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A simple guide to car detailing


Dave

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  • 2 years later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Cheers Dave. I'm picking up my first Z on Tuesday and I will adopt your cleaning method.

 

Just one question. How do you guys clean the gunge from inside the wheel wells. Pressure washer ok?

 

I just want to do everything right and keep my new motor looking mint.

 

Cheers.

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I've just completed the main detailing operation. The one including the clay baring. Jesus! It took me 6 hours to do it all.

I'd be inclined to alter the schedule for a full detail to 6 months and half the frequency schedule for the other detailing operations too.

 

I want some time to actually DRIVE the thing! :)

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Just looking through this post and all I can say is great advice! My every 6 month clean involves washing the car as advised, drying with a chamois (sorry but I do use a really good soft one!), then I usually open the doors and boot and make sure all the water is dried up in all the nooks and crannies around the door frames and under the doors etc. I will also use an old rag to take any oily or dirty bits off in these places \like door hinges). Once dried I will use a trade tar and glue remover - however, this will also strip some of the protection of the wax. I then use the Meguires clay and detailing spray to get the paintwork super smooth. The reason I use the tar and glue remover is that it is great for removing the tar marks. If you use the clay for this - you can be there for ages and it takes a fair bit of elbow power. However, the tar and glue remover is crap for taking baked on flies off but, the clay is good here - hence the reason I use both!

 

For waxing I used to use Meguires Gold Class wax with Auto Glym paint restorer for taking out swirls - more recently though, I have come accross a great fine (really really fine) trade cutting compound called 'Orbit' which is only sold in gallon tins I believe. This is amazing for the swirls - believe me, especially if you have a black car - get this stuff! I then finish off with a liquid wax which again is a trade stuff which I buy in gallon tins and get from the same place. However, had I not discovered this , I would still be happy with Gold Class. I also apply the wax with a soft towely pad rather than a terry cloth or meguires pad and always use plenty of micro fibre cloths for removing the wax - they are brilliant and dirt cheap these days. I tend to use one cloth to take away the majority of the haze and then use an extra clean one to really finish off and buff to perfection!

 

Another tip is - never skimp on preparing and waxing your front bumper, lights and wing mirror housings - the better protected they are, the easier the baked on flies and road crap will come off with just a good car wash soap and warm water. Also - don't forget to give those alloys a waxing too - baked on brake dust will be a thing of the past and it'll be a doddle to clean those wheels!

 

Finally - especially to all the UK Zeder's or places where they use salt! - after each winter, get the underside/wheel arches of your car steam cleaned to get rid of all the salty crap that they put on our roads to treat them for snow/ice. Loads of places do it and its not so expensive at about £5 - £10 a pop. Well worth it!

 

Well - Ok - all we need now is some half decent dry but overcast weather to sort the cleaning out! Even if it does become dry, I'm sure we'll just complain instead about the amount of dust gathering on our cherished Zeds bonnets before we've finsihed waxing the roof! lol

 

Happy cleaning guys n gals!

 

Mark

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Finally - especially to all the UK Zeder's or places where they use salt! - after each winter, get the underside/wheel arches of your car steam cleaned to get rid of all the salty crap that they put on our roads to treat them for snow/ice. Loads of places do it and its not so expensive at about £5 - £10 a pop. Well worth it!

 

Usually use my pressure washer for the arches and underside during my usual clean.

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  • 3 months later...

Just a quick one to say I use rainwater collected from a water butt as my shampoo water and also to rinse off using a watering can with no nozzle attached, since theres no lime in rain water it leaves a streak free finish and makes drying a lot easier :thumbs: Rain Butts are a definate investment for saving water and using as a great rinsing aid.

Always try and flood the paintwork also when rinsing, drys much much better.

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  • 4 months later...
Just a quick one to say I use rainwater collected from a water butt as my shampoo water and also to rinse off using a watering can with no nozzle attached, since theres no lime in rain water it leaves a streak free finish and makes drying a lot easier :thumbs: Rain Butts are a definate investment for saving water and using as a great rinsing aid.

Always try and flood the paintwork also when rinsing, drys much much better.

 

Great idea Karlp :thumbs:

 

Luckily I have a water softener in the house and also a designated soft water tap outside, brucey bonus for cleaning the cars. :teeth:

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Just a quick one to say I use rainwater collected from a water butt as my shampoo water and also to rinse off using a watering can with no nozzle attached, since theres no lime in rain water it leaves a streak free finish and makes drying a lot easier :thumbs: Rain Butts are a definate investment for saving water and using as a great rinsing aid.

Always try and flood the paintwork also when rinsing, drys much much better.

 

Great idea Karlp :thumbs:

 

Luckily I have a water softener in the house and also a designated soft water tap outside, brucey bonus for cleaning the cars. :teeth:

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  • 2 months later...

I know this is an old thread but it's a damn good one and it's making me want to go to the shoroom and clean my zed before I even get it (I pick it up next weekend hopefully). Problem is I rarely get half a day to spend on cleaning the car. How long does it take to do a full wash, including a clay bar?

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I know this is an old thread but it's a damn good one and it's making me want to go to the shoroom and clean my zed before I even get it (I pick it up next weekend hopefully). Problem is I rarely get half a day to spend on cleaning the car. How long does it take to do a full wash, including a clay bar?

The wash itself isn't the time consuming part, it's more the clay barring, polishing, waxing and sealing that takes up most of the time, and more importantly how fussy you are with the finish.

Basic wash for me, including polish and wax, personally takes about 3 hours.

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I know this is an old thread but it's a damn good one and it's making me want to go to the shoroom and clean my zed before I even get it (I pick it up next weekend hopefully). Problem is I rarely get half a day to spend on cleaning the car. How long does it take to do a full wash, including a clay bar?

The wash itself isn't the time consuming part, it's more the clay barring, polishing, waxing and sealing that takes up most of the time, and more importantly how fussy you are with the finish.

Basic wash for me, including polish and wax, personally takes about 3 hours.

 

Thats not too bad, I'm sure I can spare some time on a Sunday with the footy on the radio... might even fit a tv in my garage. 5 days till I pick up :yahoo:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just priced this up ready for my first attempt at this routine. Everything is pretty much Meguiars and all in all it costs about £100. That seems a little steep; does anyone know where I can get some sort of discount on these products at the moment?

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no had the lance off his jet wash sprayin somethin, if i see him again ill ask him, didnt look like he was using water though :mellow:

 

Probalt tfr the shuts most cheap valeters have it going through lance and spray every think i have also seen satin black spray paint used on mats and carpets as hid the dog hairs so he told me lol and yes carpets jet washed and sucked up with wet vac NEVER USE THEM my self after seen that cowboy

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