Duff paint

[Oops gti]

Hay all I'd like some informations on where to begin with sorting the paint on my met green mk4. As I said in one of the other posts it doesn't look like it's ever been hand washed the paint is just full of swirls and scuffs. What kinds of clay are available? Also the paint on the rear 3 quarter panel looks to have been resprayed but not very well, what kind of fix would be available for this.? Any help would be appreciated.

[dom]

Clay won't get rid of swirl marks, it will just get rid of contaminants that are stuck to the paintwork. You'll need a decent polish/pad combination on something like a Kestrel DAS6.

As for the rear quarter, machine polishing might help or it might need wet sanding or even spraying again.

My tailgate had paint in December and over the winter got progressively worse. I used Menzerna FG400 on a white Menzerna pad and after a few passes with the da got it looking like this:



I spent a bit longer refining it with some other pads/compounds and it ended up like this:

[Laser1974]

Had my mk2 machine polished today and it's come up like brand new :smiley:the bloke that has done it is mobile in derbyshire and his attention to detail is ridiculously good,so now I have a very new looking oak green golf :smiley:took him 4 hours and only cost £130 nearly half the price of taking it to a bodyshop

[Jimble]

Clay won't get rid of swirl marks, it will just get rid of contaminants that are stuck to the paintwork. You'll need a decent polish/pad combination on something like a Kestrel DAS6.

As for the rear quarter, machine polishing might help or it might need wet sanding or even spraying again.

My tailgate had paint in December and over the winter got progressively worse. I used Menzerna FG400 on a white Menzerna pad and after a few passes with the da got it looking like this:



I spent a bit longer refining it with some other pads/compounds and it ended up like this:

Great results but man that a lot of sling for a DA!

[Oops gti]

 :smiley:Now I've googled all those things, I think I'll be giving it a go. But in what order should I do things. I know you start by rinsing the car but then I see a lot of cars covered in this foam stuff like the car washes spray out. Sorry if it sounds like a bit of a spazzy question but the cars I've had before we're just £150 quid sh!tters, so the didn't really deserve much attention. Solid job on your car though. Looks brilliant and is the kind of finish I want on the golf. Thanks for all the replies so far

[Ginge 35Edition]

Pre wash treatments I.e wheels
Pressure wash
Snow foam
Pressure wash rinse
Wash
Clay bar
Wash again
Rinse
Dry
Windows
Dress tyres
Seal
Wax

Job done

[Oops gti]

Excellent thanks. So I take it that using a clay bar has replaced hours of scrubbing with t-cut? Where can I buy snow foam? All I have around here is halfords and I don't recall seeing any. Where's the best place to shop online for these items without getting ripped off or inferior products? Thanks again for all the replies

[dubber36]

I use i4detailing.co.uk If you are unsure where to start, give them a call and have a chat about what products you need to get you started. You can get 5% discount using the code DWX

Most of us have built up our kit and stock of products over many years, so don't feel that you need to rush in and get it all bought at once.

[Booth11]

Other detailing websites with good choice of reputable products are:

Waxamomo.co.uk (enter code ilovewaxamomo for 5% forum discount)
Cleanyourcar.co.uk
Polishedbliss.co.uk

You can search products by job on on all these sites which makes life easier, there are useful 'how to' guides and plenty of customer reviews.  I regularly buy from these and always get very good service.

The choice can be bewildering so start off with good basics and build up from there. 

[dom]

Great results but man that a lot of sling for a DA!

Yeah, I was amazed by how much was flying everywhere. I've used a fair number of different polishes and pads over the last few years and never had any of them do that.

Excellent thanks. So I take it that using a clay bar has replaced hours of scrubbing with t-cut? Where can I buy snow foam? All I have around here is halfords and I don't recall seeing any. Where's the best place to shop online for these items without getting ripped off or inferior products? Thanks again for all the replies

Clay bar isn't the same as T-cut, all that the clay will do is to clean the paint ready for polishing. T-cut is full of abrasives and I wouldn't be putting it anywhere near my car. A decent polish will be loads better than T-cut.