Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

You're welcome to borrow mine - I've got the DAS-6 Pro in the kits I linked to.

Would mean collecting/dropping off in Godalming, south of Guildford.

Thanks all. When my exams are over I’ll have a better look at it.
I’m no perfectionist. So I’m sure a bit of my own time will be a good enough job for me.

Thanks that’s kind. Will remember.

Although you might not be into car cleaning. Like many thing in life prevention is better then cure.
The swirls are created by a dirty/gritty sponge being applied.
I thoroughly recommend the 2 bucket method, one with warm soapy water to saturate the sponge and then rinse in a secondry bucket of mildly soapy water, to rinse out and ring it out. The main bucket hardly gets dirty and massivley reduces swirling.

Detailing and polishing is another world completely. And probably best left to someone with the right tools and experience. Paint depth gauge is vital many a nice car has been ruined by a machine polisher. Even high end cars can have very thin lacquer layer.

I just repaint mine when they get dirty

Did we ever find out why @Dammit left his baguette in NurseHolliday's engine bay?

👌

Thinking of selling the roller?

Yep - do you want it?

Yeah thanks for the trips. I'm au fait with 2 bucket method etc. Only just got this motor, so the swirls are historic.

Perhaps you're right about leaving it to pros. I'll look into it more and decide.

Bilt hambert clay bar. ;)

was in Swindon last weekend and the best car I saw was this. there was a yellow lambo parked outside foxies gentlemens club. but was shit. this was across the road. and I assumed belonged to one of the artistes that worked there.

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If you can borrow a D/A polisher it's a relatively easy process. Just need good pads and product. If you're not after concourse results then DIY is fine.

A good wash, then a clay bar is not a bad idea to remove embedded contamination. If you do this, use lots of soapy water (for lube) with the clay bar.

If you get meguires ( or similar) product then it's pretty good and unlikely to do damage. A simple polish compound with the DA the apply some wax eg. NXT by hand and buff off with various microfiber towels. Again the meguires cloths work well.

All in all probably 4-5 hours work.

Is there such a thing as having someone pick up my car and detail and tart it up etc etc for a fee? As mentioned up thread the wheels have seen better days and the rust is disgusting, I just do not have time to gradually sort it all out and I don’t use the car a lot anyway.

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5 hours doesn’t sound too bad. I figured it’d be double that at least. Thanks!

No probs. The clay bar process would be the most time consuming. It's ok to skip that step but anything stuck to the paint can just get further embedded or create more swirls when polishing. If you run your hand over the paint and there's no roughness you can probably skip the clay

Just got a refund from my credit card for £1800 after raising a dispute over the engine work carried out last year.

I could have probably got more but my engine builder couldn't say for sure if the damage to the crank was due to the machine cuttings left in the head by the previous garage.

At least I now have a rebuilt engine to a high standard.

There are, but you're looking at a lot of money, probably £500-750 minimum. With mobile or collection services you're already looking at a bump in price just for a basic wash and interior clean so proper detailing with clay bars and machine polishing is a lot more than if you take it to someone.

@skinny

Plenty of great advice already, and if you watch a few of those AMMO videos and other detailing videos there's an insane amount of info out there.

One of the things I learned from Larry (AMMO) when he was on TST podcast is once you've used a clay bar the first time, you don't have to use it every time. It removes heavy paint contamination such as grit, paint from paint chips, residue from tree sap/bird poo etc etc, but if your paint feels smooth to touch, and any roughness is going into the paint rather than raised above it, then you don't need to clay bar. If you're a cleaning freak you might want to do it once every 6 months, or even once a year, not every time.

Also, if you're going as far as 2 or 3 buckets, then get grit guards too.

Meguiar's Quick Detailer is a common product used when using the clay bar.

If you've got a pressure washer, then invest in a snow foam lance.

Meguiars seem to be common as it is easy to get. Try this https://www.bilthamber.com/waxes-polishes-and-clay-bars/auto-clay

You are right for pointing out grit guards, for all buckets. IMO. Cheap skate way was a cut colander. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gnNkbVa9OI

Friend mention he was looking for one...will check with him. But sam has first dibs.

I'm cleaning my dope ride this weekend. It is a long process and is worthwhile.

Rinse with pressure washer
Shampoo
Rinse with pressure washer
Shampoo again
Rinse with pressure washer
Clay bar
Shampoo again
Rinse with pressure washer
Dry
Wax

I could seal it but I'm normally bored/tired by then

Next time buy e coated discs, then also paint them with the best anti corrosion spray paint you can find.

My top hats on volvo are nearly 2 year old and there is like 1x 5mm line of rust where a rim struck the top hat (tyre fitter). Also caliper + bracket + splash guard if you prepare them right and then acid etch prime + again best anti rust paint you can find they will go for 2-4 years before you get any visable rust. Just be super careful about where the paint does and does not go, lots of important surfaces in typical road car single piston sliding calipers.

I can bring my over for anytime after 8am. Cheers! ;)