Sorry, I'm still confused.

[craigy123]

You might also find tardis in smaller quantities on eBay instead of 5L's. Some people split it into 1L's with a chemical spray head.

Failing that auto glym intensive tar remover. Not as good but does the job required.

[Mk5 GTian]

Thanks Craig, I've already got the Autoglym Intensive tar remover from my FOC kit from signing up for Autocar!

Do you need to do every panel, including the roof?

[craigy123]

Only really the lower panels of the car will have tar, then spot remove any others you find. That's unless you drive it like you stole it, then there may be some of the roof, back window etc. 

[reflex11]

i'd be very careful with tardis, wear some latex gloves x2 pairs ,goggles and a mask for your mouth, don't leave it on too long say 1-2 mins max and wipe it off straight away, and rinse it off

don't worry about polishing.. I didn't bother because to be honest hand polishing is really no where near as good as machine polishing so just make sure the car is clean then protect it with some wax/sealant.
and I don't have a garage to learn/use a machine polisher so that was out the question

I applied FK1000 in October and it's still on! even though I want to do some fresh coats this week this is what I will be doing

billberry the wheels - leave on for 2-3 mins then pressure wash off

pressure wash the car to losen any dirt

snow foam the car with some PH Neutral Snow mixed with a little bit of maxi suds II
leave to dwell for 10-15 mins

Pressure wash off

2 bucket method with a lambswool mitt and maxi suds II as the shampoo doing panel by panel pressure wash off

then use tardis on effected areas leave on for 1-2mins wipe off with a microfibre cloth you don't want, then rinse off untill its all gone

pressure wash again for precaution of the tardis and shampoo the car again

use clay bar with some clay lube go all over the car to get anything you may have missed

shampoo again then rinse

dry the car and use a cleanser I use carlack68 Nano Systematic Care

after that your ready to put your wax/sealant on

I use FK1000 2-3 coats to make sure i've covered the whole car

then I use FinishKare #425 - Ultra Slick Polywipe for that extra slick look

and just the usual bits at the end like glass, wheels, tyres

[Grawschbags]

don't worry about polishing.. I didn't bother because to be honest hand polishing is really no where near as good as machine polishing so just make sure the car is clean then protect it with some wax/sealant.
and I don't have a garage to learn/use a machine polisher so that was out the question

I'd disagree to an extent with that. Granted you wont see anywhere near the level of correction you would if using a machine polisher, but for the reasons stated above; the polish contains fillers that will slightly mask the swirl marks. If you're not going to use a glaze, I would definitely do the polishing stage, then seal.

[reflex11]

sorry im a perfectionist i'd rather not do somthing if its not going to be 100% thats why I leave out hand polishng

[craigy123]

sorry im a perfectionist i'd rather not do somthing if its not going to be 100% thats why I leave out hand polishng

Hand polishing can be very effective if done correctly. Obviously machining is going to be better for defect removal. But not everyone wants or can justify this.

[suave]

Having a good wax doesn't necessarily mean you will have a nice and shiny car. The end result is all to do with the preparation you do beforehand I.e discontaminating the paint either through claying, deironising and detarring. If you put in the effort in the early stages, you will reap the rewards when you've applied the wax.


"dis contaminate" your car - seriously?!?!?!?

[stealthwolf]

+1 for hand polishing. Better than nothing.

clicky - DW's hand polish test.

[Mk5 GTian]

+1 for hand polishing. Better than nothing.

clicky - DW's hand polish test.

I've had a really good close look at my paintwork this weekend after all the great advice I've been getting, and I reckon there is quite a lot to be corrected, too much to do by hand. So my lovely Mrs is getting me a DA polisher for my birthday next month!

I reckon the DAS-6 Pro will be the one, as other threads suggest this is really good for those who will only be polishing 3 or 4 times a year. So now all I need to know is what is the best polish to use with this? Sorry, you must be getting fed up with this!

[Grawschbags]

I reckon the DAS-6 Pro will be the one, as other threads suggest this is really good for those who will only be polishing 3 or 4 times a year. So now all I need to know is what is the best polish to use with this? Sorry, you must be getting fed up with this!

I have the DAS-6 Pro, it's a good bit of kit.  I would seriously look at the Meguiars MF correction system.  Two types of pad and two types of compound.  Works well on the hard VW paint.  Got the kit coming for mine.

[reflex11]

wish I had a garage to do some machine polishing!!

[JackG]

Don't take this the wrong way at all it's jut a suggestion

And don't feel bad about asking for advice it's what were here for 

Have you thought about getting the car detailed and then you can jut maintain it? The detailer will be happy to give you advice on products to use and keep topped up and whats involved, may even be worth asking if you could oversee the detail like jonny-tro wants to with me, i like knowing the customer wants to maintain my hard work Seems respectful 

The above is only if your not 100% sure on what your doing, could be best spending the money on a detail insted of products
Hope this helps and please note I'm trying to scare you and I'm not implying you don't know what your doing as the only way to learn is to try 

[Mk5 GTian]

Thanks a lot Jack, I really appreciate your comments.

The truth is I don't know what I'm doing!

I think your idea is an excellent one, and then I could get the kit together to maintain it. The paintwork does need a lot of polishing, and I reckon it would benefit from a professional detail.

As a decorator, I pick things like this up pretty quickly, so I think with some guidance I could do a good job of maintaining the work of a detailer. It would also be a lot better to learn how to do the different stages without such a lot to achieve.

I will give this some consideration, but I'm still going to buy the products and DAS-6 Pro!

[JackG]

Thanks a lot Jack, I really appreciate your comments.

The truth is I don't know what I'm doing!

I think your idea is an excellent one, and then I could get the kit together to maintain it. The paintwork does need a lot of polishing, and I reckon it would benefit from a professional detail.

As a decorator, I pick things like this up pretty quickly, so I think with some guidance I could do a good job of maintaining the work of a detailer. It would also be a lot better to learn how to do the different stages without such a lot to achieve.

I will give this some consideration, but I'm still going to buy the products and DAS-6 Pro!

No problem