Hi All,
After getting plenty of tips, advise, and even some products from various members of ASN and Detailing World i decided to do my first detail on my Audi A3.
Unfortunately ive been working everyday recently so had to fit the cleaning in after work. But over the course of 3 evenings ive manged to clean, polish and wax my motorbike and car.
Im sorry i dont have many pics to show, and that the one's i do have are pretty rubbish, but my wonderful sister dropped my digital camera and broke the lens. Had to try and take some pics with camera phone but they were prety poor so gave up. Also ran out of light as was doing this after work.
Thought this little write up might be usefull for anybody doing this for the first time who was wondering what stuff to buy as a beginner and how long it all takes.
This is what i bought in total:-
2 buckets
1 grit guard (for rinse bucket)
2 lambswool wash mitts
Cone shaped alloy wheel cleaning brush
2 Megs foam applicator pads
2 microfibre polishing pads
Various microfibre cloths
Autoglym Exterior Shampoo and conditioner 1.5L
Autoglym Super Resin Polish 325ml x2
Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection 500ml
AutoGlym Tar Remover 325ml
Autoglym Bumper Care 325ml
Autoglym Interior Shampoo 500ml
Autoglym Glass Polish 325ml
Autoglym Clean Wheels 500ml
Autoglym Alloy Wheel Seal
Autoglym Instant Tyre Dressing 500ml
Collinite #476 Wax
Megs Last Touch (1gal)
Sonus Grey Clay Bar
(all in all i think it was about £150 worth of stuff - give or take £10-£20)
The car wasnt too dirty on the outside and the inside was already fine. Wheels were the worst part, very dirty with quite heavy amounts of brake dust.
The car was lacking any real shine to it and had no wax on it all all.
Step 1: Gently hosed the car with water to loosed and get just the surface dirt off, didnt have any foam pre wash so it was just water on its own.
Step 2: Filled both buckets with water, had the grit guard in the rinse bucket & the AG Shampoo in the main bucket. Using the lambswool wash mitt i washed the car 1 Panel at a time, rinsing the mitt in the second bucket after each panel.
Couldnt believe the difference in the colour of the water in the rinse bucket, it was black. Poured out the water and the grit guard had lots of dirt deposited beneath it.
Step 3: Sprayed alloys with AG Wheel cleaner...1 wheel at a time. Used the cone shaped brush to get between the spokes of the alloy. The face of the alloys was cleaned with the second wash mitt rinsing it out in the rinse bucket which at this time had clean water in it. After i finished this process on each wheel i rinsed the car off with the hose again.
Step 4: Dried the car using poorboys large waffle weave towel - sprayed with some megs last touch diluted 1:1. I also sprayed some of the megs over the car. Used the towel to pat the car dry. Couldnt believe how quickly i managed to dry the car. Always used a chamoise before now...never again.
I then went over the car with a microfibre cloth just to clear up and streaky marks from the drying.
At this point the car was already looking very nice but i had noticed all the small tar marks near the wheel arches to the back of the car.
Step 5: Used AG Tar remover to take off some of the larger tar marks, they came of with a bit of gentle rubbing.
Step 6: Claying - Never heard of this before but read up lots of the Polished Bliss website before doing it. Used half of the sonus grey clay bar and plenty of megs last touch, again diluted 1:1. Worked small areas, kept the clay and paint lubricated. Lots of surface contamination came off on the clay and i had to reshape it after almost every panel. But you could see and feel the difference as the clay lifted the dirt of the paint.
Step 7: Hosed car off again, re-dried, went over it again with microfibre.
Step 8: Sprayed alloys with Autoglym Alloy Wheel Seal, and dressed the tyres with Autoglym Instant Tyre Dressing.
Step 9: Used Autoglym Super Resin Polish and microfibre polishing pad. Polished every panel, then buffed of when i got back to the panel i started at using a microfibre cloth.
Step 10: Applied Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection using microfibre polishing pad. Covered every panel and left to dry for about 45 mins. Buffed off every panel with microfibre cloth.
Step 11: Applied Collinte #476 wax 1 panel at a time using megs foam applicator pad which was sprayed with megs last touch. Left on each panel for 5-10mins before buffing off.
Step 12: Cleaned exterior windws using Autoglym Glass Polish and microfibre cloth.
Step 13: Applied Autoglym Bumper Care to all exterior rubers and plastics using microfibre cloth.
Step 14: Collapsed shattered in the street, depsperate for a cold lager. Arms knackered, back aching, knees clicking from crouching.......im so envious of those with machine polishers !!!! All in all about 3-4 hours non stop. I think.....i may have passed out for a while at some point...
Step 15: Sit back with cold lager trying to admire your hard work and effort in the failing daylight. Enough is enough.....off to the pub to reward my hard work !!!
This was by far the cleanest i have ever had a car. Alway used to put previous cars through car wash or use sponge, bucket and any old car wash stuff.
I may as well add a THANK YOU to all those people who answered questions for me on the forum and gave me a few hints and tips and doeboy who sold me the AG SRP + Collinite at a very very cheap price. Finally got to put it to good use....
[URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00138new.jpg"]
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[URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00135-1.jpg"]
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[URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00134-1.jpg"]
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[URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00137-1.jpg"]
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[URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00133.jpg"]
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[URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00131.jpg"]
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P.S. My bike looks nice and shiny too........
After getting plenty of tips, advise, and even some products from various members of ASN and Detailing World i decided to do my first detail on my Audi A3.
Unfortunately ive been working everyday recently so had to fit the cleaning in after work. But over the course of 3 evenings ive manged to clean, polish and wax my motorbike and car.
Im sorry i dont have many pics to show, and that the one's i do have are pretty rubbish, but my wonderful sister dropped my digital camera and broke the lens. Had to try and take some pics with camera phone but they were prety poor so gave up. Also ran out of light as was doing this after work.
Thought this little write up might be usefull for anybody doing this for the first time who was wondering what stuff to buy as a beginner and how long it all takes.
This is what i bought in total:-
2 buckets
1 grit guard (for rinse bucket)
2 lambswool wash mitts
Cone shaped alloy wheel cleaning brush
2 Megs foam applicator pads
2 microfibre polishing pads
Various microfibre cloths
Autoglym Exterior Shampoo and conditioner 1.5L
Autoglym Super Resin Polish 325ml x2
Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection 500ml
AutoGlym Tar Remover 325ml
Autoglym Bumper Care 325ml
Autoglym Interior Shampoo 500ml
Autoglym Glass Polish 325ml
Autoglym Clean Wheels 500ml
Autoglym Alloy Wheel Seal
Autoglym Instant Tyre Dressing 500ml
Collinite #476 Wax
Megs Last Touch (1gal)
Sonus Grey Clay Bar
(all in all i think it was about £150 worth of stuff - give or take £10-£20)
The car wasnt too dirty on the outside and the inside was already fine. Wheels were the worst part, very dirty with quite heavy amounts of brake dust.
The car was lacking any real shine to it and had no wax on it all all.
Step 1: Gently hosed the car with water to loosed and get just the surface dirt off, didnt have any foam pre wash so it was just water on its own.
Step 2: Filled both buckets with water, had the grit guard in the rinse bucket & the AG Shampoo in the main bucket. Using the lambswool wash mitt i washed the car 1 Panel at a time, rinsing the mitt in the second bucket after each panel.
Couldnt believe the difference in the colour of the water in the rinse bucket, it was black. Poured out the water and the grit guard had lots of dirt deposited beneath it.
Step 3: Sprayed alloys with AG Wheel cleaner...1 wheel at a time. Used the cone shaped brush to get between the spokes of the alloy. The face of the alloys was cleaned with the second wash mitt rinsing it out in the rinse bucket which at this time had clean water in it. After i finished this process on each wheel i rinsed the car off with the hose again.
Step 4: Dried the car using poorboys large waffle weave towel - sprayed with some megs last touch diluted 1:1. I also sprayed some of the megs over the car. Used the towel to pat the car dry. Couldnt believe how quickly i managed to dry the car. Always used a chamoise before now...never again.
I then went over the car with a microfibre cloth just to clear up and streaky marks from the drying.
At this point the car was already looking very nice but i had noticed all the small tar marks near the wheel arches to the back of the car.
Step 5: Used AG Tar remover to take off some of the larger tar marks, they came of with a bit of gentle rubbing.
Step 6: Claying - Never heard of this before but read up lots of the Polished Bliss website before doing it. Used half of the sonus grey clay bar and plenty of megs last touch, again diluted 1:1. Worked small areas, kept the clay and paint lubricated. Lots of surface contamination came off on the clay and i had to reshape it after almost every panel. But you could see and feel the difference as the clay lifted the dirt of the paint.
Step 7: Hosed car off again, re-dried, went over it again with microfibre.
Step 8: Sprayed alloys with Autoglym Alloy Wheel Seal, and dressed the tyres with Autoglym Instant Tyre Dressing.
Step 9: Used Autoglym Super Resin Polish and microfibre polishing pad. Polished every panel, then buffed of when i got back to the panel i started at using a microfibre cloth.
Step 10: Applied Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection using microfibre polishing pad. Covered every panel and left to dry for about 45 mins. Buffed off every panel with microfibre cloth.
Step 11: Applied Collinte #476 wax 1 panel at a time using megs foam applicator pad which was sprayed with megs last touch. Left on each panel for 5-10mins before buffing off.
Step 12: Cleaned exterior windws using Autoglym Glass Polish and microfibre cloth.
Step 13: Applied Autoglym Bumper Care to all exterior rubers and plastics using microfibre cloth.
Step 14: Collapsed shattered in the street, depsperate for a cold lager. Arms knackered, back aching, knees clicking from crouching.......im so envious of those with machine polishers !!!! All in all about 3-4 hours non stop. I think.....i may have passed out for a while at some point...
Step 15: Sit back with cold lager trying to admire your hard work and effort in the failing daylight. Enough is enough.....off to the pub to reward my hard work !!!
This was by far the cleanest i have ever had a car. Alway used to put previous cars through car wash or use sponge, bucket and any old car wash stuff.
I may as well add a THANK YOU to all those people who answered questions for me on the forum and gave me a few hints and tips and doeboy who sold me the AG SRP + Collinite at a very very cheap price. Finally got to put it to good use....
[URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00138new.jpg"]
[/URL][URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00135-1.jpg"]
[/URL][URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00134-1.jpg"]
[/URL][URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00137-1.jpg"]
[/URL][URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00133.jpg"]
[/URL][URL="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o27/diablo636/DSC00131.jpg"]
[/URL]P.S. My bike looks nice and shiny too........
