Detailing Thread.

[Ash007ks]

Ok this is mostly not my own work, but what i have been using from a mixture of other sites, so ill not take the credit for it Fully :) obvs.

 

I just thought it would be nice to get a few guides that would show the beginners/ novices different techniques to use.

 

Now im by far no professional but these guides have helped :). sit back, grab and drink and read on.

 

I will Split it into different sections. Washing, Waxing, Claying and so on so its not a massive wall of writing. feel free to add your own tips as well.

 

 

 

Section 1. Washing.

 

• 1
  
  
  

  
  

  Choose a shady spot, preferably away from trees that are dripping sap or dropping leaves.

      
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  2
  
  
  

  
  

  Make sure all doors and windows are closed.

      
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  3
  
  
  

  
  

  Put one capful of car soap into a bucket and fill it 3/4 of the way with warm water. Set the bucket aside.

      
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  4
  
  
  

  
  

  Hose any excess dirt off the car, beginning at the roof and working down to the tires.

      
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  5
  
  
  

  
  

  Lather a sponge or terry cloth rag in the bucket of soapy water and
  sponge the roof of the car. Spray off excess soap when the entire roof
  has been cleaned.

      
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  6
  
  
  

  
  

  Repeat for all four sides of the car, washing one full side including
  windows, fenders and tires and rinsing completely before going to the
  next side.

      
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  7
  
  
  

  
  

  Give the car one final rinse with the hose to get rid of any water spots when all four sides have been washed and rinsed.

      
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  8
  
  
  

  
  

  Dry the car thoroughly by setting a towel flat against the surface of
  the car and drag it along the surface to pick up any water spots. Start
  at the roof and work your way down to the tires.

      
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• 
  9
  
  
  

  
  

  Wash the windows with a rag soaked in plain water and dry them with a
  dry rag, or use window cleaner and pieces of balled-up newspaper on
  both the inside and the outside of the windows.

      
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  10
  
  
  

  
  

  Give any metal or chrome an extra rubdown to get rid of water spots.

• 
  
• 
  
• Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_1328_wash-car.html

• 1
  
  
  

  
  

  Choose a shady spot, preferably away from trees that are dripping sap or dropping leaves.

      
• 
  
• 
  2
  
  
  

  
  

  Make sure all doors and windows are closed.

      
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  3
  
  
  

  
  

  Put one capful of car soap into a bucket and fill it 3/4 of the way with warm water. Set the bucket aside.

      
• 
  
• 
  4
  
  
  

  
  

  Hose any excess dirt off the car, beginning at the roof and working down to the tires.

      
• 
  
• 
  5
  
  
  

  
  

  Lather a sponge or terry cloth rag in the bucket of soapy water and
  sponge the roof of the car. Spray off excess soap when the entire roof
  has been cleaned.

      
• 
  
• 
  6
  
  
  

  
  

  Repeat for all four sides of the car, washing one full side including
  windows, fenders and tires and rinsing completely before going to the
  next side.

      
• 
  
• 
  7
  
  
  

  
  

  Give the car one final rinse with the hose to get rid of any water spots when all four sides have been washed and rinsed.

      
• 
  
• 
  8
  
  
  

  
  

  Dry the car thoroughly by setting a towel flat against the surface of
  the car and drag it along the surface to pick up any water spots. Start
  at the roof and work your way down to the tires.

      
• 
  
• 
  9
  
  
  

  
  

  Wash the windows with a rag soaked in plain water and dry them with a
  dry rag, or use window cleaner and pieces of balled-up newspaper on
  both the inside and the outside of the windows.

      
• 
  
• 
  10
  
  
  

  
  

  Give any metal or chrome an extra rubdown to get rid of water spots.

• 
  
• 
  
• Read more : h

You've spent plenty of money on the purchase of your car ,
now the question arises, “How do I take care of it?” Proper washing is
one of the most overlooked and misunderstood areas of auto care, and
sadly improper washing damages and dulls your vehicle's finish over
time.

If you take a moment to look at a group of cars under
direct sunlight, be it in a parking lot or at a car show, you will most
likely notice that many of the cars have light scratches all over them.
These microscopic scratches seem to radiate outward in a “cob-web”
effect from a central light source like the reflection of the sun. Many
of the swirl marks are the result of improper washing and drying
techniques. They are caused when grit is abraded against the paint's
surface.

There have been countless articles written on how to
properly maintain a vehicle’s appearance and while most of the tips in
this article certainly aren’t new, perhaps they may help you think about
things in a different light.

Vehicle enthusiasts range from
those who wash or use a quick detailer on their vehicles daily, to those
who love caring for their vehicle but only get the chance to wash them
weekly or bi-weekly. Both categories of enthusiasts cringe at the very
thought of taking their car or truck to car washes, otherwise known as
“automatic swirl factories.” In this article we hope to give you some
ideas and tips that will help you maintain your vehicle’s appearance and
teach you ways to avoid, or at least minimize creating swirl marks.


Car Wash Shampoo

Car wash shampoos have come a long way since their introduction to the
automotive detailing market. There was a time when we all just grabbed
dish soap and went to work but those days are long gone. Dish soap is
designed to eat away grease and food and while it works great for dishes
we need to keep it in the kitchen! The same attributes that break down
the grease on dishes will strip your car wax and dry out your plastic
moldings and rubber seals.

Some of the factors that establish a great car wash shampoo like BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Conditioning Shampoo
are foaming ability, lubricity, pH balance, concentration, gentleness
and gloss enhancing ability. High quality car wash shampoos will clean a
car’s surface, enhance the gloss and leave the car wax, paint
protectant or paint sealant intact. Generic car wash shampoos that you
could purchase in bulk at a clearance or discount store lack many of the
attributes of the higher quality car wash shampoos. You will also find
that a cheaper bottle of car wash shampoo is not necessarily a good
value.

Car Wash Mitts

If you ask a group of car enthusiasts which company makes a better car
or truck, you will get a variety of different answers; everyone has his
or her opinion! To say that everyone has a favorite is an
understatement, yet there are some basic fundamentals that make an item
one of the best for its intended purpose.

Wash mitts can be made
of long or short nap microfiber, sponge material or sheepskin that can
be either synthetic or genuine. The Sheepskin Wash Mitt is a great choice as it is soft, easily rinses clean, and holds lots of water and car wash solution. Natural Sea Sponges are composed of some of the softest material known to man and hold a large volume of water and soap solution. The Lake Country Foam Car Wash Sponge
is made from super soft foam that is gentle to your paint and rinses
clean easily. You want to avoid using shop rags, old t-shirts, and
beach towels as the nap, or thickness of these items is so small that
you can easily exert too much force onto the paint and inadvertently
push surface dirt around instilling washing swirls. Also, these wash
rags do not release trapped dirt as easily. The thicker wash mitts
designed specifically for use on vehicles offer room for dirt to be
pulled away from your paint until your mitt is rinsed.



Car Wash Buckets

When choosing a bucket you generally have
two choices, 5 gallon or 3.5 gallon. Usually the 3.5 gallon is too
small to get the job done with plenty of fresh car wash solution, but
with water weighing 8.35 pounds per gallon it is difficult to lug the 5
gallon bucket around your car.


When it comes to swirl free washing, one of the greatest
ideas to come along is the two bucket method of car washing. As the
name implies, you use two separate buckets to wash your car. One bucket
holds the soapy car wash solution and the other holds clean, clear
rinse water so you can rinse your mitt after each pass over your car.
This keeps those dirt particles you just picked up on the surface from
going back into the clean car wash solution and being picked up again by
the wash mitt.
 

This brings us to the next topic: Grit Guard Inserts.
If you aren’t using them, you should be! The Grit Guard Insert is a
round plastic insert grate that sits on the bottom of your bucket. It
is raised above the bottom of the bucket by four lateral fins. Dirt
from your wash mitt drops to the bottom of the bucket and is kept at the
bottom of the bucket, ensuring that your wash mitt doesn’t pick up the
dirt you just washed off of the car. When you finish washing your car
and lift the Grit Guard Insert up, you will see how well it works. The
Grit Guard Insert should be used in both the wash and rinse buckets for
optimum protection against instilling swirl marks. The Grit Guard
Insert comes with the handy Grit Guard Dual Bucket Washing System and the BLACKFIRE 5 Gallon Wash Bucket System With Dolly.


Hose Nozzles

Yes, even your hose nozzle is an important part of your car wash
procedure. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to wash your
car with an inadequate or leaky hose nozzle.

Optional Foam Guns and Foam Cannons

Dirt and grit as most
abrasive when it is lying in a fine dust layer over your paint. Even
when pre-rinsing your car with water, some of the grit can scratch.
Both the BLACKFIRE Foam Gun and the BLACKFIRE Foam Cannon
allow you to lather your car in a blanket of clingy suds that
encapsulate the grime and reduce the risk of scratching. The BLACKFIRE
Foam Gun attaches to your hose with a special trigger nozzle. The
BLACKFIRE Foam Cannon attaches to a pressure washer. Mix in your
favorite car soap or use a specially blended car soap such as Detailer's Pro Series Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo and spray it on. Allow the soap to dwell for several minutes then rinse off.

If
your paint only has a light coating of dust or road pitch you can often
use the BLACKFIRE Foam Gun or BLACKFIRE Foam Cannon as a substitute for
a standard washing. Simply layer your car in a blanket of foam and
lightly wipe with your favorite wash mitt, rinsing the mitt frequently
in a rinse bucket. After the vehicle has been wiped down, thoroughly
hose it off.


Drying Towels

Two of the most popular options for drying your vehicle are waffle weave
microfiber towels and synthetic PVA towels. The PVA synthetic chamois
are the small rubbery towels used by divers and swimmers at the
Olympics. They are generally smaller and rubber-like in feel. They hold a
large amount of water, wring out easily, and last a very long time. The
drawback is that they are not quite as soft and gentle as microfiber
drying towels.

Microfiber waffle weave drying towels like the Cobra Guzzler Waffle Weave Drying Towel
are very soft, safe and effective. The waffle weave fibers act like
little pockets and absorb tons of water and when used properly are
extremely gentle on your vehicle’s delicate surfaces. It generally
takes only two towels to dry vehicle to ensure a spot and streak free
finish. The first towel picks up the majority of water and the second
towel picks up any residual moisture ensuring a streak free finish.
Another benefit to the Cobra Guzzler Waffle Weave Drying Towel is that
they can be washed with other microfiber detailing towels ensuring that
they are clean and fresh each time you need them, with no chance of dirt
from the last use scratching the surface. Keep in mind that just like
other products, there is a difference in quality when it comes to
microfiber drying towels, they are not all the same so be sure to use
only high quality towels like the Sonus Der Wunder Microfiber Drying Towels or Cobra Guzzler Waffle Weave Drying Towels, available in three sizes.

Now
that you are familiar with the proper tools for the job, we will cover
the proper technique necessary for washing a vehicle without instilling
wash-induced swirls in the paint.
 

• Always wash your car in the shade! This will keep your car wash
  shampoo solution from drying on the car before it is rinsed off. If at
  all possible, it is best to wash your car on a relatively calm day as
  even a slight breeze can put particles of dirt into the air. These dust
  particles are attracted to the wash/rinse water on your vehicle and act
  like sandpaper when rubbed between the drying towel and vehicle
  surface. The breeze will also cause some drying and this can lead to
  streaks and water spots.
• Use two buckets with a Grit
  Guard Insert in each bucket. One is for your shampoo solution and the
  other is clean rinse water for your wash mitt.
• Only use high quality car shampoos and wash mitts.
• Fill
  a 5-gallon bucket 2/3 full with cool water. Add the proper amount of
  shampoo to the water as recommended on the label instructions. Using a
  strong jet of water, fill the bucket to fully activate suds. Fill the
  second bucket with clean, water for rinsing your wash mitt.
• Thoroughly
  rinse the vehicle’s surface to remove the loose dirt and grime before
  you begin the car wash procedure. If the paint is excessively dirty or
  you wish to add more protection, use a foam cannon to pre-soak the
  vehicle prior to rinsing.
• When washing your
  vehicle remember to always go from top to bottom, never the opposite.
  Generally the dirtiest parts of your vehicle are those parts closest to
  the ground. Wheel wells, rocker panels and bumpers tend to have the
  largest accumulation of grime and you don’t want to bring that junk back
  onto the paint surface and risk scratching it.
• Load up
  your wash mitt with your car wash solution and wring it out over the
  wash surface. This acts like a pre-soak and helps loosen surface gunk.
  It also adds more sudsy water to the surface and more lubricity helps
  safely wash the grime away without scratching.
• Keep your wash areas small and rinse your wash mitt frequently in the second bucket.
• Wash
  in straight, overlapping lines as opposed to circles and remember to be
  gentle with the wash mitt on the first pass. This first pass will pick
  up the majority of the dirt, and loosens the remaining dirt for pick up
  on the second pass.
• Rinse your vehicle by opening up
  your Fire Hose Nozzle to the open flow setting or, if you don’t have an
  open flow option on your nozzle, remove your nozzle completely and let
  the water run or sheet over the surface. This helps in two ways.
  First, generally when water has “sheeted” off of a surface it tends to
  leave fewer residual droplets behind. This means less drying time.
  Second, since there is less water to pick up, there is less chance of
  your leaving water behind to spot the vehicle.
• When you
  dry your car, use only high quality microfiber waffle weave drying
  towels and wring out often. Gently dry the surface without much
  pressure. You don’t need to rub the surface – you’re just picking up the
  bulk of the water! Once you have picked up the bulk of the water, and
  the first towel is saturated, use the second towel to lightly pick up
  any remaining streaks or droplets.
• Lastly, if your wax or sealant is still in good shape, go over the vehicle with a quick detail spray like Sonus Acrylic Spritz Detail Spray or BLACKFIRE Midnight Sun Instant Detail Spray and a plush Cobra Deluxe Jr. Microfiber Buffing Towel
  to restore a radiance and slickness to the paint. This last step will
  give your vehicle that just-detailed look by enhancing gloss and will
  also remove any missed drips, water spots or streaks that showed up when
  you weren't looking.

 

Ignore the Products, and the silly American measuring system, Ok hope it gave you a good insight and srry for teaching you too suck eggs. on to Section 2.

[Ash007ks]

Section 2. Waxing.

 

"What is clay?"

 

After you've washed and dried your paintwork run your fingertips over
the surface. It is likely that you will feel small imperfections. These
are contaminants bonded to the paint that cannot be removed with
washing alone. Typically these would be tree sap, remnants of bird lime,
industrial fallout or even paint overspray. clay is a fast and safe way
to remove contaminants that have bonded to your paintwork which can't
be shifted by washing alone. Meguiar's recommend that you tear about
1/3rd of the clay bar off and work it in your hands until soft. Mould
the clay to a 5cm disc, spray the Quik Detailer onto clean, dry
paintwork and glide the clay through the lubricant using finger tip
pressure. It will remove all of the bonded contaminant, giving you a
finish as smooth as glass

 

 

A lot of people may feel intimidated by the thought of waxing their
own vehicle; sometimes thinking the job needs to be left to auto
detailers.  However, you may not necessarily need an automotive detailer
to do it for you. This is not a challenging job with a little bit of
know-how and you can easily learn how to wax your vehicle and perhaps
save a lot of money doing it yourself.

Waxing a car helps to preserve the paint finish. Waxing your vehicle
helps prevent damage from natural contaminates such as dirt and water. 
It also gives the paint on your car a deep, glossy, and clean sheen.

Not sure if your car needs a good waxing?  Often detailers recommend a
car to be waxed every other month, every six months, and once a year. 
So what is the real answer?  The best way to see if your car needs wax
is to get the car wet.  If the water does not bead on the surface of the
paint, the car should be waxed.

waxing your car, always wash your car first. No matter how clean the
car appears to be, there could be particles of dust present that you
don’t want to trap under the wax or worse, scratch the paint! If you
need tips on how to thoroughly wash your car, please check here first.

Apply automotive wax or paint sealer in a shady area. If wax or paint
sealant dries too quickly or sits on the vehicle too long, it’s going
to be tough to buff off.

Always apply automotive wax or paint sealer to a dry vehicle.
Droplets of water on the paint can cause the wax or sealant to streak
and it will be unnecessarily tough to buff off.

Apply the thinnest coat possible. If you are attempting to obtain a
lot of depth and sheen, you will not be able to get that result if you
try to use just one thick coat. It simply makes the wax or sealant tough
to buff off and may cause streaking. Buff one coat off before applying a
second extra thin coat. Check the label to see how long one coat needs
to cure before applying another (usually 12-18 hours).

Poly foam wax applicators are typically the most effective tool for
applying a thin, even coat of wax or sealant. Poly foam wax applicators
are durable, and best of all washable and reusable. They’re also cheap,
therefore don’t be afraid to throw them away once they get very fouled.

Using a quality microfiber towel, buff the wax haze away from the
paint’s surface. A quality microfiber towel will buff the vehicle’s
paint to a beautiful shine as it removes the wax residue.  Microfiber’s
woven fibers are static charged and grab the wax residue from the paint
surface.  Be sure to rotate the towel often to the clean side.  You may
need more than one towel to finish the car as the initial towels become
dirty from the wax residue.

One great tip for waxing a car is that if you have an uneven shine or
streaks after removing the wax with a microfiber towel, you can spray
the car’s painted surface with a quick detailing spray.  After the quick
detailing spray is wiped away with a microfiber towel, it should reveal
a nice and even streak free shine.

[Ash007ks]

Section 3. Polishing

 

One thing i have learnt is use an ORBITAL buffer as the others damage the paint work, as they are too harsh and often leave burn swirls in the paint.

 

This is for using a buffer.

Before doing the whole car, I always recommend doing a test spot on the worst
area of the car. Always start with the least aggressive product first and see if
it is doing what you want it to do. If not, step up to a more aggressive product
and pad. Then use your next products and procedures and complete the entire
process to see if it meets your expectations.

When you are finished with the test spot, and you are happy with the results,
do the entire car! If not, it is time to go back to step one and re-evaluate
your expectations and variables that come in to play. You also need to determine
if there’s something you can change that will help you meet your expectations.
Maybe an extra step or a simple change in your process can take you from,
"it looks okay", to "Wow, that looks great!" It takes a
little more time but think of it as a little insurance on your personal
satisfaction.

While polishing your car is fairly easy, there are a few
tips and a little technique that will help you with your success.

• Work a small area at a time, only about 2 ft by 2 ft so you can concentrate on your work.
• Move SLOW! Most beginners move the polisher way to fast over the paint and they don't allow the polisher to get the work done.
• Use SLOW, overlapping motions. (Up and down then side to side)
• Keep your pad level. Beginners tend to look at the paint and forget what the pad is doing.
• Never dry buff! You need to work the polish so you get results but stop when the polish goes clear, before it dries.
• Keep the cord over your shoulder and away from your paint to avoid scratching your paint.
• ALWAYS use the correct pad, polish and speed combinations.
• When removing defects, use a little pressure. Not enough to bog down the machine, just enough so you can remove the defects.
• Never lift the polisher off the paint while it is turned on.

Don't forget, polish does not protect. It only improves the look.
When you are finished, you will need to protect your work with a
protectant or wax

 

.........Hand guide.........

 

Start by ensuring you paintwork is clean and free of any contaminates.
Prior to hand polishing we recommend that you decontaminate your
paintwork.

 

next grab your next item from your detailing products, a microfiber or foam applicator and your chosen car polish for your paintwork. Now dampen your applicator with a mist of water or detail spray, then add your car polish to the pad. Start with one or two pea sized dots of car polish to your pad.

 

Now work the polish in straight lines working in small areas at a time,
be sure to ensure even coverage by over lapping your strokes, and
remove, repeat as you feel necessary or until the desired result has
been achieved. Once you’ve worked the polish into your paintwork remove
the hazed residue with a fresh microfiber cloths.

 

Now you have created the finish you can seal it in and protect it by
topping with your favourite Auto Finesse detailing products and car care
car wax, luxury carnauba wax or paint sealant of your choice.

[Ash007ks]

Ill tidy the posts up once i have time, but just wanted to get a quick guide going. any tips or advice feel free, but keep it on topic.

[Jay762]

Nice one Ash - given some of the immaculate motors we have on here I dare say this could be quite a content rich thread

[Rfnyoung]

Have a look at http://inspired-automotive.co.uk/

 

for the kit to do the work above Mitch is awesome and the products he has are fantastic he is really well known in the car scene in West Yorkshire

[Ash007ks]

we should get him on here to offer good kit :)

[mfnick]

Lots of good info there Ash, thanks for that. Haven't got anything to add though I'm afraid, just been using most of those same techniques when doing my own research. :)

[Ash007ks]

I can report that Demon Shine have brought out a Snow foam that you just attach to your hose pipe, is pretty good too for a £10 from Asda, not as hardcore as the jetwash but still gets the grime off :)

[david1972]

From what I've read elsewhere it's not as good as 'the real stuff' and darn expensive too. You dilute the real stuff, whereas you can't with this.

Snow foam and a top quality lance are on my list before winter comes [emoji2]

Sent from my iphone using Tapatalk

[Ash007ks]

tbh for a tenner its pretty good

[david1972]

Fair play mate, that was just what I'd been told by people supposedly 'in the know' lol

[Ash007ks]

Ive now used it 4 times and can safely say that its fairly decent :) however the 20 washes that its meant to give is shall we say a tad optimistic, its been used 6-7 times and its nearly empty.  i would say at a push you could get 10 if used sparingly. So equates to a quid a wash :) i will get a lance at some point but what with the remap and !Removed! weather fast approaching its not on my immediate to do list.