Basically, car washing is not my forte. As far as products go I stick to autoglym, rinse shampoo rinse, dry resin polish.

This is relatively nice... however I have seen some far shinier cars, so I'm asking some of the more experienced members for some advice on how to get the most from my paintwork.

Just for reference my car is white.

Cheers

John

Good prep is the key, once you have washed the car you should clay it. This will make a big difference to whatever products you use next as it will remove contaminents that bond to the paintwork which are not removed by washing. As the car is white I would use the Jeffs Werkstat Acrylic system - fantastic on white and lighter coloured vehicles, its a synthetic sealant and it"s very durable as well.

:iagree:

Claying first.

I also use Jeffs acrylic on my silver vRS & I think It comes up fantastic, but you need 5 coats of the acrylic sealant to get the best finish:D

ok, what is involved in claying? and Jeffs Acrylic, is that like a polish, I apply it in the same way?

Have a read of the stickies at the top of this section.

In particular, claying is covered in http://briskoda.net/styling-car-care/car-care-guide-how-clean-your-paint-preparation-polishing-protection/116126/

the best thing i would say is read through the tutorials as said and have a look at the detailing threads by Baker21 to see what you can do to get a really good finish.

Most people will say that 90-95%of a finish comes from the prep stages (claying, polishing and glaze) rather than wax/sealant and ime this is true.

Claying will help as it'll remove a lot of surface contamination which will be affecting the gloss of the paint, then either atleast 2 coats of SRP done properly (or look into machine polishing where you can pickup your own and read up on Detailing world on how to do it) , then a glaze and wax/sealant to protect the paint. You really should only polish once or twice a year with SRP imo and then seal it in with a wax/sealant.

You could also get a detailer off here (look for detailing threads and PM the authors) or Detailing World (same again) and pay one of them to do it, a lot of the amateurs will happily work on your car and cost a lot less than the pro's but offer a fantastic finish

Jeffs Acrylic, is that like a polish, I apply it in the same way?

Werkstat Acrylic Kit - Werkstat Car Care and Detailing Products I'm very happy with the product.

two bucket method of washing was the biggest change to the finish of my paint work as soon as i started to read guides on polished bliss and here regarding detailing a car correctly.... and so makes sense really when you think about it

and very recently meguirs last touch whilst drying - superb product in sooo many ways

also what you are using to shampoo the car with is VERY important.. if its a sponge.. THROW IT AWAY NOW!

I'll be honest, I was, however I have been gifted a lambs wool mitt which seems to work well.

Cheers for all the advice guys! anything else keep it coming, when it stops raining (I hope) I'm gunna give my car such a blitz

White is hard to get a really glossy finish as dark colours are best but as said preparation is key , good wash , clay , good polish preferably with machine

baker 21 is your man!

as allready said the 2 bucket wash method with lambswool wash mits, one for top, one for bottom, is the biggest step for most people

but then comes wheel cleaning, arches, claying, waxing or sealing without forgetting to tape up to prevent polishing/waxing plastic trims, and then dressing etc

theres alot to it! a properly prepared surface is always the first step to a good finish.

if you using autoglymm, then after washing it with the shampoo use the resin, then use the gloss stuff that usually comes in the same packet if you buy it as a twin packet. Then wax it, collinite 476 which might look expensive but my tin has lasted over two years or a quick wax like AG aqua wax, should then look shiney and take you 2-3 hours doing the full whack.

Anyone in the Cambridge area willing to show me what I'm doing? Willing to cover travel costs and beer money for trouble.

I don't machine polish mine but I can show you the basics if you've got a free day at a weekend. Just a case of getting the weather right. Really needs to be an overcast but dry day. Sunny weather is rubbish for washing cars! If you want to give claying your car a go then you'll need to buy a bar but I've got plenty of detailing spray for lube.

Pm me your number mate and I'll drop you a txt next time I have a day off at the weekend, will be nice to see your Fabia as well!