Detailing advice for a spirited amateur

[T9JVG]

Afternoon all,

Was hoping the more experienced detailer(s) could offer me some advice on the below....

I first started getting interested in detailing, as opposed to a simple clean a few years ago, when I had a Z4 Coupe. In my enthusiastic/inexperienced state I popped down to Halfords, took advantage of their 3 for 2 and bought the following:

- Mer Shampoo
- Mer Polish
- Mer Wax
- Mer Glass cleaner
- AutoGlym wheel sealant (spray)
- Simoniz bug and tar remover
- A plethora of microfibres & applicators etc

I used the above for a couple of years, quite happily, and continued to do so when I chopped in the Z4 for a 2014 C63. I found that having rather more money 'invested' in a car furthered my desire to keep it looking ship shape and also protect the paint for better residuals/sellability. I've done some reading online and that, coupled with the suspected poor performance of the glass cleaner, wax (beads water for two weeks only and then fades) and Simoniz, has made me want to improve my routine. So I'm now thinking of doing the following:

- Shampoo (same as above until the MER runs out) - two bucket method
- Dry with microfibre
- Clay mitt applied with Autoglym rapid detailer as a lubricant
- Glass cleaner/sealant - recommendations required please
- Polish, normally only every 3 months or so as paintwork is in good nick, until the MER runs out
- Carlack 68 Nano Systematic Care/sealant thingy
- Colinite 476 Wax (this and the above are in a bundle for £30 and seem to be highly regarded)
- Wheel sealant

The questions I have are...

- Does that seem like a decent routine/process?
- Does anyone have recommendations for glass? The Mer glass cleaner I have does nothing more than the shampoo and I want something that will repel the water and seal the finish
- Can anyone recommend a good wheel sealant? The Autoglym seems to work well but doesnt last long before it wears off
- Is the rapid detailer a suitable lubicant for claying and is the mitt the best way to do it, or is a block still the way forwards?
- Any recommendations on the best mitt/bar to use and how often one would do it?
- Is polish even worth bothering with given I don't have an orbital/DA?
- The Carlack Nano says is a cleaner as well as a sealant, does this mean that it will undo the work of the polish/rapid detailer?
- If it was a sealant I was going for, is the carlack 68 a decent one? How many coats would you recommend applying per routine?

Sorry for all the questions but I have high hopes that the Pistonheads Collective will be able point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance

T9

[Alex_225]

From my experience, that looks like a pretty sound routine from where I'm sitting.

In terms of glass, I like Rain-X glass cleaner as it applies a bit of a coating when you use it. If you want a really good rain repellent though, have a look at AngelWax H2Go, fantastic stuff and lasts months on one coating. Easy to apply and buff too.

For sealing the wheels I like Chemical Guys Wheel Guard. Not too pricy and again easy to use.

You can use quick detailer as a clay lubricant but I was talking to a friend of mine who details for a living. He recommended using water and car shampoo. I clayed my E Class last year with normal clay but shampoo/water instead of quick detailer. Made it so much easier, can be far more generous with it as you just mix a bucketful and use a mitt to let it run down the panels.

I like Sonus green clay, it's mild but works well. You should only need to clay once a year but is mileage dependent really.

I wouldn't imagine the Carlack would undo the work from the polishing but I've not used it personally.

I've heard Carlack products are good, not used them personally. In terms of applying coats though, usually you'd do all your prep work, then apply one coat. A lot of products recommend 24 hours to cure before applying a second coat. I tend to apply, then apply a second coat when I next wash the car.

Hope that helps mate. I'm no expert but have been a hobby detailer for quite some time. Sounds like you're getting into this.

[trickywoo]

What you are doing sounds good.

I really like using Sonax Xtreme Brilliant Shine Detailer Spray during the drying phase. You can use it on glass too although I tend to avoid the windscreen.

A little goes a long way and it sheets really well between washes. Without reapplication it won't last long but in the cold and grime of winter I never really find much lasts.

[Summit_Detailing]

T9JVG said:

Afternoon all,

Was hoping the more experienced detailer(s) could offer me some advice on the below....

I first started getting interested in detailing, as opposed to a simple clean a few years ago, when I had a Z4 Coupe. In my enthusiastic/inexperienced state I popped down to Halfords, took advantage of their 3 for 2 and bought the following:

- Mer Shampoo
- Mer Polish
- Mer Wax
- Mer Glass cleaner
- AutoGlym wheel sealant (spray)
- Simoniz bug and tar remover
- A plethora of microfibres & applicators etc

I used the above for a couple of years, quite happily, and continued to do so when I chopped in the Z4 for a 2014 C63. I found that having rather more money 'invested' in a car furthered my desire to keep it looking ship shape and also protect the paint for better residuals/sellability. I've done some reading online and that, coupled with the suspected poor performance of the glass cleaner, wax (beads water for two weeks only and then fades) and Simoniz, has made me want to improve my routine. So I'm now thinking of doing the following:

- Shampoo (same as above until the MER runs out) - two bucket method
- Dry with microfibre
- Clay mitt applied with Autoglym rapid detailer as a lubricant
- Glass cleaner/sealant - recommendations required please
- Polish, normally only every 3 months or so as paintwork is in good nick, until the MER runs out
- Carlack 68 Nano Systematic Care/sealant thingy
- Colinite 476 Wax (this and the above are in a bundle for £30 and seem to be highly regarded)
- Wheel sealant

The questions I have are...

- Does that seem like a decent routine/process?
- Does anyone have recommendations for glass? The Mer glass cleaner I have does nothing more than the shampoo and I want something that will repel the water and seal the finish
- Can anyone recommend a good wheel sealant? The Autoglym seems to work well but doesnt last long before it wears off
- Is the rapid detailer a suitable lubicant for claying and is the mitt the best way to do it, or is a block still the way forwards?
- Any recommendations on the best mitt/bar to use and how often one would do it?
- Is polish even worth bothering with given I don't have an orbital/DA?
- The Carlack Nano says is a cleaner as well as a sealant, does this mean that it will undo the work of the polish/rapid detailer?
- If it was a sealant I was going for, is the carlack 68 a decent one? How many coats would you recommend applying per routine?

Sorry for all the questions but I have high hopes that the Pistonheads Collective will be able point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance

T9

I'd not clay a car if I wasn't following it up with some form of machine polishing as you'll more than likely inflict clay marring regardless of what clay/lubricant you use.

After washing and drying I's skip the Mer polish step and apply the Carlack which will act as a paint cleanser and base for the collinite to sit over.

You can then apply additional layers of Collinite whenever you see the water behaviour diminish.

Another option to replace the Carlack is Autoglym Super Resin - still one of the best paint cleansers out there.

As you have Collinite and a tin will last you years you may as well use that on the alloy wheels too - actually more durable than some dedicated 'wheel sealants/waxes'.

I'd recommend a seperate glass cleaner and glass sealant - Dooka Glass, Autofinesse Crystal are both excellent cleaners, Gtechniq G5, Gyeon View, Nanolex Urban all excellent sealants.

cheers

Chris

[T9JVG]

Summit_Detailing said:

I'd not clay a car if I wasn't following it up with some form of machine polishing as you'll more than likely inflict clay marring regardless of what clay/lubricant you use.

After washing and drying I's skip the Mer polish step and apply the Carlack which will act as a paint cleanser and base for the collinite to sit over.

You can then apply additional layers of Collinite whenever you see the water behaviour diminish.

Another option to replace the Carlack is Autoglym Super Resin - still one of the best paint cleansers out there.

As you have Collinite and a tin will last you years you may as well use that on the alloy wheels too - actually more durable than some dedicated 'wheel sealants/waxes'.

I'd recommend a seperate glass cleaner and glass sealant - Dooka Glass, Autofinesse Crystal are both excellent cleaners, Gtechniq G5, Gyeon View, Nanolex Urban all excellent sealants.

cheers

Chris

Chris, very much appreciate you coming back to me, and the others that have responded also - most useful.

With regards to using the clay - I have read about the marring issues. Do the mitts give that effect as well? The only reason I wanted to go down this route is that I do have some contaminates on the paint and, given that the car is silver, they are starting to show as the density increases. Are there any other alternatives that you would suggest instead?

Thanks

T9

[Summit_Detailing]

T9JVG said:

Chris, very much appreciate you coming back to me, and the others that have responded also - most useful.

With regards to using the clay - I have read about the marring issues. Do the mitts give that effect as well? The only reason I wanted to go down this route is that I do have some contaminates on the paint and, given that the car is silver, they are starting to show as the density increases. Are there any other alternatives that you would suggest instead?

Thanks

T9

Hi,

No worries at all.

Yes they absolutely do. If you have tar spots for example, a dedicated tar remover and microfibre cloth's are a much safer option.
Likewise a fallout remover (car pro iron-x or gtechniq w6) will work wonders - have a google/youtube to see how they work.

If you think about the hard surface of a clay bar or mitt and the idea of it pulling tar and other environmental fallout off the paintwork it has nowhere to go so you push it across the surface with the bar/mitt.

Of course the clay marring is more apparent on certain colours and/or makes of car - Aston Martin or Land Rovers for example, most colours have butter soft clearcoat so will look ruined after using clay on it. A silver mercedes on the other hand could hide the marring, especially to the untrained eye.

cheers

Chris

[Alex_225]

Summit_Detailing said:

I'd not clay a car if I wasn't following it up with some form of machine polishing as you'll more than likely inflict clay marring regardless of what clay/lubricant you use.

This is very true, claying does inflict some marring on the paint so a good polish will sort that out.

That said, machine polishing may seem a bit overwhelming if you're new to detailing OP. Well I know I was wary of it and didn't do it for a long time.

As an alternative, you could buy a very mild clay and use plenty of lube when actually claying. Then if you use a polish like Super Resin, it will fill most of the marring you'd inflict which should be minimal. You can then apply a sealant/wax and it'll look really good.

[T9JVG]

Thanks Alex and Chris, seems like sound advice and is well received.

So I think I have been suitably put off from claying for the time being. I would be devastated if I damaged the clearcoat and was unable to rectify.

I'm going to add the car pro iron X to my cleanyourcar.co.uk order (my word that place is dangerous) and give it a whirl. Before I do so I was wondering if.....

- the Iron X will remove not only the tar/iron contaminants (the black bits that collect at the bottom of the car) but also the lighter coloured marks/objects attached higher up, on the roof etc - likely to be sap or something similar?
- and if it will still give you a glass-smooth paint finish suitable for laying down a wax/sealant?

Last two questions I promise, appreciate your ongoing help just goes to show how useful these places can be when everyone isn't playing keyboard warrior

T9

[Winky151]

GTechniq G5 on the glass here. Use it on all the cars I do & every says to me after 'have you used something on the glass because the rain goes UP the screen now'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj75P9p1L2w

[Summit_Detailing]

T9JVG said:

Thanks Alex and Chris, seems like sound advice and is well received.

So I think I have been suitably put off from claying for the time being. I would be devastated if I damaged the clearcoat and was unable to rectify.

I'm going to add the car pro iron X to my cleanyourcar.co.uk order (my word that place is dangerous) and give it a whirl. Before I do so I was wondering if.....

- the Iron X will remove not only the tar/iron contaminants (the black bits that collect at the bottom of the car) but also the lighter coloured marks/objects attached higher up, on the roof etc - likely to be sap or something similar?
- and if it will still give you a glass-smooth paint finish suitable for laying down a wax/sealant?

Last two questions I promise, appreciate your ongoing help just goes to show how useful these places can be when everyone isn't playing keyboard warrior

T9

No worries at all.

The tar will need a dedicated remover to remove, autofinesse obliterate would do the job from the CYC website.
You'll be amazed at the contaminants on the paint which are invisible until the iron-x gets to work, let alone the fallout you can see - the orange iron specks etc.

The obliterate mentioned above will soften tree sap but probably won't remove on its own. The paint cleanser as previously mentioned should sort anything left.

The claying process is not time consuming and is straight forward, so apologies if I put you off. As Alex said above lots of people will clay then apply a filler heavy polish/glaze to cover up the marring I mentioned - this is a temporary fix and is not something that I personally entertain or would ever recommend.

cheers

Chris

[mon the fish]

I like Autosmart Tardis for tar etc removal - spray it on and watch the tar dissolve.

Carpro do Trix, which is a cross between a tar remover and a fallout remover. Only used it once, seemed to do the job (hard to tell on black paint).

In terms of claying, we recently acquired a 3 year old Cooper S, which I didn't have time to machine but wanted to look half decent. So I washed, rinsed, use Trix, rinsed, then washed again with a Tardis dilute, rinsed, then clayed - the clay bar still came up a bit grubby, so tar removers don't remove everything

[lufbramatt]

I'd echo the comments about a decent fallout remover. I'm always impressed how much it shifts off the panel. Pretty cool seeing all the purple steaks appears too so you know it's doing something. The panel feels so much smoother afterwards (just spray on, leave for five mins then rinse off).

My routine is as follows, I'm working around the car panel by panel as I don't have time to spend a whole weekend on it:

-wash with hose and shampoo etc, rinse off and dry
-Bilt hamber korrosol fallout remover. smells like cherry coke.
-Bilt hamber medium clay, just uses water as lube
-quick buzz over with menzerna medium and fine polish on a rotary (these are easier to use than everyone thinks, keep it damp, keep moving, make sure the polish has broken down fully)
-Bilt hamber cleaner polish (similar to AutoGlym SRP but much less dusty)
-Top if off with Collinite wax

That's a once a year thing, I don't like using clay+cutting polish too often as obviously every time you do it you're taking off a tiny amount of paint thickness. Mostly get away with the fallout remover, cleaner polish and wax.

Edited by lufbramatt on Monday 10th April 08:40

Edited by lufbramatt on Monday 10th April 08:41