[Henry8601]

A couple of weekends ago I treated my 147 GTA to a proper clean. I was really pleased with the results, so I will share them with you here.

Here is what I started with, a familiar grubby 147 GTA - and I honestly can't remember when I last washed it



Step 1: Sprayed the car all over with fresh water and then sprayed on some degreaser to lift the worst of the grime and road dirt



Step 2: Gave the car a decent wash with some proper car shampoo (Dodo Juice: Born to be Mild) and a lambswool hand mitt using two buckets - one with warm soapy water, and the other with clean water to rinse the mitt clean after each section.



Step 3: Dried the car with a proper waffle weave microfibre towel and some spray to stop water marks: Poorboy's Spray and Wipe

Step 4: Clayed the car to lift all of the impurities that were embedded into the paint. There were loads - this step took much, much longer than I expected. I used a proper spray lubricant: Dodo Juice Born Slippy. There were little black dots all over the car, and I couldn't work out what they were - it was almost like wet tar that had been sprayed over the front of the car. I used Meguiar's clay, but it really wasn't great, so I will be using something else in the future.



This left the GTA with a much deeper colour



Continued...

 

[Henry8601]

Now that the car was completely clean and free from contaminants, I moved on to give the car a proper polish. I do not have an electric polisher, nor was I going to spend the £100+ on a polisher that I am rarely going to use - yes, I would have achieved better results, but I'm not too fussed as I'm happy with the results so far.

Step 5: Polish. As I was polishing the car by hand I used a hand held thingy to stick the polishing pads to: Polishin' Pal. I used it with a range of polishing pads and polishes from Poorboy's swirl removers. I did this in two stages: SSR2.5 and then SSR1. This left a lovely smooth surface - compare the reflections to those in the post above.



Step 6: Seal. As I never seem to clean the car, I decided that it would be best to seal the paintwork. Sealant is a durable polymer layer that protects the paint in the same way as wax, but it's longer lasting. Only problem, it reduces the shine and depth:



Step 7: Wax. As the sealer killed the shine, the next thing to apply is some decent wax. I used Poorboy's wax. I was really pleased with this as it restored a lovely depth and shine to the paint. I used a different wax for the wheels Poorboy's Wheel Sealant.



It took a lot of work, but the pictures speak for themselves :thumbs:

 

[Henry8601]

While I was cleaning the car I also had a go at bringing back some of the black colour to the trim. This is what I started with, the familiar faded black windscreen scuttle:



I have tried a few products before, but they all eventually faded back to how they were. I then heard of this new stuff on pistonheads, so I thought I would give it a go: Gtechniq C4

I bought the kit some it came with alcohol to give it a decent clean:



I then applied a tiny (and I really do mean tiny) amount with a cotton pad:



The results are certainly impressive :thumbs:. (I just need to find the missing screw cover). Time will tell how well it holds up, but so far its looking good!

 

[GTA_Nigel]

Looks really good! The Gtechniq stuff is excellent although I did find I needed to "top it up" after a few months. I use Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber spray, that just brings back the lustre without having to spend a fortune on more Gtechniq stuff.

 

[liamGT3.2]

Looks brilliant, Autoglym clay kit is worth a try :thumbs:

 

[Biscione]

Looks great. I really need to give my car a deep clean too!

Well done fella!

 

[Superino]

That GTechniq C4 should hold up really well. My Old GTA was fully GTechniq'd from Bodywork, Plastics, Glasses and Alloys and it was brilliant even after 2 years it looked like it had just been Waxed. I have to get my current GTA done at some point.

 

[BeautifulBusso]

This is how every GTA should look!! But I know people don't have the time to do it themselves or the money to get it done.

For people who want this done, I detailing on a professional level so feel free to contact me if you want your gta done too!

 

[David P]

Looks great, well done :thumbs:

Step 4: Clayed the car to lift all of the impurities that were embedded into the paint. There were loads - this step took much, much longer than I expected. I used a proper spray lubricant: Dodo Juice Born Slippy. There were little black dots all over the car, and I couldn't work out what they were - it was almost like wet tar that had been sprayed over the front of the car. I used Meguiar's clay, but it really wasn't great, so I will be using something else in the future.

I always de-tar the car before claying, the benefits are that you don't contaminate the clay, you reduce the risk of scratching the paint and it's also faster & easier to clay the car if the tar has already been removed :thumbs:

 

[LJ_GQV]

Nice work :thumbs:

 

[olly6969]

Very shiny!

I use Klasse high gloss sealant after googling some sealant reviews. It's much glossier than most and persists even with frequent washes (I reckon about 3 months with a weekly wash). Of course you can wax over the top, but wax just doesn't last -even with wax "friendly" shampoos. I'm converted and don't usually use wax any more. The sealant is expensive, but you use so little that I think it's good VFM. Only if I'm feeling very keen will I then stick a coat of Autoglym hi def wax on top.

 

[Henry8601]

Thanks for all the positive comments :thumbs:

Looks great, well done :thumbs:
I always de-tar the car before claying, the benefits are that you don't contaminate the clay, you reduce the risk of scratching the paint and it's also faster & easier to clay the car if the tar has already been removed :thumbs:

I think I need to do that next time. What product did you use?

Very shiny!

I use Klasse high gloss sealant after googling some sealant reviews. It's much glossier than most and persists even with frequent washes (I reckon about 3 months with a weekly wash). Of course you can wax over the top, but wax just doesn't last -even with wax "friendly" shampoos. I'm converted and don't usually use wax any more. The sealant is expensive, but you use so little that I think it's good VFM. Only if I'm feeling very keen will I then stick a coat of Autoglym hi def wax on top.

Thanks for the tip, I have just had a look at some of the reviews, and it does look like good stuff! When I have finished my RejeX Paint Sealant I will definitely give it a go.

 

[David P]

I think I need to do that next time. What product did you use?

Home heating oil (paraffin/kerosene)

 

[Lorenzo.]

Looks great!

I use Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber spray,

This stuff is magic!