quality of paint so far.....

[bigbadjay]

Hi peeps! Just wondering how to tell if paintwork is in good nic or not. Is beading good or signs it needs waxing etc. Iv never washed it myself (shock) and its had lifeshine pack (horror story but i wont go there yet) i take it to a decent car wash. I can see swirls if i walk round the car they shine in the light. Btw its black magic colour looks beautiful when just cleaned but could do with basic tiips e.g drying and the DONTS of cleaning. Are car washes to be avoided at all cost i go to a decent one they look after my car!

TA all who share wisdom!

 

[Jordanwaterhous]

Avoid them like the plague mate.
Avoid machine car washes.
Avoid all hand car wash places, seen them do some nasty stuff before which make me whince!

If you cant, always do it yourself!

Yellow sponges are to be avoided at all costs, any kind of sponge infact. Wash it with a lambswool mitt.

Avoid chamois, they hold grit and dirt like you wouldn't believe. Use a Microfibre towel, easy to wash and a lot quicker too!

Use the 2 bucket method, which is;
1 bucket with just hot water in it
1 bucket with the shampoo in it with hot water. (NOT FAIRY LIQUID OR WASHING UP LIQUID!!!)


Process is clean wash mitt into shampoo bucket, onto panels, start at the top (roof)
and do one panel at a time, then once you've done one panel it goes into the hot water bucket (not shampoo bucket) and try clean the wash mitt, then wring the wash mitt out in rinse bucket, then it goes into the shampoo bucket and back on the car.

Once you go down a panel, do not go back up.

This is because cars tend to be dirtier at the bottom on the car (nearest ground) if you go down, it picks up grit and crap, then if you go back up, it rubs the grit all over the part that didn't have grit on it.
That make sense?

 

[bigbadjay]

Washing up liquid lol. Do you have to do it fast so the shampoo doesnt leave residue?
What about drying? Two buckets sound good i have no hose pipe or tap! Do you change the water at all like halfway?
P.s i have that autoglym care bag its got stuff in it like shampoo wax resin polish an other fancies, any good? Ill invest in the top notch stuff when its had its moneys worth and get good at it.

Thanks alot for responding!!!

 

[dazvessey]

dry it with a micro fibre towel some people spend a bit of money on them but i use some from asda they are on a 2 for 5 pound offer you just need to pull the tag off them im just getting into detailing my self and have spent well over £100 on stuff and im just scratching the surface really and if the water is beading thats a good sign its protected auto glym stuff is ok http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=340993 thats the link to my detailing thread might help you a little as i say im a noob to it and learning my self

 

[Jordanwaterhous]

Washing up liquid lol. Do you have to do it fast so the shampoo doesnt leave residue?
What about drying? Two buckets sound good i have no hose pipe or tap! Do you change the water at all like halfway?
P.s i have that autoglym care bag its got stuff in it like shampoo wax resin polish an other fancies, any good? Ill invest in the top notch stuff when its had its moneys worth and get good at it.

Thanks alot for responding!!!

Nope because the water you wash the car with is clean! You wash the wash mitt in the rinse bucket, wring it out, then put it in the shampoo bucket, so the clean bucket stays fresh so you aren't cleaning your car with dirty water!

All AG stuff is really good in my experience!

I've only found it dried before i'd finished washing in the sunlight. If that's the case then do 1 panel at a time

 

[bigbadjay]

Sorry i misread about microfibre cloth. All sounds good advice as i said iv never washed it. It is a science in itself! Thread looks good good lots of kit too. expect lots more noobile q's sooooon!

The kids at the bottom of the street are out of a job now

 

[Steely]

After spending near 2k on detailing products back in 2008, all I swear by now is nattys paste & AG super resin (using a flex DA polisher), clay bars a decent wash mitt and 2 yellow buckets, rendering £1700 quids worth redundant & gathering dust & a complete waste of money,

dont be fooled by overly complicated detailing methods,


decent mitt

yellow buckets, (as mentioned one for wash & one for rinse)

decent wax coat,

with a decent protection, you should be able to dry the car with sheet water,


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtoWk9thSEI

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