A couple of questions.....

[pmanson]

Hi All,

I have offered to clean/wax my friends e36 which is dark blue with cream leather.

On one rear quarter panel it looks like someone has attacked a 6" square area with a brillo pad.

Normally I would use claybar followed by Meguirs Stage 1/2/3 however i've run out of stage 3 so i'm after a recommendation for a wax.

It would need to be applied by hand and also suitable for my black Ford Focus. With the damaged area i'm hoping that a good session with the claybar followed by a good polish and wax will remove the worst of the scratches.

In regards to the interior the leather needs a really good clean and condition. I've heard Liquid Leather is stuff to go for? Does anyone have any before and after pictures that I can send to my mate (as he'll be buying it).

Finally is it worth getting some of the Megiurs Last Touch to get rid of any powder residue that seems to appear the day after waxing (or is that down to my poor technique?)

Thanks in advance,
Phill

[plenty]

To deal with scratching, the polishing stage is key. Wax is only a protective layer - it won't help with surface damage.

If the paint is badly marred then you might not be able to rectify it by hand polishing alone - a machine may be required. However it's worth giving it a first go by hand - expect to have to use lots of elbow grease.

Haven't tried the Megs products you mention, but you could look at Autoglym Super Resin Polish as a widely-available starter product. The thing with SRP is that it fills rather than cuts, meaning that the scratches will re-appear once the polish wears off and you'll need to apply it again, unlike a proper correction where the paint is being abraded. It does work though and unless you are prepared to do a proper correction it's worth a look. Top up with a wax to ensure that the finish lasts.

A quick detailer such as Megs Last Touch is a very worthwhile investment and has multiple applications: clay lube, rubdown after polishing, drying aid, final finishing after wax, and general upkeep between washes. I personally don't get along with Last Touch (smears too much) however lots of people like it.

[pmanson]

Thanks for that.

So with the quick detailer I should wipe down the car after I have polished it (but before I wax it) and then again after i've waxed it.

I assume this gets rid of any remaining residue and stops the dust?

[plenty]

Exactly, and it adds a final little bit of bling to the finish. It also works very well to keep the car clean in between washes - in the summer months after each drive a 20-minute wipeover with a microfibre and QD is all I need to get back to the "just detailed" look. Of course, that might not work for a daily driver that picks up significant grime - for which you'll need to wash.

For best VFM, buy QD in gallon bottles.

[pmanson]

Spend a little bit of cash this evening on the following:

Gliptone Liquid Leather Cleaner
Gliptone Liquid Leather Conditioner
Sonus Hand Polish Bundle
Meguiars Last Touch (the big bottle)
Leather Cleaning Brush
Meguiars #16 Paste Wax
Ultimate Ultra Plush Microfibre Cloths Pkg/3 16" x 16" (blue)
Meguiars Last Touch Bottle
Standard Sprayer
Foam Wax Applicator x4

About £90 inc delivery but £20 of that is stuff for my mate.

Should keep me busy for a while!

[plenty]

It's a great feeling seeing the package of goodies on your doorstep, and then unboxing everything. Enjoy

[TheDetailDoctor]

If you are having to ask some basic Q's, perhaps you need to ask yourself if you should be working on other peoples cars

[pmanson]

TheDetailDoctor said:

If you are having to ask some basic Q's, perhaps you need to ask yourself if you should be working on other peoples cars

I'm doing this a favour for a mate. I've not had to deal with a patch of paint like this before so I was interested in what techniques I could use to try and rectify it.

In regards to product recommendations, I needed to buy some new polish/wax etc so I wanted to get something good. Quick Detailer is something i've read about but not tried before.

Cheers,
Phill

PS. Hope you're feeling a bit better now, did I read on Detailing World that you thought you'd had some improvement?

[TheDetailDoctor]

pmanson said:

TheDetailDoctor said:

If you are having to ask some basic Q's, perhaps you need to ask yourself if you should be working on other peoples cars

I'm doing this a favour for a mate. I've not had to deal with a patch of paint like this before so I was interested in what techniques I could use to try and rectify it.

In regards to product recommendations, I needed to buy some new polish/wax etc so I wanted to get something good. Quick Detailer is something i've read about but not tried before.

Cheers,
Phill

PS. Hope you're feeling a bit better now, did I read on Detailing World that you thought you'd had some improvement?

Ah cool, I thought you were charging for the job, in which case I'd worry if you didn't know what to do with the damaged paint.


Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed a huge improvement thanks, which is nice, hence the reason I agreed to do the F360 on Saturday.

[pmanson]

TheDetailDoctor said:

pmanson said:

TheDetailDoctor said:

If you are having to ask some basic Q's, perhaps you need to ask yourself if you should be working on other peoples cars

I'm doing this a favour for a mate. I've not had to deal with a patch of paint like this before so I was interested in what techniques I could use to try and rectify it.

In regards to product recommendations, I needed to buy some new polish/wax etc so I wanted to get something good. Quick Detailer is something i've read about but not tried before.

Cheers,
Phill

PS. Hope you're feeling a bit better now, did I read on Detailing World that you thought you'd had some improvement?

Ah cool, I thought you were charging for the job, in which case I'd worry if you didn't know what to do with the damaged paint.


Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed a huge improvement thanks, which is nice, hence the reason I agreed to do the F360 on Saturday.

Well hopefully he might buy me a beer but that's about it!

Nice one! Keep the recovery nice and steady - don't go mad and try do too much stuff too soon.

[pmanson]

My Mate dropped his car of this evening so I took a couple of pictures of what i've got to try and resolve:








I think it's going to be a busy day!

[pmanson]

Had an early start this morning:



Although the car look ok, the claybar felt otherwise:




The main area of concern after the claybar session:


Hand polish - USed the slightly more abrasive one on this area:


Bit more work


Finished result



Cheers,
Phill

[domster]

Well done, looks a good result by hand. Faster and maybe better result by machine, less elbow grease required, but nice finish given the techniques.

[pmanson]

domster said:

Well done, looks a good result by hand. Faster and maybe better result by machine, less elbow grease required, but nice finish given the techniques.

Sod the elbows my wrist is killing me

[pmanson]

Few more pictures (I think these were from before I gave the car a final wipedown)...









For some reason one piece of trim has faded badly