Car Detailing

[etihad]

With the amazing weather forecasted this weekend am planning to strip my car of all wax and previous polish and gove it some loving lol. However i need some advice with this.

First of all i need to remove the swirl marks and am buying a tub of harley wax. I've read about these hand glaze you can add. I've also got a clay bar i will use.

So can someone with experience please just recommend the best swirl remover and give me the right order to do the swirl removing and waxing etc which comes first etc..

I'm wanting to give it the wettest and shinest look i can.

Thanks.

[etihad]

After reading up on i've figured the best combo is as follows:

A wash and dry

Meguiars clay bar

Meguiars scratch X

Meguiars glaze

then Harley wax

What so you guys think?

[Daveyonthemove]

You will never get the swirls out by hand, and Scratch X isn't designed to do that even if you could.

If you want to remove swirls (or most of them) consider paying an expert to do it. Its not cheap, but the car will look amazing all year round if you wash it correctly afterwards.

If you use a sponge, then the chances are you are putting in swirls all the time, so the scratch x all over would be a waste of your time anyway.

My method is to:

Wash

clay

Polish

Sealant

Wax

Its a long process, but it will last for a long time and look great for several months.

P.S

If you want an example of what a professional detailer can do, take a look here:

http://www.finerdetails.co.uk/

Iain has done 2 of my cars in the past and i wouldn't hesitate to take my Auris to him when i have the time and spare cash.

[CorollaD4D]

1. wash 2 bucket method with a plush microfibre sponge or wash mitt

2. pat dry with microfibre towel (NOT a leather!!)

3. if not using machine i would polish with AG super resin polish, it contains fillers which fill swirls rather than cut them out

4. wax with ag high def wax

5. take pictures lol

if you want to clay then do this in between steps 2 and 3 and remember to at least re-rinse the car with water, i would re-wash quickly to remove the lubricant if it isnt water.

Never heard of Harley wax, I'm not the biggest fan of these fancy expensive waxes and polishes. fact of the matter is for a average/hobbyist ability level without a machine poliser the AG SRP and AG HD wax combo will be hard to beat when taking cost and ease of application/removal into the equation.

[Corrolla18]

I would consider paying a body shop to MOP the paintwork for you if the swirling is bad(machine operated polishing) this should cost aprox £200.00. Your paintwork will look like new. Then as stated before regular cleaning and normal waxing routines to keep it tip top.

On a note if your not sure on machine polishing I wouldn't attempt it yourself as if you go to hard you'll take the finish off.

[bigshark]

The way i did it once was:

1. wash + rinse (two bucket method)

2. wash again

3. clay

4. polish

5. glaze

6. wax

7. seal

took me well over 6 hrs to complete! but it was well worth it. to keep the shine all i did was to spray the car with detailing spray and wipe with a cloth and the shine lasted 5-6 months!

[Norfolk n Chance]

With the amazing weather forecasted this weekend am planning to strip my car of all wax and previous polish and gove it some loving lol. However i need some advice with this.

First of all i need to remove the swirl marks and am buying a tub of harley wax. I've read about these hand glaze you can add. I've also got a clay bar i will use.

So can someone with experience please just recommend the best swirl remover and give me the right order to do the swirl removing and waxing etc which comes first etc..

I'm wanting to give it the wettest and shinest look i can.

Thanks.

Dude, if you're wanting Harly i can sort you out with that

[nrgizerbunny]

I'm the voice of practicality on here.

Hence Karcher + Soap = clean

[Norfolk n Chance]

I'm the voice of practicality on here.

Hence Karcher + Soap = clean

Won't give the same finish though ;)

At the weekend i did the following :

1. Acid Wheel Cleaner (No need to scrub alloys)

2. Few minutes later used a Karcher to rinse the car and alloys

3. Washed the car using own blend Ninja Shine wash & wax.

4. Rinsed.

5. Dried using a microfibre drying towel (more like a bath towel!)

6. Polished using Cherry Glaze.

7. waxed using Harly Wax.

Only need to give it a rinse every now and again over the next few months to keep it nice and shiny

[nrgizerbunny]

someone detail my car! I will pay!

[etihad]

With the amazing weather forecasted this weekend am planning to strip my car of all wax and previous polish and gove it some loving lol. However i need some advice with this.

First of all i need to remove the swirl marks and am buying a tub of harley wax. I've read about these hand glaze you can add. I've also got a clay bar i will use.

So can someone with experience please just recommend the best swirl remover and give me the right order to do the swirl removing and waxing etc which comes first etc..

I'm wanting to give it the wettest and shinest look i can.

Thanks.

Dude, if you're wanting Harly i can sort you out with that

Cheers mate but i've bought it already from eBay..and bought the swirl x. Apparently swirl x works but you have to work it hard and if you havnt got arnie arms and shoulsers by the end you havnt done it right lol.

Do i need a sealant?

[blutto]

Harly Wax has just been group tested in Auto Express, gave it a good rating.

Gave the van a Harly this afternoon, fantastic.

[Norfolk n Chance]

Harly Wax has just been group tested in Auto Express, gave it a good rating.

It was group tested at JAE too

[blutto]

Harly Wax has just been group tested in Auto Express, gave it a good rating.

It was group tested at JAE too

And may I say, it was quite impartial too.

[Norfolk n Chance]

Harly Wax has just been group tested in Auto Express, gave it a good rating.

It was group tested at JAE too

And may I say, it was quite impartial too.

Of course it was.... there was absolutely no bias at all....

[blutto]

Harly Wax has just been group tested in Auto Express, gave it a good rating.

It was group tested at JAE too

And may I say, it was quite impartial too.

Of course it was.... there was absolutely no bias at all....

And if I remeber, no competitors

[etihad]

Time to report back on the work done this weekend.

So I used a clay bar on car first and used swirl x. Then used some Dodo lime prime, and finally harly wax. Unfortunatly the pictures with the car parked up in the drive was taken after it rained and dried up so wasn't as shiny, the rain was pretty dirty due to the smog we have had over Leeds :censor:. I've also added some stickers to the callipers, what do you gutys think? I got told by alot of people they look smart and professionally done, even though i got them from eBay!!!

P.s does anyone know what the best engine oil for the compressor is? Thanks

[CorollaD4D]

is that the standard ride height for the compressor? wow...it may be how the car is parked but it looks quite high up! I would have thought they would have modified the suspension as well as adding the charger when converting from t-sport to compressor? car looks really good, love the grey with black wheels and the detail seems to have worked a treat. personally i'd lower it 30-40mm but then again if you regularly carry passengers/load then that may not be practical. love the car though mate!

check your handbook for the best oil, i would assume some kind of 5w-30 would be appropriate?

[etihad]

Thanks mate, i know what you mean but its the way i took the picture and the way it was parked made it looked high. Also i hardly had any fuel in and no spare wheel so i think thay might had an effect on the the height.

[Norfolk n Chance]

Looking good.... but you missed a bit :P

[etihad]

Looking good.... but you missed a bit :P

naa it's the way I took the pic haha

[Uber_Luke]

Sure the comp rolls on TTE springs

so -30mm on pre and -15mm on F/l

[oldcodger]

Unfortunatly the pictures with the car parked up in the drive was taken after it rained and dried up so wasn't as shiny, the rain was pretty dirty due to the smog we have had over Leeds

Hey,

Just use some of the Mer or similar detailing Spray and a microfibre cloth to restore that shine.

Had used the Mer clay kit on the car over the weekend and used the Mer detailing Spray after a day out, just 5 mins to do the whole car and the shine was like new again.

[CorollaD4D]

Thanks mate, i know what you mean but its the way i took the picture and the way it was parked made it looked high. Also i hardly had any fuel in and no spare wheel so i think thay might had an effect on the the height.

incidentally have i ever seen your car parked outside Rajas on great horton road in bradford? can't remember if that comp was silver or grey..

[etihad]

I had a friend who lived in foster halls last year but thats when i had my older corolla. Since i got the comp he moved out. I dont remember parking it outside rajas to be honest, but i do go through bradford on a regular basis.