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car detailing, tips, what not to do's etc etc.

HI all:

pleas contrubute here to your tips and hints in car detailing to scratch repair and respraying.

leave links to websites (and not post quotes from them copyright in mind please)

whilst some think what a boring activity i cant be bothered to do a wax on my car thats your perogative and poor car!

no slanging matches, everyones advice should be seen as helpfull even if its not the way you would do it or the product you would use. AND ALSWAYS TAKE ADVICE WITH CAUTION just because it works for one dont mean itll work for you.

there are thousends of shade of colours cars are painted with some very easy to maintain others are more harder.

dont forget this is MSE and buying the most expensive clay bar in the world is not gospel to getting good results (but if you know for good discount on them say so!), even the cheapest brand in the world could surprise you in regard to a deep clean shine its how its done is the key.

dont forget a clean looked after car can return you a favour come time to part ex.

TIP. dont use rags to polish a car, they create static, microfibre mits and pads are best even to apply wax's polish's and Tcuts.
use of t shirt rags causes static to the surface wich attracts dust and dirt the very thing your trying to prevent when waxing your car up to a shine.

have fun and start your contributions.


many question are asked on laquer peel here and how to combat it from spreading or prevent it, well, preventing it can be as simple as to protect the lacquer with wax reguarly, wax forms a hard shell on the surface so can take an impact of a small stone protecting the lacquer layer underneath. stopping it spreading is a task to be honest, once the lacquer is damaged sometimes its no going back and a respray of lacquer to that panel is needed, but its only the size of a 10p peice i hear you cry! maybe so, but that layer has now got a fault dirt, grit, oils, traffic films,water have now penetrated underneath the edges of the break causing it to lift away and turn milkey in colour, 9 times out of ten it only looks like a size of a 10p peice but get your fingernail and pick at it - it will just flake away getting bigger and bigger each time in every direction, untill you find it doesnt flake anymore and is now the size of the palm of your hand, so how do you stop it even further, once you done that finger nail test you can apply a touch up lacquer or clear nail varnish/hardner to the edges of the break forming a seal, but it will look horrid i hear you say, that maybe so, but there is method to this madness, it stops it going any further and a resprayer maybe able to just paint around that affected area, so why dont i just lacquer it myself i hear you say and then get it resprayed in 2 -3 weeks, 1. because if you paint it with laquer from a rattle can the whole panel will need to be painted plus youll get overspray everywhere and the spry doesnt come out thick enough.
2. lacquer doesnt fully go off for months, if you paint that panel now it's going to cost you extra, why, because the paint you put on cant just be rubbed down, it bonds into the base coat (like your original lacquer once did), to repaint that panel a special paint would need to be applied commonly known as isolator or barcoat in the body shop, once this is applied it will be re primed re based and re laquered. or you could just wait 5 or 6 months for the lacquer you put on to fully harden and have an odd panel.

but you put nail hardner or lacquer on the edges of the peeling paint wouldnt this have to be isolated? simple answer not really theres not enough on it to affect the whole panel your not going to put a large bead around the peeling paint only a thin layer to stop dirt water and scum penetrating under the rest of it that will be rubbed away to nothing come time to re lacquer.

paint fade: this is mainly for cars with NO LACQUER and solid base coat. basically your car has orange peel its faded with UV and other scums, RED cars are prone to this, many modern cars that have a solid base are now protected with lacquer but thats not to say it wont fade, and those with lacquer on are harder to bring back to life. so the cars paint feels rough to touch and paint comes off in a powdery form on you hand, what do you do about it, well one for a better word work up a sweat. wash the cars body work clean and free it from grease and grime, go out and buy some rubbing compound (t cut is too fine a grade and wont cut past this problem only mask it) there are a few products out there that does the same job, i use the car plan rubbing compound.

what your going to need:

water in a spray bottle.
cutting paste/compound.
microfiber mit/pad/cloth one for on one for off (danial son).
a clean car and away from the direct sun light.

those with a buffer machine (cheap 10-12 in head) damp your polishing cloth with water before you start mask off any high edges and dont go too close to the edges of panels youll burn right through the paint and keep the polishing cloth damp by wetting the panel there after not the cloth. if you have an expensive MOP machine then youll know this process.

firstly wet the panel you going to buff first, on your mit put the compound only a small amount and work the compound on the panel in a back and forth motion NOT SWIRLING IT ON rub with some slight pressure and at a decent speed, dont get this stuff on black trims, its more effort to get it off, keep going untill it has a haze to the panel, then buff off repeat process untill you have an even shine youll notice the colour should be restored. after this you shoul apply a wax to seal the paint and protect from fade.

Comments

  • Woody._2
    Woody._2 Posts: 472 Forumite
    Just use Showroom shine, lifes too short for all that.
  • pitkin2020
    pitkin2020 Posts: 4,029 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Woody. wrote: »
    Just use Showroom shine, lifes too short for all that.

    It is nice though when you have a nice shiny car after spending all day washing, claying, washing, wax, protecting, turning all the black bits back to black etc lol.

    The only annoying thing I find is that my car is scratched and stone chipped to !!!!!!y and its quite depressing after a polish that all these flaws are highlighted lol.
    Everyones opinion is the most important.....no wonder nothing is ever agreed on.
  • atrixblue.-MFR-.
    atrixblue.-MFR-. Posts: 6,887 Forumite
    Woody. wrote: »
    Just use Showroom shine, lifes too short for all that.
    do you wash the car first or just spray it on?
  • Woody._2
    Woody._2 Posts: 472 Forumite
    do you wash the car first or just spray it on?

    Just spray it on.
  • blue_haddock
    blue_haddock Posts: 12,110 Forumite
    www.detailingworld.com.

    May as well end the thread there as that site will cover your every need.
  • s_b
    s_b Posts: 4,464 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I dont like the word detailing and i dont like that detailing site either if im honest
    I prefer to call it minting a car and im still learning over 35 years later.
    autosmart direct from the van saves lots of time
    remember all you are looking for is that as new appearance and you dont need toothbrushes to do that no matter what a geek might tell you
  • atrixblue.-MFR-.
    atrixblue.-MFR-. Posts: 6,887 Forumite
    Woody. wrote: »
    Just spray it on.
    kk but i woud wash it first.
  • squinty
    squinty Posts: 573 Forumite
    www.detailingworld.com.

    May as well end the thread there as that site will cover your every need.

    I agree Detailing World is an excellent site with a wealth of information - and helpful members.
This discussion has been closed.
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