[Ade]

Hi all,

I am considering doing the Detailing myself. There are so many products I am all at sea as to which ones are the best for me. It does appear the Zaino are used by alot of detailers and seem to get good feedback for detailing world.

Can anyone whom has done this before give any advice on which product worked well for them? Namely; Foams, Shampoos,Clay, Sealants for a start.

Within reason, ££ is not too much of an issue.

Also how about wheel cleaners/sealants?

All comments advice welcome! - I get my car in two weeks!

 

[Rarerims]

I would suggest starting with AutoGlym stuff, it's decent and proven, and easy to get.

You'll need a couple of buckets, with grit guards if you're really picky.

You'll need a wash mit.

Some AugoGlym Bodywork shampoo

Some Autoglym Super Resin Polish or Ultra Deep Shine

Then finish with AutoGlym Extra Gloss Protection or HD Wax.

To apply the products you will need a bunch of mircofibre cloths, tesco often do these for £1 each or better in their car washing section, and after you have used them you can wash an re-use them

Also use these microfibre cloths to dry the car

For wheel cleaner find something non-corrosive. The standard wheels have a polished face, and if you get a stone chip in them then use something corrosive to clean them it'll be a mess. The car shampoo should do the job fine if you clean them regularly, especially if you get the car home, clean the wheels and give them a good waxxing with a product like Rimwax

I hope this helps a little

 

[Ade]

Thanks thats great!

Is AutoGlym easier to apply than the equivalent Zaino products?

 

[Rarerims]

None if it is overly tricky to use, just make sure you follow the instructions If you put too much of anything on, or dont allow it to cure, that's when you start to need mega elbow-grease.

It's a new car, it should just be a case of adding a little shine and crucially maintaining some protection so the inevitable tree sap and bird offerings do not stick and mark the paint

 

[Stu]

You shouldn't need any polishes at all. If you protect your paint from new and wash it nicely you shouldn't incur too many scratches. Get a decent paint cleanser and a good sealant and you should be laughing for a few months at a time

 

[Ade]

You shouldn't need any polishes at all. If you protect your paint from new and wash it nicely you shouldn't incur too many scratches. Get a decent paint cleanser and a good sealant and you should be laughing for a few months at a time

Agreed you dont need polish on new paint! Just a good clean and seal.
Any suggestions on good sealants and paint cleansers?

Edited by: GT86Owner

 

[Guest]

Largely, most products are as good as the preparation and effort put in. You'll get better with time.

 

[Stu]

Agreed you dont need polish on new paint! Just a good clean and seal.
Any suggestions on good sealants and paint cleansers?

Well that's a can of worms in itself


Cleansers vary from non-abrasive, to fairly abrasive. I think on brand new fresh paint i'd be looking at a non-abrasive or at the worst something like the new Dodo Juice micro prime.


Sealant wise. I believe they come in various types; polymer, fluro-polymer, acrylic and ceramic. This is also in order of longevity (ceramic being longest-lasting), although i'm sure there is some cross-over or complete oddballs. I have been looking at some of these ceramic/quartz products like Opti-coat or the CQuartz stuff, but as I already have a new bottle of Dodo Juice acrylic spritz i'll just use that and refresh it every few months. You really need to know what you're doing with the ceramic/quartz stuff and the paint needs proper prep before you apply it.

Edited by: gt_sjo

 

[Ade]

Largely, most products are as good as the preparation and effort put in. You'll get better with time.

This is true, but I would rather get used to a particular set of carefully selected products

 

[Celica66]

What sealant then please as trying to understand this?

 

[Ade]

Am I right in thinking you can apply an acryic sealant and then apply wax on top of that? or is it visa versa?


Edited by: GT86Owner

 

[Rarerims]

AG SRP is mostly a filler, it's not really abrasive. To get to grips with it and get decent results, without using ruinously expensive products to get the knack you wont go far wrong with it

 

[Targ86]

sealant - try supagard
some people hate it. But at the end if the day it is a paint sealant product similar to lots of other manufacturer's products in the marketplace.Edited by: Targ86

 

[Ade]

sealant - try supagard
some people hate it. But at the end if the day it is a paint sealant product similar to lots of other manufacturer's products in the marketplace.

I have a supagard kit in my garage that a work colleage gave me (he has a few kicking around from his previous job at a car dealer) but the review dont show it in good light. I want a quality tried and tested set of products.

I am leaning towards autoglym Ultradeep Shine and Extra gloss protection ontop of that for paint seal/protection.

 

[Ade]

Some really good advice can be found here

It looks like a midtone solid paint like the RED would looks best with a nice brazilian wax

 

[Ade]

My plan is:

1) Foam
2) shampoo
3) apply Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine - wait couple hours
4) apply Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection - Leave for the rest of the day
5) Next day shampoo car
6) Apply Autoglym High Definition Wax

What do we think about this?

I guess one concern might be the couple hour gap between applying the sealants whereby contaminants might settle....

 

[Guest]

Claying and iron-x will be towards the top of my to-do list.

 

[Ade]

Ops forgot the claying part, shall update it.




My plan is:

1) Foam
2) Clay
3) Shampoo
4) apply Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine - wait couple hours
5) apply Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection - Leave for the rest of the day
6) Next day shampoo car
7) Apply Autoglym High Definition Wax

What do we think about this?

I guess one concern might be the couple hour gap between applying the sealants whereby contaminants might settle....

Iron-x is interesting. Perhaps I should add iron-xing befroe claying.

THsi whole detailnig thing can get out of hand!

Edited by: GT86Owner

 

[Rarerims]

Are you talking of applying to products then waiting to buff them off, or applying, letting cure, then buff off, then wait the hours?

Dont leave the stuff on there for hours, it makes it a total pain to remove (ask me how I know)...

I dont think you need to wait hours between products, however if you do a quick squirt of quick detailer and a wipe down with a clean MF cloth will have it clean and ready for the next product

Also when washing the car feel the paint through the mit - if it's smooth as it should be on a new car - I would expect no contaminents, then the claying shouldn't be needed.



Edited by: Rarerims

 

[Guest]

I guess one concern might be the couple hour gap between applying the sealants whereby contaminants might settle....

I wouldn't worry ... even if it happens it's unavoidable. Not something I've ever considered anyway, and my TVR in particular was often pristine.