was bored so thought i'd make some changes to the a4. think it looks alright me self but are black wheels the new oversized spoiler and chavtastic
thinking of some changes
- Thread starter joss
- Start date
Lee Goodall
Registered User
IMO the silver wheels look much better on your car mate.
Liking your photoshop skills though 10 out of 10.
Liking your photoshop skills though 10 out of 10.
I've just had my QTS alloys refurbed in black chrome (e39 BMW M5 colour) and they look great. Similar style to yours but minus a few spokes and an inch in size.
They aren't as dark as pure anthracite wheels all the time, but in sunlight look almost pure silver, then depending on light go through the spectrum from smokey silver to anthracite in low light levels. Admitedly mine are on a black car but in general I think darker wheels suit light coloured cars more so your car should look great with darker wheels.
But I'd advise against black or very dark grey as that can look a bit heavy. Shadow chrome looks almost factory in my opinion. I know this post is useless without pics but am at work at the mo. Will try and post some up later tonight or tomorrow night.
They aren't as dark as pure anthracite wheels all the time, but in sunlight look almost pure silver, then depending on light go through the spectrum from smokey silver to anthracite in low light levels. Admitedly mine are on a black car but in general I think darker wheels suit light coloured cars more so your car should look great with darker wheels.
But I'd advise against black or very dark grey as that can look a bit heavy. Shadow chrome looks almost factory in my opinion. I know this post is useless without pics but am at work at the mo. Will try and post some up later tonight or tomorrow night.
Lee Goodall
Registered User
dieselfitter251
Blow ma own trumpet?
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2008
- Messages
- 18,708
- Reaction score
- 909
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland
yep i like it, and yep it needs facelift lights.
Can always joey mod the facelifts while your at it to complete the look
Can always joey mod the facelifts while your at it to complete the look
2nd pic is not far off the same as mine 
, same wheels in black / mirrors and grille etc
car looks good as it is too mate
, same wheels in black / mirrors and grille etccar looks good as it is too mate
S4twiggy
Fully Certified Detailer!!
nice and clean mate, wot polish and wax you got on her im a cleaning fanatic on my car so like to find out wot other people use(products)
im a cleaning fanatic on my car so like to find out wot other people use(products)Thanks for the compliment, most appreciated. It was clay bar'd a year ago now.
Then twice a year I use Blackfire gloss enhancing polish to strip it all back applied with a Lake Country ccs pad.
Washed with Blackfire gloss shampoo once a week. Using a lambswool mit and dried with a deep pile luxury towel.
Then once a month it is waxed with black fire wet diamond all finish paint protection applied with a less abrasive Lake country pad (can't remember exact details).
But every week, either over the above wax or instead of, I apply meguiars quick detailer. That was what was used just before pics were taken. Looks so much better on the 'wax weekends'!
All buffed off with Poorboys deluxe mega towels. Am thinking of getting a dual action rotary polisher to remove some swirls. But overall am pretty pleased with finish I get considering its all done by hand.
All products bought from Polished Bliss by the way.
Then twice a year I use Blackfire gloss enhancing polish to strip it all back applied with a Lake Country ccs pad.
Washed with Blackfire gloss shampoo once a week. Using a lambswool mit and dried with a deep pile luxury towel.
Then once a month it is waxed with black fire wet diamond all finish paint protection applied with a less abrasive Lake country pad (can't remember exact details).
But every week, either over the above wax or instead of, I apply meguiars quick detailer. That was what was used just before pics were taken. Looks so much better on the 'wax weekends'!
All buffed off with Poorboys deluxe mega towels. Am thinking of getting a dual action rotary polisher to remove some swirls. But overall am pretty pleased with finish I get considering its all done by hand.
All products bought from Polished Bliss by the way.
S4twiggy
Fully Certified Detailer!!
nice mate, good to see someone taking pride in the cleaning of our cars, every weekend im out there(if not raining) washing with meguairs gold class shampoo as it dont strip my wax off, i dry it with my waffleweave towel. clay the car twice a year but she been clayed not too long back.
i use meguairs deep crystal polish as this seems to be quite deep on my noggy blue and gives it a nice dark glow to it and terry towel it off.
i was using gold class wax but now i got nxt tech 2.0 which gives the car a wet look, wish i took pics last saturday as its the cleanest ive ever seen the car. can you recommend a glaze mate???
i use meguairs deep crystal polish as this seems to be quite deep on my noggy blue and gives it a nice dark glow to it and terry towel it off.
i was using gold class wax but now i got nxt tech 2.0 which gives the car a wet look, wish i took pics last saturday as its the cleanest ive ever seen the car. can you recommend a glaze mate???
I used to use gold class but then Polished Bliss recommended the BlackFire range for dark cars and I'm pleased with the results so have stuck with it. May have another browse once I run out and try something new. My major recommendation would be megs quick detailer, so quick to use and a gallon bottle lasted me over a year using it once a week. Just adds an extra shone and removes any water residue (essential on black!). I can quick detail the whole car in ten mins hence it gets done every weekend. My wife likes how it makes the car smell of bubble gum too...
To be honest have not really looked in to glazes and don't really know the benefit over a sealant or wax.
PS I used to use a waffle weave towel but when that got worn out changed to a deep luxury towel. The difference is amazing, dries so much quicker and holds more water. Worth considering when you eventually replace the waffle towel.
S4twiggy
Fully Certified Detailer!!
i will mate. i got the quick detailer in my box with other goodies so ill be giving it a whirl this weeknd up audi in the park. wot tyre shine do you use, i so need some industrial stuff to apply with a brush, damn spary and the endurance gold class is cack lol loving the pic of your bonnet mate, like glass, did you get it like that by hand or orbital polisher?
I use meguiars extreme tyre gel, seems to last a good few weeks. I just apply it with a cloth. Have to be careful not to get it on your nice clean alloys as it'll smear but overall it lasts a good amount of time and a bottle lasts quite a while. (It's done once a wek too). I prefer it to sprays etc. I use to use 'wet and black' by turtle wax, was ok if applied with a paint brush but the megs lasts a lot longer.
Quicke detailer is defo worth the money, I've used it after a motorway trip to smarten the car up. Of all the products I've used since I got in to detaling its the one I wish I had found years ago, in terms of price, performance, and finish it's great.
All done by hand, may get a rotary polisher one day but at the mo I do it the hard way. The relection shots were taken at 8pm one night, after claying, polishing twice, waxing 3 times and then qucik detailing. Plus all black rubber and plastic treated along with glass... I started at 8am and the neighbours (and my wife) think I am mad. That was an extreme case but now the car gets an hour long wash and wax once a week minimum.
Quicke detailer is defo worth the money, I've used it after a motorway trip to smarten the car up. Of all the products I've used since I got in to detaling its the one I wish I had found years ago, in terms of price, performance, and finish it's great.
All done by hand, may get a rotary polisher one day but at the mo I do it the hard way. The relection shots were taken at 8pm one night, after claying, polishing twice, waxing 3 times and then qucik detailing. Plus all black rubber and plastic treated along with glass... I started at 8am and the neighbours (and my wife) think I am mad. That was an extreme case but now the car gets an hour long wash and wax once a week minimum.
S4twiggy
Fully Certified Detailer!!
fair play to you JAM, im always nervous about jus applyiun detailer on the ca after a drive as i thought dust an all tht will swirl the paint??
I only do that if it has the odd mark on it, much more than that and it will swirl the paint. But often a go over with a feather duster then the odd touch up with quick detailer is all it needs.
Lee Goodall
Registered User
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2008
- Messages
- 18,708
- Reaction score
- 909
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland
It looks so shiney!
My problem is the paint on our car can only be described as "f8cked", and i'm a bit scared of attacking it with a motorised polisher.
I also dunno if i could handle the upkeep of waxing it every month.
Saying that, if i properly machine polished it, i guess it could be maintained to reasonable standard without toooo much intense work?
My problem is the paint on our car can only be described as "f8cked", and i'm a bit scared of attacking it with a motorised polisher.
I also dunno if i could handle the upkeep of waxing it every month.
Saying that, if i properly machine polished it, i guess it could be maintained to reasonable standard without toooo much intense work?
I perhaps have taken it to the extreme. After one initial session with polish and wax I think you could then get away with a wax maybe every 3 months. But to keep it looking good inbetween use megs quick detailer. Honestly you can do the whole car in ten mins. Sprays on like water then just wipes off. Easy and leaves a great shine.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2008
- Messages
- 18,708
- Reaction score
- 909
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland
Ye, but its getting the paint to that maintainable stage thats the problem. The cars covered in swirly scratches, and i've only ever polished it by hand with autoglym super resin, but this simply doesnt touch the swirly marks at all.
Any tips on a machine polisher or stuff to use to restore it a bit?
Any tips on a machine polisher or stuff to use to restore it a bit?
Never used a rotary polisher before, am tempted to get a dual action rotary polisher though (dual action means the head goes up and down and side to side so less chance of 'burning' an area by staying too long on it).
Cost at mo puts me off but once I'm feeling flush I may take the plunge. When I did the initial major clean on mine I clayed it, which made the paintwork feel like glass. When you run your fingers over unclayed paintwork you would not believe how rough it feels. (search on you tube for some great examples and demos).
This then makes subsequent polish and wax layers easier to apply and remove as no residue catches on specks of tar for example.
Just by using a good polish and a slightly abrasive pad I got rid of most swirl marks. I am no expert and chose by the write ups on Polished Bliss site which is a mine of great info. By hand you won't get rid of all marks but with right polish and pad combo you can transform paintwork. Then seal it all in with a nice wax and it's done. Maintain every so often with some more wax or quick detailer.
Bit of effort over one weekend will last for years to be honest with a bit of maintenance.
The autoglym you use is ok for highstreet stuff but has no bite. Something slightly harsher will help loads. And there is no need to worry about damaging paintwork, by hand you have no chance of doing damage if you use right pad and car is free of grit. Browse PB site for some inspiration.
Cost at mo puts me off but once I'm feeling flush I may take the plunge. When I did the initial major clean on mine I clayed it, which made the paintwork feel like glass. When you run your fingers over unclayed paintwork you would not believe how rough it feels. (search on you tube for some great examples and demos).
This then makes subsequent polish and wax layers easier to apply and remove as no residue catches on specks of tar for example.
Just by using a good polish and a slightly abrasive pad I got rid of most swirl marks. I am no expert and chose by the write ups on Polished Bliss site which is a mine of great info. By hand you won't get rid of all marks but with right polish and pad combo you can transform paintwork. Then seal it all in with a nice wax and it's done. Maintain every so often with some more wax or quick detailer.
Bit of effort over one weekend will last for years to be honest with a bit of maintenance.
The autoglym you use is ok for highstreet stuff but has no bite. Something slightly harsher will help loads. And there is no need to worry about damaging paintwork, by hand you have no chance of doing damage if you use right pad and car is free of grit. Browse PB site for some inspiration.
lets see it then!!
2nd pic is not far off the same as mine
car looks good as it is too mate
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2008
- Messages
- 18,708
- Reaction score
- 909
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland
i'll try and get some photos of the paint work, but i suspect it will need a machine polisher to bring it up
What pad and polish combo should i look at using over the autoglym?
What pad and polish combo should i look at using over the autoglym?
Jam35, hats off to you for a properly thorough approach to cleaning.
Although, with your description of the cleaning process I am slightly reminded of the book (and film) American Psycho...:
"...You should use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol. Never use cologne on your face, since the high alcohol content dries your face out and makes you look older. One should use an alcohol-free antibacterial toner with a water-moistened cotton ball to normalize the skin. Applying a moisturizer is the final step...." Etc.
Anyone else see this? Just me?
As you were
Although, with your description of the cleaning process I am slightly reminded of the book (and film) American Psycho...:
"...You should use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol. Never use cologne on your face, since the high alcohol content dries your face out and makes you look older. One should use an alcohol-free antibacterial toner with a water-moistened cotton ball to normalize the skin. Applying a moisturizer is the final step...." Etc.
Anyone else see this? Just me?
As you were
Lee Goodall
Registered User
James those wheels are fantastic. Resh said they were good, but his description doesnt do them justice. The blackfire stuff is superb isnt it.
Joss, i like the sig pic mate, And i feel the wheels would be too dark in that colour you 'shopped
Joss, i like the sig pic mate, And i feel the wheels would be too dark in that colour you 'shopped
Again what I say is not gospel as I just took advice from others but I love the Blackfire range on dark cars. My earlier post on this thread listed the exact names and pad combos. The buffing cloth you use is also important.
I just find them dead easy to apply and remove, only cost a tiny bit more than Autoglym etc and the results on dark cars is amazing. Though I did use it on my wifes red mini cooper and that looked so deep and wet too. But my car gets most of my attention...
There are other polishes and other opinions but I like the Blackfire range from my experience. I'm not made of money or have all the time in the world to spend cleaning, but for what I do have the Blackfire impresses everytime I use it.
Joss- The pic does look a little photoshopped, but I assure you it's not. I'm a graphic designer and a photoshop whizz with 15yrs experience of it so if I had photoshopped it I'd have got the greenery in focus... or added a nice sunset!
Byzan, thats for the comment, glad you like them too, nice to hear Resh was complimenting them to you. Was good to meet him the other week, first 'real' AS member I have met. He raves about your car!!
And to all those who think I'm mad cleaning my car so much... you are right and my wife and neighbours agree with you!! But all the nice comments today make it worth while! Cheers everyone.
cheers it took ages.
thought it was vector art i was doing but apparently not if you use photoshop.
Yeah sig looks great. Was it a stock clip art shot you modified or a photoshop filter?
Photoshop is pixel based, illustrator is vector based and hence infinitely scalable. My program of choice personally... using it now, but only for dull exhibition stands today sadly. Jeez I'm bored.
Photoshop is pixel based, illustrator is vector based and hence infinitely scalable. My program of choice personally... using it now, but only for dull exhibition stands today sadly. Jeez I'm bored.
will get some pics taken over the weekend , only had it a couple of weeks and all ive done is dry out the carpet lol
re polishing , i got interested in it a while back due to one of my cars looking like it had been shot gunned with gravel
was told by a very experienced valeter not to touch a diy electric polisher and only use a good one if i knew what i was doing as things can easily be made a lot worse! . rather than spend loads on a machine i'd get it done pro and then you just need to keep on top of it doing the easy things by hand just to add , i did go and spend 60 quid on a machine and it was dead by the time i'd done bonnet and wings
paint wasnt too clever eitheri'll try illustrator next time i think but i haven't used it before.
all i did was use the lasso tool to create a shape and then either draw a line or fill it, then created loads of layers.i love doing it but i've not really tried ll the differant apps in photoshop.
some more i did for some tshirts i made ages ago
