2 Ferraris, BMW Alpina, Ford GT, 2 Bentleys, and More.....I need some help

[ari.opsahl]

Hey guys,



Ok so i have been running my own detailing business for a while just doing basic cars mostly washes and wax but some polishing and more. I am confident but i am gonna need some help on the high end ones. My neighbor has decided to hire me on this one. Nothing serious no polishing or scratch removal so i told him i could handle it.



Here is my general agenda for each car:



1. Hand wash wheels and tires

a. Apply gentle cleaner and polish on wheels and tires

b. Brush with boars hair and fine brush

2. Wash wheel wells and underbody parts

a. Stainless cleaner for exhaust tips and other trip pieces

3. Wash and dry entire car with Gold Class

4. Use clay bar and microfiber towel to remove bugs, road grime or other surface contaminants

5. Wash and dry entire car again with Platinum Wash

6. Wheels + wheel wells

a. Final touches with cue tips and polish small areas

b. Depending on finish of wheel apply protectant/polish

c. Apply non grease tire polish and protectant

7. Hand apply premium wax (depending on recommendation from manufacturer) and remove with microfiber towels.

8. Apply protectants to any plastic trim on vehicle

9. Apply chrome polish if necessary

10. Detail engine compartment and plastic pieces to remove dust/dirt/grime.

11. Apply glass cleaner on glass surfaces and light fixtures





I need your guys help on picking out products. I have been using meguiars and griots stuff for a long time, but i have never touched these high end cars. What do you guys reccomend for:



Wash

Wax

Wheel Cleaner

Wheel Polish

Tire Shine

Clay Bar







Thanks!

[Thats Fresh]

damn. nice set of cars you got lined up there. fly me out and ill help (=

id treat all the cars i get as if they were my own high end or not.



id take a look at these:

WASH

ONRWASH (http://http://www.detailedimage.com/wax.php?id=2468&url=detailedimage.com/Optimum-OPT-M36/No-Rinse-ONR-P285/128-oz-S2/)



WAX

depends on what colors they are. Swissvax and Dodo Juice make waxes for specific cars/colors



WHEEL CLEANER

P21sWheelGel (http://http://www.detailedimage.com/wax.php?id=2468&url=detailedimage.com/P21S-M14/Gel-Wheel-Cleaner-P86/1000-ml-S2/)



WHEEL POLISH

depends on the finish of the wheels.



TIRE SHINE

OPTTIREGEL (http://http://www.detailedimage.com/wax.php?id=2468&url=detailedimage.com/Optimum-OPT-M36/Opti-Bond-Tire-Gel-P283/128-oz-S2/)



CLAY BAR

FINEGRADE (http://http://www.detailedimage.com/wax.php?id=2468&url=detailedimage.com/Clay-Magic-M3/Fine-Grade-Clay-Bar-P41/200-g-S1/) with your ONRlube (=

[imported_DJ Mayo]

If your doing no polishing at all, I never clay. Atleast do a 1 step with the PC or something. Although I`m sure you can get away with it sometime, I don`t risk marring the paint.

[Greg Nichols]

Sorry to be so negative, but if you have thoes kind of cars lined up and you`re asking what products to use, and you seem to be very NEO to detailing I would decline the cars until you REALLY understand detailing. Even washing the ferraris and GT can cause some issues for the engine bays.



You do what you want, but.........



Cheers,

GREG

[SuperBee364]

Sorry to be so negative, but if you have thoes kind of cars lined up and you`re asking what products to use, and you seem to be very NEO to detailing I would decline the cars until you REALLY understand detailing. Even washing the ferraris and GT can cause some issues for the engine bays.



You do what you want, but.........



Cheers,

GREG



Well, this never happens, but I agree with Greg. As he mentioned, just washing a Ferrari can cause problems, and Bentley paint is so incredibly soft, the chances are just darn near 100% that you`ll mar the paint just by washing it, no matter how careful you are.



Also, doing exotic cars is not the time to be trying out new products. You should be using products that you are darn comfortable with, and know *exactly* what each product will do, and is capable of doing, before you even apply it to the car.



Using products for the first time on exotics is a recipe for an *expensive* disaster.



Before you even squirt water on one of those cars, make sure you have at least a million bucks in insurance coverage should you cause any damage.

[ari.opsahl]

Guys i came on here to for help not for a lecture on a lack of experience. If the bentley`s paint is so soft that i will marr it when i wash it, then can someone explain to me exactly how to wash this paint?



THIS is what i am looking for.......




WASH

ONRWASH



WAX

depends on what colors they are. Swissvax and Dodo Juice make waxes for specific cars/colors



WHEEL CLEANER

P21sWheelGel



WHEEL POLISH

depends on the finish of the wheels.



TIRE SHINE

OPTTIREGEL



CLAY BAR

FINEGRADE with your ONRlube (=

[CocheseUGA]

Guys i came on here to for help not for a lecture on a lack of experience. If the bentley`s paint is so soft that i will marr it when i wash it, then can someone explain to me exactly how to wash this paint?



THIS is what i am looking for.......



They are trying to help you. If you want to pay for a paint job on a Bentley, I`m sure you can forge right ahead.

[ari.opsahl]

They are trying to help you. If you want to pay for a paint job on a Bentley, I`m sure you can forge right ahead.



OK so how do i avoid the problems with the bentley. How do i wash it and what wax should i use?

[SuperBee364]

OK so how do i avoid the problems with the bentley. How do i wash it and what wax should i use?



I hate to toot my own horn, but I do have mar-free washing down to almost an Accumulator level. Even so, I`m not capable of washing a Bentley (using any type of wash media) without marring the paint.



Since it`s a given that washing it is going to swirl it (the chances are darn good that when you first see the car the paint is going to be *highly* swirled), I would recommend using a good concealing glaze prior to waxing it. Meg`s Show Car Glaze would be my first choice, but it can be hard to use. Meg`s Machine Glaze is also supposed to be good, but I haven`t used it. Red Moose Machine Glaze is good, too. Research concealing glazes and decide on one that`ll work for you.



Regardless of what glaze you use, I would top it with Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. Not only is it a fantastic wax with all the properties I like in a wax, it is *very* easy to apply and remove. You`ll appreciate that when working on that soft Bentley paint, as even applying and removing a wax can/will mar the paint. I would really discourage you from using *any* other wax, as IW is the *very* easiest to apply/remove over a glaze, and I can`t stress enough how important that is when working on a Bentley.



Here`s how soft Bentley paint is...wiping completely clean Bentley paint with a brand new Eurow MF (one of the very softest MF`s on the market) will mar the paint.



Since you aren`t going to be doing any machine polishing (which I think is a very wise decision), you could use the same glaze/wax combo on the other cars, too.



The glaze will do a fairly good job of concealing swirls and light defets. The Collinite over the top of the glaze will make the glaze`s concealing effects last longer.



I apologize for coming across so harshly in my first post, but I do stand by what I said. Doing exotics really isn`t the best time to be trying out new products, however since you`re not going to be polishing them, the chances of an expensive mistake are reduced.



If you haven`t used Collinite Insulator wax before...



It`s usually available at Harbor Freight for around 12 bucks a bottle. You`ll notice that it`s really thick. It usually has a plug of darn near solid wax in the neck of the bottle. Shake the bottle. I mean, *seriously* shake the bottle. For like five minutes straight. The wax will turn to a very liquid consistency, and stay that way for a long time. It`s still a good idea to shake it while using it, though. Apply it very thin. Putting it over a glaze makes this very easy to do. Use *very little* pressure, especially when putting it on the Bentley. (I would use a foam applicator when waxing the Bentely, as even the softest MF applicator can mar the paint) Wait for it to dry to where it passes the finger swipe test, then *gently* remove it with the softest MF towels you have. Lightly buff it with a new, clean MF, and you`ll have a beautiful finish. If you end up with a layer of dust on the car, *very lightly* spritz it with a good QD and *very lightly* wipe it off with a soft MF. I`d use ice cold distilled water for this, but a QD will work, too. Ice cold distilled water will add a "spit shine" to the finish, and will not leave any streaking like a QD can.



I`m not just saying to use these products because I think they would be easy for you; they really are what I would use if I were doing those exact cars, especially if I wasn`t going to machine polish them.



For the glaze, I *would* use Megs Show Car Glaze, but as I said, it can be tough to use. You would be taking a chance by using it for your first time on one of these cars. You might want to consider using something else.



Again, I apologize for being so harsh... good luck with these cars, and let us know how it goes. :)

[ari.opsahl]

now that is what i am talking about ha ha! that is why i came on here for the experts advice.



Ok i like the idea of the glaze then the wax. I just got off the phone with the Bentley dealer and they reccomend to not even wash it, just soak it with water (not in the sun) and wipe down with a microfiber (these cars already look spotless i dont even know why he is having them done...but not my call) then they said to hit it with a caot of Meguiars #26 and then a once over with the #34 final inspection. He said for any spots with bugs or tar just use rubbing alcohol and a microfiber.



As for the Ferrari`s the dealer detailer recommended P21S and he said a good wash.



What is a good quality soap that has lots of lubrication? Griot`s? Meguiars?

[Envious Eric]

are you kidding me...not wash the car???? joking right...????



YOU HAVE TO WASH THE CAR in order to detail it! If you wax over dirt, you are in a world of trouble!



if you are that worried about it, grab a PC, a one step product like optimum poliseal and wash the car. Then hit the car with a PC and poliseal. You will wash the car, polish the car, wax the car in about 3 hours...

[ari.opsahl]

I thought that sounded a little funny too ha ha.



I still need a recommended car wash from you guys. Griot`s, Meguiars?

[Scottwax]

Nothing wrong with using Meguiars products on high end cars.



My suggestion is you download the autopia e-book because it sounds as though you need more advice than one thread can provide.



http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/

[02zx9r]

If you haven`t used Collinite Insulator wax before...



It`s usually available at Harbor Freight for around 12 bucks a bottle. You`ll notice that it`s really thick. It usually has a plug of darn near solid wax in the neck of the bottle. Shake the bottle. I mean, *seriously* shake the bottle. For like five minutes straight. The wax will turn to a very liquid consistency, and stay that way for a long time. It`s still a good idea to shake it while using it, though. Apply it very thin. Putting it over a glaze makes this very easy to do.



I have noticed this too. I pushed that back into the bottle and shook the crap out of it. I agree it is easy to use, more so than the other collinite waxes I have used.

[02zx9r]

What is a good quality soap that has lots of lubrication? Griot`s? Meguiars?



What car wash soap have you used on the other cars you detailed in your business??



I use Megs Gold Class soap, and Duragloss soap.