you really can't go wrong.

E39MSport

A full on makeover comprises of: -
R222 bodywork shampoo - excellent stuff
aquagleam filtered rinse water
california water blade (tried and tested with no swirl marks)
'The absorber' to dry - unbelievable drying power
Mequaires clay bar treatment
R222 paintwork cleanser (DO NOT do this on a warm surface) I also use zymol
Another wash, dry and a final dry with an electric leaf blower (gets the water from the joints etc)
R222 Carnauba Concours look wax (also use zymol carbon depending on the car) this must be applied within 24 hours of applying the cleanser.

It can take up to 6 hours start to finish depending on hangover severity....

Then I take it out on the roads and get it filthy again !!!!

vectra

E39MSport wrote: »

Then I take it out on the roads and get it filthy again !!!!

And then back to square one again.
I only know it too well

Whee do you get the R222 products?

E39MSport

ultimatefinish.co.uk

Johnny Utah

E39MSport wrote: »

Another wash, dry and a final dry with an electric leaf blower (gets the water from the joints etc)

Bad idea lad. The leaf blower will tend to blow grit, dirt and whatever else is on the ground all over your car. Definitiely wouldn't use one for drying my own car.

E39MSport

It doesn't. The intake is just under the exhaust so nothing is picked up from the ground. I hold it at bonnet height also.

CharlieCroker

What does claying a car do and how do you do it??
Is it for taking off tar and stuff. Where to get and how much??
Might give it a go next weekend along with a full valet.

E39MSport

Its like a putty and used on conjunction with a high slip solution which gives excellent surface protection. You kneed the clay, spray the liquid onto a small area and run the clay over the surface where you've sprayed. Kneed again to make a clean surface and repeat. Its the best way of removing surface grime and tar etc in my opinion. Leaves a beautiful finish ready for wax/polish etc. You can get it in Halfords - look for Meguaires quick clay kit. You get 2 clay bars and 500ml of the lubricant. It's reasonably fast to do as well given the finish you get.

CharlieCroker

Cheers man,
Is it done after washing and before waxing??

E39MSport

CharlieCroker wrote: »

Cheers man,
Is it done after washing and before waxing??

yup - see my recent post. (wash, dry, clay, wash, dry, wax)

K

DUBLINHITMAN

JUST PICKED UP SOME BILBERRY WHEEL CLEANER
ph neutral snow foam bilthammer clay menz pads valet pro tyre shine 5 litres
and citrus bling and more

spent £175 up the north
BILLY T FROM DETAILINGWORLD.COM
is doing 10% off all products so happy days

Neilw

E39MSport wrote: »

A full on makeover comprises of: -
R222 bodywork shampoo - excellent stuff
aquagleam filtered rinse water
california water blade (tried and tested with no swirl marks)
'The absorber' to dry - unbelievable drying power
Mequaires clay bar treatment
R222 paintwork cleanser (DO NOT do this on a warm surface) I also use zymol
Another wash, dry and a final dry with an electric leaf blower (gets the water from the joints etc)
R222 Carnauba Concours look wax (also use zymol carbon depending on the car) this must be applied within 24 hours of applying the cleanser.

It can take up to 6 hours start to finish depending on hangover severity....

Then I take it out on the roads and get it filthy again !!!!

R222 - Looks like rebranded P21s?

I tried P21s wax and the durability was terrible

Zube

DUBLINHITMAN wrote: »

spent £175 up the north

I can't imagine it'll add 10% to the value of your car...

Neilw

Zube wrote: »

I can't imagine it'll add 10% to the value of your car...

Maybe not - but a well minded car with paintwork in good condition will sell quicker then one that's only ever been washed once a year.

TomMc

Neilw wrote: »

R222 - Looks like rebranded P21s?

I tried P21s wax and the durability was terrible

It is rebranded to R222 in Europe. The S100 version they sell in the states to the motorbike market is half the price yet the very same. As you say poor durability but looks good and easy enough to apply by paste wax standards. More for collector cars that are garaged most of the time. Collinite 845 Insulator wax would be even easier to apply, look as good (subjective of course, as with all waxes) last months longer and still cost less. The R222 paintwork cleanser is good, but a cleaner sealant is a better option underneath a wax.

E39MSport

re: R222 durability I've read that it's poor but I have a black e39 with Zymol carbon on it for about 5 months and it cleans up very well. I applied the R222 concours to my rrs over a month ago and it's still going strong. tbh, I would reapply every 8 weeks min anyway so it won't be a problem for me. However, out of the 2 ranges, the R stuff is a lot easier to work with.

Neilw

TomMc wrote: »

It is rebranded to R222 in Europe. The S100 version they sell in the states to the motorbike market is half the price yet the very same. As you say poor durability but looks good and easy enough to apply by paste wax standards. More for collector cars that are garaged most of the time. Collinite 845 Insulator wax would be even easier to apply, look as good (subjective of course, as with all waxes) last months longer and still cost less. The R222 paintwork cleanser is good, but a cleaner sealant is a better option underneath a wax.

I think I'm too used to using collinite and other waxes that are renowned as being very durable

Zube

Neilw wrote: »

Maybe not - but a well minded car with paintwork in good condition will sell quicker then one that's only ever been washed once a year.

When we're talking about going to the North just to get a bucket of cleaning products for €175 we're not talking about selling the car or adding value, we're talking about compulsive psychotic behaviour.

It's a car. Go North and buy your girlfriend something for €175.

*Tripper*

Zube wrote: »

When we're talking about going to the North just to get a bucket of cleaning products for €175 we're not talking about selling the car or adding value, we're talking about compulsive psychotic behaviour.

It's a car. Go North and buy your girlfriend something for €175.

You're in a forum about cars where people who like to maintain their cars, be it mechanical or cosmetic, post. What do you expect? It's no different to some computer fanatic who buys all sorts of crap for their computers. You should get your kicks in another way.

DUBLINHITMAN

Zube wrote: »

When we're talking about going to the North just to get a bucket of cleaning products for €175 we're not talking about selling the car or adding value, we're talking about compulsive psychotic behaviour.

It's a car. Go North and buy your girlfriend something for €175.

YOU GET A HOBBY BUDDY
OR MAYBE YOUR HOBBY IS BUYING PRESENTS TO IMPRESS YOUR GF
i dont plan on selling my car ever i plan on keeping it as new for ever '
unlike my gf its easyier to maintain a car ,lol

i spent 175 pound its a investment ,
5ltres of snow foam 150 washes =150 cars and depending on how much i charge i could make my money back and more ,,

in other words buddy if you've nothin to say about detailing cars
take a hike ,
+ 1 to this fellow scrubbers lol

L-M

Personally, I love cleaning my car, and I really do give it a good going over most weeks. But I don't see the need for spending mad money on polishes etc. A reasonable car wash, and reasonable polish, and a bit of elbow grease does wonders.

DUBLINHITMAN

each to there own people might think i go up every week to spend £175 on products
thats not the case maybe 2 or 3 times a year ,

i prefair to use good gear simonze and turtle wax i'd never use ,

auto glym and meguires do the job also but its always nice to get the good stuff
especially when you can notice the difference

TomMc

Valetpro gear though would still only be on a par with Concept or Autosmart stuff. It is by no means the holy grail of detailing, mass produced to a low price and of course overhyped on DW. There are better products out there it is just the cost of shipping gallon bottles from abroad, makes them prohibitively expensive. You would want to be bringing in a pallet of stuff for it to make financial sense.

DUBLINHITMAN

yeah i'll get a pallet next time

vectra

Limerick man wrote: »

Personally, I love cleaning my car, and I really do give it a good going over most weeks. But I don't see the need for spending mad money on polishes etc. A reasonable car wash, and reasonable polish, and a bit of elbow grease does wonders.

Next time you do give it a good wash and polish.. Get yourself a decent tin of wax and give it a coat of that afterwards.. I guarantee you will smile :cool:

macuser56

I used these guys for my car detailing:
http://www.kingpin.ie

Excellent service and one thing people should watch out for is insurance. Kingpin are insured for work on your car, where many other companies are NOT insured. So be careful as there are a lot of cowboys out there, and if they damage your premium car, you are liable.

Kingpin have a mobile unit and so come to you. They also have Swissvax as one of their products which gives a great finish.

Rob

MetzgerMeister

All the waxes I use are Meguiars. Excellent quality and durability. Also, they are scented so you don't get a rotten headache from bad, chemical smells as happens with other stuff!

I also use Turtle Wax "Wax it Wet". Very very handy for a quick boost in protection aswell as shine. Also Turtle Wax Wheel Clean. I find it's the best out there.

Here's what I do:

Once a week:

Wheel Clean...pressure wash wheels...pressure wash car...wash with meguiar's lambs wool mitt and meguiars NXT generation car wash...pressure wash...Wax it Wet (inc. hand-dry with microfibre cloths)...take the car for a spin to get water out of cracks...hand dry again...hand dry...de-tar body & wheels with Meguiars bug and tar remover...polish off...Turtle Wax "Black in a Flash" on tyre walls...Job Done.

Once a month:

All the above except clay bar...meguiars paint cleaner...meguiars polish...meguiars NXT generation tech wax x 2.

Also, I offer a valeting service in the Thurles area if anyone's interested