Detailing The Rav4

[Big Kev]

Kev as little contact as possible ! Colly is a very good durable wax and I use colly 915 for winter application as its brilliant for this. I have another Colinite but cant remember what it is .... Have not used the insulator one though.

I use a Kranze K1150T which has a high flow rate of water and this shifts the bugs no problem . I keep the spread of water wide not narrow..

Try an Autobrite foam lance ?? I assure You You will never look back !! Its one of those tools that You will wonder how You ever managed without......

Charlie.

Corstrewf, Charlie....there was I thinking my commercial Karcher was expensive enough....them Kranzles must have platinum motors and pumps, man !!!!! Just remembered my Karcher has a "chemical" pick-up facility on it, so will try this before ah get an Autobrite Foameriser....do I need to buy yer actual official foaming agent (sounds like 007 with rabies, eh?) such as that what which Autobrite do?

Big Kev

Kev the chemical pick up on You Karcher just wont do it Mate honest .. Autobrite.co.uk were doing an offer. the Foam lance and 2x5 litres of supa Snow Foam for 60 quid delivered ... It will be the best purchase You have ever made trust Me.. Give Autobrite a call and ask to speak to Mark. Tell Him Chuck recommended You

Kranzles aint cheap but are fantastic performing and great quality machines !!

£55.00 WITH 5 LITRES OF SNOWY, SO ORDERED IT THIS MORNING, BUT HAD TO GIVE MA WIFE YOUR POSTCODE AND A COPY PHOTO OF YOUR STREET.....stay away from your windows until she calms down, Charlie.....

Big Kev

[bluevortex]

Kev did your order the right attachment for the commercial Karcher? I assume you have the HD series? This is a screw mechanism and not the plastic twist and clip of the domestic range.just to avoid any disappointment when it arrives.

IMO the best Snow Foam is Meguiars Hyper wash. You can get 5 litres for £22 (last check) and also use it as your main shampoo.. Works out very cost effective.

Blue

[Mike JD]

...........telling us how to start from scratch ..............

Oh Ancs, you haven't, have you?

Just back from our cattle auction. Now I have cleaning problem for the gurus. How to remove the evidence and save it for the roses. I thought claying had more to do with making a car dirty but us country folk, us knaws nort. Even our church bell goes 'dung'

Mike D

[CharlieFarlie]

Kev did your order the right attachment for the commercial Karcher? I assume you have the HD series? This is a screw mechanism and not the plastic twist and clip of the domestic range.just to avoid any disappointment when it arrives.

IMO the best snow foam is Meguiars Hyper wash. You can get 5 litres for £22 (last check) and also use it as your main shampoo.. Works out very cost effective.

Blue

25 Litres of snowfoam from Anchem in Glasgow works out at £30 it is awesome stuff and that really is cost effective !!!

[bluevortex]

I'm certain Charlie with his new Rav will be along with a full detailed write up before long. I will endeavour something similar over the coming weeks but as I fully detailed my own T180 when it was under my dads ownership I have never felt the need to start from scratch with a full 2/3 stage polish. I would normally wait until enough swirls/defects have built to do this as it very time consuming normally taking somewhere like 12-20 hours depending on condition.

However, my dads 2010 SR Style 2.2 is already showing sign off I'll treatment. I guess it won't be long before he's asking me to sort it out...

I recommend anybody who's interested in how to detail drops in to Detailingworld and look up the showroom forum for both professional and novice car details of just about everycar under the sun. You can puck up so much tips and advice from seeing what processes, products and equipment people have used and members post full pictured threads of of thir car details. If you register you will be eligible for DW discounts on registered detailing websites like clean your car/ elite car care etc

It would be nice to have a Rav detailing section here where we could post how to guides and Rav owners on this board could all chip in.

Blue

[CharlieFarlie]

I just get to the point where I think I understand this lot then one of you icelandic polish gurus goes and speaks a bit more latin.

Is there any chance that you two can put together a complete detailed post telling us how to start from scratch with all the alternatives for different budgets, processes and alternatives for both cars that are untreated to cars that just need maintaining with plenty of photos, ideas of costs etc etc and we will have it pinned

If You list exactly what it is Your after I will do My best to write something up ?? Please bear in mind that detailing covers a huge spectrum so it could end up like writing a book !! Maybe a detailing Question and Answer section like found on quite a few Forums would be better ? I would do My best to help ..................

Charlie.

[CharlieFarlie]

I'm certain Charlie with his new Rav will be along with a full detailed write up before long. I will endeavour something similar over the coming weeks but as I fully detailed my own T180 when it was under my dads ownership I have never felt the need to start from scratch with a full 2/3 stage polish. I would normally wait until enough swirls/defects have built to do this as it very time consuming normally taking somewhere like 12-20 hours depending on condition.

However, my dads 2010 SR Style 2.2 is already showing sign off I'll treatment. I guess it won't be long before he's asking me to sort it out...

I recommend anybody who's interested in how to detail drops in to Detailingworld and look up the showroom forum for both professional and novice car details of just about everycar under the sun. You can puck up so much tips and advice from seeing what processes, products and equipment people have used and members post full pictured threads of of thir car details. If you register you will be eligible for DW discounts on registered detailing websites like clean your car/ elite car care etc

It would be nice to have a Rav detailing section here where we could post how to guides and Rav owners on this board could all chip in.

Blue

Cor blimey Blue We posted 1 minute apart !!!

[Big Kev]

Kev did your order the right attachment for the commercial Karcher? I assume you have the HD series? This is a screw mechanism and not the plastic twist and clip of the domestic range.just to avoid any disappointment when it arrives.

IMO the best snow foam is Meguiars Hyper wash. You can get 5 litres for £22 (last check) and also use it as your main shampoo.. Works out very cost effective.

Blue

Thanks for warning, Blue, but you taught me BETTER THAN THAT....I have indeed got an HD Karcher, for which I have a dedicated HD lance, nozzle and hose which is the large "fan" type spray for gentler rinsification of cars. I also have another lance which has the permanent Karcher Domestic (push and twist) convertor on it, so for speed and ease of use I have ordered the Foamer fitting to suit my Domestic lance.....all that screwing is not good for one of my age.

After ordering, I read a review of a Glasgow guy who is selling his Autobrite Foamy Bottle, because it is very difficult to attach and remove it from his Karcher Domestic (K1-7 Push and Twist.)

Report back I will.....

Big Kev

[bluevortex]

Yeah I know Charlie, sat in car waiting to pick up mrs idle fingers on my iPhone lol.

Kev, them domestic Katcher fittings are crap on a foam lance, there is a modification to make it fit easier to connect to pressure washer but I never got round to doing it. I changed to a Nilfisk Alto P150 pressure washer as my Karcher was having issues. You can buy the adapter only from some retailers if ever you change. The Karcher HD range is superb but I wanted a cable reel on mine and in the Karcher commercial they start at about 500-600 which is Kranzle territory :)

[Big Kev]

The forecast today is for showery intervals, but ah don't care.....my Autobrite Foamy Woamy gun and liquid arrived yesterday (superb fast service btw....) and I will be going out to play. Blue / Charlie....does one just put an inch or so of foam ONLY in the boattle, or does one pre-mix with H2 watter in the bottle...? should also mention that the Karcher adapter fits and UNFITS very easily, Blue...they must have amended their plus or minus one pubis tolerances....?

Just another wee acknowledgement of the Tardis tar and glue remover Bluevortex put me on to.....utterly stupendifying stuff.

A friend arrived the other day to do a job that ma crippled gallbladder would not allow ME to do, so I set about his 4 year old very low mileage Corsa, which had more tar on it than the M8 in Glasgow city centre.

BV / CF will now faint at this, but the lack of mudflaps had really allowed the tar to build up in thick blobs in places, so I had to "agitate" the Tardis with a not entirely soft Karcher car wash brush, long since discarded when Bluevortex started posting. The brush is now so brown with removed tar it is going in the bin forthwith.

Cannot believe the smoothness of the resultant low down and wheel arch paintwork....lucky me, I've now got the job of machine polishing and waxing it....he's a Rangers fan, so HE WILL PAY DEARLY.....

Big Kev

[Manxrav]

So Kev does that mean your a Celtic fan!!!!!!

Ho for the days of Gretna and the "Wee Doctor"!!!!1

Regards Clare

[Big Kev]

So Kev does that mean your a Celtic fan!!!!!!

Ho for the days of Gretna and the "Wee Doctor"!!!!1

Regards Clare

Now now , Clare....just because I don't support the Bad Guys doesn't automatically mean I support The Really Good Guys, does it?....woops.....

Actually, it's ma wife who's the MCF...Mad Celleek Fan...she would watch football all day, then Rangers come on, which means there's no football on, as such....

The wee doctor you refer to methinks was actually known as "The Good Doctor", Kenny Deuchar by memoty....?

Big Kev.....c'mon Ra Fistle !!!

[CharlieFarlie]

The forecast today is for showery intervals, but ah don't care.....my Autobrite Foamy Woamy gun and liquid arrived yesterday (superb fast service btw....) and I will be going out to play. Blue / Charlie....does one just put an inch or so of foam ONLY in the boattle, or does one pre-mix with H2 watter in the bottle...? should also mention that the Karcher adapter fits and UNFITS very easily, Blue...they must have amended their plus or minus one pubis tolerances....?

Just another wee acknowledgement of the Tardis tar and glue remover Bluevortex put me on to.....utterly stupendifying stuff.

A friend arrived the other day to do a job that ma crippled gallbladder would not allow ME to do, so I set about his 4 year old very low mileage Corsa, which had more tar on it than the M8 in Glasgow city centre.

BV / CF will now faint at this, but the lack of mudflaps had really allowed the tar to build up in thick blobs in places, so I had to "agitate" the Tardis with a not entirely soft Karcher car wash brush, long since discarded when Bluevortex started posting. The brush is now so brown with removed tar it is going in the bin forthwith.

Cannot believe the smoothness of the resultant low down and wheel arch paintwork....lucky me, I've now got the job of machine polishing and waxing it....he's a Rangers fan, so HE WILL PAY DEARLY.....

Big Kev

Kev put about two inches of snowfoam in the bottle add a squeeze of shampoo and fill with warm water. This will help the two mix... Have a play with the knob on the top as this will greatly change how thick the foam comes out !!

You should get two good washes out of the above mix....

Finally come back and tell Us how brilliant the tool is and how You will never know how You managed without one !!!

Charlie.

[Manxrav]

Yo.ur right Kev he was the Good Doctor. My super Hero now playing at Livingston.Bet your wife was sick the other day when Cally did one on Celtic!!!!!

Sorry to go off thread Clare

[bluevortex]

Glad it arrived Kev, great bit of kit and good investment! Oh and it just doesn't seem right detailing a car without a Snow Foam first. As Charlie says about the mix, I do roughly the same and add warm water. Just experiment with the settings til you get the balance right. One tip, you can also add APC into mix for more aggressive clean but it will compromise waxed car, so only use for the first wash pre detailing e.g your mates mockered Corsa.

Have fun... Pictures please

Blue

[Big Kev]

Cheers for advice Blue and Charlie, and the verdict is.....the Jury is still out.

The Foamy Bottle arrapatus is a brilliant well made piece of kit which does exactly what it says.....I had a queue of excited weans behind me holding their wee plastic sledges and a pound coin...."kin we play in that, Big Man..?"...naw, beat it!

Gave the car a right good coating and waited 10 minutes before removing. It rinsed off perfectly well and the car looked very clean....more importantly, it dries to an almost spot free finish, which was a major surprise !!!! (Dull warm day.)

I let it dry thoroughly whilst giving Funnerburd Too the same treatment, which was MORE dirty than Funnerburd Wan.

Back to Funnerburd Wan....and a microscopic layer of the usual grime/film was still very much evident, and required a very brief hand wash with the customary m/fibre mitten thing. It had looked very clean from, say, 10 yards, but failed close inspection miserably. It may be my imagination, but it was absolutely dead easy to wash AFTER the foaming, and much more confident that any damaging or trappable grit had been dispelled.

After the handwash....good grief, mega-spotless finish. So I am possibly doing sumfin wrong (?) or it needs practice, but I have no regrets in the purchase thereof whatsoever, albeit it seems to be a semi- expensive PRE-WASH facility....?

Back to Funnerburd 2, which had been dirtier, remember, and nowhere near as much Collinite thereon........

UTTERLY SPOTLESS SHOWROOM FINISH WITH NO FOLLOW UP HANDWASH.....WTF ????? (And by spotless, I mean no water spots too, a major bonus in my opinion.)

Confused but happy Kev

[bluevortex]

I have never found Snow Foam alone to be a all in one complete solution alone. I think your expectations are to high. It's an important pre-wash step, getting all the larger dirt, grit whatever off the car and therefore avoiding trapping it with your sponge/washmitt and inflicting swirls on the paint surface. Unless the car is super clean in the first place I usually always follow up with a hand wash with a zymol sponge or washmitt. These lances come into their own in the winter, when their plenty of salt on the car

Blue

[CharlieFarlie]

Kev it really is all about the condition of Your paint finish. If You want that true touch less wash You will have to put in some amount of work into the funnerbirds.. If the paint is really well polished and has a well waxed or sealed finish You simply wont need to use that sponge..

Try a different way of doing it ??

My way for a basic wash routine.

Spray the wheels with a non acidic wheel cleaner ( I use Very Cherry from Autobrite)

Quick spray of G101 which is just an APC. round the wheel arches.

Spray the car with the foam lance and leave for 5 minutes.

Good wash off with Your power-washer.

Well the car is still wet spritz it all over with a detailing spray via a spray bottle with a nice fine mist.

Then dry the car with a big old Drying towel.

Dont allow the car to dry. The detailing spray will disperse the water and most of it will run away before your very eyes !! It adds a real amount of wax as You towel it off. It is the best product I have in My kit and no mistake..

I use Meguires Last Touch detailing spray which You can get off the Net for around 25 quid for a US Gallon. I buy 5 US gallons at a time for 90 quid. Sounds a lot and it is but that will last Me 2 Years or so .....

HTH.

Charlie.

[CharlieFarlie]

I have never found snow foam alone to be a all in one complete solution alone. I think your expectations are to high. It's an important pre-wash step, getting all the larger dirt, grit whatever off the car and therefore avoiding trapping it with your sponge/washmitt and inflicting swirls on the paint surface. Unless the car is super clean in the first place I usually always follow up with a hand wash with a zymol sponge or washmitt. These lances come into their own in the winter, when their plenty of salt on the car

Blue

Talking of salt .... I foam and power wash My Jet ski twice every time I bring it back off the water !! Its just brilliant for getting rid of that sodding stuff !! It may not surprise You to hear that I detail the Ski ???

[Manxrav]

Awesome piece of kit Charlie!!. That would look good on my drive, and I,m only 2 minutes away from Port Erin beach.

Regards Clare

[Big Kev]

Cheers again chaps, and I hope this is benefitting folks other than me, coz it really is good fun, but I refuse to get too far into what is a non-cheap hobby (guitars / golf / hi-fi have caused minor frictionity in the past....)

If there's anybody in the NE Glasgow area wants to try said foam gun prior to purchase, bring along a pound for ma H4H collection tin and try away....it's good and worth it.

I think I will continue to use the Autobrite Foamer as an excellent prewash system only Charlie, as I feel I may be asked to pay extra road tax if I put on another layer of Collinite. Good guy on Clean Your Car forum suggested I try Sonus Glanz spritzified after final wash too.

Foam Gun will also be useful for Fairy Liquid / soft brush on white UPVC WINDOWS...woops....off subject again.

Cleaner Kev

[bluevortex]

Personally, I find the foam lance great as a pre-wash and inthink for most don't expect it to be an all in one solution for a car wash. For what it is, it's great (I would not be without mine) superb at get thick, foamy cleaning solution under arches, you increase/decrease concentration and apply various shampoos into the mix for good results. £50 well spent BK and I agree with your comments, if my missus knew the exact extent of my detailing hobby over the last 6 years I would be in big trouble. Luckily, for me I get to work from home regularly si could intercept the post :) when Toby came along just didn't have the spare cash to pursue expensive cleaning products, I stick with what I know works for me and my personal preference in detailing. It can easily become very expensive and when you start detailing friends cars etc they don't realise the costs involved.

Blue

[CharlieFarlie]

Personally, I find the foam lance great as a pre-wash and inthink for most don't expect it to be an all in one solution for a car wash. For what it is, it's great (I would not be without mine) superb at get thick, foamy cleaning solution under arches, you increase/decrease concentration and apply various shampoos into the mix for good results. £50 well spent BK and I agree with your comments, if my missus knew the exact extent of my detailing hobby over the last 6 years I would be in big trouble. Luckily, for me I get to work from home regularly si could intercept the post :) when Toby came along just didn't have the spare cash to pursue expensive cleaning products, I stick with what I know works for me and my personal preference in detailing. It can easily become very expensive and when you start detailing friends cars etc they don't realise the costs involved.

Blue

One of My Mates when nosing around in the cabinet where the waxes are stored said picked up the Zymol concours and said Ere can I bung some of this stuff on My car it smells like cinnamon... Er No Fark off .............

[Big Kev]

Personally, I find the foam lance great as a pre-wash and inthink for most don't expect it to be an all in one solution for a car wash. For what it is, it's great (I would not be without mine) superb at get thick, foamy cleaning solution under arches, you increase/decrease concentration and apply various shampoos into the mix for good results. £50 well spent BK and I agree with your comments, if my missus knew the exact extent of my detailing hobby over the last 6 years I would be in big trouble. Luckily, for me I get to work from home regularly si could intercept the post :) when Toby came along just didn't have the spare cash to pursue expensive cleaning products, I stick with what I know works for me and my personal preference in detailing. It can easily become very expensive and when you start detailing friends cars etc they don't realise the costs involved.

Blue

Aye, Blue....it reminds me of ma first reading book, when Chicken Licken asked all the animals "who will help me bake this cake...?", and mainly the FOXES disappeared. When the cake was ready, C.L. asked...."who will help me eat this cake....?", and suddenly all the so called friends reappeared !!!!

I told a very friendly neighbour the price of the branny foam lance and foam yesterday.....apparently an article will now appear about me in the local newspaper regarding mental illness in the parish.....

It never fails to amaze me how many friends and neighbours appear when my pressure washer starts up.....EVERYBODY LIKES THEIR CAR TO BE CLEAN, but suffer terrible attacks of L.B. (Lazy B******itis.) when it comes down to nitty gritty.

Ma guitar strings will feel like hacksaw blades before another set of strings goes on t'Taylor C355 (12 String.), my mother in law's daughter assures me......

Big Kev

[bluevortex]

Zymol concours - shouldn't that be under lock and key in it's own refrigerated safe lol