Say hello to my little friend...
Nah, but seriously, how hard can it be?
Our car is 6 years old and it's had way too many cheap hand washes. The paint is swirly across the whole body and it's rough to the touch with bugs, bird shit and tree sap.
In a few hours it'll look brand new. Or much, much worse.
In a few hours it'll look brand new. Or much, much worse.
Our 13 year old car gets washed once a year usually. I nearly washed it a couple of weeks ago and then someone hit it, hard, in Tesco’s carpark and didn’t leave any details - look how much time I saved by not doing it!
However, please let us know how you get on as I’m always looking at ways to keep our 21 year old motorhome looking nice, it usually takes a whole day.
I predict perfection on every panel.
Until you hit the last swage line and burn through the paint.
Our car is 6 years old and it's had way too many cheap hand washes
I'm going to be honest, unless it's something prestige (which i doubt, given you've not cared for it thus far) - why?
I've never lusted after a family hatchback just because the paintwork's immaculate, and if I did i could get that fix by visiting car showrooms every weekend.
I mean, there's a guy in my road polishes his Ford Kuga every weekend so I assume he enjoys it, and as long as you enjoy what you're going to do then crack on, you're harming no-one. I just don't get it, I'm afraid.
What are you doing next weekend? Back to cheap hand washes off the Albanian gang? Or are you committing to a life of being that odd bloke?
Polished my 10 year old red Peugeot the week before I sold it for the photos. (While repairing the lacquer peel on the door handles)
Of course being red it really benefited from a the cut before the wax popped like a new pin and hid the multitude of stone chips on the bonnet really well.
Not a difficult job just use good quality liquids and pads* and keep moving.
Couldn't be ****ed with polishing em regularly. Barely even wash the top of um. Wash the underside regularly though
*Lucky my mates well into it so he let me use his kit and garage for the job.
I mentioned on another thread that Fenwick's concentrated bike wash works well on those really grubby bits on the car.
I predict perfection on every panel.
Until you hit the last swage line and burn through the paint.
This is precisely why I pay someone else to do plastering.
My 20 year old T4 van had more or less Matt paint from aging. A couple of hours with and polisher from Argos made it super shiny and it sold very quickly. Almost a magic trick. Will only use the machine again if we have an old car to sell.
Picture shows shiny van ready for sale
PS the bonnet cover was added as the paintwork on there was like crazy paving and beyond polishing out.
I've been rained off.
I didn't get any really mucky before pictures but I tried to photograph the swirls.
Basically every time the sun shines on the car it's a crazed, holographic eyesore. It's a nice car and we'd like to maintain some resale value.
Don't worry, I've had plenty of bangers which never, ever got washed.
It might be 6 years old but we've had it almost 2. We can't all afford brand new cars around here.
Also I just like doing stuff. I was quoted nearly £600 for someone else to do it which is all the motivation I need to have a go myself.
I think I'm already 'that guy' on the street. I don't see anyone complaining when I'm fixing all the kids bikes and scooters and loaning tools to hipster dads who don't know what a socket set is.
I started with TFR to loosen all the sticky muck from the wife's tree covered work car park. Then I clay barred the bonnet and the roof because that's what I was aiming to get done today.
Then I used 2 different pads and 2 grades of polishing compound. I managed to finish the bonnet and get it waxed then it started raining.
It's came up very nice and I haven't wrecked it yet.
I'll do the roof when it's dry again then move onto the sides.
No more cheap car washes after it's done.
I spent 40 odd hours getting the paint on the Celica me and the child bought from pink and very flat to at least ok with pretty much that exact combo and then some nice polish.
Was very satisfying. I'll try and find a before pic as well. 
I've been rained off.
I didn't get any really mucky before pictures but I tried to photograph the swirls.
Basically every time the sun shines on the car it's a crazed, holographic eyesore. It's a nice car and we'd like to maintain some resale value.
Don't worry, I've had plenty of bangers which never, ever got washed.
It might be 6 years old but we've had it almost 2. We can't all afford brand new cars around here.
Also I just like doing stuff. I was quoted nearly £600 for someone else to do it which is all the motivation I need to have a go myself.
I think I'm already 'that guy' on the street. I don't see anyone complaining when I'm fixing all the kids bikes and scooters and loaning tools to hipster dads who don't know what a socket set is.
I started with TFR to loosen all the sticky muck from the wife's tree covered work car park. Then I clay barred the bonnet and the roof because that's what I was aiming to get done today.
Then I used 2 different pads and 2 grades of polishing compound. I managed to finish the bonnet and get it waxed then it started raining.
It's came up very nice and I haven't wrecked it yet.
I'll do the roof when it's dry again then move onto the sides.
No more cheap car washes after it's done.
I don’t think I’ve ever put any of my cars thru a car wash and tbh I find it therapeutic to grab the 2 buckets,wash mitt and wash it first thing in the the morning in my pants before I hit the shower 🙂
Have you found https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/&ved=2ahUKEwiv_pLLvcKUAxU8W0EAHaPMK2oQFnoECCgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3g7JfTmiHb87djOViD4x9 v">Detailing World Forum yet? 😀
I don't have the time or inclination to go to daft lengths now but I still own a DA polisher. Years ago I went to a local detailer's unit with a bunch of folk from above forum to learn how to use one properly - got let loose on spare panels with rotary polisher and abrasive pad and polish to see how quickly we could burn through the paint...
Only used it a few times in the past decade, most recently to revive the 7yr old paintwork on my van. Makes the job a LOT quicker. I only use mild pads and polish though, I'm scared to attempt anything serious.
I did the Passat before I sold it. Worked well enough - wasn't too hard with the cheap pads that came with the car, and generic polish. I've had a crack at the Merc but apparently they use hard lacquer so I was foiled. I will try again in the coming weeks with better harder pads and fancier polish (going to use Meguiar's Ultimate).
Start with a wash, then a clay mitt and detailing spray (important) then use a wax stripper product. Then choose the right polish and crucially pad to deal with the hardness of paint you have.
As for why - why not? It's a harmless enough hobby if you enjoy it.
I tend to go for regular washing and then a polish/ceramic coat 3-4 times a year. Makes washing easy. Usual auto-glym products. Doesn't take long and keeps on-top of it. I do tend to keep my cars so would rather look after them.
I spent 40 odd hours getting the paint on the Celica me and the child bought from pink and very flat to at least ok with pretty much that exact combo and then some nice polish.
Was very satisfying. I'll try and find a before pic as well.
What engine izit / izzit
Harmless hobby is where I'll leave it I think. Absolutely no desire to join the detailing community.
It's our first decent, expensive, modern car so I just want it to look nice. Either because we'll be keeping it for years to come or because the Mrs keeps making noises about trading it in for a crew cab van.
If we didn't need a safe, reliable car for ferrying kids around I'd have a Volvo 740 or something and I'd nurture the patina.
No further progress to report. It's been raining since Saturday. It'll be the weekend before I can touch it again but I've got next week off so should finish it.
I spent 40 odd hours getting the paint on the Celica me and the child bought from pink and very flat to at least ok with pretty much that exact combo and then some nice polish.
Was very satisfying. I'll try and find a before pic as well.
What engine izit / izzit
It's the 2ZZ VVTL-I. Love it, huge amount of fun for a very reasonable entry price.
Someone has offered me a supercharger kit for it for not a lot of money. I'm very tempted!
I did the Passat before I sold it. Worked well enough - wasn't too hard with the cheap pads that came with the car, and generic polish. I've had a crack at the Merc but apparently they use hard lacquer so I was foiled. I will try again in the coming weeks with better harder pads and fancier polish (going to use Meguiar's Ultimate).
Start with a wash, then a clay mitt and detailing spray (important) then use a wax stripper product. Then choose the right polish and crucially pad to deal with the hardness of paint you have.
As for why - why not? It's a harmless enough hobby if you enjoy it.
Ah you’ve not used your paint thickness meter 🙁
I did have the meguiars DA ,another thing I should have brought to Spain with me, only anyone thing was they decided to use a soft rubber coating on it and it was going sticky.
It’s harmless till you join that DW forum then you’ll be applying polish made from the tears of unicorns to get that extra level of shine 🙂
Although I reckon you can probably get a shinier finish on your car than they bother with at the dealer/used car supermarket unless your buying something that has been detailed on the pricier end of the market.
A before pic of the Celica and a couple of WIP ones. You can see how matt the paint was by how diffused my reflection is and how the A Pillar looks compared to the wing etc.
I enjoy it. Found a couple of chaps locally who formulate their own detailing products and they're really well priced. Big fan of Dapper's stuff in particular.
The car really needs a respray though but I get it as good as I can on a very tight budget for now... 
And in the meantime the powder coat on the subframes has chipped and deep MOT failing rust is setting in…….
I used my Wife's car (black 3-door Ibiza) while our daughter was younger & she used the Citroen C3 Picasso we bought specifically for family-ferrying duties.
After 5 years or so we got rid of the Citroen, I bought a Leon & she had the Ibiza back. I'd put a decent amount of miles on it and it was looking quite tired, so as well as getting the wheels refurbed (full strip & powdercoat) I bought a load of cleaning bits & tried to 'freshen' it up a bit.
I gave it a good going over with a medium clay bar, then polished & waxed it. The whole thing took most of a day & I did it all by hand so was knackered by the end of it. But the end result was pretty impressive. The paint was glassy in feel afterwards & ridiculously smooth.
For me, It was definitely worth doing. The car still looks good after just a simple wash several years on.
Not sure I'd trust myself with a machine polisher.
The hardest thing with doing this in the UK is the weather. You need to do it on a cool, overcast day when there is zero chance of rain. Surprisingly hard to come by from around April to early October. With a black car, the slightest sunlight poking through the clouds means that the bodywork gets too hot and the products dry on the car & are a pain to remove. Or you get halfway through polishing it & it starts drizzling; just enough to lightly wet the car and then it stops. Rinse & repeat. 😁
And in the meantime the powder coat on the subframes has chipped and deep MOT failing rust is setting in…….
In my case at least the underneath is very clean. No idea why, it shouldn't be.
However I've had it up on a ramp and a JDM specialist has had a look at declared it the cleanest Celica he's seen 🙂
Want to get a little home garage ramp for it so I can take it back to bare metal and re-coat it all so it starts that way.
(It was on a ramp to fit underglow - the child has a Fast n Furious thing going on!)
Are you honestly posting a photo of an illegal car on a public road, obstructing a no over take lane (and mounted on the pavement) with the licence plate visible... On the internet 🤣
lAre you honestly posting a photo of an illegal car on a public road, obstructing a no over take lane (and mounted on the pavement) with the licence plate visible... On the internet 🤣
There's nothing illegal about the car. The car is static so red underglow is ok (possibly, the laws are a little vague. If it were moving then yes, it would be an issue underglow whilst in motion is ok so long as not red, blue or green or flashing. We usually have it purple and I don't generally drive with it on. When 13yo's are given permission to mod the car to their wishes!).
Not going to be my pedestrians on that particular road at that time so I took my chances.
And yes, the parking is otherwise a little dubious but it was for the photo only 😁.
It doesn't have to be moving, it has to be on a public road. And i don't think it should throw forward which it looks like it does.
Anyway i don't particularly care, my point was more hide your reg plate 🤣
It doesn't have to be moving, it has to be on a public road. And i don't think it should throw forward which it looks like it does.
Anyway i don't particularly care, my point was more hide your reg plate 🤣
I'm a rebel... 🤣🤣
Interesting point though and at the risk of going even further off topic - can you be charged with a historic road traffic offence based on an old picture?
can you be charged with a historic road traffic offence based on an old picture?
Looks AI generated to me 😁
Struggling to get on board with the thinly veiled piss taking and 'whats the point' mood from some on here, but then thats standard STW behaviour for anything motoring or car related.
I wonder if these people who never wash their car also never iron their clothes or vacuum their carpets at home.
OP - great job, it looks like a DA rather than an orbital so you'd have to be going really silly with much more aggressive products than the Meguairs stuff in order to burn through.
Clar bar and decontamination is they key to getting towards a properly clean car, and then a good detailing spray to help with your drying when washing later, and stops you re-swirling it all dragging towels over the paint.
Nothing wrong with looking after, what for most people, is the 2nd most expensive asset you own!
Nothing wrong with looking after, what for most people, is the 2nd most expensive asset you own!
Yeah, but it's "just a tool."
Much like people who go into a topic they have no interest in, in order to loudly proclaim how much they're not interested in it.
Clay bar and decontamination
Good point. Yes the Celica got a through going over with the clay bar before I did anything else. Makes a huge difference to the end result.
Yes the Celica got a through going over with the clay bar before I did anything else. Makes a huge difference to the end result.
I have a white car. I pre-wash and wash it, and it looks clean, but when I use the clay mitt and detailer spray an extra layer of brown grime comes off that wasn't visible until I went over it.
I just washed the Merc after the winter, pre-wash and mitt wash. The bodywork wasn't smooth until I used the clay mitt and spray. Definitely good stuff.
Regarding the polishing, do one panel at a time, but that will mean washing, stripping and polishing one panel at a time because it must be properly clean before you start. I think I would use rinseless wash on that one panel.
I say there's been no change since Saturday because of the rain but that's not entirely true.
We now have this...
Only one of us uses the car from Monday to Friday but Doris swears she has literally no idea how this has happened. It's definitely been bumped into something. The edge has been squashed out of shape.
It's too far down and back to have been hit by another car while parked up. If that happened there would be much worse damage further up.
Anyway, it's not worth getting divorced over. Look out for future DIY car painting threads.
Surely that will polish out?
Bit of Halfords colour match paint jobs done👍
Last time I was let loose with a random orbital sander I was on an hgv someone had smacked into a brick wall.
Aged 13, bit of fiber glass, filler, paper dust mask, and spraying it in a garage with the door open with an floor mostly made from crushed concrete after the wagons had rolled in and out for 30 years.
I thought it looked fine, my dad seemed please he didn't have to do it and I was never asked to do any painting again.
Must have been an excellent job 😁
I did my rusty golf GTi door edge on my 20's. Spent ages prepping it and did what I thought was an excellent job. Unfortunately the rest of the door and paint had faded to something closer to pink than red.
Looked... Better than her big patch of rust, but not by much 😱
TBH I’ve done skirt damage with online aerosol cans made to the paint code of your car and it came out very good.
Took it off the car lightly rubbed paint back over the damage to get it smooth bit of plasticiser primer more wet and dry with a few grades , tack cloth then just lightly dust giving it a few passes, it’s going too keen to quick that usually gives you the trouble.
Its how lucky you get with the paint match and how well it matches the aged paint.
It’s handy to get the hang of it cos spoilers do tend to be a PITA.
I’d probably not want to do a whole spoiler with them.
TBH on the tiny nick I’d probably touch it in with a tiny brush and get a few layers on and see how it goes and possible really little light cutting polish if needed.
You might be able to get away on the bottom bit as well as it’s not really took the primer off.
I go the least damaging route first and see the results and then go more destructive if it bugs.
I ****ted a similar spot in the front of the Merc the other day. Sainsbury's Ludlow, beware those stupid tall kerbs. I was thinking of filling and spraying it since it's in an extremely un-noticeable place, but I'm considering removing the whole bumper and doint it in the garage. I did some small removable panels from between the doors in the garage and it was super easy, since they could be removed and done on the bench. Outside, even the tiniest air movement wrecks the finish you can get, even on a still day.
Putting a good bit of paint protection on the car does make a difference especially if you intend to keep the car more than a year or two.
My car gets a couple of polishes a year and a regular top up most washes with G-tecniq silicon spray. Its noticeably easier to clean than my Wife's car that gets generally ignored unless I take pity on it.
But the most important thing it to avoid damaging the paint in the first place. One bucket and a gritty sponge is the cause of the horrible swirly paint you see on most cars.
hhmmm ... this thread has reminded me to polish my 21 yr old Toyota Corolla. 😓
Bit of heat on the bumper may help you push it back into shape with your thumbs, then t-cut and a bit of touch up paint will help.
Bit of heat on the bumper may help you push it back into shape with your thumbs, then t-cut and a bit of touch up paint will help.
That's the plan. I'll finish polishing the rest of the car first then you everyone know how I get on. It's still raining constantly.
It's still raining constantly.
The only positive to rain is the lovely beading freshly seen with waxed/protected paintwork. Mrs a11y's car this morning after I gave it the full decontamination/polish/wax last week.
I don’t think I’ve ever put any of my cars thru a car wash and tbh I find it therapeutic to grab the 2 buckets,wash mitt and wash it first thing in the the morning in my pants before I hit the shower
Worst thing you can do is go through a car wash! 🫨
Stick with what you’re doing.
