£50 challenge

[Tony]

My Lotus exterior needs detailing, i'll offer £50 and include a blog to get this done.

 

On a side note i have absolutely no idea what this would normally cost so if £50 is a p**s take it is so innocently.

[Mark H.]

A pro = £250+ probably £500+ if it needs paint correction done. Could take a couple of days as well.

 

Not so bad if you just want someone to wash it, clay bar it, then wax it.

[Tony]

Just want the "swirls" removed.

[Mark H.]

You probably want paint correction then. It may cost a bit, but choose wisely and it will look good for a long time and be a quick wash to keep it looking good for months after. Then it should be much easier/ cheaper to have it looking good once the initial correction is done.

 

Just be carefull who you let loose on your paint work. Make sure you get some references first.

[Tony]

Oh my, i didn't think this would be so complicated..... Maybe i need to get my head out of the sand on this topic!

 

I honestly thought £50 would deserve a decent "polish" but seemingly i'm way off the real deal.

[adam_r]

depending on where your based and how long you can live without the car + how much you want to spend will all come in to it Tony.

 

I have my car detailed about 1 time a year maybe once every 2 years.

costs me about £250 -£300.

 

my advice is get on to detailing world and ask around.

 

one thing you have to consider is money, i know it sounds silly but a pro will take your lotus and make it shinier and better looking than it has ever been (including leaving the dealership with its first owner!), BUT it will cost you a bit.

 

if your not that bothered and still wash your cars with a sponge (shudders at the thought of you cleaning a lotus esprit with a sponge) then a vast amount of cash you spent on the detail will go down the drain in a wash or two.

 

if you want to keep it looking tip top then you need to spend some time learning how to clean your car properly

 

btw you can get finnishes like this (my old car)

(Click to see a bigger pic)

 

 

 

 

bear in mind the car have 134k miles on it and when i picked it up it was a 'faded' red

[Tango]

Oh my, i didn't think this would be so complicated..... Maybe i need to get my head out of the sand on this topic!

 

I honestly thought £50 would deserve a decent "polish" but seemingly i'm way off the real deal.

 

Stage 1 correction by a very competent bloke £400.00 for a car like my Lex (£325 for the Lotus?), stage 2 £475.00 (requires 2 days minimum) http://invisibletouchdetailing.co.uk/stage1.html

[Rich]

if your not that bothered and still wash your cars with a sponge (shudders at the thought of you cleaning a lotus esprit with a sponge) then a vast amount of cash you spent on the detail will go down the drain in a wash or two.

 

if you want to keep it looking tip top then you need to spend some time learning how to clean your car properly

 

Totally agree with this, there is no point getting a car machine polished to remove swirls if you will just continue to wash it in the conventional way or take it to the local tescos! Seen plenty of examples on DW where they've taken a car to a dealer for servicing and it's been washed, resulting in one seriously swirled car!

 

It will need 2 days work for most people IMO, I spent 15 hours on an astra a while ago and that was a hard slog! I really don't envy the pro's who do this.

 

I'm no pro but have some experience and alot of gear so willing to give it ago if you want me to? I did notice yesterday that in some areas the clearcoat is damaged or missing, but the swirling isn't too bad compared to others I've seen although very visible in the sun.

[Tony]

Feels like my first day at school...... ER i will take you up on your offer if you want to go for it.

 

Why no sponge, what else do you use?

[Rich]

Feels like my first day at school...... ER i will take you up on your offer if you want to go for it.

 

Why no sponge, what else do you use?

 

I've gone back to using a sponge but not the big jumbo car sponges or cellulose ones you get for 99p as they're too hard. I use a grout sponge now as they're much softer and have holes in them to capture any grit, plus I make additional cuts as well. Zymol make a sponge designed for cleaning your car but it's expensive and I've also heard of people using natural sea sponge, which again is expensive.

 

You also have the options of a lambs wool or microfibre wash mitt. Using these carefully with the two bucket method (2BM) you can wash your car without inflicting too many swirls. I tend to use the 2BM during the winter when the car has more dirt on it rather than just dust during the summer months when I just use the one bucket. You will over time induce more swirling though, there is no way you can prevent them completely but careful washing (and drying) keeps them to a minimum.

[adam_r]

ER

 

If you do do Tonys Lotus please take paint depth readings before you start. the last thing you would want to do is go through the top layer

 

 

IMHO Tony and this is no respect to ER as he has made a very generous offer.

for something like your lotus, you would be better getting a pro in to do the work. they will analys your paint and see what is going on depth wise and how much they can afford to remove without effecting the clearcote or damaging the paint.

 

if you cut the clearcote too thin then this leaves the paint open for UV to get it and start to destroy the paint (fading).

 

which ever path you take, please provide pleanty of before/after pics

[Rich]

Although it's wise to use a PDG you will only remove a few microns of paints in reality and all the panels on the Lotus are fibreglass as well so you need a special guage which are very expensive.

 

Another thing we have to be weary of is heat build up in the panels as well, cos it's fibreglass. It might be an idea to try hiding the swirls rather than removing them to start with. This should be ok to apply by machine as you wouldn't work it for that long compared to an abrasive polish. When polishing you always try a test area first so we could get an idea of how hot the panels might get. I don't think I would be able to achieve 100% correction though as Lotus paint is suppose to be very hard as well.

[Tango]

Found the following on the DW forum which seems relevant, particularly the post from 'Shine On':-

 

 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=92105

[Tony]

Found the following on the DW forum which seems relevant, particularly the post from 'Shine On':-

 

 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=92105

 

Interesting stuff, ever more so since i've decided to do this myself, nice find Terry

[Rich]

Found the following on the DW forum which seems relevant, particularly the post from 'Shine On':-

 

 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=92105

 

Interesting stuff, ever more so since i've decided to do this myself, nice find Terry

 

By hand? Good luck with the swirl removal then

[Tony]

Well seemingly i have to learn or get the right tools at some point, £250 a time to have this done is not something i'm going to pay for it i can do it myself.

[Rich]

Well seemingly i have to learn or get the right tools at some point, £250 a time to have this done is not something i'm going to pay for it i can do it myself.

 

But you can easily spend that much on all the gear you need and then probably a good 10 hours on polishing alone. This will also do your back, shoulders and arms in and I thought you were getting pain in those areas? I would book a week off work for afterwards

[Tony]

Good i could do with some time off.

[hms]

If you'd like a loan of my DA polisher, let me know.

h

[Tony]

If you'd like a loan of my DA polisher, let me know.

h

Thanks, in truth i would like to know the best place to get one from, if detailing is an ongoing area i need to have my own tools.

[Rich]

If you'd like a loan of my DA polisher, let me know.

h

Thanks, in truth i would like to know the best place to get one from, if detailing is an ongoing area i need to have my own tools.

 

You only need to DA to polish, which you should only do once a year maximum, but reading the thread on DW it's gonna be hard work with one of those so a rotary would be better. But this is where you need to be careful as they produce more heat. You can also use the DA to apply pre-wax cleaners, glazes and sealants using a finishing pad as these have none or very little cut to them.

[hms]

I think Maguires may hold polishing instruction days at their base in Milton Keynes for car clubs and the like.

Might be worth seeing if you can get on one there, or see if they are interested in holding one at WIM!

h

[Tony]

I think Maguires may hold polishing instruction days at their base in Milton Keynes for car clubs and the like.

Might be worth seeing if you can get on one there, or see if they are interested in holding one at WIM!

h

 

Lets explore the project.

[Tony]

Yesterday i concentrated on glass and a wash, today was leather clean and polish time, what do you think

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tango]

Very nice Tony, very nearly as good as my Lex No really that looks the DB's, immaculate.