Quick write up of sorts on my GFs 10 year old Fiesta that I did last night.
Its fair to say its not had a lot of love over the years but on the plus side, the lack of washing (only twice in the first 6 months of this year) means very few swirls, though lots of stone chips in her 74,000m.
I've obvoiusly been washing it a bit more often since we got together so it wasnt too bad when I got some time after RG HQ closed last night, and thankfully a big garage to work in. I'd also done the bonnet a week prior so that made a small difference.
So, routine was pretty standard, all RG products:
pre-wash of panel gaps, window surrounds, roof drains etc with one of the my Five Brush Set brushes
Wash using RG Safe Waffle Sponge and Aqua Bathe, driven into the garage for clay bar treatment - I was surprised to see very little on it really, hardly any tar (but I recall I may have done that last month), bugs gone also so it was fairly quick.
I took it outside to wash it again (boy was it getting cold!) and inside to dry down and hope the fan heater would help too as the air was very damp.
Next up one of my very favourite RG products, Signature Pre-Wax Cleanser, a real delight to use, comes off beautifully, smells of Calamine Lotion (which it isnt!) and really brought out the metallic flake - I always thought it wasnt metallic actually.
I then applied a single thin coat of our new Hybrid Blue wax, having to set up a routine of panels ahead of the final buffing off as it was cold and things were taking a time to cure. I left a coat on half of the prevoiusly waxed bonnet for 3/4 hour to see how that was, even in the damp and cold, but if buffed off with a single pass, without hologramming or elbow grease. I'm using one of the 100ml jars, enough I reckon for about 15-20 cars, so at £33/tub, about £2 a coat.
And that was it, left in the garage overnight and I took some pictures this mornming which I will post later. I didnt get to cleanse or wax the rear end which shows up quite well on the pics.
I have to say I am very pleased with my evenings work, the wax goes on well, spreads very easily despite it being cold, comes off without fuss and looks really fantatsic. Just as I planned, though all previous test cars were a bit more molloy-coddled than this one and darker.
Finally, to make it worthwhile, and this from a lady who doesnt wash cars (obvoiusly!): 'as I looked back at it in the car park it looked like glass.'