Nelson_R32 Posted June 7, 2008 Report Share Posted June 7, 2008 As much as I'd love to pay one of you fella's to do a stunning job on the R32 I'll be paying off a holiday for the next few months so I need to do it myself To do a good detailing job you need patience, dedication and time. None of which I really have a great deal of :confused: Another thing that bugs me is process; do I clay bar it, then wash it? or the other way around :confused: Also allot of the products you use aren't available to buy quickly as they are online purchases. So, is anyone able to give me an idea of what the hell I should be doing to get a good finish? I wash and polish it (2 Bucket method) with Megiuars but I'm never that 100% happy with it I honestly couldn't do 14 hours of car cleaning like some of you do, I have too short attention span So something that I can incorporate into what I'm already doing, but something thats fairly fast, doesn't cost the earth and is something you can preferably buy from Halfords etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encee Posted June 7, 2008 Report Share Posted June 7, 2008 Nelson: Until a couple of months ago, I had never used a clay-bar either, but one morning I just decided to bite the bullet. I duly shot off down to the local Halfords, where I bought a Meguiars Quick Clay kit. The one I bought had 2 clay bars in, a bottle of "Quick Detail" and a large microfibre towel. Just as in your case, I wasn`t sure whether to wash the car first, then use the left-over water on it as lubrication for the clay, or whether to wash, then dry the car, and THEN use the Quick Detailer as lube. Anyway, it was the latter method I used, and I couldn`t believe the results. I started off by washing and drying the car, and by the time I`d done that, it looked very clean to me. I then proceeded to do panel-by-panel with the clay bar, making sure that I`d warmed the clay first in a bucket of warm water, which helped soften it. I sprayed PLENTY of the Quick Detailer on each panel, claying as I went along, and honestly mate, you think your car is clean until you`ve used this stuff. You will NOT believe the crap that will come off it though, and when you`ve finished, the surface looks, and feels, amazing. You then need to finish it off with a decent wax like Meguiars (again) or some other reputable wax, and I guarantee you will be more than ecstatic with the finish and shine on your paintwork. Just remember, you must use LOADS of the Quick Detailer as lube, or something similar, and you will be fine with the claying process. Enjoy !! Oh, and as a footnote: It won`t take you 14 hours; 3 or 4 maybe, but not 14 ! Edit: There`ll probably be one of the other lads along shortly, who has far more knowledge on this than me, to give you some advice, which I`m sure will be very welcome, but I just thought that my (meagre) experience of this may assist, just to show you that claying can be done by an absolute beginner, without any fear, as I, like yourself, am no expert when it comes to detailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahaydock Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 I'll keep it simple for you mate: 1. Wash. 2. Clay. 3. Rinse. 4. Dry. 5. Polish (get AG SRP) - use a Megs Foam pad to put on and MF to buff off. 6. Wax/Seal - if its Halfrauds then just use AG EGP. Maybe treat yourself to a wax though as this is easier to work with than EGP as it doesn't take 45 mins+ to cure. You can also use the SRP/EGP combo on your wheels. Dont forget to dress the Tyres (Megs Endurance Gel is good for this). HTHs fella Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Tone_ Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 I'm goona be doing this when the sun has gone down a bit - whilst the grand prix is on so I can listen to it whilst I am doing it so a very timely post. Also - how many layers of wax would you really apply - reason I ask is when I got my car detailed (Autoglym life shine sealant as well) 3 layers of wax was applied including the Collinite 915 which made the car really glow (being a base yellow non metallic). Would the clay process remove the lifeshine sealant? Would you clay the wheels? I dont seem to be able to get the interior of the wheels as clean as I would like - what do you use - I just purchased some duragloss gear - wheel cleaner did a good job to start - would you clay the inside of the wheels as well then wax? Cheers Tone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson_R32 Posted June 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Thanks everyone. I've topped up on AG SRP and EGP. I'm going to start the wheels very shortly but just waiting for the Sun to go down I Lifeshined the car when it was new with 'Gloss Protectant' - is this the same as Extra Gloss Protection? Tone; Claying would indeed remove most of the Lifeshine. So best to reapply. I will be claying my wheels to remove some of the tar spots; the Autoglym Tar remover doesn't seem up to the job/takes too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Hi! You can always put the AG tar remover in to a little pump bottle and spray it all over the wheels or paintwork. Allow it to dwell and then use and an MF towel or MF applicator to remove the tar. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Tone_ Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Well I am knackered - I do not have the dedication patience or the back to do this more often! I did as suggested and I could not believe how much crap came off in the clay. Having spent 3 hours I managed to wash, clay, wash, dry and 1 layer of SRP. I will wash it again on tuesday and give it another layer of EGP and after each wash for a few washes give it a finish with Aqua Wax - I do wanna collinite it again cos it looked fab after that, but guess I may have to wait a couple of weeks. I am not one for taking photo's I wish I could take better - but needed a kebab after this lot of excercise so took my camera - my editing skills are equally ****e so apologies for the dodgy growth on my number plate... Also yellow is such a difficult colour to get a reflection so hope these show the gloss of the paintwork after my clay process! Cheers Tone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson_R32 Posted June 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Wow! What I day! I managed to clean one of my cars properly for the first time Started at about 4pm and got to work; 1. Wash wheels, Clay wheels, Wax wheels 2. Wash Car with Megs Wash n Wax. 3. Rinse 4. Clay. with Megs Clay Bar and Quick Detailer 5. Rinse & Dry 6. Polish with Autoglym SRP 7. Polish with Megs Scratch-X 8. Seal with Autoglym EGP 9. Clean windows with 'Clearly Better Glass' cleaner from Drpellypo 10. Remove Autoglym EGP I finished about 10 minutes ago and I'm absolutely EXHAUSTED! I've never done a clean that intense before. However, the car looks like glass I'm really pleased with the results, especially the Scratch-x which has removed nearly all the spider webs in the paint Thanks for your advice everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Tone_ Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Hi Nelson Any pics?? Tone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson_R32 Posted June 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Unfortunately not Camera is broken! Really annoying as well as it looks so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now