Today I did some detailing...

Noccy_Mondy · 27-07-2014 03:00PM

Any hardware shop will have the stuff that comes in a tube, and you go to town on it with a cloth. Never heard of it coming in a can.

dredg · 27-07-2014 03:13PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Also, does anyone here use a glaze? And if so, do you think it's worth your while?

I was using it after machine polishing the Rav. And I found that regardless of whether i applied it like polish (machining it into the paintwork) or like wax (wax on, let sit, buff off), it made little to no difference whatsoever?

I only did one or two panels on the Rav that time, and then gave up and moved onto waxing. But when I was finished, you'd never, ever, have known which panels got glazed.

I don't know if I was just using it incorrectly, or..?

I use poor boys white diamond on my car and it looks great. The thing could really do with a good machine polish but I lack the patience and the time to do so (not to mention the equipment).

Chimaera · 27-07-2014 03:24PM

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

Any hardware shop will have the stuff that comes in a tube, and you go to town on it with a cloth. Never heard of it coming in a can.

vectra · 27-07-2014 03:43PM

Curran wrote: »

CG's call it a glaze and self leveler - so it falls into the combo product!

Wolf's Chemicals "The Correctional Utility" or CG's V34 are the two most aggressive polishes! Combo V34 with a Microfiber Pad and that will be an aggressive set up!
Not sure about the Wolf's polish on a MF pad, as they supply foam pads to combo with their polishes....will shoot Wolf's an email about that!

I would have thought Wolf's Chemicals "The Equalizer" would be more agrgessive than the Correctional Utility?

Curran · 27-07-2014 03:49PM

vectra wrote: »

I would have thought Wolf's Chemicals "The Equalizer" would be more agrgessive than the Correctional Utility?

You are right....I was thinking of them off the top of my head, and had a feeling I was forgetting one!

Yeah, 'The Equalizer' is more aggressive!

Want a job! :P Pay's rubbish though!

MetzgerMeister · 27-07-2014 04:03PM

Curran wrote: »

Want a job! :P Pay's rubbish though!

...and the boss is an asshole :pac:

vectra · 27-07-2014 04:31PM

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

...and the boss is an asshole :pac:

Bosses are like Nappies.
Always hanging around your Ar$e and full of $hit.

Noccy_Mondy · 27-07-2014 05:17PM

Chimaera wrote: »

Thought you meant an aerosol can for some reason.

28-07-2014 12:41AM

vectra wrote: »

I would have thought Wolf's Chemicals "The Equalizer" would be more agrgessive than the Correctional Utility?

Curran wrote: »

Yeah, 'The Equalizer' is more aggressive!

Want a job! Pay's rubbish though!

A job? What's that? Surely you mean an internship?

On a more serious note, this 'equaliser'.. to what degree with it actually 'equalise'? Is it on par with M105 or is it the kinda product you buy and use thinking 'should've just used the CG's Pro Polish 3N' (which i have a near-full bottle of, already)?

Would i be just as well to stick with the 3N?

I have a friend's car in with me next week. It's a 2004 Santa Fe. Has a rake of scratches all over it, only one of which can actually be felt (the rest are visible but not physical).

Is it worth my while actually buying The Equaliser, or would I be just as handy getting stuck in with Pro Polish 3N?

28-07-2014 12:50AM

Also, can anyone tell me the best product/s I need for fabric interiors?

Do I want a wet-vac? Or a steam cleaner? or both?

I would love to be able to bring fabrics to as-new condition. and although I do have some fabric cleaner and foam upholstery cleaners, I find they're pretty ineffective.

Noccy_Mondy · 28-07-2014 01:02AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Also, can anyone tell me the best product/s I need for fabric interiors?

Do I want a wet-vac? Or a steam cleaner? or both?

I would love to be able to bring fabrics to as-new condition. and although I do have some fabric cleaner and foam upholstery cleaners, I find they're pretty ineffective.

Them things are crap, have them myself and they only do a patchy job - make it look worse than it was before

If it's bad then I'd be doing a vet vac, unless someone else has a better idea.

28-07-2014 01:04AM

If i was to buy something like this:

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4060716/Trail/searchtext%3ESTEAM.htm

or this

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/catalogId/14551/partNumber/4060967.htm#tabrev

Would that be a cheap and cheerful way of getting interiors sorted out and getting my head around what works for me?

Or just money down the drain?

Noccy_Mondy · 28-07-2014 01:09AM

Don't know if them yokes would be powerful enough to suck all the crap out. Afaik the way that the proper people do it is the foam stuff is sprayed out onto the seats and sucked back into the machine with the dirt. Someone would be able to tell you definitively, if they would work, I'd get one myself, can't really justify the cost of buying a proper wet vac, given the little usage it'd be given.

28-07-2014 01:13AM

Hmm.. it does seem that fabric interiors are the 'mystery' of the detailing world. Can never seem to just get a straight forward "buy this and this and use them like this and the seats will be as new" kind of an answer at all

Noccy_Mondy · 28-07-2014 01:16AM

You were spoiled with the leather :P

28-07-2014 01:27AM

Which is exactly why I made sure I stuck with it. The 407 has a leather interior, too. :P

But I hate not being able to clean fabric seats properly. I told a friend of mine I'd clean his car next week, while he's off on a weeks holiday. So I'll be able to work on the car in small doses here and there, and his has a fabric interior. I want it to look like the car has just waltzed out of the showroom. And I know it can be done, but I just don't know how.

randy hickey · 28-07-2014 03:47AM

The only show in town when it comes to cleaning upholstery seats and carpets (and I mean properly clean here) is a spray-extraction machine.
There is a very recent thread here where I've gone into a bit more detail on the topic, but if you don't want to invest in one, then a simple solution is to hire out one of the Rug Doctor machines from B&Q or Woodies, and these have a spray-extraction hand tool that can be used in cars.

28-07-2014 08:49AM

The only issue with that is the expense required. Puts it a little out of the reach of the hobbyist detailer.

If I were detailing (and getting paid properly) for a car or two every week, then it'd probably be a worthwhile investment, but as things are it's a tough one to justify.

What strikes me though, is that there are hobbyist lads across the net getting great results on fabric seats. It just seems that they are very light on details when it comes to answering 'how'. I'd not imagine m/any hobbyists owning such equipment? (maybe I'm wrong?).

vectra · 28-07-2014 09:30AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Also, can anyone tell me the best product/s I need for fabric interiors?

Do I want a wet-vac? Or a steam cleaner? or both?

I would love to be able to bring fabrics to as-new condition. and although I do have some fabric cleaner and foam upholstery cleaners, I find they're pretty ineffective.

I have a feeling that I read on here a while back that MetzgerMeister has one for sale.
PM him

quadrifoglio verde · 28-07-2014 11:27AM

vectra wrote: »

I have a feeling that I read on here a while back that MetzgerMeister has one for sale.
PM him

I thought he had a steam cleaner?

vectra · 28-07-2014 11:36AM

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

I thought he had a steam cleaner?

Not too sure.
I remember him saying he had something for sale.

Chimaera · 28-07-2014 12:15PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Which is exactly why I made sure I stuck with it. The 407 has a leather interior, too. :P

But I hate not being able to clean fabric seats properly. I told a friend of mine I'd clean his car next week, while he's off on a weeks holiday. So I'll be able to work on the car in small doses here and there, and his has a fabric interior. I want it to look like the car has just waltzed out of the showroom. And I know it can be done, but I just don't know how.

I've had pretty good results with a wet vacuum cleaner.

Materials/Equipment:
2 Buckets
Microfibre or terry cloth
Stiff bristled brush
or Nylon kitchen sponge (with the stiff green bit on one side)
Hot water
Carpet shampoo (the Rug Doctor stuff is pretty good)
or Foaming upholstery cleaner
Wet vacuum cleaner

Method 1: Using Foaming Upholstery Cleaner
1. Spray on the cleaner according to manufacturer's instructions
2. Agitate towards the end of the dwell time with the sponge or brush
3. Using the cloth and a bucket of clean water, rinse the fabric well
4. Vacuum out the water and dirt with the wet vacuum cleaner
5. Repeat 1-4 as necessary

Method 2: Using Carpet Shampoo
1. Mix up the carpet cleaner in a bucket of warm water according to manufacturer's instructions
2. Using the sponge (green side) scrub the carpet cleaner into the fabrics; use the brush for stubborn stains
3. Leave it to dwell for a minute or two
4. Vacuum out the shampoo and dirty water
5. Rinse with clean water
6. Vacuum out again

Notes:

Be sure to change the rinse water regularly, especially if you're working on light coloured fabrics as you can end up with tide lines otherwise. On very heavily soiled fabrics, headlining especially, you might find yourself going over it a few times.

Don't be shy with the rinse water. Once your wet vacuum has good suction it'll pull it back out. Pre-soaking big stains can make life a lot easier too. My car had a large coffee spill on the carpets when I got it (not very visible on a black carpet if you weren't looking closely). Dousing it in lots of water and vacuuming out got most of it before I needed to get in there with the shampoo.

Be careful with electrics. Electric seats, heated seats, controllers under the carpet. Find out if any of this stuff is fitted in your car before going in there with water. You might have to be somewhat circumspect with the rinsing.

This is best done on a warm day. If that's not possible, try and get your hands on a dehumidifier and be prepared for a day or two of damp seats. Leaving water too long in the fabrics is going to cause mould and mildew and a generally nasty interior.

For a deep clean, it can be useful to remove the front seats from the car to gain access to the little corners of the carpets that are usually covered up. I normally do this after I've shampooed them so they can spend time drying out in the sun.

MetzgerMeister · 28-07-2014 12:40PM

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

I thought he had a steam cleaner?

Yep, it's a Karcher steam cleaner I have.

Curran · 28-07-2014 12:52PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Is it worth my while actually buying The Equaliser, or would I be just as handy getting stuck in with Pro Polish 3N?

CGs Pro Polish 3n isnt really considered a machine polishing polish. Yes it will say that it can be applied by machine, and it will give a certain amount of improvement, but its certainly not a cutting compound like The Equalizer is.

28-07-2014 11:21PM

I'll get the Equaliser so. With an MF pad it better work it's ass off for me. :mad:

28-07-2014 11:23PM

Chimaera wrote: »

I've had pretty good results with a wet vacuum cleaner.

Cheers for the post, but quick question - are you using a €20 argos job, or an industrial strength wet vac?

Chimaera · 28-07-2014 11:44PM

I have a Kaercher A2206 - it's not bad, but I'd probably buy a different brand next time around. It's got decent suction, but the fact that you need to swap bags in and out for wet/dry vacuuming is a bit of a pain.

vectra · 29-07-2014 12:59AM

Deleted User wrote: »

I'll get the Equaliser so. With an MF pad it better work it's ass off for me. :mad:

I never used the Equailzer, but I have used the Correctional Utility on my sons E46 and we know how hard that paint is.
I was surprised at how it cut the paint with ease.
Be careful with that combo, I have no idea how quick it would cut and also have no idea how hard/soft the paint is on a Santa Fe.

29-07-2014 01:05AM

vectra wrote: »

I never used the Equailzer, but I have used the Correctional Utility on my sons E46 and we know how hard that paint is.
I was surprised at how it cut the paint with ease.
Be careful with that combo, I have no idea how quick it would cut and also have no idea how hard/soft the paint is on a Santa Fe.

Ah, I find a lot of the 'be careful you'll do damage' warnings are nonsense when it comes to machine polishing (with a DA, anyway).

Apparently the Rav4 had 'soft' paint, and the work I had to put into that fecker, using the most aggressive polish and MF pads I could get, was ridiculous. It literally took sandpaper to do any damage to that paintwork, and even then, it took a fair out sandpaper beating to do fairly minimal damage.

I am not concerned about doing any damage to it.

(but then again, it could well just be a case that I was expecting unrealistically good results from machine polishing and just wasn't happy with what I got out of it, and that's why i kept upping the aggressiveness of the gear i used. Still never really did any damage, though).

I've PM'ed Curran and asked him to throw aside a bottle of the Equalizer and some MF pads for me, so I'll give the Santa Fe a shot and see how I get on. Then try my own car after that.

Dunno how you still have the patience to do so much detailing, though, Vectra. Do you never get a little tired?

vectra · 29-07-2014 01:18AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Dunno how you still have the patience to do so much detailing, though, Vectra. Do you never get a little tired?

I do find the enthusiasm is lessening lately

Today I did some detailing...

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