ilogikal1

Yeah, I remember seeing that. I kinda get the theory behind it except for the whole "time saving" rationale... I'm pretty sure you're going to spend that time, if not more, correcting the damage caused by effectively just going to the wash stage. I have experimented with a secondary foam to replace the wash bucket, as Stu mentions, but even then I always foam properly first. Even on a lightly soiled car, I'd always want to remove as much dirt as possible before touching the paint, especially on something with paint as soft as a Z. Oh, and when I have used foam to wash, I've still always jet washed off afterwards.

No, after foaming you NEED to jet wash. After washing, which is a very different stage, you can sheet water off to reduce water spotting but even then you're best jet washing prior to sheeting.

That is absolute non-sense and I'd be surprised (and concerned) if it came from Megs. Questionable as to whether you pre-rinse, the theory being that foam will cling better to a dry car versus removing the top, loose layer of dirt prior to the foam touching it. But to remove foam requires and relies on the jet wash to lift the softened dirt. It's actually more to important to properly rinse than to allow to dwell as it's the rinse that removes dirt.

Yeah but just look at the state of that thing you drive now...

Yep

Aye. Panel Impact Ratio; exactly that, how much product actually hits the panel.

He's not entirely wrong though, Lewis is losing the plot right now.

Basically that ^^^. Bilt Hamber AutoFoam should be used between 4-8% PIR, depending on how dirty the surface is. Anything over 8% you're wasting product and you're also risking letting something very alkali sit on every surface for a few minutes (I've never heard of anyone damaging paint with snow foam, but it'll strip wax, sealants and even coatings given enough of it). Similarly Car Chem works best at around 5-7% PIR, whilst Magifoam works best at 100%... in the bin, where it belongs.

A couple of things, mostly just informational; Almost all snow foam lances will be the same basic design by their nature - some are cheaper that others, but they all work in the same way. Whilst I usually advocate utilising PB, for snow foam lances there are much cheaper options available and those £20 lances are the same thing as those £40-50 lances! Always buy the cheapest one you can find (cheapest of the cheap eBay knock offs aside). Regarding how it sits in the lance, this can be adjusted via the angle that the connector rests at. Or get a Nilfisk, the gun itself spins so it always right. Similarly the fan angle can be adjusted when you dismantle it. One of my lances started off horizontal but I changed it to vertical, just to try it out. I actually prefer it vertical, personally. And finally, don't read Monza's instructions... or if you do, don't pay any attention to them, they're utter rubbish! 1 inch of product means absolutely nothing, it'd be better off saying "just whack some stuff in there", it'd be as accurate. As fro filling it to the top, why would you do that? Unless you're foaming an articulated lorry, a coach or a fleet of cars you shouldn't be using anywhere near a litre of mixture on one car. Not to mention that's just a ridiculous dilution rate. Also it makes f**k all difference whether you use warm, hot, cold, tepid, mildly chilly, or any other temperature water! So long as it's liquid, it's going to be mixed in large multiples with cold water, a shot of "warm" water in a pint of cold aint gonna make any bloody difference.

You're using too much. Also BSD isn't really a QD, so it's better to treat it, and use it, as a spray sealant. Use it sparingly, small sections at a time, spray onto the cloth, wipe overy the panel and buff immediately. You should be doing this with any QD anyway though. Simoniz however is just sh*t. Almost anything (almost!) will be better. Bouncers Done and Dusted is by far the best I've tried myself, that said I'm not a huge fan of QD's in general anyway.

Nah, just buy new wheels every time you drive the car, it's the only way to keep wheels from magically dissolving once the ambient temperature drops below 25 degrees.

Start with some tar remover. Then some fallout remover. Then get yourself a clay cloth and go to town (break it in on the windows first though!). All can be purchased from http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk and with the change you can get yourself some Poorboys Blackhole. You'll struggle to get everything you need to DIY it, let alone a professional job, for £65. For reference, this is what I'd be looking at to even consider DIY and even then it lacks the prep for polishing too; http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb-soft-paint-polishing-kit-cat1.html.

Four or five now, but at least he only took himself and Rosberg out this week...

Go on then, which coating are you talking about then? How do you know the claims are rubbish? Not having a go - overselling marketing has been around as long as detailing has, certain companies actually rely on it throughout their entire range - I'm just curious as which products you have experience with? Similarly look after the car in the same way regardless of what the LSP is, the car with a properly applied coating will look just as good and you've not had to apply wax two dozen times. Horses for courses.

I can't actually think of a single AutoGlym product that could match, much less exceed, a decent, modern sealant let alone a coating. As Dan and Ricey have said, do it properly and look at coatings. My choice would be DIY and Gyeon flavoured but if you're going for a detailer then I'd expect more than something I could do at home so I'd be looking at the range topping SiRamik offering, GTechniq Crystal Serum or Gyeon Mohs Plus (with Durabead... Just because). As for detailers who use AutoGlym, anyone can call themselves a detailer these days and many do....

After "a few weeks", you'll be absolutely fine. There's absolutely no risk of Demon Shine affecting anything after more than a few days at best.

BSD isn't really a QD though, it's much more of a spray sealant. I don't get along with it all that much, don't get me wrong it's still good at what it does, it's just not a QD in any sense.

Extortion is certainly one way to go...

Could just be the photo that I'm looking at but it looks to me like it's just paint damage, no dent, to the arch lip and a small amount on the bumper... oh and the wheel too! £450 is very cheap just for the bodywork paint let alone getting the wheel sorted as well. Hope it works out for you OP.

This followed by this or this and you wont have to worry about dye transfer from jeans (or other stains) for a few months.

Yeah, just do this. Everyone do this actually. I like this idea! In terms of kits, take your pick from any of these for products; http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/car-care-kits-and-gift-ideas.html http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/complete-detailing-kits/cat_22.html http://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/accessories-kits-and-tools/gifts-and-kits Grab a suitably sized toolbox/bag/crate/whatever you want from any DIY or homestores kind of place and job jobbed. Failing that, let me know what sort of products you're after (a basic wash kit, a polishing kit, a wax kit, etc) and I'll gladly spend your money for you. Waxybox is dead. There are a number of... let's say "similar" products available these days but Waxybox ended a while ago. They produce their own brand products now.

It shouldn't make any difference to your insurance by default. Even insurance companies would be hard pressed to show that a car of one colour is significantly more risk to their business than the exact same car of a different colour! Especially with the Admiral group who won't pay out any more for any modifications anyway. I'd feel cheated having to pay the admin fee, frankly.

I can kind of see how you would arrive at that conclusion but as a detailer who's tried loads I can confirm you are bang wrong. Although I will admit MANY of them do seem that way Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Couldn't agree more with this. There's a multitude of differences from one clay to the next within a single brand (by design, not just inconsistent manufacture) let alone from one brand to another. As with many detailing products, there are some that are made in the same factory as others and just branded differently but they tend to vary in quality as much as price too. It's not just a case of buy the cheapest and get the best at all. The cheapest eBay tat is sometimes barely even clay at all...

Oh Yay, it's that time of year again when suddenly, overnight anything RWD becomes utterly useless for the next 9 months and needs to be wrapped up in bubble wrap and put back in its original packaging again... Sigh.

Doing him no favours, but I have no doubt that having both he and Button involved (not necessarily driving though...) is doing McLaren and/or Honda some favours. I'm no fan of Alonso's so I couldn't care less if he's rotting away somewhere sub-standard but I do appreciate his talent behind a wheel and he's got to be a major part in the development of that engine and car these days. I can only image how much further behind McLaren would be with that turd of an engine if it weren't for Button and Alonso being involved... not saying it's just down to those two by the way.