First wash - post professional detailing

[mmm-five]

Right, finally got the courage up to wash the car myself after getting it detailed last week.

I've got all the kit I needed for an interim wash, as it will be going back to the detailer on a regular basis for a top-up treatment.

First was the foam lance & suds...

Then it was time for the rinsing, and drying bit by bit (wheels left until last with some Zymol wheel cleaner on them)...

And finally finished (the exterior) after 90 minutes...

There are some bug marks on the front where they've started to etch, but that's just in the protective film anyway and it's doing it's job. Plus I'll be carrying some quick detailer and buffing cloths with in future.

It was only after I'd finished and went to put these photos on the computer that I realised I'd done them all with a crappy camera-phone instead of my DSLR :thumbsdown:

 

[Aliv6]

Tyre gel!!!

Looks well.

 

[jhbuining]

Very nice work. Pretty colour too, but sometimes I long for the ease of maintenance my Dark Silver Cooper S had... Washed mine yesterday and on the way home from the car wash it started to rain, just a bit, but enough to make it un-waxable, so I had to start again today - aargh! You're not allowed to wash your car at home due to environment regulations in the Netherlands, so I have to go to a car-wash and use their high-pressure jets etc. and then drive home to do waxing and such.

 

[Herminator]

I think if I lived in the Netherlands I'd have a garage thats water proofed with good drainage :wink:

Good pics for showing the colour tiny in Ruby Black 8) Next time use the proper camera though

I'm alway weary of washing the car when the sun is as strong as today, I can never work quick enough to stop the soapy water drying and even after a rinse I stuggle to properly dry before water marks have a chance of forming. Plus sweat drips don't look good on a car It does need a wash though, but I think I'll go for a drive instead

 

[mmm-five]

Tyre gel!!!

Looks well.

I've got some of that, but I thought I'd leave it until I started on the other 'black' bits.

 

[2 Zero]

x

 

[mmm-five]

Right, here's some with a proper camera (still the same shoddy photographer though), although the sun has shifted since the original photo and the car is now in the shade.

 

[sammyz]

mmm-five, I take it you would recommend Finerdetails after the finish on your car? What was the cost if you don't mind saying??

 

[mmm-five]

mmm-five, I take it you would recommend Finerdetails after the finish on your car? What was the cost if you don't mind saying??

Mine went to Matt at OffYourMarks - mainly because I was up there on a BMWCC open day, and was impressed with what he'd done to the red M3 he found.

The cost is £250/day for cash and the total cost will depend on what you want doing. Mine needed some serious swirls removing as it had been mistreated (mainly by me of course) by taking it to jet-washes to get the salt, grit & grime off from my 600 mile a week commuting. I also needed a new sheet of protection film so that the whole bonnet could be done to the same standard.

Total cost for 3.5 days work was £750 - only charged for 3 as that's what I had been quoted.

 

[pvr]

You're not allowed to wash your car at home due to environment regulations in the Netherlands

Since when and where? I washed my car in NL a couple of weeks ago on my parents drive and have never heard of any regulation about this.


mmm-five, that is looking good though! I use the AutoBrite snow foam, what make did you use? I presume that after the snow foam you still washed the car before drying it ...

 

[mmm-five]

mmm-five, that is looking good though! I use the AutoBrite snow foam, what make did you use? I presume that after the snow foam you still washed the car before drying it ...

The snow foam (Valet Pro PH Neutral Snow Foam) was sprayed on thickly and left on for about 20 minutes (or until the majority had dripped onto the floor), and then it was rinsed.

Then it went to the shampoo stage using the two-bucket-method and Zymol HD Cleanse (didn't foam particularly well, but I've also got some other Zymol Bathe to try) and two wash mitts (one each for top & bottom), and the wheels were left covered in wheel cleaner (nothing to harsh though) for the hour or so that the shampooing took. The shampooing was done in stages of about 1m square and then rinsed.

Everything was then rinsed once again and I started the drying with a couple of large drying cloths, which I simply patted onto the surface and kept turning/folding until the wouldn't absorb any more water.

Then I did the wheels - rears were a piece of cake, the fronts were easy but took a little longer - using a smaller mitt than for shampooing, and a little 'plastic brillo' type brush for the spoke corners.

Finally I used some Meguiars NXT Quick Detailer to get rid of the small water marks - this I did on a one spray / one wipe basis.

 

[jhbuining]

You're not allowed to wash your car at home due to environment regulations in the Netherlands

Since when and where? I washed my car in NL a couple of weeks ago on my parents drive and have never heard of any regulation about this.

mmm-five, that is looking good though! I use the AutoBrite snow foam, what make did you use? I presume that after the snow foam you still washed the car before drying it ...

Regulations vary per city, in most you can still wash your car on the street. It is mainly forbidden in those places that have upgraded their sewer system, where they use separate pipes for rainwater and 'grey' water. They don't want chemicals like soap and oil to end up in the rainwater system.

 

[muppet]

Shiney///M 8)

 

[paddy wright]

wow!

 

[sammyz]

So if I get the car detailed I then need to buy a pressure washer, foam lance, foam, more shampoo, wheel shampoo, mitt for the top, mitt for the bottom, wheel mitt, brushes, several buckets, grit guards, leaf blower to blow water away, towels to pat it dry, and lots of products with 'Z' 'X' and 'P' in their names!

Be cheaper to get it detailed again next year mmm-five your car looks great by the way.

 

[mmm-five]

So if I get the car detailed I then need to buy a pressure washer, foam lance, foam, more shampoo, wheel shampoo, mitt for the top, mitt for the bottom, wheel mitt, brushes, several buckets, grit guards, leaf blower to blow water away, towels to pat it dry, and lots of products with 'Z' 'X' and 'P' in their names!

Be cheaper to get it detailed again next year mmm-five your car looks great by the way.

Definitely, although you only have to buy the pressure washer & leaf blower if you don't already have one

The total for all the other bits was less than £100 - and they should last a year before I really need to replace the mitts, towels, brushes and top up the foam, shampoo & detailer.

 

[Superbow]

Zymol HD cleanse is not for use when washing the car, it is used for prep on the bodywork before applying zymol wax. Explains why it didn't form up!

 

[mmm-five]

Zymol HD cleanse is not for use when washing the car, it is used for prep on the bodywork before applying zymol wax. Explains why it didn't form up!

Sorry, it wasn't HD Cleanse, it was one of the other products, but I couldn't remember which at the time

The actual product used was 'Clear'!

I have got some HD Cleanse, but decided I wasn't patient enough to wax the car, so would let someone else do the hard work with me just keeping it looking respectable between detailing top-ups.

 

[Superbow]

Does look good, I was at the same open day, matt does outstanding work!