Detailing Tips & Tricks....

[VPplayer]

Thanks for the reply Scooter.
The condition of it at the moment is not to bad. If i realy scrub it clean it looks fantastic.
But after acouple days it just goes back to that dull look.
I have been quoted $799 for a full pain job.
If i cant get that shine to come through then by the looks of things i got no other choice.

[Scooter79]

Thanks for the reply Scooter.
The condition of it at the moment is not to bad. If i realy scrub it clean it looks fantastic.
But after acouple days it just goes back to that dull look.
I have been quoted $799 for a full pain job.
If i cant get that shine to come through then by the looks of things i got no other choice.

Sounds like you've got some dead paint. A wash may make it look a bit better but first thing I suggest is a full detail. Not just a wash and scrub. That may solve the problem. Are you definately sure it was resprayed?

[VPplayer]

yes i am 100% sure it was resprayed. because the front right guard has a nice polish look to it but the rest of the car is dull, and i took them rubber skirt things off the doors and it was like brand new under there, shiny and all. So what do i need for a full detail?
Thanks for the help by the way.

[Scooter79]

yes i am 100% sure it was resprayed. because the front right guard has a nice polish look to it but the rest of the car is dull, and i took them rubber skirt things off the doors and it was like brand new under there, shiny and all. So what do i need for a full detail?
Thanks for the help by the way.

I'll be brief because I've mentioned this many times throughout this thread already.

Step 1: Wash (obviously)

Step 2: Clay bar the whole paint.

Step 3: Polish/removal of paint defects. Can work by hand or machine. When I say machine the best thing for an amateur is a random orbital sander. One with a Velcro backing plate to attach foam pads

Step 4: Wax or sealant to provide protection and prevent fading again.

[VPplayer]

Ok thank you very much scooter. ill give that a shot on the weekend and see how it goes.

[Scooter79]

I should add that when I say polish, I mean something that contains diminishing abrassives. Not something you can really get over the counter in most retail stores.

Where you located?

[Built]

Hi Lish,
I'm about to take delivery of a new sportwagon and the dealership are pushing a product called Fusion. Have you heard anything about it and is it worth having it applied.
Built

[Scooter79]

Hi Lish,
I'm about to take delivery of a new sportwagon and the dealership are pushing a product called Fusion. Have you heard anything about it and is it worth having it applied.
Built

Do I have to keep saying it? Lish ain't been on this forum for years.... anyways.

Dealers can market their paint protection all sorts of ways. Giving it fancy names like 'Fusion' is just that... marketing. I bet they're charging over $1000 for it too. Let's get this straight. Paint protection usually comes with a lifetime warranty, BUT if you look at the fine print it usually comes with a clause that it has to be reapplied every 1 - 2 years. But paint protection does not offer protection from swirls through bad washing techniques. Best be is to apply a top quality sealant ever 6 months and follow each wash with a spray on wax to boost protection. It will save a bucket load of money.

Or you could go for something like this:

Car Care Products / Optimum / Exterior / Paint Sealant / Opti-Seal

It's basically paint protection in a small bottle.

[93RunnerDave]

What is the best thing to get rid of cigarette and wet dog smells from out of the car?

[MissUnderstood]

God.. I tired everything to get rid of the smoke smell and the many smells of rotten stuff from the kids spilling drinks in my car The only thing that worked, was getting a full detail.. everything pulled out and carpets shampooed. Good luck!

[Scooter79]

Dave, You might want to try one on the wet and dry vacs you see for hire at the local supermarket. Remove the seats so you can get acsess to the whole carpet and don't forget the roof lining.

[DannyboyDS]

Hey Scooter,

Err without anyone poking fun at me, ive never used a clay bar before, and i'm a bit suss about rubbing a massive lump of rock hard abrasive over my car.

So before I go and buy one, can you tell me a little on how to use them properly? i've read the WHOLE thread, even found a post in it by me that I forgot i'd done, so i'm fairly sure this hasn't been covered yet, then again maybe only I don't know.

Thank you in advance.

[seraphic06]

Hey Scooter,

Err without anyone poking fun at me, ive never used a clay bar before, and i'm a bit suss about rubbing a massive lump of rock hard abrasive over my car.

So before I go and buy one, can you tell me a little on how to use them properly? i've read the WHOLE thread, even found a post in it by me that I forgot i'd done, so i'm fairly sure this hasn't been covered yet, then again maybe only I don't know.

Thank you in advance.

The clay is quite soft and you don't have anything to worry about. One of the sponsors - Car Care Products - has just posted a video on how to do it here

[DannyboyDS]

Thanks Seraphic,

I think i'll go get one then.

[Scooter79]

Dannyboy, Clay bars are safe. You use a detailing spray as a lubricant to help glide the clay bar over the paint. Even though it's called a 'clay bar' its more the consistency of a firm pieve of putty.

Here's a couple of tips to help with claying:

1: Buy a 200 gram bar and cut it into quarters. Glad wrap the pieces not being used to preserve them. It works out much more economical this way.

2. Use a good quality detailing spray. My choice is the Meguiars waterless wash which comes in the 2 litre bottle. It's actually re-bottled Meguiars 'Last Touch' detailing spray from their detailers line. At $35 for 2L it's actually good value. Especially when you thing that a 473ml bottle of most sprays will cost you about $18.

3. Regularly fold the clay as you use it. Rub, fold, rub, fold etc.

4. If you drop the bar, throw it away. It will pick up dirt, pieces or gravel and you will never pick it all out. Using a contaminated clay bar will only make things worse.

After a good claying you'll notice a smooth glass like feel to the paint. Now your prepped, your ready to move on to the polishing/defect removal stage... Clay bars work perfectly on glass too.

Good luck.

By the way, Great choice of signature

[DannyboyDS]

glad you dont mind, its been my favorite post of all time since the day you put it up :P

Thanks allot for the advice this thread has been a major inspiration for me to get out and do it properly, my normal process to polish the car is as follows.

Car wash - NO BRUSH I usually bring a sponge (no car washing at all where I live, at home anyway)
Drive home (2 minutes)
Chammi it
Polish it
Wax it (By reading this thread I have now learned to let the wax cure I have been buffing it almost straight away)

there arn't allot of imperfections as it was resprayed 18 odd months ago, but now I can add the claybar to this and ill go get a random orbital too.

Thank you again Seraphic and Scooter for very prompt replies.

[Kernal]

Hey scooter,

What do you mean by fold the clay bar?
Do you recommend a brand of clay bar?

[Philthy]

Hey scooter,

What do you mean by fold the clay bar?
Do you recommend a brand of clay bar?

Have a look at the video CCP just posted and all will make sense

[Scooter79]

Hey scooter,

What do you mean by fold the clay bar?
Do you recommend a brand of clay bar?

Fold it, re mold it, whatever you want to call it. As you clay it becomes flat. Keep molding it or folding it so you're continuously using a fresh part of the clay.

I should also mention that a 1/4 piece of a 200gram bar can last me about four of 5 cars depending on how bad the car is to begin with.

I'm currently using the 3M 'Perfect it' bar. Clay magic or any name manufacturer is fine. I'd avoid the no name stuff you might find on ebay.

[Kernal]

sweet... thanks scooter

[vrcalais5ltr]

hey i was going to read through all of the pages to see if it has already been posted but i didn't realize there was 17 pages lol
anyway i have a week to get my vr calais gleaming inside and out engine bay and all removable parts will be removed to clean out underneath them to prevent rusting from dirt build up.
the parts where you normally wash the car are all good its just the under side of doors and inside the hard to get to places are black from all the dirt build up. i have already removed the tail lights and cleaned under neath them(mega build up) on the inside of the doors across the bottoms and same on boot bonnet and hard to get to places i have used a rag and normal car wash to try and get it all off i spent over 2hrs trying and i cannot get all the dirt off is there some kind of wash especially used to get this off?
and is there some type of tool you use to get inside the door jams where the doors connect to the body my hands won't fit enough no matter how persistant i am at trying to get them in to get it all out.
and engine bay detailing how do i make all the tired looking plastics nice and shinny again?
basically i am going to get it looking like she just rolled out of the showroom.
I'm sure i am forgetting to ask about allot of stuff but as i clean I'll remember thanks for any advice you can give.

[AndyVKSSA]

depending on what colour your car is you could try "acid" 2 clean the dirt out other wise a degreaser.
for the door jams id just use an old tooth brush or buy a set of parts brushes from auto shop. otherwise spray the door jams down with degreaser and get the presure cleaner in there.
for the plastic ya best bet is a silicon spray / foam, if ya use the spray do it before you pollish the car coz any over spray will leav oil dots.

[az_sv6]

has any1 got small dark spots on there vz/vy middle console?
if so how the hell do ya get em off?
iv seen it in other vz/vy's

[vrcalais5ltr]

cars white over silver 2 tone calais paint

[Trayner]

Anyone know how to get like small "dust dots" and like rain streaks out of windows ?