The Complete Detailing Guide...

[autoperfection]

Hi everyone,

As a lot of you are waiting to take delivery of spanking new Scirocco’s we get asked on a regular basis what sort of things you should all be doing to take care of your new car once it arrives. To help you get started, we’ve put together a complete Detailing guide, which step by step should help you getting your car looking its absolute best, and staying that way!

If you’re just starting out with car care there are a couple of items that we would class as “must haves” and then of course your collection can be added to as and when necessary to build up a selection of products that will not only make maintenance of the car much easier but will also and more importantly, achieve excellent results. Not only is it important to make sure you have a selection of good quality products, but it’s essential to use them in the right way with the right techniques.

The first thing you need to make sure you have is a good “wash” regime with a good collection of “wash” products... this is because most of the damage such as swirl marks and random scratches can be inflicted during the wash stage if done incorrectly and using the incorrect products.


Cleaning the Wheels...
To start off with, clean the wheels first – this ensures that you don’t waste time washing the car and then go and splash water and dirt all over it again when you wash the wheels off!

Begin by spraying the wheels liberally with a dedicated wheel cleaner – we recommend Bilberry Wheel Cleaner as it’s safe on both polished and lacquered wheels, it’s completely acid-free, it’s easy to use and most importantly, works amazingly! Be sure to spray the wheel cleaner inside the wheels as well as on the surface. For very heavily soiled wheels use the Bilberry neat or diluted 1:1. For lightly soiled wheels, dilute the Bilberry between 1:5 – 1:10. Leave the solution on the wheels for around 5 – 10 minutes to loosen off any dirt and brake dust.

Whilst you’re waiting for the Bilberry to loosen off any dirt on the wheels, go around the car and spray each arch with the Bilberry solution. If the arches aren’t too heavily soiled this should be enough to loosen anything off and they should come up nice and clean when you wash them off. If, however, they are very muddy, give them a good scrub round with a brush – the RaceGlaze Extra Long Wheel Brush is the best tool for the job as you can get right into the wheel arch without any problems.

Once you’ve cleaned the arches you can go back to the wheels. Starting with the insides of the wheels, gently agitate the Bilberry – we find that either the RaceGlaze Extra Long Wheel Brush or the EZ Detail Brush are excellent for this, as they can both get in behind the spokes to get the insides of the wheels nice and clean. Clean the surface of the wheels by agitating the Bilberry using a soft bristled brush – we use one of the larger brushes out of the RaceGlaze Detailing Brush Set. Once you’ve cleaned the insides of the wheels as well as the surface, rinse the arches and the wheels thoroughly with fresh water... best results will be achieved using a pressure washer.

Bilberry Wheel Cleaner
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Vale ... Litre.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Vale ... Litre.html

Wheel Brushes
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... Brush.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/EZ-Detail-Brush.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... h-Set.html


Washing the Car...
The aim when washing the car is to get as much muck off as possible, before you make contact with it. The more you remove, the less chance you have of causing any damage when you do wash it. With this is mind, if possible, you should get a pre-wash into your regime before you go reaching for your buckets! The best way to do this is with a pressure washer and some snow foam, sprayed onto the car through a foam lance. We use Valet Pro Snow Foam and out of all of them that we’ve tried, this one is the best. You use around 25ml – 50ml of product per car and this is plenty enough to give you a really thick coating of foam that helps to loosen and lift the dirt and dust on the car. Spray the foam all over the car and leave to dwell for around 5 minutes. Depending on how dirty the car is, you should be able to see the muck in the foam as it drips off the bottom of the car. Be sure to rinse all of the foam off the car before it dries – if you’re washing your car on a very hot sunny or windy day you may not be able to leave it on for as long.

For those of you who don’t have a pressure washer, a Super Spray System might be worth looking at, as it will help you to get a foamy solution out of your hose.

Once you’ve done the pre-wash you should be ready to get going with the hand-wash. For this we recommend using the Two Bucket Method. For this you need two buckets, two grit-guards (these are an absolute must) and a wash mitt. The way the two bucket method works is that you have one bucket of water with your shampoo and you have one bucket of fresh water. Our first choice of shampoo us Lusso Auto Bathe... it’s a pH neutral shampoo that’s wax friendly, so won’t strip any products that have already been applied. It adds depth to the paint and leaves a really glossy finish and is also excellent value for money in terms of dilution ratios. You use one cap-full to a 20 litre bucket – no more, no less, just one tiny cap-full! Dodo Juice is a good alternative – they do two shampoos that are both good performers, but our personal preference is definitely Lusso. If possible, use warm water in the shampoo bucket as this will help even more with loosening dirt. You can use either a wash mitt or a wash pad, and this really comes down to personal preference... I prefer the feel of a more traditional sponge so I tend to use a wash pad, whereas Jim prefers wearing a mitt so uses a Sheep Puppet. Whichever you go for, make sure it’s microfibre or lamb’s wool, and under no circumstances should you use a sponge! The principal behind ditching the sponge is this – any dust or dirt particles sit on the surface of the sponge and then get scraped across the surface of the paint, which is what causes swirl marks. When using a microfibre or lamb’s wool wash mitt, the dust and dirt particles get trapped deep within the fibres and are held away from the paint surface, which eliminates the possibility of inflicting swirl marks. With your chosen mitt or pad, dip it in the shampoo bucket and wash the car, beginning at the top and working your way down. Do this by washing the roof first, then the windows and windscreens, then the door panels and bonnet, and finishing with the bumpers and sills, making sure that you wash in a back and forth straight line motion and not a circular motion. Each time you need to get more shampoo on your mitt or pad, before you dunk it in the shampoo bucket, rinse it in the fresh water bucket. Make sure you give the mitt or pad a good rub against the bottom of the grit guard each time you dunk it, which will get rid of any dust and dirt particles trapped in the fibres. Once you’ve wash the whole car, rinse it off well with your pressure washer or hose.

To dry the car off, use a Super Plush Drying Towel – we don’t really make any alternative recommendations when it comes to drying towels, as there’s nothing else out there that comes anywhere close to this (in our opinion!). If you’ve got any chamois leathers lurking in your existing car care collection, ditch it in the same bin as the sponge! The principal with the drying towel is exactly the same as with the wash mitt. Basically, if you’ve washed the car thoroughly you shouldn’t have anything to worry about, however, when it comes to paint work and swirl marks, there’s no sense in taking any risks, so just in case there is a rogue dust particle, it’s always best to use a microfibre drying towel to make sure it doesn’t get a chance to cause any damage whilst you’re drying the car. As with the wash stage, make sure you dry the car in straight lines working back and forth, and not in a circular motion, and follow the same pattern as with the wash, starting at the roof and working your way down to the bumpers and sills.

You may not want to use your Super Plush Dryer on the wheels so for these we recommend our waffle weave wheel dryer.

Snow Foam
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Vale ... Litre.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... ments.html

Buckets and Grit Guards
We're just finalising our supplier for these so as soon as we've got the prices where we want them to be, they'll be added to the shop and we'll get you the link on here

Shampoo
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Luss ... 237ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 250ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 250ml.html

Wash Mitts and Pads
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... Mitt).html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... -Mitt.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... h-Pad.html

Drying Towels
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... Towel.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... Dryer.html


Claying...
This is the one stage we get asked about the most, as it seems to be the stage that frightens people the most! You can miss this stage out, however, if you want to give the car a complete going over to get a solid foundation to maintain from, ideally you should look at claying the car – not only does it add a real clarity to the paint, but it also prepares the surface in the best possible way for the following stages. Claying will remove any contaminants on the paintwork such as bug splatters, tar spots and tree sap etc. You can also clay the windows to get the glass as clean as possible if you want to.

For most of you, you will be claying a brand new car, which means that there shouldn’t be too much for you to have to remove. This means that you won’t need to use an aggressive clay – something like our Ultrafine Orange Clay would be perfect. It’s plenty strong enough to remove the contaminants, but will massively reduce the possibility of inflicting any marring on the paintwork, which can sometimes be caused when using very aggressive clay. You will also need a lube of some sort, as both the clay and the paintwork need to be completely wet at all times when claying the car. We use our own clay lube solution, but Dodo Juice do a dedicated lube called Born Slippy – just be aware that if using this product, you will need to wash the car off again after you’ve finished claying. Finally you’ll need a microfibre cloth to wipe off the lube after you’ve finished each panel. We use one of our standard yellow microfibres as you really don’t need anything too fancy for this stage.

To clay the car, break a small piece from the bar and knead it into about a 50 pence piece shape. Work it in your hands for a couple of minutes to make sure it’s nice and warm... if it’s a very cold day or you have very cold hands, you could use a cup of warm water and dip the clay in just to get it warmed up (make sure it’s not too hot though, otherwise it will melt!!). Once you’ve got your clay nice and warm, work on a panel at a time and make sure that both the clay and panel are nice and wet with the lube all of the time. Applying a very light pressure, rub the clay in a back and forth motion in straight lines over the panel and you will feel and hear the clay lifting the tar and contaminants from the paint. After a couple of light rubs, you should be able to feel that the paint is completely smooth, which means that everything has been removed. Wipe away the lube using a clean microfibre then move onto the next panel. When the clay becomes quite dirty (you will be able to see brown marks on the clay), fold the dirty surface in on itself to expose a fresh surface, and knead it back into a 50 pence piece shape and start on the next panel.

To help appreciate just what a difference claying really makes, here’s a little trick to try... before you start to clay the car, get a plastic bag (something like a supermarket carrier bag or an empty crisp packet is perfect), slip your fingers inside the bag and rub them across the surface of a panel. You’ll be able to feel how bumpy the paintwork is, which is caused by all of the contaminants. Do the same after you’ve clayed the panel and you should be able to feel what a difference you’ve made, as it will be completely smooth!

Clay
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... g-Bar.html

Clay Lube
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... 250ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 500ml.html

Microfibre
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... fibre.html


Pre-wax cleanse the paint...
Once the car has been clayed the paint will need to be cleansed in order to enable the wax to bond with the paint. Our recommendation for this would be Lusso Revitalising Creme, which is a pre-wax cleanser with no abrasives and no fillers, just lots and lots of natural cleansing oils that get the paint squeaky cleans and also adds depth and gloss. There are a lot of pre-wax cleansers available and a number of them work in very different ways. We’ve tried and tested just about all of them and Lusso is by far the best we’ve come across. RaceGlaze and Dodo Juice offer alternatives to Lusso – Lime Prime is Dodo’s pre-wax cleanser and it’s available in two different formulas. Lime Prime has micro-abrasives in it, which has slight “cut” properties to it, so if your paintwork has some very mild swirl marks, this may be a good option to go with as it will help to eliminate them at the same time as cleansing the paint. If your paint isn’t in need of any sort of correction, Lime Prime Lite would be better suited, as it doesn’t contain any abrasives at all.

Working on a panel at a time, apply a small amount of product (two pea-size blobs is ideal) to an applicator – for this we use the Big Red Notched Applicator, as its ultra-soft foam is great for applying products and is absolutely safe on the paint. Work the product into the paint; again, using a straight line back and forth motion until the product is very nearly dry. It will haze ever so slightly and at that point it’s ready to be buffed off. For this stage, another standard yellow microfibre would be fine, but we personally prefer to use something a bit plusher, one of our Uber Super Soft microfibres does the job very nicely. Once you’ve finished one panel, move onto the next until you’ve done the whole car.

Pre-wax Cleansers
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Luss ... Creme.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 250ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... 250ml.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... anser.html

Applicator
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Uber ... cator.html

Microfibre
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Uber ... fibre.html


Waxing the car...
Once the paint has been cleansed you’re ready to apply a carnauba wax, which will provide all-important protection for the paint and will also add further depth and gloss. What wax to go for really comes down to personal preference again. There are so many to choose from and all of them have slightly different pros and cons, then of course there are sealants to take into consideration, so the list of possibilities becomes endless! From our own experience, we have always found that using a pre-wax cleanser followed by a carnauba wax is how to get the best possible results. Some people’s opinions may differ though, as a lot of people prefer to use a sealant – as with a lot of these things, it’s all down to personal preference!

We’re asked a lot for recommendations regarding wax, and we always say the same thing... if you’re looking for an all-round excellent performing wax at an affordable price we recommend Lusso Oro. This wax is extremely easy to use, it’s excellent value for money and the results are outstanding. In terms of durability, you should get between 1 – 3 months with this wax, depending on how it is maintained. If you use a good quality shampoo such as Lusso or Dodo Juice and keep the car clean you will see about three months, however, if you use a cheap shampoo from Halfords you could end up stripping the wax off within the first week or so, so it really depends on how you look after the car.

Whatever you decide to go with, the most important thing to make sure is that you’ve done all of the preparation stages as thoroughly as possible, that way, the wax will perform to the best of its ability and you will get the longest lasting protection possible.

To wax the car make sure that the wax is nice and warm to start off with – by this, we don’t mean pop it in the microwave to heat it up for a minute! Just simply take a clean applicator – our favourite is the Big Red, and wipe it across the top of the pot of wax a couple of times... this will not only warm the wax up nicely, but it also primes the applicator well before you start to apply the wax. Depending on what wax you go for, different application processes will apply – because we find Lusso Oro gives the best results and is the easiest to use, the following application process is based around using this wax...
Working on two panels at a time, apply a thin and even layer of wax to each panel. Do this by applying the wax in small neat circles and try to ensure that you don’t overlap too much or miss any sections out. Apply the wax to the first panel, move onto the next panel and apply the wax, and by this time the first panel will be ready to be buffed off. Using a thick microfibre go back to the first panel and wipe away the wax and make sure that it’s well buffed. Then move onto the second panel and buff that one too. Start the process again by waxing two more panels and buffing them before moving on again. We use either an Uber Super Plush or one of our Double Plush microfibres to buff away wax. Both of them are excellent for the job, and which one we use depends purely on what mood we’re in on that particular day!

Lusso doesn’t need any time to cure or gas out, so it can be buffed off pretty much straight away and you can apply a second coat straight away without having to leave it 24 hours, however, if you’re using a different wax, something like Dodo Juice Supernatural, any of the Swissvax waxes, or AutoGlym HD wax etc., it’s better to wax the whole car and leave for about 10 minutes for the wax to cure before buffing it off. You’ll know when the wax is ready to buff because it will have hazed slightly and won’t be as clear as it was when you first apply it. If you're putting a second coat of wax on, leave it 24 hours between applications just to give the wax enough to time do what it needs to!

With regards to how often the wax should be topped up, this can differ very much depending on which wax you’ve gone for. Some of the more widely used waxes such as Oro and the Dodo Juice colour charged waxes should give you between 1 – 3 months of durability, whereas something like Supernatural or any of the higher end waxes should be giving you around 6 months of protection. Whatever wax you’re using, to get the best results we recommend topping the wax up once a month, which will give the paint maximum protection and will keep the car looking stunning. A good way to tell whether or not there’s any wax still on the car is to observe how well water beads on the surface when it rains. If the water sits on the surface in small, neat tidy beads, there’s a good coat of wax on. When the water drops becomes less uniform and look like larger blobs rather than smaller beads, it’s a sign that the wax has started to deteriorate and needs topping up again.

Wax
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Lusso-Oro-Wax.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo-Juice-1.html

Applicator
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Uber ... cator.html

Microfibres
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Uber ... fibre.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... fibre.html


Waxing the Wheels...
When choosing a wheel wax or sealant it’s best to go for something that’s dedicated specifically to wheels. Whilst you can use the same wax as on your paintwork, you’ll probably find that it needs to be topped up much more regularly, as the wheels are subjected to much tougher conditions than the paint. With a dedicated wheel wax, you get more durability and resistance against the higher temperatures endured by the wheels.

If we had to make a recommend for both sides of the coin, we’d recommend Rimwax or our own Wheel Sealant. Both are excellent products, easy to use, and achieve excellent results.

If you decide to go for a wax, use a soft foam applicator and apply a thin, even coat to the surface of the wheel, and if possible, also on the inside of the wheel. Apply the wax to each wheel and leave for around 5 minutes until the wax has hazed. The simply buff all of the wax off using a clean microfibre to leave behind an ultra-shiny, well protected surface.

If you opt for a sealant, application is pretty much the same, although with our sealant you need to apply two coats to get the best results. Apply the first coat using a microfibre applicator and work the product into the wheels well. You will notice that most of the product is absorbed and there won’t be much to buff off. With the first coat you should work on a wheel at a time and buff the wheel straight away before moving onto the next wheel. Once the first coat has been applied, apply the second coat, this time applying it to all four wheels and leaving it to haze for 5 minutes. You will notice that the product sits on the surface rather than absorbs in this time. Once the product has hazed buff away using a clean microfibre.

Whilst you use slightly more of this product than you do with the Rimwax, the amount of times you need to top the sealant up is much less. With Rimwax you should aim to apply a coat around once every month. With the sealant you should be applying the product around once every two – three months.

Once you’ve got the wheels waxed or sealed, spray a tyre dressing around the tyres just to finish off the look.

Wax / Sealant
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Rimw ... l-Wax.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... alant.html

Applicators
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... -Pack.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... cator.html

Tyre Dressing
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... 250ml.html


Glass...
Cleaning the glass is pretty straight forward, as long as you use the right products. Some that we’ve tried are smeary when you use them and can leave behind marks. The one that we use day in day out is Lusso Glass Polish. It can be used neat (which is how we use it) or it can be diluted down to make it longer lasting. Even diluted 10:1 it still performs very well and leaves the glass crystal clear.

We tend to use a slightly different microfibre on glass, as you can get away with using one that has slightly more bite to really get a crystal clean finish.

Glass Polish
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Luss ... 237ml.html

Microfibres
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Uber ... Cloth.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... affle.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... erkin.html


Door Shuts...
Again, the door shuts are pretty straight forward. Just use a standard microfibre and wipe them over on a regular basis to keep them clean. When you first give you car a good going over, you can pre-wax cleanse the door shuts and wax them in exactly the same way as you do the outside of the car. This will make them much easier to keep clean and you should be able to just wipe them over with a Quick Detailer in between wax top-ups.

Quick Detailers
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Uber ... Cloth.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Vale ... Litre.html


Leather...
With the interior of the car everything is fairly easy – make sure you hoover everywhere regularly and thoroughly, wipe over interior dashes with a damp microfibre, clean air vents with the smaller brushes out of the RaceGlaze Detailing brush set etc., but when it comes to the leather, things get a bit more tricky.

There are a lot of myths and legends surrounding leather interior, and we go against the grain of what a lot of manufacturers say about leather care. We follow the same principles as laid out by a company called LTT Leather Care. In our opinion, these guys are the absolute experts in the field and having spent a lot of time working with them and seeing them at work in their workshop, we believe everything they say about what’s best for your leather!

As a general rule of thumb, most companies will tell you that you need to clean the leather using a dedicated leather cleaner – this we agree with, however, they then go on to tell you that you should apply a leather conditioner or balm of some sort – this is where we don’t agree! Most leather cleaners and conditioners and balms are oil based, and these are not the best sorts of products for your leather. Any oil based product will simply sit on top of the leather surface and whilst they will give a nice glossy finish, this will soon wear off as the seats are used, as it will simply be wiped away from the surface of the seat. LTT products are all water based and because of this, they soak deep into the leather where it needs to be, to help clean and condition the leather from deep within. Whilst you don’t get that glossy look with LTT, you do get long lasting protection as the product doesn’t get wiped away once you sit on the seat. LTT helps to restore colour on dulled leather, and keeps leather soft and supple for longer.

For most of you who are lucky enough to have new cars, you will probably only need to use one product, which is the LTT Auto Ultra Maintain. This product has cleaning properties as well as protection properties, so is an all-in-one type of product that is ideal if used straight away on new leather. Simply spray a small amount of product onto the leather, work it in gently using a clean cloth, ensuring that it’s worked into the seams as well as the whole panel and simply leave to dry. This Maintain should need topping up around once every three months, although, depending on how well used the car is, the driver’s seat may need to be topped up once a month.

If you find that for some reason your seats are more heavily soiled, you may need to use the cleaner followed by the protector. Using either a soft bristled brush or a clean sponge, spray some LTT Auto Ultra Foam onto the leather and gently work it into the surface. Wipe away the left over foam with white paper towel. If the leather is very dirty, don’t resort to scrubbing the surface of the leather with a lot of pressure, simply repeat this step a couple of times using light pressure each time, otherwise you could end up damaging the leather. Once you’re happy that the leather is completely clean, spray a small amount of LTT Auto Ultra Protect to the leather and work gently into the surface with a clean cloth and leave to dry.

Leather Care
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/LTT- ... ntain.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/LTT- ... eaner.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/LTT- ... otect.html
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/LTT- ... e-Kit.html


The finishing touches...
Once you’ve gone through all of these stages, you should be just about done! The only things left to do are the finishing touches such as black trims and window seals etc. These can be kept looking fresh and black by applying a dressing on a regular basis.

Dressing
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Auto ... 250ml.html


Routines and Timescales...
Everyone will have a different amount of time to spend on their car, and how long you take and how regularly you get out to clean your car will depend on a number of things, so it’s really just a case of what suits you best.

In an ideal world, to keep your car at its best, this is what we would recommend:

• When you collect the car (or your first good going over with the car):
All of the stages we’ve outlined in this guide should be carried out. Done thoroughly, the whole process should take you about a day. We do a lot of New Car Preps and they take us around half a day, but there is two of us working on the car!
You should be looking at a good 6 hours worth of work, which is a lot, but it’s well worth it to give your car the best possible start, and it will also make your life a lot easier each time you come to clean it from this point onwards.

• Every week:
If it’s possible for you to get outside and clean the car every week then the wash and dry stages should be all you need to do. Make sure that the wheels and arches are cleaned thoroughly, as well as the paintwork, glass and the door shuts are wiped over.
You should be able to get all of this done in a couple of hours at most.

• Every month:
Go through the whole wash and dry processes to make sure the cars absolutely clean and then try to get a coat of wax on each month. Give the interior a thorough clean and try to get some LTT Maintain onto the driver’s seat. If you’re using a wax on the wheels, try to get another coat on the wheels as well each month.
This should take between 3 – 4 hours.

• Every three months:
As above, go through all of the wash and dry processes and apply another coat of wax. Give the interior a thorough clean and try to get some LTT Maintain onto all of the seats to keep them nice and protected and if you’re using a sealant on the wheels, get another couple of coats onto them to keep them nice and protected.
This should all take around 3 – 4 hours.

• Every six – twelve months:
Depending on how much use the car has seen, around 6 – 12 months after you’re initial Detail, you should aim to get the car ultra clean again by going through the claying and pre-wax cleansing processes as well. If your car is a daily runner, no doubt after six months or so there will be tar spots appearing and the paint will have picked up a certain amount of contamination, although of course this much less than on an un-cleaned car, as the wax will help to minimise the amount of contamination that sticks! If your car is more of a weekend treat, then you shouldn’t need to this complete process again until around 12 months after your first one.
This should all take around 5 – 6 hours.


That hopefully should just about cover everything and hopefully it all helps!! If any of you need any help or advice please feel free to call us, we're always happy to help!

Happy Detailing! All the best

Taryn and Jim
Autoperfection
01789 490175
taryn@autoperfection.com / jim@autoperfection.com

[retsila]

Excellent guide guys. Obviously I cannot offer an opinion on your routines, but as a complete noob this looks like a prefect start point from which to form my own opinions.

Looks like i'll be making substantial use of your November discount then. 'edit - In fact I just have' £100 seems like a lot for me to spend on cleaning gear, but then i did see a wax for about $8000 the other day.'

Might even have the car to go with the products soon too!

[autoperfection]

No worries - just happy to help!

We've got the order come through, thank you very much, so we'll get that all boxed up and sent out for you - oh what a lovely box of goodies that's going to be!

It does seem like a lot of money in one go, but it absolutely is an investment rather than just a purchase... some of what you've got there will last you well over 12 months and your car will look fabulous, so it's well worth it!!

When you come to use any of them if you need anything at all don't hesitate to give us a call and we'll talk you through!

All the best

Taryn and Jim

[gavmac89]

Yea I agree, great post. I was thinking the exact same after I ordered last night that it was quite a lot to spend although as you say it will last a long time and will probably benefit in the long run, only thing I was curious about was how long does the Lusso Oro wax last for as that was the most expensive thing on my order?

Thanks

Gavin

[Shewie]

Great post but life's too short for all that messing about.

£3 for the drive through does me

[scottyroc]

Great post ,

I'm pretty avid about car detailing and found this right up very informative,

Printed and saved, thanks...

[autoperfection]

Happy to help!!!

[welshjim]

Great guide.

Are there any differences in the cleaning procedures (and products) required for truffle rather than black leather? I'm a bit nervous about applying anything that would discolour the stitching but I guess this isn't an issue with black stitching.

Any advice?

Jim

[Rocco17]

Thanks for this. Order is coming your way right now! £120 worse off but looking forward to getting my R in top spec when it (eventually) arrives

[autoperfection]

Great guide.

Are there any differences in the cleaning procedures (and products) required for truffle rather than black leather? I'm a bit nervous about applying anything that would discolour the stitching but I guess this isn't an issue with black stitching.

Any advice?

Jim

Jim - I can't believe I haven't seen this post before now I'm sorry for not giving you an answer

I appreciate that the chances are you've cleaned your leather now, as I'm three months late with my answer, but I figured "better late than never!"

With regards to cleaning truffle leather there isn't anything different that you need to do - just make sure you're not using anything that's a harsh chemical formula. If you stick to something like the RaceGlaze Leather Cleaner and Leather Balm you'll have nothing to worry about - these would be perfect.

Sorry again for the delayed response - hope it helps!

All the best

Taryn

[autoperfection]

Thanks for this. Order is coming your way right now! £120 worse off but looking forward to getting my R in top spec when it (eventually) arrives

No worries - happy to help!

Make sure you take some pictures of it once it's been done!

All the best

Taryn and Jim

[The Don]

This is very helpful. Although I dare say the cleaning process won't be as extensive in my house, it certainly helps me get an understanding of how some folks cars always look so much cleaner than mine..


Do you guys do a start to finish cleaning "pack"? Something that includes all cleaning products and tools?


Discounted of course....

[discowill]

This guide was useful, but users are still waiting for a response about their purchases/refunds (some have been waiting months).

http://www.sciroccocentral.co.uk/forum/ ... 5&start=20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;