What Car Care / Detailing Have You Done Today ?
- Thread starter Bristle Hound
- Start date
Been watching White Details on you tube and found the Kamikaze water spot remover Jim uses. Thought I'd give it a go around the badges on my old barge. Apologies for the starting point, I have tried to clean inside the rings but without success. Until now! £23 well spent?
Did an extensive amount of paint correction. Full rundown will be in my detailing log. Only managed to do the rear 3/4 so far!
Well I’ve clearly been absent for a while @Kayobong - last time I was on here you had a rather tidy Mk5 Golf GIT - looks like you’ve made a step-change pal. Nice S5 - and very nice engine.
I’ve put hardly any mileage on the S3 in the last 12 months - less than 1k due to working from home and keeping it garaged during the salty months. Dragged it out of garage hibernation today to start to prep it ready for summer. Interior (mostly) done this afternoon/evening - interior glass clean, detailed vacuum, all mats and boot tray taken out and properly cleaned and back in, and a nice little wipe down of the interior with Surfex HD spritzed on a damp MF. Still have the leather to clean and treat, but a good start today.
Managed to get the engine bay cleaned up as well - so cleared most of the dull jobs already, and ready to go-to-town on the exterior this weekend.
New set of x4 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s being fitted on Monday (factory Conti‘s only lasted 13k miles - I blame the rubber, not my driving
), then MOT’d later in the week ready for summer. Looking forward to driving and detailing season
Also had an S3 between the GTI and S5!Well I’ve clearly been absent for a while @Kayobong - last time I was on here you had a rather tidy Mk5 Golf GIT - looks like you’ve made a step-change pal. Nice S5 - and very nice engine.
I’ve put hardly any mileage on the S3 in the last 12 months - less than 1k due to working from home and keeping it garaged during the salty months. Dragged it out of garage hibernation today to start to prep it ready for summer. Interior (mostly) done this afternoon/evening - interior glass clean, detailed vacuum, all mats and boot tray taken out and properly cleaned and back in, and a nice little wipe down of the interior with Surfex HD spritzed on a damp MF. Still have the leather to clean and treat, but a good start today.
Managed to get the engine bay cleaned up as well - so cleared most of the dull jobs already, and ready to go-to-town on the exterior this weekend.
New set of x4 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s being fitted on Monday (factory Conti‘s only lasted 13k miles - I blame the rubber, not my driving
View attachment 217045
I do really rate the S5, such a smooth comfortable car with a lovely exhaust note and better MPG than expected! Got very lucky with an exclusive paint also (more info on the S5 on my detailing log and S5 subforum). Excited to see your S3 in all its glory in the summer, need to get my engine bay shining like yours!
When I'm in the mood, I don't shy away from a short post....
To compliment the post above with some equally ***** pictures, I spent Sunday properly detailing the car. It wasn't fun - I was constantly chasing my tail with 'seasonal showers' spoiling my Buddhist Zen time. Thankfully the clouds and rain shat off towards the final stages. I did manage to complete what I intended - full winter paint decontamination - wash, then iron fall-out remover, then tar and glue remover (my bi-annual contact-less no clay-bar routine - you can get away with this if you're on top of your 'maintenance'), followed by another light wash to get rid of all that residue before finishing.
Then, Turtle Wax Dry-and-Shine wet-coat treatment to seal the paint. Gents - I seriously recommend this stuff - you can pick up a 750ml bottle for about £7, which'll do your car 5 times over if you use it right. Does the same job as Gyeon Wet-Coat, but for pennies by comparison. My (amateur) tips, for this product.... Obvs apply it on a wet car, but spray 2-3 squirts per panel (and by panel I mean a door, or half a bonnet equivalent, and don't overdo the 2-3 squirts, less is more!), THEN, take a damp, 'wrung' out microfibre/applicator sponge and spread the product over the panel. And then rinse-off, either with a hose or a pressure washer at 2m distance. Do a panel at a time - work panel by panel and you'll get a tidy streak free finish). And then dry - you'll get a great result with this method. But avoid sunlight - a cloudy day or shade is your best friend with this type of product.
Today I had x4 new shoes put on, a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S'. Never had Michelin's before , so I'm reserving judgement - the proof will be 'in-the-pudding' and I'm going to have to wait a 100 miles or so for them to 'bed-in' before I comment. The reviews are good though - top handling and durability if you believe what you read (they have to be better than the factory Conti Sport 5s' - which were woeful on durability).
Had 'em fitted by Kwik-Fit's mobile fitting service (don't laugh), I (kind-of) rate their mobile fitting guys - you're not gonna get the spotty Saturday lads let loose in their mobile vans, you tend to get the more 'mature'/experienced fella's who get trusted with/given the keys to the mobile outfit and (with a briefing) they'll look after your alloys. THAT SAID - after ANY tyre fitting, check the torque setting of the wheel bolts AND the tyre pressures. The torque setting of the wheel bolts on my car is supposed to be 120nm - after checking I had between 80 and 150nm. And tyre pressures? They're supposed to be 38 PSI on the front and 35 on the rear - I had between 33 and 42 on the front and between 45 and 28 on the rear!!! Woeful. But they didn't scuff my alloys, so I'm happy
Get yourself a torque wrench, anyone who is half interested in cars should have one. And I can't recommend a RING cordless tyre-pressure meter/inflator enough - cheapest performance upgrade you can buy (and saves you waiting on the petrol station forecourt - I use mine every fortnight on both our cars) ...
Final little detailing comment - got m'self a new bottle of Autoglym High Performance Tyre Gel to compliment the new rubber. Summary - it's good (very good in fact) , it 'sets/cures' unlike unlike the wet-fart products from some (Meguiars, cough), not greasy or dust magnent'y' in the slightest. I've tried more than a a few of these products over the years, this is a good-'un...
Autoglym High Performance Tyre Gel (still a a bit 'wet' and not yet 'set' - good stuff this - smells like almonds):
Slightly rubbish 'moody' dusk shot:
To compliment the post above with some equally ***** pictures, I spent Sunday properly detailing the car. It wasn't fun - I was constantly chasing my tail with 'seasonal showers' spoiling my Buddhist Zen time. Thankfully the clouds and rain shat off towards the final stages. I did manage to complete what I intended - full winter paint decontamination - wash, then iron fall-out remover, then tar and glue remover (my bi-annual contact-less no clay-bar routine - you can get away with this if you're on top of your 'maintenance'), followed by another light wash to get rid of all that residue before finishing.
Then, Turtle Wax Dry-and-Shine wet-coat treatment to seal the paint. Gents - I seriously recommend this stuff - you can pick up a 750ml bottle for about £7, which'll do your car 5 times over if you use it right. Does the same job as Gyeon Wet-Coat, but for pennies by comparison. My (amateur) tips, for this product.... Obvs apply it on a wet car, but spray 2-3 squirts per panel (and by panel I mean a door, or half a bonnet equivalent, and don't overdo the 2-3 squirts, less is more!), THEN, take a damp, 'wrung' out microfibre/applicator sponge and spread the product over the panel. And then rinse-off, either with a hose or a pressure washer at 2m distance. Do a panel at a time - work panel by panel and you'll get a tidy streak free finish). And then dry - you'll get a great result with this method. But avoid sunlight - a cloudy day or shade is your best friend with this type of product.
Today I had x4 new shoes put on, a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S'. Never had Michelin's before , so I'm reserving judgement - the proof will be 'in-the-pudding' and I'm going to have to wait a 100 miles or so for them to 'bed-in' before I comment. The reviews are good though - top handling and durability if you believe what you read (they have to be better than the factory Conti Sport 5s' - which were woeful on durability).
Had 'em fitted by Kwik-Fit's mobile fitting service (don't laugh), I (kind-of) rate their mobile fitting guys - you're not gonna get the spotty Saturday lads let loose in their mobile vans, you tend to get the more 'mature'/experienced fella's who get trusted with/given the keys to the mobile outfit and (with a briefing) they'll look after your alloys. THAT SAID - after ANY tyre fitting, check the torque setting of the wheel bolts AND the tyre pressures. The torque setting of the wheel bolts on my car is supposed to be 120nm - after checking I had between 80 and 150nm. And tyre pressures? They're supposed to be 38 PSI on the front and 35 on the rear - I had between 33 and 42 on the front and between 45 and 28 on the rear!!! Woeful. But they didn't scuff my alloys, so I'm happy
Get yourself a torque wrench, anyone who is half interested in cars should have one. And I can't recommend a RING cordless tyre-pressure meter/inflator enough - cheapest performance upgrade you can buy (and saves you waiting on the petrol station forecourt - I use mine every fortnight on both our cars) ...
Final little detailing comment - got m'self a new bottle of Autoglym High Performance Tyre Gel to compliment the new rubber. Summary - it's good (very good in fact) , it 'sets/cures' unlike unlike the wet-fart products from some (Meguiars, cough), not greasy or dust magnent'y' in the slightest. I've tried more than a a few of these products over the years, this is a good-'un...
Autoglym High Performance Tyre Gel (still a a bit 'wet' and not yet 'set' - good stuff this - smells like almonds
): Slightly rubbish 'moody' dusk shot:
Last edited:
When I'm in the mood, I don't shy away from a short post....
To compliment the post above with some equally ***** pictures, I spent Sunday properly detailing the car. It wasn't fun - I was constantly chasing my tail with 'seasonal showers' spoiling my Buddhist Zen time. Thankfully the clouds and rain shat off towards the final stages. I did manage to complete what I intended - full winter paint decontamination - wash, then iron fall-out remover, then tar and glue remover (my bi-annual contact-less no clay-bar routine - you can get away with this if you're on top of your 'maintenance'), followed by another light wash to get rid of all that residue before finishing.
Then, Turtle Wax Dry-and-Shine wet-coat treatment to seal the paint. Gents - I seriously recommend this stuff - you can pick up a 750ml bottle for about £7, which'll do your car 5 times over if you use it right. Does the same job as Gyeon Wet-Coat, but for pennies by comparison. My (amateur) tips, for this product.... Obvs apply it on a wet car, but spray 2-3 squirts per panel (and by panel I mean a door, or half a bonnet equivalent, and don't overdo the 2-3 squirts, less is more!), THEN, take a damp, 'wrung' out microfibre/applicator sponge and spread the product over the panel. And then rinse-off, either with a hose or a pressure washer at 2m distance. Do a panel at a time - work panel by panel and you'll get a tidy streak free finish). And then dry - you'll get a great result with this method. But avoid sunlight - a cloudy day or shade is your best friend with this type of product.
Today I had x4 new shoes put on, a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S'. Never had Michelin's before , so I'm reserving judgement - the proof will be 'in-the-pudding' and I'm going to have to wait a 100 miles or so for them to 'bed-in' before I comment. The reviews are good though - top handling and durability if you believe what you read (they have to be better than the factory Conti Sport 5s' - which were woeful on durability).
Had 'em fitted by Kwik-Fit's mobile fitting service (don't laugh), I (kind-of) rate their mobile fitting guys - you're not gonna get the spotty Saturday lads let loose in their mobile vans, you tend to get the more 'mature'/experienced fella's who get trusted with/given the keys to the mobile outfit and (with a briefing) they'll look after your alloys. THAT SAID - after ANY tyre fitting, check the torque setting of the wheel bolts AND the tyre pressures. The torque setting of the wheel bolts on my car is supposed to be 120nm - after checking I had between 80 and 150nm. And tyre pressures? They're supposed to be 38 PSI on the front and 35 on the rear - I had between 33 and 42 on the front and between 45 and 28 on the rear!!! Woeful. But they didn't scuff my alloys, so I'm happy
Get yourself a torque wrench, everyone who is half interested in cars should have one. And I can't recommend a RING cordless tyre-pressure meter/inflator enough - cheapest performance upgrade you can buy (and saves you waiting on the petrol station forecourt - I use mine every fortnight on both our cars) ...
Final little detailing comment - got m'self a new bottle of Autoglym High Performance Tyre Gel to compliment the new rubber. Summary - it's good (very good in fact) , it 'sets/cures' unlike unlike the wet-fart products from some (Meguiars, cough), not greasy or dust magnent'y' in the slightest. I've tried more than a a few of these products over the years, this is a good-'un...
Autoglym High Performance Tyre Gel (still a a bit 'wet' and not yet 'set' - good stuff this - smells like almonds
View attachment 225030
Slightly rubbish 'moody' dusk shot:
View attachment 225031
Great work as always mate, the michelins are a good choice. I went for the Pilot Sport 4 S on my S5, having had the normal Pilot Sport 4 on my S3. You'll notice much better grip in the wet & dry.
Yer 4 wheeled ornamental S3 looks class mate as for PS4 and 4s tyres l really don't rate them wear very fast but they are an improvement on contisWhen I'm in the mood, I don't shy away from a short post....
To compliment the post above with some equally ***** pictures, I spent Sunday properly detailing the car. It wasn't fun - I was constantly chasing my tail with 'seasonal showers' spoiling my Buddhist Zen time. Thankfully the clouds and rain shat off towards the final stages. I did manage to complete what I intended - full winter paint decontamination - wash, then iron fall-out remover, then tar and glue remover (my bi-annual contact-less no clay-bar routine - you can get away with this if you're on top of your 'maintenance'), followed by another light wash to get rid of all that residue before finishing.
Then, Turtle Wax Dry-and-Shine wet-coat treatment to seal the paint. Gents - I seriously recommend this stuff - you can pick up a 750ml bottle for about £7, which'll do your car 5 times over if you use it right. Does the same job as Gyeon Wet-Coat, but for pennies by comparison. My (amateur) tips, for this product.... Obvs apply it on a wet car, but spray 2-3 squirts per panel (and by panel I mean a door, or half a bonnet equivalent, and don't overdo the 2-3 squirts, less is more!), THEN, take a damp, 'wrung' out microfibre/applicator sponge and spread the product over the panel. And then rinse-off, either with a hose or a pressure washer at 2m distance. Do a panel at a time - work panel by panel and you'll get a tidy streak free finish). And then dry - you'll get a great result with this method. But avoid sunlight - a cloudy day or shade is your best friend with this type of product.
Today I had x4 new shoes put on, a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S'. Never had Michelin's before , so I'm reserving judgement - the proof will be 'in-the-pudding' and I'm going to have to wait a 100 miles or so for them to 'bed-in' before I comment. The reviews are good though - top handling and durability if you believe what you read (they have to be better than the factory Conti Sport 5s' - which were woeful on durability).
Had 'em fitted by Kwik-Fit's mobile fitting service (don't laugh), I (kind-of) rate their mobile fitting guys - you're not gonna get the spotty Saturday lads let loose in their mobile vans, you tend to get the more 'mature'/experienced fella's who get trusted with/given the keys to the mobile outfit and (with a briefing) they'll look after your alloys. THAT SAID - after ANY tyre fitting, check the torque setting of the wheel bolts AND the tyre pressures. The torque setting of the wheel bolts on my car is supposed to be 120nm - after checking I had between 80 and 150nm. And tyre pressures? They're supposed to be 38 PSI on the front and 35 on the rear - I had between 33 and 42 on the front and between 45 and 28 on the rear!!! Woeful. But they didn't scuff my alloys, so I'm happy
Get yourself a torque wrench, anyone who is half interested in cars should have one. And I can't recommend a RING cordless tyre-pressure meter/inflator enough - cheapest performance upgrade you can buy (and saves you waiting on the petrol station forecourt - I use mine every fortnight on both our cars) ...
Final little detailing comment - got m'self a new bottle of Autoglym High Performance Tyre Gel to compliment the new rubber. Summary - it's good (very good in fact) , it 'sets/cures' unlike unlike the wet-fart products from some (Meguiars, cough), not greasy or dust magnent'y' in the slightest. I've tried more than a a few of these products over the years, this is a good-'un...
Autoglym High Performance Tyre Gel (still a a bit 'wet' and not yet 'set' - good stuff this - smells like almonds
View attachment 225030
Slightly rubbish 'moody' dusk shot:
View attachment 225031
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I believe the Pilot Sport 4 S have a tread warranty of 30k miles!
Mate if your PSS’s last 30k miles I will eat my hat. Out of curiosity I googled but no mention of 30k warranty
Michelin warranty
Michelin tyres come with a 60-day money back guarantee if you are not 100% satisfied, as well as 3-years road-side assistance if your tyres fail. Their standard warranty is 6 years from date of purchase. Provided you have applied appropriate tyre care.
PS4S mate not PSS, saw it on Michelin's site, admittedly it's a US site. I know they'll last nowhere near that but I can dream!
You're not wrong about it being a garage queen this last 12 months mate! The PS4S's get good reviews, including durability, but not expecting to get more than 15k miles out of them - at the current rate of usage that should see me through to 2030, lol.
@NevMan - as the car is getting used so little at the moment, I need to get m'self a trickle charger for the battery. I half recall you talking about them in the past. Have you got one? Been looking at the Ctek MXS 5.0...
PS4S mate not PSS, saw it on Michelin's site, admittedly it's a US site. I know they'll last nowhere near that but I can dream!
View attachment 233349
US give mileage warranty, definitely not the case in the UK, trust me
Spent a few hours cleaning the A1 its just over 3 years old only covered 7400 miles but my mums managed to kerb the 2 front alloys and one on the rear...lol don't think they'll be getting refurbished but never say never. Daytona is more resilient than most of Audi’s paints but difficult to get that full impact/Whao factor you get with some other colours but its a classic paint colour indeed
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Spent a few hours cleaning the A1 its just over 3 years old only covered 7400 miles but my mums managed to kerb the 2 front alloys and one on the rear...lol don't think they'll be getting refurbished but never say never. Daytona is more resilient than most of Audi’s paints but difficult to get that full impact/Whao factor you get with some other colours but its a classic paint colour indeed
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Looking good mate...wel apart from alloys
. Like many other models, new A1 is CR*P compared to old one. Mrs wanted A1 again (had a 1.4 TFSI a few years back) but when she saw one, wasn’t a fan of all the scratchy bits and interior in general
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I armed myself with a toothbrush and a solution of bleach and washing up liquid to get rid of the mold spores that had built up on my window sills. All 4 of them were affected.
Method worked well and hopefully the problem doesn't reappear.
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Method worked well and hopefully the problem doesn't reappear.
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Yeah the older A1 has tank like build quality like all Audi's of old an A1 was built just as well as A6/A7 but i have got to admit the ride quality suffers really badly due to the "30" profile tyre size it gets on my wick when am tieredLooking good mate...wel apart from alloys. Like many other models, new A1 is CR*P compared to old one. Mrs wanted A1 again (had a 1.4 TFSI a few years back) but when she saw one, wasn’t a fan of all the scratchy bits and interior in general
On another note i have bitten the bullet and pre-booked "26th of April" the TT in for XPEL PPF= Bonnet,front bumper,front wings,A pillars,door mirrors had too as the car will be with me a long time..... future mods will be an new exhaust system l shoulda went for the TTRS sport ed....would have cost the same to be honest
Xpel PPF is top quality mate. You gone for the "stealth" option (believe it's called) as opposed to the finishes like satin that are offered by Xpel.
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Spent a few hours cleaning the A1 its just over 3 years old only covered 7400 miles but my mums managed to kerb the 2 front alloys and one on the rear...lol don't think they'll be getting refurbished but never say never. Daytona is more resilient than most of Audi’s paints but difficult to get that full impact/Whao factor you get with some other colours but its a classic paint colour indeed
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The passenger doors (front and rear) do show-off the glass like potential of Daytona very well mate - splendid photo that
. The 'wing arm' wheels work well on the previous model A1 as well (better looking car than the new yin - seems to be a 'theme'). My Father-in-Law had one of that gen A1's in Misano Pearl Red - a 1.4 TFSI Sport - cracking little motor - he put similar mileage on it as yer Mam as well over 3 years.Then he chopped it in for a new model A1 (same colour), with Audi dealer part-x pricing, without even talking to me first
. I'd have had it off him in a heart-beat for the wife, for the price he gave it back to Audi. Was garaged every night and washed weekly, regardless of whether it'd been driven or not (although he does view every single detailing product out there as 'snake oil', "you just need warm water, lad", lol).It did have a couple of dings - a wok (yep one of those saucepan things!), took a light drop on the bonnet (sounds horrendous, and god knows how that situation is even a possibility, but it happened!) but it hardly left a mark, and 'nowt that a £60 PDR chap couldn't sort), and the front passenger alloy was curbed on week 2 of ownership by 'Grandma' - they genuinely didn't speak for two weeks after that, lol - he was livid, bless him, but it would have been a bargain.
Decent little motor those - good quality interior..
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PPF from Xpel is very expensive to start with I believe (compared to vinyl) and is a fiddly process so not surprised. As long as they're Xpel certified then shouldn't be any issues.
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Finished off correcting the paint on the passenger side of the S5 and finished the first stage on the bonnet! It's looking much better although it's nowhere near perfect as I detail outside and have too many factors in play to make it perfect. I have the car booked in at a body shop in a couple of months to sort out a few bits, notably stone chips on the front bumper (full respray of bumper), some lacquer peel around the car (affected panels will be resprayed), and a tiny bit of corrosion which is starting on the outside of the sill as I want to rid the car of any corrosion!
I really need to get some of the colour lock leather restorer/repairer for the driver’s seat as the bolster has seen better days. Anyhow, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Absolutely in love with the Palace Blue.
I really need to get some of the colour lock leather restorer/repairer for the driver’s seat as the bolster has seen better days. Anyhow, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Absolutely in love with the Palace Blue.
Gave it the usual pre-dealer visit wash/valet, and then (to follow up on a much older post) had the software update to restore the satellite map overlay on a "free of charge, while you wait" basis( I said don't bother with the complimentary health check). Took just over an hour. After starting the car it came up "checking Audi Connect Licence" for about 5/6 minutes, then the satellite imagery popped up. As stated elsewhere this is "Getmapping plc - Maxar Technologies" although "Google Earth" wording still appears bottom right alongside "TM online". Personally, I can't tell the difference with the former Google Earth. My S4 is a 67 (December) plate. Pleased to get it back
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Jassy mate - make sure you get gloss black bits done in XPEL too. Door pillars ? Not sure what else but mine still perfect after 5 years
Mine was repaired under warranty after a few months of use.
If you are good with the screwdriver you can get the parts to repair it, cheaper than a new one.
It's about three years old, can use a screwdriver but don't feel overly comfortable taking apart a sealed unit which mixes electricity and water.
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Don’t think there’s much to it. Saw my mate fix his k5/6. A big pump and some pipes. Plenty of YouTube videos on it depending what’s wrong with yours.
Adam , I would contact Karcher and say how disappointed you are with the washer as you don't use it a lot and it should last longer than 3 years , I did this with an electric lawn mower a few years ago and got a new one eventually.
It would be worth a try and you could always ask to get a discount on a new better one because of this .
Good luck.
It would be worth a try and you could always ask to get a discount on a new better one because of this .
Good luck.
Changed the chrome Audi rings on the front and back of the car to genuine Audi black ones. Front one was surprisingly easy to do, one at the back decided it wasn’t going to give up without a fight. Overall pleased with the result and think I’ll look for a black S5 badge now
They aint cheap are they but them chrome S5 badge's looks out of place now ye cant Mix n Match mate....£££££ lol add the Audi-Sport rear plate holder??? will complete the look your after
Got this back from the paint shop and as l expected it's got heavy marring on one end so it'll get a machine polish/correction and a few coats of ceramic...gyeon or something
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