Making a black van shine - how?

[jonnynine11]

Hi what is the best way to make my van shine? It's a year old metallic black Vw transporter kombi. When I rub my hand down the side it feels like sandpaper. Don't want to spend a fortune but would like to know what's best and where to get it. Cheers.

[PJ S]

Well, first thing is to get a clay bar - Bilt Hamber is probably the best one on the market - then use that.
You could then follow that up with their new Micro-fine, or Hydra-wax.
If the van is particulary swirly, then a good polishing to remove that, will restore the mirror appearance, then seal or wax, and don't wash with brushes or at the typical foreign national hand wash sites.
A good soft wash mitt and separate shampoo & rinse buckets, with a pre-wash rinse or application of a good degreaser (Surfex HD) will reduce the reappearance of swirls.

[jonnynine11]

Thanks, where do I get these products from I guess there not available at the local motorist discount store.

[Mattt]

Autogeek, i4detailing, chemical guys - all good stores.

[jonnynine11]

Cheers

[PJ S]

jonnynine11 said:

Thanks, where do I get these products from I guess there not available at the local motorist discount store.

Google the name/product - the manufacturer's site, and resellers will be displayed, amongst discussions on various forums (Inc this one, and this specific thread of course).

[msherry21]

Hi Jonny,

A good wash with a shampoo, a mild claybar with a spray bottle with water and a touch of the shampoo to keep the clay sliding over the paintwork (don't forget the glass and lights), wash and rinse again, then polish with AG SRP will go a long way to getting the paint back to a "good" finish...Thats the cheap but effective option and all available off the shelf from high street stores.

Cheers,

Michael.

[jonnynine11]

Thanks again it's quite big and didn't want to spend all weekend doing it. Maybe do half at a time. How long can you leave it after claying before polishing, overnight?

[Mattt]

As long as you want - as long as it doesn't get dirty in between.

[msherry21]

Hi, A wash,clay and polish will only take you at most 4 hours to complete, no need to take a whole weekend over it.

Cheers,

Michael.

[Ironballs]

You can get most of what you need to start you off at Halfords, their cleaning and detailing range is not too bad now. I've bought plenty of their products and only as I started to get further into cleaning and detailing have I needed to go beyond Halfords

[jonnynine11]

I did that! Got meguiars clay polish and wax from halfords (3 for 2) and spent today doing it. It looks and feels great got a bit of elbow ache now though! Do electric polishers work?

[Ironballs]

They do, the kind you see at Halfords are buffers rather than anything else. I'm contemplating trying out a dual action polisher as a foray into machine polishing and as I've now found that the Clean Your Car guys live on my road I'll take them up on their offer of a demo