Hey peeps! I am about to start my VW bug builds, in fact next weekend I'm travelling down to the property to help my father start clearing brush-land and laying the slab for the "garage" that will house the 2 bugs and a few scoots. Planning to build it smart with an engine area, chassis area and body area (for body off builds).

Till then I thought I'd dump some of my basic knowledge on detailing to help any interested people here protect their cars and maintain the looks. This will be a large thread, so please have patience and I'll try to separate it as best as possible.

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Washing;

*2 buckets. When washing you should always have 2 buckets. One for the soapy water, and one for clean water. Using a microfibre or lambswool mitt (never use a sponge unless its a professional grade like a grout sponge with very small pores that minimises the grit that gets trapped) wash 1/2 to 1 panel, then rinse the mitt in the clean water. That way the dirt stays in the water, and the soap stays clean. Prevent swirl marks and scratches!
Never use;
*The bubble brushes or any brush!
*Machine washers
*Chamois (though I love them, a drying towel is much safer)
*Car wash cafe's. unless your not fussed about scratches.

*Always pre-rinse the car before washing, and if possible use a snow-foam lance on a pressure washer to pre-soak the dirt using a heavy duty wash like armor-all or a dedicated snow-foam.

*Claying your car IS essential if your going to polish or wax, trust in the feel of your car, if it doesn't feel perfectly smooth, use a gentle clay and make it perfect to reduce marring and damage during polish/wax.

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Paint correction!;
* I personally use a random orbital polisher, its slower but it is very safe, and extremely difficult to damage your paint. I use a DAS-6 pro, a low cost orbital that is VERY well recommended in the detailing community for amateurs and professionals.
das-6


*Polishing pads: never use wool unless you know what you are doing, good foam polishing pads are a must. I personally use LC or Chemical Guys polishing pads (I prefer the latter) always starting with the minimum cut. (I usually use a green polishing pad followed by a black finishing pad).


*polish: its personal preference, but my favorites are Menzerna polish, fantastic reducing polish that gets finer as you work it. for most small swirl marks and scratches I use P203s a gentle cut and high gloss. I follow this up by 'jeweling' the paint with 85RD final polish on a black finishing pad, this creates an ungodly shine, ready for a sealant/wax.

BY HAND: If you want to just give your car a bit of shine, and reduce some scratches but don't have the cash for a machine, try Autoglym's SRP (super resin polish). Its full of filling agents, and its a VERY light polish. it will refine the surface and gradually fill swirl marks to mask their appearance. fantastic by hand or machine.

AVOID any heavy cutting agents or similar unless its NEEDED ie a faded single stage paint or similar.

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PROTECTION!; its very important and its always personal preference what you want to use. A sealant lasts longer but for many it gives a very "cold" feel, usually high gloss but not much warm glow. I prefer a wax because I enjoy applying it and although it doesn't last as long I prefer the look and the feel.

You can apply both! Chemical Guys is my favorite detailing supply company, and I routinely use one of their sealants first, followed by a good wax. (ie their Jetseal 109 topped with 50:50 Concourse wax).

Always apply VERY sparingly, a tiny swipe is good enough for a full panel! save your arms! mist your applicator pad with some detailing spray to make it easier to spread thin.

The wax is ready to remove when you can swipe it with your finger and it doesn't smear.

Through trial and error, I can recommend a few good waxes though;
*Collinite 476s double coat wax: A VERY durable wax, must be applied thin or you will die trying to remove it. Lasts between 2-6 months depending on wash and driving habits.
*P21S concourse carnauba wax: Great glow and look but not very durable
*Chemical Guys XXX hardcore paste wax: cheap and cheerful, does the job and like all their products, smells lovely

The waxes you find at repco will be fine too, Mothers California gold wax is a great bang for buck wax that does the job and Autogylm HD wax is fantastic but expensive.

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Wheel cleaners; stay away from caustic wheel cleaners unless its NEEDED. I usually use a gentle soap or wheel detergent, sometimes an all purpose cleaner. aside from being harsh and potentially damaging if not needed, many of them contain some carcinogenic chemicals.

Hard to remove deposits can be removed with clay, IronX (iron dissolver) or a tar remover like Auto-Smart Tardis (fantastic!)

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Glass cleaner: Any reputable cleaner is good, though Autogylm glass polish is FANTASTIC you will never go back once you try it.

There is nothing wrong with being old-school. What your mothers and grand-mothers said about vinegar/water and newspaper is probably still the best. That or using it with some alcohol or class cleaner.

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Trim and tyre:
I use chemical guys trim and tyre gel to make everything black and glossy. You will eventually find your own blackening agents that you prefer. Stay away from "back to black" and kitten tyre black though, useless products.

VERY faded black plastics can be rejuvenated gently with a heat gun that brings the oils back to the surface, followed by the above.

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Interior: Its business as usual, I'm quite basic and prefer just a good all purpose cleaner ( I use Chemical Guys green clean, cheap and cheerful). And I use Armorall or kitten protectant.

Fragrance wise, Chemical guys do a great bacteria killing apple fragrance for stubborn smells, and I've found that the cheap small bottles of supercheap air freshener last forever, great bang for buck.

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Alot of this is basic knowledge but it always helps. Trial and error is the best part of finding products that work well for yourself. And please, if theres any questions you have about detailing post them and I'm sure there are some people on the forum that will help out, or myself.

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FINALLY! no thread is worthy without pictures; My daily driver is a 2010 Proton Satria. 5 months old, now with close to 25 000km from new. The black plastics fade like nothing I've seen before, they were practically white!

Wash: Armor all heavy duty wash pre-rinse, followed by a 2-bucket wash using meguiars gold-class shampoo.
Clay: Mothers clay kit
Polish: nothing, it was corrected a while ago, but needs work again
Wax: 2 coats of Collinite 476s
Tyres and trim: Chemical Guys new look trim and tyre gel, buffed with a MF cloth on the panels for a matt black, left as-is on the tyres for an extreme shine (it lasts like that for a week, then goes natural looking for a month or so)

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