Hi im new..........

[ALLAN VALENTINE]

hi everyone i just discovered your site, and i really like it! it seems to be bordering on the obsessive! but it makes for a good and insightful read.



i live in the UK and drive a peugeot 205 Gti, which i try to maintain to asnew condition.



I thought i was fairly thorough but you guys use stuff ive never even heard of! im currently just a wash n wax person, but things may have to change!

unfortunatly the weather here is useless, i waxed the car yesterday, but today it has rained all day so i didnt want to remove the car from the garage. so the inside will have to wait till it stops (rain is forecast for tomorrow and saturday!) :sosad



my leather seats are cleaned with gliptone leather care products. you guys heard of that? i think its fairly good but have nver used antything else so your views would be appreciated.



www.liquidleather.co.uk as used by rolls royce etc.



i recently refurbished my alloys, and they look absolutly top, i recon they might be the best condition original speedlines in the UK. im waiting for the centre cap of the last alloy to dry at the moment, before i pop it back on the wheel. if i can post pictures oneday i will.



i had been using this trim blackener from turtle wax (are they a familiar name to you lot) but now ive noticed a HORRID sticky black build up on my bumpers, which took about 2hours to remove yesterday! i am never gonna use that again (i think there is still some residue there!) and since ive taken all that off, i must say the bumpers look better for it! (if less shinny).



ive never heard of QDing before (i dont think those products are for sale in the uk) but that sounds good.

how do you guys cope with going out in the car after a good detailing? cos after about 1mile my car seems to be coated in flies! or rain!

any tips here?



anyhow, i look forward to reaping your knowledge over the coming months.

Cheers!

Geraint Lewis

[ALLAN VALENTINE]

heres some pics of my car, just after i bought it. since then i have gotten into waxing etc and have re-furbished my wheels.



http://www.cybernck.com/sites/205gtidrivers.com/cars/gerlewislewis.html



Ger

[Lowejackson]

Welcome to the forum, it is always nice to see another Brit here. If you want to get your car looking perfect this is the place.



Steven

[Lowejackson]

Ejant is correct, have a look at the book, you can download the first 8 chapters free. Use the search button alot.




i had been using this trim blackener from turtle wax (are they a familiar name to you lot) but now ive noticed a HORRID sticky black build up on my bumpers, which took about 2hours to remove yesterday! i am never gonna use that again (i think there is still some residue there!) and since ive taken all that off, i must say the bumpers look better for it! (if less shinny



By the sounds of it, I would stay away from this product, it is far better to clean the trim and then add a dressing to make it look clean and original. Try some soapy water to get rid of the TW stuff.



Steven

[ALLAN VALENTINE]

about that TW stuff. eventually the build up became so deep that you could dig your nail into it and get a black finger nail! It has proved a real nightmare to remove, but ive almost done it all.

it is like a white gloopy spray that you leave on to dry, and it goes v-shinny.

trouble was, after a week it would go all dull and matted, so i would apply more to re-juvinate it, thus adding to the build up of crud.



Anyhow, ive seen the light with that product! whats a good product for keeping old black bumpers BLACK without ANY horrid residue.



i will get to downloading that now. it may take a while with my 56k connection........

[Lowejackson]

Stuff you can buy in the UK? Autoglym, Dr OK Wack (P21S), Comma, One Grand. I am sure there is more but it has been a very long day.

[ALLAN VALENTINE]

i sorted the link for the pics.



i cannot download the article as im on a mac cube, but i could use a pc sometime soon.



is there a uk website to recomend for products?

and how do you cope with the pants weather and constant barage of files?

80mph motorway cruising plays havoc after a minute! is there a secret?

my handling is good, but im no fly-dodger!



thanks for your help



Ger

[Lowejackson]

UK website? I have not found one. Some of the products talked about on this site are for sale in the UK, ie the ones I mentioned before, Zaino can be ordered in Germany and nearly everthing else can be ordered from the USA.



As for flies, all you can do is wash them down or use a insect cleaner to get rid of them, also a good paintwork product should make the removal a lot quicker. As for the weather, this comes down to the protection given by whatever product you use. If your car is used every day, there is not alot you can do apart from washing and drying.



The secret is not the product but the skill and technique. If you use a cheap product like Turtle Wax, you will find it hard to get a good result.



Oh yes, I should also add 3M to the list of UK products.



Steven