Today I did some detailing...

Mister Jingles wrote: »

Only 3 weeks for that to happen ? Where do you work on a building site ?

It would take me a year for mine to get that bad and I drive to work most days on back roads :pac:

Honestly I don't know how it got so dirty! I do about 40 miles a day, almost all back roads. A lot of them were fierce dirty lately with farmwork and at times the driving may have been enthusiastic on greasy roads but I still don't understand how it ended up so bad :pac:

Did a few small bits to a Polo for my friend before he sells it, small correction on the door and bonnet and headlight restoration.

Half the door clayed:



This is what I was dealing with:



50/50:



The finished panel:



Headlights Before:



After:





Happy out with those jobs! Forgot to get pictures on the bonnet!

2 weeks ago my sister bought this car from a family member. He's an old man so didn't really give a crap about the car but the paint was badly oxidized with no reflection in it whatsoever so I had the job of improving it. No before pics as I was fighting the darkness to get it done.





It now looks as good as its mileage (25,000 kms :eek: ) so she'll have it for a good few years to come.

Cracking job!! Always a great feeling when you reveal a hidden gem!!

Made a start on the Imola Red 5 today, christ I've never done a car so dirty, 2 hours claying it alone!

Here it was to start:





The tools for the job:



Fallout working away:





There was some tar on the car :pac:





There was an alloy behind the brake dust:



How she sat before claying:



Clay bar after a quarter of a door :eek:



As I left her tonight, drivers side stage 1 done:






My process for those interested:

• Pre-cleanse lower panels with 2D Pre Cleaner using a pressure sprayer.
• Rinse.
• Snow Foam - 2D Snow Foam
• Rinse.
• 2 Bucket Wash - 2D Shampoo and Wax
• Fallout Remover - 50.Cal Fallout Decon
• Rinse.
• Clean Wheels - 50.Cal Wheel Cleaner and Detailing Brush.
• Clean Tyres - 50.Cal Wheel Cleaner and Detailing Brush.
• De Tar Body and Wheels - 2D Tar Remover.
• Rinse
• Tyre Shine - 50.Cal Stealth
• Clay Barred - Meguiars Clay Bar and small shampoo and water mix in pressure sprayer.
• Dried - 50.Cal QD, drying towel/Microfibre
• Drivers side was given Stage 1 machine polish - 2D Yellow Pad, Menzerna PF300.

Will be continuing the polishing process tomorrow, hope to finish the first stage. Will post pictures of the final product in a few days

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

That red is going to come up like a gem, you can see it already!

Yeah I'm really looking forward to seeing it finished. Honestly, it'll still need a respray and that's a future plan but now, respray the rear bumper and replace the front would do me fine, would be very happy to be seen in it.

Hoping to make it a 4ft car from the polish, if you know what I mean.

Curran wrote: »

Tthat is a lot of contamination on the clay bar, given you de-tar'd and de-ironed prior to it....especially for just one quarter of a panel!!

By the looks of it, if it had the bits done that need paint, its already a 5-6ft car!

That was only one of the few photos I got of the clay.... I'd say this car never saw a polish or wax in its life :P

Not missing out on anything if your car doesn't need it. Assuming a car is never washed poorly or subject to any sort of damage, it would never need polishing, assuming it never got oxidised.

Polishing is effectively like exfoliating a thin layer of the clear coat to reveal a fresher surface (a shinier, glossier, surface), using abrasives.
By hand minimal removal of clear coat occurs but enough to remove very light damage or oxidisation. In fact it's more about the fillers in the hand polish, filling / hiding defects as a temporary solution.
By machine a thin layer is removed and the result is permanent; and won't need it again unless further damage is inflicted.

There is no perfect wash technique. Minimal damage will always occur, but it's limiting this damage as much as possible, will dictate the time between needing to polish.

Another bit done to the project:













Looking to get the body finished this week. But I tend to be lazy :pac:

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

The engine compartment is such a cnut to do. Sometimes I say right I'll tackle this, then after about 5 seconds I anger myself and say t'fcuk with it. Can never get in the little crevices right.

AutoGlym's Engine Degreaser, a Detail Brush, an old Microfibre and the power hose makes short work, makes a massive improvement.

Thats essentially the process. You have the order right.

One step that I always recommend as being worth doing is claying the paintwork; to removed bonded contamination that regular washing will not remove. The change it makes to the appearance of the car, is as effective as polishing. Doing both would obviously give fantastic results too.
Another step worth considering is the de-tar.

But if you are looking for a quick and easy improvement to the appearance, then you've got it right!

mhackett102 wrote: »

I want to give the Golf a polish over the weekend, just to get a few light swirl marks out. What should be the correct procedure to do so? I'll be using CarPlan T-Cut.

Would I be right in saying -
Wash the car to get any dirt off
Dry the car
Apply polish
Wipe off polish
Wax(?)

So after 3 hours of polishing, it came out quite well. I have to wax the car tomorrow along with going at the plastic trimmings, tyres, windows and interior. I took off the number plates after I polished and was about to put on the new ones but realised I left the double-sided tape at work will report back tomorrow.

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Great shine off that even before wax!

Yeah I was surprised getting that result just from washing the car with Fairy Liquid and then giving it T-Cut, I just got a snap of it before I closed the shed door so maybe it looks better in the dusk! :pac:

Hopefully I'll get the rest of it done tomorrow. All I'll have to do then is fit the spoiler and fit the new radio, and Im in no rush to do either of them just yet.

mhackett102 wrote: »

So after 3 hours of polishing, it came out quite well. I have to wax the car tomorrow along with going at the plastic trimmings, tyres, windows and interior. I took off the number plates after I polished and was about to put on the new ones but realised I left the double-sided tape at work will report back tomorrow.

Finished. Plastic trimmings were a c*nt to clean, I gave in after a while. Quiet happy with it overall, I dont want to bring it out on the dirty roads!