Clean A3!

[Guest 2]

It's not often I get to give my cars a good clean, inside and out so I took advantage of Halfords BOGOF and got some stuff I wouldn't usually get and purchased a Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Bar kit and Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax.

First of all the car was washed with Autoglym Car Bodywork Shampoo using the two bucket method and rinsed with a Karcher Pressure Hose

The car was dried with a Meguiars Water Magnet drying towel and then the claying began.

The clay kit came with two sticks of clay, a large microfibre cloth, a bottle of Quick Detailer and a small bottle of cleaner wax.

The paintwork wasn't too contaminated but I noticed that the worst areas were the bonnet and the tailgate.

Take one 'clean' bonnet:
http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/1550ef32.jpg

And the clay after cleaning the bonnet with the QD and clay bar:
http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/378eb3e8.jpg

After claying the car was washed again using the above method and the result is below:
http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/8bda0a12.jpg

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/a8df5bfa.jpg

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/1acc589f.jpg

The car was then dried using the Water Magnet and then polished using Autoglym Super Resin Polish.

After 2 coats of polish, the car was waxed using the wax I purchased and two coats were applied.

After the waxing, the paintwork was sealed using Turtle Wax Extra Gloss to protect and seal the wax and polish.

The alloy wheels were also polished, waxed and sealed.

The tyres were also dressed with Wet Look tyre shine.

The engine bay plastics were cleaned with Meguiars Supreme Shine Dash cleaner.

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/6f5de6ad.jpg


After hours of work, I was very pleased with the results!

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/23ce95c6.jpg

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/56e9082d.jpg

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/09b4a410.jpg

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/A3/b7b4a599.jpg

Interior will be cleaned within the next couple of days and the A6 will be given the same treatment after its service next month :)

Obviously its not as good as the pro's but I'm pleased with my VERY basic knowledge ;)

[pxr5]

Looks good Chris - nice job and looking forward to seeing your A6 done (I can see it behind looking jealous) :-)

Just getting into detailing myself and I'm struggling not to get too OCD with it all - but I know what I'm like and already got a new Pressure Washer, snow foam lance and too many other things I try to justify to my other half 'that I need' lol. Starting to look at a machine polisher now, but I think that can wait until later in the year.

Thanks for the pics.

[Guest 2]

Thanks for the comments! Much appreciated :)

Its just started raining now here and there is some serious beading going on which looks good!

My next thing is a snowfoam lance, I don't know (yet) what benefit it has but I always like looking at cars where its covered in it. Looking at a machine polisher too, but some research is needed before I spend on something that I'm new to.

PS, I don't work for Meguiars after all that advertising I'm doing for them! ;)

Thanks again! :)

[Eshrules]

Looks good Chris!

First thing I'd do though is ditch that water magnet and the AG shampoo (I found it severely lacking in suds) and get yourself a big drying towel, like this :

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/huge-38-x-28-microfibre-drying-towel/prod_154.html < is the one I use

and some decent shampoo - I personally love Zaino Z7, previously I used CG citrus wash 'n' wax. I've got some of both if you want a sample.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/zaino/zaino-z-7-show-car-wash/prod_470.html

Snowfoam is brilliant as a pre wash - the idea is you coat the car in it (use something like maxi suds) which helps to loosen and remove some of the more firmly bonded dirt & grime.

If the car isn't that dirty (we're talking weekly>bi weekly washes) it's possible to use the snowfoam with a damp mitt (still using a bucket to rinse in between panels) as the shampoo.

Re the polisher, IMHO - if you're buying a machine it ought to be a DA for your first machine (rotary can inflict too much damage for a beginner, I'm still not up to that myself) and you really ought to buy a paint thickness gauge (around £150) so that you can record thickeness pre and post cut - to ensure you're not removing too much clearcoat.

One important thing to note - the name of AG's "super resin polish" is misleading. It's more of a filler than a polish - you'd be far better off with a decent quality sealant and top layer wax, I'm currently trialling some carlack long life (impressing me so far) with some good old CG XXX on top.

If you end up coming to buy any big pieces of kit - consider CYC and mention Eshrules sent you - I'm sure they'll do you a good deal ;)

[Guest 2]

Thanks for the advice Carl.

The Zaino Z7 is out of stock on CYC but I will have a look online and see where I can find it. Just found it direct from Zaino themselves and I will order this morning.

I actually have a similar towel that you mention but I couldn't find it yesterday in my garage so used the WM. Will order a new one off CYC after I write this.

I was reading up on snowfoam last night, does the manufacturer of the lance matter? Or is it all in the quality of the snowfoam itself?

What damage can a DA do compared to the rotary? Are there any you would recommend? Does manufactuer matter?

Thanks for the recommendation of the polish and wax, what have you used in the past which produces good results? I googled the CG wax and there were more adult results than cleaning prodcut, but the results look good and I will consider buying this too.

Thanks again!

[Eshrules]

I have it on good authority that the Z7 is actually back in stock now - the website should reflect this ;)

Manufacturer isn't that important, but some of the cheaper versions suffered from poor quality connections which lead to leaks - not a good thing when you're trying to maintain the pressure for the snow! I sound like a CYC whore, but I get to try all their toys and their foam lance is brilliant quality - they'll even supply the fitting you need for your pressure washer.

To explain DA vs Rotary, an image is useful I find

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/orbit_vs_DA_vs_rotary.jpg

a DA uses ellipitical rotations, whereas a rotary circuluar - meaning the rotary builds up heat (and cuts) much more quickly than a DA - it's near impossible to burn through with a DA. For german paint, you'll want something like Menzerna with a DA starter kit - something like this :

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing-machines/das-6-pro-dual-action-polisher/das-6-pro-dual-action-polisher-menzerna-intro-kit/prod_720.html

I've used all sorts of sealant from the likes of jetseal and wet mirror finish to what I'm on now, carlack long life (their windscreen sealant is brilliant, BTW). waxes, I've tried most of dodos apart from their supernatural, chemical guys XXX wax, pete's 53 and P21s (or R222 depending on who you are). Out of them all, I still return to XXX.

I'm not fobbing you off, but if you want more tailored/indepth advice, the best thing to do is to either email or ring CYC and ask for Dave.

If the prices scare you at all (although they are possibly the most reasonable I've seen), consider that a bottle of Zaino Z7 costs <£10 and I've had mine for over 2 years.

I don't do 'detailing' (although I despise that elitest term) for a living, I do it for fun and good results - so value for money and end results are what matter to me.