Hi all,

I'm looking to polish & seal my Fabia for the winter soon. As this is my first car, I have no experience of doing this, so I'm kinda guessing from what I've read on here ... hopefully what follows isn't too stupid a series of questions ...

As it stands, the car's been washed pretty thoroughly. However, there's still some black spots on it (a combination of tar & fly dirt, I think), some rust-coloured deposits (definitely on top of the lacquer as it rubs off with a finger, so I'm guessing some dust of some kind, or tree/insect remains), etc, as well as what looks like some over-spray on the roof, so I was thinking of claying it. On Baker21's recommendation from one of the other threads, I've got some of the Sonus green clay. It says to use the Sonus "Glyde" product as lubricant - would I be correct in thinking that I could use the Meguiars/Autoglym equivalent product (Last Touch/Rapid Detailer), as I can get them more cheaply and easily?

I'm looking at polishing it with Autoglym Super Resin Polish, for the reason that it's not too expensive, and it's supposed to have a lot of fillers in it (unsurprisingly, there's a fair few fine scratches in the paint). It says to apply it with a cotton cloth - I've got a couple of Meguiars microfibre pads, which would be more comfortable for me to use - I take it it'd be OK for me to use those (I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be, but just wanted to check)?

Finally, I'd be sealing it with a couple of layers of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection, as it's supposed to be quite tough. Would a couple of coats of that (I take it the above pads are fine?) be OK, or should I look at applying anything else over the top of it (I know EGP will strip off anything you put it onto)?

The car in question is metallic stone. As it's used on a daily basis to get from my home "in the sticks" to work in town, I'm after a finish that is going to be quite hard-wearing, offer reasonable protection, not need re-applying frequently, and look nice. I don't have a DA machine (I don't have any space to put one, so please don't suggest buying one :(), so I'd be doing all this by hand.

Thanks for any opinions, and sorry if they're stupid questions, but I thought I'd best ask before I did something stupid!

Your process looks fine mate Make sure you simply wipe the EGP onto the panels in straight lines, and don't rub it in. It takes 30-60 minutes to cure, so make sure it isn't going to rain, or do it under cover if possible.

Finally, I'd be sealing it with a couple of layers of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection, as it's supposed to be quite tough. Would a couple of coats of that (I take it the above pads are fine?) be OK, or should I look at applying anything else over the top of it (I know EGP will strip off anything you put it onto)?

Are you sure you meant to say that? After all why put it on when its going to strip everything off that you put it on to?

Your process looks fine mate Make sure you simply wipe the EGP onto the panels in straight lines, and don't rub it in. It takes 30-60 minutes to cure, so make sure it isn't going to rain, or do it under cover if possible.

Great - thanks

Are you sure you meant to say that? After all why put it on when its going to strip everything off that you put it on to?

Yeah, I meant to say that. It's supposed to remove anything other than Super Resin Polish if it's applied over it.

It says to use the Sonus "Glyde" product as lubricant - would I be correct in thinking that I could use the Meguiars/Autoglym equivalent product (Last Touch/Rapid Detailer), as I can get them more cheaply and easily?

Glad my threads are of use..........

You can use Megs Last Touch or another Detailer spray, it's just Sonus getting you to by more of their products..........

Rest of the process sounds good to me and while I am not a fan of AG products, lots of other people rave about SRP and EGP as a good combination so go for it.........

Glad my threads are of use..........

Oh yeah. The in-depth write-ups are useful, especially if like me you're trying to work out what needs doing and how!

You can use Megs Last Touch or another Detailer spray, it's just Sonus getting you to by more of their products..........

Great I thought that'd be the case (good old marketing department ), but just wanted to make sure.

Rest of the process sounds good to me and while I am not a fan of AG products, lots of other people rave about SRP and EGP as a good combination so go for it.........

Yeah, I noticed that people around here seem to use Meguiars/Dodo/Zaino more. It's just easier/cheaper for me to get the Autoglym stuff

++EDIT: Oh, one further question. After polishing it, I should rinse it before applying the sealant so there's no polish dust left on it, right? Or would that start taking the polish/filler off?

Edited 4 November, 200916 yr by martinch

++EDIT: Oh, one further question. After polishing it, I should rinse it before applying the sealant so there's no polish dust left on it, right? Or would that start taking the polish/filler off?

SRP is a very dry product so you can just buff off and then apply the sealant or you could give it a rinse, dry and then apply the sealant, entirely depends on how keen you are........:P

Hehe ... great, thanks!