Making My Ct200h Sparkle!

[Sarosh]

Hi guys,

Looking for some advice....

At some point before this decent-ish weather goes till next year I wanted to give the car a really really good going over.

What do people recommend for doing this?

I've been told to wash it then clay bar it and then wax it. But any advice on what products to use or special procedures you guys have used would be muchos appreciated.

The car is obsidian black with ivory leather.

Look forward to hearing your suggestions.

Thank you!

[rayaans]

Im just in the process of writing up a detailing guide which may be helpful for you. Ill post it up in the detailing section.

Basically the process is wash - clay - polish - wax.

If you have clay already, just use it with diluted car shampoo. If not, Id recommend getting the G3 clay mitt, makes the process much faster.

A quick beginners polish is Autoglym Super Resin Polish. Personally, my bottle went runny so I got myself some Autosmart Platinum which is great!

Any wax of your preference will do. Polishing brings out the shine, wax just protects the paint from bird bombing etc etc

[Sarosh]

Thanks for your reply Ray. The wife just got me the Autoglym complete car set with like 10 different things in it. I think only clay bar and wax didn't come with it.

So want to put it to use. Will await your detailing guide then go for it!

[PWOOD]

It's a massive subject check out www.detailing world.co.UK which is a wealth of info.

This guide from Polishedbliss is a good read http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/car-care-advice.html

Just make sure you get the washing technique down before spending all that time detailing your car only to undo it at the first wash.

I could recommend a load of stuff but would suggest Bilthamber products as hard to beat for price and results. However as you have the AG stuff just add Iron fallout remover of our choice and for clay the Bilthamber autoclay soft which is designed to be used with water.

[Goggy]

Autoglym is great, so you have the good stuff.

I would wash the car with the shampoo & conditioner.

Then Super Resin Polish.

Then Aquawax.

The car will look brilliant.

[Sarosh]

Goggy, no need to clay bar it? I've heard that's what really makes a difference when it then comes to waxing it.

[rayaans]

Goggy, no need to clay bar it? I've heard that's what really makes a difference when it then comes to waxing it.

Guide is up for the exterior should you choose to read it. May self destruct in 5 seconds :P

[200h]

clay barring does make all the difference,i clay my car once maybe twice a year thats all,i would clay bar the fuel flap and polish and wax it,then have a feel of the paint around the fuel flap next have a feel of the fuel flap,the difference will be apparent.i work near an oil refinery so my car gets covered with contaminants, you can feel the paint becomming rough from the impurities in the air landing on the paint.

there is one golden rule when claying if you drop the clay bar throw it out do not use it anymore you will of picked up some dirt / grit that will damage the paint, for this reason its a good idea to cut the bar in half.

[wh05apk]

Just remember, Autoglym srp is a great polish, it has a slight cut to it, so will prepare the paintwork to a good finish, it also has some filling ability so is great for covering fine scratches, but will only last a few weeks if left unprotected, so needs a wax or sealant on top to protect it, my favourite at the moment is Autoglym hd wax, easy to use, and will last up to 12 months, so a tub will likely be left to our kids!

[PWOOD]

Anyone who has a 2014 model should take care with polishing the paint as may affect the self healing top coat. I would make sure any polish is non abrasive.

[rayaans]

Anyone who has a 2014 model should take care with polishing the paint as may affect the self healing top coat. I would make sure any polish is non abrasive.

Dont know where you got that from, all self-healing paint can be polished. Just make sure you use an abrasive polish which is self-healing paint safe. Menzerna make a few and so do scholl

If you couldnt polish these types of paint, Nissan GTR's would never get polished!

[PWOOD]

The manual mentions not using abrasives. I know you can machine polish it but its apparently a pita to do successfull albeit most refer to Nissans . I wasnt aware Scholl made a compatible one though which is good to know. I appy all the steps in washing mine like you posted with a foam lance addition. After deox, tar removal the paint was treated to a wipe down using Bilthamber cleanser fluid which left it perfect for some C2V3 layers.

I hate swirls they really bug me and im well impressed with this top coat.

[Sarosh]

So just to clarify.....

Wash the car - two bucket system,

Autoglym clay bar it OR use a clay mit.

Then Autoglym super resin polish

Then Autoglym HD wax?

I'm only using Autoglym because a friend of mine has moved country and sold his car and left me all his Autoglym goodies.

Sorry if this all makes me seem abit dense. I know what to do for the inside and wheels. Just the exterior that I want to work on.

Thanks guys.

[rayaans]

So just to clarify.....

Wash the car - two bucket system,

Autoglym clay bar it OR use a clay mit.

Then Autoglym super resin polish

Then autoglym HD wax?

I'm only using autoglym because a friend of mine has moved country and sold his car and left me all his autoglym goodies.

Sorry if this all makes me seem abit dense. I know what to do for the inside and wheels. Just the exterior that I want to work on.

Thanks guys.

Yep pretty much!

[Sarosh]

Thanks.

Still think I might use a clay mit. Online reviews saying it's as good as using a clay bar but just easier.

[200h]

dont forget if you drop the clay mit on the floor throw it out and buy another,with the bar you can cut them

in half and if you drop it you still have half left to carry on with.

the term claying sounds like its a horrible messy job to do,but in reality it isn't

i can clay bar my ct in about 10 minutes so it doesn't take a long time to complete the claying process.

just keep the paintwork wet and use light pressure on the bar you can feel when the contaminants have been

removed as the bar glides differemtly across the paint

[Gweilo]

Just had my white GS300h Fsport professionally detailed by a master detailer in Luton. He used Gtechniq Crystal Serum which when applied professionally gives you a seven year guarantee so long as you go back for an annual "checkup". The end result is that rain and road muck just slides off the paintwork and very little ongoing maintenance is required bar hand washing with 2 buckets.

While it is expensive, around £900, as I plan to keep the car for 7 years or so, the annualised costs are not so bad, oh and by the way

The car looks AMAZING!!!

[Goggy]

Goggy, no need to clay bar it? I've heard that's what really makes a difference when it then comes to waxing it.

I have never had the need. But to get the best I think it is worth it. I Should have added that as an option after washing, sorry.

[rayaans]

dont forget if you drop the clay mit on the floor throw it out and buy another,with the bar you can cut them

in half and if you drop it you still have half left to carry on with.

the term claying sounds like its a horrible messy job to do,but in reality it isn't

i can clay bar my ct in about 10 minutes so it doesn't take a long time to complete the claying process.

just keep the paintwork wet and use light pressure on the bar you can feel when the contaminants have been

removed as the bar glides differemtly across the paint

You may use the clay mitt if you drop it. They're washable unlike clay bars. Just put into a bucket of water and clean it out.

[200h]

would you want to chance it as you cant be 100% certain any grit has been washed out

[Goggy]

Clayed mine today. First time for this car. I was surprised how much extra dirt came off in the clay and the bodywork does seem to be smoother, but I have to say it did not make a huge difference to how it looked. Mind you, my car was super clean before I started. So, Washed, Clayed, Polished & waxed. 2 Hours! Knackered now.

[rayaans]

would you want to chance it as you cant be 100% certain any grit has been washed out

Yeah no problems - grit comes off the mitts well as the compound is slightly different - Ive tested it out btw lol. If theyd been one use only, itd be a different story

[Sarosh]

My car is only 2.5 years old. I know it's seems a silly question, but will it really benefit from clay bar treatment or not as much since it's still quite new.

Also, anyone had any experience with Mer Ultimate Polish??? We sell it where I work (Costco Birmingham) and only a couple left so I wondered whether it's worth getting and trying out?....

[rayaans]

My car is only 2.5 years old. I know it's seems a silly question, but will it really benefit from clay bar treatment or not as much since it's still quite new.

Also, anyone had any experience with Mer Ultimate Polish??? We sell it where I work (Costco Birmingham) and only a couple left so I wondered whether it's worth getting and trying out?....

2.5 years - definitely. I usually recommend 1 year for a clay job so it should have a lot of crud on it. Even the new cars need clay barring sometimes due to transport wax.

Never used it myself but it gets decent reviews

[Sarosh]

Fair enough. Got a week off work in sept. Will attempt to clean the car top to bottom then. Just worried about getting the clay process consistent n hope that I don't miss any hard to reach nooks or crannies! Lol