MK5 Golf GTI
General => Detailing => Topic started by: CarlW on February 15, 2014, 07:26:05 pm
-
Right guys, its come to the point after months and months of searching on this forum to now do something about the paint..
Now i know most of you would love to punch me for using a sponge but i've now learned from my mistakes and gone out and bought myself a couple of mitts you'll be pleased to know. :smiley: :happy2:
Im not home often as i'd like to be cause I'm at uni so therefor can't really wash my car every weekend or every month as i don't go home an awful lot and don't have ways of washing the car unless i go to one of them dreaded car wash machines at a petrol stations which i don't like anyway and i've heard there bad for your paintwork etc..
Now i've bought the Karcher K2 pressure washer and got myself a couple of buckets for the 2 bucket method.. but i'd like to know what else i need and how to use them or if any of you know of any good youtube tutorials on how to use products that may be recommended by some of you guys that are keen on keeping your cars clean and shiny each week / fortnight.
I could do with some advice on wax's, polishes, clay bars, tar removers, detailers spray and iron X products maybe? i think that covers what i would kind of need to do a good deep clean on my car when I'm next home..
Advice on Items such as snow foam lance's, mitts to use, polishes to use.. everything i listed above..
I've got tutorials on the 2 bucket method and using 2 wash mitts for upper and lower of the car.
I don't have a DA polishing machine to use with the polishes so i need products that i can make work well by hand and a bit of elbow grease and also maybe a tutorial on how to use these products by hand like how long to spend on areas.. everything really.. but just want to start with the basics then once it sinks in i can then ask about other things..
Thanks in advance
-
Oo and i forgot to mention my paint / colour / current condition..
First of all the paint is Metallic black.
and the current condition isn't great, swirl marks / webbing effect is kind of all over the car and there are some light scratches too.
Need to get a couple of dings out the doors from when i returned to my car with a nice shopping trolley incident..
Not sure if its mandatory to have a DA polisher machine to cure these but if so i am prepared to buy one as long as its not overly expensive as being a student.. the less money i spend is better but not after buying the cheapest of everything and going half board.. like i say i can always buy a few things to start off with then progressively buy more products as i go along..
-
Have you had a read of this?? :happy2:
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,74892.0.html
-
I'm new to this too but I can maybes help you a little. I'd suggest before you ever wash your car to rinse it to get rid of some the muck then use a snow foam and let it sit for 10mins then rinse it off and start washing the car with your 2 bucket method. Using snow foam is to get rid of as much road muck as possible before you even touch the paint to reduce the risk of causing swirls.
-
My problems have been solved! :happy2:
Think i'll make a brew and take some notes down and fill a basket on amazon haha
Sorry for another thread and thank you :smiley: :happy2:
-
You're welcome :happy2:
-
Autoglym products are pretty good off-the-shelf products. If your not going to be spending much time cleaning your car, you wouldn't want to spend a small fortune on products only 3 months down the line when the interest starts to wear off. Keeping a black car clean is a nightmare and the swirls and spiding webbing shows up double-worse :sick: Good preparation is the key. I always find myself returning to autoglym; autoglym super resin polish, HD Wax, autoglym extra gloss protection (applied in that order) always gives a really good finish and good longevity :happy2: Another product worth mentioning is Poorboys Wheel Sealent. My first pot lasted nearly 18 months
-
Thank you for the recommendations guys.. will spend a bit more time looking in this detailing section and find out what the good products are for my car and slowly collect them.. just spent an hour reading Jay's detailing guide and happy to say its helped a lot more than i thought..
Another thing is i've recently bought a K2 Pressure washer but do not yet have the snow foam lance.. Can anyone tell me where i can find a good one.. where to get the best prices of one and also i heard you need to service them every now and then? is there a guide for this so i can bookmark it and refer to it when i manage to get myself one..
Thanks
-
Autobrite HD Foam lance is awesome... Google autobrite and it's on their website. They do deals now and then too.
I use autofinnesse products mostly but some people hate then cause some of their stuff is rebranded...
-
Spot on :happy2: Also can you advise me a couple of places to get things like the grit buckets, wash mitts, snow foam, car shampoo's etc? buckets i have/had are now gone seen as my dad decided to use them for his building work :happy2: Can't have nout haha a
-
Autobrite Magifoams
Autofinnesse Avalanche
I use autoglym shampoo/conditioner
Buckets are buckets.. Just use the two bucket method.
Anywhere you find a cheap one for the mitts
Just shop about for the best deals :happy2:
-
I'm not an expert, but started to get into the more in depth side of cleaning the car last year. Started on my last car, a black Honda civic. My gti (also black) needs a detail, but I'm waiting for better weather before I tackle it. If your going to polish by hand I'd recommend Gteqniq p1 polish applied by tri-foam applicator, will take a lot of elbow grease/time but a pretty good polish then use auto glym super resin polish to "mask" any remaining swirls. Poorboys black hole glaze is a good product for dark colour cars too.
-
Use a decent wash mitt... either a proper lambswool one or go to Halfords and buy the sort of dark grey sheep skin or whatever one it is they have, that is quite a good one as well, about £9.
You won't get any genuine correction by hand, well, you can but it's very hard work simply don't bother take it from me it's not worth the ache. So either pay for it to be done or buy the equipment you need yourself
If you correct the paintwork and then wash and also importantly, dry it in the correct manner you will never get bad paint over the duration of your ownership.
and never use a bloody drive through / polish / 5 quid special car wash!!!!
-
Haha i've learnt from the sponge never mind use them horrid car wash's
think i'll look at the polish machines and maybe see if i can pick a second hand one up cheap that way i'll be able to save a bit of money for some pads etc :happy2:
-
You can buy a Das6 pro for £100 brand new.
With pads and polishes it's under £150 to get going, not much at all really :drinking:
-
Not as bad as i originally thought to be honest.. juts found a brand new one for £80.. two or three pads and some polishes.. £120 maybe.. I'll keep an eye out for the deals
-
Would the DAS6 be perfectly good for what I'm trying to achieve or is the DAS6 Pro the holy grail compared to the standard DAS6?
-
No it's just a better machine.
6m cable instead of 3 and 850w instead of 600w motor. It's worth the extra money.
-
Do you know of any good sites online i can visit to look at best prices or even any group buys? Bit new to all this so don't know any sites or companies that sell these machines and detailing gear
-
May be able to find cheaper if shop around, but to give you an idea...
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing-machines/das-6-pro-dual-action-polisher/cat_81.html
-
Do you know of any good sites online i can visit to look at best prices or even any group buys? Bit new to all this so don't know any sites or companies that sell these machines and detailing gear
Cleanyourcar.co.uk is the one I use very good service
-
Cheers fellas :happy2: will have a look on there
-
Yes CYC is very very good.
Not the cheapest, but they are not expensive, helps to buy in bulk to eradicate the postage cost issue - but I had a couple of Hexlogic pads fail spectacularly and they sent me out a couple of free ones in my next order
Use the code DAS6GROUPBUY and I think that takes the Das6 Pro to £100.
Then as I mentioned you will need pads, polishes, other equipment like masking tape, clays, waxes, solvents (IPA or CarPro eraser as a panel wipe after polishing) , etc..
-
Just putting some things n the basket for now and making an account then may order them by next weekend.. So far got the DAS6-Pro M105 & M205 as i've seen them recommended a lot, Bilt hammer clay bar, iron-x possibly.
Not sure on waxes, detail sprays, and erasers as of yet as i don't know much about them things right now so going to do a little bit more looking into them kind of things and find out what people are recommending to narrow my options down as there is a canny few products out there to choose from
Thanks fellas :happy2:
-
Another question i have is water temperature when using snow foam or washing the car in general.. i have both hot and cold water outputs and wondered if hot over cold would have any effect on how snow foam works?
Is it better to use the hot water or is there no difference?
-
hot water may affect performance of any previous wax/sealent applied in the future to your car, once polished up and protected it'll only need a a quick snow foam and wipe down, but we all know thats not how it works :signLOL:
-
My car has never had any kind of wax or sealant treatment since its left the factory.. so for now would you say hot water would improve performance of snow foam / shampoo? also is it a good idea to add a small queeze of shampoo in with snow foam wash solution mixture? would that give it a little more foaminess to it?
-
Another question i have is water temperature when using snow foam or washing the car in general.. i have both hot and cold water outputs and wondered if hot over cold would have any effect on how snow foam works?
Is it better to use the hot water or is there no difference?
You'll be fine using warm water. If it's warm enough to keep your hand in without thinking "phew that's a bit toasty" you'll be fine.
Hot water is also miles better at removing dirt. If you pressure wash at 60 degrees C (if you have a heated jet wash) you'll get almost as good results as if you were to use a full pre-rinse and snow foam procedure. Vs doing basically nothing with cold water. A mate of mine is lucky enough to have one at his unit and the difference was amazing, he did a 50/50.
In summer it helps to use cold water to keep panel temps down but ultimately in the winter using cold water is by far the least of your concerns :happy2:
-
My car has never had any kind of wax or sealant treatment since its left the factory.. so for now would you say hot water would improve performance of snow foam / shampoo? also is it a good idea to add a small queeze of shampoo in with snow foam wash solution mixture? would that give it a little more foaminess to it?
You can but it will effect how it works.. just a drop like half a teaspoon.
Start with the baby steps before you start worrying about mixing shampoos etc :wink: you should focus more on getting the car cleaned, clayed (polished if you want) and protected.
-
Thanks a lot :happy2: Brilliant help & advice
-
Sorted myself a shopping list out on CleanYourCar;
3M 3434 Masking Tape
Snow Foam Lance Connection Type Karcher fitting
Bilt Hamber - Auto Clay Medium (200g)
DAS-6 PRO - Meguiars & Chemical Guys Kit - Comes with one orange and white pad along with M105 & M205
Collinite 476s - Super Double Coat Wax - 18fl.oz
Chemical Guys - Black 5.5" Hex-Logic Pad
Kleen Freaks Shampoo
Monster Microfiber Borderless - Purple Monster Pkg/3
Envy Detail Brushes
EZ Wheel Brush
Tyre Shine Gel
Microfiber Applicators X2
Valet Pro - Citrus Pre Wash
Zaino Z-6 Detail / Enhancer Spray
Things I'm waiting for them to restock:
CarPro Eraser - Intense Oil and Polish Cleanser 500ml Bottle - Out of order at the moment
Iron-X - Out of order at the moment
Lambswool Wash Mitt X2 - Out of order at the moment
AutoSmart Tardis
This has now been edited and is pretty much a full list of what any other beginners are gong to need to do a full detail as explained and shown in XJay1337's Guide.
You may buy the same products as i have or you may swap out some products for other products or you may not buy everything i have but i'd say this is a good list for anyone and everyone to work off. It's a little over £300 but if you can think of it as £300 well spent then great :happy2:.get it ordered :smiley: :happy2:
-
Buy some wheel woolies or an E Z Detail Brush for doing the barrels of the wheel.
-
Will add that to my list :happy2:
-
Right chaps.
i was a bit stuck about the whole "Pre-wash", "Snowfoam", "Shampoo" part of the washing your car as many people often do and ask. I didn't know what was before what and was slightly thrown off and confused by all the terms and names as in a lot of places i've read the term "snow foam" tends to cover all three terms above so i asked "StealthWolf" to make sure i was thinking right and this was his answer below;
Pre-wash = something to soak the car before washing it. Think of it like soaking dishes in the sink overnight so it's easier to clean in the morning. The entire idea of detailing is to minimise the damage you inflict on the paintwork through washing.
You can have citrus degreasers and the like as a pre-wash and can be sprayed on to the car manually (eg weedkiller sprayer). Or you can have snowfoam (via a lance). Do either one and do it on a dry car. Leave for say 5 mins (longer in winter, shorter in summer). Then rinse off using a lance. Some people aim for the perfect "touchless" wash using this method. It doesn't exist. There will always be some dirt on the car that can only be removed by the mechanical action of a wash mitt etc.
So if your a beginner like me and you've started collecting a shopping list together and your not sure what the difference between pre-wash and snow foam and shampooing is.. this is basically it in short, simple terms:
1. Cover car with your pre wash solution (so this would be your Valet Pro - Citrus Pre-Wash or something along them lines) and then leave for 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Then rinse the car
3. Then wash your car using your choice of shampoo (Autoglym Shampoo & Conditioner or likewise) and the 2 bucket method.
4. Rinse car.
5. Whatever you had planned next; Refer to XJay1337's helpful guide for further steps if you don't already know..
Hope this helps anyone else that has had slight trouble understanding this part of washing your car.
-
Then for step 5 I'd quickly dry then use iron x, rinse then clay the car before you start polishing. You don't use a clay bar and iron x every time you wash just do it say twice a year (depending where you live). Eg. I'm looking to polish and wax twice a year (il see how it goes maybes more as I'm new to this to kind of) then inbetween just snow foam and 2bm and sometimes a spray to top the wax up, every time I polish and wax I will use iron x and a clay bar before polishing.
I haven't read all of this thread but I didn't see iron x in your shopping list so throught I would add and try and spend more of your money :laugh: hope this helps if you haven't covered it :happy2:
-
It's there :smiley: Just underneath the shopping list you will see:
Things I'm waiting for them to restock:
CarPro Eraser - Intense Oil and Polish Cleanser 500ml Bottle - Out of order at the moment
Iron-X - Out of order at the moment
Lambswool Wash Mitt X2 - Out of order at the moment
AutoSmart Tardis
-
So it is haha sorry about that :rolleye:
-
Am i right in saying that CarPro - TRIX Iron and Tar Remover is a replacement or a newer model of Iron-X? Been waiting for a re-stock but it doesn't seem to be happening.
Thanks
-
Am i right in saying that CarPro - TRIX Iron and Tar Remover is a replacement or a newer model of Iron-X? Been waiting for a re-stock but it doesn't seem to be happening.
Thanks
I haven't used it, but it's a 2 in 1 product. Heard that it isn't as good as using 2 dedicated products, but as I say I haven't tried it...
-
No it's not a replacement just a 2in 1 product. Are you buying your gear from cleanyourcar? If so I'm to wanting some iron x and I'm sick of waiting I've ran out, they never seem to have any stock of the 1 litre iron x either
-
Yes haha.. I've been waiting ever since i posted this thread and keep looking and looking but they must be waiting for stock or just slow maybe? Who knows? i'll just wait until they have in stock what i need then hopefully stick my order in.. Wouldn't mind a little discount or something like.. Bill is towards £350! so far after getting everything
-
Right guys,
Instead of waiting for the Iron-X product to be restocked i've kind of gave up on waiting and tempted to go for the Valet Pro Dragons Breath product as it seems to be or do exactly the same as what Iron-X would do.
Correct me if I'm wrong..
Just wondered if any of you guys had used this along side the Iron-X and just after some opinions.. Is it safe to use on the body paint of the car like you would do with Iron-X?
-
Iron X is the original and best product to use for Iron Contamination removal.
I would, to be honest, buy the essentials to get by. "all the gear and no idea" springs to mind - not an insult at all but trying to help you by now learning to run before you can walk
Any iron fall out removal product for the car market is safe to use on paint...this is usually stated on the product descriptoin.
Trix is crap. Buy Tardis for Tar and iron x for iron.
-
I bought Trix and wished I hadn't. Not as effective as tardis and iron-x separately.
Although at the moment I need something stronger than iron-x. It's taken three rounds and the front wheels are still mucky (ran around with worn inner brake pads).