jr001
Registered User
Background
I PCd this car back in July 2007 after which it was given the HD Cleanse and 2 coats of Carbon wax.. The owner reckons its been washed on about 4 occasions since then as he felt that it never really got that dirty after the initial detail. He raved about how clean his car remained for months on end!
The owner thought it was time to give the car a protection detail and wax top-up at the weekend, as he and his good lady were going out to an important function at night and that it would be important for the car to be looking as best as it could within todays timescale of 4 hours. I dont normally post wax top-ups on the forum but I made this one an exception for several reasons:
The car on arrival:
Wash and Clay
The car got foamed and pressure rinsed twice, followed by two hand washes. After this it was given a long rinse using an open-ended hose to check on the level of beading and water retention after 7 months of wearing Carbon.
A couple of panels felt quite rough and were given a claying after the main washes.
Very dirty car so the washing technique was going to have to be very delicate as there was not going to be any machining here. Hence the reason for all the pre-washing, main washing, pressure rinsing and low-pressure rinsing. Doing a wax top-up on such a dirty car could bring about the introduction of loads of swirls into the clearcoat, thus robbing the car of any benefit of such a detail.
The buckets were emptied, rinsed out and refilled after washing one side of the car. And again for the second hand wash. Again, swirl-safety being top priority here.
Tar spots were also removed from the wheels and the cars lowers. There werent many, but they were in the usual crucially visible places. Leaving them would also prevent good bonding of the wax.
This was definitely a job for the grit guard/bucket combo!
The Car After The Main Stage Washes
Looking a lot better now.
After the final open-hose rinse I took these pics to show the level of water retention after all this time:
Not bad at all. Not much water left to pat-dry from the car. At the top right of the bonnet pic there still appears to be a sheet of water, but this did slide off the car a minute later and was being held in the first place by possibly some remnants of the Maxi Suds.
I have always got on well with the Carbon wax and am pleased to see that there is still a fair bit of protection from it after all the months in between.
I then gave the car a Last Touch spraying to make sure any dirt particles that may be lurking, were well and truly lubricated off the surface, again to minimise the possibility of swirling. I seem to be emphasising this point a lot, but it makes perfect sense as you will appreciate!
The car after Qding:
The Carbon wax after approx. 23 applications since April 2007:
After being applied to a couple of NS panels:
Wheels and Miscellaneous
Wheels
Autobrite Acid-Free Brite Wheels
Megs Brush
Collinite 476 wax
Tyres
Megs APC, scrubbed, dried.
Dressed with 303 Aerospace Prot
Arches
APCd, brushed, hand washed, dried.
Dressed with Chemical Guys Bare Bones undercarriage dressing. Cracking smell and a nice finish.
Upper and Lower Black Bits
Protected with Carbon wax
Exhaust Tailpipes
Hand polished with Megs NXT metal polish for literally 1 minute, using the firm white side of a German Applicator. Then wiped with a relegated clean MF cloth The result:
The final pics showing the results of over 4 hours delicate work:
An enjoyable day with some fine, albeit brisk, weather.
Thanks for looking and reading.
JOHN:icon_thumright:
I PCd this car back in July 2007 after which it was given the HD Cleanse and 2 coats of Carbon wax.. The owner reckons its been washed on about 4 occasions since then as he felt that it never really got that dirty after the initial detail. He raved about how clean his car remained for months on end!
The owner thought it was time to give the car a protection detail and wax top-up at the weekend, as he and his good lady were going out to an important function at night and that it would be important for the car to be looking as best as it could within todays timescale of 4 hours. I dont normally post wax top-ups on the forum but I made this one an exception for several reasons:
- I like my Audis
- Its a cracking colour and scrubs up well
- It gives me the chance to report on the durability of the Carbon wax
The car on arrival:
Wash and Clay
The car got foamed and pressure rinsed twice, followed by two hand washes. After this it was given a long rinse using an open-ended hose to check on the level of beading and water retention after 7 months of wearing Carbon.
A couple of panels felt quite rough and were given a claying after the main washes.
Very dirty car so the washing technique was going to have to be very delicate as there was not going to be any machining here. Hence the reason for all the pre-washing, main washing, pressure rinsing and low-pressure rinsing. Doing a wax top-up on such a dirty car could bring about the introduction of loads of swirls into the clearcoat, thus robbing the car of any benefit of such a detail.
The buckets were emptied, rinsed out and refilled after washing one side of the car. And again for the second hand wash. Again, swirl-safety being top priority here.
Tar spots were also removed from the wheels and the cars lowers. There werent many, but they were in the usual crucially visible places. Leaving them would also prevent good bonding of the wax.
This was definitely a job for the grit guard/bucket combo!
The Car After The Main Stage Washes
Looking a lot better now.
After the final open-hose rinse I took these pics to show the level of water retention after all this time:
Not bad at all. Not much water left to pat-dry from the car. At the top right of the bonnet pic there still appears to be a sheet of water, but this did slide off the car a minute later and was being held in the first place by possibly some remnants of the Maxi Suds.
I have always got on well with the Carbon wax and am pleased to see that there is still a fair bit of protection from it after all the months in between.
I then gave the car a Last Touch spraying to make sure any dirt particles that may be lurking, were well and truly lubricated off the surface, again to minimise the possibility of swirling. I seem to be emphasising this point a lot, but it makes perfect sense as you will appreciate!
The car after Qding:
The Carbon wax after approx. 23 applications since April 2007:
After being applied to a couple of NS panels:
Wheels and Miscellaneous
Wheels
Autobrite Acid-Free Brite Wheels
Megs Brush
Collinite 476 wax
Tyres
Megs APC, scrubbed, dried.
Dressed with 303 Aerospace Prot
Arches
APCd, brushed, hand washed, dried.
Dressed with Chemical Guys Bare Bones undercarriage dressing. Cracking smell and a nice finish.
Upper and Lower Black Bits
Protected with Carbon wax
Exhaust Tailpipes
Hand polished with Megs NXT metal polish for literally 1 minute, using the firm white side of a German Applicator. Then wiped with a relegated clean MF cloth The result:
The final pics showing the results of over 4 hours delicate work:
An enjoyable day with some fine, albeit brisk, weather.
Thanks for looking and reading.
JOHN:icon_thumright:
