Valeting / Detailing / two bucket wronguns

[fordperv]

I take mine out roughly every 3-4 months, cara dogs hair sticks to you from in the house and stray dog hairs get everywhere, 5 bolts on each seat and it's sorted, nice and quick

[Craig the Princess]

What is the best way to clean glass? When I did the R8 coupé it looked great but it then it was very condensated inside and the smears remain inside the seven.

[Station]

I used to love doing this.

I bought a FILTHY 300ZX, had been owned by previous for 20 years and the latter years used to take two alsations to the park.

 

 

A few days cleaning and polishing:

 

 

Gaffer taped the rusty wing as I could find another one.

I loved this car!

[For Fiats Sake]

Did this today: 

 

 

Not bad results for a quick winter wash.

 

I bought a snow foam dispenser for the jet wash and used the foam in it on another car and the results were the same.

[richardmorris]

It depends on the car and the need. I find cleaning relaxing and not needing much brain power. I like cleaning my fiat as it looks brilliant when perfect and shabby when dirty. It's the metallic paint. The 2cv needs regular polish as its paint oxidises. The main car, I like to keep smart, but if it gets dirty and needs to stay that way so be it. I've just used ( for the second time now) pro valet bilberry wheel cleaner on the alloys on the merc and can't recommend it enough.

Generally I like autoglym, but also use meguiars tyre gel, aluminium and chrome magic, and recently farecla wax. I also have bilt hamber clay which I've really only used when I've just bought a car.

[vulgalour]

What is the best way to clean glass? When I did the R8 coupé it looked great but it then it was very condensated inside and the smears remain inside the seven.

 

I don't know if it's the best way, but this is my way.

 

1 - clay the glass, inside and out.  You'll probably find a suprising amount of greb on the inside of the windscreen.  You can omit this stage on future cleans, I find it's only needed once a year.

2 - wash with soapy water.  Use a damp cloth inside rather than a really wet one

3 - rinse off.  Use a damp cloth inside

4 - glass cleaner.  If you can find it, Ambisil is brilliant stuff, if not supermarket brand is usually okay for this stage.  Autoglym's Fast Glass is also good.

5 - polish.  Use Autoglym Glass Polish inside and out.  This stuff is brilliant, after applying it once a week for a few weeks you should find the glass stays clean much easier.

 

The smears on the inside of the screen will be from whatever comes up through the air vents, whatever was in the condensation and the film of horribleness you get from sneezing and such while you're inside the car.  It takes a while to get rid of.  Persist by cleaning the glass in the above way and eventually you'll get through it all.  Avoid eating and drinking in the front of the car, and especially avoid putting hot drinks on the dashboard because this seems to encourage grime on the screen from the steam.

 

The key elements for keeping it clean are stages 4 and 5, especially 5 which makes a huge difference and can help the screen clear faster when it does fog up.  Don't forget to follow the direction of the heated element lines on older cars so you don't break them.

[Matt]

Very thorough, I like it - some might consider taking the seats out for a vac to be overkill but not me

 

It was essential in this case as even the crevice tool wasn't going to pick up the stuff that was down the sides of the seats. I've owned the blue one for over three years now and I've only had to do it once. I don't really do anything with my cars that makes the interiors dirty. I vacuum the blue car maybe five times in a year and it's fine.

 

What is the best way to clean glass? When I did the R8 coupé it looked great but it then it was very condensated inside and the smears remain inside the seven.

 

It depends how bad it is. Here are my methods.

 

Exterior:

1) Lift blades and spray glass cleaner (usually Auto Glym Fast Glass) directly onto the screen. Wipe off with waffle style cloth.

2) Reapply Fast Glass liberally and clay the entire glass surface.

3) Spray again and wipe remaining dirt and residue with a fine microfibre cloth.

4) Allow to dry and apply a rain repellent product.

 

Interior:

1) Spray Fast Glass only fine microfibre cloth

2) Wipe glass

 

Never tried anything fancy with glass polish and never tried claying interior glass but I find that the occasional clean and NOT TOUCHING THE INTERIOR GLASS EVER works fine for me. Don't try Rain-X Anti-Fog. It sounds great but it's crap.

[agw9262]

Don't try Rain-X Anti-Fog. It sounds great but it's crap.

Good to know. I do like the rain-x outside protector, can't remember the name right now and it's in the cellar and -5 outside so not in a rush to go check - but I have found the one you use on the outside to make the water sheet off to be excellent - like well waxed paintwork all water beads off and also bugs don't stick to the windscreen the same, makes them a lot easier to clean in summer.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[agw9262]

Good to know. I do like the rain-x outside protector, can't remember the name right now and it's in the cellar and -5 outside so not in a rush to go check - but I have found the one you use on the outside to make the water sheet off to be excellent - like well waxed paintwork all water beads off and also bugs don't stick to the windscreen the same, makes them a lot easier to clean in summer.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This stuff https://www.rainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Rain%E2%80%91X-Original-Glass-Water-Repellent-605x1024.png

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vulgalour]

Rain-X for the outside is pretty good but I don't rate the interior one or the screenwash one.

[Eddie Honda]

I can't wait until my children are big enough to wash the cars for me in exchange for their pocket money.

[New POD]

I once suggested someone on the mx5nutz forum was a bit ocd for spending an entire weekend doing a car. You would not believe the level of shit I got from that.............

 

Yeah but the normal demographic of mx5nutz is lads of 22 who still live at home with parents, because they spent every single spare penny modifying their mx5 so it is now total undriveable.

 

I quite like it as a forum, but if I had an HOUR or 2 to devote to washing the MX5, I'd have spent every waking hour for 5 weeks fixing other stuff that needs doing first in my life.

[Jim Bell]

[Stevebrookman]

The wifes car is a black Focus (I hate black cars-but is was very cheap). She takes it up muddy lanes dog walking (not the other dog activities I hope).

I was it about once a month and use a soft broom I bought from Poundstretcher-works a treat.

 

Steve

[egg]

What is the most long lasting back to black for your p!astics?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

What is the best way to clean glass? When I did the R8 coupé it looked great but it then it was very condensated inside and the smears remain inside the seven.

Screwed up newspaper. Drys ,cleans and polishes for free.

[oldcars]

What is the most long lasting back to black for your p!astics?

You can by super expensive nano thingys now. I like good old Autoglym bumper care, Has worked well on anything i have tried it on. Autosmart Highstyle is good too but i prefer the old bumpercare.

Bonus with Highstyle is you can use it to dress tyres as well.

[Junkman]

How does The Doctor shine his shite?

[Tamworthbay]

What is the most long lasting back to black for your p!astics?

this will sound insane but try smooth peanut butter. Try a small area first and leave it for a while then do the whole area if you are happy with it. A multi concourse winning motorbike nerd told me that trick, but only once he had seen my bike and realise I wasn't ever going to be competition. Mind you his bikes didn't have internals and were moved between shows in covered trailers, where's the fun in that?

[beko1987]

How does The Doctor shine his shite?

Lots of different grades of diminishing polishes and different grades of pad

 

Or silicone shit. I'm sure he was on here once and did say he did it properly but then vanished.

 

Basically, once clayed and dried, you polish with a rotary (never used a DA so cant comment on that). I did my Puma this way though and it was bloody good, but fuck me it takes time. For one panel:

 

Mask off

 

Start with a cutting polish and cutting pad. Polish however you feel like it (I used the 'barely moist' method) Some people dunk into a bucket but if is all too wet it wont cut, the abrasives will be washed away.

 

Then, wipe the residue off, then IPA/eraser (yes, Eraser is a product) the panel.

 

Move up to a refining polish and pad. Another 4 hours of careful micro movements until the polish is fully broken down and worked in.

 

Wipe, clean etc.

 

Finally a finishing pad with finishing polish to really jewel up the finish. This is what makes the car 'invisible'.

 

Buff off carefully with a NEW microfibre

 

Add glaze/finish as appropriate

 

Wax!

 

Wax again!

 

Fuck it, 3rd layer of wax!

 

Looks beautiful, but then when you stand back and admire the rusty arches and blowing exhaust you can either ignore it like I did or get the car up to scratch first before cleaning and polishing it! This is why the ZX looks like a shit heap but only really needs a new exhaust to have the major and medium issues ironed out!

[beko1987]

this will sound insane but try smooth peanut butter. Try a small area first and leave it for a while then do the whole area if you are happy with it. A multi concourse winning motorbike nerd told me that trick, but only once he had seen my bike and realise I wasn't ever going to be competition. Mind you his bikes didn't have internals and were moved between shows in covered trailers, where's the fun in that?

 

Nah, you want this! http://www.autopia.org/forums/detailing-product-reviews/38042-cg-look-trim-gel.html

 

I've had the same bottle for years, done many, many cars with it and it's about half empty (the label is fucked though, it's greasy out of the bottle). The only thing I use instead is a trim cleaner, again by CG which removes polish residue and other crap, and leaves a good finish, but I cant find that on the internet atm!

[Tamworthbay]

Nah, you want this! http://www.autopia.org/forums/detailing-product-reviews/38042-cg-look-trim-gel.html

 

I've had the same bottle for years, done many, many cars with it and it's about half empty (the label is fucked though, it's greasy out of the bottle). The only thing I use instead is a trim cleaner, again by CG which removes polish residue and other crap, and leaves a good finish, but I cant find that on the internet atm!

hmm, £20 a bottle or 39p for morrisons saver smooth, I think I will stay peanutty

[LessThanEqual]

What is the most long lasting back to black for your p!astics?

I use Meguiar's Endurance Tyre Gel on ly plastics, works a treat.

[saucedoctor]

My pal the Vauxhall nut (I posted a few of his mk2 Cavs here a while back) took the fucking DOORS off his Insignia VXR to clean the shuts.

[oldcars]

My pal the Vauxhall nut (I posted a few of his mk2 Cavs here a while back) took the fucking DOORS off his Insignia VXR to clean the shuts.

thats class. I thought i was bad taking wheels off.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Pah!  You amateurs!  Read the link below and enter a world of total fucking sadness.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=81391

 

TL/DR?  

 

Executive summary:

 

Utter fucking twat buys goppingly shit car, is impressed by fact that Vauxhall office has pot plants in it, almost rejects shit car because paint two microns too thin, then spends fucking months and spaffs every penny he owns buffing the insides of the dust caps, etc.   Conclusion: twat sells still shit car to random Barry, who strips it out and uses it as trackday slag.    Twat is still twat.  The End.

[xtriple]

I really want a hose.

 

I quite like washing my car myself but lugging buckets really does kill me - takes me a couple of days to recover and that is no joke! This Bentley is funny in so much as it looks (to me at least) really tatty when it's grubby and really smart when it's clean. The other one (lighter green and metallic) looked fine either way. I suppose it's because it's quite a dark colour (it's an odd colour: even though it's a solid colour, it changes really dramatically depending on the light - sometimes it's really dark and others, really light! It NEVER looks the colour it comes out in photos)

 

I do hoover it out quite frequently as the dog hair gets everywhere. The back tends to disappear under a layer of white/black hair after two days and the front starts looking 'hairy' after a week. I suppose I wipe out the front every couple of days which keeps it a bit better....

[beko1987]

Pah!  You amateurs!  Read the link below and enter a world of total fucking sadness.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=81391

 

TL/DR?  

 

Executive summary:

 

Utter fucking twat buys goppingly shit car, is impressed by fact that Vauxhall office has pot plants in it, almost rejects shit car because paint two microns too thin, then spends fucking months and spaffs every penny he owns buffing the insides of the dust caps, etc.  End conclusion: twat sells still shit car to random Barry, who strips it out and uses it as trackday slag.    Twat is still twat.  The End.

He bought me a pint once at the first Waxstock. Nice guy, not quite as up himself as he comes across in real life/after a few.

 

These are the sort of thing I would love to do, would need a euromillions win to afford the kit and time off work to do it/learn it

 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=373663

 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=293208

[purplebargeken]

I actually quite liked the car before it all went a bit mad. I read through one page, realised it was just one page and an awful lot of time then skipped to the end. 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

They did an INTERNET ALL TIME GREAT piss take of that Vauxhall lad's first thread (where he details the blue Astra) over on Barryboys. It was years ago, but I can clearly remember laughing my bollocks off it and even the user name of the piss taker (guybrush Threepwood).