Detailing Meet - UK Style!

Dave KG · 07-14-08, 04:08

Its becoming a regular thing in the UK for folk to meet up and chat about detailing, have demos of products and machines, asnd technqiues and a good bit of banter along the way too... And I frequently travel all over the UK for them from my home up in Dundee, and today was no different as I did a 570 mile round trip today for a meet just outside Manchester... some folk think I'm nuts doing this, but the days are great fun and well worth the travelling effort...

So I though I'd share some pics from the event

So - some pics:

Start off with my car on arrival - not exactly Show n Shine material after a 286 mile drive south...

not helped by the fact a dive bombing pidgeon mis-judged my car for a good place to land, while on the M6 at 70... made an almighty cracking noise but thankfully did no real damage - got the feather left behind and some smearing...

But from a distance, the car was looking good in the sunlight with its Zaino layers and 85RD finishing polish I thought, if you ignored the flies!:

But anyway, enough of my car... onto the meet itself.

Demo car was a Focus RS, a few swilrs on the bonnet so perfect opportunity for some machine polishing demos - but first, a wash:

Epoch making sure it was perfect:

Washing

Onto the machine polishing, this is what we are dealing with:

G220 first up, and while Menzerna Final Finishing on a polishing pad was delivering around 90% correction, we stepped up to Intensive Polish to knock out the RDS as well to get the finish nigh on perfect by DA... Me in action:

and we get:

Also, fjs and rsrobin used the G220 on the bonnet, see Epoch's pics

Dave KG · 07-14-08, 04:09

After lunch (:thumb

it was on to the rotaries, and just to show exactly what a very light polish would do, 3M Ultrafina on a black 3M pad was used to achieve around 90 - 95% correction on this finish:

Not bad, and just goes to show the value of not going in heavy unless you really need to! Stepping up to 3M Polish Ultrafine gor rid of a little more and delivered a really nice finish to the car, with both myself and Iain working away showing well how two people with widely varying techniques can polish to an LSP ready high quality finish!

Then, time to let the games begin: Epoch arrives with scrap panel:

Iain polishes half with Ultrafina to get cracking 50/50 on this soft paint:

Still, that didn't stop Epoch getting the Meguiars 105 and a cutting wool pad out for a go!

Compounding marks anyone?!:

40um of paint left the car from this hit along! I then tried to get through the clear, not with a burn through but by typical polioshing to show what would happen if you just went a little to far with the wool... though I had managed it, but then reifnied the finish with 3M Polish Ultrafine only to find I hadn't!!... finish was decent, not perfect:

Epoch then did a great demo of the Mirka sanding...

4000 grit:

Dry sanding a little scratch:

2000 grit:

Refine with 4000 grit:

Then polish to a beautiful finish:

Decided I'd have a go, so keyed the panel! Sanded 2000, 4000, 3M Polish Ultrafine to refine it...

I wasn't convinced at all there though, the sanding was great, the machine finish wasn't as good as I weanted, there was marring there for sure... so instead, over to my favourite finishing polish for this very soft paint: 85RD:

Much better, can sleep easy now

One last demo - Bilt Hamber Autobalm... take the swirly wing:

One application of Autobalm later:

Excuse the product residue in that shot, but I think we can say that this is mighty effective filling of defects and to add to this, a lovely glossy edge added to the finish to boot and durability that knocks most other LSPs for six! Its getting more air time these days, and deservedly so, as this product is showing itself to be a very good and excellent value for money product capable of a lot more than simply protection: it fills well, it leaves a lovely finish, it lasts well. And its damn good value. One of my favourite products this for these very reasons, and it performs at its best here again today. Highly impressive.