*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***
- Thread starter wassap
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Soldato
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- 17 Dec 2004
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Hi Guys,
I have just bought a Golf Mk4 and I want to give it a nice clean as its a bit dirty now, and has even got dirty marks where the rain has dried.
Now I am no enthusiast and I have no equipment or cleaning products so am starting from scratch. I want to know what I should buy to give a really nice finish on the exterior and on the interior dash work etc.
Now I also need some good alloy wheel cleaner as there pretty manky and I want them to shine. Also I have noticed most of the thin black trim on the exterior of the car is turning white (Wax residue I assume?) so want to get this looking good again.
So I have looked at a place called Planetpolish.com but not sure if there any good. So I need a list of everything I'll need, I want the good stuff but don't want to spend hundreds!!!
Oh and is getting a combined shampoo and wax like [FONT="]Chemical Guys - Bodywash and Wax just as good as a seperate wash and wax?
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I have just bought a Golf Mk4 and I want to give it a nice clean as its a bit dirty now, and has even got dirty marks where the rain has dried.
Now I am no enthusiast and I have no equipment or cleaning products so am starting from scratch. I want to know what I should buy to give a really nice finish on the exterior and on the interior dash work etc.
Now I also need some good alloy wheel cleaner as there pretty manky and I want them to shine. Also I have noticed most of the thin black trim on the exterior of the car is turning white (Wax residue I assume?) so want to get this looking good again.
So I have looked at a place called Planetpolish.com but not sure if there any good. So I need a list of everything I'll need, I want the good stuff but don't want to spend hundreds!!!
Oh and is getting a combined shampoo and wax like [FONT="]Chemical Guys - Bodywash and Wax just as good as a seperate wash and wax?
[/FONT]
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![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Because it isn't a few quid. Something similar is going to cost £400-500 (I charged much less), plus boat, travel and then there is the case of what you do for the long day they have your car for.
Also, again, its not really a business to be business practice, it is a term they agree to before I start work - most people don't have a problem with it knowing how much less they are paying - it just appears to be you.
Also, again, its not really a business to be business practice, it is a term they agree to before I start work - most people don't have a problem with it knowing how much less they are paying - it just appears to be you.
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I'm a fan of AutoGlym products, and some of the kits/combo bags they do are quite good.
I use AG Body Shampoo & Conditioner to wash with (smells like bubblegum too!), AG High Resin Polish & AG High Definition Wax - just those 3 for a standard wash.
The AG Fast Glass spray works very well, finished with AG Glass Polish and for the trim I use AG Vinyl & Rubber spray. Took quite a few attempts to get the trim on the Micra back to black but the results were fantastic. Unfortunately I haven't a clue when it comes to interior cleaning products.
I'm by no means an expert/detailer but I enjoy putting the effort in. I'm sure you'll get some better recommendations from the more learned folk!
[TW]Fox;17253326 said:I'm just amazed that people with enough moeny for a GT-R are prepared to save a few quid employing you to do paintwork with your 'if I break it, tough luck its your problem' business practices Mike
not everybody is like you and has to have everything "right" and "proper" and lots of people just do stuff on a whim and just buy whatever tyres they have in stock (as an example)
Most dont research their purchases and in this example, just want somebody nice and local and cheap to make their car shiny.
Obviously fox isnt on his own, there are others like him, but not every GTR owner is going to be like that. Just because you have a 50k car doesnt mean you have to be obsessive about stuff.
And a court of law should it ever get that way.
It just astounds me that you are happy to carry on 'operating' in such a way. And then you use this thread to show off your 'work'
You've missed the point.
It's about Mikes claim that he wont pay for any damage he causes whilst carrying out his work. So if he damages a wing, he says he wont pay to put it right.
It's not until something goes wrong - and it WILL go wrong, even professionals make mistakes - that all this will bite you, hard. Most people don't realise the risks involved so are happy to shrug and go 'sure' when you trot out your line.
You can guarantee that they will change the tune if the damage happens!
Its not like I'm running a business taking advantage of poor innocent customers, leaving them with ****ed cars.
We are talking about a situation which is extremely unlikely to happen in the first place, and that the friend/associate I'm doing the job for is happy with in the first place, after everything has been explained to them fully and I'm fully transparent about it all.
We are talking about a situation which is extremely unlikely to happen in the first place, and that the friend/associate I'm doing the job for is happy with in the first place, after everything has been explained to them fully and I'm fully transparent about it all.
Matter of opinion.
If it was your best mate, crack on.
It isn't. It's friends of friends, etc.
Your attitude to this really annoys me. I've no idea why, as you'll never touch my car, but it just does. It just sums up the attitude of all the chancers in this sort of line of work.
You just don't seem to realise the legal obligations you have when you accept payment for work on other peoples property.
Soldato
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- Crawley, WEST SUSSEX
Thanks for that Maccy it gives me a place to start from. I will also need the clothes, washing mitt, drying clothes and sponges etc so I'll need info on them. Sorry I am a complete noob when it comes to this as I usually just washed the old car but then it was a 25 year old mazda lol.
Yea right.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=17135147&postcount=2994
They are 'customers' there.
Lets see some more about your custom... sorry 'friends':
And whilst I'm prepared to accept there is a possibility that, within a week of doing a mates car, other good friends of yours who happened to own Porsche 911's, 2 Bentleys, an X5, etc etc all suddenly wanted your services, the following spring to mind:
a) How many other people here know more than 2 or so good friends who have a valeter do cars for them?
b) How many 22 years old on here have multiple Bentley owning friends? Let alone the rest of it.
This, coupled with your ever increasing reputation for being rather... imaginative shall we say, makes me think...
... these people are customers. They might be people your mates know, or the guy who lives down the road from one of your Dads customers, but they are not your regular drinking buddy and therefore are normal, bona fide customers.
Members of the public.
To whom you have a legal obligation if you accept payment for work.
I must apologise to the rest of the forum for going back here AGAIN, and really, we ought to both stop as we will never agree, but this just annoys me so much. It's stuff like that this thats seriously damaging the 'reputation' of this sort of work.
Do it properly, with either insurance OR acceptance that if you break it, YOU fix it, or stop doing it.
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The 911 is someone I met at the local autotests years ago, also regularly partakes in a local, private form, who I've also done work for on the garage door side, too.
The X5 is a similar affair, as was the Evo.
One of the Bentleys is something I was asked to do by a friend who's Caddy I did. The other is something that Mark from here came to me and asked if I'd do it.
How do you think I got so much work so quickly - it is all people in the same circle who have seen the results I get and heard the testimonals, and yes, I have been out drinking with a few of them
The X5 is a similar affair, as was the Evo.
One of the Bentleys is something I was asked to do by a friend who's Caddy I did. The other is something that Mark from here came to me and asked if I'd do it.
How do you think I got so much work so quickly - it is all people in the same circle who have seen the results I get and heard the testimonals, and yes, I have been out drinking with a few of them
[TW]Fox;17253543 said:We are going to go round and round in circles here as I doubt we'll ever agree.
Lets agree to keep this thread about car cleaning
Precisely, the purpose of this thread is to discuss techniques, products, offer/ask for advice and share pictures of our work. Let's keep it to that please.
Really, its not. You know its not because you know I would happily go on for pages and pages more because I feel so strongly about it. But really, it's not something that will benefit the rest of the forum in any way.
Ok, let's leave it there
Quite.
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