Dave

Barely used and in good condition, cost £150 new, it's not height adjustable.

 

£80

 

Not been used for a while as it's a couple of years old, all in good working condtion.

 

£30

 

Only used twice as was going be part of my fitness regime but never can be bothered. Mint condition

 

£60

 

Apollo FS.26 Mens 17"

 

Hi-tensile steel arrow head rear suspension frame

Off road style - full suspension

18 Speed Shimano gears with SRAm gripshift

Powerful steel V type brakes

26 x 1.95", aluminium rust proof rims

Colour co-ordinated comfort saddle

 

Need to order my PC after payday.... looks very nice smudga good effort.

 

Can't believe this thread is still going too

get barring you will notice an even greater difference... good effort !

Dont know really just made it up.

Told you clay bar was awesome stuff.

 

If anyone else has any questions either pm or post them on here and i will and maybe others try get round and answer asap.

 

Hope to of turned some of you into cleaning whores

awww shucks you guys make me blush

 

Nahh happy to help and good to hear some views from hope4sun.

 

My services are available to buy

i also don't recommend cheap microfibres... i mean they wont damage the paint etc.. but they not the best made and tend to flake... so after hours of cleaning the last thing you want is bits of cloth of your nice polished and waxed car.

Couldnt believe how cheap it is... i was expecting 3k mark, i'm paying £800 on a group 14 saxo VTS hahaha so i think the extra £500 may be worth it

 

Cant wait test drive never mind buy one... i'm like a kid at christmas

Drying towel is jus tthat its for drying the car off after a wash... more absorbant than a microfibre and bigger too, made of different material too.

 

Microfibres are used to apply polishes/cleaners/waxes etc... and they are also used to buff off but obviously use a clean one. They can be used to dry but i prefer using my drying towel.

 

Me personally use... water magnet drying towel to dry off the car when wet

 

 

Microfibres to apply polish/wax and to buff off the polish/wax

Not sure as it wasn't on show when i went but will find on Saturday

I'm sure this will make my mind up if the car is for me.

 

2004 electric blue i think he said it was ,uk spec, 20k on the clock £17,995

 

Also got an insurance quote on an import 2003 and that came to £1,300 fully comp which i dont think is bad for 21 with 1 years NCB.

 

Well i'm looking forward to it and hope im not daft enough to put deposit down as i dont quite have enough yet lol.

More hints and tips are welcomed... i was just covering the basics to get a good clean and protection with products that aren't a massive budget.

jacko thats the same stuff i use

i use megs window cleaner... just spray and wipe off with some bounty kitchen roll

 

Other stuff to use is diluted viniger but doesnt smell to pleasent

 

Another useful tip is to rub viniger on your wiper blades to as its very good for removing the dirt and wont smudge the windows when in use.

Thats another good point made by Hope4sun

 

Always remember

 

A hose is to wetten the paint and rinse not to clean the car

Thanks for the welcome much appreciated

 

I almost did start a car detailing company but not many people would pay for my services

 

A local member cool might spot you around sometime

If anyone needs a hand to show how to get the best results, i'll pop along and help, being as i'm looking to buy a 350z it would be nice for me to have a nosey over the car aswell without salesman about.

 

So as said anyone close to S-O-T let me know if you do and i will come along.

So in theory i would use the following:

 

2 buckets

 

Wash Mitt

 

Drying Towel - maybe 2 if you feeling a bit flush

 

Microfibre towels - at least 3 really but i say 5-6 is a good amount to have

 

A decent lubricated shampoo

 

A decent paint cleaner or similar

 

A decent polish

 

A decent wax

 

Optionals which i also have are:

 

A scratch remover

 

A tyre Gel

 

A black bumper restorer

 

A window cleaner

 

A wheel cleaner

 

A metal polish ie exhaust etc...

 

Thats pretty much a full bag to do a whole car and then you can buy interior stuff too. I listed Megs stuff but to be honest you choose what you think works best.

Ok i thought i would write a simple guide to general car cleaning and maintaining. With all the money we spend on cars then it's only right we treat them with a bit of care.

 

Before i briefly run into a step by step guide i will run off a few things not to do.

 

Car Washes

 

Hopefully we all know that using car washes is not the most car friendly way of cleaning. Reasons being the brushes are very rough and dirty as they are never cleaned so this generally scratches the paint work and causes the swirl marks we all dread to see. No explanation really needed just dont be lazy and wash yourself.

 

Pressure Washers

 

Alot of people use these and to be honest aren't a major problem as long as used from a distance and not an inch away from the paint work. Me personally prefers to put a bit more effort in and use a hose. Reason being is if you have stone chips etc... where the paint cracks (as well all know the z is famous for) if put under to much pressure can peel back the edges of the paint more and remove the paint and laquer. Also they can bury dirt deeper into the paint because of the pressure.

 

Washing up Liquid

 

Another classic alot of people use but to be honest i would keep away as it will strip the wax of your car leaving it unprotected especially if you are not going to wax after. A little to harsh on the car.

 

Sponges

 

Used by millions across the country yet causes more swirl marks than anything else. Why does it create swirl marks? well look at a sponge it has a flat surface. So when your car has the usual dirt and grit on, some of these particles are sharp and as the sponge is flat they have no where to go apart from stick to the bottom of the sponge. When the sponge is then rubbed across the paint the sharper particles will dig into the paint causing scratches and swirl marks.

 

Schammy Leathers

 

Reason i personally dont like using leather is because in my opinion these are very rough on the paint and not the best absorbant to dry off a car.

 

 

 

 

Right now that is the major what not to do's out the way lets look at how clean your car and what to use.

 

Cleaning the Car

 

First things first... don't clean the car in scorching heat or direct sunlight it will make life far harder for yourself and wont bring out the best in the car.

 

So now we have a cool dry day we're going to give the car a thorough clean up.

 

 

Firstly rinse the car down with water to loosen any hard and fresh dirt/grime of the car, just a gentle sprinkle on the hose is more than enough and if you dont have a hose a watering can is good enough.

 

Now the car is wet we are going to use something called the 2 bucket method this is basically one bucket fall of clean water and the other bucket full of your shampooo and conditioner mixed with water. The reason for this being everytime you wash a panel of the car and put it back in the water with shampoo that water is getting filthy, if you have another bucket with clean water in you can rinse off in that first then dip into the shampoo keeping that water clean as possible.

 

A few shampoos to consider if looking for some new products

 

Meguiars #62 Bodywork Shampoo & Conditioner

Meguiars Gold Class Bodywork Shampoo & Conditioner

Meguiars Hyper Wash

Poorboys Super Slick & Suds

Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo & Conditioner

Einszett Perls

 

Now that we have our 2 buckets filled and ready we need something to wash the car with well my personal choice and what many agree on is using a wash mitt.

 

Lambswool wash mitts have been developed to get around the problems that sponges cause. If you run your fingers through a lambswool mitt, you can see that it is deep pile and not flat faced so the dirt buries deep in and keeps away from the cars paint.

 

 

The 2 i would choose are:

 

Meguiars Lambswool Wash Mitt

Eurow Sheepskin Wash Mitt

 

there are others though that are just as effective.

 

Now we have our mitt our 2 buckets filled it's time to clean the car. First start with cleaning the glass all round the car then start from the top to bottom, remeber to wash the mitt off in the clean water first before dipping back into the shampoo. Take your time and dont rush and it will make life easier.

 

After you have washed the car get out he hose again and rinse of any of the remaining shampoo. Once this is done its time to dry the car and remove any more of the surface dirt on the process.

 

What i found best to use for drying the car is:

 

 

Meguiars Water Magnet Drying Towel

 

Far better than a schammy for the reasons mentioned i nthe dont's list. Pretty much the same as washing when it comes to drying, start with the windows then once all done do top to bottom of the car.

 

So now we have washed and dried the car. Next step is to use the claybar... a wonderful piece of kit. Clay bar is basically what it says it's a bar of clay that is suppluied with a quik detailing mist.

 

Here is Meguairs Quick Clay

 

 

This is really simple to use but takes a long time to get right and see results.

 

All you do is work on a panel at a time and spray the quick detailer and then rub the clay over the panel removing all bits of deep down contaminants that the shampoo and mitt couldn't get then once done dry off with a microfibre towel. A simple test to see if it's worked is to run the back of your hand on the paint work, if it feels as smooth as glass then its done if it still feels rough then repeat process. Do the whole car taking your time remebering to dry off each panel and regularly needing the clay to keep it clean when done and you will notice a big difference. You can possibly get away using only half a bar to do a whole car.

 

So now our car is clay bared, dry and as smooth as glass.... next 3 steps include the same process but different products, This is usually classed as the 3 stage cleaing.

 

First off we need a paint cleaner to bring out the colour and help remove swirl marks. Like waxing a car you put it on the car or cloth and rub it deep into the paintwork and leave to dry to a haze before buffing off with a microfibre. Stage 1 complete

 

I recommend these to be buffing off any cleaners/polishes/waxes they come in poacks of 3 but i recommend maybe 2 packs you can buy cheaper but they tend to break up and leave bits on the car

 

 

The product i use and find good is:

 

 

Meguairs Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner

 

There are other similar products if you look around

 

Stage 2 is the same process but using a polish now this also helps with the paint and gives it that wet look.

 

The product i use is:

 

 

Meguairs Deep Crystal Polis

 

As above there are similar products if you look around

 

Last but not least is waxing... the manual says apply then leave to a haze before buffing... me persoanlly depending on time will leave it for an hour so it works its magic then buff off. As above the same process applies to waxing. This is stage 3 complete and the final work to be done on the body.

 

The wax i use and really recommend is this:

 

 

Meguiars NXT Tech Wax

 

As above there are many more options in waxes and it all boils down to personal preference.

 

 

So now in the above tutorial we have learnt how to clean a car in a corret manner from start to finish.

 

All that is left now is to clean windows etc...

 

Obviously thats not something that needs to be done so this is how i would do it.

 

Every 3 months

 

Wash

Claybar

Cleaner

Polish

Wax

 

Every Month

 

Wash

Cleaner

Polish

Wax

 

Every Week

 

Wash

Wax

 

I hope this guide helps and if there is another already flying around then mods feel free to delete.

 

Please do not hesitate to ask for any advice

 

Regards

 

Dave

i can do a write up if anyone is interested with do's and dont's and maybe make it a sticky?

Jacko you get the detailer spray and clay in a pack.

 

Clay the car every 3 months

 

I good cleaning practice would be

 

Every 3 months

 

wash

clay bar

paint cleanser

polish

wax

 

Every month

 

wash

paint cleanser

polish

wax

 

Weekly

 

wash

wax

 

Thats if you dont want spend hours and hours weekly.

 

Never use a sponge or shammy they just ruin paint.

 

Use 2 buckets 1 with wash solution other with clean water to rinse any dirt before you put wash mitt back in wash solution

Oh and its hard work aswell