SquaredArches.com Detailing Guide

Written By SquaredArches.com

• Applies To: Everything!
• Example Vehicle: VN Calais
• Estimated Time In Beers: How long have you got? Better make it a carton
• Tools Required: See below.

I would like to say that I am not an expert on car detailing by any means and most- if not all- of the information contained within this article comes from searches I have done to build on my own knowledge and keep my car looking as good as I can. There are a number of specialist detailing web sites all offering quality advice and definitely worth a look.

Being proud owners of the VN / VP range, we are also proud owners of what would rank as one of the worst factory paints in the history of the universe. The scariest thing is, that isn’t even too much of an exaggeration.

However that doesn’t mean strip it back to bare metal and start again, nor does it mean to neglect it because no matter what you do it’ll look terrible. By doing a little bit of research and putting in a whole lot of effort you can get the most out of your paint and you might just be surprised by the result.

The best part is it doesn’t have to cost the Earth so anyone can give it a crack.

To make life a little bit easier I have broken this down into three parts- firstly how to select your products, actually doing the deed and finally how to best deal with some of the common problems you will come across.

Part Two - Make it shine!

Armed with a whole host of new products you have given yourself the best chance of really getting your car shiny and happy. However, nothing can replace a fair amount of elbow grease and a bit of knowledge. Obviously our goal here is to maximise shine, prevent damage to the surface and protect it as best we can. There is no magic product that can do all of that and the biggest thing to remember is that even the greatest paint job will soon look second rate without correct care.

Before setting off cleaning your car, there are a couple of considerations to take into account. First and foremost, the surface must be cool to the touch to prevent streaking. In line with that you should do your washing either undercover or in a location that gives good shade. I'm not really keen on spraying a hose all through my shed so instead I take make sure my washing is done before midday while the sun is fairly low and not going to have too much impact. The location of my house helps provide some shade.

Also, it pays to take a look at your local water usage guidelines so you aren't inadvertently breaking the law. In the absence of a hose you can use buckets but it really isn't the best option. Look into bucket fed pressure washers or one of those Car Cube get ups which are perfectly legal and have all the advantages of water pressure. DO NOT use grey water- it's all bad and will ruin your paint in quick time due to the minerals and other impurities it contains. A lot of people argue that those DIY car wash joints share the same problems but I don't know enough to comment.

When washing my car- and it was a long month waiting for it to get dirty enough for these pics- I like to start with the wheels. Lately I have not been using a dedicated wheel cleaner and instead been using an old car wash (Turtle Wash & Wax) and a spare microfibre sponge thing. It does take longer, but is much more gentle. The theory behind doing the wheels first is to prevent any dirty splashes tarnishing freshly cleaned paint.

I give the wheels a good rinse and take the time to flush up into the guards to loosen and remove any build up. Some people go as far as dressing the inners but on a daily it's a bit of overkill in my opinion. Unless you suffer OCD. It's worth giving the tires a quick sponge bath also to keep them looking good and give the tyre black product a nice clean surface to work with.

Once they are clean it pays to inspect the surface of the tires for wear and a quick check for any damage. I usually check the rims as well- you can see from the photo on the right they need a polish. Another job for the to do list!

Once you are happy with the wheels it's time to wash the bulk of the car. Make up a bucket of car wash as described on the packaging for your chosen product and fill the second with clean water.

There are two schools of thought on the best method to pre-rinse your car. Some people swear by a high pressure rinse where as others worry this could create friction and fine scratches so instead opt for a sheeting approach where a low pressure is used to flow off the paint and carry the surface contaminants away. Personally, I use the second low pressure method but have not previously seen problems with standard water pressure being used. Very high pressure that some pressure washers are capable of is something to be wary of though.

If your car has been a long time between washes or is exceptionally dirty, some pressure washers have a foam gun type feature which can be used with your car wash to cover the whole car in foam which may help break up dirt and grime.

Start washing from the top of the car and work front to rear. Starting on the most soiled areas- typically those on the lower half and often the rear unless you have driven through a locust swarm- can lead to contamination of your wash buckets and mitt / sponge / thing.

Before going back to wash bucket, make sure you rinse in the rinse bucket to remove any grit that might have been picked up from the paint work. With my lambs wool mitt, I rake my fingers through it to get as much crap out as I can.

Once you are satisfied with your clean, use a low pressure sheeting flow to rinse the car. By sheeting the water off the surface of the car the water will tend to run off and therefore make drying much easier. Hitting it with high pressure doesn't tend to have the same effect.

To prevent water spotting and streaking dry the car immediately, again starting and the top. Once you have got it as dry as possible, it is worthwhile opening all doors, boot and bonnet and giving it some time to dry and exposing any areas where water might pool. This is also the perfect time to get out the spray detailer and give the door jambs, top of the guards etc a quick spruce up. It can't hurt to check the hoses and give anything in the engine bay a quick once over.

On the VN I have found that water simply loves to pool around the wing mirrors and run off at the leading edge of the bottom window trim. I'm yet to find a good way of getting it 100% dry and usually just keep an eye on it and dry it off as it runs. It's not a major drama.

While it's drying, it's a good opportunity to inspect the paintwork for any defects or any other projects that will do their best to suck your spare time up. If you have recently given it a polish and wax, there is every chance that a mist and buff with the quick detailer, blacking the tires and giving the windows a clean (a hot tip is to clean one side in vertical strokes and the other horizontal- this will make picking which side is smeared much easier!) will be all that is left to do. If you will be polishing you will need to ensure that the paint is once again cool to touch so park it in the shade and give it a chance to cool after drying- it's a good chance for a sandwich and beer.

How far you take your polishing will depend on how much effort you are prepared to make and the condition of your paint. It is worth keeping in mind that although I do all my polishing by hand and expect a large percentage of people would do the same, nothing can replace a professional with a rotary buffer. If your paint is absolutely cactus or wears a scratch that is deep enough for your thumb nail to catch on it by all means give it a shot yourself but there's some times you just need a pro.

On the flip side- and common on VNs- the paint is so thin or damaged that a decent cut may rub through. This is especially true when using a rotary buffer than can burn paint is allowed to run on the same spot for too long. Random orbitals do alleviate this problem and newer models can achieve much the same effect as a rotary with reduced risk. Machine polishing is a completely different skill set and won't be covered here. There are a number of web sites with much better information on the topic than I could provide so check them out. Detailparadise.com is my recommendation.

Worthy of a whole How To of it's own, the most important aspect of polishing is remembering that the smoothness of the surface has a whole lot to do with the shine you will ultimately achieve. This pretty much gives rise to the popularity of clay bars which are very easy to use and removed bonded contaminants from the surface.

Clay bar kits are usually bought with a bar and quick detailer included that serves as a lubricant. You do not need to use the whole bar- I cut mine into thirds- kneed it flat and then lightly mist the surface. Treat claying as normal polishing and waxing and divide your bigger panels into quarters. On doors and quarter panels, I use the two tone to break it up into halves. There is no need to apply bulk pressure to the clay and instead glide it over the surface. Check the clay periodically and roll into a ball and kneed out a clean surface. Dirty clay can create more problems than it solves and if you drop the bar- throw it out.

As a good example, before beginning feel the surface of your paint- most likely it will be quite rough, especially if never clayed before. After working the clay over the surface for a short while, buff the remaining quick detailer off and feel the surface again. It should now be smooth- a mate of mine describes it as 'wet'- and look that good you'll wonder if polishing it is worth it.

However, it is still very important that the paint is polished and waxed after claying. As well as all the foreign crap that stows away in the surface of your paint, the clay will also strip the wax leaving your paint unprotected. If you do not reapply, you leave the door wide open for more grime to collect.

Everyone knows how to polish a car but there are a couple of key areas that can improve your finish. Firstly, it helps to use a bit of quick detailer to prime the applicator prior to beginning, Then, don't use circles- most manufacturers recommend back and forth motions which should prevent a swirly finish. Also, I know of a lot of people who simply apply the polish, allow it to dry and then buff off. Great for waxing, but it doesn't really get a polish working to it's full potential. With a polish, you'll want to really work it into the surface. I usually work it until there is no visible sign of polish on the surface and then buff it out. Finally, do not use too much polish- the picture below gives a representation of how much I personally use to do a quarter of the roof or bonnet or half of a door or guard. In honesty, it's probably borderline too much!

After polishing and claying, you paint should be extremely smooth, free of defects and swirls and have a rich colour. The wax should protect this finish and add depth, but will not make up for imperfections or short cuts taken earlier. The most common problem here is applying too much product. It comes down to the clarity of of the wax- there's a pretty good write up on Wikipedia but a lot of it goes over my head- but multiple thin coats will give a much better finish that one thick one.

Again, the photo above shows enough product to cover a quarter / half as previously explained. You want to aim for a nice even coat and then allow the wax to cure on the surface before buffing. Different waxes have different drying times due to the carnauba content and other chemical make up so read the directions and follow them.

Buff the surface with a clean cloth turning frequently and ensuring that the cloth does not become clogged with wax which will make buffing much harder. It's usually a sign too much wax was applied if the clothes gunk up quickly so file it away for next time and try using a little less.

To finish off, you will want to clean any polish and wax out of any panel gaps including edges of the bonnet, boot and doors. I've had a lot of success with Mother's Back To Black (Natural Black) on the rear garnish, b pillar trim piece and door handles but a protectant could also be used.

And that just about finishes it. Stand back, take a look and no doubt you'll find a couple of things that need a little work, but all up your car is probably as clean now as it's ever been and you may have just found a bit of extra depth to the paint that you didn't know was there before!