I finally completed my first complete detail today! One thing I can say is that it takes f***ing ages to do well, I think that I did most things right. I thought I'd do a (not so) quick write up about the various stages along with pictures of the results to help other people new to this (sorry I have no "action shots" of the stages, which would have been good).
Cleaning Wheels (difficulty: easy)
During / After shots
Cleaning Bodywork (difficulty: easy)
De-Contaminate (difficulty: medium)
I used Bilt Hamber medium grade clay. I chose this clay as I thought that a finer grade one wouldn't be adequate (e.g. not harsh enough), as I am not sure when (if ever) this car has been clayed. I didn't go for the harder grade (e.g. Bilt Hamber regular) as this is my first go at claying and didn't want to increase the risk of marring. I also went for this clay as regular tap water can be used as lubricant, rather than having to shell out for clay lube (you can probably use water with others, but this once states to use water and is known for this feature. Therefore Bilt Hamber is an ideal beginner's clay IMO.
Now this is where things get a bit tricky, I began with 50g clay which I rinsed and softened slightly with warm water. I started with the bonnet as I saw it as an easier panel to work on (while being able to stand), I tried to work on it taking vertical lines, brushing the clay back and fore around 5 times (or until it sounded smoother) before moving on to a new part, keeping the panel wet by misting it with water (I used one of those garden mist spray bottles). While working on one panel at a time, it's difficult to know when enough is enough and to move on. I suppose the best way is to work until you can't see brown bits / dirt appearing on the clay - it just takes patience!
I did about 25% of the car with the initial 50g of clay, before dropping it! So I chopped off a new 50g piece which I used for the rest of the car.
As I'm new to this, when working I wasn't sure how to define what were stones in the clay (or whether it things were just dirt), so anything small and round I tried to brush of, or picked at it with my nail or I just folded it in to try and use a clean(er) side of clay. This stage took a long time and I must admit with the lower ends of the car I was using longer strides, which you probably aren't supposed to do, I did this as dirt was regularly being picked up and regular kneading was needed - it was getting very tedious and tiring! But I got there in the end.
(Insignificant photo after claying, sorry no closeup taken)
Polish (difficulty: medium)
Wax / Seal (difficulty: easy)
Windows
Cleaning Wheels (difficulty: easy)
- Attacked the wheels with a quick going over of Autosmart G101 all purpose cleaner, can't remember the dilution level I used, I think it was around 8:1
- Applied Wolf's Brake Duster (a pH neutral wheel cleaner) to remove iron and other contaminants. I misted it over the wheel, then irritated it a little with a wheel brush, before leaving to stand for approx 10 minutes. I did all the wheels in one go before rinsing off with a hose on jet mode.
- Gave the wheels a quick wipe down to dry them reasonably
- Applied Autosmart Tardis (solvent based) to remove tar and other contaminants. I misted it over the wheel, left it to stand for 45 - 60 seconds before rinsing off. I applied this to two wheels at a time, before rinsing off with a hose on jet mode. The method for this step differs from using Brake Duster as you aren't supposed to let Tardis dry out completely.
During / After shots
Cleaning Bodywork (difficulty: easy)
- Rinsed the bodywork by sprinkling water over it with a hose, to try and remove loose dirt and stones
- Used the two bucket method to wash the car. I used a Meguiar's lambswool mit and Dodo Juice Born to be Mild shampoo (3 capfulls into the bucket)
- Dried the car using some microfibre towels to a reasonable level, then left it 5 mins to dry out a bit more on its own (Tip: don't buy lots of small ones like I did, invest in a couple of big, deep pile towels if you can as well as handy smaller cloths. I only have one but could have done with two)
De-Contaminate (difficulty: medium)
- Applied Wolf's Brake Duster with a trigger spray bottle (as I did with the wheels). If I remember rightly, I applied it to the whole car at once as it's a product to use. Left it to work it's magic for around 10 minutes (from first application), then rinsed off with a jet stream from the hose.
- Dried the majority of the body, or at least spread out the biggest puddles of water to help it dry (as I believe the next product can be applied to a wet surface, since it's solvent based and due to the lack of dry towels for later stages).
- Applied Autosmart Tardis with a trigger spray bottle, one panel at a time, leaving to stand for 45-60 seconds before jetting it off with a hose. It involved application before frantically going to to turn the hose on (as leaving it on was causing a leak). This part is the only reason why I've marked this stage as medium difficulty, due to the fact that it's strong stuff which could potentially cause problems if instructions aren't followed.
- Dried the car completely with my largest microfibre towel.
I used Bilt Hamber medium grade clay. I chose this clay as I thought that a finer grade one wouldn't be adequate (e.g. not harsh enough), as I am not sure when (if ever) this car has been clayed. I didn't go for the harder grade (e.g. Bilt Hamber regular) as this is my first go at claying and didn't want to increase the risk of marring. I also went for this clay as regular tap water can be used as lubricant, rather than having to shell out for clay lube (you can probably use water with others, but this once states to use water and is known for this feature. Therefore Bilt Hamber is an ideal beginner's clay IMO.
Now this is where things get a bit tricky, I began with 50g clay which I rinsed and softened slightly with warm water. I started with the bonnet as I saw it as an easier panel to work on (while being able to stand), I tried to work on it taking vertical lines, brushing the clay back and fore around 5 times (or until it sounded smoother) before moving on to a new part, keeping the panel wet by misting it with water (I used one of those garden mist spray bottles). While working on one panel at a time, it's difficult to know when enough is enough and to move on. I suppose the best way is to work until you can't see brown bits / dirt appearing on the clay - it just takes patience!
I did about 25% of the car with the initial 50g of clay, before dropping it! So I chopped off a new 50g piece which I used for the rest of the car.
As I'm new to this, when working I wasn't sure how to define what were stones in the clay (or whether it things were just dirt), so anything small and round I tried to brush of, or picked at it with my nail or I just folded it in to try and use a clean(er) side of clay. This stage took a long time and I must admit with the lower ends of the car I was using longer strides, which you probably aren't supposed to do, I did this as dirt was regularly being picked up and regular kneading was needed - it was getting very tedious and tiring! But I got there in the end.
(Insignificant photo after claying, sorry no closeup taken)
Polish (difficulty: medium)
- Applied Autofinesse Rejuvenate, a pre-wax cleanser / light polish, with a microfibre applicator pad. It said to use 3-4 pea sized drops per panel, I found it initially difficult to judge how much to use, but once the pad gets more saturated with the stuff you know just top top up with a few drops now and again, especially on bigger panels. I worked it in using circular motions to try and cover everything, trying to check in light that there seemed to be a thin polish smear left over once I was done (I'm not entirely sure whether this is correct?!). I'd read that no real cure time was needed, I just did a panel or two at a time (depending on size) then buffed it off with a microfibre towel.
- Next time I would consider using a pad which added some sort of light cutting ability, as although AF Rejuvinate did seem to bring the paintwork up looking very good (deeper blue), it didn't work as well as I'd hoped on filling / touching up some minor scratches (once again, I'm not sure if this is entirely correct as it's only a light abrasive anyway). In hindsight, I probably didn't work it in hard enough this time (e.g. not enough revolutions).
Wax / Seal (difficulty: easy)
- Applied Autofinesse Tough Coat, a sealant, by spraying a mist onto the car before applying circular motions with a fresh microfibre applicator pad. I made sure I applied a thin layer, left to cure for 10 minutes (or until it seemed dry), before buffing off (I did it in 4 apply / buff stages - front, either side, rear).
Windows
- Applied all purpose cleaner and wiped with a microfibre (I also used this on the lights)
- Applied Rain-X with a microfibre, left 10 minutes then buffed off with another microfibre
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