J_C Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 [ QUOTE ] [/ QUOTE ] Good grief, that's just awful! How on earth are people 'washing' their cars to get them in that sort of state? I can understand it on older cars but not one that's not even had its second birthday - shocking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted January 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 yeah it was pretty bad. Cupra Max was the second owner... the first being an audi deirector... look slike a car wash but supprised if this is the actual cause as its s soft top... could be REALLY bad machine polishing but that normally leaves holograms.. could be one of those brushes from the jet wash? guess we'll never know... was pretty darn bad though... couldnt actually get 100% of them out unfortunately. maybe given another 8hrs or so i could have cracked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_C Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 I fully sympathise...I've recently been learning just how hard it is to get even light swirls out of Audi clearcoat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted January 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 ive been learning the rotary technique for a long time now and i always feel there is room for improvement. Recently i have been moving over the panel a little slower and making more passes and having good results. to get full removal on that a4 (rather than the 90-90% i achieved) i could have stepped up to a cutting pad but would have ment needing to go round a second time with a finishing pad and 1 day didnt allow for that unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 John, it was badly machine polished by the dealer I got it from. Nathan really has done an amazing job with it, I've had about 4 people comment on it since Saturday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted January 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 [ QUOTE ] John, it was badly machine polished by the dealer I got it from. Nathan really has done an amazing job with it, I've had about 4 people comment on it since Saturday... [/ QUOTE ] thanks Rodger. By my calculations that means you should only have 1 business card left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_C Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 [ QUOTE ] John, it was badly machine polished by the dealer I got it from. Nathan really has done an amazing job with it, I've had about 4 people comment on it since Saturday... [/ QUOTE ] He has indeed! Next time I get funny looks at the Audi Centre when I ask them not to wash my car, I think I'll just show them this thread! BTW I wasn't implying that you'd caused the swirls, as I knew you weren't the first owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted February 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Owner has this car for sale (£27k.. PM for contact details). Wanted it cleaning up and waxing Pre washed with PM3, Engine bay cleaned, Shampoo'd with AG, Clayed with Megs Clay. Interior Vac'd, Surfaces wiped, Leather treated with Liquid Leather. Then Applied the Super Resin Polish which i still feel is a massively underrated product. Does a greta job at cleaning the paint up and giving a perfect clean base for the wax. Then something a bit different for me.... and i highlight the 'BIT' different... Collinite 915 (one on the left) Finished off the dressings and windows and snapped away Couple of tree reflection shots Then this which isnt a great pic but loved the lighting and the wet look. And these... Then the customers wife said the fatal words 'I bet you cant get that looking as clean' refering to her car... so couldnt help but give it a quick clean. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edo Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 A8 looks good. Shame no keyless entry/finger print rec ;-) Should have got you to clean mine, but it would only be dirty again by the time someone comes to see it! Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Tone_ Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Hi Nathan I am getting a new car next month and have purchased some AG LifeShine for it as the dealers want £350 to apply it. I understand that the AG LifeShine comes with a cleaner stripper and also the paint sealant. The car is being delivered from Central London on a low loader to me - essentially I want to ge tthe paint sealant applied as soon as the car touches down. Should I wash it first? Should I use the cleaner then apply the sealant or can the sealant go straight on. What would you charge to apply it (based in Northants)? Pleasse PM me if required. Cheers Tone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted February 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Hi windfall. I havent done many lifeshines yet but i did have a play with the products at the AG headoffice. Firstly.. what are the dealers going to be doing to the car? Is it brand spanking new or 2nd hand new to you. Basically youwant to apply the sealant to the clean paint.. not ontop of existing wax. I would give the car a strong pre wash to start to remove any existing wax > shampoo > clay (even new cars are dirty!) > apply your lifeshine sealant > wax of your choice Not sure what the 'cleaner' you refer to is... part of the lifeshine kit? again i only had a quick play with the products one evening with conrad. The lifeshine sealant is probably one of the best looking ones but needs regular waxing if its going to live up to is 10 year claim. Will PM you some costs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Tone_ Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Hi windfall. I havent done many lifeshines yet but i did have a play with the products at the AG headoffice. Firstly.. what are the dealers going to be doing to the car? Is it brand spanking new or 2nd hand new to you. Basically youwant to apply the sealant to the clean paint.. not ontop of existing wax. I would give the car a strong pre wash to start to remove any existing wax > shampoo > clay (even new cars are dirty!) > apply your lifeshine sealant > wax of your choice Not sure what the 'cleaner' you refer to is... part of the lifeshine kit? again i only had a quick play with the products one evening with conrad. The lifeshine sealant is probably one of the best looking ones but needs regular waxing if its going to live up to is 10 year claim. Will PM you some costs [/ QUOTE ] Its one of these (although I actually paid more which is a sh1t)! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AUTOGLYM-LIFESHINE...1QQcmdZViewItem Car is brand new (speed yellow porsche) I am told the paint is very soft and feel a bit more protection would be advantageous! I look forward to hearing from you - I think I could do it but would prefer it to be done "properly"! Thanks Tone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 HMM!! I dont know about your paintwork being soft or not!! I have read about many USA Porsche owners saying theres was soft. But then having read on UK forums that some of colours are hard (as expected from German paint). Anyone?? Top work as always Nathan. I have a question, the last few post you have made with pics in you have not used #7. Are you going to use a new product or is it just time with the weather and short days?? Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johna1 Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 for 2006 Solvent and other emmisions regulations changed to be so called kind to the enviroment and for health and saftey. This means clear coats are now water based and soft as shite. Its also easier to apply and some car brands use wet on wet applications to save time. I remember dicussing this before with others who new about this a while back. Look at new cars in a showroom. It not just bad valeting to blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted February 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Top work as always Nathan. I have a question, the last few post you have made with pics in you have not used #7. Are you going to use a new product or is it just time with the weather and short days?? Geoff [/ QUOTE ] Thanks.. actually ive dropped the megs#7 from the line up as i dont feel it actually enhanced the looks given the ammount of work it required. I did some tests on verious colours with SRP vs #7 and the SRP really held its own on the looks department.. plus its a cleaner and a sealant so i tend to just use that before the wax now. Im currently testing a couple of other glazes to be used in the summer when the extra protection from SRP isnt required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted February 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Fly out tonight to Treviso in Northern Italy and will be on the slopes of the alta badia region of the dolomites by tomorrow morning. Not been much snow since new years but all slopes are open thanks to many snow blowers! Look forward to catching up on events on the forum when i return. Be Good... Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 As far as glazes go i am BIG RMG fan, very wet!! Also i want to try out the pure finishing glaze(i think its that) from Chemical Guys. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted February 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Hello. Been a while since ive done a big full detail but have done this 406 over the past 2 days. Ok so its not the most exotic or luxurious car but the owner still wanted it looking top notch. Started with the usual thorough pre wash including all the shuts and arches etc. Then Shampoo'd and Clayed. The swirls werent actually too deep but there were lots of them. Polished with a Megs polishing pad and Menzerna 106FF. 1 pass at 900 rpm to spread, 8 passes at 1500-1800rpm to remove defects, 2 passes at 900rpm to refine the finish. After some advice from a fellow detailer i worked on smaller sections at a time and found this alot more effective. Still took over 4 hrs to complete the polishing though. Before > After pics Then applied Autoglym Super Resin followed by Collinite 915. This is the 3rd time ive used 915 now and compared to 476s id say its definately easier to remove and does give a slightly better finish on dark colours. Interior was vacuumed and all surfaces wiped. Leather was cleaned with AG Leather Cleaner and then fed with Gliptone Liquid Leather. Glass cleaned with AG glass polish and trims and tyres dressed with AG products. Finished Pics (shame it was low light as the 2 brief times the sun shone it really sparkled!) Got a busy few weeks coming up with the new 07 reg coming out. Got 2 brand new Audi TT's and a Porsche Cayman to prep. Also got a AM Vanquish, Ranger Rover, Land Rover Defender and an Audi A4 Cab to do this weekend... and a couple of Mini's in the pipeline. Watch this space... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted February 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 Good Evening. Arrived at a new customers at 8:30 this morning to give his 4 cars my Regular Valet and to assess what work they may need in the future. The S4 also had the leather cleaned and fed. The process for all the cars was as follows. -Pre wash with AG PM3 applied via my new foam gun (which allows the TFR to dwell for much longer which means more cleaning power).. and rinsed -Wheels cleaned where needed with AG Wheel Cleaner -Shampoo with AG Shampoo and Conditioner and rinsed -Apply AG Autorinse Gloss and rinse -Clean glass in and out with AG Glass polish -Dress arches and tyres -Vac interior and wipe surfaces and apply air freshener. For the S4... -Leather cleaned with AG Leather Cleaner -Fed with Gliptone Liquid Leather Finished the day at 5pm. Customer very pleased and i'll be returning monthly. The pics... 2006 Range Rover 2007 Aston Martin Vanquish (300 miles on the clock) 2004 Audi S4 cab (pics dont really show up just how dirty the leather was! Kids + muddy shoes = very dirty silver leather) 2006 Land Rover Defender Final shot... Thanks for looking. (sorry its a bit long but no doubt most will enjoy the pics.) Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Love the Aston, how the hell did they get it that dirty in 300 miles? Did they drive it back from the dealers in a straight line not bothering with roads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted March 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2007 Yesterdays detail was on a Porsche Cayman. It was delivered to the customer yesterday at 8am and has done 173 miles. The brief was to give it as much protection as possible. The Porsche dealer quoted about £400 to apply the lifeshine! Bit of a rip off seeing as they would literally wash the car > dry the car > apply lifeshine product with little paint prep or finishing wax etc. So... my day was as follows 6:30am alarm goes off and im in the van leaving by 7:10am. Arrived at the customers at 8:50 and was greated by this.. Obviously having only done 170 miles it wasnt dirty really. But the paint wasnt really shining. ANyway... pre washed with PM3 TFR though the AB Foam Lance. Shampoo'd with AG Shampoo and Conditioner. Clayed with Sonus Green clay... Then i applied a layer of Super Resin to give the paint a further clean and to give a prefect base for the following layers. It also did a great job of giving a good shine. Then out with the Lifeshine.. Bottle A was the paint protection and was applied just like AG Extra Gloss Protection. Left for 15-20 mins and then removed with an MF cloth. This gave a really good finish.. alot like EGP actually. Bottle B was the interior protection which was sprayed onto all interior carpets and wiped onto the seats via spraying directly onto an MF and wiping onto seats. Bottle C was the glass protection. Applied and left for 15 mins and removed with a damp cloth. Bottle D was a screen wash addative. Anyway.... on with the job.. Next up was some good old Collinite 915 wax. The owner at this point was really appreciating the difference between a clean car and a shiny car. All dressings applied and ready for some photos... my favorite part Owner was very very pleased with the results. Finished by 4:00pm and then helped him clean his other car. Arrived home at 7:00pm Got a busy March. got the following cars booked in for full day details. New Audi TT Another New Audi TT Porsche 996 GT3 Porsche 993 GT2 Porsche Boxter Aston Martin Vanquish Vauxhall Monaro Nissan Skyline GTR34 plus a couple of other special ones thanks Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVILHOMER Posted March 3, 2007 Report Share Posted March 3, 2007 Nathan Loving your work, didnt realise you could make cars look that clean, wish I knew you existed when selling my Golf! Have been boring everyone at work showing them your pics since finding your stuff! Still I have a new Black GTI Edition 30 on order, no delivery date yet but I would be interested in getting the same treatment as the Porsche. I am down in Wiltshire however, not sure if that is too far for you? Could you PM me an example price. Thanks Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted March 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 This TT had been collected on the 1st and had been driven around a little bit prior to my arrival. After having a good look around the car (which is really really nice) it was on with the job. Car soaked with TFR using the AB foam gun. Then clayed (even new cars can be dirty), SRP and then out with the EGP. I have used EGP a bit in the past but having moved on to other products it has been put to the back of the shelf. Great product though. A little bit hard to remove (especially on a white car... really hard to see where it is!) but well worth it. and its very durable. Some arty-ish pics during the EGP stage Then i applied some collinite 915, cleaned windows in and out, conditioned leather, dressed the tyres and took some photos The white looked stunning once it was finished and came alive when it was in the sun. The owner was very pleasant and watched the WHOLE 7 hr process. I got quite alot of interest in the carpark (which was full of nice cars... something called a dino... ??? ) One young guy asked for a quote so i washed it and checked over the paint. Will be returning for this car in April but for now just a Regular Valet. Cheers Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted March 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Much the same as Saturdays detail. Pre wash with AG TFR, Shampoo, Clay with Sonus Green Clay, Inspect paintwork and correct the odd patch of swirls and some odd random scratches (audi making a hash up of removing the transport film??) then SRP, EGP, Collinite 915, Glass, Leather, tyres. Really enjoyed the past 3 days working with brand new cars. All 3 customer could see the benefit (and im not blowing my trumpet here)... but the benefit of having a pro detailer do the work compared to the dealer. The dealer wanted to charge the customers £300+ to apply 1 layer of paint sealant... and im sure we can all imagine how much care they might put into that job. I certainly dont see them spending 7hrs plus on one car. Anyway.. im waffling...here are the photos.. not brilliant ones as it was low light and bad weather today im afraid. sorry the write up and photos arent quite as good. thanks Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johna1 Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 THey all look fantastic the tt suits white alot. Just a quick question, why do you know use egp now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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