Ask a Professional Detailer Thread...

I would start with a strong chemical cleaner ike Jeffs Werkstatt Prime Strong, rather than using a polish wth abrasives in it. In many cases, the chemical cleaning agents in Prime Strong are strong enough to cut through such tarnishing and oxidaton without leaving any polishing marks. Prime Strong is also great for use on glass and exhaust tips, so isn't a single use product that will be consigned to the back of the shelf. :)
 
Hi,

Firstly - it's really helpful having you guys here to answer all these questions and nice to know other people are as fussy as me when it comes to keeping cars clean.

Is it possible to get the porter cable polisher in the uk? - the only ones i've been able to find so far are on US webistes which i presume you have to import?

Also, they tend to offer packs with the polisher & some pads / polish etc - are these worth getting or are there specific pads for specific car paint colours and results?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike
 
Hi fellas, love this part of the forum good to know (as some else has already written) that their are other 'neat freaks' out there who put as much as I do and (way) more, when cleaning their cars.

Some bird droppings have etched their way into the paintwork (roof) of my car, I've tried clay bar with no success, what advice can you offer?

Thanks in advance, Christian.
 
hi fellas
im in need of some help again ,i have recently purchased a 03 8p a3 in morro blue , the problem i have found after washing the car for the first time i have noticed that the paintwork feels dry for want of a better description , and the bonet feels particulaly gritty , have tried polishing with jeffs acrylic but it still appears the same ? any help greatly apreciated
 
MikeA3 said:
Hi,

Firstly - it's really helpful having you guys here to answer all these questions and nice to know other people are as fussy as me when it comes to keeping cars clean.

Is it possible to get the porter cable polisher in the uk? - the only ones i've been able to find so far are on US webistes which i presume you have to import?

Also, they tend to offer packs with the polisher & some pads / polish etc - are these worth getting or are there specific pads for specific car paint colours and results?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike
Click to expand...

Hi Mike, sorry for the delayed reply, haven't been on for nearly a week, just too busy at the moment. Okay, the Porter Cabnle can't be sold legally in the UK because it isn't CE certified (believe me, if it was, it would be in our store!). Thus, importing from somewhere like www.autopia-carcare.com is the usual route to ownership, and is hassle free. I can also supply a discount code via PM if anyone wants it. In terms of the kits, they do offer great value for money, and my choice is the DAS kit, as the foams are similar to those used in the Lake Country CCS pads we sell. With the pound as strong as it is, buying a PC now makes a lot of sense. :)
 
clcollins said:
Hi fellas, love this part of the forum good to know (as some else has already written) that their are other 'neat freaks' out there who put as much as I do and (way) more, when cleaning their cars.

Some bird droppings have etched their way into the paintwork (roof) of my car, I've tried clay bar with no success, what advice can you offer?

Thanks in advance, Christian.
Click to expand...

Clay won't correct brid crap etching; clay is for removing bonded surface contaminants like tar and tree sap, not for correcting sub-surface defects. Etching is often very deep, and thus impossible to fully correct. In order to attempt correction you need to polish the area using a polishing compound like Menzerna Intensive Polish, either by hand using a German Pad, or by machine using a polishing pad. Whilst polishing usually improves the look of such defects, it doesn't always fully correct them. Sadly, etching is usually deeper than the thickness of paint that can be safely removed by polishing. Another option is to try and hide it to some extent by using a glaze such as Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze; gain, the results won't be perfect, but the fillers can help to hide the mottled effect a bit.
 
347 said:
hi fellas
im in need of some help again ,i have recently purchased a 03 8p a3 in morro blue , the problem i have found after washing the car for the first time i have noticed that the paintwork feels dry for want of a better description , and the bonet feels particulaly gritty , have tried polishing with jeffs acrylic but it still appears the same ? any help greatly apreciated
Click to expand...

Sounds like the paint needs a thorough claying to remove bonded surface contamimants that are causing surface roughness. Such contaminants are often microscopic, i.e. pollutant particles, etc, that bond to the paint and cause dullness and roughness. This clay package is ideal for novices...

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb100clean.html

...and here is a guide on how to use it safely...

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_clean.html

:)
 
I have read that the Menzerna range of polishes are very good at de swirling VAG paints, I am looking to buy the kit on PB and one of the Jeffs kits.What would be recomended for my colour car please
rear3.jpg
 
WX51TXR said:
Sounds like the paint needs a thorough claying to remove bonded surface contamimants that are causing surface roughness. Such contaminants are often microscopic, i.e. pollutant particles, etc, that bond to the paint and cause dullness and roughness. This clay package is ideal for novices...

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb100clean.html

...and here is a guide on how to use it safely...

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_clean.html

:)
Click to expand...

thank you , purchased megs quick detailing kit from halfords
performed the claying as per your very good instructions , it
took a while but now have smooth paintwork , not that i doubted your recomendations one bit but thought it would be good to post good feed back , top bananna:respekt:
 
Byzan A4 said:
I have read that the Menzerna range of polishes are very good at de swirling VAG paints, I am looking to buy the kit on PB and one of the Jeffs kits.What would be recomended for my colour car please
rear3.jpg
Click to expand...

Definitely the acrylic kit for that colour. Yes, there is little else out there that gets close to the performance afforded by the Menzerna polishes on harder paints, whether by hand or machine (although the latter is recommended). :)
 
Hi there:)

You have to bear with me this is my first post.

Right here goes I need help its been a long time since I`ve done some serious car detailing the paintwork on my car it pearlescent black.

Can you recommend what is the best products to buy to bring the paintwork to a high glass finish and to keep it that way.

It may sound weird but can you tell me the right order to apply everything to bring the paintwork up to a glass finish and the best polisher and application kit to do the job.

thanks
 
Must say your advice is great and hence having read through your website, on the face of it it seems that if I buy the Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic kit, the Advanced wash kit and the wheel kit (for the princely sum of about £150), I will have all that a relatively unfickle guy could ever need with the exception of a couple of buckets.

Is there any product above and beyond the kit contents that you see as a must have for a beginner in regular detailing, or a killer product that perhaps duplicates the function of one of the items that you wouldn't be without (I say regular because until now my car gets cleaned once a month if it's lucky)?

Am expecting delivery of a new Silver S3 in next two weeks. Cheers.
 
Hi Rich,

Quick one on the new S3.
What can I use to protect the chrome grill on my car?
And would this be suitable to use on the chromed 'kick' plates on the door sills and the 'metal' wing mirrors?

Finally, what can I use on the rubber glass surrounds on the exterior?

Thanks as always,

JK
 
Hi,

I've got a Bosch polisher (one of these: http://www.powertoolsuk.co.uk/webcat/details.asp?ProductCode=GPO12E&ID=444 ) and was wondering what pads and polish you'd recommend for getting some swirls out of my new car?

The paint is generally good (as you'd expect!) but there's a few swirls already, also... some over-zealous scratch removal with said polisher has left a small (3mm) spot of burnt paint - I assume, it's gone pink! I used an autoglym blue foam pad, and autoglym 3B compound.

Any help is appriciated!

Thanks!
 
audi upgrades
critch said:
Hi there:)

You have to bear with me this is my first post.

Right here goes I need help its been a long time since I`ve done some serious car detailing the paintwork on my car it pearlescent black.

Can you recommend what is the best products to buy to bring the paintwork to a high glass finish and to keep it that way.

It may sound weird but can you tell me the right order to apply everything to bring the paintwork up to a glass finish and the best polisher and application kit to do the job.

thanks
Click to expand...

The correct order for proper detailing is wash, clean (clay), polish, protect and then maintain. Washing removes loose contaminants, claying removes bonded contaminants, polishing removes sub-surface defects, protection does what it says on the tin, and so does maintenance!

The best tool currently on the market for safe, DIY machine polishing, is in my opinion the US (import only) Porter Cable 7424 - more info on it can be found in this guide, along with a link as to where to buy from...

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_polish.html

The best polishes to use on Audi paint are the new Menzerna polishes. I would start with RD3.02 using a light cutting pad to correct the defects, followed by 85RD using a polishing pad to refine the finish and mazimise the gloss. Both should be applied at speed 4-5 (after being first spread at speed 1) using light to moderate pressure, until the residue turns clear.

On a pearlescent black, to give a glassy, wet looking finish after the polish stage I would either go with Zymol Carbon over Zymol HD-Cleanse, or Blackfire Ivory Carnauba over Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection. Here's is an example of the Zymol Carbon finish...

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?t=36366

Hope that helps,

Rich
 
normski said:
Must say your advice is great and hence having read through your website, on the face of it it seems that if I buy the Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic kit, the Advanced wash kit and the wheel kit (for the princely sum of about £150), I will have all that a relatively unfickle guy could ever need with the exception of a couple of buckets.

Is there any product above and beyond the kit contents that you see as a must have for a beginner in regular detailing, or a killer product that perhaps duplicates the function of one of the items that you wouldn't be without (I say regular because until now my car gets cleaned once a month if it's lucky)?

Am expecting delivery of a new Silver S3 in next two weeks. Cheers.
Click to expand...

Not really, you have all bases covered, with the exception of clay, but you probably won't need this for 6-12 months anyway. There are always extras which are fun and help in various ways, but these aren't essential. The foam gun is an example; not essential, but fun and works well. As a starter kit, you have all the boxes ticked. :thumbsup:
 
jamiekip said:
Hi Rich,

Quick one on the new S3.
What can I use to protect the chrome grill on my car?
And would this be suitable to use on the chromed 'kick' plates on the door sills and the 'metal' wing mirrors?

Finally, what can I use on the rubber glass surrounds on the exterior?

Thanks as always,

JK
Click to expand...

Chrome grill, mirror covers, kick plates - Prime Acrylic works great on these surfaces, it's what I would use if not using Zymol Vintage.

Window rubbers - Zymol Carbon Wax (sounds strange, but's it superb for this task), or failing that, nothing at all (just degrease them once every 6 months with P21S Total Auto Wash).

:)
 
BaBs said:
Hi,

I've got a Bosch polisher (one of these: http://www.powertoolsuk.co.uk/webcat/details.asp?ProductCode=GPO12E&ID=444 ) and was wondering what pads and polish you'd recommend for getting some swirls out of my new car?

The paint is generally good (as you'd expect!) but there's a few swirls already, also... some over-zealous scratch removal with said polisher has left a small (3mm) spot of burnt paint - I assume, it's gone pink! I used an autoglym blue foam pad, and autoglym 3B compound.

Any help is appriciated!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Pretty sure I answered this one by e-mail, but for the benefit of the thread and anyone else reading with interest, here's the e-mail reply (questions asked were very similar, and about a red Fabia!)...

---

To correct the swirls, you will really need to machine polish the car; if you are not 100% comfortable with the rotary, then I would consider carefully whether to do it yourself or call a pro detailer in (or buy a dual action polisher like a Porter Cable 7424, not cheap, but much safer). It does sound like you burnt through repairing the scratch, and the damage may be more extensive than it seems if you thinned the clear coat surrounding the affected area too much; this may show up many months down the line by flaking and cracking as the remaining clear coat ages. It would probably be wise to consider having the door repsprayed sooner rather than later. Polish-wise, Menzerna 106FA is the place the start, as it has medium cut and is well suited to taking fine swirls out of hard VAG paint, whether applied using dual action or rotary units (in the former case a light cut pad will be needed, while with a rotary only a finishing pad would likely be required). If this failed to take out the fine swirls (only really a possibility with the PC), then Menzerna RD3.02 might be required, again with a light cut pad (followed by 106FA on a finishing pad to refine the finish).

:)
 
I have a 1998 Audi S4 in nogaro blue which has some light swirl marks on many of the panels. Also the paint looks quite flat and many people cannot even tell that it is pearlescent. To date my cleaning method has been as follows:-

rinse car with cold water from hose to remove dust, flies etc
wash car using two bucket method with wash mit and Megs Gold Class
rinse with hose
Megs chamois dry
Megs quick clay (not every wash, in fact I think I have only ever done this once)
apply Zymol cleaner wax by hand with microfibre applicator and buff with polishing mit (this stage is only done 3 or 4 times a year)

Well i have now invested in a PC and would like to know which products I should now buy to bring out the best in the noggy blue. I would also like to get rid of the fine swirl marks

Any help much appreciated

Simon
 
The above routine up to the clay is fine, but note you only need to clay 1-2 times a year (spring and autumn being ideal times). Polish-wise, Menzerna 106FA is the place the start, as it has medium cut and is well suited to taking fine swirls out of hard VAG paint when applied using a dual action polisher and a light cut pad. However, if this failed to take out the swirls (they are often deeper than they look), then Menzerna RD3.02 might be required, again with a light cut pad (followed by 106FA on a finishing pad to refine the finish). To finish up after polishing, here's a few options for mid blue metallics (I know the pics show Subaru's, but the colour is close)...

The Blackfire system is ideal for producing for a really wet, glossy look like this...

impreza19.jpg


impreza13.jpg


Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection
Ultimate German Applicator Pad
Poorboy's Deluxe Mega Towel

then

Blackfire Wet Diamond Ivory Carnauba Paste Wax
Ultimate German Applicator Pad
Poorboy's Deluxe Mega Towel

...or the Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic system for a more reflective, shiny look with more flake pop when the sun is out, like this...

jools5.jpg


jools7.jpg


JEFFS Werkstatt Acrylic Kit

:)
 
Cheers for the quick response Richard. Both of the above look fantastic!! For me I think the JEFFS products would give the look I am after. Better place an order with PB. :)
 
It's just the towels we are waiting on, they will be here by the middle of next week; the kits will then be available online again. Sorry for any inconvenience. :redface:
 
If they are unlacquered then Meguiars NXT All Metal Polysh, applied using the white side of a German Pad, but if they are clearcoated then treat as paint and use a nice finishing polish like Menzerna Final Polish II, again applied using the white side of a German Pad, followed by a decent wax or sealant.
 
Hello Polished Bliss,

I love reading about your work. I was especially immpressed with the job you did on Des's Ferrari! Awesome I bet he was well chuffed.

Anyway my question is - My GF has a mk1 MX5 with a plastic rear window which is scratched and tricky to see out of. What should I use to try and get rid of this? I have tried Megs Plast x which has improved it but it's not perfect.

Many thanks
 
Cheers for the kind words! Plastic screens can be a real pig to correct, PlastX is okay and worth persisting with, other products that work well are Werkstatt Prime Strong and in severe cases Menzerna Final Polish II. The key factor though is time and patience; go too aggressive and you will put marks in, so repeated attempts with the more gentle products mentioned above is a better way forward, but does take longer (and a good dollop of patience!). Sadly though, in some cases full correction cannot always be achieved if the defects are particularly bad.
 
Removal of polish or wax from unpainted black plastic rubbing strips?

Other half got wax\polish on the door strips on her new Golf, they are unpainted plastic. Don't have any peanut butter, how else can I get rid of the white markes please? WD40 hides it but it comes back? Cheers.
 
P21S Total Auto Wash or any other decent citrus degreaser or all purpose cleaner. I personally apply a little citrus degreaser (P21S version) then work in with a soft detailing brush, then wipe with a dam pwork towel. Job done!
 
Rich, do you have a decent relationship with your local "Chipsaway" rep? I have a couple of stone chips and one "pinhole" dent on the car (damn supermarket car parks!) and there will probably be a couple more by the time I visit you next early in 2008.

The rep for Edinburgh hasn't returned my calls at all.....

It would be nice to get the whole lot done at once and I know that when I worked for a garage they usually give a trade discount meaning you could make a few quid too :)
 
Sadly, we haven't come across anyone in this part of the world yet who we are happy to work with on this basis. So much so in fact, that it is possible we will go down this route in the future ourselves. I can keep you posted if anything changes before the start of next year, but for now I'm stumped on this one (well, the dent removal anyway - we can and do fill isolated random stone chips if asked, so can help in this respect).
 
Dent Devils? I've used them in the past too.

For the chips do you want me to buy a touch-up pen in the right colour?
 
Aye, that's the way forward; we won't use the included brush to touch in, as they tend to be way too large. Instead, we'll put a wee blob of the paint on a tile, then touch in using appropriately sized artists brushes. Then once the chips are filled and proud, we'll flat them back and polish out the haze. :)
 
Hello George,

I have a dolphin grey S3. Can you give me an idea about how to wash it and then what products are practical to polish it with. So today my routine is as follows -

1. blast with hose
2. bucket full of hot water and some tesco car shampoo
3. run the sponge all over the car and then alloys
4. blast with hose
5. fill bucket 1/3 with water and a drop of shampoo
6. use a synthetic chamois in the bucket to wipe off water
7. polish with autoglym polish

I've always had red cars and they have always come up well but i think I might need some magic now I have a dark metalic grey car.

Thanks for any advice

Brian
 
Hi Brian, sorry I missed this earlier. There are many things I would recommend changing in your routine if you want the best possible results. For example, the use of sponges and chamois are not advisable; for the reasons why, grab a cuppa and read this in depth guide to how to wash your car safely and effectively...

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_wash.html

There's plenty of other guides on the site that should also prove useful to you. In terms of starter products, then a basic wash kit would be advisable, along the lines of this kit...

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb500wash.html

In terms of the best protective systems to use, I would recommend checking out these guides on what to use on darker metallic finishes...

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?t=41386

Hope that helps, if you want any further help post away, I'll try to check back in sooner rather than later.

:)
 
Hello,

Thats excellent. I got a waffle weave towel and meguirs mitt now. I also bought some meguires super gold shampoo, I think it leaves the car gleaming! tha's before I polish it. Thanks for the advice....

Brian
 
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