How Do You Detail?

[Transporter]

I've done my T5 today.

Wash it with hi pressure cleaner, using Chemtech Truck wash CT18 (it is also good as the degreaser, I use it for washing the engines as well) use sponge and bucket, rinse it with high pressure cleaner.
Dry it with Vileda synthetic drying cloth.
Mothers California Gold stage 1 wax on, wax off following with the
stage 2 wax on wax off
stage 3 paste wax on wax off

Autoglym on bumpers and tyres

I use the Truck wash CT18 only when the car is almost ready for re-applying wax, after it is waxed I use hi pressure cleaner to blast the dirt off and Mothers shampoo. I have Mothers California Gold Spray Wax to maintain the wax, it can go on wet surface, which is good.
I have used Mothers FX synthetic wax on our Touareg, it is easy to apply and I'm happy with it.
On our new Tiguan I used Autoglym Super Resin Polish that someone gave me and I bought Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection to complement it. I will see in the 12 months time, if it's as good as Mothers products that I use for long time.

[ryana89]

Ryan,

I would firstly say you have obviously had bad experiences with a pressure washer/gurnie.

Any old paint with stone chips or damaged paint will be affected by the pressure of the water if you are up close. If you are safe distance you can do no harm at all to your cars paint etc.

I have been using one forever on all the cars i had and have never had an issue and everyone i know also uses them. I can not stand using a hose to be honest, gets absolutely nothing off your car.

It comes down to everything, be smart. Dont go over paint that has damage over it and dont sit 5mm from the paint with something that can easily rip it off! (der!?) lol.

--

Not yet, I've never dared use one on a car, seen so many people (mainly 4wd'ers) take a pressure right up close to the paint to remove a chunk of dirt.
Painted bullbars always show the signs of pressure washer abuse with chunks of paint missing.

What you just described is the bang on technique for usings a pressure washer.
I didn't come to mind that there are people like you who do understand how to use one (I shouldn't assume otherwise)

As for tap water, its somtimes a miracle that you can even get the job done with monthly pressure decreases.

[fuzion]

I cant handle washing my car with a hose as im to paranoid what it still leaves on the paint before i wash it.

I think an arms length is the closest you need to go and won't cause any damage. Saying that i wouldnt pass over closely on any loose chip marks, or paint damages at all for obvious reasons.

With everything it comes down to procedure i suppose. Realistically people use different techniques and a lot of wrong ones to wash their cars!

You could always get a snow foam lance as well and have fun washing your car? I regularly use one! Check video below (mind you the car is putrid, not dirty but actual car in this video LOL)

[Transporter]

I agree, I use hi pressure cleaner for cleaning our cars for more than 10 years. The oldest one Subaru Forester, parked always outside, washed once a month has minimum swirl marks and original paint that looks like new.

Where do you buy that foam from and how good it is? So far I didn't find the product that you could just spray on, hose off, to get a clean car finish (no sponge and buckets)

The advantage of Chemtech CT18 is that you can leave it to dry on the surface even until the next day.

[fuzion]

Snow Foam Lance from CCP

Fits any high pressure cleaner listed on the site.

Ill be using one this afternoon again when i finish work.

Out of curiousity, how often do you wax the transporter? maybe you should get something that has more longevity than the mots?

[Mrk_Mickey]

Mmm, these sorts of thread are my weakness. Can't help but post, even if I don't post here anymore lol.

Washing is the same as always, 2 buckets with something nice like duragloss or dodo, rinse lather rinse dry.

Interior gets lots of little things done, usually at different times because I'm always busy doing something.
I use a multi cleaner to decontaminate/clean all the hard surfaces, and the leather boot and stuff. Once the surfaces are clean and bare I 303 it all up. Can't fault the stuff!
Vacuuming went to a new level today, I'm working out how to put recaros in my car and took the front seats out, and decided to vacuum anywhere I couldn't originally get to I use special brushes and tools to vacuum out air vents and in between pieces of trim where you can't normally get to etc - having dust and crud sitting in those sorts of places just makes the car feel old and used, and I don't like that.
Fabric protection goes a long way on carpets, mats and seats... specifically 303, I used it about 6 months ago and have had people accidentally spill things in the car which can be cleaned up by literally dropping a tissue on the area

The car will need a proper exterior detail soon so I'll be claying it (slowly and repetitively, because you can easily clay a car and it won't be 100% smooth!) and machining it, then I'll go with some Collinite wax because it's my favourite at the moment. It's nuclear stuff and I have yet to see how long it lasts.

Wheels and tyres are always good fun to keep clean..ha, ha. I'm using a sprayer bottle with duragloss carwash in it with 1:10 or so water ratio. Spray onto wheels, get right inside them (only about 2-3 minutes per wheel, I'd recommend the black Vikan brushes!) and rinse it all off, dry and spray some good old nanolex on there. Tyre stuff is duragloss for me at the moment, can't get enough of it - have yet to try the new Autobrite berry blast tyre gel at CCP though.

Exhaust! My stupid car runs so rich my exhaust goes black within 4 days. I polished it up with paste polish a while ago, and actually used some nanolex window sealant (urban) on it and it lasted ages, making it easier to clean - was pretty impressed.



I could go for days explaining detailing...I'm gonna stop here for everyone else's sake

[Transporter]

Snow Foam Lance from CCP

Fits any high pressure cleaner listed on the site.

Ill be using one this afternoon again when i finish work.

Out of curiousity, how often do you wax the transporter? maybe you should get something that has more longevity than the mots?

I try to do my T5 every 6 months. I park in the garage only at night, so the T5 is baking in the sun almost whole day.

Is there anything that will last 12 months?

[Jasonpb]

The Gerni 125.2 high pressure cleaner that's about $299 at bunnings comes with a foam gun attachment that works rather well, the pressure cleaner itself also has a metal tank/pump. I have found the build quality to be great on these compared to another brand that they promote.

Introduction

My new Golf R will get the following done to it.

High pressure cleaner on the rims to get rid of any loose brake dust followed by P21S wheel cleaner gel, leave for a few minutes, use wheel brush if necessary then rinse with high pressure cleaner.

Clean tyres using old wool mitt, I use megs gold class on the tyres as it's cheap and works fairly well.

Rinse down the entire car using high pressure cleaner, obviously not holding it 2cm away from the paint.

I will generally wash the door/hatch jambs and where the fuel cap is by hand using megs gold class.

Attach foam gun to high pressure cleaner, I use "DP Extreme Foam Formula Shampoo" and go over the entire car.

Go over car with wash mitt then rinse using high pressure cleaner.

I generally don't bother drying the car before using clay, some people do.

Clay bar the car, I use Concourse clay and lube, it seems to be the same stuff as clay magic and doesn't leave any residue behind. This will get rid of any containments on the paint plus and crap the dealership just put on my paint.

Use foam gun on car again, go over with mitt then rinse.

Drying the car I am going to be purchasing one of the blower units they use on bikes, you can pick them up as "dog dryers" same units at a fraction of the cost. This way I am not running anything over the paint, the air is clean and filtered and will easily remove water from areas that don't generally show until you go for a drive.

Motorcycle Blaster Motorcycle Dryer

If the car had swirls or scratches I have a PC with various grades of polish (poorboys) that I would use, given this is a new car that's not needed.

At this point I would dress any plastics on the car.

Apply swissvax cleaner fluid regular using an applicator then wipe off with a microfibre towel.

Apply swissvax concorso wax using palm of your hands or applicator, leave wax for a few minutes but don't let dry! wipe off wax with microfibre towel then polish with a second towel. Swissvax recommend you leave the car out in the sun for a few hours afterwards.

Clean glass using swissvax crystal clear

I use 303 aerospace on the tyres using foam applicator

I use poorboys wheel sealant or permanon on the wheels.

[Mrk_Mickey]

I generally don't bother drying the car before using clay, some people do.

Quite a handy trick! So long as the car isn't in sun or the water doesn't have chance of being dried up by hot panels/light then this is a good idea.

[Big_M]

Not as good or with great help like this one !!

VW Golf R32 MK4......... - Detailing World

[Transporter]

So, what is the best product for my Tiguan external black plastic on bumpers and doors?

[fuzion]

I personally use 303 aerospace protectant.. leaves a non oily finish and as well a matt/satin look.

[BLKJETTA]

mikinoz great work, thats come up sweet, what is the process you use for applying the linseed oil???

[Tom Ford]

Hi guys,

I'm easily confused with all of this. Although it is written and described in other posts, I'm new and trying to get my head around it. Can someone critique this method/routine for me?

Rinse car
Wash with Duragloss Car wash Concentrate
Rinse car off
Dry the car with a Waffle weave cloth
Apply & Remove Zaino-AIO with micro-fibre cloth
Apply & Remove Zaino Z2 with micro-fibre cloth
Apply & Remove Zaino Z5 with micro-fibre cloth

Do I need to clay my car? If so where in the routine, prior to the Zaino-AIO?

From my understanding this routine should provide a mirror finish, and more importantly protect my paint for 3-6 months? Unfortunately I don't have an undercover car park and my car is on the street close to the beach.

I hope someone can set me straight, thanks in advance?

[carcareproducts]

Ok, probably need a bit more info to be able to give you 100% accurate opinion for your situation. You say you do not have parking, do you have cover/full shade to work in with the polish/sealants above? Is this going to be a detail that you perform every 3-6 months with just a regular wash in between?

Also how old is your car? And what condition is the paint in?

Let us know some more info and we can give you more advice