Wilk
Part of things
Posts: 528
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My old mans car has never been detailed. He would wash it religiously to the point he wore through to the primer in places on the wheels When I've finished working on it I'm going to give it the full treatment and hopefully keep it that way from then on
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If it can be fixed with a hammer, then it must be an electrical fault
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Here, the concept of detailing is using some water to wash it so, in my mind thats still the case in the uk. the word "detailing" makes me reel in horror / cringe before anyone bites on that, don't forget the threads is called "perceptions on clay bars" Me too. I enjoy cleaning my car and doing what, for me, constitutes a reasonably proper job. I find it relaxing. However, regardless of what I use and how long it takes, it's just cleaning.
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0 SE
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Wow, that does look sparkly. If I ever own a car that has decent paint or isn't covered in scratches, rust and dents then I could be tempted. I kind of get a kick out of claying, polishing and waxing old bangers more than cars with good paint, as the transformation is sometimes amazing, especially on metallics Me too. I was delighted with the improvements I made to how this old tank looked.
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0 SE
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I'm enjoying this thread , in recent years due to wife kids mortgage my car budget has changed I now buy 90s cars because that's my budget,, but I take immense pleasure form spending hours keeping my w202 merc polished and detailed , and the wife's daily a late fiesta,, the neighbours think I'm mad and at our weekend home our caravan the other owners equally think I'm mad But cleaning a car has come a long way in the last few years and seeing your current ride gleaming is very satisfying , I reckon I have one of the cleanest w202 mercs in my part of the country, boring for some maybe but I love it!!!
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Last Edit: Jun 4, 2016 16:53:56 GMT by Mercdan68
Fraud owners club member 1999 Jaguar s type 1993 ford escort
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I had a very poor perception of clay bars to be honest, my previous forays into the detailing "culture" had seen me right put off by over-technical explanations of processes and the one-upmanship in bragging about how expensive such-and-such wax was etc. So much so that I went from keeping my car(s) very clean to literally not washing them for a year or more. I'm pleased to say that this thread has changed my mind on clay quite considerably, which coincides with me trying to teach my staff how to clean a car properly, putting out semi-expensive modern classics for sale, I want the cars to be spotless, and to me a car is not really clean until the seats have been removed and the bumper trims all lifted away to clean behind and under them, and that's long before I let the paint guy loose with the buffer - I had him hand polishing a car at 12.30am last night as there were swirl marks everywhere. It's an odd one and sorry for the over-explanation - I know what I want, but don't really have the all the know-how about how to achieve it.
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Before last weekend I didnt have an opinion on clay bars, id heard they were good, but id never seen the difference for myself. When I bought my Cube last year I noticed that the pearl white paint didnt really 'do' anything. When I worked at a rover/honda garage I remember pearlescent paint being a thing of wonder, when a new car was parked in the sun id get lost in the paint as I walked round the car. My cube didnt do that, even when I washed and polished it, so I thought it would be worth trying a clay bar. I seem to remember they were quite expensive, but I found a cheap one from china on ebay so I gave it a go. When It arrived I realised there were 2 clay bars. Nice. This cheap clay bar only used water, not the fancy bottle of lubricant that is usually recommended. I did the car a panel at a time, even though it had just been washed the water id sprayed on soon turned dirty. Once id finnished the first wing I noticed the difference, the paint felt smoother and looked brighter. It was parked in the shade so couldnt really see the difference properly. I did the rest of the car, taking time on the tar spots, some of which were hard work. Once finnished I washed it again, dried it, and the polished it with Autoglym. Yesterday afternoon it was parked in the direct sun and the pearl paint looked incredible. Someone said it looked like a star had exploded. So that, herein, is my current perception on claybars.
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I clay barred the mgf at the weekend I just love the finish it provides, I use autofinesse products But bilthamber do a great claybar too
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Fraud owners club member 1999 Jaguar s type 1993 ford escort
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Roach
Part of things
Posts: 717
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It’s all about clay cloths these days. Bars take too long. I valet for a living and clay cloths are amazing. So much quicker!
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It’s all about clay cloths these days. Bars take too long. I valet for a living and clay cloths are amazing. So much quicker! More info please , where? how much to buy? Your work looks spot on
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Fraud owners club member 1999 Jaguar s type 1993 ford escort
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Roach
Part of things
Posts: 717
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Thanks man. I buy mine from the likes of www.theclayclothcompany.co.uk about 16 quid each. They have a decent guide on how to use one too... I fold into quarters, 1 cloth can last up to about 4 cars dependant on how contaminated they are.
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Thought i would bite the bullet and give a bar a go on the mrs' new daily which looked like it had been valeted by stevie wonder at the dealer. Based on this thread i went with the Bilt Hamber one and it certainly pulled some tat off the paint. I wouldnt say i felt or saw it working as despite there being contaminants there was already a highly waxed finish on it and from a couple of feet looked peachy. All in , I'm converted but i think a couple of other on the fleet will benefit more from a good going over.
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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.....and the car LOOKED clean!
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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norm75
Part of things
Posts: 658
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May 23, 2020 16:48:28 GMT
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After reading this thread decided to get a clay bar and give it a go. The paint was looking quite poor with quite bad swirls and paint marks where people open doors onto it but impressed with the result. Washed the car down and removed the tar spots. Then went at it a panel at a time with the clay. The panel was then rubbed down with farclare G3 paint renovator, then polished with Autoglym ultra deep shine polish and finished with farclare G3 wax. Car is a 52 plate Subaru Impreza, graphite black pearl mica. Couple of pics to show reflection and pearl effect
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May 23, 2020 19:29:30 GMT
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I have this set cost me £50 but not used it yet .. The clay bar I can use with water. Is that stuff for the car or the bathroom? ! No i use it for my teeth.
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Roach
Part of things
Posts: 717
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