Ahh my nice clean GTI - Pic heavy

[StuF]

Today, well this morning I decided to spend the day cleaning my motor.

Tools of the trade




So firstly I applied some Neutral ph snowfoam and left it to dwell for 15 mins



After rinsing the foam off and washing  using two bucket method with some Meguires shampoo, I dried it and used this


Having never Clayed the car before I was surprised how dirty it actually was


After fully claying the car I went on to polish it using Autoglym polish
As the polish was drying and hazing I decided to tackle the wheels



Once the wheels were clean, I buffed off the polish and applied the Extra gloss protection,
then returned to the wheels and buffed them up





After removing the hazy extra gloss protection I went and added some special wax


It was hard going to remove the wax by hand after letting it dry for 40mins or so, need to invest in a mechanical polisher!
In the time between I hoovered and wiped the interior



And then it was done - and too dark for further pics! will add some tomorrow.
Im now having a stella and some pizza feeling satisfied but knackered! 

[Gene Hunt]

Looking good  .What is the head unit you have please?.

[big al]

Looks great that does mate,
How good is the wax for your alloys and how easy to apply, got some blue 'rimwax' but not too keen on it, gets stuck in all the corners on my alloys.

[StuF]

Its an Alpine iXA-W407BT headunit, recently installed and highly recommended!

[StuF]

The finish the wax gave on the bodywork and alloys was excellent although shifting it was hard on the arms as it dries quite hard, worth the effort though!

[Gene Hunt]

Its an Alpine iXA-W407BT headunit, recently installed and highly recommended!

.........thanks for that  .Got this in mine & thought it might be the same. http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/25/111/241/AVIC-F920BT/index.html

[alexperkins]

Use the meguiars detailer and a microfiber cloth and the wax will come off slot easier

[stealthwolf]

Some nice work

It's not so much a wax as it is a sealant. I personally found it to give more of a shiny finish - as though it were wrapped in cling film or something. Very durable though.

[StuF]

Some taken today




Anyone recommend a decent wax? With a decent price too! Ta 

[rich83]

Collinite 476 

[stealthwolf]

FK1000P is fine to use as a sealant. The only issue is you leaving it on for 40 mins, which is far, far too long, especially in warm weather. Depending on the climate and how hot the panel is, I'd look at maybe 5 mins and even then that may well be too long. With some LSPs like FK1000P and Collinite 476s, I found it was far better to do a section at a time - apply the wax to one panel, apply to second panel, buff off first panel etc and slowly work over the car like this.

And if you get the wheels off the car (even if it's one-by-one) the FK1000P will do a far better job than that autoglym spray stuff at protecting the wheels.

[Bakersgal]

looking good mate 

[matsu]

OP....looks good.....

stealth - so you would recommmend a wax over the top of the sealant?
i have this and wondered about it alon or underneath the wax?

matsu

[stealthwolf]

stealth - so you would recommmend a wax over the top of the sealant?

Depends on what you're after.

A car with a couple of decent layers of sealant will leave a durable layer, far more than a wax. If you said a wax layer lasts maybe 2 months without topping up, a sealant can last longer, maybe 4-6 months.

FWIW I used both over the winter period. This was mainly to give maximum protection during a time when I wouldn't be able to wash the car or top up as frequently. Collinite is more of a hybrid type product and can be considered both a sealant and a wax. Quite a few people use the likes of Jetseal 109 under their wax. Remember, the wax is meant to be a sacrificial layer which can be topped up as required.

[dmac1969]

That looks stunning - those wheels are the dogs by the way    as regards sealants ect , I use this routine - wash, dry , polish , sealant , 2x coats of wax , and finish with the tyres and black trim , seems to serve me well and beading lasts 3 to 4 months easily (in fact may last more but I never leave it more than that between thorough details)