Detailing on a shoestring

[sk93]

Ok.. so I suck at detailing my car.
Best it gets is a body wash with autoglym shamp and a covering in autoglym wet wax.
Wheels get blasted with autoglym wheel stuff and scrubbed a bit with a autoglym bogbrush.

I want to get it looking fantastic, but I've not got a million pounds to spend either..
So, pretending I have a budget of about £100 to £150, and bearing in mind that I'm fat and lazy, please give me your "shoestring" shopping list!

(ps - bonus points for any machinery that makes the job easier!)

Stuff I already have, and shouldn't be included in pricing:

2x buckets
2x sponges
1x wet mit
3x microfibers
1x chamois
1x rubber water scraper thingy
1x hose
1x broken pressure washer
1x halfords electric polisher (also broken)

products I already have:
autoglym body shampoo
autoglym fast glass
autoglym clean wheels
autoglym super resin polish
autoglym wet wax
autoglym ultra deep shine polish
autoglym alloy wheel seal
autoglym interior shampoo
CarPlan Complete Matt Dashboard Cleaner


Go for it!

 

[DPG]

That's pretty much my list apart from the broken stuff (don't have a polisher).

I've got Collinite 476 and Megs TechWax too.

 

[sk93]

Do you find it gives awesome results tho? I dont :?

quite jealous of some of the seriously shiny photos on here...

 

[DPG]

Yeah I get good results with the SRP and Collinite.

Seriously knackers me out though - one of the reasons I have been looking at polishers.

 

[Tim3906]

Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection

 

[tomscott]

Dont use a sponge. Buy micro-fibre mits. Two bucket process one with soap one with water. Stones/grit/contaminants get stuck in sponges in mits they dont. Dont bother with a chamois either a microfibre towel is much better.

Th Maguires stuff is my preference apart for the interior stuff. I would get Ultimate compound and scratch X wonderful stuff.

Also if you want a polisher buy a dual action polisher you would have to be pretty special to damage paintwork with one because of the action, single action polishers on the other hand its much easier to damage the paintwork.

I posted a few weeks ago a post on how to do everything. Watch these vids everything you need to know including how to, what to use, how to use it

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL96D52AF54166C886

 

[Adamski]

You won't need Ultra Deep Shine and SRP. I've got both, but have stopped using UDS, as it's harder to buff off. I'll start using it again when my small bottle of SRP runs out...

Edit - just spotted you've got all the AG stuff already! I'd get a lambs wool mitt. Less chance of nasty stuff getting rubbed into the paint


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aquazi]

1x rubber water scraper thingy

Dont put this anywhere near your car -infact dont put it near someone you hates car :lol: unless you want primer go fast stripes!!

I find SRP and a good wax work very well together..

 

[tomscott]

If the stuff is hard to buff out after putting on youve left it on too long but not to worry just use some quick wax or detailing spray and wipe.

Using waxs is very temperature sensitive if its too cold it doesn't buff too hot it dries out too quickly. People love waxing thier cars when its sunny and hot outside but if the paintwork is above 26deg or below 12deg the wax doesnt work to its best or your advantage.

 

[sk93]

SRP?

 

[Dev]

SRP?

SRP = Auto Glym Super Resin Polish (i think)

 

[tomscott]

The resin is a sealant have a look at the link I posted above the guy at ammo goes through all of it. Usually leaving it 3 minutes and wipe off doing a 1/2 of a panel at a time is the best way. Some leave it overnight but it's sets hard and is hard to get off.

Make sure you remove everything before hand. Use an aggressive cleaner like dish soap to remove all previous wax etc (no point using a wax wash additive because it adds another layer) so you start with a clean surface. Then clay with the same solution (new water obviously and this is cheaper than using a spray detailer) then paint/chip correct, then a polish then after use the sealant polish, then put a man made wax which doesn't give the shine but will protect for 4-5 times longer (5-6 months) then use a carnauba wax which gives amazing depth and shine and keep topping it up after each wash (use the wax auto soap for washes after this).

Carnauba wax life span is about 3-5 weeks so just keep topping it up then in 6-8 months same process again.

This process means dirt doesn't stick, tar doesn't stick and it washes straight off. Takes me about 20 mins instead of 3 hours if you keep on top of it, car always looks gleeming.

The processs is about protecting the clear coat and making the car shine. All the above will take 2-3 days to do properly.

Half of the problems arrise when people use products for the wrong application. You cant polish on top of a wax, it will do nothing, naker your pads and actually damage the clear coat and make it dull. You have to start from a fresh surface by removing the old stuff properly. Claying is essential too, even tho you think your car is clean its not, there are contaminates that sit in the wax layer, so if you start polishing without the above steps not only does it dull but you will be adding those contaminants into your polishing pad and you will create more swirl marks . For the weekend warrior who like to polish then wax his car, if you haven't removed the original layers your adding more layers which makes the paint more dull believe it or not and wasting money because the products aren't working properly. Also temp plays a big role you should never polish and wax a car in broad hot sunlight, use a gazeebo or inside your garage. Keeps the heat of the panels.It is also a layering process, small bits at a time to get the best results

Ever heard of people complaining that they have swirl marks in their paint work?? This is why, wrong product + wrong application = damaged clear coat.

 

[RedSox]

....and to help with the swirls, I find Pooboys Blackhole is the best product.

No publicity for Autoglym this time, seeing ad my wife works there!

Having said that, I love the SRP and Gloss Protection together with Dodo Juice wax (purple stuff that smells like Tia Maria or something like that). And don't forget a crud guard for your 2nd bucket.

 

[Marius]

spr and blackhole hides swirls until your next wash , to remove them permanently you will need more than that .

 

[RedSox]

True. But with a dark car, it's bloody difficult to totally remove swirls - even using a machine polisher with Farecla G3!! Maybe there is a way...any advice out there?

 

[craig3.2]

If you are going to get a sheepskin/lambswool mitt I would recommend the one from * EDIT.....FROM "i-4 detailing" (their own brand), as well as their big blue drying microfiber drying towel...the best 2 products(better than the meguiers mitt I used to use).

Autoglym is decent stuff, but too would recommend poorboys black hole and also a good sealant such as G-techniq v2 exo.

 

[dlp]

I find with a silver Z £1 shampoo from Poundsaver is all you need.

Its just not worth the time and expense buffing up a silver car it just hardly seems to look any different.

 

[original guvnor]

Yeah I get good results with the SRP and Collinite.

Seriously knackers me out though - one of the reasons I have been looking at polishers.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but using the machine polisher is probably harder work than doing it by hand because the machine itself weighs quite a bit. Then there is the inner-perfectionist in you that says "actually I'm not prepared to be satisfied by just reducing that scratch or swirl so I'll go over it with another pass and get rid completely"! To do a proper machine polish will probably take an entire day and even then it may not be enough if the paintwork needs quite a bit of correction.