Today I did some detailing...

Curran wrote: »

Yeah, she's a 318i - great car, just lacking, for me, 2 cylinders.

Also have an E39 525i, which my wife is currently driving, as she wont drive the 'hearse' :P So this was the pre-sale prep, so it can be replaced with something she will drive, so I can get my car back, and give it the TLC it deserves

Great job on the hearse! Does the de-iron/de-tar affect the HydrO2 treatment at all?

Even though the alloys are brand new they still need to be cleaned properly after 1 week! This is Bilt Hamber AutoWheel.

Blackend:




Bleeding:




Beading:

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Restored both my own and a buddy's new X5's headlights today. Wetsanded wth 400, 800 and 1200 grit. DA'd with Menzerna FG 400, PF 2200, SF 3800 and finally with Meguiars Plast-X:

Excellent job.

Is it possible to do this by hand, or is the rotary polisher necessary?

It is possible to make some improvement, but the little amount is often not worth the effort

Nice bleeding on the wheels there Metz.
Surprised at the narrowness of the tyres on a car like that.!
Would have thought they would be wider?

Yep, they're the front. The rears are 255/35/19.

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

The thing most needed for a job on headlights is that a D/A will create heat. It's this heat along with the polish and pad that make the polishing work. You'd be an absolute age trying to generate the same heat by hand (get your mind out of the gutter ya whelp) in order to make it work.

How is hear effecting the process, out of curiosity?

Buy tar remover :pac: :pac:


Um depends on how bad, a clay bar will remove minor tar spots but if surface has larger tar spots then a Tar remover product may be needed,

Have a look on a detail product site and see what products they have.

Detailingshed and DnDdetailing are both irish sites used by lots on here

I started using Autobrite products recently and there Just the Tonic tar n glue remover is very good.

Tardis is another product that was recommended to me to.

Not a lot but posted here as an on going thread on the Carpro products.

No point in posting twice.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=97366657&postcount=30

The Leon was overdue a clean. I tried to start into it last week but had to abort and this was the front back then. It was even worse today!



I started with slapping wet microfibres onto the front to soften the bugs (This is last weeks photo. I got that far last week but I had to stop, no photos from today of this step)



Started today first thing as it was an ideal day, dry and overcast. Started with the same wet microfibre to soften them bugs. After an hour or so, snowfoam with 50cal Ambush. (You can see in the second photo where it was running off the car, cleaning it and see where it missed. That's annoying but I think I had the foam too weak.)





Then it was washed with the 2BM with AG shampoo, dried, detarred with AG Tar Remover, washed and then I tried out my new clay towel. I made up my own lube with water, APC and washing up liquid. The home made lube worked and of course I never noted the portions I used! I used the APC & washing up liquid as I wanted to take off the old finish. I had something else to try (I was shopping....)



It was bloody brilliant to use. It made claying the large panels easy and the claying was done in 20 minutes. A clay bar is still needed for the awkward corners.

I followed that up with a rinse and dry with a Dry me Crazy. I got myself some Collinite 845 and I tried it based on recommendations on here. I put on two thin coats, leaving about an hour between each. It was my first time using it and as the bottle said to apply a thin coat, I used a blob about the size of a 2c coin for the roof. (Yes I mixed it well before use and left the bottle in warm water before use to reduce the viscosity). It was buffed by hand.





I'm happy with it. I finished it off with AG Fast Glass (on the windows), Orchard Tyre Care (on the tyres naturally) and AG EGP on the wheels.

The next job is to try the Collinite on the Motorhome. Now that will be a horrid job. I think it will take more than one weekend!

*Kol* wrote: »

Let me know how you get on with the Motorhome. I was considering giving mine a go too.

The main reason us to try to stop the black streaks, or at least make them easy to remove. If the long weekend is fine, I should have time to try it.

*Kol* wrote: »

Same here. I find the Fenwicks shampoo used neat on a microfibre cloth removes the black streaks quite easily.

I use MudBuster Caravan and Motorhome cleaner. I dilute it down for the 2BM wash and that generally moves them. For the stubbern ones, I use it neat and rinse. I want to try the Collinite to see if it makes it easier to get rid of them streaks next time I wash it.

[IMG]http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/<a href=http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/DoctorStrange1/media/2015-10-18 19.41.05_zpsl9amuglo.jpg.html target=_blank>[/img]


Did the seats with AG leather cleaner using an old shaving brush I had. Seemed to work well and got a great lather going.

phone + darkness make for sh1t pics!

Lucozade orange? You need help :pac:

Original all the way. Now that I mention it, I'm gonna hop in the car and drive and get one!