Detailing ideally should be done 12 monthly, giving it a thorough clean & paint correction if needed. During the year it should be washed as often as needed using the correct methods...otherwise your detailing invoice will be that little bit higher from fixing up your stuff-ups.

And using those sponges....while not ideal, if he's only using it once then throwing it out AND doing the 2-bucket method then it's better than nothing. It kills me seeing Dealerships & others re-using old sponges after leaving them in the garage to be covered in dust/dirt.

Doesn't mean literally a monetary investment, more along the lines of time & passion invested in the car....which is worthless if it looks like shit. Imagine Tino's car covered in scratches & stained carpets. Nothing worse than seeing a car neglected.

Thanks mate, will get one. There’s always room for improvement.

Detailing ideally should be done 12 monthly, giving it a thorough clean & paint correction if needed. During the year it should be washed as often as needed using the correct methods...otherwise your detailing invoice will be that little bit higher from fixing up your stuff-ups.

And using those sponges....while not ideal, if he's only using it once then throwing it out AND doing the 2-bucket method then it's better than nothing. It kills me seeing Dealerships & others re-using old sponges after leaving them in the garage to be covered in dust/dirt.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BXT
Investment!?!?!? You're joking right??? Money pit more like it

Doesn't mean literally a monetary investment, more along the lines of time & passion invested in the car....which is worthless if it looks like shit. Imagine Tino's car covered in scratches & stained carpets. Nothing worse than seeing a car neglected.

Spot on !!!!

Caught up with Brett today from Sublime Detailing and picked up several Chem Guys products. Brett defiantly knows his shit.. highly recommended.

__________________
"Our business here today is cocaine, yes? "

That he is.

I use that very mitt pictured =) And autoglym now of course.

And......SCRATCHX!

Awesome thread, im really keen to detail my own car, but think once i start i'l get bored if it takes ages then i'l end up rushing the 2nd half and making it look streaky and awful, would love my car to shine like some of ur cars do but would pref to learn how to do it myself.
Plus dont want to do a horrible job and have it all streaky like some cars you see driving about, looks ridiculous =/
Any big tips for a first timer? i've done your average cleaning, but never properly polish + waxed like i'd like to.
Cheers guys

__________________
* VF34 Turbo
* Apexi Power FC w/ Hand Controller
* Z32 AFM
* Apexi AVC-R Boost Controller (mapped currently to 0.7bar and 1.2bar)
* Full Turbo-back 3" Exhaust
* CAI
* Turbo Timer

If you love your car enough you wont get bored mate - I hate cleaning but im out there every sunday washing my car and my girlfriends - and sometimes parents. Love it to be squeaky clean!

I find doing it as per Autoglym directions and cleaning half the car at a time works well. Make sure you dry/chamois it fast as it will reduce the streaking as much as you can. Do the windows first as its the most visible when its done badly. Vacuum the car out, clean off the floor mats, get a damp cloth and wipe over the dash to get the dust off. Be careful with products on your interior you dont want to damage it.

With your exterior - you generally get what you pay for in terms of products - lots of us agree here that Autoglym is pretty top.

I myself still havnt got the waxing right - doesnt seem to quite look right to me. Im eager to try the wet-wax that Autoglym does though their video makes it look very easy.

With your cloths - microfibre only! No scratches please

Make sure you get under the edges of your side skirts and such - lots of people miss it and have like a dust or dirt buildup there.

I'd suggest using an All-in-one type polish as a first timer. A great way to get an idea of whats involved.

At least if you get bored halfway - you only need to do the one application

Give the car a wash, a decent paint clean (plenty of half decent products available) and follow up with a liquid wax (once again - pick a half decent brand). Should be good for the rest of summer, once again as a first timer this would be the go as hard waxes will need to be reapplied in 4-6 weeks as a result of the summer sun.

__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Thanks for the feedback cleaned the car earlier, just your average clean, thinking about heading down to auto-one and grabbing some of the autoglym product then maybe giving her a polish later, what do you guys find best to put on / take of, a lot of people say a circular motion but i've heard going with the grain can be best aswel? Also is it best to use a buffer or just all by hand? Cheers

__________________
* VF34 Turbo
* Apexi Power FC w/ Hand Controller
* Z32 AFM
* Apexi AVC-R Boost Controller (mapped currently to 0.7bar and 1.2bar)
* Full Turbo-back 3" Exhaust
* CAI
* Turbo Timer

Side to side - circular can create swirl marks due to uneven pressure whilst holding the applicator (this is also the advantage of using a machine - consistency in application).

The 'buffers' you buy from repco/supercheap/auto1 are more or less an applicator, but do work well in applying the polish evenly. Personally, I use a random orbital machine - great for minor correctional work and allows much more even/consistent results, without the fear of burning the paint which is the risk of a rotary machine (also saves my arms from falling off from hand applications)

__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]