Help on diy detailing please

[Ashveer03]

Howzit guys

I have a white polo 9n tdi, and since I am always fiddling around with mechanical stuff the car picked up a few grease/oil stains.. I plan on getting the car resprayed in the next few months or so (it has a few small dents and deep stonechips ) but, in the mean time I just want to get the shiny white back and get rid of the oil stains without spending too much. I also want to remove all the stickers off the car and I dont want the uneven patches that the stickers were "protecting".

The previous owner used to wax the car quite often.. After I have bought it (about 1.5yrs ago) I havnt done anything to the paint besides wash it every 2-3weeks or so.
The paintwork feels smooth after a wash, I have tried the plastic bag thing as many other members suggest, and I dont really feel much "spots", there are a few small spots here and there.. There is no paint/clear pealing or anything of that sort, just abit dull with some stains and stickers which I want to get rid off. The car has a few scratches which cannot really be seen unless u looking for them and I am not concerned about that as I will get the car repainted soon.

I would like to diy this, I dont have any polishing machines or any special products (I normally use a Meguairs wash gel to wash the car, I have recently bought a Meguairs Wash and Wax Kit which consists of a Soft Wash Gel, a bottle of Cleaner Wax, an applicator pad and a washing sponge, I havnt used the wax yet as I thought I should seek some advice first).

Any advice on what I should do?

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[LostEnigma]

Hey bud, you gonna need something more aggressive than that wax to get the desired result!

Troll Crazy Detailer's website for all you could possibly need..

If the stickers have left a residue - look for a glue/tar remover... I know AutoGlym is the first that comes to mind seeing as the carchem one was stopped.

I'd get some microfiber applicator pads, a bit more aggressive than the sponge applicator that came in your kit...

Menzerna's fg400 should get you a result without being to crazy on the paint... that being said, I hope your arms are ready for a good work out!

Some microfiber towels will be good, the D-lux ones will work perfectly.. then I'm sure your cleaner wax will be fine if you can apply it everytime you wash (2-3 weeks between washes like you said)

If you want anymore info, I'll do my best to help! 079 six9five 716nine

[lawrence]

Ashveer I see you are in Durban - I'd be more than happy to try and help you out if you are prepared to come over for a face to face chat - give yourself about an hour and I can try and point you in the right direction. It will be so much easier than trying to pass over all the knowledge you need over the forum.

Having said that, a good place to start will be to read through this. http://vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=166322 then this http://vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=180689

If you don't intend working by machine then you need something that is relatively easy to work by hand. I would NOT go with the FG400 suggested by Jason as it is a DAT based polish (this means it has Diminishing Abrasive Technology - in other words, the abrasives break down and get finer as you work the polish, meaning that you cannot 'short cycle' the polish [or to put it another way, you MUST completed your 6 to 8 passes to break the abrasives down properly]) and you are going to kill your arms trying to work it effectively.

If I was in your shoes I'd start off using the Meguiars Cleaner wax on a small spot and asses the outcome. If you are happy, cool. If not, you will need something more aggressive. I'd suggest Meguiars Ultimate Compound. This is not a DAT polish but rather a SMAT one (Singular Micro Abrasive Technology - which essentially has a ishload of very tiny abrasives which DO NOT break down as the polish is worked) meaning that you can do only 1 pass (if that is all that is required) and stop working it, with no ill effects.

I do agree that you will need to also increase the cut of your applicator - foam is GENTLE on paint and Microfibre more AGGRESSIVE. Knowing how Candy White paint behaves though, I suspect that even with something like Meguiars Ultimate compound, you are going to struggle.

By machine is really the only way to effectively sort the paint out. But there is an initial investment (roughly R3.5K for the machine itself and probably at least R2k to get you started on some pads - and then don't forget all the MF towels etc that go with it).

Remember too that before you attempt any polishing you need to properly wash the car to remove loose dirt, then decontaminate it to remove bonded and embedded contaminants (this is where the baggie test comes in and I honestly doubt there is not a decent amount of contamination - again if you come over I can show you how to test this).

Once you have fixed the paintwork, remember to protect it using a wax/sealant/coating of your choice.

Then going forward, wash it weekly, keep the protection 'topped up' and enjoy the car!

[Ashveer03]

@LostEnigma thanks for the tips bro, I went through crazy detailers website, quite costly keeping cars looking fresh lol.. I will get some nice stuff after I get the car resprayed as I dont want to spend much on paint thats going to be removed.. Thanks for the willingness to help bro, much appreciated.

Since Lawrence offered, I think it would be a better option getting him to check the paintwork out in person first as I dont want to do stuff thats not needed or make things any worse, and I really doubt I have the eye to look for paint imperfection, what could seem to be good condition to me might be garbage to a detailer lol..

I dont wash the car every week because I dont have the time, and I dont go to car wash's or let anybody wash my car for me simply because the way they wash cars dont seem to be acceptable by me.. lol

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[lawrence]

Sweet - arrangements all sorted out over PM - see you Sat afternoon

[Ashveer03]

Thanks bud

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[1 Eyed Monkey]

And? How did the meeting go?

[Ashveer03]

Lol good, now I realize that even washing a car is not so simple

Great tips from Lawrence

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[LoW n SloW]

Ashveer I see you are in Durban - I'd be more than happy to try and help you out if you are prepared to come over for a face to face chat - give yourself about an hour and I can try and point you in the right direction. It will be so much easier than trying to pass over all the knowledge you need over the forum.

Having said that, a good place to start will be to read through this. http://vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=166322 then this http://vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=180689

If you don't intend working by machine then you need something that is relatively easy to work by hand. I would NOT go with the FG400 suggested by Jason as it is a DAT based polish (this means it has Diminishing Abrasive Technology - in other words, the abrasives break down and get finer as you work the polish, meaning that you cannot 'short cycle' the polish [or to put it another way, you MUST completed your 6 to 8 passes to break the abrasives down properly]) and you are going to kill your arms trying to work it effectively.

If I was in your shoes I'd start off using the Meguiars Cleaner wax on a small spot and asses the outcome. If you are happy, cool. If not, you will need something more aggressive. I'd suggest Meguiars Ultimate Compound. This is not a DAT polish but rather a SMAT one (Singular Micro Abrasive Technology - which essentially has a ishload of very tiny abrasives which DO NOT break down as the polish is worked) meaning that you can do only 1 pass (if that is all that is required) and stop working it, with no ill effects.

I do agree that you will need to also increase the cut of your applicator - foam is GENTLE on paint and Microfibre more AGGRESSIVE. Knowing how Candy White paint behaves though, I suspect that even with something like Meguiars Ultimate compound, you are going to struggle.

By machine is really the only way to effectively sort the paint out. But there is an initial investment (roughly R3.5K for the machine itself and probably at least R2k to get you started on some pads - and then don't forget all the MF towels etc that go with it).

Remember too that before you attempt any polishing you need to properly wash the car to remove loose dirt, then decontaminate it to remove bonded and embedded contaminants (this is where the baggie test comes in and I honestly doubt there is not a decent amount of contamination - again if you come over I can show you how to test this).

Once you have fixed the paintwork, remember to protect it using a wax/sealant/coating of your choice.

Then going forward, wash it weekly, keep the protection 'topped up' and enjoy the car!

Visit this man, he taught me alot of things in 2 hours after buying his camera