Evo 6 detailed

[liner33]

Right thought i would show the process I use when giving the car a good clean

 

I know it doesnt look that dirty but its very dusty and dirty

 

 

 

 

 

 

So first off a good pressure wash off, you can see this gets a good amount of the dirt off due to the protection ie wax still on the car

 

 

 

 

 

[liner33]

So now onto washing the standard two bucket method one with shampoo and the other with clean water , you shampoo a panel at a time and then rinse the wash mitt in the clean water before returning to the shampoo ,the idea is so you dont end up using a dirty mitt or water to wash the car. I prefer clear buckets so you can see the colour of the water as you go and change it if it gets manky

 

Note i'm not touching the wheels they were refurbed and waxed very recently so just needed a pressure wash off

 

 

 

 

Ok wash the car , then rinse , I use filtered water as i live in very hard water area this saves water marks so i dont need to dry the car off , just go and make a cup of tea and then do the door shuts (dont forget the bonnet and boot shuts)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[liner33]

Ahhhhh it seems you can only edit posts for a short time

 

So onto claying , you can tell if you need to clay the car after washing , just run your hand over the paintwork , if it slides smoothly and easily then you need not clay , if it feels rough at all then it will need claying

 

Claying is essentially a slight abrasive that will remove baked on dirt , tar and other contaminants from the paintwork , if you polish BEFORE claying you will be rubbing these contaminants over the paintwork.

 

Along with clay you will need a lube , most people just use a quick detailer , there are loads of these you just need to pick one you like

 

One bar of clay is usually plenty to do one car provided its not too bad but I always cut them into half as you need around this much, I only need ½ bar for this car , other cars I have needed 2 bars.

 

 

 

 

Warm it in your hands and flatten it out into a pat about the size of your fingers , spray some q/d onto the panel and then a little onto the clay and holding the clay under your fingers rub over the panel , when you can feel the clay sliding smoothly over the paint then its done , keep checking the clay and see how dirty it is.

 

 

When the clay becomes dirty fold it in on itself and flatten it out again , don’t turn it over use one side then flatten and continue . It’s a good idea to put some newspaper down on the floor as if you drop the clay on the floor you will need to discard it as it might pick up a small stone etc

 

 

Do one panel at a time and then dry the q/d off with a microfiber

 

 

I always do the front and rear bumpers last as they are often the worst for picking up dirt , when you have finished throw away the clay , you cant reuse it.

[liner33]

At this point some people rinse the car again , I just go over it with some quick detailer and move onto the next step

 

Polishing

 

Again there are many products on the market some are cleaners , some abrasives or fillers and some better suited to certain colours

 

My favourite is Zaino All in one

 

 

The biggest mistake most people make is to use too much polish , this makes it harder to remove , when you apply it you don’t need to see any product on the panel only a very thin coating

 

This much on a pad is more than enough for one panel

 

 

So again one panel at a time polish the car , some polishes you will need to remove quickly or they can be difficult but with Z-AIO you can do the whole car and then remove it

 

Use a decent microfiber and fold it like this

 

 

 

Go over each panel , folding the cloth again everytime it starts to feel sticky on the panel

 

I personally like to go over the car again with q/d after Z-AIO I tend to use Zaino Z6 which is just a quick detailer

 

 

 

 

 

Now I could leave it like this as Zaino all in one contains a sealant to protect the finish , but I will top it with a wax for better longevity

[liner33]

So onto waxes

 

Yet again there is loads of choice, I have a few which I use for different cars and conditions , bought some of the Collinite 915 last year and was astounded by how long its lasted on my daily driver so thought i’d use that

 

 

Again I like to use a quick detailer in between operations so coat of wax applied on a pad again very thinly and then a wipe down with q/d in this case Megs last touch , add a second coat of wax then q/d wipe down and an optional coat of bling for this I use Zaino z8 or Dodo juice Red mist

 

 

 

 

Wheels, tyres, mudflaps, exhaust and interior tomorrow

[Rich]

Excellent write up, that is a fantastic shine for silver

 

I've not used any Zaino products but I think I'm going to soon.

 

How do you compare the 2 colly's together as well?

 

That is also a brilliant view from your drive, looks like a very peaceful area

 

With the edit thing, non gold members get 10 minutes to edit before it's locked permanently.

[liner33]

Thanks for tidying it all up !!

 

I like Colli 476 and thought it was the dog danglies until i tried 915.

 

476s is meant to be the long lasting wash resistant one , it doesnt give the best shine but on silver it works very well i used to use it on my Merc E class and it would easily last 3-4 months

 

But as i posted the other day my blue Octavia was done in Sept (thought it was Oct) with 915 , 2 coats and then Dodo Red mist , afterwards it looked like this

 

 

Even now mid-way through March you can still see some protection left when it rains and the car is parked outside all the time . So 915 seems to outlast 476s plus it looks a lot lot better , as good as Dodo juice light fantastic which is the next best in my collection in fact as good as anything i have seen so i'd heartily recommend it

 

Plus its a massive tub

[Rich]

I have 476 and yeah it lasts months, can't believe 915 will go even longer. Makes you wonder why they make the tubs so big, it'll literally last a lifetime!

 

I maybe getting rid of all my waxes and switching to sealants though. I really like Optiseal and want to try C2 as well. I've never been one to change LSP's before they've worn off and prefer something that lasts months to save reapplying.

[scorps]

Beading or sheeting? i guess its just a preferance.

[liner33]

I have Optiseal and often use sealants as well , i dont like Optiseal that much though it doesnt do anything for the finish if anything i think it dulls it a little, i only use it on wheels nowadays

 

I use the Zaino ones Z5, Z2 or even just Zaino Z-CS and think they are a little better.

 

That FK1000p tub (pictured) is actually a sealant rather than a wax , its good on paint and lasts very well but again i usually use it on wheels

[liner33]

Beading or sheeting? i guess its just a preferance.

 

 

I dont think it matters as long as the finish is protected

[liner33]

Ok , interior was hoovered with the henry and the plastics wiped down

 

The alacantara part of the seats and the cloth trim on the doors was cleaned with Raceglaze alacantara cleaner (expensive and not long lasting but good) the leather parts with Zaino z-9 cleaner and then z-10 treatment/protector. Went over the footmats with 1001 carpet foam and the hoover

 

Windows cleaned with IPA/water mix and then treated with Optiseal

 

Its a bit dirty already though as I have been out for a little spin

 

 

 

 

 

Total time taken was about 6 hours , it wont get another clean like this for a good while probably next polish will be around September/October , the other washes will just keep things topped up with the occasional coat of wax etc

[scorps]

Did you miss the M/Flaps?....nice job though.

 

Thats why i picked silver even when its dirty it doesn't really show the dirt and the reflectivness is still quite good, beading is fine except the water sits there but sheeting it falls away.

 

Edit: just noticed you didn't clean the Zorst tip either...naughty naughty!!

[liner33]

Well spotted I've since done the exhaust tip , i had a bit of mapping to do on it so was going to fit my wideband there

 

 

I'll be taking the flaps off this week , I only fit them for the winter , prefer the look without them but they are a necessary evil in the winter

 

[Rich]

Nice job with the interior, what do you use to clean the plastics?

 

How do you find optiseal on the glass as well, I will have to try that?

[liner33]

I like opti-seal on glass especially with tinted windows makes them nice and reflective

 

For the plastics i use a foaming spray just Simoniz dashboard cleaner , it gives a nice matt finish since the evo has tradional cheap loking jap plastic

[Rich]

Mine are tinted so I'll give that ago...got G1 on the windscreen so that's sorted anyway.

 

Have you use poorboys natural look dressing? It's what I use, love the stuff as it smells of marzipan!

[scorps]

Right i wont be using that then...i hate marzipan!

[Rich]

That clay you used was it the 3M one? I've just bought a bar for £12 delivered on ebay

[liner33]

Think its the Sonus one i usually use Zaino clay (no surprise there ) but have some bilt hamber to try today on the blue Octy

 

Not tried the PB stuff may ive it a go, i use 303 on my other cars