I can second that for newcastle also

I looked around and couldnt find any detailers that i could trust.

I can second that for newcastle also

I looked around and couldnt find any detailers that i could trust.

 

Not sure where you are in Newcastle, but the weather isn't great either is it? :(

 

Slight thread derailment, but do you know of any good, trustworthy body shops that won't charge an arm and a leg to redo the front end and touch up the most severe stone chips?

Split the car into sections, you don't have to do a car in one go.

 

So as long as you wash the car, decon it (including clay) then just do a bonnet and maybe a wing or both.

 

Following day, quick wash again to get rid of any dust, maybe do a side (or just two doors and mirror?) then the following week carry on.

 

I would add a wax lsp if using this method rather than a sealant just till all the car is done.

 

Now depending on the state of the paint, a 80% removal can be done in 12hrs, but since your not paying and it's your time, take that time to learn your paint, compounds and process.

 

Leave the more entertaining bits like front/rear bumper till last, by then you should be able to handle your DA better after a few hours.

 

Don't rush it, if it's starting to get cold, dark and your tired, just spray it with QD and come back to it another day, better that than make a mistake.

 

Last one, enjoy it.

Thanks mate, much appreciated.  I'm not sure what you mean here, though? 

 

Now depending on the state of the paint, a 80% removal can be done in 12hrs, but since your not paying and it's your time, take that time to learn your paint, compounds and process.

Edited 19 March, 201610 yr by planehazza

Come down to nice warm tropical Devon and I'll do it.

 

To put in to perspective I don't have the cleverest of backs, but a BMW 1 series came to me today for a brush up.  I had washed, clayed and dried within 30 minutes (good old clay mitt) done a quick light polish (as repeat customer and had serious cut a while back) in about 30/40 minutes using rotary and a soft pad/light polish, spent about an hour touching in stone chips around the whole car including a light heat-gunning to set - Then spent half an hour applying Menzerna powerlock (by DAS6) on top to seal, then a little bit.

 

Two and a half hours work and a lovely looking clean smooth car.  Machines really do help.

Edited 19 March, 201610 yr by devonutopia

Yeah I think a lot  of it is down to how bad the paint work is with rust and stone chips. Really becomes apparent when the car is clean.  :/

 

I need to find a reputable bodyshop to get a good quote for fixing it so I can give it a super detail. 

I've used two, CARS in westerhope are top quality but not cheap. I know a guy that has always done a great job and is cheaper over blaydon way.

Also use another for bits and pieces, really really cheap (less than it would cost me to buy the paint anyway) but quality is low in some cases

OK guys, wish me luck. About to have a go with the DA.  

 

Annoyingly, where I now live, we only have a water tap out the front, and the drive way is around the back so I can't use the karcher.  The car is clean still, but obviously I want to get rid of the dust that has settled overnight. Given that the paintwork is so bad already, am I OK to simply give the car a quick once over with the wash mitt, water and QD spray?

Going well so far. Orange pad on setting 1 to apply the Sonax, then 2.5 to polish. Buffed off, then the above repeated, but on a black finishing pad. Now applying a coat of jetseal, which I've just discovered can be applied by DA also! It's abundantly clear that my bonnet needs a respray... 

 

How much do you guys think it's cost for bumper, bonnet, and wings sprayed, as well as the odd rusting stone chip in the sills and roof repaired? 

Edited 20 March, 201610 yr by planehazza

Glad its going well buddy. Not sure about the respray, but you were right to take your time on the decontamination, it is important.

You will get quicker, but best to learn to run before you can walk. Hope you get the results you are after. Even if machining to remove swirl marks is too much, using a machine to apply All in ones like autoglym SRP will yield much better results than by hand!

Glad its going well buddy. Not sure about the respray, but you were right to take your time on the decontamination, it is important.

You will get quicker, but best to learn to run before you can walk. Hope you get the results you are after. Even if machining to remove swirl marks is too much, using a machine to apply All in ones like autoglym SRP will yield much better results than by hand!

 

Thanks mate.  To be honest, the 'test' process on the bonnet yielded not fantastic results, but far better than applying a coat or two of SRP by hand.  It'll only get better with practice, and I'm looking forward to trying JetSeal 109 with the DA also.  I just need some more finishing pads so I can just a medium polish pad, then a finishing one, then another for the sealant. I did the 50/50 tape thing on one of the wings, and you can't half feel the difference! It's not sunny enough to see if the swirls are gone, but thankfully they've never been super apparent on this car.

 

I wish I could say the same about the stone chips though. Those are not tar/iron spots; they are ALL stone chips!

 

 

 

My back still aches after an hour or so though, so most I could do today is the bonnet.  Do you think it's worth the money respraying the front end of a car that's only worth £6k with 70k miles on it?

Edited 20 March, 201610 yr by planehazza

50/50s are difficult to capture without an intense light source and usually inside. I'm sure you have eradicated many swirls. But that's the beauty of silvers, it's difficult to see the swirls and scratches.

Keep up the practice buddy, and you'll get there. It may not be an amazing difference on silver, but wait until you get a dark coloured car. It wil pay dividends!

To be honest, although it's hard work, once down the maintenance washes become much easier.

I used to, in my youth happily spend all day washing, waxing etc the car. Now days after a few hours I start to ache a bit.

To be honest, although it's hard work, once down the maintenance washes become much easier.

I used to, in my youth happily spend all day washing, waxing etc the car. Now days after a few hours I start to ache a bit.

 

Hehe well, I'm making it out like I'm so old codger.  If you can see my avatar clearly enough, you wouldn't even believe I'm old enough to drive, let alone 29!  I spent 3-4 hours on sat, washing and prepping, then on Sunday I was at the gym for an hour before spending another 3 hours or so taking my time with the clay bar, tar remover and learning to use the DA on the bonnet.  I can feel a bit better knowing I'm sore after that lot

Time.

 

Take it.

 

Don't rush anything.

 

As a for instance, takes me 2 hours to properly wash a car with tar remover and claying thrown in, on a clean car.

 

I look at 1 hour for decent correction on a bonnet (for instance), so with that in mind, just take your time and learn.

 

Find posts by Dave KG on Detailing World (I used to join in with him on training days helping out the teaching on DA and Rotary), and he will explain alot of the tricks, tips etc for you.

 

Did I mention, take your time? 

 

Don't forget that as the temp drops this will effect your products (and your body), high winds (or any wind) will blow dust etc over the panels, so working out doors isn't ideal.

 

If it was me, I wouldn't do anything till you have the car painted and then have a chat with a few detailers and book in for a weekend (or a day up to you) for a light correction training day.

 

The money spent on that day will save you hundreds of hours.

Yeah I'm getting the hang of it.  I think I was getting myself all stressed and disheartened because I thought you couldn't leave the car over night, let alone drive it before completely finnishing it.  I feel a lot better now, knowing that I can wash and decontaminate in one setting, then continue the polishing etc the next day.  Last night I got home about 4:45 so had an hour or so to decontaminate the left side of the car.  I simply pressure washed off the dust, gave the side a quick 2 bucket wash, rinsed again, and then tackled it with the clay bar and tar remover.  I could do with some iron remover, as I have one two tiny rust specks that I can't remove with the clay bar.

Find your local AutoSmart and buy the red7 off him, 5L is about £25 (depending on what else you buy that is) and then either keep it all or go onto your local section and split it down in 1L bottles.

 

And as for the rust, you really don't want to be using an iron decon on them as it will disolve them, so I would put a bit of tape on them and work around it till you can get it to bodyshop and painted.

Find your local AutoSmart and buy the red7 off him, 5L is about £25 (depending on what else you buy that is) and then either keep it all or go onto your local section and split it down in 1L bottles.

 

And as for the rust, you really don't want to be using an iron decon on them as it will disolve them, so I would put a bit of tape on them and work around it till you can get it to bodyshop and painted.

 

Yeah that's the kind of stuff I meant mate I meant it for the bonded iron spots like the tar spots.  The rusty stone chips are going to need professional care and repair.

Ahhh, then yeah contact your AutoSmart man, split it down so it dosn't cost you too much and use that.

 

If due to work you can't get to him on a week day then its postage and I would go with Bilt-Hamber or find someone doing it in 1L deals.

Ahhh, then yeah contact your AutoSmart man, split it down so it dosn't cost you too much and use that.

 

If due to work you can't get to him on a week day then its postage and I would go with Bilt-Hamber or find someone doing it in 1L deals.

 

Is the Red7 supposed to super stuff like?  I would have thought almost any iron deposit remove from JD or CYC would have sufficed?

Polished bliss do bilt hamber now and it's free delivery with them. 

 

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/new-products-bilt-hamber-korrosol.html

Is the Red7 supposed to super stuff like?  I would have thought almost any iron deposit remove from JD or CYC would have sufficed?

 

It's just really cheap for 5L, around the £25 mark.

 

But as above, PB have a sale on and free postage.