Wanting to get my GTV detailed, but don't know what I want

[dan653]

Looking for...
- clarification of what I actually need
- idea of cost

Been trying to educate myself over on detailing world, but to be honest most of it is going well over my head, cant see the wood for the trees.

I'll give you an idea of my current level of 'OCD' understanding (it's pretty low tbh) with an example of my current routine...

'98 GTV - dark grey (meteor?) - 106k miles - gta teledials - no garage

wash once a fortnight(ish):
- rinse
- shampoo
- clean alloys with a wheel brush
- rinse
- shammy dry
- clay bar & quick detail spray
- tyre dressing
- 1 coat polish (1 panel at time)

(just ordered a snow foam lance, should be fun)

So here's what I'm was thinking I'd require (unsure of order)...

Aim: Bring it back to a good/above average standard & provide some sort of lasting protection to make my life easier allowing me to do a regular weekly/fortnightly quick wash

- a thorough wash
- clay bar'd
- paint correction (swirl mark removal)
- machine polish (part of the above process?)
- some combination of polish, wax, sealant (this is where it starts to go over my head)
- wheels cleaned, de-tarred, waxed/sealed

Looking to spend around £100 - is this completely unrealistic?

Thoughts?

Recommend me a reasonably priced detailer:
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/south...ml#post3270954 (Deatiler Reccomnedations - Salisbury Area)

[rmaxeman]

Have you read this - http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/car-d...ated-17-a.html (SR's top tips for a gleaming Car with mainly Autoglym products - Updated 17/2/09)
It's a good guide (1st post) on how to wash your car and leave it nice and shiny. It's very close to what I do and doesn't take much time at all.

Looking at what you do I have to ask why are you using a clay bar after every wash? It should only be used when you intend to do a deeper clean, polish and wax. The clay bar will just strip any protection that you put on at the last wash.

Secondly, what polish are you using? - Is it a polish and wax or just a polish? If just a polish you should use a wax on top so all your hard work of polishing will last longer.

I use a mixture of AG, Megs and Collinite for my full detail. All good stuff that you can't go far wrong with.

Just don't use a clay bar on the next wash after you've fully detailed or it'll strip all your hard work off!!

[Mike69]

SR's post is a great starting point. For some extra info, recommendations, and practical advice on which detailing products to buy, search posts from Gizto29. He really knows his stuff, and is also a great lad.

[Ralf S.]

Yeah.. you got the general idea. The "trick" when you're not sure about all this stuff is to find some manufacturer that makes stuff and use their range until you get used to all the nuances of every different product and what it's for... then try substitutes until you find a combination you're happy with.

After the wash you need to clay... but as above, not every time... just when the paint feels rough.

If the paint is smooth but not very shiny then a polish/correction is in order. Polishes come in different levels of abrasion and generally you wants to use the mildest polish that shifts your swirls.

A pro' detailer will do it using a machine. If you likes power tools, buy yourself a dual-action polishing machine, some pads and some polish and have a go yourself. It's practically impossible to wreck the paint if you use only mild polishes and a D-A machine. You'll need aboot £150 for a machine and another £30-40 for pads and different grades of polish. A pro' will cost at least this much and do a better job.. but if you have the machine you have it till it breaks and I'd say you'll be able to eventually get pretty good results yourself...

For "how to do it" look at www.polsihedbliss.co.uk etc. for a guide. Don't use a rotary polisher (kind of like giving a chainsaw to kiddies) and you'll be fine.

For polish, use something like Poorboys SSR2.5 (mild) followed by their SSR1 (very mild)... other manufacturers have the same concept.. start with the gentle/regular polish and work it till it breaks down.. then go to the very gentle grade to get a high gloss finish.

It takes hours to do the whole car... (pro's work out quite good value when you see how long it takes).

When you're done polishing.. wax it. Again wax is an encyclopaedia subject of different opinions and prefernces.. but a pukka wax will tend to have a lot of Carnauba wax in it and be non-abrasive. Try any wax you like... I tend to use Poorboys Natty Blue Wax as it's the same brand as my polish.. easy to put on, lasts well and is cheap (relative).. but you choose one that does it for you. I doubt that if you buy a wax over £12 or £15 a pot that you can go far wrong.

To really get the most out of it though.. you also need to perfect your washing and drying techniques... there's various info' on here and you can always ask.


Ralf S.

Another couple of excellent guides can be found here :

CleanYourCar.co.uk - View topic - A good regular cleaning routine.

and CleanYourCar.co.uk - View topic - Basic Car Washing Guide

[10,500RPM]

If you are getting a pro to do it just ask for a clay, swirl removal and wax/ sealent.
Removing RDS is pretty pointless on a daily driver because they will appear again and you may have to remove a fair amount of clearcoat to remove them. Alfa paint is typically very soft so they should be able to do the job with a finishing polish on a rotary (quicker than a DA). Personally I would reccomend either FK1000P or Gtechnic C1 (lasts 2 years+) as sealent, I don't rate £100+ waxes very highly.

>Removing RDS is pretty pointless on a daily driver because they will appear again and

Depends on how good you want the paintwork to look. RDS (Random Deep Scratches) should not re-appear as a matter of course using the right wash care routine. Sure some light swirls and or cobwebs will over time, but those can be lightly polished out, or removed with a paint cleanser.

[Starkers]

Originally Posted by Lord Melch

Another couple of excellent guides can be found here :

and CleanYourCar.co.uk - View topic - Basic Car Washing Guide

MY GOD! Just read that, wow, that IS attention to detail!
Annoyingly, it all makes sense though....

I've been on here for about 17 months and only looked at the car detailing lounge in the last 2-3 weeks but having read a few threads on here, I started a mini-cleaning addiction last weekend by buying a couple of microfibre cloths (I'll never use a sponge again, I promise!) and some Autoglym shampoo. I gave the car a wash and dry last weekend but I can see that I have some serious work to do if I'm to get it up to any decent standard though.

I am currently annoyed not that the Gtv is dirty but that there are rain stains on it, clearly I will have to get some SRP next....

Downsides to this mini-addiction are that: 1) Realisically, I think the Gtv needs a respray first, there are many scratches on it and a wee bit of rust that needs attention. 2) It's silver, which I now believe is a crap colour for the car. 3) I use her to commute on a daily basis, so she picks up quite a lot of dirt etc.

[10,500RPM]

I knoe this is an old post but...

Originally Posted by Lord Melch

Depends on how good you want the paintwork to look. RDS (Random Deep Scratches) should not re-appear as a matter of course using the right wash care routine.

RDS appear when people brush past your car and stones bouncing off the side of you car will either chip or cause deep scratches, it take approx 5-7 microns of cc removal to remove them. Removal is poinless on a daily driver.... unless you do it for a living and then everyone looks for defects on your car

@ Starkers. Clay, SRP and FK1000P is a great routine for a silver car, cheap too

[Starkers]

Originally Posted by 10,500RPM

I knoe this is an old post but...

@ Starkers. Clay, SRP and FK1000P is a great routine for a silver car, cheap too

Yes, it's an old post but that thread on the car detailing site is definitely worth reading, so it's worth resurrecting.

I must admit, I had a look at some clay in Halfords the other day and it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be, so I'm tempted to give it a go, as there's a lot of tar and bird poo on the car, plus the wheels are in a shocking state. I think I'll have to take a day off to do it though.

PS, I knew you'd be the first to respond, you're the king of this lounge!

Originally Posted by 10,500RPM

Removal is poinless on a daily driver

Many remove swirls, fill chips etc to keep their "daily driver" as good looking as they can, I agree depending on luck, marks, chips etc can and will appear, but then again, they can be corrected, if you want to of course.

[GIZTO29]

Originally Posted by Mike69

SR's post is a great starting point. For some extra info, recommendations, and practical advice on which detailing products to buy, search posts from Gizto29. He really knows his stuff, and is also a great lad.

Dont believe him! One thing i picked up on is you said you clayed frequently? This shouldnt be neccesary mate. If you do a big clean, tar removal, clay, cleanse/polish and lsp (you could machine inbetween if you wanna buy the stuff) then thereafter you should just beable to maintain then maybe every 4-6 months restart the process. That said top ups are a good idea inbetween. For example after a wash appply a layer of Zaino Z8 or DJ Red Mist. These products are designed for this purpose but there are many more. Try and buy 1 item for each section to begin with so a good shampoo, tar remover, clay, cleanser like Lime Prime, Carlack NSC or Werkstat Prime for exapmle or Polish like AG SRP. Lastly a decent LSP that suits your car wether it be a wax or sealant then something to maintain the finish. The most important part is having decent washing routine to keep the car swirl free for as long as poss. Decent mitt and 2bm. I have noticed you mentioned a combo of polish/wax and a few ive mentioned suit that role. Some of the best are CarLack NSC/Werkstat Prime. These are cleansers witha sealant added (AIO). Theres also DJ Need 4 Speed which is a carnauba based AIO. Most still need topping witha dedicated wax/sealant though. I have the werkstat acrylic set but you could try the CarLack twins, 1 of which is the NSC i mentioned paired with LLS http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/sealan.../prod_358.html or you could go with AG and get SRP topped with their sealant Extra Gloss Protection. I think you can defo get the basics for the £100.
Another favourite is the NSC/colly kit which is almost bulletproof and will last atleast 6 months!
Phil

[twissler]

Just had a look at your site. I may well be ordering some stuff soon. Thanks for the heads up.

Also, would there be a possibilty of further discounts on group buys? There are a lot of members on here who would be interested i'm sure.

Sorry for the hijack.

[waxdaddy]

Originally Posted by twissler

Just had a look at your site. I may well be ordering some stuff soon. Thanks for the heads up.

Also, would there be a possibilty of further discounts on group buys? There are a lot of members on here who would be interested i'm sure.

Sorry for the hijack.

Yea we can increase your discount if you have a group buy of one or more items. So long as its more than 10 people buying an item. You will have to let me know and we can arrange it