First Ever 'Detailing' Attempt - with Autoglym

David

Zorg Guru (III)
Supporter
British Zeds
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Points
133
Location
Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
Model of Z
Z4 3.0si Sport
In preparation for @BMBabe 's cruise tomorrow, I figured I'd spend the afternoon giving Scarlett the most thorough exterior clean I have ever given to any car I've owned; usually I am just a petrol station wash and wax kind of guy...

So, with my first lot of tools in hand (there are other 'products' ;) available)...
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1418486893.907279.jpg

...I made a start to the cleaning. Unfortunately I didn't take a before photo, but trust me - she was a dirty dirty girl.

I didn't trust myself with a clay bar, so instead I opted for one of these new fandangos - the clay mitt by G3 (pictured above). As I've never used a normal claybar, I couldn't tell you the difference, but supposedly it does exactly the same job, but is far easier and quicker to use. Well it was easy to use that's for sure.

After washing the car using Autoglym's shampoo, I dried the car off and used the clay mitt with the Autoglym Rapid Detailer as a lubricant. You basically lightly wipe the paintwork with the mitt, until all the contaminants have been removed (you can here the mitt at work, which is a great, but kinda scary as it sounds like scratching).

After the shampoo and clay mitt with Rapid Detailer:
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Next, I used Autoglym's Super Resin Polish (and 2 cotton cloths to buff on and off) all over to try remove a few light scratches and bring out a fresh shade of red in Scarlett's paintwork:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1418487841.964524.jpg


At this point I cleaned all the glass, inside and out, with Autoglym's Fast Glass Polish, and then used Autoglym's Aqua Wax to finish her off. The 'destructions' said to apply to a wet car after shampooing, so I gave Scarlett a misted hosing down before waxing:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1418488028.708653.jpg

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As per being told so by the bottle, I sprayed the wax sparingly all over, and then wiped the down with one microfibre cloth, then finally buffed to a shine with another microfibre cloth.

So here she is, in all her glory:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1418488279.403578.jpg

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I'm ecstatic with the results, but unfortunately the shine only further accentuates all her shone-chips and blemishes, which no amount of detailing can remove :(

Bring on tomorrow! ...Although, after the two hour drive it'll take me to get to Aylesbury, Scarlett will probably be nearly as filthy as before!

I hope you enjoyed reading... And if this doesn't get featured, I give up!!
 

miller1098

Zorg Guru (V)
Supporter
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Points
196
Location
Carno,Welsh Wales
Model of Z
M
Never give up that's a great job,makes me want to get out of the chair and do mine.on the other hand I think I'll have another cup of tea first it's a bit chilly out there
 

Brian4

Zorg Guru (IV)
British Zeds
East Anglian Crew
Joined
Dec 23, 2011
Points
173
Location
Near Grantham
Model of Z
Z3 3.0i Auto
Looks good David, now you have caught the bug. See you tomorrow.
 

hard top

Zorg Expert (I)
Dutch Zeds
The M44 Massive
Joined
Dec 5, 2011
Points
213
Location
Netherlands
Looking smart David and I was told by our resident detail guru Bad ///Boy that the clay mitt by G3 works really well, as he uses it under the shower with KY.
 

GazHyde

Administrator
Administrator
Global Moderator
M Power
Joined
Dec 2, 2011
Points
226
Location
Berkshire
Model of Z
Z4 MR
Well worth the time spent sir! It's a real problem when dirt that hides the stone ships and paint blemishes gets washed of... the main reason why I don't wash mine that often ;)
 

t-tony

Zorg Expert (II)
Supporter
British Zeds
#ZedShed
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Points
226
Location
Torksey Lock,Lincoln, England
Model of Z
E89 Z4 23i Auto
Looking really nice David, well worth the effort.:)

Tony.
 
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