billionairebum wrote:What are your thoughts on using a ceramic coating? Why would you not use one? I understand it takes a lot to get to that point but I am interested to find out why you would choose something other than it. I am still very new to all of this.

Many can’t not touch their paint and enjoy using AIO’s, different sealants,waxes,finishing polishes etc. so to them a coating takes the fun away.

Zubair wrote:

billionairebum wrote:What are your thoughts on using a ceramic coating? Why would you not use one? I understand it takes a lot to get to that point but I am interested to find out why you would choose something other than it. I am still very new to all of this.

Many can’t not touch their paint and enjoy using AIO’s, different sealants,waxes,finishing polishes etc. so to them a coating takes the fun away.

That also outlines the difference between an enthusiast vs. someone just wanting protection or having time to go through the mission of applying an additional finish. I for one - cant tell the different from my Gtechnique coating over say Collinite (apart from longevity obviously).

Hi Guys,

I have noticed and Crazydetailer no longer have the Car-Chem water based dressing(this one I used for my inside plastic bits(worked wonders on the engine bay)..... anyone has substitutes that they currently using and comments on them?

Thanks.

Rsi huntered wrote:Hi Guys,

I have noticed and Crazydetailer no longer have the Car-Chem water based dressing(this one I used for my inside plastic bits(worked wonders on the engine bay)..... anyone has substitutes that they currently using and comments on them?

Thanks.

http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ts_id=1065

Djin wrote:

Rsi huntered wrote:Hi Guys,

I have noticed and Crazydetailer no longer have the Car-Chem water based dressing(this one I used for my inside plastic bits(worked wonders on the engine bay)..... anyone has substitutes that they currently using and comments on them?

Thanks.

http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ts_id=1065

Hahahahahahaha..... thanks...

I promise you I looked yesterday and couldn't find it on the website

Thanks...... stocks are running low, will pop by next week

Ok it took a few days but iv gone through all 43 pages in detail aswell as some of the other guides and topics, claying, hp washers, Lawrences ultimate guide, etc. I just wanted to thank you gents for all the shared knowledge, this thread is priceless.
So i just bought my first car 2 months ago and im the only one allowed to clean it. Most of my questions were answered here but if anyone could recomend or discourage the use of shields APC. Logic says no but my budget makes it realy appealing , it would need to be used on leather aswell, seems coated (doesnt absorb water). Iv read alot about car chem here but id hate to place an order just for one product. Thanks again for all your input.

Slowly building my arsenal with what my budget allows.
On hand:
Meguiars gold class shampoo (almost out, might replace with glossworx super suds)
Meguiars ultimate polish
Meguiars scratch x ( bought for swirls before i did proper research )
Shield clay kit
Meguiars QD
I plan to add: carpro PERL (to use on leather aswell, budget ); Iron X ; a decent APC
Slowly building MF collection
Car is black

I have no experience with Shield APC but have used Cyclo APC from Crazy Detailer to good effect and it is dirt cheap.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Ahh thanks. All i know is meguiars so far. So just trying to avoid buying the wrong alternatives. Iv also seen one at auto dna at umhlanga.

lawrence wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 8:52 am I have no experience with Shield APC but have used Cyclo APC from Crazy Detailer to good effect and it is dirt cheap.

+1 on the Cyclo APC. been using it since 2009 and its awesome!

lawrence wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 8:52 am I have no experience with Shield APC but have used Cyclo APC from Crazy Detailer to good effect and it is dirt cheap.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

The main man returns.... Dude when are we gonna get some more of your detailed detail threads?

The main man returns.... Dude when are we gonna get some more of your detailed detail threads?
[/quote]
+1 please keep up the good work, i love reading all the write ups

Reds wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 7:56 am The main man returns.... Dude when are we gonna get some more of your detailed detail threads?

+1 please keep up the good work, i love reading all the write ups
[/quote]

Yip Some good advice here!

Guys I need to know....

I bought a black Polo 9N TDI.

The paint is not shiny. I have washed it by hand maybe 10 times in the week since I've had it, and polished it 4 times, i used MiraPlate, and Holts colour specific black polish. Now, it looks better already, but still a far cry from being as I want it. The car is not in a horrible condition, but it has been neglected a fair bit. In the photos below it actually looks amazing, but in the day light under direct sun, it is still fairly dull.

I need to know, what can I use to bring back the shine, without breaking the bank?
Will a clay bar do the job, will it bring back the shine, or is a claybar only to properly clean it?

Cleaning the inside of the wheels:



Painted the calipers and polished rim paint and polished lug nut caps:


Polished paint work
During:



After (Just look at how dull the bonnet is):

casperjjordaan wrote: ↑Tue Oct 02, 2018 10:56 am I have washed it by hand maybe 10 times in the week since I've had it

Firstly, you are over-washing the car... and in so doing, are most likely making the paint LESS shiny by instilling swirls through poor washing/drying techniques.... you should not need to wash the car more than once a week.

I suggest you read this as a starting point https://www.vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopi ... 0&t=166322

casperjjordaan wrote: ↑Tue Oct 02, 2018 10:56 am and polished it 4 times, i used MiraPlate, and Holts colour specific black polish.

My last car was polished 3 times in 5 years and I can promise you it looked more 'shiny' than most cars on the road during that time... every time you polish your car you are abrading away the very finite amount of clear coat.... you want to polish your car as LITTLE as possible...

I also suspect you are not getting the results you want because you are using sub-par products...and presumably an ineffective technique.

VW paint tends to be on the harder side and so to REMOVE scratches (swirls are fine scratches instilled through washing/drying) you need a fairly aggressive combo - working by hand with bad abrasives is not going to cut it (pun intended).

I suspect the car needs a proper paint correction - in other words, a decent polish using a polishing machine, by someone who knows what they are doing, using quality abrasives.

Do you own any polishing machines, if so, which ones

What sort of budget do you have to get the paint 'proper'

Are you adamant to DIY it, or are you prepared to pay someone to do it?

A clay bar is used to decontaminate paint - in other words to remove stuff that is STUCK to your paint that washing won't remove. It will help to a small degree with 'shine' assuming the car is heavily contaminated, but on black paint, it really is a minimal difference - the big difference in the appearance of black paint comes from removing below surface defects (scratches/swirls/etching etc)

Lawrence

Thanks so much for your comprehensive reply. Thing is, i know i washed it too many times but the car was really filthy when I got it. Still actually is. I agree, the polish that I used is not by a long-shot DECENT stuff. It is just ......Midas polish. Nothing special. I heard that Super Resin polish will work. Yes, I do own a polishing machine, basically looks like a steering wheel with a pad on that rotates/vibrates. it is basically a POS and therefor i did not even use it. I used the old "wax on, wax off" method with Shield polishing pads that i bought, also from Midas.

Yes, I do want to try a DIY process, because I am a real pain in the @SS if it comes to my cars and bikes. I like my rides SUPER clean. I wash my cars once a week, every week, used or not and therefor i would like to learn more about keeping my rides in top-nick. Which polish can you suggest to me, and where can i find it, who do i apply it. My brother also has a polishing machine, basically the same sort of thing as mine (hes got the yellow one) but I think it is a bit better than mine. I do not own a polisher (that looks like a grinder)

One more Q. I just came from VW. I bought touch up paint. what is the best way to apply it and work it down? I have some horrid scratches on the front bumper. Problem is that i had to install new tires, replace the windshied, service the car, sort out ALL the lightning, and still HAVE to replace the cam belt now. Hence money is now on the low side.

The machine you are talking about is probably the Shield Orbital machine, in which case I agree with you - it is a POS - don't waste your time with it.

If you are serious about DIY'ing it, you basically have two options.

1. Work by hand - will work out cheaper but is going to be a real uphill battle. You will literally have to tackle small sections at a time and the whole car is going to take weeks to complete. If you want to go this route, your best bang for back polish is going to be Meguiars Ultimate Compound.

2. Work by machine. This is not going to work out cheap initially as you will need to purchase a dual action polisher (something like this at the bottom of the range http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ts_id=1518) along with a selection of pads (the more you have, the better the outcome and the longer the pads will last - only you can decide how many pads you can afford)

Cutting x 6 http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ts_id=1322
Polishing x 4 http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ts_id=1324

Then I would recommend getting both Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Meguiars Ultimate Polish.

You would then start using your polishing pad and Ultimate Polish and polish a small section to see what the results are like. If you are happy, you then replicate that over the whole vehicle.

If you weren't happy with the first step, then you switch to the cutting pad with Ultimate Compound and test another small section. If you are happy with the results from this more aggressive step, replicate it over the whole car.

Then, assuming you actually had to use the aggressive combo (cutting pad and ultimate compound) you can then re-polish the car using the less aggressive combo (ultimate polish with polishing pad) which will remove any fine haze/sanding marks from the first (aggressive) step.

Autoglym SRP (Super Resin Polish) will not do much... it is not a true abrasive polish but can rather be classified as an AIO (All-in-one).... in other words it is not a dedicate polish (abrasive to remove paint, and therefore scratches) but instead has some abrasives (albeit very fine), some fillers (to hide damage) and some protection.... its a jack of all trades and master of none. It doesnt have much effect on hard VAG paint but on softer Japcrap it performs better.

Touching up paint chips is an art in and of itself...

Watch this video of Larry's.... the little Loew Cornell Fine Paint Pen is a real handy tool to have. The 'brush' that comes with the OEM touch up kit is waaaaaaay too big. In a pinch get a size zero paint brush from an art supply store (or as small as is available).

https://www.ammonyc.com/detailing/rock- ... useum-911/

Setting realistic expectations is important too... if you want it to be and invisible repair, get it repainted or you will always be disappointed.

Thank you for your reply. I will have to look at obtaining one of those. Have a look at the pictures below. From certain angles the car looks astonishing, then, you view it from another angle and it looks dull as hell!

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As far as i know, Miraplate is more of a wax with lots of fillers. car will look shiny for a few washes but the same swirls will come back. Do what lawrence suggests, Meguirs Ultimate works very well even if it takes ages by hand ( did this on my black Ibiza), so i did one section every weekend til the whole car was done. Just make sure to seal the pain nicely afterwards.

Guys I have written a new tread about my ride under rides. Here is a link to the tread.

Please tell me what you think about it!

https://vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 5#p2576995

Hi Guys,

So I need something to use on for removing the sponge like piece that is under the rear number plate holder on my car......

I cant post pic's cause I don't have an account anymore but if I were to explain were it is :

When you remove the rear holder the number plate holder comes off and underneath the holder there is a soft sponge thing stuck to avoid rattle im assuming(this is what I want off), I pealed it off BUT the part that is stuck on body work is still there and the outer came off

What can I get from Crazy detailer that will help remove as safe as possible....

Thanks

Anybody used Meguiars Fast Finish yet? Too good to be true?

https://www.meguiars.co.za/product/ulti ... h-aerosol/

MarshallGTi wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 12:09 pm Anybody used Meguiars Fast Finish yet? Too good to be true?

https://www.meguiars.co.za/product/ulti ... h-aerosol/

I used it...took the plunge after reading some positive reviews about it in the USA.
It applies very easily - theres some youtube clips that show how to apply. Basically spray onto a microfibre cloth and wipe the entire car panel by panel.
I was happy with the results...water beading was great (Not as good as the Fusso though, but comparable)

I would recommend it based on the ease of application.
In terms of longevity, i dont know yet...too soon to say but after 2 months the water beading still great and the paint feels smooth when washing - if that makes sense

Rsi huntered wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:27 am Hi Guys,

So I need something to use on for removing the sponge like piece that is under the rear number plate holder on my car......

I cant post pic's cause I don't have an account anymore but if I were to explain were it is :

When you remove the rear holder the number plate holder comes off and underneath the holder there is a soft sponge thing stuck to avoid rattle im assuming(this is what I want off), I pealed it off BUT the part that is stuck on body work is still there and the outer came off

What can I get from Crazy detailer that will help remove as safe as possible....

Thanks

Grab some plastic razor blades to carefully scrape away the bulk of it. http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ts_id=1449
Then get some tar and glue remover and a quality MF towel to remove the rest of the glue residue. http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ucts_id=58 and http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... x&cPath=20

lawrence wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 2:44 pm

Rsi huntered wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:27 am Hi Guys,

So I need something to use on for removing the sponge like piece that is under the rear number plate holder on my car......

I cant post pic's cause I don't have an account anymore but if I were to explain were it is :

When you remove the rear holder the number plate holder comes off and underneath the holder there is a soft sponge thing stuck to avoid rattle im assuming(this is what I want off), I pealed it off BUT the part that is stuck on body work is still there and the outer came off

What can I get from Crazy detailer that will help remove as safe as possible....

Thanks

Grab some plastic razor blades to carefully scrape away the bulk of it. http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ts_id=1449
Then get some tar and glue remover and a quality MF towel to remove the rest of the glue residue. http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... ucts_id=58 and http://www.crazydetailer.co.za/index.ph ... x&cPath=20

Thank Lawrence.

Can I use anything to make it soft prior to scraping it off with the plastic blade(water/apc....etc?)