*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

[LiE]

How much does a decent correction cost? My car has a lot of swirls.

 

[Fr0dders]

depends

some detailers charge more than others.

have a look on the detailers section on Detailing World


Look in the supporters list thread for one near you, and check the forum for examples of their past work. Then obviously ring / check websites for prices.

but about £300 to £400 is normal.

 

[Toker]

To me the reason why that looks so good is that the base condition of the paint is so good, rather than any 'depth' the sealant is adding to my untrained eye.As I say its probabaly the quality of the photo which is decieving me.

That does have a lot to do with it, a majority of the finish is in the prep, but the difference in the depth between 1 layer and a few layers is quite amazing when you stand back and look at it in the flesh. SRP and EGP can't get near Werkstat Acrylic, if it could then I'd have saved myself the money and stuck with it...then again Werkstat Acrylic lasts far longer, so maybe not

 

[Toker]

My boring silver car matches my online persona

the "fad" has been over 3 years now, and I'm sure the candy white owners won't lose any sleep over captain boring not liking it

 

[[TW]Fox]

but about £300 to £400 is normal.

Is there a reason why people who can use a polishing machine seem to think they are worth a similar hourly rate to a lawyer?

 

[Toker]

I spent about 4 hours looking at detail threads on DW and now I've got that itching feeling for a DA.

My car isn't so bad, and the front is so chipped I doubt I could get a rotary on that yet, but my mums Nighthawk Black Jazz is swirl and hologram heaven with a few minor scratches. I'd love to get it to a better than showroom condition.

Any tips on kit without killing the finances? Some of these branded rotarys are sometimes rebadged cheaper ones, is this still the case these days?

if you're after a DA, don't bother wasting your money on the likes of the meguiars G220, something like the Kestrel DAS-6 is just as good and half the price

 

[Toker]

Is there a reason why people who can use a polishing machine seem to think they are worth a similar hourly rate to a lawyer?

The real pro's will charge roughly a grand for a full correction and I've seen it average at about 35 hours, so that's £28.57 an hour, then you have the cost of equipment, building, products, so it's really not much at all in the end

 

[Phil W]

Is there a reason why people who can use a polishing machine seem to think they are worth a similar hourly rate to a lawyer?

If they do a full correction, which quite frankly should tramsform the look of pretty much any car, they are well worth it IMHO.

 

[Shadowness]

^^ and it takes days to do!!

The 182 after I used the polishing machine on it for the first time

Hmmmmm......shiny!!

 

[Fr0dders]

Is there a reason why people who can use a polishing machine seem to think they are worth a similar hourly rate to a lawyer?

because its so niche

yes its £400, but they will only get a couple of these per week if they're lucky.

If you look at the detailers on DW, none of them drive especially nice cars. They certainly arent raking it in.

the cost reflects more how little they are used, and how much they need to charge to make a respectable living for it, rather than the fact they're as skilled as a lawyer.

 

[LiE]

^^ and it takes days to do!!

The 182 after I used the polishing machine on it for the first time

Hmmmmm......shiny!!

Very nice. What did you do to get these results?

 

[Shadowness]

Megs G220 and Menzerna polishes

And a fekin ruined back!

 

[loltim]

Megs G220 and Menzerna polishes

And a fekin ruined back!

Looks great. Front plate looks a bit on the small side, though.

 

[mangobreeder]

id never buy from halfords unless it is those 3-2 deals. Both Token and Matt are right really. IE i stock up on my AG stuff when those are on 3-2, and the rest i get from cleanyourcar or polishedbliss.

your entire xmas present came from halfords

 

[vail3r]

Going to try and clean mine tomorrow but I think it's going to be raining so I'll probably only be able to do the wheels and arches.

Damn this crappy weather!

 

[Overlag]

your entire xmas present came from halfords

lol theres nowt wrong with halfords normal stuff, or tools etc, but car polishes/waxes are better or cheaper online

 

[Matt82]

if anything, their socket sets are actually damn good!

 

[Invasion]

These car cleaning products are confusing me but I think I have it now. So to wash my car
I use Blackfire Gloss shampoo and Conditioner with my lambs wool wash mit and two bucket method and dry off with Micro fibre cloth.

did this at the weekend and my car looks really good


I don't want to polish it yet as it is only 3 months old and I don't think it needs it yet so should I use a glaze and then a good quality wax to protect ??
if so so I was going to use Poorboys Black Hole Glaze and Poorboys Natty's wax blue waht do you guys think is that correct, also do I apply glaze and wax each time I wash or just once a month or 3 months etc ???

Regards

 

[Toker]

what colour is your car?

I'd recommend a polish and a clay, even though your car is only 3 months old, they usually come out the show room having been subjected to a very poor washing technique. The surface prep has a huge impact on the end finish.

Poorboy's Natty's blue is great stuff in terms of the finish, but would prob need applied every month as it's not the most durable

 

[oli collett]

what colour is your car?

I'd recommend a polish and a clay, even though your car is only 3 months old, they usually come out the show room having been subjected to a very poor washing technique. The surface prep has a huge impact on the end finish.

Poorboy's Natty's blue is great stuff in terms of the finish, but would prob need applied every month as it's not the most durable

Agreed - mine needed a clay/polish after only 3 weeks! Only a light polish though obviously, you don't want anything too abrasive!