Charlies guide to the Top kit and products we use (1 Viewer)

[Charlie]

Thought a thread on what I / we use and find invaluable and can not only Aid valeting /Detailing but ease the pain and speed up the process.

To open here are a few of my go to /Must have products.

Any questions on specific products or an explanation on them just shout up !

Top of my list are.

Detailing spray..

Really good quality drying towels and microfibre cloths.

Autosmarts incredible G101 All purpose cleaner

Meguires Hyper Dressing which is an all round ACE dressing for all interior plastics dash panels rubber mats tyres and so on.

Tardis tar and glue remover.

The incredible ultra high durability Colinite waxes.

Menzerna polishes. Made in Germany and the finest polishes I have ever used and I have tried most of them .

What I don't like are re packaged re branded products claimed to be specific to certain jobs but are just far more expensive. I hope in this thread we can identify these and in doing so prevent spending to much money on what we may just already have on the shelf !

 

[FJmike]

My best bit of kit

Measuring jug
This makes sure I have the right dilution and don't waste any of my products

As a side note I don't classify myself as a detailer just a very conscious valeter

 

[MattR]

No clays or machines in your list @Charlie?

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[Charlie]

No clays or machines in your list @Charlie?

Yes mate... But I thought it best to mention favourites and leave the door open for others to post what have and like or dislike.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Have used the Meguiars clay kit on my last car. A bit of an effort but worth it.

 

[Charlie]

No clays or machines in your list @Charlie?

But since you asked .................

The venerable Makita 9227CB... A really great industry standard hard working machine with a great range of speeds and the important soft start.



Milwaukee AP12QE.. All the virtues of the above Makita but light as a feather ! Not quite as powerful though.
I fashioned the case from an old Milwaukee circular saw case.



One of the oldest DA machines you will see if not the oldest.
Its an American supplied 110 Volt Porter Cable.
Bought from the states many years ago and still in the original box..

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[Chipster]

I've had the Original Porter Cable for ages!! Been good.

 

[MattR]

Yes mate... But I thought it best to mention favourites and leave the door open for others to post what have and like or dislike.

Since you have possibly forgotten more than I will ever know about detailing, I was curious as to why clays and machines were not included.

 

[Charlie]

I've had the Original Porter Cable for ages!! Been good.

I haven't used my one for ten years or more . Many have tried to buy it but I can't bear to part with my tools.

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[MattR]

But since you asked .................

The venerable Makita 9227CB... A really great industry standard hard working machine with a great range of speeds and the important soft start.



Milwaukee AP12QE.. All the virtues of the above Makita but light as a feather ! Not quite as powerful though.
I fashioned the case from an old Milwaukee circular saw case

Can you recommend a polisher with soft start for less than £100? I won't be using it regularly so weight and quality is less of an issue than having a cheaper machine that will not cause more problems than it aims to solve.

 

[Charlie]

My best bit of kit

Measuring jug
This makes sure I have the right dilution and don't waste any of my products

As a side note I don't classify myself as a detailer just a very conscious valeter

I too measure products..

The difference between a Detailer and a Valeter is the Detailer has OCD and to much time on his or her hands...

Seriously Mike I could do neither for a living .. It really is bloody hard work often without thanks !

 

[Charlie]

Can you recommend a polisher with soft start for less than £100? I won't be using it regularly so weight and quality is less of an issue than having a cheaper machine that will not cause more problems than it aims to solve.

Hopefully one of the others can help with that mate. I haven't bought a polishing machine for many years. That Makita has been my main machine for at least ten years and has done dozens of vehicles. You may notice tape round the handle which keeps it from getting marked. I place it on a rubber/ foam mat to prevent it from damage. It never goes on the floor.

I believe Silverline are a decent budget machine but I haven't used one. Check them out on EBay and look at the specifications..

Top of the range today is the Festool Shinex but at £500 plus they are a bit strong...

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[Dazzlin]

Asda mf cloths
Bilt Hamber clay.
AG srp
Collinite 476 to finish.

 

[Judge Mental]

Thought a thread on what I / we use and find invaluable and can not only Aid valeting /Detailing but ease the pain and speed up the process.

To open here are a few of my go to /Must have products.

Any questions on specific products or an explanation on them just shout up !

Top of my list are.

Detailing spray..

Really good quality drying towels and microfibre cloths.

Autosmarts incredible G101 All purpose cleaner

Meguires Hyper Dressing which is an all round ACE dressing for all interior plastics dash panels rubber mats tyres and so on.

Tardis tar and glue remover.

The incredible ultra high durability Colinite waxes.

Menzerna polishes. Made in Germany and the finest polishes I have ever used and I have tried most of them .

What I don't like are re packaged re branded products claimed to be specific to certain jobs but are just far more expensive. I hope in this thread we can identify these and in doing so prevent spending to much money on what we may just already have on the shelf !

Great stuff Charlie.. But your really talking me out of going back from a PVC
to any kind of motorhome..to much like hard work pal!lol

 

[Bailey58]

Soft broom and a bucket of soapy water followed by a hosepipe.

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[Cossieg]

So could i ask which wax & which polish?

 

[Charlie]

So could i ask which wax & which polish?

Which polish depends on what you want to polish... Also what you are looking to do IE remove scratches and swirls or just a buff up before waxing..

 

[Cossieg]

Motorhome is pretty clean so what do you suggest as an easy to use polish for all over before a wax all over?

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[Baycott]

@Charlie I am a complete novice when it come to vehicle cleaning/polishing/waxing/protecting. Never having really looked after my vehicles properly I now have a new Motorhome and would like to start now!
Do you have a thread explaining the process from start to finish?
I have read in this thread about claying but have no idea what that is
I read your earlier thread on foam lances and found that very interesting.
I don't think the wax (if there is any) on my new Swift is very good and would like to start from scratch and protect it before winter sets in.

 

[TheWM]

@Baycott

I'm led to believe that the accepted order is as follows:

1)Foam vehicle.
2) Rinse.
3) Wash using 2 buckets.
4) Rinse.
5) Tar removal.
6) Rinse.
7) Clay (this is using clay or a substitute to remove tiny particles to ensure the body is smooth and fully prepped).
8) Shampoo.
9) Rinse.
10) Dry.
11) Polish.
12) Seal.
13) Glaze.
13) Wax.
14) Quick Detail spray.

Now, some steps may not be necessary; however, for the ultimate in protection and looking after a paint finish these are the steps I have been advised are necessary for as good as you're going to get finish. On a MH, if you were to do all the above by hand, you won't get much change from 20-30 hours.

Before doing my MH I got a couple of the car guys round for a drink and both had differing opinions as to the order above (i.e. seal & glaze). But then it would appear that this may have something to do with the type of products they use and how they may react with each other.

I'd be interested in a pro view on how to keep a MH looking great and the full steps to go through, given the size and differing types or surface that you need to work with.

 

[Judge Mental]

@Baycott

I'm led to believe that the accepted order is as follows:

1)Foam vehicle.
2) Rinse.
3) Wash using 2 buckets.
4) Rinse.
5) Tar removal.
6) Rinse.
7) Clay (this is using clay or a substitute to remove tiny particles to ensure the body is smooth and fully prepped).
8) Shampoo.
9) Rinse.
10) Dry.
11) Polish.
12) Seal.
13) Glaze.
13) Wax.
14) Quick Detail spray.

Now, some steps may not be necessary; however, for the ultimate in protection and looking after a paint finish these are the steps I have been advised are necessary for as good as you're going to get finish. On a MH, if you were to do all the above by hand, you won't get much change from 20-30 hours.

Before doing my MH I got a couple of the car guys round for a drink and both had differing opinions as to the order above (i.e. seal & glaze). But then it would appear that this may have something to do with the type of products they use and how they may react with each other.

I'd be interested in a pro view on how to keep a MH looking great and the full steps to go through, given the size and differing types or surface that you need to work with.

That it! Enough already.....Forgetting about the A class now!

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[TheWM]

Judge - get the missus to do it..!!!

 

[Judge Mental]

Judge - get the missus to do it..!!!

Not likely.....If I want it done properly I get the gardner to do it as in the winter he used to be a valeter and while not in Charlies league knows his stuff

It's just threads like this remind me of the hassle of owning white boxes on wheels...panel vans so easy in comparison to keep smart...

 

[Bailey58]

Apart from the pride of keeping your vehicle looking smart is there any evidence that you get more in resale or part-ex by spending hours cleaning and polishing and waxing a vehicle as opposed to simply washing and wiping off the tap water?

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[DINGER]

Charlie thanks for such an informative thread.

Was just about to go out and purchase some Farecla GRP restorer from a local specialist when the guy served me a curved ball by suggesting a product made by Scholl ......German by all accounts, having restored the paintwork on his camper very well.
my requirement is to bring back the cloudy surface of the GRP and apply a decent wax......end of.

Any insider knowledge of this brand

Cheers

 

[barsteward]

Hmmm been trying to clean mine over the last week or so . I have no water supply near by or electricity, and have to do it by the roadside.
A couple of things that I want to ask.
How often do you need to polish.?
I found with my van apart, from the odd black streak and around the windows (once opened) was ok. ie no swirls and no apparent discoloration to the sides of the van.
Polishing removes some of the paint, I understand, so if you keep the van well waxed I would imagine the need to polish becomes less.
Problem areas... roof, where there is GRP some but by no means all of the GRP has turned a little yellow. Presumably this is where the sun has caught it. I have tried Mer polish and although after a lot of manual polishing at does go a shade lighter I can not get it back to white.
I don't want to go out and buy unnecessary products at this moment (got enough of them on my shelf now)
Bought the Collinite 476 as recommended by Charlie it's easy to use and leaves a great finish. I think the Mer Polish is good for the metal surfaces so just need to find a suitable product for the GRP.....well at least for now anyway.

 

[Baycott]

@Charlie thanks very much for the info. It is very detailed and most helpful. I may skip a couple of those steps . I will foam, rinse, wash, rinse, shampoo, and rinse. As it is a new van there are no tar or other marks on it so I think claying would not be needed. I will polish and wax last but would like to know how important the seal and glaze steps are and what exactly is a detail spray?

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[Charlie]

Hmmm been trying to clean mine over the last week or so . I have no water supply near by or electricity, and have to do it by the roadside.
A couple of things that I want to ask.
How often do you need to polish.?
I found with my van apart, from the odd black streak and around the windows (once opened) was ok. ie no swirls and no apparent discoloration to the sides of the van.
Polishing removes some of the paint, I understand, so if you keep the van well waxed I would imagine the need to polish becomes less.
Problem areas... roof, where there is GRP some but by no means all of the GRP has turned a little yellow. Presumably this is where the sun has caught it. I have tried Mer polish and although after a lot of manual polishing at does go a shade lighter I can not get it back to white.
I don't want to go out and buy unnecessary products at this moment (got enough of them on my shelf now)
Bought the Collinite 476 as recommended by Charlie it's easy to use and leaves a great finish. I think the Mer Polish is good for the metal surfaces so just need to find a suitable product for the GRP.....well at least for now anyway.

How often do you need to polish ?
Well that depends on many things. For a car its just once provided care is taken over washing so no swirls or scratches are inflicted.

Remember Polish is to remove defects on the surface. Wax or sealants are completely different .

There is absolutely no question that a well polished surface will hold its wax better. Waxes just last longer and when the surface is super smooth And waxed it will be so much easier to wash.

I polish a vehicle when I get hold of it. They invariably get a full on in my case machine polish. They then get waxed and after that and because I take care over how I wash the vehicle will never require a polish again. Just waxing...

This wee van is my daily runaround. I machine polished it when I got it. It gets waxed Once a year only using Colinite 476S And its now passed 107,000 miles. It really does do some mileage and I Errrr......Well I hammer it.
This is exactly how it looks today.








Once a vehicle is got to a good standard its about maintaining that standard . It would be a shame to swirl it all up again and have to go through the process of polishing again.

Keeping a vehicle well waxed Will aid cleaning So yes it will help and therefore you are correct in saying once waxed less polishing is required. Just take care when washing !

Mer is a bit like Autoglym Super Resin Polish. They have roughly the same ingredients. Both have nearly the same composition. Both are very very low cut polishes. Both produce lots of dust. Both are really old school polishes which while still handy they are simply outclassed by the modern kit we use today.

So because of the low cut they are going to give results and are safe. But its going to take an age to remove defects and refine the finish to a high standard.

Autoglym SRP also contains fillers so when you are polishing light scratches it can fool you into thinking they have been removed and are gone. But a wax will remove the fillers and the defects will be obvious once more... Bugger.

 

[DBK]

So could i ask which wax & which polish?

I used Collinite 476s last week for the first time and was amazed how easy it was to apply. Just don't leave it on too long before buffing it with a microfibre cloth.

 

[Charlie]

A few tips on using Collinite 476S.

Avoid really hot sunny days.

If its cold drop the tin into a bucket of warm water to soften it up so easy too apply

It can be applied with a damp foam applicator. This will not dilute the product !

Apply the wax to a small area. Then remove as quickly as you can ! Collinite does NOT need to cure on the panel.

If it does harden on the panel it can be hard to remove. Just mist the panel with a 50/50 mix of detailing spray and water and off it will come. Or just use a damp soft microfibre towel. Removing with a damp microfibre will not dilute the wax or its effects or longevity.

Use a soft foam applicator to apply and a soft microfibre to remove and buff off.

Do we need to wax twice ? No... The product is that good one application is enough. Plenty in fact. The only reason to wax twice is to make sure you have 100% coverage. So take your time and ensure its all covered and do it once.

One very important thing to remember is too much wax will simply waste product and make the stuff harder to remove. This is one product where less is definitely more ! Apply it as thinly as you can..

Getting really anal now but when I'm waxing an ultra expensive vehicle I apply wax by hand. By that I mean the palms of my hands. I get a tiny pellet of wax and rub it into my palms. The enzymes in the wax melt and I gently apply the wax using the palms and fingers. This ensures 100% coverage every time. It does however waste a wee bit of product but I can cover ground so much faster and like I say its 100% covered every time..

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