# Detailing Plan, your thought please?????



## mstephensongolf (Jul 28, 2008)

Hello everyone, i have formulated my first detailing plan, well exterior anyway. I would like your thoughts on it and any reccomendations or tips you have, please all comments are welcome and would be appreciated. I have wrote this all down as its my first time detailing, i have researched alot on it but still welcome suggestions.

My Detailing Plan Draft

Car Detailing Plan

1.	Rinse with Karcher Pressure Washer, then cover the whole car in detergent through Karcher Mix Lance. Leave this for 5 Minutes (making sure it doesn't dry thou)

Or

Cover car in Snow Foam using Auto Brite Foam Lance, leave to do its work while wheels are treated in step 2

2.	Rinse wheels with Karcher Pressure Washer to remove the maximum a mount of dirt, brake dust and any other deposits. Spray wheels with Auto Glym Clean Wheels covering all visible area and inner wheel area and use Auto Glym Hi-Tech Wheel Brush on front of Alloys and Toilet Brush or Bath Brush on the inner parts of wheels. (tip: spray toilet brush head with Auto Glym Clean Wheels) Rinse thoroughly and repeat on stubborn areas if needed.

3.	Shampoo Wash using Auto Glym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner using 2 bucket method and Meguiars Super Thick Microfibre Wash Mitt. I use my Auto Glym Rubber Blade to remove excess water from all panels and glass, and dry thoroughly using my Auto Glym Aqua Dry Leather by laying the full cloth out stretched over the panels so all surface area is covered at one time. Ringing out the Leather after every two panels. Any remaining water I remove using the dabbing method. (tip: always take car for spin around the block and open all doors, Bonnet and Boot and slam closed a couple of times to dislodge any standing water, any water showing after dab with leather)

4.	Clay Bar Treatment using Meguiars Clay Bars, and Meguiars Quick Detailer as the the Clay Lubricant. I will use Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibre 100% Cotton Terry Towel.

5.	Polish with Auto Glym Super Resin Polish using Auto Glym Perfect Polishing Cloth to apply and remove. I follow this with Meguiars Showcar Shine Ultimate Wipe to capture any dust or or particles that I missed, also helps add extra shine. If the car requires it I will treat any stubborn spots or tar or other deposits with Auto Glym Intensive Tar Remover before using polish.

6.	Wax car with Meguiars Cleaner Wax applying it with a Meguiars Soft Foam Applicator Pad, I will cover whole vechicle with a thin even coat of wax and leave to dry while I enjoy well earned Budweiser, then return to remove all with Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibre Cloth.

Any thoughts people??????

Mark


----------



## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

you could do all of that, or you could


----------



## Wallsendmag (Feb 12, 2004)

I'd just phone Dave :roll:


----------



## J55TTC (Apr 25, 2005)

Looks OK but I have a few suggestions.

Autobrite lance will produce a better foam than the karcher.
No need to dry the car after rinsing if you are going to clay the car. I'd clay the wheels too if they havent been done for a while, oh and dont forget to clay the glass too. Start with the top panels of the car first, then the dirtier lower half, then the glass and finally the wheels.
The car will need another quick wash after you have clayed.
Dry thoroughly.
I *would not* use a water blade to dry the car. You should be detailing in the shade and have plenty of time to dry with a towel.
I'd apply super resin polish with a meguiars foam applicator pad and buff with a microfibre.
After super resin polish I would forget the cleaner wax (its crap - use it on the door shuts) and put on a coat or two if you have the time of autoglym extra gloss protection. It goes on very easily and very quickly - you'll love this stuff and the protection lasts for friggin ages!
Super resin polish & extra gloss protection on the wheels too.
You dont have to wax over extra gloss protection as its a sealant but I do. Meguiars NXT is probably the best off the shelf wax at halfords at the moment.


----------



## J55TTC (Apr 25, 2005)

I just did what I suggested above on my company car but I used 2 coats of dodo supernatural for wax and these are the results:










































The TT with similar treatment and meguiars NXT Tech wax to finish:


----------



## mstephensongolf (Jul 28, 2008)

J55TTC said:


> Looks OK but I have a few suggestions.
> 
> Autobrite lance will produce a better foam than the karcher.
> No need to dry the car after rinsing if you are going to clay the car. I'd clay the wheels too if they havent been done for a while, oh and dont forget to clay the glass too. Start with the top panels of the car first, then the dirtier lower half, then the glass and finally the wheels.
> ...


Hi there thanks for your comments, i have a few questions.

1. do i really not need to dry surface before i clay, all the research on claying says i should.
2. Would you really clay the wheels and glass, wheels i could understand but glass i am surprised at.
3. Is it really necessary to wash car a second time after claying, once again this is not what my research says, im not saying ur wrong thou, please dont think that.
4. As far as the polishing goes, you reccomend an aplicator pad and using micro fibre towel to remove, could this towel be the same one used in the claying process???
5. First time i have heard someone state using auto glym extra gloss protection, woudl you really rather than any wax, or just cause the cleaner wax is crap in your opinion.
6. you would really polish the wheels and gloss them to??
7. how neceesary is it to was after the glossing then?? and is meguiars nxt the best??

I have asked for suggestions on detailing world so i will bear ur answers in mind, but you have made some valuable points.

Mark


----------



## J55TTC (Apr 25, 2005)

mstephensongolf said:


> Hi there thanks for your comments, i have a few questions.
> 
> 1. do i really not need to dry surface before i clay, all the research on claying says i should.
> 2. Would you really clay the wheels and glass, wheels i could understand but glass i am surprised at.
> ...


1. whats the point - its a waste of time youre only going to be getting it wet again with the detailing spray. Alternatively you could use some very diluted shampoo as lube and save the detail spray for quick touch ups like when the cats walked over the car :x

2. Makes a big difference especially to the wheels but the glass benefits from it too and helps reduce smeering when you use glass cleaner - I actually apply rain-x to the windows after claying them.

3. Yes - some of the deposits you will have clayed off will be sitting on the paint. as you clay you will see the water / lube on the car changing from clean to dirty. Remember you want the paint as contaminant free as possible before polishing / waxing

4. You dont need to use a towel in the claying process - spray on lube to a panel at a time rub the claybear over the panel a few times in straight lines and move onto the next panel. The wash after the clay will remove any residue lube and contaminants.

5. Extra gloss protection is effectively a sealant and seals the super resin polish and helps to hide any fine scratches for longer. Super resin polish and extra gloss protection work very well with each other. I only suggested this as its an off the shelf product that does what it says on the bottle it does offer good protection for the money and it is very easy to apply and remove. An alternative would be to use dodo lime prime before a dodo wax or swissvax cleaner fluid before a swissvax wax - if you want to spend more money.

6. Yes - your alloys are painted too and they need as much protection as they can get. Again i only suggested super resin polish and extra gloss protection as they would be products you already have. If you want to spend more money poorboys and chemical guys both do a very good wheel sealant that with a few layers gives very good protection.

7. Waxing not only gives that extra bit of protection but helps to add depth to the shine you would have just acheived. NXT is perhaps the best off the shelf product but by far the best wax on the market - actually durability is poor. A recent wax test on detailingworld revealed that some cheaper waxes offered the same shine and same durability as some of the more expensive waxes. IMO you cant go wrong with the new autoglym high definition wax, other good waxes include collinite 476 / 916.


----------



## mstephensongolf (Jul 28, 2008)

Hi there people, okay after seeking advice from members on here involved in detailing whether as a job or hobby, and the members on detailing world who again are involved in the art of detailing, here is the final draft of intended action.

Car Detailing Plan

1.	Rinse wheels with Karcher Pressure Washer to remove the maximum a mount of dirt, brake dust and any other deposits. Spray wheels with Auto Glym Clean Wheels covering all visible area and inner wheel area and use Auto Glym Hi-Tech Wheel Brush on front of Alloys and Toilet Brush or Bath Brush on the inner parts of wheels. (tip: spray toilet brush head with Auto Glym Clean Wheels) Rinse thoroughly and repeat on stubborn areas if needed.

2.	Rinse with Karcher Pressure Washer, then cover the whole car in detergent through Karcher Mix Lance. Leave this for 5 Minutes (making sure it doesn't dry thou)

Or

Cover car in Snow Foam using Auto Brite Foam Lance, leave to do its work while wheels are treated in step 2

3.	Shampoo Wash using Auto Glym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner using 2 bucket method and Meguiars Super Thick Microfibre Wash Mitt. Make sure to do all boot shuts and doors.

4.	If the car requires it I will treat any stubborn spots or tar or other deposits with Auto Glym Intensive Tar Remover before using polish. This will include the Alloys if necessary.

5.	Clay Bar Treatment using Meguiars Clay Bars, and Meguiars Quick Detailer as the the Clay Lubricant. I will also Clay the Alloys and Windows in the following order, high parts of car, bottom parts of car, windows, then wheels.

6.	Shampoo Wash using Auto Glym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner using 2 bucket method and Meguiars Super Thick Microfibre Wash Mitt.

7.	Dry thoroughly using my Auto Glym Aqua Dry Leather by laying the full cloth out stretched over the panels so all surface area is covered at one time. Ringing out the Leather after every two panels. Any remaining water I remove using the dabbing method. (tip: always take car for spin around the block and open all doors, Bonnet and Boot and slam closed a couple of times to dislodge any standing water, any water showing after dab with leather)

8.	Polish with Auto Glym Super Resin Polish using Meguiars Applicator Pad to apply and remove with Auto Glym Perfect polishing cloth. I will also Polish the Wheels. I follow this with Meguiars Showcar Shine Ultimate Wipe to capture any dust or or particles that I missed, also helps add extra shine.

9.	Then treat the car to a coat of Auto Glym extra gloss protection including the wheels.

10.	Wax car with Meguiars Cleaner Wax or Auto Glym High Definition Wax applying it with a Meguiars Soft Foam Applicator Pad, I will cover whole vechicle with a thin even coat of wax including wheels, and leave to dry while I enjoy well earned Budweiser, then return to remove all with Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibre Cloth.

Obviously as time passes and the more i do it the more i will be inclined to change this plan but this is the basis.

*Any Thoughts?????????????????*

Mark


----------



## J55TTC (Apr 25, 2005)

looks good


----------



## mstephensongolf (Jul 28, 2008)

J55TTC said:


> looks good


Hiya there, right 2moro is the day weather permitting, i have set aside 5 hours to get all of the above plan done, do you think it will be enough, the mrs will go nuts if i take longer hahahaha.

I am going to take some pics before and after, anything i should be photoing in especially to see the improvements.

Mark


----------



## J55TTC (Apr 25, 2005)

5 hours is nowhere near enough, you'd be lucky to get that done in 8 hours.


----------



## amiTT (Jul 24, 2007)

plan looks great, but dump the Megs Cleaner Wax, it is a bugger to get off!

I usually go:

> Wash
> Clean wheels
> Clay inc wheels
> Wash again
> Megs Step 1 Paint Cleaner inc wheels
> AG High Def Wax inc wheels

This is done once a month.

every week - wash and use AG Aqua Wax to finish...

Amz


----------



## mstephensongolf (Jul 28, 2008)

Hi people, well i did ym detailing first effort today, have written a piece inlcuding pics on the http://www.detailingworld.com website, so here is the direct link to the page, it is the 2nd section. Please read and let me know what you think.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/s ... 592&page=2

PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AND EITHER REPLY ON THERE OR ON HERE.

Mark


----------

