Detailing, etc

[Mr C]

Hi All,

Firstly, I just wanted to say how massively helpful the UK forum has been to me. I've been reading for a while and there is a wealth of knowledge among the members which is great to be able to benefit from... it also helps to read about Mustangs everyday while waiting for the actual car to arrive (i think, although becoming a little obsessed)...

I ordered mid-Feb (EB/Auto/Magnetic/Dark Saddle)... which I cannot wait to arrive (due mid-Aug)... it will be my daily drive (hence not the V8, although test-drove V8 and loved it), but afraid a few compromises were required... still a Mustang has been ordered, which is a massive dream for me...

Apart from owning one of the factory built Mini Cabriolets while at Uni (15 years ago)... every car since has been what I'd describe as a 'run-around', nothing special, a couple of astras, a vectra, saab 93... all low spec... I know exciting stuff!:tsk:

Then spent a year thinking about a VW camper (T5)... which distracted me from the fact the Mustang had been released in the UK... stumbled across an article about the Mustang and had to have one... had ordered within a week...

I'll get to the point.... having not owned anything other than a 'run-around', I'm at a loss at how to keep the Mustang top notch... I've read a little on here about detailing (which I'm still not sure I yet understand what this covers/achieves) and other threads talk of the five or six stage washing process...

As a complete novice, could somebody give an idiots guide :headbonk:to detailing (what it achieves, what to pay, how regularly, how essential)... and maybe the best products to use to keep the Mustang looking top notch on a weekly basis...

I want to keep the car for quite a while and I imagine the £5 hand carwash is not the sensible option!!

If there are already good threads on here for this, please forward on, that would be great!

Hope to meet a few of you at meets soon.

Thanks

Matt

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[Jimboy2]

Welcome!!

I normally stick to one brand (Meguires) for all my stuff. But there are so many products available.

My normal wash routine is

Snow foam
Rinse with open ended hose (reduces water spots)
2 bucket method 1 bucket with shampoo, 1 bucket for dirty water with a grit guard and a high quality wash mit
Rinse with open ended hose (reduces water spots)
Dry with drying towel
Quick spin round the block and dry again
Then a nice coat of wax

There is so much info on the Internet. Check out detailing world for product reviews.

I plan on having mine detailed by a pro once a quarter and then i will do the weekly washes.

 

[Jimboy2]

Also this thread

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25175

 

[SSC]

Check out here for a huge amount of info

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/index.php

 

[Manders Mustang]

[MENTION=18440]stiggy[/MENTION] is our resident detailing nut here, but we're got quite a few of us who do a fair bit in terms of keeping the car clean, some prefer different methods to others.

My personal method is:

Jetwash
Snowfoam
Jetwash
Three bucket (One shampoo, One dirty water, third to dip before going back to shampoo)
Jetwash
Wool mit to remove large water droplets
Microfibre (large) mit to dry
Small microfibre mit to get that final ultimate 'dryness'


Albeit, my attempts are usualyl in vein as 5 minutes later it's laden with flies :lol:

 

[Mr C]

Thanks that's a great help, I'll check out the thread.

Also thanks for the product recommendation as difficult to know where to start, so appreciate the recommendation...

Again (as a complete novice) what does the 'detailed by a pro' achieve on a quarterly basis? Is this basically a high-spec valet, or is it a lot more than this?

Thanks again

 

[Centurion07]

Unless you want to get hands-on on a regular basis then my advice would be to spend a few hundred quid on getting it coated with something like G-Techniq or similar and then take it back to them every few weeks for a basic wash.

I like to play with the oily bits but painted bits, not so much. ;)

 

[Mr C]

Thanks @ SSC gonna check out detailing world now!

@ Manders Mustang - thanks a great help, i'm gonna start prepping the wife and kids for the fact that they've lost me for a few hours every weekend... still they'll get to ride in a clean Mustang

 

[Manders Mustang]

Thanks @ SSC gonna check out detailing world now!

@ Manders Mustang - thanks a great help, i'm gonna start prepping the wife and kids for the fact that they've lost me for a few hours every weekend... still they'll get to ride in a clean Mustang

Get the wife to help you. You'd be surprised how quick you can clean the car with two of you going at it. It's usually anything manual that takes the p1ss with the cleaning (sponges, mits, cloths etc) so two are better than one! had my girlfriend out helping me on Saturday do it!

 

[Kristian87]

Welcome to the forum & congrats on the order :cheers:

So many things to factor in... I would say have a read of the detailing thread in the UK section as a start. All depends how much time you can throw at it and what you want to spend.

I was a novice too before my Mustang turned up and I'm so glad I did the research - it's easy to "damage" the paintwork with a poor technique. I think I spent in the region of £150 on bits and pieces. A clay bar and a decent wax are worth investing in, as well as a pressure washer and snow foam lance.

I now give mine a detail (well, my version of!) about once a month I would say. Can be time consuming (4-6 hours on a full detail), but washing in between is a breeze if you have a good layer of protection on the paint.

Just scour the internet & decide what is best for you...

 

[Mr C]

Thanks all, i'm liking the sound of investing in getting the car coated with something (every so often) and also investing in pressure washer, snow foam lance, clay bar/wax etc needed for the weekly wash.... maybe I'll invest in some of this now, and get all of the "damage" from poor technique out of the way on the astra...

 

[Heretian]

If you choose to invest in a coating like Gtechniq then expect at least 3 years out of it with basic washing And some good upkeep that your detailer can advise on. The higher end Gtechniq products last 7 years when properly applied.

Easily worth the money if you don't have huge interest in doing a lot of work yourself.

 

[Stark]

Thanks all, i'm liking the sound of investing in getting the car coated with something (every so often) and also investing in pressure washer, snow foam lance, clay bar/wax etc needed for the weekly wash.... maybe I'll invest in some of this now, and get all of the "damage" from poor technique out of the way on the astra...

I picked this http://www.tesco.com/direct/karcher-k2-compact-pressure-washer/580-9559.prd up at the weekend and a bargain for £60.

Also ordered this http://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/in...e/autobrite-hd-foam-lance-magifoam-combo.html while it's on offer because the lance is very good and although the snow foam is not the best, it will do.

I will also be looking in to getting shampoo, cloths, clay bar and wax once I find the product I want to invest in

A thread that may help with snow foam newbies as well http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=303561

 

[Mr C]

Thanks... A coating like Gtechniq I think will definitely be worth the investment for me, it will be a pleasure to spend a bit of time each weekend washing the car, but after that I think I'll want to be driving it... so a three year coating which I can then spend an hour or so adding to each weekend would work for me...

Like with most things, it will be where to draw the line... the Gtechniq site has a coating for everything... inside and out... I'm hoping I can find somebody fairly local who can advise "what is" and "what isn't" worth the investment on a new car... maybe the planned personalised plate can wait and i'll invest in the paintwork first...

 

[Mr C]

Thanks [MENTION=12964]Stark[/MENTION] these both look great....

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