Seeking Advice

[bobmc]

I have a couple of days off work this week and I am thinking about trying to give my IS250 some shine

It's a dark blue colour - Windsor Blue - and if I wash and dry the car it doesn't look too bad - from a distance. Up close, you can see that the paintwork hasn't had the best of care over the years with a few small scratches and lots and lots of swirl marks as well as a few bird-poo etchings

Given I've left this until the last minute, I will need to buy any supplies locally and this means probably from Halfords. At least I will be able to make use of my discount card :)

So, I'm thinking wash as usual but then to move on to tar and iron removal, followed by claying (I have a G3 clay mitt which I've not used yet)

My question(s) are

Will dragon's breath (or similar) wheel cleaners work on paintwork for iron removal?

As I will need to mask paintwork defects - is Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine Car Polish worth the extra over Autoglym SRP? Will this mask the bird-poo etchings as well?

Would/Should I then need to use a wax product on top? Given that Halfords has a limited range what would you recommend with ease of use probably the most important factor.

Finally, the horizontal black trim on the doors is tarnished - what can I do about this?

thanks for any help and advice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[J Henderson]

I'm not sure which, if any wheel cleaners can be applied safely to paint... If you have a local branch of ECP, then they sell "QX" fallout remover for pretty cheap (2.5l for under a tenner). I have no idea how good it is though, but if that's a no-go, a good deal of contamination will be removed just by thoroughly claying the car with your g3 mitt.

I'd go with the trusty SRP over Ultra Deep Shine. I know UDS is meant for dark colours, but I didn't notice the results being any better when I used it on my last car. Since I've no use for it now, I even tried to use some of it up by polishing my father's car for him, but I found it awful to work with. It generated a lot of dust when buffing it off and was hard to remove.

That might've been user error on my part (left on warm paintwork too long), but I've polished cars in similar conditions before using SRP and not had the same problems. Nah, not for me. My bottle of UDS is still 90% full and will probably stay at that level until I give it away or something.

For an off-the-shelf sealant/wax. I'm not sure what Halfords have got these days, besides HD wax (£45 or thereabouts) but Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection is reasonably-priced, sits well on SRP and lasts a while. They'll probably have something by Meguiars too that'll be decent. Or you could just polish the car and leave it there, and order a nice wax online and wash the car again and apply once it's been delivered. The SRP alone offers a few weeks of wax-like protection so you don't need to top it right away.

Do you mean the piano-black parts of the door frame? Or things like the window rubbers and plastic scuttle plate where the wipers are? The door frames can be polished just like the body. Same goes for headlights & taillights if they're a bit dull. For the rubbers/plastic trim, Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care s pretty good. It's quite messy to use though so you have to pre-apply it to a cloth/applicator and then wipe the area you want to treat. If the rubbers are particularly bad (ie: turning green with moss), go over them with a soft brush and an all-purpose cleaner during the wash stage before you attempt to treat them..

 

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, bobmc said:

I have a couple of days off work this week and I am thinking about trying to give my IS250 some shine

It's a dark blue colour - Windsor Blue - and if I wash and dry the car it doesn't look too bad - from a distance. Up close, you can see that the paintwork hasn't had the best of care over the years with a few small scratches and lots and lots of swirl marks as well as a few bird-poo etchings

Given I've left this until the last minute, I will need to buy any supplies locally and this means probably from Halfords. At least I will be able to make use of my discount card :)

So, I'm thinking wash as usual but then to move on to tar and iron removal, followed by claying (I have a G3 clay mitt which I've not used yet)

My question(s) are

Will dragon's breath (or similar) wheel cleaners work on paintwork for iron removal?

As I will need to mask paintwork defects - is Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine Car Polish worth the extra over Autoglym SRP? Will this mask the bird-poo etchings as well?

Would/Should I then need to use a wax product on top? Given that Halfords has a limited range what would you recommend with ease of use probably the most important factor.

Finally, the horizontal black trim on the doors is tarnished - what can I do about this?

thanks for any help and advice

 

I too would go SRP. 

The new formula is very good and doesn't cause dusting like the old one. 

I've recently used it to remove bird poo etching on my RX450h along with a combination of Autosmart Mirror Image and heat from a hairdryer.

The hairdryer trick works very well - heat the panel up so its hot and follow with about 5 hits of AG SRP should do it.

Halfords has some carplan no1 supergloss which is the rave these days. Spray and wipe, job done. It doesn't haze or anything

[bobmc]

@J Henderson thanks for the advice. The TripleQX fallout stuff looks good value for 2.5ltr from ECP so I'll go with that for wheels and paint. I'm not sure if the window trims are plastic or rubber but they've gone a bit green and mottled so I suspect they're rubberised and I'll need to do as you suggest and use a specialised product.

@rayaans  again thanks for the advice. SRP it is then - and I'll arrange to borrow a hairdryer as I don't normally have any need for one of those :)

The carplan no.1 looks good with good feedback on car detailing world although I have seen some comments about streaking and difficulty removing which make me a bit nervous. I might try it on a wet car as a 'drying aid?' 

 

[rayaans]

26 minutes ago, bobmc said:

@J Henderson thanks for the advice. The TripleQX fallout stuff looks good value for 2.5ltr from ECP so I'll go with that for wheels and paint. I'm not sure if the window trims are plastic or rubber but they've gone a bit green and mottled so I suspect they're rubberised and I'll need to do as you suggest and use a specialised product.

@rayaans  again thanks for the advice. SRP it is then - and I'll arrange to borrow a hairdryer as I don't normally have any need for one of those :)

The carplan no.1 looks good with good feedback on car detailing world although I have seen some comments about streaking and difficulty removing which make me a bit nervous. I might try it on a wet car as a 'drying aid?' 

 

The triple qx fallout remover is ok but doesn't get rid of everything. Its not strong enough. Ideally you need something like Bilt Hamber Korrosol, Carchem Revolt or KKD Ferrum. They're good value for money whilst being effective.

Shouldnt really have any problems with streaking unless putting too much on.

[bobmc]

 

All ready for tomorrow - weather permitting!

 

 

[J Henderson]

Picture isn't working, but hope it stays dry for you tomorrow.

[rayaans]

I can see the pic.  

Not sure why you need the quickshine detailer thing at the minute though? 

[bobmc]

I've just changed the picture link. The quick detailer was an impulse buy - £2 in wilkinsons - I was thinking to use it for either clay lube or keeping in the car for removing bird poo but reading the instructions it seems to be more of a wax product, so probably not suitable for either.

 

[J Henderson]

You can just use soapy water as a lube for the clay mitt.

I'd be interested to know what you think of the CarPlan No.1 Super Gloss. I was tempted to grab a bottle when I was in ECP the other day.

 

[bobmc]

Well the weather was kind today and now I'm knackered! But the car looks a lot better for all the time and attention (and expense)

Here's a pic, freshly washed with two bucket method and after application of fallout remover and tar cleaner and then clayed using the G3 mitt

I then spent about half an hour trying to get rid of a bird poo mark right in the middle of the bonnet with the hair dryer method. Didn't seem to make much difference so not sure what I was doing wrong but gave up in the end.

 

Then it was onto Autoglym SRP. Probably applied to much and left it too long at the beginning because there was an awful lot of white dust when polishing off. Got better as I went along and it did seem to make quite a difference. 

 

Then finally, I applied the Carplan No.1. Seems ridiculously easy, spray and wipe - wasn't sure I was doing it right but I guess I must have been because there's definite beading going on (see the video for full effect - don't know why it doesn't play direct?)

VID_20170707_154049.mp4

Disappointment of the day was the fact that I'd wasted £8 on a bottle of Autoglym product that made absolutely no difference to the window trim

 

 

[peachy]

£1.99 from home bargains and it puts a lovely lasting shine on your motor 👍

 

[rayaans]

26 minutes ago, bobmc said:

Well the weather was kind today and now I'm knackered! But the car looks a lot better for all the time and attention (and expense)

Here's a pic, freshly washed with two bucket method and after application of fallout remover and tar cleaner and then clayed using the G3 mitt

I then spent about half an hour trying to get rid of a bird poo mark right in the middle of the bonnet with the hair dryer method. Didn't seem to make much difference so not sure what I was doing wrong but gave up in the end.

 

Then it was onto Autoglym SRP. Probably applied to much and left it too long at the beginning because there was an awful lot of white dust when polishing off. Got better as I went along and it did seem to make quite a difference. 

 

Then finally, I applied the Carplan No.1. Seems ridiculously easy, spray and wipe - wasn't sure I was doing it right but I guess I must have been because there's definite beading going on (see the video for full effect - don't know why it doesn't play direct?)

VID_20170707_154049.mp4

Disappointment of the day was the fact that I'd wasted £8 on a bottle of Autoglym product that made absolutely no difference to the window trim

 

 

Looking very swish and shiny!

You certainly put the Carplan No1 Super Gloss on properly! Its a sealant so it will naturally sheet better than it beads but anyway, the beading looks good and its definitely on there. How did you find it to use? Also keep us posted on how long it lasts!

The Autoglym SRP - definitely put too much on if its dusting. You need to work it into the area using firm pressure and you'll see it almost going clear - thats when you know you've not put too much on. It shouldn't be leaving loads of white haze everywhere when drying - only a light coat of haze.

With the birdpoo, give it 5 mins of hairdryer on max setting, touch the panel to see if its hot and use AG SRP in that area. A blob should last for a continuous 2 mins of firm buffing. You'll need to do this process atleast 4-5 times before you see any improvement as the cut of AG SRP is extremely fine. You need something more aggressive but if you're not used to it, you won't know until you've gone through the clearcoat.

What were you using on the silver trim? That would come up well with something like Autosol metal polish

BTW did you clean your tyres? And it needs a finishing touch like tyre dressing and you're set:

[Farqui]

Well done, you've now got yourself one very shiny Lexus 👍

 

What's happened to the window trim?

[bobmc]

@rayaans Carplan No.1 was so simple to use. I think I saw a bit of streaking on the bonnet but I may well have applied a lttle bit too much product - however, the streaks did appear to buff out though. I will see how it lasts. I didn't buy any tyre dressing and it probably does spoil the overall effect. Are you still recommending Autosmart Highstyle?

@Farqui The window trim spoils the look. It's not only on the quarter light area, it's on all four door strips to some degree. I bought some Autoglym Bumper and Trim gel hoping this would work and it didn't touch it at all.

 

[J Henderson]

Nice job. It's hard work, but at least you'll just need to give it a basic wash now to make it look like that every week.

The window trim looks weird. Kinda looks like it's went years and years without being treated or protected, and it's corroded, for want of a better word....is it rough to the touch? Might be worth looking at covering them up with something like vinyl film, or spray them with plastidip.

 

[dougie175]

Nice results sir! Looks great well worth the effort its a great feeling once complete!

[bobmc]

4 hours ago, peachy said:

£1.99 from home bargains and it puts a lovely lasting shine on your motor 👍

 

Sounds good value. How long does it last would you say?

[rayaans]

3 hours ago, bobmc said:

@rayaans Carplan No.1 was so simple to use. I think I saw a bit of streaking on the bonnet but I may well have applied a lttle bit too much product - however, the streaks did appear to buff out though. I will see how it lasts. I didn't buy any tyre dressing and it probably does spoil the overall effect. Are you still recommending Autosmart Highstyle?

@Farqui The window trim spoils the look. It's not only on the quarter light area, it's on all four door strips to some degree. I bought some Autoglym Bumper and Trim gel hoping this would work and it didn't touch it at all.

 

Yes I have read that the no1 super gloss can streak if over applied.  I think you only need 2 sprays per panel. 

The Autoglym Bumper and Trim gel is for plastic, not for metal. Hence for the time being, you can test it on tyres - it may work quite well - give it a shot on a small area.

You need metal polish for that trim - autosol or brasso etc

Oh and yes Autosmart Highstyle is still my go to at the moment. It'd cheap and lasts very well.

[peachy]

13 hours ago, bobmc said:

Sounds good value. How long does it last would you say?

About 3 or 4 washes before it needs another coat. It's a doddle to use. Just spray on and wipe off. It's surprising how such a cheap product can have such good results.  It puts a lovely shine on the car. 

[dougie175]

1 hour ago, peachy said:

About 3 or 4 washes before it needs another coat. It's a doddle to use. Just spray on and wipe off. It's surprising how such a cheap product can have such good results.  It puts a lovely shine on the car. 

Sounds very similar to AG aquawax but a lot cheaper!

[peachy]

18 hours ago, bobmc said:

 

I've tried the carplan super gloss too. A lot more expensive and to me it's no better than the spray n shine from home bargains. I suspect it may last a bit longer between washes though but nothing like the 12 months declared on the bottle.

 

[rayaans]

On 08/07/2017 at 1:23 PM, dougie175 said:

Sounds very similar to AG aquawax but a lot cheaper!

There's a BIG difference between all of these though. One has carnauba wax in it, hence the increased price and it will ensure there is some UV protection. 

The Spray and Shine is a gloss enhancing QD. 

The Carplan no1 super gloss is an easy sealant so again, has the same UV protection but won't attract dust as much as the others.