Car Detailing

[HSV Senator]

I've always paid a detailer to look after my Monaro's paint (would just get it done annually as the car is well kept) but since the last 3 guys I've used have all left the game I am thinking about giving it a go myself.

I've used the Meguiar's 3 step system on my Lexus but I've been told that this is not considered that good these days? Can anyone recommend any good products to clean, polish and protect the paint on my car? I just use microfibre towels to apply the polish/ wax and a lambs wool wash mitt to clean the Lexus but are there any special application cloth/ mitts worth using instead? Also where I would purchase the products? (i'm located in North Sydney if that helps).

Thanks in advance.

[plz_2_pimphomo]

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...6_pro_kit_plus

Plus your choice of sealant/wax and clay bar.

You can get proper paint work cloths but I just use some of the better microfibers and have ever had a problem, you only use them to remove the dried product anyway.

[Itsamario]

+1 on going to car care products in Five dock, If you have the time go in and have a chat with the staff there, I usually deal with Pierre who comes across as very knowledgeable . They are just off Parra road and they have an underground car park so fiddling around for a spot on a a side street isn't a concern.


Last weekend i detailed the nopics mini cuntyman and had some very impressive results.

I Used mainly Dodo juice products suggested by Pierre and did the following:

First step was a comprehensive wash down to get it clean, i use a pressure washer with snow foam lance then a two step bucket wash.

Second was to spend a good hour gently going over the paint with a clay bar and spray.

Third step was to use a light paint prep and polish product called "Lime Prime", just applied this green stuff and rubbed it straight off by hand with a microfiber cloth. Its supposed to remove swirls however i didn't quite achieve a noticeable reduction, using a polisher i have heard leads to a much better result in that area. At the end of this step the paint surface was fucking smooth to touch and very glossy. Again this took a good hour and a bit.

Fourth step was simply to apply wax, I ended up using Dodo's Supernatural Hybrid wax which has some synthetic ingredients to improve durability, I am hoping on around 3 months of wear time with this synthetic mix wax compared to around 1 with just plain Carnauba wax. I applied by hand and rubbed off after it dried up, ended up doing 2 coats with the stuff. Being the first time using it I would recommend buying the Finger mitts to apply as I found it was a bit messy trying to get a standard round pad to get an even distribution of the stuff on the paint.

Also i used Einzett 1Z Plastic protector for all the black plastic bits around the bottom panels of the car and they came out looking brand new, great stuff!

Sorry i dont have pics handy of the result, as i started the job at lunch and it was fucking almost night by the time i finished. I am very happy with the result though as being only 18 months old the mini was looking much older and very dull yet afterwards it looked better than it did when it came out of BMW's showroom. Gloss and shine was outstanding!

I have to do my car soon and time permitting this weekend if i get around to it, i'll take pics of before and after and post em.

The products:


(if you use carcareproducts its cheaper to buy the 'Two birds' package for both items)

[FOR22A]

+1 for Pierre, the guy knows detailing.

[Aaron]

Really there's a heap of good products out there. It's more about careful application and understanding of what you want to achieve.

The Meguiars stuff the OP has used in the past will work and give a good result. When used carefully it'll do damn well, but the newer tech stuff and more specialist products do up the ante.

What was your detailer doing for you?

[Captain_Slow]

+1 on Carcareproducts. I buy all my detailing products from there now; have been using Dodo Juice lime prime (for paint prep) and Orange Crush as a wax (it's for warm coloured cars, so you might need one of the other varieties) for a couple of years now and the results I'm getting are noticeably better than when I was using Meguiars Tech Wax.

[FLI355]

Car Care products speak to the boys. I have all the gear and do detailing on the side. Happy to show you how to do things if you like.

[Captiva Fan]

Really there's a heap of good products out there. It's more about careful application and understanding of what you want to achieve.

Hmmm ... next time the nopix is OS over a weekend, I might have to see if I can book a day with you & bring the Commode down ... it could do with some person-who-knows-what-to-do paint-care, every time I do it I take a full (summer, so 14+ hours) day to do it & end-up with ugly missed bits where it got shady so I couldn't see it properly etc etc ...

[FLI355]

One of the most important things in detailing is good light as it will show up imperfections you can't see in dull conditions or with shadows over the panel.

VS I did for a mate.

[Gussy]

Have a look for particular advice as well on detailingworld.co.uk

I started out years ago as well with the Meguiars products. They're ok but there's much better stuff out there. Ended up progressing to a random rotary polisher with Menzerna pads / polish. World of difference. Remember the best finish is all in the prep, proper washing, clay bar etc.

[Captiva Fan]

VS I did for a mate.

Dude - you left a huge dog turd in the middle of the bonnet!

[Sterling Archer]

One of the most important things in detailing is good light as it will show up imperfections you can't see in dull conditions or with shadows over the panel.

VS I did for a mate.

Fluoro lights are excellent for picking up paint defects

[brasher]

Yeah I need to step my game up. My $8 bottle of turtle wax "wash and wax" isn't cutting the mustard anymore.

[Aaron]

You know what though? The $8 Turtle "Wash n Wax" when used say weekly or fortnightly or whenever the car is shat on by something will do a far better job than applying a "once a year" coating and leaving it.

Most people on the street would never see the difference between a "Wash'n'Wax" job and a full correction detail. The general public don't think that swirls or holograms are a "bad thing" and often consider it to be a sign of a "polished" car.

The other problem is that quite often the value of doing this work over time doesn't reach a true payoff unless you're arguing with an insurer or trying to get maximum resale, and even then I've heard the term "too clean" used when talking about used car purchases.

The premium products all suffer from a certain degree of hype and marketing BS, and while they all work the results will vary with technique, the applicators and the cars paintwork. You can literally spend hundreds of dollars buying a family of products that your HATE using because they don't "feel" right as you work them, or they give blotchy results unless you get your mechanical buffer going the right speed.

If it's about making your car look nice, and keeping it in a good condition to preserve the paintwork then a regular off-the-shelf (but quality) product - be it Mothers, Mequiars, AutoGlym or Bowdens will give you a nice shine, the multi-step products and good applicators will minimise and mask swirling or holograms - using some light scratch remover to neaten up door handle marking, and other minor defects will be enough to easily fool 99% of the public. Use regular washes between the re-application of the product and maybe a "spray detailer" and you're always going to be the person "with the clean/shiny car".

An initial "Clay" will be helpful if the paint feels rough or "gritty" after a wash as it tends to pull out some of the contamination. A few trick washes exist now that also dissolve things like micro-fine iron contamination, they could be super handy.

If it's about getting rid of defects like swirling etc AND having a really good finish then you could grab a basic Random Orbit tool (DAS6-Pro for example) a few finishing pads a bottle of Meguiars Ultimate Compound (it's a relative bargain, gives great results and is super easy to work with) and have a go.

Then finish up with your choice of product.

I'm not dissing using the premium products, they can be genuinely awesome to use, and do deliver amazing results, especially if you get products to give a specific "look" to your cars colour. You can add "warmth" like sunset does, or you can create sharpness and cold reflections just but changing the last top-coating, but they do cost $$$ and sometimes can be utter shit to use.

It can be fun, but only in an OCD nerd kind of way...

[Aaron]

Hmmm ... next time the nopix is OS over a weekend, I might have to see if I can book a day with you & bring the Commode down ... it could do with some person-who-knows-what-to-do paint-care, every time I do it I take a full (summer, so 14+ hours) day to do it & end-up with ugly missed bits where it got shady so I couldn't see it properly etc etc ...

Always happy to do it.