After a good clean.... (56k Warning, many pics)

[R3N]

Thought I'd share my cleaning efforts with opelaus. Many images, I'm a newbie at detailing, lemme know what you think. Couldn't get out of the house due to studying so no nice backgrounds

Enjoy.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean1.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean2.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean3.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean4.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean5.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean6.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean7.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean8.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean9.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean10.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~kuekwei/myastra/clean11.jpg

[Bernard Siong]

very good man!
easiest way to get a show room finish everytime is to wash using the meguiars next generation car wash
then spray meguairs qwik wax an area at a time while drying the car!
its quick and easy and results are just as good

and it looks like your springs have settled! way better now

[R3N]

I did it the old fashioned way; wash, polish, wax. Took me a good 4 hours to do the lot :o but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

I will try the spray on stuff next time though.

[crazyk78]

Great looking polish and wax.

I did mine this wkend although I did the wash, Mequires fine cut, mequires polish, mequires yellow wax, wash and she came out schmick! although it also took me a good 4 hrs. Between the cut and polish I had to put her in the sun to make sure no buff marks... I can't stand them.
After that drove down the road and a bird s**t right on it. Today another 2 birds s##t on it so had to wash it again. I tell you what I wish I could of got those birds I would of cleaned it with their feathers.

Bernard Siong, is that mequires qwik wax the one in the spray bottle? Can you use it even though I have the yellow wax? Do you do it after every wash?

Look forward to the replies.

[Bernard Siong]

what i do is use turtle wax colour cure around every 6 months
REALLY GOOD STUFF.... I LOVE IT!
and its clear coat safe! i dont trust the cut stuff on new cars
and i was my car almost every2 weeks, sometimes weekly if it didnt look too good, and yes i would use the meguairs qwik wax after each wash! it makes drying the car so much easier too...
btw this is when i had the astra

now my new car gets a wash with the rain

[BassyAstra]

Looking sexy R3N although howd you get the wheels done?

I find it takes me about one hour to do 4 wheels, to get all the dirt out of them.
VERY HARD, between gaps.

[EL BURITO]

nice and clean. time well spent

[R3N]

Looking sexy R3N although howd you get the wheels done?

I find it takes me about one hour to do 4 wheels, to get all the dirt out of them.
VERY HARD, between gaps.

I use Polyglaze Foaming Mag Wheel Cleaner, easy to use, just spray on, wait for a minute then hose off, if takes alot of the brake dust with it, then for the remainder I use a wheel brush (any brush will do, make sure its decent size so you dont have to do so much work). After all that it should turn out clean like mine, cept for the baked on brake dust. Then I finish off with Autoglym Alloy Wheel Seal to keep the dust off and easier to clean next time, just spray on and buff off.

[BassyAstra]

YEah wow, big processes for each section of the car aye...

Inside i can think of so many different products to use everywhere .... the glass, leather, dash, chrome area, plastic dash display area...yeah..

Your pics prob dont do your car wash justice aye.

[pred8r]

My car, being black, has all these tiny micro scratches (and old buff marks) in the clear that are obvious (to me anyway), do i get rid of them by-
Using a cutting compound on it?
Using a wax type product? Is spray on good?

help.

[Namus]

nice work; u'd be pissed tho if it rains 2moro...

[R3N]

YEah wow, big processes for each section of the car aye...

Inside i can think of so many different products to use everywhere .... the glass, leather, dash, chrome area, plastic dash display area...yeah..

Your pics prob dont do your car wash justice aye.

The colour of my car doesn't do the wash justice :p



My car, being black, has all these tiny micro scratches (and old buff marks) in the clear that are obvious (to me anyway), do i get rid of them by-
Using a cutting compound on it?
Using a wax type product? Is spray on good?

help.

If they're only micro scratches you don't need a cutting compound. The only reason you would use cutting compound is to restore colour. Besides it is pretty hard to use properly and I wouldn't touch it unless in an extreme case.

Wax is for adds a layer that "seals" and gives some protection to the coat underneath and also to provide depth of colour.

In your case I'd try a swirl remover polish then a coat of wax after.

[btm]

looking nice R3N - nice eyelids :D

[JasonGilholme]

Meguires scratch X will solve your problem pred. It works wonders on swirl marks and other **** and it even got rid of most of the damage that my car got when someone decided to put a nice key mark down the side. Awesome stuff.

[btm]

is that a small dent under the drivers door handle...?

[BassyAstra]

is that a small dent under the drivers door handle...?
Yes but its only in the last picsss.....

I smell something fishy!

[R3N]

nah that isnt a dent, (I've had a look!) although it did rain today, but soon as it stopped and after 10 mins of driving, the car was totally droplet free. Gotta love the wax... although it did rain like 3 or 4 more times after that!

[JR]

looking good dude. turned out "artistically"!! i like ;)

i think i'm gonna give up washing my car. why? cause for the 5th time in a row (no exhagerations), after i washed my car, it rained the next day - leaving water marks everywhere!!!! arrgghhhh. i seriously should go out 2 the country n wash my car there, atleast it will rain there n help ease their drought. before i was just joking 2 my friends bout every time i wash my car, it rains - now it aint funny!!!

i should try taking some pics like u. never got around 2 doing dat. 1 day........

[Bernard Siong]

looking good dude. turned out "artistically"!! i like ;)

i think i'm gonna give up washing my car. why? cause for the 5th time in a row (no exhagerations), after i washed my car, it rained the next day - leaving water marks everywhere!!!! arrgghhhh. i seriously should go out 2 the country n wash my car there, atleast it will rain there n help ease their drought. before i was just joking 2 my friends bout every time i wash my car, it rains - now it aint funny!!!

i should try taking some pics like u. never got around 2 doing dat. 1 day........

wax it dude
then u wont get those water marks
you can just hose it off if you happen to do

[Petey]

Pred8r,
Don't use a cutting compound!!! Black will show up swirl marks on your paint due ti it's nature...

If you wanna get rid of them u have a few ways to go about it.

If you do it by hand. Use a polish (a milder form of compound) such as Meg's scratchX, Poorboys SSR range. It's a long process to do a whole car, & u need to use a cotton cloth or foam applicator pad to really rub in a generous amount onto a section of paint at a time. Repeat process a couple of times & put some effort/pressure onto the area until it looks good & 2 your satisfaction. M8, if u choose this method do it over a few days or weeks cos it's gonna take a while to do a whole car & your arms will ache... But it can be done... Doesn't hide the swirls!

If you have access to a Dual Action polisher, use it, as it's quicker & MUCH easier. It gives you the chance to use a whole range of polishes available over the counter...

The easiest option is to clear up some of the minor swirls by hand & cover up as much as you can with a wax / sealant... Lot's of good stuff out there like Meg's NXT, ColorBoost, Mothers FX, Autoglym SRP, etc... They're designed to hide minor swirls...

Just remember whatever u do, don't use a cutting compound as it removes paint & your clearcoat is only so thick!!!

Luck...

[Degen-Astra]

There are products that can help to round off the edges of swirl marks making them appear lesser in quantity and depth. There is also products that will fill them, but will wear away after a bit of time obviously, these are generally a polymer based product.

I would advise like Petey to do it over a weekend or so, my longest detailing session was about 14 hours.
But I wouldnt recommend using a Dual Action Polisher/Power Buffer unless you have used one before or have someone who can show you the best techniques for it. Yes it cuts time, but damage can be done very easily if not done properly.

I learnt the hard way on an older car.

For those who query the spray on Meguiars "Quick Wax" it is good for in between intense detailing sessions, but it lasts nowhere near as long as doing a proper wax job.