Megane F1 - Detail

[Nick Goodall]

A mate i went to school with asked me if i'd be able to sort his Megane out so i was more than happy to give it a going over.

It started out pretty grubby, bugs splattered and loads of Tar spots and swirls galore!!

How it began......

http://oi56.tinypic.com/2rh0exd.jpg

Grey wheels??
http://oi55.tinypic.com/hsw55f.jpg

http://oi51.tinypic.com/syqwki.jpg

http://oi53.tinypic.com/3142lc4.jpg

http://oi52.tinypic.com/1z4fxoo.jpg

http://oi54.tinypic.com/fmm1r8.jpg

http://oi55.tinypic.com/2cnjuau.jpg

So where to start???

http://oi54.tinypic.com/2hwnsep.jpg

http://oi54.tinypic.com/16gg2dy.jpg

http://oi52.tinypic.com/2z6i3x0.jpg

Car was first of all snow foamed:

http://oi52.tinypic.com/f3w21f.jpg

http://oi55.tinypic.com/2ltt2dh.jpg

http://oi55.tinypic.com/2625oxh.jpg


The car was then rinsed off, and washed with the 2BM using Zymol Autowash, with 2 x Autobrite buckets & Grit guards with a Meguiars lambswool wash mitt.

I then refoamed it, rinsed and clayed all over with CYC Blue Ultra fine clay and some Autosmart Reglaze as clay lube.

The car was then dried off with an Autobrite fluffy blue towel and some Meguiars last touch.

I then set about inspecting the paint to find quite a few swirls and surface scratches.

http://oi51.tinypic.com/2ly1nar.jpg

http://oi52.tinypic.com/2ars60.jpg

I got the machine ready, and taped up the rubbers and badges etc.

I started out with an SFX2 Pad, and some PO85RD 3.02 but even this wasn't having the desired effect, i didn't expect the Renault to have hard paint but obviously it is...

I stepped up to an SFX-2 Spot pad with some Menz Power Gloss S100 and this was much better.

50/50 having just done the top section

http://oi56.tinypic.com/zoid95.jpg

Another 50/50

http://oi52.tinypic.com/2nkj2nd.jpg

50/50 of bonnet

http://oi51.tinypic.com/2z9a5mw.jpg

http://oi56.tinypic.com/w010dg.jpg

LSP was a choice between the various waxes i seem to have ended up buying so thought i'd try the Britemax #6 Liquid wax via machine

http://oi55.tinypic.com/14ieyrn.jpg

[Nick Goodall]

Wax left to cure

http://oi53.tinypic.com/v7vcbs.jpg

http://oi55.tinypic.com/2hmob3c.jpg

http://oi53.tinypic.com/1416olf.jpg

http://oi53.tinypic.com/ff2yj4.jpg

I just bought these, a 10 pack of Eurow ultra fluffy towels and they are simply awesome, gorgeous in fact!

Used to buff off wax

http://oi52.tinypic.com/3023pmx.jpg

I had to use some Last touch when buffing as the britemax stuff had splattered a fair bit when being applied by the machine and this seemed to really stick on but i got there in the end.

Wax all buffed off

http://oi54.tinypic.com/21ab6ud.jpg

http://oi55.tinypic.com/2zqenix.jpg

http://oi55.tinypic.com/1112x6t.jpg

http://oi54.tinypic.com/23m36ef.jpg

http://oi54.tinypic.com/11iio0j.jpg

http://oi55.tinypic.com/34dqtl0.jpg

Few final pics after tyres dressed with Meguiars endurance Gel, Exhaust polished with some Autosol, wirewool and MF cloth and finally plastics all dressed with Meg's trim detailer

http://oi53.tinypic.com/2e3796s.jpg

http://oi51.tinypic.com/b4gf3n.jpg

http://oi56.tinypic.com/213189v.jpg

http://oi54.tinypic.com/69gih1.jpg

Thanks for reading :D

[DCM]

Looking good.

Need some advice on removing engrained grime on a leather steering wheel though!

[Darren Boyle]

Nick, awesome work mate, I have looked at a few of your posts like this now, they are all very nice indeed....

Is it somthing you do just as a hobby for enjoyment or as a sideline sort of thing to make a few extra pennies....

[Richard Lowe]

The wax looks great, is that just one layer?

[Nick Goodall]

Nick, awesome work mate, I have looked at a few of your posts like this now, they are all very nice indeed....

Is it somthing you do just as a hobby for enjoyment or as a sideline sort of thing to make a few extra pennies....

Thanks mate :-)

It really started as a hobby doing my own cars, then as i've got more and more into it and started doing others for a bit of cash it has turned out to be quite useful - Probably the only hobby i've found that the wife actually quite likes me doing...... So yeah it's a bit of a hobby but it's also giving me a bit of extra pocket money (although i seem to just buy more detailing stuff at the moment)!

[Nick Goodall]

The wax looks great, is that just one layer?

Yeah, just one coat of it - i wasn't exactly tight with how much i used as i wanted to make sure i got a decent covering but it came up lovely and was surprisingly easy to buff off actually as after i'd left it to cure for about 30 mins i really thought it was going to take me a while but it came up a treat! I have also got some Britemax Sealant which i'll try next time too.

[peetbee]

Nick another great job! Have you ever done a motorbike?

I need to sort out mine and am wondering what to use on it to shift the years of accumulated grime!

[Nick Goodall]

Nick another great job! Have you ever done a motorbike?

I need to sort out mine and am wondering what to use on it to shift the years of accumulated grime!

Hi pete,

Nope never done a bike (not yet anyway) but i would highly recommend Autosmart G101 as a traffic film, bug and grime remover - just spray it on (Ratio 4:1 for heavy stuff) and leave to dwell, then pressure wash it off.

There's usually an Autosmart rep in every area if you check out their site, but if not you can buy small sizes on Ebay.

[DerbyDan]

Been reading through a number of your 'detailing' threads Nick, your results are amazing!

I always thought I went to town washing/waxing & polishing my cars.... well certainly my neighbours do :lol: But it seems theres a whole 'higher' level of car cleaning!! Alot of the products you use sound like magic potions & most i've never heard of before.... or even thought that they would be necessary!

I think I can follow and understand why you do each process.... am I correct in thinking the clay bar lifts off any in-grained dirt & grime, before the polishing?

I would love to learn & understand the techniques fully so I can have a go at detailing my own car:)

[Nick Goodall]

Been reading through a number of your 'detailing' threads Nick, your results are amazing!

I always thought I went to town washing/waxing & polishing my cars.... well certainly my neighbours do :lol: But it seems theres a whole 'higher' level of car cleaning!! Alot of the products you use sound like magic potions & most i've never heard of before.... or even thought that they would be necessary!

I think I can follow and understand why you do each process.... am I correct in thinking the clay bar lifts off any in-grained dirt & grime, before the polishing?

I would love to learn & understand the techniques fully so I can have a go at detailing my own car:)

Thanks mate, there's a good site where you can buy stuff but also read up on the processes of what to do and what each stage does

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/decontaminating-paint.html

Claying is a really good stage to start with as an extra after washing the car, it really picks up all the stuck on bits of dirt, tar, bird droppings etc - Usually when you've washed the car if you run your hand over it you can feel it almost feels gritty like there's still stuff stuck on it but after claying it will feel smooth like glass....

Then it's best to polish and finish off with a nice wax or sealant.

Let me know if you have any specific questions but the more you read up on it or look at stuff the more you learn and the more money you'll spend ;-)

[DerbyDan]

Cool thanks! - I've bookmarked that link, so I can have a proper read at lunchtime :)

I've heard of the clay-bar process - but never really seen it in action, its something i'd like to try.... & hopefully this weekend i'll be picking up something worthy of a full 'detail' session :cool:

[peetbee]

Cheers Nick, I guess stuff for cleaning engine bays would work well on things like the swing arm that are covered in oil and road dirt?

[Nick Goodall]

Cheers Nick, I guess stuff for cleaning engine bays would work well on things like the swing arm that are covered in oil and road dirt?

Yeah definitely, any of the De-greasers made for Engine cleaning should work for that sort of thing - There's a Meguiars Degreaser, and a good one from Autoglym but one well worth looking at is called Surfex HD made by Blit Hamber

http://www.carnaubawaxshop.co.uk/shop/viewproduct.php?product_id=83

You can dilute it to suit depending on what you're working on but it's incredible stuff - great on cars for Wheel arches, engines, underneath etc.

I think you can buy smaller sizes anyway if you want to get some just to try it but a product like this certainly helps the amount of elbow grease required which is always a bonus :D

[peetbee]

Cheers :)