Car 'detailing'

[raf_gti]

Recently I've bought a bunch of relatively expensive car cleaning products and have started to pay a lot more attention to cleaning the car than I used to, I'm also spending a lot of time thinking about 'polishing' and 'buffing'.

Is car detailing an obsession too far or is it simply another happy side to being an enthusiast and owning a car?

After cleaning, polishing and waxing out two cars I'm very happy with the results but I know now that it is protected with wax it won't need anymore attention for about 4 months, yet another part of me wants to strip the wax back just to try a new product!



My GFs Golf post polishing, pre waxing.

[Rob Crutch]

To me, no - taking good care of something you enjoy is a good thing. Just about everyone I know who is 'into' cars likes to keep them looking as good as possible and enjoys spending some time detailing... or they just get a good friend who does it professionally (and as such very well) to do it for them!

Edited by Rob Crutch on Thursday 19th November 18:20

[Merlot]

I used to - I have all the kit, random orbital etc.

However, this time of year 6 hours of hard work can be undone in about 5 miles of driving so I tend not to bother! That and the fact that I now drive a boring car that I couldn't care if it was clean or dirty. I think I've done about 1,000 miles since its last quick sponge !

[ZOLLAR]

yeah i agree i used to be a contracted valet at a bmw dealership and the state some people let there cars get in was shocking!!.
Nothing wrong with taking care of your car!.

[ShadownINja]

I don't bother. Attracts the wrong kind of attention and people think you really love your car so they are more likely to carry out acts of jealousy. In any case, I buy cars to drive so the results of any "detailing" (or good cleaning as I call it) is short-lived.

[va1o]

Anyone remember VXR Marc?

[PeteG]

I spend quite a lot of time doing mine - top tip, if you use Collinite then it'll last frigging ages. And if you slap it on the wheels, you'll be able to rinse them with nothing more than water next time.

Mine is absolutely shocking at the moment, it's been about five weeks and 3000 miles since I last did it, and in that time I've been down about a dozen muddy paths. So to speak.

[Disco_Biscuit]

va1o said:

Anyone remember VXR Marc?

Lol i do, that sad git who wouldn't let anyone touch his car apart from himself when it got delivered to the dealer.

I bet the dealer was pissing them selfs,

Looks like he is still at it with a new one

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...

[minimanAC]

va1o said:

Anyone remember VXR Marc?

Anal was his middle name.

[Disco_Biscuit]

Gaz. said:

Disco_Biscuit said:

I bet the dealer was pissing them selfs,

They laughed so much they invited him to their HQ... (it's in the first post you linked to)

Doing there bit for care in the communtiy i'd imagine

[va1o]

Gaz. said:

Disco_Biscuit said:

I bet the dealer was pissing them selfs,

They laughed so much they invited him to their HQ... (it's in the first post you linked to)

Anyone seen this one? http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...

The guy is insane.

Reminds me of the excellent barryboys piss take of his first astra detail - http://www.barryboys.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=...

Edited by va1o on Thursday 19th November 19:23

[Jonny671]

Disco_Biscuit said:

va1o said:

Anyone remember VXR Marc?

Lol i do, that sad git who wouldn't let anyone touch his car apart from himself when it got delivered to the dealer.

I bet the dealer was pissing them selfs,

Looks like he is still at it with a new one

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...

I know its abit sad for some people about the delivery of his car etc, but hes a really alright person actually.. And more than knowledgable about the methods and items he uses.

Anal about it, but £20,000 or however much these are these days he wants to keep it well looked after and not let the normal valeting monkeys at a dealership at it.. I don't blame him

Edited by Jonny671 on Thursday 19th November 19:35

[mikeyr]

va1o said:

Gaz. said:

Disco_Biscuit said:

I bet the dealer was pissing them selfs,

They laughed so much they invited him to their HQ... (it's in the first post you linked to)

This is his latest topic - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...

The guy is insane.

Edited by va1o on Thursday 19th November 19:18

he has a partner?!?

[Disco_Biscuit]

That is fking hilarious! http://www.barryboys.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=...

[Syndrome]

I think that if you're showing the car in order to try and win money or stuff n things in a competition, then spending loads of time cleaning your car is worth the effort. Likewise if you're selling it and you want it to stand out from the crowd / get a better price. Other than that I personaly think people who go to that sort of effort routinely should be put in a cage and spat at.

[OnTheOverrun]

Jonny671 said:

Anal about it, but £20,000 or however much these are these days he wants to keep it well looked after and not let the normal valeting monkeys at a dealership at it.. I don't blame him

I don't blame him for keeping his car clean. I do however blame him for seriously considering rejecting his new car on the basis that there is a miniscule paint blemish too small to see with the human eye. On a bloody Astra! Mad as a box of frogs!

[tybo]

Syndrome said:

Other than that I personaly think people who go to that sort of effort routinely should be put in a cage and spat at.

[Jonny671]

Syndrome said:

I think that if you're showing the car in order to try and win money or stuff n things in a competition, then spending loads of time cleaning your car is worth the effort. Likewise if you're selling it and you want it to stand out from the crowd / get a better price. Other than that I personaly think people who go to that sort of effort routinely should be put in a cage and spat at.

Why? Some people appreciate the clean look of their car?

I love it when i've gone out there and spent 6 hours cleaning my car and its only a Citroen worth £3k or something.

OnTheOverrun said:

Jonny671 said:

Anal about it, but £20,000 or however much these are these days he wants to keep it well looked after and not let the normal valeting monkeys at a dealership at it.. I don't blame him

I don't blame him for keeping his car clean. I do however blame him for seriously considering rejecting his new car on the basis that there is a miniscule paint blemish too small to see with the human eye. On a bloody Astra! Mad as a box of frogs!

But to him, thats something that he has a hobby in.. Keeping his car clean, and having a blemish in the paint isn't acceptable to him, though it maybe to you or the other people who bought the car.

I think its a losing battle i'm fighting here, but opinions are opinions

[va1o]

The people sticking up for VXR Marc, you do realise some of the cleaning products he used cost well into the thousands?

[Jonny671]

va1o said:

The people sticking up for VXR Marc, you do realise some of the cleaning products he used cost well into the thousands?

Yeah?

Its his living, detailing.. And if people are willing to pay for him to wax/polish their car with those products, at an inflated cost due to these products surely they easily pay for themselves?