Well I've just (almost) finished shining up my gift Astra.
It had suffered from the usual problem with old, red vauxhalls and was various shades of matt pinks and reds.

I started with Glare 'Liqui-clay' which did indeed pull out a lot of the dirt from within the paint and started restoring some of the colour and shine.
I then used their 'Knockout' compound and polish with an electric polisher. This gave me a uniform deep red all over and a pretty smooth finish.

Next step was the first application of their Polish and paint sealant, applied (as per istruction) with a power polisher until it was all 'bonded' with the paint.

The finish at this stage is better than the car has looked for 10 years! I've just got to fit a new wing which has been resprayed. When the paint has hardened I will apply the last coat of the Polish and paint sealant all over applied (again by instruction) by hand, left to dry then buffed up.

The application of all this was reasonably easy and, hopefully, should last a fair time. I intend to try the liqui-clay and sealant on my Cerb this weekend.

I know that this type of product is frowned upon by many detailers, but it was recommended to me and seems perfect for the job in hand!

The big challenge to Glare UK will be to see if the paint starts to fade again!

All I can say is that it may not be up to the standard of a professional detailer, but the transformation is amazing!