craigieb wrote:sounds fantastic
Any chance of posting this up?
Sure. The website has very detailed guides, but he summarised it for me as follows (based on knowing it's an Elise with Storm Titanium paint). I don't think you should clay or polish if your car is coming straight from the factory, but you might want to in future:
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Here's a routine I would recommend adopting in the future...
Wash (ideally every week)
Poorboys Super Slick n Suds Shampoo
Meguiars Lambswool Mitt (for bodywork)
Meguiars Microfibre Mitt (for wheels/inside the arches)
Poorboys Waffle Weave Drying Towel
Clean (every six months)
Meguiars Quik Clay
Polish
This step is more complicated, as you won't always need to do everything. If you get a machine, then do this to get rid of the swirls and produce a beautiful gloss (you'll only need to do this once every 12-24 months)...
Blackfire SRC Compound, via Lake Country Orange Light Cut Pads
then
Blackfire SRC Finishing Polish, via Lake Country Green Polishing Pads
To deep cleanse the paint and add a tough basecoat of acrylic protection every six months after claying, I would recommend...
Jeffs Werkstatt Prime, applied eithr by machine using a Lake Country White Polishing Pad or by hand using the white side of a German Applicator
Note that if you don't get a machine there is no point trying to correct the swirls by hand (Lotus paint is simply too hard for this), so skip the Blackfire products and just use the Prime to deep cleanse the paint every six months. I recommend using Super Thick n Plush Towels for buffing off all residues in the polishing step.
Protect (ideally every 2-4 weeks)
Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger
2 x Deluxe Mega Towels (spray onto one, apply, then buff off with the other)
Wheels (wash every week with normal suds, protect every 3 months)
Poorboy's Wheel Sealant
Meguiars Foam Pads
Poorboys Work Towel
Extras
I don't like glass polishes, I prefer water and a work towel, but if the current stuff works for you then no reason to change. Decent metal polishes are hard to come by, but we will shortly be introducing a range by Blackfire - but again, if you like the current product no reason to change. Once you have a few coats of wheel sealant on you'll find brake dust washes of easily, so you shouldn't need a wheel cleaner. However, if brake dust is a problem and you want a cleaner, then Menzerna Gel 7.5 is a cut above the rest.
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I've already bought Poorboy's Carnuba wax, so I'll be using that for the protect step instead of what he's recommended. Also, I'm going to wait until my current Autoglym products have run out before I spend all my money on this new stuff. I did however buy some clay.
Cheers,
D
