Any advise for a newbie??

[ukross]

Evening all,

Having been in company car land for the last 10 yrs, washing cars is not something I have a huge amount of experience in! Either stick it through a car wash in the winter or bucket, sponge, whatever-carshampoo-is-on-offer-in-halfords, and then a quick wipe over with a chamois afterwards.

Had my Audi for a couple of years now and want to look after it - I'm starting to see the error of my lazy ways! There are already light swirl marks in the dark blue met paint and yellow fleks (sap maybe?) which don't come off with a wash - and I want to sort it now before the paintwork starts to turn.

So, I've allocated myself a full day and cleared a shelf in the garage ready for some new cleaning prodcucts - what would you reccomend?? Any tips of products, techniques etc would be great

ps I am a novice - to give you a clue I don't even know the difference between polish/selant/wax etc!! I know, I know...

[stevie040]

Hi mate take a look on detailingworld.com There is a huge amount of info on there which will answer all your questions. Be ready though, your wallet takes a bashing.Audi paint is really hard. Unless u get a machine i.e PC7424 then u want be able to remove the swirls. Alternativly get a pro in to do the swirls and maintain it.

[ukross]

Thanks Stevie, lots of info there mate.

Also, thanks Pauljc for the PMs - much appreciataed.

Think I may go the pro route and then maintin from there (or maybe just get a pro in once a year to tidy up my bucket & sponge efforts!!)

Looking for a pro to do 'the works' including the leather inside. Any good recommendations in the Kent/Sussex area?

[Graeme H]

For your level of experience, i'd get someone in to sort the swirls out first (a rotary or PC7424 would be too big an expense for one use), then from there on a combination of preventitive measures (good shampoo, lambswool when washing, something safer for drying like the meguiars water magnet), and when the need arises a detailing system that doesn't involve buffing down paint or a machine.

That would involve first claying the car (almost all companies do a system of clay+lube) to get all the crap off that washing didn't get off.
Then a chemical cleaner type product (Klasse all-in-one or Meguiars DC step 1 for example) to remove the oxidation and reduce the appearence of any slight swirls (not from removing paint but a product like DC1 has fillers, not permanent but an easy way for begginers).
Then a polish, sticking with an example from Meguiars, DC2, but there are lots out there.
You can then either use a sealant then a wax, or a sealant or a wax on their own. The sealant will do much the same job as a wax but will last longer and give a bright shiny look. Wax however will give a depth and liquidity to the paint that a sealant can't, but wont last as well. If you have the time, do a layer of sealant then wax to get the best of both worlds

Phew. hope that helps, those are the steps i used before i moved on to machine polishing.

[ukross]

Thanks Graeme, great advise.

Cheers

[Neil_Sc]

If you can, get somebody in your local area to show you some good wash techniques to limit the marring you put back into the paint.