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General => Detailing => Topic started by: Brocky_ on 01 March 2021, 16:31
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Hi, all.
Would anyone be able to give me some suggestions for detailers who are not a million miles from the Manchester area, please? I am looking for a new car ceramic prep and have tried a couple of places already but both have an 8-10 week lead time.
Thanks in advance.
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You may get some help with this but the detailing section is nigh on dead these days. Although you did the right thing posting it here, you might want to try posting in presumably the MK8 section or have a look in the forums on detailingworld. Or try the detailing forum on cleanyourcar - https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=18&sid=af25cc04abeee87b9ddc87656ecbbbce
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You may get some help with this but the detailing section is nigh on dead these days. Although you did the right thing posting it here, you might want to try posting in presumably the MK8 section or have a look in the forums on detailingworld. Or try the detailing forum on cleanyourcar - https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=18&sid=af25cc04abeee87b9ddc87656ecbbbce
Ah, ok. Thanks, Watts.
I actually managed to find a guy - https://www.offyourmarks.com/ - who is booked up until mid-April as far as week-day slots go but has said that he will agree to get me in this weekend at short notice, as it's a new car and it's important to get it protected ASAP. Can't fault that dedication to his craft really. He has quoted just under £400 all in and he also has a courtesy car I can use while the work is being done. I have to say that's a pretty good first impression in my book. He has also got a new GTI in white on order, coincidentally. :grin:
I will report back after it's done and post some pictures, of course! :smiley:
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Excellent! We like pictures :laugh:
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I wonder if he’s chosen white so he doesn’t have to bother spending as much time detailing his own car.
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Here he is, fresh out of the bay after a new car prep and ceramic coat.
True to form, it started raining around ten minutes after this and there's already mud up the sides but at least he's protected now.
*Edit* Just realised I didn't edit out my plate. I'll post from my PC later! 😁
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51017932281_6809095e14_o.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51017201503_1633d8a7c0_o.jpg)
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Here he is, fresh out of the bay after a new car prep and ceramic coat.
True to form, it started raining around ten minutes after this and there's already mud up the sides but at least he's protected now.
*Edit* Just realised I didn't edit out my plate. I'll post from my PC later! 😁
You’ve left the few of us who still venture onto the Detailing forum board waiting in eager anticipation to see your shiny pride and glory!
Sod’s law says the weather isn’t going to work in your favour when you’ve just invested in getting your car professionally detailed. At least with a ceramic coating the dirt should just slide off your car now and it should be easy to keep it looking spick and span :smiley:.
Look forward to seeing the pictures.
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Pictures added. :smiley:
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Pictures added. :smiley:
Looking good :cool:.
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Pictures added. :smiley:
Looking good :cool:.
Certainly is!
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Very nice indeed :grin:
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That does look nice :cool:
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Thanks, all. :smiley:
Currently scouring Detailing World and CYC to put together a decent setup to keep it looking nice. I already have a little Nilfisk pressure washer and a foam attachment from Autobrite. Pretty sure I have some wheel-woolies and some grit guards somewhere but will need a couple of buckets, a couple of good wash mitts and some other stuff.
What do you guys think about waxing after having a ceramic coat? I am sure it can't hurt from a protection perspective but is it worth it from a visual one?
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I'm not knowledgeable on ceramic coatings or for that matter detailing in general! Might be worth asking the person that ceramic coated yours as they will have a specific view and may recommend an appropriate product.
Just a note regarding the Nilfisk pressure washer, I have one too and had to replace the stop start valve recently. If you use a connector on the end of your hose pipe with auto stop where it connects to the Nilfisk then best remove it for an open connector, the place I bought the valve from said the auto stop connector can cause the valves to fail.
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The guy who did the ceramic said that a good foam, shampoo & dry would be fine, which I am sure it will be. I was just wondering if a good wax on top would make any visual difference, really. I have ordered a Quick Detailer from Auto Finesse and will apply some of that afterwards and see how it goes. I'll have a scour over at Detailing World as well.
As for the Nilfisk, it hasn't even been out of the box and I have had it over six months! :grin: Thanks for the heads-up, though. I will keep it in mind.
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@Brocky; like @Watts, I also don’t have any personal experience of ceramic coatings, but from what I’ve read on various detailing forums and in articles discussing the very subject you’ve raised, applying a wax to a ceramic coating may do more harm than good, because of the natural oils and grease in waxes that can attract dirt. It’s also questionable whether a wax applied over a ceramic coating will provide much additional durability, due to the slick nature of the coating (a wax may struggle to bond to the coating). Also, bear in mind that the reflective properties of a light coloured, non metallic paint such as Pure White won’t be a great as, say, a dark coloured car, so applying extra products is unlikely to produce extra shine over and above that achieved by a professional detailer with their prep work prior to applying a ceramic coating, and the coating itself.
You’ve no doubt invested quite a lot of money in having a coating applied to your car that should provide high levels of protection, slickness and shine. IMHO the most important thing now is to maintain it correctly;
- regular washing; pre-wash (snow foam), followed by a safe wash with a good quality ph neutral car shampoo solution using a two bucket wash technique and soft lambs wool mitt, pat dry (not rub) with soft micro fibre towels or blow dry with a warm air blower (I use a Metro Vac sidekick blaster).
- remove any ‘foreign bodies’ as soon as possible - leaving them on the car could damage the coating (e.g. bird droppings). These should be softened before removal (soaked well and left for a few minutes and wiped away very carefully with a soft micro fibre - not rubbed, as hard rubbing could result in any grit in the droppings damaging/scratching the ceramic coating).
Did the detailing company that applied the coating provide you with a ‘care instructions’ leaflet from the manufacturer of the ceramic coating product that was used? If not, it might be worth asking if there is such a leaflet. I’d also be asking what needs to be done in the event of the coating being damaged - e.g;
- by bird droppings if unavoidably left on the car for a prolonged period (car parked up in an airport car park for a week or longer).
- if paintwork repairs are ever required, necessitating unavoidable removal of the coating so repairs can be carried out. Presumably the coating would need to reapplied in these circumstances.
In your position, I’d not be buying waxes, sealants or similar products as IMHO it’d be money wasted. I’d use the money you might have spent on those products on petrol and just enjoy driving your car! :smiley:
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Thanks for the replies, folks!
So, today, instead of spending money at the petrol station, as I have been every couple of days since getting the car, I spent my day off lying in bed, relaxing and doing my research on Detailing World....which resulted in me spending money on detailing stuff instead. :whistle:
I discovered, as you guys already suggested, that using anything over a Ceramic Coat will actually not be worth it and may even be a detriment to the protection or the finish. So I got to looking at what I should be using to maintain the CC.
I already have a little Nilfisk and an AutoBrite foam lance.
I have ordered:
Products
1ltr Auto Finesse Lather Shampoo - A great shampoo that I've used before. Picked it up as it was on offer, then discovered Reset, so won't use it on mine.
1ltr Auto Finesse Finale Quick Detailer - To be used with a very light misting as a drying aid.
1ltr Auto Finesse Spritz Interior Detailer - Self-explanatory but I need to check if it's ok to use on the displays.
1ltr CarPro Reset Shampoo - Designed to maintain CCs. Absolutely EVERYONE recommended this shampoo!
500ml CarPro Reload - Again designed for CCs. To be used every 3 months as a 'topper' for the CC to act as kind of a sacrificial layer for it.
1ltr Koch Chemie Gentle Snow Foam - PH neutral and CC safe
Kit
Ultimate Finish 3 Bucket Set with Grit Guards - Wash, Rinse & Wheels
Microfiber Madness Incredimitt Wash Mitt - Had one of these before and they're brilliant!
Microfiber Madness Incrediflair Wheel Mitt - Incredimitt with a thumb to get behind the spokes better
Set of 5 Envy Detailing Brushes - £6. Bargain!
Wheel Woolies 3pk - Again, had these before and they're great.
Klin Korea Large Evo Drying Towel - Everyone is raving about these and it's not easy to find them in stock at the moment so grabbed one.
Chemical Guys Wooly Mammoth Drying Towel - Had one before. Soaks up and holds 4ltrs of water. Unbelievable drying towel.
Klin Korea Zero Finish HD Microfiber Towel 5Pk - For finishing
in2Detailing Korean Waffle Weave Glass Cloth - For interior glass
2x 36pk Kirkland Signature Ultra Plush Microfibre Towels - Used these before and they are quite simply the best value for money microfiber cloths around at £18 for 36
Looks like the ClubSport is getting spoiled rotten next week! :cool:
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@Brocky; that’s a comprehensive range of quality products you’ve invested in. Nice to see someone else adopting the three bucket wash method (I also use a third bucket for wheels).
Hope to see some pictures showing the results of your efforts, once you’ve put your new products to use :smiley:.
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@Brocky; that’s a comprehensive range of quality products you’ve invested in. Nice to see someone else adopting the three bucket wash method (I also use a third bucket for wheels).
Hope to see some pictures showing the results of your efforts, once you’ve put your new products to use :smiley:.
Yeah, it's cost me a small fortune already!
Grabbed a few more pic's to show my brother (he lives in Vegas) so thought I would put them up here.
Just ignore my pyjamas. It's Sunday and raining!! :whistle:
I haven't used any products on the inside yet, either, so it's a bit dusty and fingerprinty until my orders arrive.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51036405301_c1f2a35f22_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51036512202_8077abc315_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51035676963_8dca7a2b68_b.jpg)
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51036408136_9180ffcab8_b.jpg)
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Gave the ClubSport his first clean today after almost 3 weeks of exited, new car fun - I have 1,200 miles clocked already! I am quite new to detailing and the car is ceramic coated, so it was only a basic job, but I am learning as I go.
Rinse with Nilfisk C110
Snowfoam with Koch Chemie Gentle Snow Foam & AutoBrite Foam Lance
Rinse
3-bucket contact wash using CarPro Reset shampoo, Microfibre Madness Incredimitt & Incrediflair Wheel Mitt, Wheel Woolies & Envy Detailing brushes
Rinse
Towel-dry using Klin Korea Evo
Quick Detail using FeynLab Detailer (matches my coating), Costco yellow MF cloths & Klin Korea Zero finishing cloth to buff
Exterior glass clean with AngelWax Vision & In2Detailing Korean Waffle Weave Glass Cloth
I left it quite late in the day and, being somewhat of a detailing newbie, took longer than I thought, so ended up struggling for light and had to streamline my planned regimen on the fly. Ideally I wanted to use my new BLO AIR-S dryer, wanted to AngelWax H2Go the windscreen and wanted to polish up the exhaust tips with Auto Finesse Mercury but, alas, I was beaten by the sands of time.
Some thoughts...
The GSF went on well, once I had played around with the nozzle and mixture screw - it wasn't that thick but clung & ran off nice, though I felt it really didn't have the cleaning power. I know the GSF isn't going to have the oomph that other foams have, as the clue is in the name....or maybe it was my mixture screw setting, as I only used just around half of the litre bottle on the whole car. I will give it another go next time and see how it fairs.
On the other hand, I found Reset to be brilliant. Whilst doing my research, I have seen lots of people raving about it and now I know why. It suds up great, it glides the mitt across the paint and the grime that was concerningly left behind after the foam and rinse came away with barely any effort. Very impressed.
The Incredimitt, IncrediFlair Wheel Mitt, Wheel Woolies & Envy brushes all worked great, although getting even the medium Wheel Wooly (small one isn't long enough) into the barrel of the front wheels (18s), past those ClubSport big brakes, was not happening. I will need to see if I can get a thinner brush.
The Klin Korea Evo drying towel. What a bit of kit this is! Using pat-drying on the horizontal surfaces and gentle wiping for the vertical ones, it dried the whole car, no bother, no wringing out, in a few minutes. Highly recommended. Just get one!
FeynLab Detailer. Used it because it's the same brand as my coating. Goes on nice, buffs up nice, adds a nice gloss and it smells great! Applied with Costco specials and buffed off with the Klin Zero, which seems a really nice finishing cloth.
With very little light remaining, I gave the exterior glass a wipe down with AngelWax Vision glass cleaner. To be honest, I probably should've left this, as I was unable to see if there was any streaking, but hey ho, lesson learned. I'm not sure about the cloth. Ok for the first wipes but when flipped over to buff off, it really felt overly grabby. I will give it another go in better conditions and maybe look for a different one to compare it to.
So, as I was out of light, I was unable to get any photos as I needed to pack away my kit (Booooo!) but I will try to grab a few in the morning before I head off to work. All-in-all, I felt I did a decent job but definitely learned some lessons along the way. Hopefully I can improve next time.
I will add some photos tomorrow, if it isn't raining in the morning.
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Good write up :smiley:
With cleaning behind the brakes, you could just push the car forward a foot or two?
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@Brocky; I’ve seen and read your posts over on DW (I’m a lurker, not a member on that forum). It sounds like you gave your new pride and joy a good ‘going over’. Looking forward to seeing the pictures of your efforts.
When I snow foam my car, I don’t rinse the car first as I find the snow foam clings and dwells better on a dry car. There are no hard and fast rules though and to rinse or not rinse first is down to personal preference.
I’m planning on giving my car a bit of a spruce up today, if I can beat the sunshine and find a spot on my driveway that stays shady for long enough (living in a very hard water area, cleaning the car in full sun doesn’t really work - dried on water spots are a pain). I probably won’t snow foam before washing the car today though as it’s not caked in dirt (currently driving it less than 15 miles a week on an essential weekly supermarket run during lockdown) - it’s just a bit grubby, so it’ll get a hose down before I start my three bucket wash. My car OCD tells me it needs a clean though :smiley:.
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All this talk of car cleaning is embarrassing, mine has only had one wash this year which wasn't very successful as my pressure washer broke down just as I was getting started. My wheels haven't been cleaned since September! Hopefully I'll get around to it soon...
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All this talk of car cleaning is embarrassing, mine has only had one wash this year which wasn't very successful as my pressure washer broke down just as I was getting started. My wheels haven't been cleaned since September! Hopefully I'll get around to it soon...
No need to feel embarrassed @Watts. If I do clean mine today, I think it’s only the second time this year it’ll have been cleaned. Lack of use during lockdown, and being fortunate enough to have a garage means it’s not getting that dirty.
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@Brocky; I’ve seen and read your posts over on DW (I’m a lurker, not a member on that forum). It sounds like you gave your new pride and joy a good ‘going over’. Looking forward to seeing the pictures of your efforts.
When I snow foam my car, I don’t rinse the car first as I find the snow foam clings and dwells better on a dry car. There are no hard and fast rules though and to rinse or not rinse first is down to personal preference.
Hmm, yeah, it's about finding a balance between clinging and running, isn't it? Although, I guess more cling is better than more run, as the post-foam rinse will sort out the moving of the dirt. I might try a foam without rinsing first next time. Maybe I will just pre-rinse sills and wheels, if there's chunky grime there. Cheers!
I think my issue was that the foam wasn't thick enough. My dilution was right and I ended up with half the bottle left after covering the car, so maybe I was being too liberal in that area. I will crank that mixture screw round a bit more next time and see where it takes me.
Good write up :smiley:
With cleaning behind the brakes, you could just push the car forward a foot or two?
No. I think you thought I meant the calipers. The issue is the size of the front disks in the 18" wheels, Watts. There's no room all the way round to get the Wooly between the disk and the barrel. I need to find a good quality brush with a slightly slimmer handle.
I managed to grab a quick couple of shots in the morning and then got a decent one as I came out of the petrol station last night.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51068633182_e19a77af38_h.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51066679758_50933697e5_h.jpg)
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Thanks for the info on your detailing, I'm slowly building my kit and technique up.
I just need to find someone to clay and paint correct/polish as I don't feel confident myself until I see how it's done properly.
I may have missed it but how much was the ceramic coating job? And also on a side note, how many miles are you getting out of a tank having fun with your car?
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Thanks for the info on your detailing, I'm slowly building my kit and technique up.
I just need to find someone to clay and paint correct/polish as I don't feel confident myself until I see how it's done properly.
I may have missed it but how much was the ceramic coating job? And also on a side note, how many miles are you getting out of a tank having fun with your car?
No problem.
I have never used clay but having seen it done on videos, I wouldn't have an issue doing it. I would just start with a soft Bilt-Hamber clay with a view to moving to a medium, if needed, and LOTS of lube.
As for polishing, that all depends on the condition and type of the paint. Again, start small. I wouldn't have the cojones to attempt a DA session on a car without a little training or use of a test panel first, to be honest. That said, I would totally grab an applicator and some very light compound polish/glaze such as Auto Finesse Tripple and give my car a going over by hand, if it needed it.
The CC was just under £400 with a courtesy car to use for the 2.5 days it was in the bay. That said, it was a new car prep and a correction job will be different. What area are you in?
Currently getting a tad under 36mpg and I have just hit 2,000 miles. I do a fairly even mix of motorway and A/B roads and I am still very much in the 'having fun with the new car' stage, so maybe this will improve with time. Maybe... :whistle:
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Thanks for the info on your detailing, I'm slowly building my kit and technique up.
I just need to find someone to clay and paint correct/polish as I don't feel confident myself until I see how it's done properly.
I may have missed it but how much was the ceramic coating job? And also on a side note, how many miles are you getting out of a tank having fun with your car?
No problem.
I have never used clay but having seen it done on videos, I wouldn't have an issue doing it. I would just start with a soft Bilt-Hamber clay with a view to moving to a medium, if needed, and LOTS of lube.
As for polishing, that all depends on the condition and type of the paint. Again, start small. I wouldn't have the cojones to attempt a DA session on a car without a little training or use of a test panel first, to be honest. That said, I would totally grab an applicator and some very light compound polish/glaze such as Auto Finesse Tripple and give my car a going over by hand, if it needed it.
The CC was just under £400 with a courtesy car to use for the 2.5 days it was in the bay. That said, it was a new car prep and a correction job will be different. What area are you in?
Currently getting a tad under 36mpg and I have just hit 2,000 miles. I do a fairly even mix of motorway and A/B roads and I am still very much in the 'having fun with the new car' stage, so maybe this will improve with time. Maybe... :whistle:
Thanks for the info, maybe I'll give the clay a go. I live in Surrey so CC probably more expensive lol
As for the MPG, I get about 250 miles out of a tank so getting roughly 20-24mpg, that was before the Revo map and still the same. All urban driving though and too much fun in sport mode lol
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Yeah, my guy is North-West based, so not an option.
Open up a thread with some pics. The Detailing section here is a bit dead, by all accounts, but I am trying to give it a bit of life myself. You might get some suggestions when folks can see your paint condition.
With regard to clay - If possible, use a Fallout remover and a Tar remover beforehand. I haven't the need to use it just yet but I have AutoSmart Tardis & CarPro IronX at hand. This will remove or, at the least, loosen as much debris as possible, meaning less chance you'll be pulling 'big stuff' on your paint with the clay. Start with a soft clay, as I said, and remember to work in straight lines. Very little pressure needed. Literally just the weight of your fingers. There is no such thing as too much lube.
Also, definitely consider giving it a go over with Tripple via a hand applicator and buff off with a good microfiber. I recommend the Kiln Zero Finishing Cloth from in2detailing. Tripple is a very gentle polish (more of a glaze, really) and hard to get wrong.
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Thanks for the tips :grin:
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@Brocky; car looks great. I washed mine yesterday and intended taking some pictures but forgot! :shocked:. I’ll try and remember the next time I use it (it’s in my garage keeping clean, so should stay that way for a photo shoot - if I remember :grin:).
@Kpow99. I invested in a DA polisher about 8 years ago and it was a very worthwhile investment and has paid for itself many times over. It’s very good for spot correction (e.g. removing etching from bird poo) as well as polishing the whole car. My brother was very impressed when I did some spot correction on his car - removed some scuffs from the paintwork that he thought would cost quite a few £’s to correct. Until I bought my DA I’d never used a machine polisher so I read a few ‘how to’ guides and watched some DA polishing videos on YouTube and got stuck in on my car!
A DA polisher is a pretty safe piece of kit so the risk of damaging the paint or striking through the clear coat is very low IMHO. The polishing head oscillates so there’s very little heat build up and if you apply too much pressure while polishing, the polishing head stops rotating.
As with many jobs, good prep is key. A thorough decontamination is important, and spending time taping up is time well spent. It usually takes me 2.5 - 3 days to give my car ‘the works’ (wash and dry, decontaminate, tape up, polish (two stage) wipe down, second wash, apply two coats of protection. Always start with the least aggressive combination of pad and polish and if that doesn’t provide enough ‘cut’, change the pad / polish combination for something slightly more aggressive.
I don’t give my car ‘the works’ very often these days - with advancing years, it can be quite hard work and I find I get aches in places I didn’t know existed :grin:.
For anyone who’s a keen detailer, I’d say investing in a DA polisher is very worthwhile.
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I know some folks like a good beading shot...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51075079506_85da09b3ba_h.jpg)
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@Brocky; car looks great. I washed mine yesterday and intended taking some pictures but forgot! :shocked:. I’ll try and remember the next time I use it (it’s in my garage keeping clean, so should stay that way for a photo shoot - if I remember :grin:).
@Kpow99. I invested in a DA polisher about 8 years ago and it was a very worthwhile investment and has paid for itself many times over. It’s very good for spot correction (e.g. removing etching from bird poo) as well as polishing the whole car. My brother was very impressed when I did some spot correction on his car - removed some scuffs from the paintwork that he thought would cost quite a few £’s to correct. Until I bought my DA I’d never used a machine polisher so I read a few ‘how to’ guides and watched some DA polishing videos on YouTube and got stuck in on my car!
A DA polisher is a pretty safe piece of kit so the risk of damaging the paint or striking through the clear coat is very low IMHO. The polishing head oscillates so there’s very little heat build up and if you apply too much pressure while polishing, the polishing head stops rotating.
As with many jobs, good prep is key. A thorough decontamination is important, and spending time taping up is time well spent. It usually takes me 2.5 - 3 days to give my car ‘the works’ (wash and dry, decontaminate, tape up, polish (two stage) wipe down, second wash, apply two coats of protection. Always start with the least aggressive combination of pad and polish and if that doesn’t provide enough ‘cut’, change the pad / polish combination for something slightly more aggressive.
I don’t give my car ‘the works’ very often these days - with advancing years, it can be quite hard work and I find I get aches in places I didn’t know existed :grin:.
For anyone who’s a keen detailer, I’d say investing in a DA polisher is very worthwhile.
Thanks mate I’ll have a look 👍🏻👍🏻
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Full detail today - inside & out.
Inside needed a hoover, I did the interior glass with AngelWax Vision as I could see where the dealer had used a manky rag to do the windscreen before me :rolleyes: and did the interior plastics with Auto Finesse Spritz to get rid of some light dust, fingerprints and to add a bit of UV protection.
Exterior was fairly dirty - not so much on the front half but was especially filthy up the rear bumper and hatch - the Golf really seems to get extra dirty back there - and so got a full maintenance wash. I also got to use some new kit that I picked up this week:
- MTM Hydro 22.2 Foam Lance
- Direct Hoses Quick-Release Short Trigger with 10m replacement hose
Method
- Rinse
- Koch Chemie Gentle Snow Foam & MTM Hydro 22.2 Foam Lance
- Wheel clean using separate wheel bucket, CarPro Reset shampoo, Microfibre Madness Incrediflair Wheel Mitt, Wheel Woolies & Envy Detailing brushes
- Rinse
- 2-bucket contact wash using CarPro Reset shampoo, Microfibre Madness Incredimitt & Envy Detailing brushes
- Rinse
- Towel-dry using Klin Korea Evo
- Blow dry of panel gaps and other water traps with BLO AIR-S dryer & MF cloth
- Quick Detail using FeynLab Detailer (matches my coating), Costco yellow MF cloths & Klin Korea Zero finishing cloth to buff
- Exterior glass clean with AngelWax Vision & In2Detailing Korean Waffle Weave Glass Cloth
Some thoughts...
Still feeling my way round this detailing thing and learning as I go. After leaving my last wash too late in the day, ending up losing light and having to drop steps from my method on the fly, I made sure to start earlier this time. The weather was perfect, if a little cold, and I remembered to put on my splash-proof pants and jacket this time. Definitely need to get some better suited footwear, though.
First up, the Short Trigger and 10m replacement hose set I got from Direct Hoses is an utter game-changer! My standard Nilfisk lance and 4m hose set has been chucked in the shed and I don't think it will see daylight for a long time. The 10m hose allows me to get round the whole car without having to reposition the pressure washer, plus it doesn't get twisted up anywhere near as easily, thanks to its construction and the swivel on the short trigger - though I definitely need to pick up some of those 'hose roller' thingymajigs that go underneath your tyres to stop the hose from snagging as you manoeuvre round the car. Quick-release is heaven and being able to quickly twist the nozzle to get the best angle for each panel is so handy. If you're debating getting one of these quick-release short triggers, just do it!
Last time around, I struggled a bit with the foam step - having too thin foam for my liking (which I thought was partly down to the Koch Chemie GSF) and ending up with over half my mixture left. This time was a completely different story, using the MTM Hydro 22.2 instead of the AutoBrite lance - which has now joined the Nilfisk lance & hose in the shed - and having swapped to the smaller orifice - which I figured was the right thing to do, as I am only using a Nilfisk C110 - and I was getting some crazy-thick foam. So much so, that I had to back off the mixture screw quite a bit, due to it burning through mixture way too fast. The MTM Hydro cannon is a brilliant bit of kit, though it's quite pricy and I am sure some will say "X foam cannon is just as good at half the price". That said, if it lasts me a couple of years, I will definitely feel that I have got my money's worth, as it is great at its job. Pretty sure I have found the sweet spot with regards to getting the right foam consistency now, although, I am still not seeing great results from the GSF with regards to cleaning power. I know that it's not supposed to be the best at breaking down traffic film and the like, due to being gentle, but I was expecting a little more than I am getting. I am thinking I should add a couple of cap-fulls of Koch Chemie Green Star to the mix to give it a bit of extra bite, but I am not sure if that will affect my ceramic coating. Suggestions and advice welcome.
Contact wash. Incredimitt & Reset. Brilliant! Job done. Enough said.
Drying off with the Klin Evo is a dream and I finally got to use the BLO AIR-S dryer to dry out the water traps, mopping up with a MF as I went. Although I am sure it could be used for a complete dry on a ceramic coated car, I feel that it would take too much time and so I don't think I will ever use it to do so, as it's just so much quicker using the towel on the panels and then following up with the dryer. Maybe once I have become a bit quicker in completing my regimen, I will give it a go. One thing I did notice is that the Golf 8 seems to trap quite a bit of water in the rear door shuts and it pours out when the door is opened. I will need to remember this when drying off next time, as I only found out when I opened to door to drop my window during the glass-cleaning step.
Quick Detailing - Using FeynLab QD as it is the same brand as my coating. It seems to be good stuff and it smells amazing but I will need to pick some more up soon. I am down to around 2/3 of a bottle after only two washes. Maybe I am using too much? Not sure. It's not easy to tell with a white car. I am doing 2-3 squirts per panel with 2-3 on each half of the bonnet, the same on the roof and 2 squirts on the spoiler. I wipe on evenly and then immediately buff with a separate finishing cloth.
Whilst going round with the QD, I noticed I am getting some tar spots here and there. I found around 8-10 in total at various locations. Maybe the next wash or the one after will need a decontamination phase, though I will need to look into how best to do this whilst not messing with the ceramic coat. I have some Tardis, some Iron-X, some ValetPro Bilberry wheel cleaner as well as some CarPro Reload to use as a topper, so I will see where we're at, next wash.
Finally, I wanted to treat the tyres to a going over with TufShine Tyre Appearance Kit and wanted to dress the exterior plastics to some AngelWax Enigma Corona but, by the time I had done the exterior glass with AngelWax Vision (which went better than doing it in failing light last time), it had started to lightly hail/sleet (crazy weather at the moment!) and I was informed that a Domino's was on the way, so I decided to leave it until the next one and set to cleaning and packing up my kit.
All-in-all, I feel like I was more efficient than my last wash - helped greatly by the quick-release trigger & longer hose, despite doing interior and using the blower as well - so I feel like I am making progress and learning more as I go. I definitely need to get the hose roller guide wotsits and I reckon I need to get a decent kneeling mat as well. I am 42 and these things aren't as bearable as they once would've been!
Due to the looming Domino's, I again forgot to grab some pictures! :grin: I will try to get some tomorrow and will post them up.
As said earlier, any tips, tricks, advice or suggestions are very much welcome! Thanks for reading and I hope my documenting my foray into detailing helps someone out in some way.
See you next time!
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@Brocky; it’s good to see another detailing enthusiast paying regular visits to the Detailing forum board. I will confess to not visiting as often as I used to, but then I don’t own a Golf GTI (current car’s a 2020 Polo GTI+) and this is a Golf GTI forum.
I also bought a 10m flexible hose from Direct Hoses about a year ago for my Nilfisk pressure washer. Like you, I was fed up having to move the pressure washer around because the hose wasn’t long enough to reach all the way around the car. The new hose solved that and is so much more flexible than the original hard one that was supplied with the pressure washer. A recommended purchase for anyone who gets frustrated with the limitations of the original hose. I do find the Autobrite Lance is good though, although it took a few uses after I first got it to get the snow foam mix and flow ‘just right’. The Autobrite lance is also relatively easy to dismantle for thorough cleaning of the component parts if it becomes clogged over time - mine did; I put it down to being in a hard water area. I’ve considered getting a set of those little plastic things to put under the tyres to stop the constant battle with trapped hoses but haven’t ever taken the plunge, so I’d be interested to hear how you get on with them if you buy a set.
I did say in a recent post that I’d put up a picture of my car when I last washed it but forgot!, so here it is. I washed it at the beginning of the week last week - during the two day mini heatwave. It’s gathered a little bit of dirt in the picture as I’d used before remembering to take a photo, but hopefully it’s not too dirty to post up in the Detailing section of the forum :smiley:.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CK9tWrtz/1-E319127-6-A5-E-496-D-A516-7940-C39-F55-AF.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
I see you are investing in, and experimenting with, different products. This detailing malarkey can become quite expensive if you’re not careful! :grin:. I also use a warm air blower and over time have perfected the art of drying the whole car with it. I do still go around with a drying towel or two to dry up any water droplets that get left behind though.
I’d be interested to know how long you’re spending on the pre-wash, wash and dry stages. I find that it normally takes me anything from 2.5 - 3 hours, but I’m not a mobile as I used to be (advancing years and back pain problems that get worse with age). It takes me almost as long to wash the wheels (including wheel barrels and the back of the spokes), brake calipers, wheel arch liners, grilles, exhaust tips and the underside of the sills as it does to wash the visible exterior body panels. Drying doesn’t take too long, provided my wax / sealant is still holding up, as my warm air blower is pretty good at blowing the water beads off the bodywork. I found a quick going over with some quick detailer was necessary after the last wash as I couldn’t get the car dry before I had dried on water spots - especially on the gloss black trim pieces (especially the B pillars). My least favourite part of the car washing process is cleaning and clearing away all the cleaning gear - seems to take me forever!
Look forward to reading your future updates on your detailing exploits.
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@Brocky; it’s good to see another detailing enthusiast paying regular visits to the Detailing forum board. I will confess to not visiting as often as I used to, but then I don’t own a Golf GTI (current car’s a 2020 Polo GTI+) and this is a Golf GTI forum.
I am sure nobody is really bothered that it's not a Golf, mate. We all appreciate a tidy car and yours is definitely tidy and as close to a Golf GTI as it gets, really.
I also bought a 10m flexible hose from Direct Hoses about a year ago for my Nilfisk pressure washer. Like you, I was fed up having to move the pressure washer around because the hose wasn’t long enough to reach all the way around the car. The new hose solved that and is so much more flexible than the original hard one that was supplied with the pressure washer. A recommended purchase for anyone who gets frustrated with the limitations of the original hose.
For sure. Quick-release is great, as is the extra length but it's the way the hose handles that is actually the stand-out feature for me. It just makes things so much less cumbersome. One hundred percent a recommended purchase for anyone who regularly washes their own car.
I do find the Autobrite Lance is good though, although it took a few uses after I first got it to get the snow foam mix and flow ‘just right’.
I only used the AB lance a couple of times and I did like it, to be fair. As with you, I did have to fiddle a bit to get it just right but the MTM Hydro is definitely better. So much so that I went a bit overboard and had to back it off a couple of clicks to avoid running out of mixture before I had got full coverage.
I’ve considered getting a set of those little plastic things to put under the tyres to stop the constant battle with trapped hoses but haven’t ever taken the plunge, so I’d be interested to hear how you get on with them if you buy a set.
I am going to order some when I have finished this post and should hopefully have them for my next wash. I am a little concerned that I will forget them when putting away my gear and only remember when I hear 'crunch' as I set off to work then next morning, but we'll see how it goes. :grin:
I see you are investing in, and experimenting with, different products. This detailing malarkey can become quite expensive if you’re not careful! :grin:.
Oh, I have spent a small fortune already. I feel like I am pretty well set up for my needs now, though, and once I find something that works, I will rarely change, so I am not really much of an experimenting type and shouldn't suffer from having lots of part-used products due to chasing the next best thing. Also, having a ceramic coating means that I am not tempted to indulge in the myriad of waxes and sealants that are out there, which I can see being potentially very addictive and expensive!
I also use a warm air blower and over time have perfected the art of drying the whole car with it. I do still go around with a drying towel or two to dry up any water droplets that get left behind though.
A chap on Detailing World just recommended spending just a couple of minutes with the blower to just get as much of the water off as possible and then using the drying towel to mop up....which is the opposite way to my method (complete dry with towel then mop up gaps with blower & MF) but it makes sense. I will try that way next time and see if it cuts my time down a little.
I’d be interested to know how long you’re spending on the pre-wash, wash and dry stages. I find that it normally takes me anything from 2.5 - 3 hours, but I’m not a mobile as I used to be (advancing years and back pain problems that get worse with age). It takes me almost as long to wash the wheels (including wheel barrels and the back of the spokes), brake calipers, wheel arch liners, grilles, exhaust tips and the underside of the sills as it does to wash the visible exterior body panels. Drying doesn’t take too long, provided my wax / sealant is still holding up, as my warm air blower is pretty good at blowing the water beads off the bodywork. I found a quick going over with some quick detailer was necessary after the last wash as I couldn’t get the car dry before I had dried on water spots - especially on the gloss black trim pieces (especially the B pillars).
Around the same 2-3 hours if I don't do interior. An extra hour or so if I do. And yes, getting round the lower parts of the car is definitely tough. I am 42 and I have a fairly sloped, block-paved drive, so can't really use one of those stools with casters on, I don't feel. I may get a long (sides) and a short (front & rear) kneeling mat and see how I fare with that.
My least favourite part of the car washing process is cleaning and clearing away all the cleaning gear - seems to take me forever!
Yep! :grin: Although, that's where the short trigger again shines. It's so easy to rinse everything down, compared to the regular Nilfisk lance. I rinse my buckets, stack them, then rinse the foam bottle out and chuck it in the bucket, then put my mitts on, give them a squeeze and a going-over with the short trigger and then a good shake-out. Same with my brushes and everything gets chucked in the bucket and put into the shed. Mitts and cloths go to be washed. Hose lines get rinsed off and then reeled up and we're done. I would really love one of those huge garages with a wall-mounted pressure washer with hose reels and a hanging-spot for everything and a dedicated MF washer & dryer, but meh...! :grin:
Look forward to reading your future updates on your detailing exploits.
Cheers! Hopefully we will get a bit more action in the Detailing section over the next few months, as the weather gets better.
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No detailing done since the last wash I posted about and I am working this Saturday & Sunday, so likely won't get to do anything until Wednesday, but I did have a couple of packages arrive today.
Detail Guardz - https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/detail-guardz/products/detail-guardz-detail-guardz?variant=39445543223452 - Looking forward to trying these out. They will hopefully help shave a little time off my wash regimen as well as saving my aging back by allowing me to not have to bother too much about where the pressure washer hose is when going around the car.
EZ Detail Brush - https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/ez-brushes/products/ez-detail-ez-large-brush - I have a set of Wheel Woolies which are great but the large one doesn't quite fit between the ClubSport brake disk and the barrel of the 18s, so got one of these as the shaft is thinner. Hopefully the bristles don't counter that too much and I can get it in to give the barrels a good clean.
Swissvax Interior & Leather Brush - https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/swissvax/products/swissvax-interior-cleaning-brush - Wanted a really gentle brush for dealing with the Alcantara panels on the Art Velour seats. This seems perfect.
500ml CarPro Inside Interior Cleaner - https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/carpro/products/carpro-inside-leather-interior-multi-purpose-cleaner - Again, for the Art Velour seats. Wanted something gentle to try on the Alcantara panels but will also work for all the other seat materials and other soft-touch surfaces.
Auto Finesse Mercury - https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/auto-finesse/products/auto-finesse-mercury-metal-polish-100ml - Gotta have shiny tips!
I also have a Tuf Shine Tyre Kit - https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/tuf-shine-tyre-shine-kit - sat waiting to be used, as well as some AngelWax Enigma Corona - https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/products/angelwax-enigma-corona - So my tyres and exterior plastics should be protected and looking good. It's all in the details! :cool:
I'll post up after my next session and I will do my best to remember to grab some pictures this time! :smiley:
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Another session today. Pretty much the same as my last one but with a few differences.
Maintenance wash. I also got to use some new kit that I have been wanting to try:
- Detail Guardz
- Auto Finesse Mercury
- AngelWax Enigma Corona
- EZ Detail Brush
Method
- Rinse
- Koch Chemie Gentle Snow Foam & MTM Hydro 22.2 Foam Lance
- Wheel clean using separate wheel bucket, CarPro Reset shampoo, Microfibre Madness Incrediflair Wheel Mitt, Wheel Woolies, EZ Detail Brush & Envy Detailing brushes
- Rinse
- 2-bucket contact wash using CarPro Reset shampoo, Microfibre Madness Incredimitt & Envy Detailing brushes
- Rinse
- Towel-dry using Klin Korea Evo
- Blow dry of panel gaps and other water traps with BLO AIR-S dryer & MF cloth
- Quick Detail using FeynLab Detailer (matches my coating), Costco yellow MF cloths & Klin Korea Zero finishing cloth to buff
- Exterior glass clean with AngelWax Vision & In2Detailing Korean Waffle Weave Glass Cloth
- Exhaust tips polish with Auto Finesse Mercury
- Exterior plastics dressed and sealed with AngelWax Enigma Corona
- Tyre dressing using Tuf Shine Tyre Kit
Some thoughts...
Still learning but I definitely feel as though I am becoming more efficient with my regimen. Today I used my new Detail Guardz and I have to say they work brilliantly. Not having the PW hose snag under the wheels really helped speed things up and allowed me to be more focused on the job. Definitely a worthwhile purchase.
I have now found the sweet spot for my snow foam lance and mixture with the Koch Chemie GSF. Didn't end up adding some Koch Chemie Green Star to the mix to give it a bit of extra bite, as I am still not sure if that will affect my ceramic coating. Suggestions and advice welcome. Attacked the wheels whilst the foam was dwelling. Tried out the EZ Detail Brush and, thankfully, it fits easily between the brake disks and the wheels - which the Wheel Wooly wasn't able to - so, impressed with that!
Contact wash. Incredimitt & Reset. Brilliant! Job done. Enough said.
After a good rinse, I then attacked some of the tar spots by spraying a little Tardis on a MF and dabbing the individual spots, leaving it for a little while and then giving them another wipe with a clean MF. This worked well and despite having to give a few of them a bit of a 'fingernail scratch' from under the cloth, it was definitely preferable to a full decontamination session - though, I will do one in a couple of months or so.
Full rinse after the Tardis and dried off with the Klin Evo and the BLO AIR-S dryer to dry out the water traps. This time I remembered to open up my doors during the drying phase and ended up grabbing a MF cloth and doing a full job on the door shuts and jams, which felt nice.
Quick Detailing - Again used FeynLab QD as it is the same brand as my coating. After feeling that I was going through this too quickly, I used it much more sparingly this time and still ended with great results. A little definitely goes a long way. Lesson learned.
Exterior glass cleaned up with AngelWax Vision and a waffle glass cloth. I also filled up my washer reservoir with AngelWax Clarity. Whilst the In2Detailing cloth gives clean and streak-free glass, it grabs quite a bit more than I like on the second pass, using the dry side. I am currently looking at getting one of the diamond weave ones from The Rag Company, which are meant to be much better in this regard.
Finally got round to treating the exhaust tips to a going over with Auto Finesse Mercury metal polish. This is really good stuff. It goes on as a paste and then you buff off with a clean MF. It brought the tips up a treat using just elbow grease and I discovered that the large exhaust tips on the ClubSport are just the perfect size that I can wrap a MF round my fist and give the inside rim a good polish as well! Oo err, missus! I am going to try and make sure that I use this every wash now, so that I keep on top of them.
Next, I managed to treat all the exterior plastics to a going over with AngelWax Enigma Corona. This stuff isn't cheap but it cleaned up, dressed and Sio2 coated all the blacks. Applied with a MF applicator and then buffed with a MF cloth. Doing the honeycomb grille was a bit of a pain but, luckily, the holes were big enough for a good portion of the applicator to fit through, so I managed to get it done without it taking too much time and the product left everything looking a shade deeper black than previously, as well as leaving them with a matte, factory-like finish. Looks nice!
Lastly, I got to use a product that I have wanted to try for ages. The Tuf Shine Tyre Kit. It's advertised as a semi-permanent tyre dressing. You get a tyre brush, a bottle of tyre cleaner, a bottle of tyre clearcoat and an applicator sponge. First, you spray the tyre cleaner around the tyre, agitate with the brush and the product immediately foams up brown as you work it in. You leave it for one minute, rinse off and then repeat the process until the cleaner foams up white when agitated. For me, each tyre took 4 applications of the cleaner until it was going white. - I am guessing there was dressing used by the dealer on there. The clearcoat is a very runny, milky substance. You basically dribble some onto the applicator sponge and then have to work it in with a finger, or else it runs down your wheels. I found that dabbing the sponge round the wheel at first and then rubbing it round the tyre worked best. It goes on milky which seems a little concerning at first but this isn't the case once dry. After the first coat, the tyres had matte finish with no sheen. I left them to dry and then applied a second coat and this one was more like a 'new rubber' finish and was much more to my liking, so I felt that I didn't need to go for a third coat. I don't like really shiny tyres and two coats was perfect. The results were good and, apparently, topping up the clearcoat after a wash, every few months, is all that is needed. If it does what it claims, I will be more than happy.
As the sun was out today, I started the session fairly late on and so, by the time I had packed up, there wasn't much in the way of light left, so I didn't get any good daylight pic's. I did get a couple when I went to grab a McD's for my tea, though...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51139778540_b35a8e4593_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51139778475_e6922d0229_b.jpg)
I will try to get a couple more in the morning.
As said earlier, any tips, tricks, advice or suggestions are very much welcome! Thanks for reading and I hope my documenting my foray into detailing helps someone out in some way.
See you next time!
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@Brocky; Good effort. I do like the contrast of the Pure White paintwork and the dark evening / night sky. I also consider how sunny the weather is going to be before cleaning my car. If it’s going to be a sunny day, I’ll either wait for an overcast day or alternatively, I’ll endeavour to get the car washed early in the day before the sun’s too high in the sky to avoid dried on water spots. Tar spots are one of the disadvantages of owning a white car. Other colours are no less susceptible to picking up tar spots but they may be less obvious, especially on darker coloured cars
The Detail Guardz seem like a worthwhile purchase, and one I need to consider as I find it frustrating when the hose or pressure washer hose gets snagged under the tyres! :angry:
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