Bl00Dy Car Wash

[firemac]

VW use to export their cars to this country covered in a thick coat of wax

My local VW dealer use contract the job of removing this wax to a chap with a portable hot spraying machine. then the car was put through a car wash they had.

ON the 3 VWs i had you would still find some of this wax that had been missed around things like door hinges,and it took some shifting.

Reminds me of when i had to travel to work and back doing 70 miles a day in all weathers. In winter i used to spray the my motorbikes paintwork and the chrome wheels with a coating of Teepo ,the bike paint work was not toughed again till spring.

THe bike looked a right mess even after a couple of weeks with this coating as the Teepol was a bit tacky.

the fuel tank was not treated but had a cover which i removed every couple of weeks and gave it a fresh coat of Simonize hard wax.

when spring came and i removed all the Teepol and gave the bike a wax and polish it came up like new,many people thought i had brought a new bike and did not beleave it was the scruffy old bike they had seen before.

The bike was BSA Superrocket the paint was not srayed at the factotry but parts were dipped into paint tanks. when given a coat of Simonize hard wax you could see your face in the tanks finish. come to think of it i used a cloth in them days,thats 50 years ago.but then the paint quality was far superior to what they use now. I never ever used a polish on the bike,just the wax

never cleaned the wax off the tank just a fresh coat on top.

To do that with a car would take too long..

Did over 120000 miles with that bike and it never had one chip on the paintwork nor rust anywhere, and did 70 to the gallon 5 star petrol 4 gallons for under a pound.

Those were the days.

"5 star petrol 4 gallons for under a pound.

Those were the days"

About 5 shillings a gallon in real money. Aye, those were the days indeed!!!

[CharlieFarlie]

Peter bikes were My hobby.. No passion and still is (Just have the two now) since I was 15 !!

Same rules apply to the bikes paint !! OCD Mate that's what it is .................

This was a ZZR1400 Road bike. When I got it I did not realise it had a blue metal flake in the paint.... Till I polished it ...

Only way to clean a wheel ..............

This bike had a 2K Custom paint job.. Trust me it makes you apply the pad very carefully indeed ...

Found this while browsing.. Not a bike but shows what levels we strive for..

Silver is the hardest colour to get best results.. This was My E46 M3 BMW Convertible.

Red is the easiest to get up to the mark.

Even the vans did not escape !

This is home done paintwork from My 1998 race bike.

[acetip]

Peter bikes were My hobby.. No passion and still is (Just have the two now) since I was 15 !!

Same rules apply to the bikes paint !! OCD Mate that's what it is .................

This was a ZZR1400 Road bike. When I got it I did not realise it had a blue metal flake in the paint.... Till I polished it ...

Only way to clean a wheel ..............

This bike had a 2K Custom paint job.. Trust me it makes you apply the pad very carefully indeed ...

Found this while browsing.. Not a bike but shows what levels we strive for..

Silver is the hardest colour to get best results.. This was My E46 M3 BMW Convertible.

Red is the easiest to get up to the mark.

Even the vans did not escape !

This is home done paintwork from My 1998 race bike.

I can see you have put real work into them.Does you credit.

Must take for ever. The super Rocket was in red exept the frame and i think the oil tank.and forks.

I mentioned Teepol in my last post,but this may have been calledTeekol

The use of this was recommended in my friend Matchless bikes handbbok.

No aerosol sprays them days so used a FLIT gun which was a can on its side with a handpump attached. was designed as a refillable fly spray but was handy for many other things. Some of the older members may remember them.

Just add that the 5 star fuel was 100 octane.

My bikes engine would sometimes start pinking using Shell 5 star but never using Esso 5 star.

[Stupidmia]

Must admit to using the foam brush at the local garages! My black car is swirly and would love to reduce the swirliness...but I read that you are stuck with them unless you pay £££s to a professional. Will have to wash car at home from now on.

I take a more simple approach...power wash as much loose dirt off...then do the 2 bucket method ( no fancy grit trap though)...then dry with mixrofibre towel that came with my Meguairs clay kit (if I have time).

I have been using a Meguairs furry mit (doesnt look like white sheepskin...but is a yellow coloured deep pile thingy).

Think I might clay bar it soon...felt like glass last time...but should I be polishing before waxing? Is it best to polish by hand ( sraight lines? Circles?)? Or should I use a machine?

Car was 12 month old when I got it from Pentagon Doncaster and quite swirly then (as I noticed in sunlight at home)..it was their demonstrator and had 6k on it...think they would have took more care with it! It had been polished when I got it..or was it wax??? All I know was there was little deposits of hard blue stuff here and there! Never polished it myself in the 2.5 yrs I had it....so there must be enough thickness to allow for a good polish????

[Hoovie]

I never knew about clay bars until a few years ago (from this forum, in fact) and decided to try it out on he Punto.

This was from Sept 2008 and the Punto was 6 1/2 years old and had only had the usual washing with bucket and sponge and the occasional polish with Autoglym stuff.

End result was very pleasing to me and converted me to the benefts of claying :)

[Hoovie]

I never knew about clay bars until a few years ago (from this forum, in fact) and decided to try it out on he Punto.

This was from Sept 2008 and the Punto was 6 1/2 years old and had only had the usual washing with bucket and sponge and the occasional polish with Autoglym stuff.

End result was very pleasing to me and converted me to the benefts of claying :)

[CharlieFarlie]

Must admit to using the foam brush at the local garages! My black car is swirly and would love to reduce the swirliness...but I read that you are stuck with them unless you pay £££s to a professional. Will have to wash car at home from now on.

I take a more simple approach...power wash as much loose dirt off...then do the 2 bucket method ( no fancy grit trap though)...then dry with mixrofibre towel that came with my Meguairs clay kit (if I have time).

I have been using a Meguairs furry mit (doesnt look like white sheepskin...but is a yellow coloured deep pile thingy).

Think I might clay bar it soon...felt like glass last time...but should I be polishing before waxing? Is it best to polish by hand ( sraight lines? Circles?)? Or should I use a machine?

Car was 12 month old when I got it from Pentagon Doncaster and quite swirly then (as I noticed in sunlight at home)..it was their demonstrator and had 6k on it...think they would have took more care with it! It had been polished when I got it..or was it wax??? All I know was there was little deposits of hard blue stuff here and there! Never polished it myself in the 2.5 yrs I had it....so there must be enough thickness to allow for a good polish????

All paint correction IE removal of swirls and light scratches is done before the LSP ( Last Stage Product ) or wax is applied...

Just be a wee bit careful with those clay bars !! They are capable of inflicting micro marring and sometimes light scratches that can take several days to polish out..

Lubrication as described above is the key and not enough lube can be disastrous !

Polishing can be done by hand but in reality would You cut the front lawn with a pair of scissors ... Er unlikely .....

You CAN polish your car yourself... Its not hard if You take care and can be very satisfying to do !!

A pro will charge according to the size and condition of the car and its paint.. But say a Rav with light swirls would cost around 300 quid and take 2 to 3 days.... Problem with using a Pro is that He/She will have one eye on the clock and they seldom do a job I would be happy with... But then I enjoy doing it and in more usual times have lots of time to do the job so don't care to much...

Wax is best applied by hand... By that I mean I will take a pea sized piece of wax and rub it into the palms of My hands.. The heat in the hand melts the wax and then I apply rubbing over the panel with the palms ensuring EVERY part is covered................

[CharlieFarlie]

I never knew about clay bars until a few years ago (from this forum, in fact) and decided to try it out on he Punto.

This was from Sept 2008 and the Punto was 6 1/2 years old and had only had the usual washing with bucket and sponge and the occasional polish with Autoglym stuff.

End result was very pleasing to me and converted me to the benefts of claying :)

David. Claying has one purpose and one purpose only.. It removes all the bonded contaminants from the paints surface.. Tree sap. Tar. Traffic film and oils ect ect.. That is why when clayed the surface is so much smoother...

It has no polishing effect whatsoever. Any additional shine You see is simply because by removing all the afore mentioned muck it allows more reflection and clarity so this looks like the paint is shining... The only time I clay is immediately prior to machine polishing..

[Manxrav]

Had a go with clay today. I did a test run on an old Mini bonnet my Dad has in his workshop, Washed it so it was a clean surface to test on, plenty of detailing sray and I used some med cut BiltHammer clay. Flattened into the palm of my hand and commenced to use. It,s a case of trial and error for me as never used before. One thing I have got to ask when going backwards and forwards I left like a waxy deposit on the bonnet. Was I pressing to hard with the palm of my hand? Once I had done an area 12"X 12" I used a microfibre cloth and it came up as smooth as silk, wax marks had gone.

Please put me right if I was doing it wrong. Want to get it right before I attempt doing the U/C

Regards Clare

[Hoovie]

Old mini bonnet? Sounds like you were doing a "Mers" demo :). (dunno if you remember Mers?)

Some Waxy deposit sound like not enough spray so clay broke up, but I am sure Charlie will know the exact reason. Too cold here to be cleaning cars! Brrrr

[Big Kev]

Had a go with clay today. I did a test run on an old Mini bonnet my Dad has in his workshop, Washed it so it was a clean surface to test on, plenty of Detailing sray and I used some med cut BiltHammer clay. Flattened into the palm of my hand and commenced to use. It,s a case of trial and error for me as never used before. One thing I have got to ask when going backwards and forwards I left like a waxy deposit on the bonnet. Was I pressing to hard with the palm of my hand? Once I had done an area 12"X 12" I used a microfibre cloth and it came up as smooth as silk, wax marks had gone.

Please put me right if I was doing it wrong. Want to get it right before I attempt doing the U/C

Regards Clare

Sounds like maybe you WERE pressing a wee bit heavy Clare.....I have only recently obeyed the instructions that only moderate pressure is required for a clay bar to work, albeit it may take a bit longer. Some call it "marring" and some call it "mearing" but out of 3 clays I have used, the most guilty of leaving a wee residue is indeed the Bilt Hamber, but I was using water as its lubricant....you are using clay lube, so it should "marrify" a bit less. The fact that it is coming off by hand is a good sign, or it would mean you having to machine polish them off.....good point made recently by Our Heidmaster that a lot of damage can be done with improper use of clay bars.

Just had two wee thoughts....next time lube the BH with watter in case I am wrong....COULD YOUR LUBE BE RELEASING STUFF OUT THE CLAY....? If it happens again, use some of yer new lighter clay to remove, and I bet it flies off. When it comes to doing your U/C, which I know you've had a wee while, try to do some "spot cleaning" of larger more obvious tar with your Tardis spray....this may alleviate the clay picking up too much crud too early in the operation.

Bon Chance, and The Heidy will be along later to correct (welcomefully) any duff advice herein.

Big Kev

Big Kev.

[CharlieFarlie]

clay actually has slight lubricating agents inbuilt.. This is aided massively by the spray lube You should be misting onto the panel as You clay. Lubrication is the key and is vital. Without it you can and very likely will mark the paint.

Kevs idea of warming the clay is a very good one and should be done so as to soften the clay so it will form to the panel.. I have My clay in a wee sealed container which I drop into a bucket of hot water...

Keep turning the bar in Your hand as you go. This will keep a fresh surface onto the paint.. Please if You drop the clay onto the floor throw it away as it can pick up tiny particles that you may be unable to see and then scratch the paint.. For this reason only ever use HALF of the bar..

Very little pressure is needed. Its a nice smooth action that will bring the best rewards along with best lubrication..

Keep an eye on the surface of the clay and turn and mould it together as soon as you can see its changing colour..

Smears or waxy deposits usually suggest lack of lube or a very very dirty panel indeed.

Remember what You have in Your hand simply put is a piece of plasticine like material with millions of tiny wee particles that act as a very mild cutting agent.. Without proper lubrication you really will take one step forward and two steps back.

When the bar is flying across the panel and the panel takes on a smooth feel You are cooking with gas..

I cannot emphasise that many clays have different amounts of cut just like polishes do.. Like polishes NO real cut will take place without lots and lots of lube..

Plenty of lube on the panel before and during claying will give You a perfectly clean and smooth finish ready for polishing..

[Manxrav]

Cheers for that Kev and Dave, I suppose it,s just a learning curve, I,ll be a little more gentle next time ( awaits comment fron the Jedi).

Dave it was absolutly crackin the flags over here today!!!!!!

Regards Clare

Just read your post Charlie, thanks for input

[CharlieFarlie]

Oh and one last thing. When finished pop the clay into a sealed container ans spray lots of that lube over it.. It will be fine to use again.

[Stupidmia]

Ordered a Kestrel DAS-6 polisher with Meguiar pads (polishing and finishing).

Going to give a good wash then clay bar with my Meguiars kit...then I am hoing to give it a go with Meguiars Ultimate compound ( will try a bit by hand and a bit by machine...if machine does good...then that'll be the way to progress)....also bought Ultimate polish, but not sure if needed after the UC ( the UC recommends a wax next) so I will see.....then to finish off, I will be applying Tech Wax 2.0!!!

Just need a couple of fine days now....quite looking forward to doing it....but with other things like taking dogs out for long walks and gardening etc...it's going to be hectic.

[Big Kev]

Ordered a Kestrel DAS-6 polisher with Meguiar pads (polishing and finishing).

Going to give a good wash then clay bar with my Meguiars kit...then I am hoing to give it a go with Meguiars Ultimate compound ( will try a bit by hand and a bit by machine...if machine does good...then that'll be the way to progress)....also bought Ultimate polish, but not sure if needed after the UC ( the UC recommends a wax next) so I will see.....then to finish off, I will be applying Tech Wax 2.0!!!

Just need a couple of fine days now....quite looking forward to doing it....but with other things like taking dogs out for long walks and gardening etc...it's going to be hectic.

Simples, Patrick....do what I do...set yourself a realistic target of,say, 2 doors and one front wing....then chuck it....!!!!

It really is chewing gum for the brain, although it's like hitting your head off a brick wall too.....it's nice when you finish.

Doing a whole car at one go is nuts....spread it over 7/10 days and you will actually do a better more consistent job.

Big Kev

[Stupidmia]

Cheers Kev...sounds like a good way to do it. Especially as it will allow me to clean the pads and buffing towels inbetween sections...coz I imagine they will get a bit clogged up and dirty trying to do all car in one go?!?!

[CharlieFarlie]

Kev is right.. Dont try do the lot in one hit !! Always start with a low abrasive polish !! You can always go up a cut if needed but polishing through will present a real problem !

Prime the pads by spraying that mixture of 50/50 detailing spray and water that You use for claying before adding polish. This will aid the cutting process !! Remember the polish will only be working fully when it appears opaque . If You have wet polish on the panel it has not yet broken down and will not be working to its optimum.. Polish has to be broken down before it will work !!

Clean pads are a must at the start of each polishing session.... Good luck !!

[webleymk3]

Right folks...

This saga is pretty much over... Went and met the guy who then offered me £50 on the pretence the the although the bike rack was screwed the Roof Rack was ok. i then got his sob story about how hard done by he was and that he was scrapping by on pennies per month!!

So basically, we settled on £75. this will buy me a bike rack with change and I will buy some second hand bars on eBay. there are a few on there. You might scorn me for taking the £75 but he basically said this was a gesture of good will and if i didn't take it that it would be over to the insurance company... TBH i don't think i'd have got anywhere with them and i'd have missed the chance at at least something. I figured i'd cut my loses and take the cash. I will be a wee bit out of pocket but not hugely.

He also offered me another full valet FOC... i politely declined!!!!

At least it's over....

Wibblers

[Hoovie]

least your got something :)

Not sure what type of bars you are after, but I have some Thule Square Bars that I don't use so willing to sell at a decent discount.

[webleymk3]

Cheers Hoovie. I have original Toyota Aero bars and want the same again. The bar isn't completely shot so could viably reuse it i just don't know i trust it. If a bike fell off the roof and hit another car at 70mph it could be fatal...

Cheers

[webleymk3]

Alternatively i could source some roof rails... anyone know of anyone selling their Rav who might be willing to sell the rails separately... Charlie... ???!!!

[Davrav]

Alternatively i could source some roof rails... anyone know of anyone selling their Rav who might be willing to sell the rails separately... Charlie... ???!!!

Hey, join the queue Webblers