O.B-B

Its not a pun. A german applicator is a type of foam pad that is made up of three layers of different coloured foam; red, yellow and black. So it looks a bit like the German national flag. :yes: Its not essential to use one for the G4 application. I just felt it helped. Also the german pad is quite big so I could polish the windscreen in less time.

Yes mate the little bottle will be enough to do your whole car. This link has a video on it for G1 application which will show you exactly what to do. http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coatings/g1-clearvision-smart-glass/ I used one of our bathroom hand towels to remove the residue left by the G2 residue remover (don't tell the wife! ). As for the G4 glass polish I used a "german applicator" to apply it as it gave a little extra "bite" to help remove any contaminants on the glass.

If I can add my 2 pence-worth; De-taring and removing iron deposits before claying while help even more. Also if you go down the route of using the CarLack twins (which I heartily recommend ) then I have picked up a little tip; you can keep a mixture of CarLack LLS mixed 50:50 with de-ionised water in a spray bottle and use that after each wash. It acts as a quick detailing spray that will give your paintwork a little boost to prolong your LSP and shine without having to wax the car every time.

Thats the model I use. Have found it to be great. One little tip when using it at this time of year tho; -when you're finished using it, run the motor with the water hose turned off. This is get all the water out of the pump unit. The last thing you want is it freezing in the winter and ruining you new washer! :no:

Welcome fella. From looking at the images you have posted I think you will be the one being asked for tips! Nice looking finishes on those cars

For anyone interested in these scams I recommend this website. It documents situations where people get their own back on the scammers. Some of the encounters go on for months and if you've got the time to read all through them they can be very funny. http://www.419baiter.com/

Just a quick google search bought these up: http://www.dvbcaraudio.co.uk/skoda-superb-20022008-tailored-mats-p-12152.html Plenty of places in the UK offer custom car mats. I notice from your profile that your location is "EU". Does that mean you have a left-hand drive car? If so then maybe UK distributors may not be your best bet as in the UK they will often have a reinforced "heel" section on the right-hand side drivers mat for UK cars. Have just noticed that they only deliver to the UK only! Sorry

+1 for the CarLack twins. I routinely use these on my car. Great stuff; very economical. Recently I discovered that you can dilute the LLS carlack 50:50 with deionised water and use it as a detailing/drying-aid spray after each wash.

Try cleaning your wiper blades with a cloth soaked in neat windscreen wash solution. Then wipe them off using clean water. Have you ever clayed your windscreen? If not and its a few years old it may have all sorts of deposits like tar/fall-out/sap etc that are causing you blades to catch on the screen and squeek. Btw Happy Xmas to all on this forum

Its not near London but I have just ordered a replacement wing mirror unit (thanks to some idiot who clearly thought that driving on the left hand side of the road was optional at xmas ) from these people. http://www.motorsinmotion.co.uk/ The price included delivery and they were very nice to deal with on the phone. They specialise in dismantling VAG cars.

Just a note on the CG's Trim Gel. I have had a bottle for almost 2 years now. It is great stuff and a little goes a very long way. I haven't even used a fifth of the bottle in that time. I can only compare it to the AG trim gel and have to say it beats the socks off that product.

Polish > Glaze > Sealant/Wax is my understanding.

I think the main advantage of using a decent snowfoam (as well as limiting the amount of contact in your wash process) is that as well as removing dirt and Traffic film they won't (by and large) degrade any last stage protection you have on the vehicle. A decent degreaser may well seriously shorten the lifespan of any wax/sealant you have already used. After all a lot of people use a degreaser as part of their regime when it comes time to remove the LSP from their car to start again. But if you aren't using any LSP then don't worry.

ValetPro PH neutral snowfoam for me. I use it with a tiny squirt of shampoo in the mixture. Loads of places sell it and plenty of folk seem to rate it. One thing to note is that without a dedicated foam lance you wont be able to generate the really thick "shaving foam-like" foam that will really stick to the car.

Not a daft question at all. Once a wax is applied to your car all it will need is a wash to keep it clean. All waxes will last for a while and the Colli you are looking at using will last for a long time. I would recommend applying a second coat of it to maximise longevity. Two good (very thin) coats of Collinite should last you for a good 4-6 months. You can top up the wax from time to time by using a quick detailer. Protecting your paintwork again should not be necessary until winter rolls around. There are a couple of caveats to the above though; Firstly make sure that you are using a nice neutral shampoo for washing the car as some will degrade your wax faster than others. Secondly try not to use hot water to wash the car as that too will affect the lifespan of the wax. And lastly once you start into the murky world of car "detailing" you may find that you can't stop! :p

Had my wheels aligned at STS in Canterbury last week. The guys in there were good. They took me into the work shop and talked me through the whole process. I then watched as the computer controlled ramp measured my car as it was rocked and bounced around by the machine. The computer even measured the range of movement on the the steering wheel. Was quite interesting. They gave me a copy of the printout for my records. Also they told me to bring the car back after a couple of thousand miles and they would re-check the alignment again and correct it free of charge within 3 months of having it done (if it needs it). To have both the near side front and rear wheels realigned they charged me £24.95 per wheel plus VAT. Time will tell if I notice a difference. I had two new front tyres fitted as well so until they are "driven in" I am not going to be throwing the car round any bends

FK1000p for me. Just as good on wheels as it is on paintwork. Very durable. Huge tin, great value.

Had new tyres fitted today at my local STS TyrePros. While I was there I asked for a quote for a set of winters. For my 225/45 R17s they quoted me £109 per corner inc fitting. This was for Klebr Quadraxers (not a brand I had heard of) that the guys in STS recommended. They also said they would be happy to store the winter tyres for me until I needed them fitted. According to the guys I spoke to they reckoned that buying winter tyres in August was a good idea as by mid-september they said the prices go up and availability goes down. Anyway I thought that wasn't a bad quote and come the end of the month when my next payday rolls around I will be investing. Last winter in Kent was a nightmare. A couple of drives after late shifts at work were some of the scariest experiences I've ever had (you know its bad when you are following an HGV that is struggling on a single carriageway )

For my paintwork I always use a fresh piece of clay (split into 2-3 pieces). If the clay is not too knackered by the time I've done the whole of the bodywork then I keep it and use it on my wheels on another day (claying, cleaning, poilishing and sealing the paint takes me the best part of a day so I do the wheels another time). I don't tend to re-use the same piece of clay on paintwork as I'd be worried about any old contaminants on the clay marring the paint. I've never used Bilt Hamber so can't comment on that. I have used the Clay Magic starter kit; the Sonus ultra fine clay, and the last time I tried some the CYC fine poly clay (in the little metal tin). I think I preferred the CYC one best and its quite cheap too

DoDo Juice Born Slippy gets my vote. Awesome clay lube and if you get the concentrate version then it works out very economical. And like most DoDo Juice stuff it smells great.

I use a small paintbrush to get all the crumbs out of nooks and crannies in the car. Then just hoover them up off the floor. I found some really good Vileda scrubbing brushes in Tesco that are great at getting dust and muck out of the carpeting as well. They have really stiff plastic bristles that get all the ground in stuff loose.

You tried a rubber pencil eraser? Supposed to work well.

Whether or not you choose to employ a professional detailer is gonna be a personal choice for you to make. Its a bit like asking yourself whether you want to paint your living room at home or get a decorator to do it for you? :think: As BAKER pointed out a good Pro will give you an immaculate finish that will not only be easier to work on in the future but will be durable as well. After all if you are gonna pay them to prep the car than getting to them to put on the last layer of Wax/Sealant will be no big issue or much more expense. I also believe that most Pros will offer you advice on the best way to maintain their work after the job is finished. The flip side to this is making sure you use somebody with a good reputation who will do a decent job in the first place. The main reason I started mucking about with car care was after having paid the dealer when I bought my first Octavia to apply SUPAGUARD to my new motor. There's nothing wrong with that product but the person who applied it was basically a cack-handed chimp with palsy who did a terrible job After that experience I started to do it myself. Now I love washing my car.

Rob at Kentbodyshop can either touch up/repaint the wheels or he sends them off to be refurbed. He used to send them to Lepsons who work on a Friday or Tuesday (if I remember correctly) pick-up. When I had mine done he was sending them to someone-else (Margate possibly? Though I don't remember). Anyway they stripped the wheel and powder-coated it and it looked like new. Think it was round about £60 a wheel and as I only had the one done I don't know if they charge less for a full set. Rob used to work for a body shop in the Canterbury area that did all the work for most of the dealers in that area. When he set up on his own apparently a few of the dealers stopped using his old employer. Having talked to him he says he still gets work referred from dealers who are unhappy with the finishes their usual body-shops have given customers cars. He sorted out existing scuffs on my car when I bought it. When I dinged the boot in the spring (down to the metal; my own fault :'( ) he sorted it within a week. Give him a call on the web-site numbers and see what he says.

Am a bit late joining this thread but here is a link to a place I have used twice in the past year. Once for paintwork and the second time for a wheel refurb. http://www.kentbodyshop.co.uk/ Rob, the owner is a great guy and he charged me less than Lepsons (who, I agree, have a great reputation). I'm in Kent and Rob is based in Adisham (just off the A2 towards Dover). I would recommend him to anyone.