Hello all. Yesterday I completed the A500s spring detail. I was going to leave it a little longer but the paint badly needed some protection plus we had lovely afternoon weather.
After washing I first used a Meguiars clay bar and Quick Detailer. Then some Meguiars Ultimate Compound. This stuff is quite hard to put on as you have to break it down to get the best results, which is quite hard work by hand. It’s quite difficult to take off too but the results are worth it. Next up, a coat of Finishkare 1000P sealant. This stuff is great on its own for a sealant top up and is the one I normally use on its own during the winter. Finally, finished off with some Meguiars Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax. This one is a favourite of mine, it gives a lovely wet look gloss and is very easy to apply and remove. This process was done panel by panel, by hand with microfiber cloths.
I have been using these products for years but not in this order – this is the first time I have put the wax on after the sealant (as I always thought it was the other way round!!). And the results are superb. That was all I had time for yesterday, so I finished up the job quickly with some Meguiars Tyre Gel to finish the look. Will do the rest (interior, plastics, windows, exhaust tips) during a wax top up in a month or so when I get the wheels refurbed. The bumper is coming off as well soon to fit a Maxton splitter so I will get it on the workbench and have a good go at that and filling in all the stone chips. So she’s now sitting on the driveway looking stunning. As always pictures don’t really do detailing work justice but here’s one anyway:
My question relates to the claying process. There really wasn’t a great deal of contamination on any of the panels really with the exception of the bootlid (of course!). This panel was really rough, the clay felt very scratchy all over it. Even with going over several times I couldn’t get all of it off. Whilst it is certainly much better there are still tiny blobs of tar and contamination that wouldn’t budge. I tried some IPA but that did not work at all. So does anyone have any advice or tips on how I can get all the muck off this panel? Any particular tar remover that I could try maybe? Thanks all.