PJ S

Auto-wash is a very free-rinsing mild shampoo - it's my go to one, along with Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild. Not tried the Supernatural shampoo, but then see no need to as both of those have yet to let me down. Yes, all 3 will leave the 'balm on the car - just be careful of the Meg's GC, it's known to be quite aggressive when used too strongly a solution. Not sure how much you use, or what price it is compared to the AW or BTBM, but with only 5-10ml per 10L of water needed, it may be more cost effective than GC.

Cheers Ian - it never occurred to me anyone would consider my amateur photography skills being desktop worthy! As for other stuff: Auto-Wash - free-rinsing highly concentrated shampoo. Auto-Foam - wax-safe foaming pre-wash. Needs to be used through a heavy duty foam lance. Surfex HD - extremely concentrated general purpose cleaner. Wheel cleaner - not yet released, but as much as Surfex HD does a very good job at 5-10% diluted strength, the WC is SHD on steroids. For interiors, I would highly recommend 303 Aerospace Protectant and Einszett Cockpit Premium, and Vinyl Cleaner.

For black trim there's many options you could go for.I prefer to use the multi-functional 303 Aerospace Protectant, but for the plastic solely, you could consider Dodo Juice Supernatural Trim Sealant or G|Techniq's C4 for something more durable, but more pricey initially.http://www.thepolishingcompany.com/303productrange.htmlhttp://www.dodojuice.com/supernatural-accessories.htmlhttp://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coatings/c4-permanent-trim-restorer/

Hand applied - as in with the included foam applicator pad (microfiber cloth provided too) - not the bare hand method, as some detailers seem to prefer with certain brands of waxes. I've never seen the advantage of applying regular LSP's by machine - just as quick and easy to do manually. Dazz - pleased to hear you're happy with your Colly, maybe one to consider when it's needing replaced. Not used Colly much myself, but have seen some comments saying it tends to have a muting effect on metallics. Will have to put some 476 next to the Finis-wax, and see if there's any appreciable difference looks-wise.

It's been a while since I last posted anything here, and as some of you may already know, I'm a big proponent of Bilt Hamber products due to their performance and very good value for money. I also do a bit of testing for them on new products they've planned, and their new wax was given to me about a month before being released. Whilst everyone was waiting on a topper for Auto-balm, designed to give them the beading characteristics desired, little did I know they'd devised a wax throughout the period of tweaking, etc they were doing on getting the topper just so. Anyway, Bilt Hamber's new carnauba based wax, designed to withstand the rigours of neat detergent longer than Collinite, and with almost the same filling power as Auto-balm is now released, and here's a few shots I took for one member of Detailing World, who'd already decided it wasn't the wax for him after another member's pictures and videos failed to excite him. Not quite sure why his result differed so dramatically from my own, but sometimes it happens. Two day old, unwashed beading results: Click on the images to make them viewable at full resolution, or rather the 2400x1800 max size Webshots has resized them to! * The video is not perfect, whatever YT do to encode it messes with the quality somewhat.

www.bilthamber.com/autoclay.html

A number of members on DW have converted to using Optimum No Rinse (ONR). Of course, the amount/type of dirt that the waterless products have to contend with, will determine the likelihood of swirls being generated. If the car has a good LSP (wax/sealant) on it, which shrugs off a lot of grime, then they can be quite effective. Also having good deep pile microfibre cloths/towels will be mandatory too.

Many thanks chaps

Wet sanding clearcoat to remove OP (as this is where it'll be) is very much an option. Think of OP as a woman with droopy baby feeders - too much tissue sagging down under the effects of gravity. Singlestage or clearcoat applied "too generously" will sag, hence you have the resemblance of orange peel, which is often the case in factory application, rather than multiple light coats to build up the depth. It's the cheaper/quicker option, and has little to do with the paints being water-based - they're just water soluble solvents used. The PC, and its ilk, are all fairly safe to use by the rank amateur, and Lexus paint is quite soft (like Honda's) so correcting is pretty easy - but then so to is introducing new scratches again! There's a few things possibly at play here: 1) you're not working the polish long enough to break it down fully, so it's not correcting as well as it should 2) you're not using an aggressive enough combo of pad and polish, so not getting the full correction 3) from 1, you could be simply masking the swirls, only for the fillers to wash out What pads and polish are you using? Regarding PTG's, whilst you're correct about the typical ones not measuring each layer individually (those will set you back £1500+) the £150-£500 ones will give you an overall depth of paintwork. Measuring the door shuts and/or under the bonnet where there's only a very, very light layer of clearcoat (or thinner singlestage), and subtracting that from the outer panels you'll be working on, will give you an idea as to what you've got to play with. Even those expensive ones are not exact - if it measures 40µm of clear, you'd still take that with a light dosing of salt. I spoke to a number of PTG manufacturers, and asked them why they hadn't one in their line-up that would be suitable for plastics/composites, and the resounding answer from them was they consider the reflective value of the substrate to be very close to that of the paint layers, as to make the results highly dubious. Of course, it could be they don't see the car market having enough sales to justify the R&D expenditure needed to bring one to market at the a price that's likely to sell, but I'll take them at their word. As for Lexus solid black (and red, iirc) it's singlestage paint.

EGP is pure sealant - no wax substances. The only hybrid wax that comes from memory, is Collinite - which is combined polymer ingredients with some carnauba. Very solventy and best not used with bare hands, but a very good performer in the durability stakes.

Dave, as pointed out already, if the car hasn't had any swirls inflicted upon it through your or the dealer's washing regime (hard not to given the general level of "ignorance" at most dealerships) then SRP won't be required. On the basis of it having some swirls though, you can use the SRP to reduce them, or remove them, and mask some light ones - but if you don't want to go to all that hassle, then an AIO (all-in-one) like Bilt Hamber Auto-balm will mask them and seal the paint. If you're not keen on forking out more money on product, then your EGP (which is a sealant - a semi-decent one, but requires 24 hours to fully cure before adding anything over it) will suffice. You don't need a wax as well, unless you must have the beading characteristics a wax will provide, but bear in mind, small tall beads of water, when dried out, will leave behind evidence of their existence in water spots and suspended debris. In this case, BH AB will pool the water droplets, so you have more to evaporate, leaving less unsightly marks.

Thanks for the comment, of which your analysis is spot on. I brought these items to the community's attention, on the off chance some members might be interested in them, or their like, for the complete touchless wash, to compliment their snow foaming, if the dirt level permits using only that to get the car clean again.

Still using the Maxx, but the one I had been expecting to get, then didn't, has been picked up by Chemical Guys UK - and it seems it may be the best one for that price point (£100, give or take). of drying a car with it.

Someone else with all the positivity of an economic recession!

Whilst Collinite is classed as a wax, it's more a polymer hybrid compared to the traditionally made waxes. Dodo is a good starting point, with a decent size jar for not a whole load of money, but don't rule out others like Autoglym HD Wax or the Meguiar's #16 (which is effectively Zymöl Carbon), and very good value for the money. At the end of the day, it really all depends on how much you fancy paying. As mentioned above, the colour charging of the Dodo waxes plays no real role in the appearance of your car's paintwork - prep (aka claying and polishing) is key.

But yet the same respect doesn't apply to me? Why's that then? I spoke my mind, since a certain member above has done nothing but be an antagonist, and if he was really that perturbed about me being a trader, he'd have just hit the Report button without saying a word. He was spoken to in the manner which he deserved, since it's all so very easy to throw about accusations without one shred of proof - which he still can't offer!

Update: Nothing more positive to say than the one above, arrived, was tested, and put back in its box - which is very nicely package. It wasn't as powerful as anticipated, but one of its attachments was definitely better on the Maxx unit. Essentially, the tubing used expands, which has a knock-on effect, I think, and the airflow just isn't up there. The tubing, like the Maxx, is too narrow - they need to be a larger diameter, but in doing so, you'll reduce the airflow, so you're back to square one. If you fancy something better than an unergonomically designed leaf blower, then the Maxx is worth spending on for blowing out the crevices and door mirrors, etc. - but blowing a whole car dry is a bit beyond its scope, unfortunately. Be warned though, if you have medium/hard water, you can still end up with water spots as the air is warm enough to evaporate the water. So, it has limited usage ultimately. To be fair though, the other one can be had for similarish money too, so it's fair to say if they are being drafted in to do crevice/mirror blow-outs, then either is suitable, but the Maxx has just that bit more power, as well as being noisier and the negative aspect of not being able to change out its brushes. Personally, I slightly prefer the TDS901, but would happily use the Maxx if that's what was available. My search continues.......so keep your eyes peeled for this thread being updated with other possible contenders.

How are you assessing their depth? If you can catch a fingernail ran over them, then they are deep. You'll need to persist with the SRP by hand or consider investing/borrowing a polisher (Meguiar's G220 or Kestrel DAS-6), and pads and polishes. By hand, are you using a cloth or a foam pad? If the former, then ditch it, and get a Sonus German Applicator (Black/Red/Yellow tri-colour oval applicator) from www.carnaubawaxshop.co.uk, and use the Yellow side to give the SRP more bite.

Thanks guys. E910 - where's me ticket?

To say this car was much unloved by its previous owner is a helluva understatement! For such a new car (2-3 year old), the paintwork looked like something you'd even struggle to find on a 20 year old classic, whose owner had used nothing more than a chamois or tea towel (whichever came to hand) and dishwashing detergent, on a fortnightly basis. Suffice it to say, the paint looked utterly lifeless, and what had been done to the roof, beggars belief. So, one beleaguered Honda Civic was picked up by its current owner at a bargain basement price (for his wife), and handed over to "see what you can do with it". Anyway, enough of the preliminary narration, on with the picture show......click on images to view full size version. Scratch on the driver's door, extending to the rear passenger's, with a continuation just above the rear arch for 4 inches..... That's only a fraction of how poor the paint looked! Car washed, clayed, and dried.........and now you'll see the REAL mess that I had to contend with! In all my time of detailing, I don't think I've ever been witness to such a state as that which you're about to see - forgive the poorly focused shots, I should really use the preview more. Nonetheless, they still portray the sorry state of affairs the roof was in. Doesn't look too bad, sure it doesn't? Think again......! Starting to get there, after one hit (relating to the mid-back of the roof - the first image above). And now the "reveal" of the second image above (the heavily scored front passenger's side of the roof). A couple of deeper marks remain after 2 hits..... .........et voilà....! There's something about being in a position to be able to provide this sort of transformation for the owner - this has to take a certain pride of place as one of THE most satisfying details to have done. And so, the finished article, with which the owner was over the moon. Wonder how much the seller/dealer might have been able to charge for the same car, after a full correction (save for the too deep scratches on the doors and arch - but dramatically reduced)? Guess we'll never know! Now for the expected products and tools list used to obtain the results.......okay, here goes: Roof initially tickled with a few combinations of pad and polishes, but the one that unlocked it for me, was Scholl Concepts S17 (a medium polish) in conjunction with their Wool pad. You'd think this was suicide on supposedly such soft, and thin, paint (it wasn't that thin to be honest), but the combo worked really well, and to such a degree (with my very long working of the polishes technique) that it didn't need any refining. A couple of new products were also employed from Autobrite - glass cleaner, and QD on this occasion, both of which worked very well indeed. In fact, as much as I've said before in the past, that most detailing glass cleaners are no better than what you can buy in the supermarket, this one has surprised me. The QD has a nice smell to it, and leaves a nice finish - nothing false or plasticky like some do, just a very honest, no nonsense look. Wheels were treated to Very Cherry Wheel Cleaner, and whilst doing an admirable job in the main, it took a local supplier's Stone Brite to deal the killer blow to some very heavy contamination at the spokes/rim radiused interface. Tyres got Mark V California Tyre Dressing applied - leaving a nice, almost natural, satin sheen. Interior was vacuumed, and given the once over with 303 Aerospace Protectant, and similarly the engine bay plastic/rubber. And last, but by no means least, the LSP was............a new sealant which is being trialled for suitablity and durability - and no it's NOT something Bilt Hamber have provided! More talk about it in due course. Hope you liked the write up and images - voice your opinions as you see fit, below.

You don't have to buy their pads, any 4" pad will suffice, so you can play around with different ones to find the brand(s) you prefer.

For SRP, you want to use a pad to apply it, not a cloth of any type - take a look at their new palm pad, I think it's called. Alternatively, the likes of the Sonus German Applicator, with a firm side for polishing, and the softer side for wax/sealant application. If you're not using the SRP for polishing some of the lighter marks out of the paintwork, but merely using it to mask them, then a better all-in-one job would be the Bilt Hamber Auto-balm. Cloth wise for removal of polish residue/buffing - Dodo Juice Fantastic Fur (the blue one) - a couple of those microfibers should keep you right. Just remember to wash separately from household towels, and in a clean machine - no fluff, hair, etc - with liquid detergent on 40-60ºC and an extra rinse. Dry on high heat for 5 mins plus the cool down (typically 10 mins), then place in the hotpress/airing cupboard overnight.

What? Please explain how posting up my views of the two items, how the hell it is "self interest and gain"? Is there a something I'm not seeing here? - other than you trying to make 1+1=47 And the same thread running in more than one forum? D'uh.......yeah! There are more than one forum I'm a member of - each with its own car care section - so of course I'm going to post it there too, since those members probably aren't members of here! That's an utterly idiotic thing to say, and a complete non point! It only serves to prove you really don't think before you let your fingers run riot on the keyboard. Like I said, if you've nothing constructive to say regarding the topic at hand, then ignore the thread, and don't poison it with your ill thought-out diatribe. Unless you can prove any of your accusational insinuations, please refrain from spouting figments of your imagination..........or more commonly referred to as trolling. As I'm sure your mother has said to you on many an occasion, "if you've nothing worthwhile saying, then it's worth saying nothing" - pay heed to her wise words or my next action is the Report button. Thanks for spoiling an otherwise interesting thread with your useless interjections!

DG, do us ALL a favour please, and p1s5 0ff with your cynicism! I have no time for your crass, and imbecilic commentary. You are a completely insignificant mouthpiece with nothing constructive to offer, so please refrain from acting the forum tw4t, and only put fingers to keyboard when you have something actually worth typing! Meanwhile, please feel free to use the report function - admin have no issues with me talking up my affinity for Bilt Hamber products, as per the last thread you acted the tw4t in, before being locked. In fact, any more of your stupid nonsense, and I'll be the one taking steps to have your account here permanently removed - so wind your neck in, once and for all! As I don't make idle threats, you've been forewarned that that's a promise - and I always keep my promises.

Yes, intend to give it a second chance after washing, claying, and LSP'ing the car shortly - all being well. Also have 2 others I'm interested in testing for suitability, although one does lift the price a bit more - still, if it's what's needed to do the job effectively, then that's the price you have to pay. Still will work out cheaper than DI'ing over the same 3-4 years life expectancy of the unit. More views and thoughts in due course, once they've been received and tested.