Ready for a good clean!

Rob_Cool1 · Post by **Rob_Cool1** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 3:37 pm

Got all my cleaning stuff for the lude when i get it back from the garage

Got the finishing cloth and the auto glym palm applicator which i now realise is pretty pointless as i bought the car polisher too but oh well

Also got the intensive tar remover as the burnt oil from the leak has made the rear of the car all oily and greasy
autosol metal polish for the corrosion on the alloys

Just a bit of advice when using the polisher, it has a cotton pad and a wool one. From what i remember when i watched my mate do it you use the cotton one first, do i apply the polish to the car with the applicator first then work it in with the polisher or apply a small amount of the polish onto the polisher first then work it in?
After i leave it to dry do i change to the woollen pad then buff it out then use the cloth in hard to get places?
Can i use the polisher on the vinyl too?

sorry for all the questions, new to all this lol.

Cheers!

nick_s · Post by **nick_s** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 4:52 pm

Can I be brutally honest? The bonnets you get with those machines are pretty dire.

What kind of head attachment does it have? If you can, you would be much better placed to use a soft foam 'finishing' pad if it has a velcro type backing plate. That said, a few small pea sized drops of SRP applied to the pad itself is sufficient, worked relatively quick on a DA (about 60-80% of the power, machine dependent).

And don't knock those palm applicators, they are very good

Machines CAN be used on vinyl, but you have to be very careful. If it is printed vinyl however, it's a no no as the abrasives in the polish will damage the printed surface.

Shiny · Post by **Shiny** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:00 pm

Nice little collection there!

You can't change the foam pads on those polishers unfortunately. They have big bonnets with elastic that stretch over them.

I used to have one years back, don't expect high levels of correction, but they work quite well as a buffer to buff off polish and waxes, leaving a nice shiny finish.

Have you got some thing to top off after the SRP, ie some wax or a sealant like AG Extra Gloss Protection? SRP is marketed as an all in one, but to be fair it is more of a polish and offers little, or a short lived protection.

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:07 pm

Shiny wrote:Have you got some thing to top off after the SRP, ie some wax or a sealant like AG Extra Gloss Protection? SRP is marketed as an all in one, but to be fair it is more of a polish and offers little, or a short lived protection.

Agreed on the short lived protection.

I've been wondering whether to go for Extra Gloss Protection or HD Wax after SRP. Can't seem to find a pretty conclusive answer on that one...

nick_s · Post by **nick_s** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:10 pm

wurlycorner wrote:
Shiny wrote:Have you got some thing to top off after the SRP, ie some wax or a sealant like AG Extra Gloss Protection? SRP is marketed as an all in one, but to be fair it is more of a polish and offers little, or a short lived protection.
Agreed on the short lived protection.

I've been wondering whether to go for Extra Gloss Protection or HD Wax after SRP. Can't seem to find a pretty conclusive answer on that one...

Personally, I prefer HD over EGP for ease of application. I also find it lasts that bit longer than EGP as well

Post by **RattyMcClelland** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:47 pm

Auto glym. The nazi polish with hidden silicone They dont tell you about and cause all kinds of nasty reactions when I respray the panels. I have had 100% reactions with customers vehicles who use certain ag stuff. Apart from that they are good products.

Post by **Gayno** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:51 pm

Also, if your alloys are normal painted/coated ones, I wouldn't use the Autosol metal polish on them. It's far too abrasive.

If however they are chromed/bare metal finish with corrosion, it's unlikely to clear that up. Worth a go but I wouldn't be expecting any sort of perfection from it. Autosol is best suited for use on the stainless steel parts of the car, IE backbox, manifold, etc.

As for LSP, Zaino Z2+ZFX for me. Applied 2 years ago and still beading (albeit being topped up with Zaino Z6 & Z8 after each wash)

Rob_Cool1 · Post by **Rob_Cool1** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:34 pm

cool ok, the pads are a cotton one and a woollen one? As its white the scratches etc dont come up too bad so just making it shiny is what i was looking for

When you say HD is that the High definition Auto Glym stuff they do thats £45?

how does that work, apply the polish buff out etc then do the same with the HD stuff?
The EGP is a lot cheaper

Has anyone tried this? :
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165527

As for the alloys, il have a look when i get the car back tomoz, the spokes are painted but im sure it has a chromed lip and dish to it. What would you recommend to get the corrosion off that?

Cheers for all the feedback

Post by **Donald** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:37 pm

Don't limit yourself to AG

there's some excellent products out there that the people in-the-know can recommend that probably perform comparably or better and will still be in your price range. No idea if this is true of detailing though, but you probably get what you pay for and will only be rewarded by the work you put in.

I'm probably not the best person to offer advice though, I can't even remember when I last cleaned mine

Shiny · Post by **Shiny** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 7:25 am

Aqua wax is ok, a bit greasy in use, ok to use as a drying aid, but doesn't offer much longevity.

Key point here is that a "polish" is a abrasive that takes off a very tiny layer of paint, so it reduces fine scratches and smooths the edges of deeper scratches so they show up less. This is what gives you the shine, but they offer little or no protection to the paint. Some polishes such as AG SRP also contain fillers so they offer a temporary reduction in the appearance of scratches. You only really need to polish once a year if you look after it.

A wax will protect your paint and give it some added shine. The beading you see will come from the protection, usually when the beading goes, the wax has worn off. This time of year you want a wax that gives a few months protection due to the weather. AG HD wax is good, but is almost identical to Colinite 476s which is a third of the price. Personally I prefer Colinite 845 as it is a liquid wax and easier to use.

Once you have a decent wax on your car, you won't need to wax it again until it has worn off. So when you wash your car each week/fortnight/or when ever, you only need to carefully dry it and finish it off with a quick detailer. Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer is topping the bill for me at the moment, the water behaviour after using it is insane and so far after a month or crap weather it is holding up well and almost as god as a wax!