What detailing have you done today?

[Watts]

@Watts - nice job and attention to detail (well it is the name of it after all, lol).   The FK Top Cote looks a good product.  I like Aerospace 303 for these types of jobs.  Have you tried the FK TC on window rubbers yet? 

I haven't done any detailing today but the overnight rain kinda did it for me.  Car was covered in a layer of yellow pollen (find this time of year worse than winter because of pollen), but it rained all night and by morning the pollen was gone and most of the other dirt had been washed off too, bonus.



A bit of bonnet beading just before I took off and blasted it off!

Thanks I haven't tried it on the window rubbers just yet, only the plastic surrounds but I will give it a go. Your R is looking mega as usual! Got a Wo-Wo clay mitt in the post today, now just got to find a suitable day to give it a go which won't be so easy....

[Booth11]

Gave the interior a much overdue clean as it was starting to resemble Miss Havisham’s parlour.  Despite a few impromptu traffic light dusting episodes, the dust bunnies had set up home and half the gravel driveway had migrated into the footwell.  Maybe a slight exaggeration but it was doing my head in. 
 








So I rounded up the troops and in we went.


 






That’s better.

















 
Weather permitting, exterior clean tomorrow.

[CHB100]

So all the kit ordered has arrived , so made my first attempt at snow foaming, not entirely successful as have an older Karcher with tube separate container, did not really work correct mix to water thorough the machine. Did it to a fashion, left and rinsed, dried off. The car was not dirty anyway, waxed with Lapiz OD a small area of N/S bonnet to crease and top of wing - then it lashed down so took a pic of beading.

Today my first 2 bucket shampoo/wash with Dodo juice supernatural 3 pumps for 9 litres and very little foam or suds even agitated and using a wool mitt bare any showed on the car? Is this normal or maybe using a new mitt? But not very satisfying seeing no suds. However rinsed/ dried nice day onto some more waxing.

[Booth11]

^^
The DJ Supernatural shampoo should sud up well at that ratio.  One tip for getting better suds, is pump shampoo into bucket (grit guard out) and then fill the bucket using your pressure washer lance (on lowish pressure setting) to fill the bucket, this increases the foam much more.  But usually a good vigourous swishing with your hand (before putting grit guard in) as you start to add water to the shampoo, should be enough to get a decent foam.  Also make sure your mitt is thoroughly saturated before starting to wash.  But masses of suds is not everything, (I've used very sudsy shampoos that don't clean near as well as some with less suds), the key is lubricity, as long as the shampoo solution is lubricious (and Supernatural is), then the mitt should glide very well and smoothly over the paintwork, meaning effective cleaning with least amount of resistance/pressure required which in turn means less risk of swirling at washing stage.

Car looks great.

[CHB100]

Yes, think your'e right,I left grit guard in which was daft as not being agitated and waste of shampoo, water pressure hot and cold taps not great, I know from window cleaning you get a lot more foam from cold due to that. Next time I'll sort it, like next week!! Thanks.
Am well into polishing and 5/6 mins drying seems perfect just the right grab. fairly warm today.I guess to early and you just take the polish off.

[Booth11]

Yes, think your'e right,I left grit guard in which was daft as not being agitated and waste of shampoo, water pressure hot and cold taps not great, I know from window cleaning you get a lot more foam from cold due to that. Next time I'll sort it, like next week!! Thanks.
Am well into polishing and 5/6 mins drying seems perfect just the right grab. fairly warm today.I guess to early and you just take the polish off.

Yes, cold water is much better for suds, I only ever use cold water.  Impossible to sud shampoo up properly with a grit guard so put it in after you've got the suds up, but it's very easy to forget so find a way of remembering to put the guard in before commencing washing. 

With the OD wax, 5-10 mins if good hazing time, 10 mins max.  When I first tested it I left it on a panel for 15 mins to compare and it was actad too long and much harder to buff off without needing to apply more pressure than is good for the paintwork. Depends on temperature and humidity but at this time if year sub 10 mins is sweet spot.  You can always check by running a fingertip across the applied wax after 5 mins - if it goes through very easily then leave a bit longer. The aim is for fingertip to just catch, too much catch and it hazed a bit too long.  If that happens, apply a little more wax on top and buff off immediately and it will take the dried on wax off.

[CHB100]

Yes, think your'e right,I left grit guard in which was daft as not being agitated and waste of shampoo, water pressure hot and cold taps not great, I know from window cleaning you get a lot more foam from cold due to that. Next time I'll sort it, like next week!! Thanks.
Am well into polishing and 5/6 mins drying seems perfect just the right grab. fairly warm today.I guess to early and you just take the polish off.

Yes, cold water is much better for suds, I only ever use cold water.  Impossible to sud shampoo up properly with a grit guard so put it in after you've got the suds up, but it's very easy to forget so find a way of remembering to put the guard in before commencing washing. 

With the OD wax, 5-10 mins if good hazing time, 10 mins max.  When I first tested it I left it on a panel for 15 mins to compare and it was actad too long and much harder to buff off without needing to apply more pressure than is good for the paintwork. Depends on temperature and humidity but at this time if year sub 10 mins is sweet spot.  You can always check by running a fingertip across the applied wax after 5 mins - if it goes through very easily then leave a bit longer. The aim is for fingertip to just catch, too much catch and it hazed a bit too long.  If that happens, apply a little more wax on top and buff off immediately and it will take the dried on wax off.

Well happy to get some wax on the blue one, feel it has some protection. Went on well, buffed off in 5/6 mins , warm bright sunshine. I used all 3 wo wo microfibers, basically used one for initial buff and 2nd for finish. Don't know if others use more in whole car job? Love the pan roof - less to polish!
Have to see how well it does, but reckon only 3 months, then I'm not commuting and doing only around 6K miles a year. Whatever so far so good.

[SRGTD]

Looks great CHB100.

Enjoy your new car!

[I wanted a GTi]

No detailing or even driving today because I was looking at the BTCC but I just wanted to ask if it is okay to mix/dilute Bilberry wheel cleaner and leave it in the sprayer? If I was to do it it could be a few weeks from the time I mix it to using it all.

[Watts]

No detailing or even driving today because I was looking at the BTCC but I just wanted to ask if it is okay to mix/dilute Bilberry wheel cleaner and leave it in the sprayer? If I was to do it it could be a few weeks from the time I mix it to using it all.

I hope so as I do that all the time - not noticed any issues.