Car Detailing

[yushinrt]

If anyone is near rotorua I can help them out deail the car I got all the gears I use to groom for dealer ship of any one need hand let me know I will come around and show you

[Mr Shiny]

May I suggest, as it hasn't been mentioned, to clay bar the cars surface before any machine polishing. The pads could pick up any surface contaminant & then as the pad is spinning it will leave even more fine scratches requiring unnecessary extra cutting.
Just my two cents!
Here's a link to Reuban's ride where you can see how much crap a clay bar can still take off, even after the night it was washed.

[nightz]

If I can add a tip to this very informative thread.


Using air to dry the car will prevent swirls in your paint. If you have easy access to compressed air this works very well but for me I choose to use a leaf blower to dry my cars, this has the added benefit of drying in the seams and hard to reach places, excellent if you intend to wax after you have washed. Drying time will vary depending on climate and the amount of air you are able to blow accross the surface.

....

I was talking to a friend that repairs power tools about using a leaf blower to dry your car. After he finished laughing at me he said the reason they come in for repair is the amount of rubbish they suck up.

He said before blow drying your car you should wash a white sheet and hang it on the line. Than dry it using a leaf blower.
It wont be a white sheet when you are finished so doubted you would want to be using one of those to dry your nice clean car.

[MR2Pearl]

This is an awesome thread... why was I not directed here earlier!

[nightz]

This is an awesome thread... why was I not directed here earlier!

Its worth reading all Mr Shinys info. Very helpful to us novices.

[Mr Shiny]

Haha! Cheers for that. So in saying that, I've tried something new today & I must say I am VERY IMPRESSED!!
I got something called a CLAY BLOCK from Chemical Guys in the USA & today I finally got to give it a go. Unlike traditional clay bars this is a special rubber mounted to a foam block. It's supposed to outlast normal clay bars & a great benefit is that if you drop it you just simply rinse it under some warm water to clean it as opposed to having to throw it away!
Also while using it you can hear & feel it as it works & it does leave a very clean surface, almost like it's just been polished. Do either the back of the hand or plastic bag test & you will notice that this thing does work as good as if not better than traditional clay. Another benefit over clay is that it doesn't leave clay stuck to your hands & it doesn't need to be squished together again for a 'fresh' pad.
I just love it! Now to go back & finish clay blocking the Audi (Kris knows which one )

[Statek]

Now to go back & finish clay blocking the Audi (Kris knows which one )

Can't wait to see how it turns out

[Mr Shiny]

People wonder how I can spend SO long just washing a car. Well, if it's washed properly like in this article by Todd, then there should be no need to spend hours polishing afterwards!
There's now a video here of Todd showing the proper technique.

[lazy]

@MrShiny What kind of buckets do you use? I haven't yet been able to find one that fits the Grit Guard properly. My grit guards sit quite high up in the bucket and wasn't too keen on cutting the guards down to size either. Maybe I should...

[Mr Shiny]

I have a couple of 20L buckets I have. I was lucky enough that they came from a supplier in brand new condition only used the once to supply chain. I'm wondering if enough people were interested I could get a bit of a bulk order from Esoteric? I get a wee discount from them. Shipping is the one thing I would need to split the costs with.

[lazy]

I'd be keen on buckets and drying and buffing towels. Happy to split shipping.