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The Complete Detailing Guide...

21K views 29 replies 15 participants last post by  Ella 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

As a lot of you are waiting to take delivery of (or have luckily already got your) spanking new Scirocco’s, we get asked on a regular basis what sort of things you should all be doing to take care of your new car once it arrives. To help you get started, we’ve put together a complete Detailing guide, which step by step should help you getting your car looking its absolute best, and staying that way!

If you’re just starting out with car care there are a couple of items that we would class as “must haves” and then of course your collection can be added to as and when necessary to build up a selection of products that will not only make maintenance of the car much easier but will also and more importantly, achieve excellent results. Not only is it important to make sure you have a selection of good quality products, but it’s essential to use them in the right way with the right techniques.

The first thing you need to make sure you have is a good “wash” regime with a good collection of “wash” products... this is because most of the damage such as swirl marks and random scratches can be inflicted during the wash stage if done incorrectly and using the incorrect products.

Cleaning the Wheels...
To start off with, clean the wheels first â€" this ensures that you don’t waste time washing the car and then go and splash water and dirt all over it again when you wash the wheels off!

Begin by spraying the wheels liberally with a dedicated wheel cleaner â€" we recommend Bilberry Wheel Cleaner as it’s safe on both polished and lacquered wheels, it’s completely acid-free, it’s easy to use and most importantly, works amazingly! Be sure to spray the wheel cleaner inside the wheels as well as on the surface. For very heavily soiled wheels use the Bilberry neat or diluted 1:1. For lightly soiled wheels, dilute the Bilberry between 1:5 â€" 1:10. Leave the solution on the wheels for around 5 â€" 10 minutes to loosen off any dirt and brake dust.

Whilst you’re waiting for the Bilberry to loosen off any dirt on the wheels, go around the car and spray each arch with the Bilberry solution. If the arches aren’t too heavily soiled this should be enough to loosen anything off and they should come up nice and clean when you wash them off. If, however, they are very muddy, give them a good scrub round with a brush â€" the RaceGlaze Extra Long Wheel Brush is the best tool for the job as you can get right into the wheel arch without any problems.

Once you’ve cleaned the arches you can go back to the wheels. Starting with the insides of the wheels, gently agitate the Bilberry â€" we find that either the RaceGlaze Extra Long Wheel Brush or the EZ Detail Brush are excellent for this, as they can both get in behind the spokes to get the insides of the wheels nice and clean. Clean the face of the wheels by agitating the Bilberry using a soft bristled brush â€" we use one of the larger brushes out of the RaceGlaze Detailing Brush Set. Once you’ve cleaned the insides of the wheels as well as the face, rinse the arches and the wheels thoroughly with fresh water... best results will be achieved using a pressure washer.

Bilberry Wheel Cleaner
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Vale ... Litre.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Vale ... Litre.html

Wheel Brushes
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... Brush.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/EZ-Detail-Brush.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... h-Set.html

Washing the Car...
The aim when washing the car is to get as much muck off as possible, before you make contact with it. The more you remove, the less chance you have of causing any damage when you do wash it. With this is mind, if possible, you should get a pre-wash into your regime before you go reaching for your buckets! The best way to do this is with a pressure washer and some snow foam, sprayed onto the car through a foam lance. We use our own Snow Foam Magic (as named by our six year old son!), and out of all of them that we’ve tried, this one is the best! Another good alternative is Valet Pro pH Neutral Snow Foam. You use around 25ml â€" 50ml of product per car and this is plenty enough to give you a really thick coating of foam that helps to loosen and lift the dirt and dust on the car. Spray the foam all over the car and leave to dwell for around 5 minutes. Depending on how dirty the car is, you should be able to see the muck in the foam as it drips off the bottom of the car. Be sure to rinse all of the foam off the car before it dries â€" if you’re washing your car on a very hot sunny or windy day you may not be able to leave it on for as long.

For those of you who don’t have a pressure washer, a Gilmour Foam Master would be a good investment, as it will allow you to use the Snow Foam effectively with your hose pipe.

Once you’ve done the pre-wash you should be ready to get going with the hand-wash. For this we recommend using the Two Bucket Method. For this you need two buckets, two grit-guards (these are an absolute must) and a wash mitt. The way the two bucket method works is that you have one bucket of water with your shampoo and you have one bucket of fresh water. Our first choice of shampoo is Duragloss 901 Cherry Wash... it’s a pH neutral shampoo that’s wax friendly, so won’t strip any products that have already been applied. It adds depth to the paint and leaves a really glossy finish and is also excellent value for money in terms of dilution ratios. You use one cap-full to a 20 litre bucket â€" no more, no less, just one tiny cap-full! Dodo Juice is a good alternative â€" they do two shampoos that are both good performers and give excellent results. If possible, use warm water in the shampoo bucket as this will help even more with loosening dirt. You can use either a wash mitt or a wash pad, and this really comes down to personal preference... I prefer the feel of a more traditional sponge so I tend to use a wash pad, whereas Jim prefers wearing a mitt so uses a Sheep Puppet. Whichever you go for, make sure it’s microfibre or lamb’s wool, and under no circumstances should you use a sponge! The principal behind ditching the sponge is this â€" any dust or dirt particles sit on the surface of the sponge and then get scraped across the surface of the paint, which is what causes swirl marks. When using a microfibre or lamb’s wool wash mitt, the dust and dirt particles get trapped deep within the fibres and are held away from the paint surface, which eliminates the possibility of inflicting swirl marks. With your chosen mitt or pad, dip it in the shampoo bucket and wash the car, beginning at the top and working your way down. Do this by washing the roof first, then the windows and windscreens, then the door panels and bonnet, and finishing with the bumpers and sills, making sure that you wash in a back and forth straight line motion and not a circular motion. Each time you need to get more shampoo on your mitt or pad, before you dunk it in the shampoo bucket, rinse it in the fresh water bucket. Make sure you give the mitt or pad a good rub against the grit guard in the bottom of the bucket each time you dunk it, which will get rid of any dust and dirt particles trapped in the fibres. Once you’ve wash the whole car, rinse it off well with your pressure washer or hose.

To dry the car off, we recommend using a Super Plush Drying Towel â€" we don’t really make any alternative recommendations when it comes to drying towels, as there’s nothing else out there that comes anywhere close to this (in our opinion!). If you’ve got any chamois leathers lurking in your existing car care collection, ditch it in the same bin as the sponge! The principal with the drying towel is exactly the same as with the wash mitt. Basically, if you’ve washed the car thoroughly you shouldn’t have anything to worry about, however, when it comes to paint work and swirl marks, there’s no sense in taking any risks, so just in case there is a rogue dust particle, it’s always best to use a microfibre drying towel to make sure it doesn’t get a chance to cause any damage whilst you’re drying the car. As with the wash stage, make sure you dry the car in straight lines working back and forth, and not in a circular motion, and follow the same pattern as with the wash, starting at the roof and working your way down to the bumpers and sills.

You may not want to use your Super Plush Dryer on the wheels so for these we recommend our waffle weave wheel dryer.

Snow Foam
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... -1ltr.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Vale ... Litre.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... ments.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Gilm ... Lance.html

Buckets and Grit Guards
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... d-Kit.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... d-Kit.html

Shampoo
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dura ... trate.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 250ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 250ml.html

Wash Mitts and Pads
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... -Wash-Mitt).html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... -Mitt.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... h-Pad.html

Drying Towels
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... Towel.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... Dryer.html

Claying...
This is the one stage we get asked about the most, as it seems to be the stage that frightens people the most! You can miss this stage out, however, if you want to give the car a complete going over to get a solid foundation to maintain from, ideally you should look at claying the car â€" not only does it add a real clarity to the paint, but it also prepares the surface in the best possible way for the following stages. Claying will remove any contaminants on the paintwork such as bug splatters, tar spots and tree sap etc. You can also clay the windows to get the glass as clean as possible if you want to.

For most of you, you will be claying a brand new car, which means that there shouldn’t be too much for you to have to remove. This means that you won’t need to use an aggressive clay â€" something like our Ultrafine Orange Clay would be perfect. It’s plenty strong enough to remove the contaminants, but will massively reduce the possibility of inflicting any marring on the paintwork, which can sometimes be caused when using very aggressive clay. You will also need a lube of some sort, as both the clay and the paintwork need to be completely wet at all times when claying the car. We use our own clay lube solution, but Dodo Juice do a dedicated lube called Born Slippy â€" just be aware that if using this product, you will need to wash the car off again after you’ve finished claying. Finally you’ll need a microfibre cloth to wipe off the lube after you’ve finished each panel. We use one of our standard yellow microfibres as you really don’t need anything too fancy for this stage.

To clay the car, break a small piece from the bar and knead it into about a 50 pence piece shape. Work it in your hands for a couple of minutes to make sure it’s nice and warm... if it’s a very cold day or you have very cold hands, you could use a cup of warm water and dip the clay in just to get it warmed up (make sure it’s not too hot though, otherwise it will melt!!). Once you’ve got your clay nice and warm, work on a panel at a time and make sure that both the clay and panel are nice and wet with the lube all of the time. Applying a very light pressure, rub the clay in a back and forth motion in straight lines over the panel and you will feel and hear the clay lifting the tar and contaminants from the paint. After a couple of light rubs, you should be able to feel that the paint is completely smooth, which means that everything has been removed. Wipe away the lube using a clean microfibre then move onto the next panel. When the clay becomes quite dirty (you will be able to see brown marks on the clay), fold the dirty surface in on itself to expose a fresh surface, and knead it back into a 50 pence piece shape and start on the next panel.

To help appreciate just what a difference claying really makes, here’s a little trick to try... before you start to clay the car, get a plastic bag (something like a supermarket carrier bag or an empty crisp packet is perfect), slip your fingers inside the bag and rub them across the surface of a panel. You’ll be able to feel how bumpy the paintwork is, which is caused by all of the contaminants. Do the same after you’ve clayed the panel and you should be able to feel what a difference you’ve made, as it will be completely smooth!

Clay
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... g-Bar.html

Clay Lube
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... 250ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 500ml.html

Clay Kit:
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... y-Kit.html

Microfibre
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... fibre.html

Pre-wax cleanse the paint...
Once the car has been clayed the paint will need to be cleansed in order to enable the wax to bond with the paint. Our recommendation for this would be R222, which is a pre-wax cleanser with no abrasives and no fillers, just lots and lots of natural cleansing oils that get the paint squeaky clean and also adds depth and gloss. There are a lot of pre-wax cleansers available and a number of them work in very different ways. We’ve tried and tested just about all of them and R222 is by far the best we’ve come across. RaceGlaze and Dodo Juice offer some good alternatives â€" Lime Prime is Dodo’s pre-wax cleanser and it’s available in two different formulas. Lime Prime has micro-abrasives in it, which has slight “cut” properties to it, so if your paintwork has some very mild swirl marks, this may be a good option to go with as it will help to eliminate them at the same time as cleansing the paint. If your paint isn’t in need of any sort of correction, Lime Prime Lite would be better suited, as it doesn’t contain any abrasives at all.

Working on a panel at a time, apply a small amount of product (two pea-size blobs is ideal) to an applicator â€" for this we use the Big Red Notched Applicator, as its ultra-soft foam is great for applying products and is absolutely safe on the paint. Work the product into the paint; again, using a straight line back and forth motion until the product is very nearly dry. It will haze ever so slightly and at that point it’s ready to be buffed off. For this stage, another standard yellow microfibre would be fine, but we personally prefer to use something a bit plusher, one of Dodo Juice’s Fantastic Fur microfibres does the job very nicely. Once you’ve finished one panel, move onto the next until you’ve done the whole car.

Pre-wax Cleansers
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/R222 ... 350ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 250ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 250ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... anser.html

Applicator
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Uber ... cator.html

Microfibre
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... fibre.html

Waxing the car...
Once the paint has been cleansed you’re ready to apply a carnauba wax, which will provide all-important protection for the paint and will also add further depth and gloss. What wax to go for really comes down to personal preference again. There are so many to choose from and all of them have slightly different pros and cons, then of course there are sealants to take into consideration, so the list of possibilities becomes endless! From our own experience, we have always found that using a pre-wax cleanser followed by a carnauba wax is how to get the best possible results. Some people’s opinions may differ though, as a lot of people prefer to use a sealant â€" as with a lot of these things, it’s all down to personal preference!

We’re asked a lot for recommendations regarding wax, and we always say the same thing... if you’re looking for an all-round excellent performing wax at an affordable price we recommend Pinnacle Signature Carnauba Wax. This wax is extremely easy to use, it’s excellent value for money and the results are outstanding. In terms of durability, you should get between 1 â€" 3 months with this wax, depending on how it is maintained. If you use a good quality shampoo such as Duragloss or Dodo Juice and keep the car clean you will see about three months, however, if you use a cheap shampoo from Halfords you could end up stripping the wax off within the first week or so, so it really depends on how you look after the car.

Whatever you decide to go with, the most important thing to make sure is that you’ve done all of the preparation stages as thoroughly as possible, that way, the wax will perform to the best of its ability and you will get the longest lasting protection possible.

To wax the car make sure that the wax is nice and warm to start off with â€" by this, we don’t mean pop it in the microwave to heat it up for a minute! Just simply take a clean applicator â€" our favourite is our Soft Foam Wax Applicator â€" and wipe it across the top of the pot of wax a couple of times... this will not only warm the wax up nicely, but it also primes the applicator well before you start to apply the wax. Depending on what wax you go for, different application processes will apply â€" because we find Pinnacle gives the best results and is the easiest to use, the following application process is based around using this wax...
Working on two panels at a time, apply a thin and even layer of wax to each panel. Do this by applying the wax in small neat circles and try to ensure that you don’t overlap too much or miss any sections out. Apply the wax to the first panel, move onto the next panel and apply the wax, and by this time the first panel will be ready to be buffed off. Using a thick microfibre go back to the first panel and wipe away the wax and make sure that it’s well buffed. Then move onto the second panel and buff that one too. Start the process again by waxing two more panels and buffing them before moving on again. We use one of our Double Plush microfibres to buff away wax

Pinnacle Signature Carnauba Wax doesn’t need any time to cure or gas out, so it can be buffed off pretty much straight away and you can apply a second coat straight away without having to leave it 24 hours, however, if you’re using a different wax, something like Dodo Juice Supernatural, any of the Swissvax waxes, or AutoGlym HD wax etc., it’s better to wax the whole car and leave for about 10 minutes for the wax to cure before buffing it off. You’ll know when the wax is ready to buff because it will have hazed slightly and won’t be as clear as it was when you first apply it. If you're putting a second coat of wax on, leave it 24 hours between applications just to give the wax enough to time do what it needs to!

With regards to how often the wax should be topped up, this can differ very much depending on which wax you’ve gone for. Some of the more widely used waxes such as Pinnacle and the Dodo Juice colour charged waxes should give you between 1 â€" 3 months of durability, whereas something like Supernatural or any of the higher end waxes should be giving you around 6 months of protection. Whatever wax you’re using, to get the best results we recommend topping the wax up once a month, which will give the paint maximum protection and will keep the car looking stunning. A good way to tell whether or not there’s any wax still on the car is to observe how well water beads on the surface when it rains. If the water sits on the surface in small, neat tidy beads, there’s a good coat of wax on. When the water drops becomes less uniform and look like larger blobs rather than smaller beads, it’s a sign that the wax has started to deteriorate and needs topping up again.

Wax
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Pinn ... a-Wax.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo-Juice-1.html

Applicator
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... cator.html

Microfibres
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... fibre.html

Waxing the Wheels...
When choosing a wheel wax or sealant it’s best to go for something that’s dedicated specifically to wheels. Whilst you can use the same wax as on your paintwork, you’ll probably find that it needs to be topped up much more regularly, as the wheels are subjected to much tougher conditions than the paint. With a dedicated wheel wax, you get more durability and resistance against the higher temperatures endured by the wheels.
If we had to make a recommend for both sides of the coin, we’d recommend Rimwax or Poorboys Wheel Sealant. Both are excellent products, easy to use, and achieve excellent results.

If you decide to go for a wax, use a soft foam applicator and apply a thin, even coat to the surface of the wheel, and if possible, also on the inside of the wheel. Apply the wax to each wheel and leave for around 5 minutes until the wax has hazed. Then simply buff all of the wax off using a clean microfibre to leave behind an ultra-shiny, well protected surface.

If you opt for a sealant, application is pretty much the same, although with this sealant ideally you need to apply two coats to get the best results. Work on a wheel at a time and apply the first coat using a foam or microfibre applicator; leave to haze for a couple of minutes and then buff off with a clean microfibre. Once the first coat has been applied to all of the wheels, start again and apply the second coat in the same way.

Whilst you use slightly more product with a sealant than you would with the Rimwax, the amount of times you need to top the sealant up is much less. With Rimwax you should aim to apply a coat around once every month. With the sealant you should be applying the product around once every two â€" three months.

Once you’ve got the wheels waxed or sealed, spray a tyre dressing around the tyres just to finish off the look.

Wax / Sealant
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Rimw ... l-Wax.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Poor ... t-8oz.html

Applicators
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... -Pack.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... cator.html

Tyre Dressing
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... 250ml.html

Door Shuts...
There’s not really much that can be said about the door shuts, as they’re pretty straight forward. Just use a standard microfibre and wipe them over on a regular basis to keep them clean. When you first give you car a good going over, you can pre-wax cleanse the door shuts and wax them in exactly the same way as you do the outside of the car. This will make them much easier to keep clean and you should be able to just wipe them over with a Quick Detailer in between wax top-ups.

Quick Detailers
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Quick-Detailers.html

Leather...
With the interior of the car everything is fairly easy â€" make sure you hoover everywhere regularly and thoroughly, wipe over interior dashes with a damp microfibre, clean air vents with the smaller brushes out of the RaceGlaze Detailing brush set etc., but when it comes to the leather, things get a bit more tricky.

There are a lot of myths and legends surrounding leather interior, and we go against the grain of what a lot of manufacturers say about leather care. We follow the same principles as laid out by a company called LTT Leather Care. In our opinion, these guys are the absolute experts in the field and having spent a lot of time working with them and seeing them at work in their workshop, we believe everything they say about what’s best for your leather!

As a general rule of thumb, most companies will tell you that you need to clean the leather using a dedicated leather cleaner â€" this we agree with, however, they then go on to tell you that you should apply a leather conditioner or balm of some sort â€" this is where we don’t agree! Most leather cleaners and conditioners and balms are oil based, and these are not the best sorts of products for your leather. Any oil based product will simply sit on top of the leather surface and whilst they will give a nice glossy finish, this will soon wear off as the seats are used, as it will simply be wiped away from the surface of the seat. LTT products are all water based and because of this, they soak deep into the leather where it needs to be, to help clean and condition the leather from deep within. Whilst you don’t get that glossy look with LTT, you do get long lasting protection as the product doesn’t get wiped away once you sit on the seat. LTT helps to restore colour on dulled leather, and keeps leather soft and supple for longer.

For most of you who are lucky enough to have new cars, you will probably only need to use one product, which is the LTT Auto Ultra Maintain. This product has cleaning properties as well as protection properties, so is an all-in-one type of product that is ideal if used straight away on new leather. Simply spray a small amount of product onto the leather, work it in gently using a clean cloth, ensuring that it’s worked into the seams as well as the whole panel and simply leave to dry. This Maintain should need topping up around once every three months, although, depending on how well used the car is, the driver’s seat may need to be topped up once a month.

If you find that your seats are more heavily soiled, you may need to use the cleaner followed by the protector. Using either a soft bristled brush or a clean sponge, spray some LTT Auto Ultra Foam onto the leather and gently work it into the surface. Wipe away the left over foam with white paper towel. If the leather is very dirty, don’t resort to scrubbing the surface of the leather with a lot of pressure, simply repeat this step a couple of times using light pressure each time, otherwise you could end up damaging the leather. Once you’re happy that the leather is completely clean, spray a small amount of LTT Auto Ultra Protect to the leather and work gently into the surface with a clean cloth and leave to dry.

For those of you who prefer to use leather care products that leave a slightly glossy look, as well as adding a fresh leather smell to your car, our recommendations have to be RaceGlaze, as there’s nothing better at generating that “new leather” smell!

Leather Care
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/LTT- ... ntain.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/LTT- ... eaner.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/LTT- ... otect.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/LTT- ... e-Kit.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... e-Kit.html

The finishing touches...
Once you’ve gone through all of these stages, you should be just about done! The only things left to do are the finishing touches such as black trims and window seals etc. These can be kept looking fresh and black by applying a dressing on a regular basis.

Dressing
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... 250ml.html

Routines and Timescales...
Everyone will have a different amount of time to spend on their car, and how long you take and how regularly you get out to clean your car will depend on a number of things, so it’s really just a case of what suits you best.

In an ideal world, to keep your car at its best, this is what we would recommend:

• When you collect the car (or your first good going over with the car):
All of the stages we’ve outlined in this guide should be carried out. Done thoroughly, the whole process should take you about a day. We do a lot of New Car Preps and they take us around half a day, but there is two of us working on the car!
You should be looking at a good 6 hours worth of work, which is a lot, but it’s well worth it to give your car the best possible start, and it will also make your life a lot easier each time you come to clean it from this point onwards.

• Every week:
If it’s possible for you to get outside and clean the car every week then the wash and dry stages should be all you need to do. Make sure that the wheels and arches are cleaned thoroughly, as well as the paintwork, glass and the door shuts are wiped over.
You should be able to get all of this done in a couple of hours at most.

• Every month:
Go through the whole wash and dry processes to make sure the cars absolutely clean and then try to get a coat of wax on each month. Give the interior a thorough clean and try to get some LTT Maintain onto the driver’s seat. If you’re using a wax on the wheels, try to get another coat on the wheels as well each month.
This should take between 3 â€" 4 hours.

• Every three months:
As above, go through all of the wash and dry processes and apply another coat of wax. Give the interior a thorough clean and try to get some LTT Maintain onto all of the seats to keep them nice and protected and if you’re using a sealant on the wheels, get another couple of coats onto them to keep them nice and protected.
This should all take around 3 â€" 4 hours.

• Every six â€" twelve months:
Depending on how much use the car has seen, around 6 â€" 12 months after you’re initial Detail, you should aim to get the car ultra clean again by going through the claying and pre-wax cleansing processes as well. If your car is a daily runner, no doubt after six months or so there will be tar spots appearing and the paint will have picked up a certain amount of contamination, although of course this much less than on an un-cleaned car, as the wax will help to minimise the amount of contamination that sticks! If your car is more of a weekend treat, then you shouldn’t need to this complete process again until around 12 months after your first one.
This should all take around 5 â€" 6 hours.

That hopefully should just about cover everything and hopefully it all helps!! If any of you need any help or advice please feel free to call us, we're always happy to help!

All the best

Taryn and Jim
Autoperfection
01789 490175
taryn@autoperfection.com / jim@autoperfection.com
 
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#4 ·
The Poorboys Black Hole is a glaze, which is slightly different to a cleanser... a glaze contains fillers, which help to hide swirl marks and minor scratches, a pre-wax cleanser generally tends to deep clean the paint and remove everything, so if there's any swirl marks, they sometims end up being more visable after the paint's been pre-waxed, which is when a glaze like Black Hole comes in handy if you don't want to have to machine the car!

It does get a bit confusing with some products though, because there are some pre-wax cleansers that also contain fillers, so they do both jobs in one step, but as a general rule of thumb, pre-wax cleansers contain cleansing oils and glazes contain fillers.

Hope that helps!

Taryn and Jim :)
 
#7 ·
Evil Derboy said:
Hi guys,

Would the Dodo Juice Purple wax work well with the poor boys blackhole glaze on my pearl black motor?
Quite simply... yes :D

There are some people who frown a bit on using glazes, purely because they hide defects rather than remove them... from a Detailing point of view, we can completely agree with this, however, from a consumers point of view, we look at it a little differently... From our own experience (having a black car!), there's absolutely nothing wrong with using a glaze because it will enhance the overall finish and add a real depth of shine to the paintwork. If you have got a few swirl marks then it does double duty because it will fill them at the same time as adding that little bit extra to the look. If you have a perfectly prepped, swirl free finish already, it will still add that extra gloss to the paintwork, which will then be enhanced further with the application of the wax.

Hope this helps

Taryn and Jim :)
 
#8 ·
Evil Derboy said:
Hi guys,

Would the Dodo Juice Purple wax work well with the poor boys blackhole glaze on my pearl black motor?
Yeah 100%...I use both of them on my both balck car very impressed with them...
Just need better wax...to go with it (want it last longer)

Any one interested to do group buy DoDo Purple PRO???
 
#9 ·
OK, this question may be a little off the ball, my other car (wifes) is black (2008). We got off to a bad start cleaning it and ther are swirls in the paint. I've tried a swirl removing product with not too much success, and have applied a couple of coats of wax. You cn still see the swirls though.

Any advice on restoring the paint to new so I follow your advice above from the start?

Thanks

El-Stoopido
 
#10 ·
El-Stoopido said:
OK, this question may be a little off the ball, my other car (wifes) is black (2008). We got off to a bad start cleaning it and ther are swirls in the paint. I've tried a swirl removing product with not too much success, and have applied a couple of coats of wax. You cn still see the swirls though.

Any advice on restoring the paint to new so I follow your advice above from the start?

Thanks

El-Stoopido
It's very difficult to remove swirl marks without using a proper rotary polisher
 
#11 ·
Couldn't agree more with Evil... it will be very difficult to remove the swirl marks by hand - not impossible, but very hard work! The best and easiest way is to use a machine polisher to remove the swirls, or get a professional to do it for you if you're not too sure about doing it yourself.

If you want to give it a go yourself we can put together a bundle kit for you, which will include a machine, some polishing pads and some polishes, and Jim will happily talk you through the motions.

Alternatively, if you want to get a professional to do it for you, we'd be happy to quote you a price

Hope this helps!

Taryn and Jim :thumbup:
 
#14 ·
markjp said:
I have read the detailing guide with interest, being a complete newbie to car detailing.

I see no mention of a polishing stage. Is this because it is not needed?

Mark
Hi Mark,

By "polish" do you mean using something along the lines of Autoglym Super Resin Polish, or do you mean a machine polishing stage?

If it's the first, then there's no mention of this stage because you wouldn't need to use a polish if you follow the steps laid out in the detailing guide. The pre-wax and waxing stage replace the need for using a product along the lines of SRP, as these two stages in our opinion will achieve much better results, be longer lasting, and the products are easier to use. If you do like to use a polish then you can use this instead of a pre-wax cleanser, and then follow it up with a carnauba wax, however, for the best results we recommend using a pre-wax cleanser.

If it's the second, then there's no mention of machine polishing because we couldn't really explain in enough depth how to machine polish just on a forum thread - it's something that needs to be taught in person!

Hope this helps

Taryn and Jim :thumbup:
 
#15 ·
autoperfection said:
markjp said:
I have read the detailing guide with interest, being a complete newbie to car detailing.

I see no mention of a polishing stage. Is this because it is not needed?

Mark
Hi Mark,

By "polish" do you mean using something along the lines of Autoglym Super Resin Polish, or do you mean a machine polishing stage?

If it's the first, then there's no mention of this stage because you wouldn't need to use a polish if you follow the steps laid out in the detailing guide. The pre-wax and waxing stage replace the need for using a product along the lines of SRP, as these two stages in our opinion will achieve much better results, be longer lasting, and the products are easier to use. If you do like to use a polish then you can use this instead of a pre-wax cleanser, and then follow it up with a carnauba wax, however, for the best results we recommend using a pre-wax cleanser.

If it's the second, then there's no mention of machine polishing because we couldn't really explain in enough depth how to machine polish just on a forum thread - it's something that needs to be taught in person!

Hope this helps

Taryn and Jim :thumbup:
I'm not quite sure what I meant, maybe both :!:

I now understand that polishing is not needed if following your guide.

When Is a machine polish necessary?

Should I consider it for my new Roc which I get on the 1st March :)

Finally I notice your guide which is also on Scirocco Central mentions some different recomended products. Is this due to the article being slightly older as I notice some are not available on your website at the moment. e.g. Lusso Revitalising Creme and Lusso Oro Wax?

Mark
 
#16 ·
markjp said:
autoperfection said:
markjp said:
I have read the detailing guide with interest, being a complete newbie to car detailing.

I see no mention of a polishing stage. Is this because it is not needed?

Mark
Hi Mark,

By "polish" do you mean using something along the lines of Autoglym Super Resin Polish, or do you mean a machine polishing stage?

If it's the first, then there's no mention of this stage because you wouldn't need to use a polish if you follow the steps laid out in the detailing guide. The pre-wax and waxing stage replace the need for using a product along the lines of SRP, as these two stages in our opinion will achieve much better results, be longer lasting, and the products are easier to use. If you do like to use a polish then you can use this instead of a pre-wax cleanser, and then follow it up with a carnauba wax, however, for the best results we recommend using a pre-wax cleanser.

If it's the second, then there's no mention of machine polishing because we couldn't really explain in enough depth how to machine polish just on a forum thread - it's something that needs to be taught in person!

Hope this helps

Taryn and Jim :thumbup:
I'm not quite sure what I meant, maybe both :!:

I now understand that polishing is not needed if following your guide.

When Is a machine polish necessary?

Should I consider it for my new Roc which I get on the 1st March :)

Finally I notice your guide which is also on Scirocco Central mentions some different recomended products. Is this due to the article being slightly older as I notice some are not available on your website at the moment. e.g. Lusso Revitalising Creme and Lusso Oro Wax?

Mark
Hi Mark,

Apologies for the massively delayed response - I think I need to get my eyes tested... I've found loads of posts this morning that I've missed :oops: Sorry!

If I'm not too late - a machine polish is necessary when the paint suffers from defects such as swirl marks and scratches, or if it has holograms as a result of a paint protection scheme or bad maintance. It shouldn't really be necessary on a brand new car, although, we have done new car preps before when we have had to give it a going over with the machine polisher. Generally though, with the rocs because they're being built to order the paint is in good condition. It's only really necessary to machine a brand new car if the paint is finished poorly or if the car has been stored for a long period of time.

With regards to the product suggestions - we try to put different links to different products because there are a few different products within each process that we like to use. We find that if we make loads of recommendations or suggestions for each stage, it just confuses things as there is too much choice, which makes it difficult for people to know what to go for. The Lusso products are back on the shop now, we had a few major supply issues just before Christmas, but they've all been resolved now so everything's back to normal :thumbup:

Hope this helps

Taryn and Jim :)
 
#17 ·
Hey guys, i've just bought myself some lime prime lite, and then i came across this thread which confirmed it's quite a good product. I had been using SRP, but i'll use the rest of it up cleaning my exhaust :clap:

My method will be optimum no rinse (it works well when used regularly) lime prime and finally dodo juice rainforest rub :) is it safe to do this every week?

thanks
 
#18 ·
Doing that every week means that you are effectively removing your wax protection and then reapplying it. Better to build up the wax protection over time, which means leaving out the Lime Prime for your weekly. I used Lime Prime once every 8-10 weeks followed by Poorboys Blackhole Glaze and then Dodo Purple Haze Wax. But every couple of weeks I'll slap on either just the wax or sometimes the both.
 
#19 ·
Evil Derboy said:
Doing that every week means that you are effectively removing your wax protection and then reapplying it. Better to build up the wax protection over time, which means leaving out the Lime Prime for your weekly. I used Lime Prime once every 8-10 weeks followed by Poorboys Blackhole Glaze and then Dodo Purple Haze Wax. But every couple of weeks I'll slap on either just the wax or sometimes the both.
thanks ed, that makes sense. so sometimes you apply the wax and the glaze? i'll have to check out that glaze.
 
#21 ·
Hey guys,
I'm not sure how old this thread is but none of the links on here work ;S I've tried searching for that website as well and I can't seem to find it anywhere. Are you guys still in business? Lol and have you got a website? I'd be very interested in buying a lot if not all of the products you've mentioned but can't see how. Can someone help?
 
#22 ·
CovGTBM_11 said:
Hey guys,
I'm not sure how old this thread is but none of the links on here work ;S I've tried searching for that website as well and I can't seem to find it anywhere. Are you guys still in business? Lol and have you got a website? I'd be very interested in buying a lot if not all of the products you've mentioned but can't see how. Can someone help?
Autoperfection ceased to be a site sponsor some time ago.

Check out the posts / links in the Car Care Section & get in touch with Jen at http://www.juicydetailing.co.uk
 
#25 ·
This is a great guide. Felt right at home with my two buckets (though I got mine from B+Q for £1 each rather than £15 from halfrauds) and successfully, I think, Washed, Clayed and waxed my new car (pics in the newbie section). I ended up using a lot of meguair's stuff as it was to hand in Halfords.

Can't stress enough how good massive microfibre cloths are. Again B+Q had some cracking ones for about £4 on a 3 for 2 offer.

Also if someone comes up with a multipack of small microfibre clothes than come at least 10 in a pack I would definetly buy a set!!
 
#26 ·
Roachy said:
Also if someone comes up with a multipack of small microfibre clothes than come at least 10 in a pack I would definetly buy a set!!
You get the likes of that in Costco from time to time I believe, although really why you need that many for personal use at a time when a few good quality ones chucked in the wash after use work just fine.
 
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