keith2.2

I finally had some time to give the Karcher and G220 an outing this week! In preparation, I hadn't washed the car for a couple of weeks, but a final weekend of country lanes and rain containing Saharan sand saw the car looking pretty unloved come wash time:





First off - give the snow foam an outing. I confess, I hadn't managed to get "proper" snow foam solution, so I used AutoGlym pressure wash;


Still, it seemed to lift the dust off without physical contact, which is what I wanted from it:



Next I did the roof with the AutoGlym roof cleaner:


So with minimal effort thus far, it's left "ready to wash":




Now, the weather wasn't ideal for washing cars...:


...but I gave a two bucket wash with Megs NXT shampoo (can anyone tell me what the difference between gold class and NXT actually is, apart from colour and smell..?)and a Megs lambswool mit, then went round with AG Insect Remover (particularly on the windscreen) and I spent half an hour with a microfibre cloth and some AG Tar Remover (which is fantastic). A second two bucket wash to get rid of any residues and I was ready to move the car inside for a claybar session.

It's amazing how much dirt was still on the car after all of the above- this is the result of 1/3 of the bootlid on a new clay:


Still, a bit of elbow grease later and she was looking nice and clean and ready for buffing:



I haven't used a buffer before, so it was a mix of reading the Megs websites, looking at how-to's and some experimentation. I settled on Megs #83 and the red pad (I forget the number) - I'm sure XD would tell me off for the pad choice!!!

The results were good once I had got a bit more used to it, though. Here are some pics (for a change..)

This is a nice one of the bonnet - see the arc line (bottom left to top right) - the left of which is the non-cut area, the right is much brighter.


and here's a before and after of some hollogramming and spiders' webs:


It's only one pass so they're not 100% cleared up. Not having a paint thickness gauge I was wary of taking too much out!

I also like this pic of a nice shiny flank:


I then went round the car again with a #80 speed glaze and a yellow pad.

To top off I used the Megs Step 2 polish, and topped off with Carnuba wax - I need a buffing bonnet!!!

A couple of learnings: I now know I need to clean the pads on the fly, and I need a couple of additional pads. Also going to try a Mez compound on the advice of XD. All in, it's made me a bit disappointed not to have a darker colour - silver just doesn't do all that effort any justice I also ran out of time so didn't get to go around the little tiny creases and edges, or do the interior. Oppsie!

Some final pics of the finished car.







Phew!

Four days later and it's really dusty already so I'm off outside in a moment to go over it with a QD before going out this afternoon

unclefester

Jetwash it first - you do NOT want to QD the dust directly off the paint otherwise you'll add the swirls back that youve spent days removing

Machine polishing is rewarding and therapeutic though

keith2.2

ah ha! I always thought the idea behind QD was for removing a few days' dust build up. You learn something new..

Really tempted to do the Cherokee next time I'm at home

robs_silver_s2k

Some great work there and some great too.

Which machine polisher did you use?

robs_silver_s2k

err..... just re -read the top bit a G220....

Simoted

Looks great, could do with a new tax disc though

Itchy Dick

You can use QD to remove dust but only a small amount. If you're not sure then just wash it. Use QD as a rinsing aid as well. Once you've washed and rinsed the car, spritz the QD onthe wet panel and use your drying MF towel to remove. Makes the job easier and also adds a layer of protection.

What wax did you use?

Lovely flank shot by the way! Good job.

Nick.

keith2.2

Simo - nice spot. Tax is done, disc in the post!

Nick - standard, no frills Megs Carnuba. I might treat myself to some "proper" wax next time.

cupracing

Nicely done, paintwork looks flawless now.

Two things I have notice that let your car down, your wheels are tatty and your exhaust tip needs a good polish

keith2.2

Ha yes exhaust tips were on the list of things that I ran out of time to do.

The wheels are beyond cleaning so need a refurb or replacing. I'm deliberating at the moment (read: trying to put it off for long enough for the right wheels to appear in the for sale thread..!)

The interior is all looking pretty tired now, too :-( - hence no pics!