Marc's Amature Detailing guide (Not 56K)

[Marc_CRX]

Thought i would share with you all some of my knowledge of car detailing, today wasn't the best day for it as it was raining on and off, but fortunately the rain stayed off long enough for me to get the whole car Washed and Waxed!

 

To Start you will want to buy a good Car Shampoo, as stuff like fairy liquid and other soaps you may use are degreasers and will remove any polish/wax that may already be on the car, Autoglym and Meguirs both do great car shampoo's, i am using the autoglym shampoo as it doesnt have much Lather in it which means less bubbles and IMO better cleaning.

 

First off the car was rinsed with a hose before putting the sponge on the car, this helps remove dust and other stuff that could scratch your paint while cleaning

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180001.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180002.jpg

 

as my car was Waxed just last week the water runs off easily making less of a job when you come to dry it

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180003.jpg

 

The Car was then drying using a cloth that absorbed water, other people prefer to use a leather chamois.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180005.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180006.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180007.jpg

 

once the body was dry i didnt want to get my cloth dirty when drying the wheels/tyres so i take my car for a short drive to dry off the standing water on the tyres

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180009.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180010.jpg

 

Now that the whole car is dry it is time for the wax. I Will be using Meguars Tech Wax for my car as its non metallic, this wax can also be used on metallic cars with great results, but depending on your preference Autoglym do a great Deep Shine Polish for metallica cars.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180011.jpg

 

only a small amount is needed to cover each panel of the car, i am using a pad that came with my Wax to put it on with, but a 100% cotton cloth will do a good job aswel.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180012.jpg

 

People apply wax/polish in different ways, but the most affective method is swirling, applying the wax in circular motions to the bodywork.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180013.jpg

 

Since when using a wax you must let it dry before removing it, doing each half of the car separately to ensure easy removal of the wax, be sure that the wax goes from a clear coat to a haze before removal.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180014.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180015.jpg

 

When applying the wax, overlap each panel to ensure you dont miss any area. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180016.jpg

 

Now for removal, Most car shops sell cotton rolls that are cheap and great for using to removed polish/wax.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180017.jpg

 

of course im not going to use the whole roll, cut a decent size off the roll

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180018.jpg

 

remove the wax in the same way that it was applied, this ensures the wax is applied well to the paint.

 

you will now end up with something like this

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180019.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180020.jpg

 

Keep this Dirty cotton Cloth as it will come in useful

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180021.jpg

 

You may notice that there are some bits of hardend wax that are hard to get off the paint, for this I recommend using a Micro Fiber cloth for a Final Buffing of the wax, this will get rid of any hard to remove excess wax.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180025.jpg

 

Now that the body is done, the tyres get treating, for this i am Using Meguiars High Endurance Gloss which takes ages to use a full bottle and lasts for a good while longer than any of it counter parts, To put it on some people prefer a small jar and a paintbrush to apply it, i use a foam pad with small cotton bristles, Once Applied use that dirty cloth we talked about ealier to remove any excess Gel to stop it slipping off the wheel and onto your lovely clean car

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180022.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180024.jpg

 

Hopefully this will help you when next cleaning your car for Fantastic Results.

 

Unfortunatly it starteed raining as i was taking the last bit of wax of, but fortunatly it gives me an opportunity to show you how the wax desperse's water from the paint.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180028.jpg

[FA430RGT]

Marc the car looks great! Keep these detailed entries coming man makes the forum so much better!

[Nipper]

just thought id point this out, i got the same watch as you :p

 

other than that good guide, i prefer to drive my cars through a muddy field (so there isnt much point in cleaning lol)

 

if you have any advice on how to paint a car that would be appreciated, a little scuff with a muckspreader has scratched my little Suzukis paint LOL (i normally wouldnt mind, but its on the bullbar and its annoying cos i can see it)

 

 

EDIT: just thought id point out its not a road legal car and i dont drive on the roads with it, i dont yet have a license (DVLA issues) and its just an offroad car on my grandads farm

[azmetz88]

Looks great. Have you checked out this website? http://autopia.org/forum/

 

It has everything you ever wanted to know and more about detailing.

[nitrox]

muddie

 

just thought id point this out, i got the same watch as you :p

 

other than that good guide, i prefer to drive my cars through a muddy field (so there isnt much point in cleaning lol)

 

if you have any advice on how to paint a car that would be appreciated, a little scuff with a muckspreader has scratched my little Suzukis paint LOL (i normally wouldnt mind, but its on the bullbar and its annoying cos i can see it)

 

 

EDIT: just thought id point out its not a road legal car and i dont drive on the roads with it, i dont yet have a license (DVLA issues) and its just an offroad car on my grandads farm

 

we just do it with my uncle's jeep in some open fields (his jeep is a Mercedes-Benz ML (number unknown, he removed it))

 

but he do clean's it alway's, in the car-wash, but who whill see that ;)

[CarMadMike]

do you ever close your car boot, hahahahahaha, that colour brings out the shine, cant you just go to a carwash and get the best wash and wax

[Marc_CRX]

Car washes scratch your paint, ;) and before you know your paint will look something like this

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/Small2-1.jpg

[CarMadMike]

what??????????????????

[azmetz88]

we just do it with my uncle's jeep in some open fields (his jeep is a Mercedes-Benz ML (number unknown, he removed it))

 

but he do clean's it alway's, in the car-wash, but who whill see that ;)

 

A Mercedes ML is considered a Jeep over there?!?!?!?! Those things are expensive over here! :eek_blue: