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[justboatonic]

Anyone into this?

Like most people I guess, I like a clean car but not so keen at the work you have to put in to detail a car. But, Im coming around to it!

I'll have to buy a power wash and foam lance to make dirt removal easier. I already use the two bucket method of washing using a micro fibre wash block and chemical guys citrus wash then micro fibre drying towel. Put a chemical guy's glaze on he wife's Zafira and have to say, it makes it look a lot better than I thought it would.

Im a bit wary of using a clay bar with lub as I think if you are not careful and have a totally clean car you may add some scratches hence the need for a power wash and foam lance! Once Im proficient and more confident, next up would be a DA polisher to get rid of scratches and swirls.

Oh, and I hate doing alloy wheels, even with a little brush!

So, what's your regime like?

[essex2visuvesi]

wait for it to rain

In all seriousness just a jetwas every other week or so, not much point going mad as the roads here are mainly dirt roads and all the hard work is gone within a few miles.

In the winter with temperatures well below zero, then washing the car is not wise as it freezes up

[dreadnought72]

I Autoglym every couple of months, two coats about three hours apart. And a wash when it's requested or before the waxing.

Best thing I ever did to a car was to waxoyl the underside, on my old Peugeot 405. Awful job - wheels off, bagged up the brakes, etc., but the crud just fell off when it was wet.

Andy

[Shipmate60]

justboatonic.
There are several websites for this.
I think it is way over the top for my old wreck.
1 detailer charges start at £7000 and takes almost 2 weeks!!

Bob

[Bryan Young]

Cleaning the "visible" parts of a car isn't too difficult. The wheels are the problem. Especially the inside surfaces. With the advent of the near universal adoption of alloy wheels, brought about by the trend to ever wider tyres and larger brake discs access to the inside of a wheel is damn near impossible without removing the wheel. So, just to make it easy, the wheel studs are often recessed. Easy to remove, but sods to replace....and an 8"wide alloy wheel plus tyre is no lightweight. BY.

[Shipmate60]

This shows car detailing.
It's a million miles from just cleaning your car or valeting!!

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=79859

Bob

[Colin Bishop]

I washed my car yesterday and gave it a polish. This moring it rained and it is now covered in dust which was suspended in the raindrops. Just waiting for the birds now...

Colin

[justboatonic]

justboatonic.
There are several websites for this.
I think it is way over the top for my old wreck.
1 detailer charges start at £7000 and takes almost 2 weeks!!

Bob

Yep. That's what I call exotic car detailing!

Average cost for 'everyday' detailing is around 300 - 500 quid for 1 to 2 days work although a lot depends how much or little they do. Obviously, there's no point spending lots of money if people drive around in older cars but if you have a new or nearly new car, in its way it can help protect the bodywork.

[justboatonic]

I washed my car yesterday and gave it a polish. This morning it rained and it is now covered in dust which was suspended in the raindrops. Just waiting for the birds now...

Colin

LOL! I know what you mean! Looks like its going to rain here anytime now. Plus I swear I saw a seagull circling overhead saying 'your car is mine!' as I was finishing off 

[grasshopper]

I must confess I go and see the kazaghstanis and they give the Lexus a good going over, I bung them a tenner, everyone's happy.
Detailing a car is nice if you have the desire to and intend keeping the car for a long time.
Would it make a difference to the re-sale value? I look to change my cars before the mot comes due.

[justboatonic]

I must confess I go and see the kazaghstanis and they give the Lexus a good going over, I bung them a tenner, everyone's happy.
Detailing a car is nice if you have the desire to and intend keeping the car for a long time.
Would it make a difference to the re-sale value? I look to change my cars before the mot comes due.

Yes it would make a big difference if selling the car privately since everyone (?) likes a clean car. I'd say not so much if trading in at a dealer. Even so, I'd expect possibly another couple of hundred quid trade in value compared to a similar car that wasnt as clean.

[bigfella]

I bought a Holden Sunbird  (Australian medium size 4cyl Torana with a metallic blue finish) when I was desperate for a car from a guy who used it on a farm. It was a bit dirty so I took it to one of those coin operated wash yourself carwashes. Half way through the high pressure rinse at the end I noticed that the paint work was no longer shinny, as I continued to rinse I noticed that the high pressure jet was pealing the clear coat of the metallic paint. From then on I had a matt finish metallic paint job. Moral of he story is just was the thing with a bucket and a sponge or better still just let the rain do it.

PS the day before I sold it I smothered the paintwork in Armourall to make it look shinny as nothing else would work .

Regards David

[HS93 (RIP)]

I have a mate in Shefield who is a driving instructor, he washes his car every night after work and some days if the roads are dirty where he has been he will give it a quick wash of a lunch time (he even cleans the house gutters and coats them with Mear a few times a year) his wife had a VW beetle split read screen that she used for work of a week and of the weekend they would show it, it won best in class a few times at some quite big VW meets, he cannot believe my wife leaves the car 3 months without washing it, by washing I mean getting someone to clean it for heir.

peter

[MONAHAN STEAM MODELS]

I'm waiting for enough dirt to finally build up on my car so that I can start planting vegetables.   

[karls]

I have a ford focus cant stand it so boring but cheap to buy and run. and i will never wash it i dont even like looking at it.
atb karl